#and make everyone angry upset and uncomfortable

[takaraphoenix]

Oh, I have been in worse fandoms, but very few of them had the thing I genuinely hated with all my being be so. Inevitable.

Curating my fandom experience is almost impossible with pjo because it feels like the entire fandom is a hivemind created to kiss the ground Riordan walks upon and build shrines to the glory and genius of percabeth and solangelo.

I can't even FIND fanfictions that I like, because everything I'd be interested in is burried under 18 feet of boring clichés and unappealing, bland and empty romance shoved down my throat as "revolutionary" and "actually very cute and definitely not abusive!".

I HAVE been in PLENTY of fandoms where my fav was absolutely HATED by the fandom at large, but even THEN, it was easy to find my people but here? Everyone claims to love Percy or Nico while also stripping them of everything interesting, tangible and appealing in them to fit them better in questionable ships that you're not allowed to even dislike, and so it is basically impossible to find the people that actually DO like them and not the caricatures created for the shipping.

And I can't even go to GEN, plot heavy adventures, because even THEN I have those two fucking ships presented as a matter of fact and it being very heavy. Even when the plot is not about them, they still are everywhere.

It is hell.

In those other fandoms, there still seemed to be a place for the people not interested in shipping, here for the world and the characters, but here it's not the case.

Riordan seems to think that every characters needs to be in a couple and for that to be their entire personality to be good writing, even when the world is at stakes, and the fandom is just way too happy to follow along.

I'm sorry you're having trouble finding the right people. If you'd like, you could come off anon and DM me and I could offer you an invite to my Nicercy Server, because there's no ass-kissing there. We also have well-organized channels so you can mute the conversation topics you're not interested in.

This ask does tell me you're in dire need of some venting space, and we do have our critical channels where there's regular lengthy discussions about plot-points that bother us, as well as fandom behaviors.

Basically, we're kind of a self-help group sitting in a circle, sharing lol

(Also you might be able to get some fic recommendations out of someone in the server)

[vorfreudevortex]

apologies

✧.* gojo, geto, nanami, toji, choso, sukuna, yuji, megumi, noritoshi, ino, inumaki, yuta

notes: a somewhat happier resolution and part two of arguments! thank you for reading <3

✧.* check out the fun facts after the attachments for background info about their fights and a look inside my brain hehe!

my masterlist

© vorfreudevortex | all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, repost, or otherwise share my work.

satoru cried in his office when he realized that he blamed you for something that wasn't your fault.

suguru's coworker sat on his lap as part of a weird inside joke everyone else at the school has between the two. he has no idea why he was so defensive to you and he truly wasn't cheating. he was so angry that you would believe he cheated that he started calling you out for the first thing he could think of, wearing revealing tops in public. satoru had to call you 8 times before you picked up and let him explain it to you. he's forcing her to transfer to kyoto so she never has the chance to hurt your relationship again (remember that suguru never left and became a teacher alongside satoru in my aus). the pictures sent to the reader leave out how suguru uncomfortably asked her to get off of him shortly after, since they were around other sorcerers and teachers (as politely as he could).

kento came home with so many flowers for you and he still feels awful.

toji's dumbass freaked tf out when you took home your clothes from his place. he was out drinking and gambling and didn't want to tell you. your relationship is rocky for a while but he hasn't gambled since.

choso is still learning communication skills and cried when he realized that he was being mean to you over nothing.

sukuna is a terrible texter and does NOT communicate his feelings well. this is him being vulnerable af with you because he really does love you and has no idea why he was grabbing another girl's ass at the bar. he tried to chase you down after you threw a drink on him, slapped and yelled at him, and ran out.

yuji completely panicked when a curse attacked him out of nowhere when he was out with you. you can't see them and you were so confused and scared that you couldn't move. he just cares about you so much and couldn't stand the fact that you could've died. he made megumi listen to him cry about how mean he was to you for like 3 straight hours.

megumi has no idea how to deal with his emotions and has never been in a relationship before so he literally thought you guys were broken up LMAO. he's trying really hard for you.

in my au toge can speak, just not direct commands, so he still rarely talks unless necessary. i thought it would be nice to have the reader understand that all of his communication skills are terrible and help him work on them.

noritoshi has a terrible outlook on love and relationships from his upbringing so it took him a minute to understand how awful his words were. he truly does love you and wants to marry you. he lowkey constantly thinks about cutting off the kamo clan so they can't control his life anymore.

ino literally cried to nanami after your argument. he's so used to putting jujutsu responsibilities before his own life and feelings, and struggles with having to take care of something that can't be fixed with his power or strength. nanami also called you and apologized for meddling in your relationship, he realized it was inappropriate but he just really cares about you and ino and wants the best for both of you.

yuta literally didn't even realize how insane and controlling he was being until you called him out. after he took you home, he latched onto you with his head crammed in your lap because he was so upset thinking that you might leave him. he swears to himself that he will kill himself before he treats you like that again, and he never does it again.

i don't like when big argument smaus end with "no biggie i forgive you! <3" so i tried to make sure that the reader either made sure they know they fucked up big time, apologized and talked to them face-to-face, they'd never do it again, or you wouldn't forgive them so easily, etc.

sorry this was so long! but i love knowing the background info and author's thoughts for smaus since they can be kind of limiting in content! i think i'll add background info and fun facts after all my future smaus for those who are interested. as always thank you so much for reading ♡

[jenscx]

KISS ME MORE — ning yizhuo

tldr: my (22f) gay roommate’s (21f) dating life makes me feel weird. she’s one of my best friends but now i’m wondering if i could be homophobic.

tags fluff, crack, jealousy, non-idol au, roommates, based off that one reddit story, short fic, dialogue heavy, mentions of jmj, hi yunjin! tw for oblivious ning, pacing’s weird kinda

wordcount 5.2k

🎙️ author’s note: happy birthday ning! late fic ik… but i’ve been busy (i’m sorry 😞) hope our dearest main vocal stays happy for the rest of her life! can’t imagine aespa without her 🤍 happy reading~

r/relationships posted by

u/throwawaylizard 16 hours ago.

TLDR: my (22f) gay roommate’s (21f) dating life makes me feel weird. she’s one of my best friends but now i’m wondering if i could be homophobic.

i am currently roommates with this girl, A. we've been staying together ever since we graduated and we’re very close. sometimes we’ll even jokingly flirt with each other but she knows i’m straight and she has never made me uncomfortable before. i’m a foreigner and A has definitely helped me grow accustomed to the culture here. i owe it all to her. which is why i’m confused about my feelings right now.

i’ve never thought of myself to be discriminatory towards anyone and i always welcomed those different from me, regardless of their sexual orientation. however, recently my roommate has come out to me. i supported her and didn’t think much of it after. but here’s where the problem starts. she came back with a girl a few days ago that i recognise from our extended friend group. i have nothing against gay people but when i saw the girl, i just felt so upset. at first i thought it was because i was in a bad mood and all i wanted was to cuddle with A, but afterwards, A would progressively get more touchy with that girl (lets call her Y). every time i would see them, i just felt bad. i wanted to puke at the sight.

i caught them making out on the couch once and i got so pissed off. i think it was because of a rough day but basically when my roommate started to apologise, i just blew her off. Y seemed embarrassed too. i felt really bad afterwards since A was really hurt by my action. she asked me why i was so angry and i just lied saying that something at work made me upset. i don’t want to tell her that it was because seeing her with a girl that i was annoyed.

there was another incident where she brought Y to our weekly game night. all my friends seemed fine with her, except for me. one of my friends, let’s call her M, had to pull me aside to ask what was wrong with me. in that moment, i realised that i was only hurting A and Y by being a jerk. i’m normally a polite person but that day i was being unnecessarily rude to someone i didn’t even know. i chalked it up as wanting only the best for A since she’s a year younger than me and wanting to protect her. she doesn’t really date anyone and she’s very quiet. am i being unreasonable? i really don’t want to be homophobic. i told M all about my feelings of homophobia and she told me that she was dating a girl too. i didn’t know why she brought it up but then she asked if i felt any disgust towards her for being gay. i said no and that her sexual orientation would never change our friendship.

so she asked why do i only feel that way towards A? and i want to extend that question to everyone here too. can someone help? do you have any experience with something like this? i don’t want to lose A as a friend. she’s one of my best friends and i can’t see myself not standing beside her in the future. we’ve been through a lot together and i don’t want this to be the reason why we end our friendship. she’s never once complained about my dating life and it feels hypocritical to do the same to hers. but i just feel queasy whenever she brings up other girls. like i want to bash my head against the wall type.

do i have selective homophobia? can someone help?

⇧ 157 | ⇩ | 89 comments

u/betterthingz01 | 12h

op i hate to break this to you… but i think you might be in love with your roommate.

u/throwawaylizard | 12h

can you elaborate? please!!!

u/flatearther | 11h

Are u sure u don’t have a crush on A? Or that u are straight?

u/throwawaylizard | 10h

uhm well i’m straight… so i don’t think i have a crush on A but if i was into girls, i’d definitely fall in love with her!! she’s really sweet and caring.

u/flatearther | 10h

Oh 😭😭

u/mingmingz | 7h

how do you feel if your roommate brought back a different girl? maybe you just don’t like Y as a person?

u/throwawaylizard | 7h

she used to bring other girls around too i think they were just friends though. i felt the same way but just seeing her kiss Y makes me want to throw up :((

u/blueskies444 | 5h

have u tried talking to ur roommate? i think communication is the best solution here

u/throwawaylizard | 4h

i talked to her a few days ago, asking her if she could stop bringing Y to our hangouts or apartment because it feels weird. our friend group only really consisted of five people and as bad as it sounds, Y just felt like an intruder. she kinda looked at me weird before agreeing. but then she asked if i would be fine if she went to Y’s apartment instead and obviously i said it wasn’t any of my business. A got a little upset and we haven’t been talking recently…

u/blueskies444 | 4h

i’m gonna be real w u for a sec and say that A is most definitely trying to get u jealous

u/throwawaylizard | 3h

why would she do that?

u/blueskies444 | 2h

yeahhh i’m not the one who should tell u why

“ning yizhuo, why am i getting messages from jimin unnie saying that she found your reddit post?” minjeong’s voice shrills out behind yizhuo. the girl shrinks, shivers running down her spine at the thought of anyone finding out about her post. she had resorted to reddit for help after much consideration and even aeri had said that reddit was surprisingly helpful at times.

“that’s not me! you’ve got the wrong person!”

minjeong rolls her eyes and tosses her phone onto yizhuo’s desk, “that’s literally you. ddongie would be upset to know that he’s a throwaway lizard.”

yizhuo instantly protests, “that just means that it isn’t my main account! i didn’t want people to find my real account.”

“oh, so you are throwaway lizard?”

she cowers at minjeong’s intense gaze, knowing that her little slip up just cost her whole facade.

“well the comments were helpful!”

“did you not reread what you typed out?”

minjeong’s genuine tone makes yizhuo hesitate.

“yeah? did i make a lot of spelling mistakes…?”

“no! did you not realise?” minjeong asks again. yizhuo huffs, swerving back around in her chair, “realise what? that i’m a bad friend? y/n hasn’t talked to me in days.”

just as she said in her reddit post, you haven’t spoken a word to her ever since that day she confronted you. yizhuo doesn’t think she was super mean with her words but the way you had reacted made it seemed like she killed your whole family.

she had only said, “hey, can you stop bringing yunjin over?” and her mere words had launched a full-blown argument where you had insinuated that yizhuo was jealous that you had someone to rely on.

it couldn’t have been further from the truth! yizhuo would never be upset about your happiness. any semblance of bitterness had lessened when she saw how bright your smile was or how much you were laughing when yunjin would tell a joke.

(she didn’t find it funny but at least you laughed. yunjin was the epitome of dad jokes. she was not funny.)

“she really hasn’t? wow, she’s determined,” minjeong chuckles.

yizhuo rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to her sketchbook. a few scrawned out designs, nothing much. just to take her mind off this situation for now. the pencil drawings somehow only manages to ensure that her brain constantly thinks about you though. how you encouraged her to enrol in a fashion course and how you were certain that yizhuo would become the biggest designer ever known.

she would giggle at your claims and humour you. now all that was left was your silence.

“why would she be determined to ignore me?” yizhuo asks, sighing, “i was upset but now it just seems like she thinks i don’t want her to be happy.”

minjeong raises an eyebrow, “what did the comments say? did they help?”

yizhuo huffs just thinking about the reddit comments. none of them really helped her to identify her feelings. just stating that she was gay and in love. both wrong!

“they said i’m in love with y/n and i’m jealous of yunjin,” she answers coolly, trying not to get too worked up over the false accusations.

minjeong winces, “do you think they’re right?”

yizhuo furrows her eyebrows.

“no?! i’m not gay!”

“but do you like y/n?”

“no! she’s just a very good friend!”

the brunette sighs, “that’s what they all say.”

“minjeong!”

yizhuo couldn’t be in love with you. no way. you were really just a good friend. one of her closest. she adored you greatly and wanted the best for you.

“so why are you so upset?” minjeong asks.

“i don’t know! that’s why i’m asking reddit! but now i just look like an idiot,” yizhuo groans, wanting to pull her hair out of frustration, which truly shows how irritated she was. she would never harm her hair.

“yizhuo, have you ever considered that you’re not as straight as you thought?”

yizhuo turns back to face minjeong, who’s sitting on her bed. she thinks back to all the times you’ve hung out with her. the lingering touches of comfort. the warmth she felt whenever you spoke.

she just wants her friend back. and she doesn’t know why she’s acting so unreasonable. could minjeong have a point? what if yizhuo…

“oh my gosh! i’m jealous since she’s out and gay—”

minjeong lights up, squealing, “yes!”

“and i’m just a straight girl without any confidence! i’m jealous of her confidence!”

minjeong deflates almost instantly.

yizhuo knows she’s right, so she immediately hatches a plan to talk to you. one comment said communication was vital in preserving this friendship, so yizhuo jumped into action. she knew you had your shifts at night and yizhuo could catch you off-guard right after. your work usually ended late and yizhuo always dozed off on the couch waiting for you. recently that routine has been broken, of course, but that’s when you’re most susceptible to vulnerability. yizhuo needed space to be honest and truthful.

thus, she waits patiently in the living room. yizhuo’s not really sure how long your shift lasts but she normally hears your keys jingle at midnight, so maybe then?

she waits an hour. then another. and then another. she spends the time scrolling on instagram, a frown forming on her face when yunjin appears on her feed.

then, finally, she hears the door creaking. jumping up from her lying position, yizhuo sits upright, focused.

“oh,” is your first word to her. not ‘hi’, or ‘hello’, just an acknowledgment.

yizhuo blinks at the sight of you in your work attire. but she quickly shoves the thought of how attractive you looked into the back of her mind.

“hey,” she winces at her own unfamiliar tone, “can we talk?”

you stare at her in shock before reluctantly nodding.

“yeah, sure.”

she pats the space next to her and clears her throat as you sit down.

“i know i’ve kind of been a jerk lately especially to you and yunjin, but i just want to say that i’m sorry.”

surprise flickers in your eyes, “oh.”

“i talked to minjeong unnie and it really cleared things up. i realised that i was upset because it felt like we weren’t as close as before. knowing that someone like yunjin could come replace me. i was jealous that you had someone while i didn’t. it felt like you were moving on without me, so i got a bit angry. i’m really sorry for the way i treated you and yunjin.”

(their first interaction really went poorly. yizhuo had came home, ready for a long movie night, just to find a random girl (well, not really random) sprawled out on her couch.

“i’m home,” yizhuo calls out, carefully approaching the body. long and lanky is the first thing she notices. and the bright red hair. yizhuo dyed her hair red before, it stained her pillowcase cover. she wonders if this girl’s pillowcase covers are stained with red dye too.

“hey, how was your day?” you ask, laying beside the girl, “sorry, this is yunjin. we just finished a gym session together with aeri unnie. minjeong unnie knows her.”

no wonder why you were barely dressed. yizhuo scrunches her nose at the sight of yunjin’s arm wrapped around your bare torso. she nods and asks quietly, “why is she here?”

you laugh, “i was bragging about my post-gym lunch and she said she wanted to try.”

yizhuo’s never tried your cooking before. she feels a little out of place now.

“ah, okay,” she replies dryly, not bothering to keep her volume down, “is she going to be here all day?”

yunjin wakes up at the commotion, a little disoriented as she shifts.

“oh, shit. sorry, y/nnie,” yunjin yawns, sitting up, “sorry ning, i accidentally fell asleep.”

“it’s yizhuo. only my friends call me ning,” she spits out. you send her a scalding look that makes her want to retract her words, “whatever. sorry. see you guys later.”

at night, just before you leave for your shift, you reprimand her, saying that she was extremely rude to someone she didn’t even know. yizhuo had tuned out most of your scolding, not wanting to hear you defend yunjin.)

“oh…”

yizhuo swallows harshly, squeezing her eyes shut, “i just need you to know i’m not praying for your downfall or anything. i want the best for you, especially since you feel like my younger sister.”

as soon as she finishes her little speech, she opens her eyes to your flabbergasted expression. eyebrows furrowed with your mouth agape.

“uhm… can you forgive me?”

yizhuo really needs you to forgive her. she doesn’t know what she would do if you decided that this was the breaking point for your friendship. she would respect your decision but still, it wouldn’t be nice. who would want that? and if you decided to end the friendship, what would happen with the apartment? yizhuo really likes being roommates with you. it would suck to have to find another roommate as meticulous as you.

“well— uhm, of course,” you stutter, “i gotta go shower. sorry.”

“oh, okay.”

just as you’re about to get up, yizhuo reaches for your hand, “we’re okay, right?”

she watches your throat bobble before rasping out, “yes. we’re fine.”

wow! yizhuo mentally pats herself on the back.

that was so easy. it felt like a whole weight got lifted off her chest. yizhuo smiles to herself and enters her own room, proud.

(meanwhile, in your own room, you vent to yunjin, bewildered by yizhuo’s obliviousness.

“she said i’m like a sister! her absolute gall! and she said it’s because she’s upset she doesn’t have someone like me! your whole jealousy tactic didn’t do shit!”

“girl, calm down. i didn’t know you liked the dumb ones. who knew she was so stupid?”)

you stare at yizhuo, who’s trying her best not to show any disdain for the way yunjin’s arm was slung over your shoulder. she must either be extremely self-repressed or just stupid. probably both. unless she didn’t actually like you. that thought, you didn’t dare to entertain. the once confident and bold girl had turned into this timid and shy kitten.

“take a shot if you’ve kissed someone in this room before!” aeri reads out the card before gulping down her drink. minjeong and jimin do the same and so do a few others. when yunjin shakes you ever so slightly, you take the initiative to swallow down the burning sensation. yizhuo’s glare narrows before she turns away entirely.

subtly grinning at her act of jealousy, you hum happily. there’s an outcry of people asking who aeri kissed and the attention shifts away. most people in your extended friend group had assumed you and yunjin to be dating. the only people who knew the truth were minjeong and aeri. jimin was kept in the dark since well, truthfully, she couldn’t keep a secret from yizhuo.

“take a shot if you ever kissed someone of the same gender.”

there’s more people drinking this time. you drink yours after a refill and so does yunjin. your eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets when yizhuo drinks as well. wasn’t she straight?

“who did you kiss?!” jimin screeches.

yizhuo wipes her lips, glistening with alcohol, “a friend. it was a dare in high school.”

you listen with rapt attention as aeri eggs on, “was it good? are girls better than guys?”

“well, it was definitely less sloppy,” yizhuo shrugs, giggling. her blush has worsened under the lighting and you can tell she’s at least tipsy now. the redness was currently spreading throughout her cheekbones and neck. you would coo at the adorable sight of her pouting and playing with the soju bottle if she wasn’t the stupidest girl on earth. you noticed how yizhuo drank every time yunjin squeezed your shoulder or you leaned into her touch. was she seriously still so thick?

“take a shot if you ever crushed on someone in this room,” aeri groans, downing her glass again. you drink yours and others follow. it wasn’t unexpected. you were seventy percent sure that most of the guys had crushed on jimin before, at least for a second. or maybe hanbin. he was cute too. that, you could admit.

“aeri… why are all the questions about dating?!” jimin whines, flopping onto the carpeted floor. minjeong winces before exclaiming, “i think she’s drunk now. let’s call it a night, okay?”

you agree. yizhuo looks seconds away from passing out as well and despite your recent gym endeavours, you do not want to carry a twenty four year old woman back home. yunjin taps your side and slyly tilts her head towards yizhuo, who’s leaning against the couch.

“go save your princess, romeo,” she whispers and stands to help minjeong clean up.

after all the bottles had been cleared, you crouched to yizhuo’s eye level, “ning, let’s go. it’s time to go home.”

her eyelids flutter open and she blinks at you wearily, “home?”

you nod, standing to wrap her arm over your shoulder to steady her. finally on her two feet, you bid goodbye to everyone and make your way home, albeit slowly.

every minute or so, yizhuo would jolt and nearly topple over. right as you reach your place, she leans over to the sidewalk drain and gags. you let go instantly and take out your phone to record her. next time she wants to get drunk, you’ll just show her the video. let her reflect.

“yizhuo, hurry up, i wanna shower,” you complain, dragging the hem of her shirt.

“o-okay…!”

“uhm, you have to get up.”

yizhuo nods again, wobbling as she stands. you grip her wrist and pull her into the apartment lobby. her body weighs heavily onto yours in the lift and you huff at the stench of alcohol.

“you smell bad,” you sigh.

“really?” yizhuo giggles, “you don’t like it?” the elevator dings.

she turns around to rest her head on your shoulder.

“i shouldn’t have gotten so drunk…”

“no kidding. c’mon you big baby.”

finally, after much effort, you manage to get yizhuo onto the couch. you’re heaving and panting at the end but at least she’s comfortable.

“please never get this drunk again,” you groan, flopping onto the couch.

yizhuo moans, “not my fault.”

“yeah? who’s fault is it then?”

she flips herself around, facing the ceiling, “y-yours.”

“how is it my fault?”

“you and yunjin…” she slurs out and your heart leaps.

“how is it our fault?”

“you keep touching each other,” yizhuo inhales sharply before mumbling, “i hate it…”

grinning, you pat her back.

“yeah. it’s my fault. sorry baby.”

“hmfph…”

r/relationships posted by

u/throwawaylizard 4 hours ago.

UPDATE: my (22f) gay roommate’s (21f) dating life makes me feel weird. she’s one of my best friends but now i’m wondering if i could be homophobic.

hi guys! so i know some of you all have been asking for an update and here it is. there’s really nothing much that has changed? we’re back to normal, mostly. A doesn’t bring Y around as much anymore which honestly, should make me feel guilty but i don’t. we had a talk and i think it went rather well. i told her i felt like i was left behind and she forgave me for being so shitty.

it feels like this was just a hurdle in our friendship and we’re closer than ever. she’s become really touchy with me and i appreciate that things are back to normal. she’s been initiating talks and hangout sessions which boosts my mood immensely. i’m really happy with the progress we made. we’ve even started cooking together and it feels awesome. Y had tasted her cooking before and i didn’t. so it felt like this hole in my heart had been patched up. our movie nights have become solely ours and everything’s great. she’s the sweetest girl i know and the most caring, so i really do feel happy that i have my best friend and roommate back. our cold war was doing a toll on my mental and physical health but a simple conversation had cleared the air so easily.

sometimes when she brings up Y since she still hangs out with her, i do feel a little upset. she told me they aren’t dating, just good friends. but other than that, we’re cool. thanks for all the comments! i’m glad i’m not homophobic :D

⇧ 178 | ⇩ | 102 comments

u/imissher | 3h

op you can’t be serious…

u/throwawaylizard | 3h

? what’s wrong

u/imissher | 2h

it feels as if you haven’t really solved this ‘homophobia’ issue. just put it off to the side.

u/throwawaylizard | 2h

IM NOT HOMOPHOBIC 😭

u/mingzmingz | 2h

well i’m glad? as long as you guys are happy ig. idk what’s up with gay people

u/throwawaylizard | 2h

thank you! i’m not gay though.

u/japansfinest | 1h

HOLY SHIT NING

u/throwawaylizard | 1h

OMG DONT DOX ME???

u/japansfinest | 1h

GIRL BE SERIOUS RN 😐😐

u/1800hotnfun | 1h

i strive to live as blissfully ignorant as you, op

u/throwawaylizard | 1h

not very sure if this is a compliment.

things had reverted back to normal. yizhuo was happy again and it seemed like everything was fine.

so how did she get here?

yizhuo had simply gone out to get groceries for your dinner together and when she arrived home, hands full of plastic bags, she heard the tail of your conversation over the phone.

“i don’t think she’s picking up my hints, yun,” you say in hushed whispers, “maybe she really is straight. or she just doesn’t like me.”

despite yizhuo’s moral compass, she decides to listen in on your conversation. she’s never heard of you liking someone before, or being so insecure. what girl wouldn’t like you back? and you liked a straight girl too?

she can’t hear yunjin’s reply but you let out an exasperated sigh, “maybe she thinks i’m just being a really good friend. i thought she would have already realised i liked her by now. your whole jealousy plan didn’t work either. i mean, it did but not really.”

yizhuo slowly twists the door knob before loudly announcing, “i’m home!”

she hopes that by now, you would have ended the call so she wouldn’t have to interact with yunjin at all.

“oh,” she catches the anxiety in your voice, “did you get everything?”

“yup. there was a sale on apples, so i got those too,” yizhuo says, a little too cheerfully, but she wants to cover up any nervousness. as she places the bags on the kitchen counter, you stand up to help unpack everything.

while you start to arrange all the groceries, yizhuo thinks about your words. liking someone. a girl. a straight girl who was potentially oblivious to your advances?

yizhuo scrunches her nose.

sounds…

familiar.

“hey, did you get healthier milk? the one with less sugar added.”

as you twirl around to ask, yizhuo’s heart gets caught in her throat.

she was the straight oblivious girl.

“uh— yeah. i got both,” she gestures awkwardly to the pile of bags. you nod and go back to sorting everything out. god, she needs a breather. trudging to the couch, she sighs as the softness envelops her. she couldn’t wrap her head around this— you liked her? potentially? definitely?

yizhuo spends the next few minutes having an existential crisis. she was straight! the straight girl that you liked! and that whole jealousy thing with yunjin! you planned that! she can’t believe it. all her nights were spent debating whether she was homophobic or not and it was all a rouse to get her jealous? well, was she jealous? minjeong had seemed intent on getting her to admit that, which she did. but maybe it was because she was jealous of yunjin.

not for taking up your time.

but for being able to touch you and hold you in ways she can’t.

holy shit. she’s not as straight as she once thought.

and she has a huge crush on her roommate.

how could she let reddit comments be right?!

yizhuo stares blankly at the ceiling. you call out from the kitchen, “do you want white or red wine?”

she stands up from the couch, resolute in her decision now.

no wonder you had looked so offended after she sister zoned you! yizhuo would hate it too if all she was to you was an unnie. she wanted— no, needed to be your everything.

“yizhuo?” you ask again, examining the two bottles of wine.

yizhuo almost sprints into the kitchen. the sight of you with your hair up, the cute lace white apron wrapped around your waist, and your focused expression. it has her drooling. everything was so domestic.

how hasn’t yizhuo noticed this sooner?

“white wine please,” she answers when you’re within arms reach.

“are we drinking the whole bottle?”

she stretches out her arms to engulf your body in hers and reads the label on the wine bottle over your shoulder. taking gratification in the way your body shudders, yizhuo hides a pleased smirk.

“hm, should we?” she whispers hotly beside your ear. you shiver before muttering, “maybe. is tonight a special occasion?”

“i mean, it could be,” yizhuo grins, “you were promoted recently, right?”

tonight was one of your day-offs, and you came back recently, boasting about the extra time off you got from being promoted. of course that was celebrated with a simple get together with friends. but yizhuo didn’t get her own special celebration with you.

“yeah? okay, we’ll drink it all then.”

yizhuo smiles into your hair. she’s never felt happier. knowing that her inner frustrations had been settled finally. you were just trying to get her jealous. a good attempt nonetheless, it worked incredibly well. but now she’s certain of her own feelings.

“you smell nice,” she blurts out.

“i used your shampoo. ran out of mine.”

“mhm. smells good.”

yizhuo spots the hint of satisfaction on your face.

“are you complimenting yourself right now?”

“i have really good taste,” she states.

you roll your eyes playfully before detaching her arms but she just slithers them back into place.

“ning, i have to cook.”

“hold on,” she mumbles, “i think we can celebrate another thing.”

sensing your confusion, she continues brazenly, “we can celebrate our first night as a couple, right?”

“what—”

“i’m sorry for being so oblivious this whole time. i got so pissy because i was jealous. apparently, i’m not straight. or i just like you, i don’t know yet. all i know is that i envision myself by your side,” yizhuo explains, “everytime you mentioned yunjin i got upset and it’s because i thought you guys were dating. that’s why i didn’t like any of the girls you brought home either. i’m sorry for saying you’re like my sister. i like you a lot. not in a straight girl way.”

she hears you gasp and she can’t bring herself to continue without your reaction. yizhuo’s been through so much struggle with coming to terms with her identity and feelings and now she wants to get it all out.

“are you serious?” you ask without facing her. she chuckles at the redness at the tips of your ears.

“yeah. sorry for being a jerk. it was because i like you.”

“ning yizhuo— i… wait, let go of me for a minute. i wanna look at you.”

reluctantly, she does so.

you look so pretty under the kitchen light, yizhuo thinks.

“uhm, where do i even start?” you chuckle awkwardly, “i really thought you were into me when we first met and when you said you were straight… i think my heart died a little! but it’s okay, since you’ve been such a great friend to me. i must admit that yunjin did volunteer to be my plot device to make you jealous. i was hurt when you were being rude, so i’m happy you apologised. i like you too. a lot.”

yizhuo grins, heart beating wildly against her chest.

“can you say that again?”

“i like you a lot, yizhuo. can’t believe you called me a sister though.”

“i said i was sorry!”

r/relationships posted by

u/throwawaylizard 7 hours ago.

LAST UPDATE: my (22f) gay roommate’s (21f) dating life makes me feel weird. she’s one of my best friends but now i’m wondering if i could be homophobic.

hello! i’m glad to announce that this situation has finally been settled with a happy ending. i would like to give you guys a proper explanation and ending for all the help you provided.

first of all, yes, i’m not straight. or maybe i just like A. i haven’t explored that part yet but also, i’m in love with my roommate. i was jealous of all the girls she brought over and i wanted to be the one holding her and making her laugh.

second of all, you guys were right. she was using Y to make me jealous and it worked. so maybe she’s the real mastermind.

and lastly, we’re finally dating. we’ve been taking things slow for now since this is all new to me but A has been incredibly sweet and supportive (as she always is). it’s just a new experience but i’m willing to do anything as long as A is by my side.

thank you all for the help and comments!

it turns out i don’t have any problems with A kissing girls if it’s me she’s kissing.

⇧ 359 | ⇩ | 153 comments

[uceyliyahh]

I HATE U

summary: when he posted a thirst trap pic on his story for all the women to see his print through his Nike sweats made Bri’s blood boil so she decides to get her lick back.

warnings contain; jealousy, toxicbdjey!, choking, unprotected sex, swapping of saliva, degradation kink, daddy kink, fluff at the end of the suffering:)

word count: 3.3k

AWFUL GRAMMAR IM GETTING BETTER I SWEAR LOL.

Jey Uso x Bri

comments, likes, repost are appreciated I would love the constructive feedback in what area I need to approve in. 🤍

ALSO! I don’t not want nobody stealing my fanfics or take it as theirs that will be an issue fasho so keep it cute respectfully.

I only own my OC along with the make up scenarios

again mdni you have been warned.

TAGS ��️ lmk if you wanna be tag 🏷️ @pinkwithhearts @420days @jstarr86 @empressdede @angiedawn02 @biancasreign @prettyfilmz @sharmelasworld @spiicii @formulafortyfour @theusotwinzcom @mingisfavgf

@bebesobrielo @skyesthebomb @aikosilo @papireigns-05 @punksyeet @paigereeder @magnificentbouquetmusic @mjonthetrack

@charmed-dreamssss @fearlesschimera @partypoison00 @mselenalovebug @bloodlinesbabe93 @justazzi @xbriexx @celesteheartsjey @4milly @luuvprincess @yyaktayak @yana3sworld @shanthefemalerapper @bloodlineslut @bookuce @sheaabuttaababyy @li-da-savage @luvrsluxe

uceyjucey just posted on their story!

Bri felt a mix of pride and anger as she saw her baby daddy's shirtless post on his story. He was wearing Nike tech sweats that highlighted his physique while proudly displaying his championship. Although she was happy for his achievement, she couldn't help but feel upset that he was flaunting what she considered to be hers.

It seemed as though he intentionally provoked her to elicit a response, and it succeeded; she angrily sent a message, expressing her disdain for him and how much she loathed him.

She felt uncomfortable with her overly eager fans witnessing the intense emotions she experienced whenever he visited, especially when he would come over to drop off their daughter Amora at his parents' house to manage her behavior.

Determined to reclaim her power, she took to her story to share a glimpse of her new fling, a secret connection she had been nurturing since her breakup with Jey, whose toxic and narcissistic behavior had driven her away.

freakslovebri just posted on their story!

jonathanfatu replied to your story: ooop Jey ain’t finna like this one 

trinity_fatu replied to your story: I LIVEEE FOR THE DRAMA GIRL 😭😭

biancabelairwwe replied to your story: that’s the kind of stuff you watch from a DISTANCE 😭😭

uceyjucey replied to your story: who the fuck is that Bri?

samizayn replied to your story: see me personally..

zillafatu replied to your story: you playing with something dangerous my dear 🙂‍↕️

yaonlylivonce replied to your story: BESTIE??? LIKE HELLO? 

She laughed at everyone's responses until she received a few text messages from Jey, prompting her to roll her eyes as she read them.

Jey📍: Bri who the fuck is that in that fucking picture? Jey📍: why do you choose to play with me? Like I won’t fuck the shit out of you? Jey📍: you just gonna leave me on read huh? Jey📍: Ik where you stay at Bri

She couldn't grasp why he was so angry when he was the one eager to share a provocative thirst trap on his story.

Bri🩷: don’t worry about it nigga, I didn’t say nun when you posted that fucking picture of you showing off your little title and that dick print in those sweats.

Jey📍: so that’s what this is all about? Me posting one pic on the gram? You’re so full of yourself Bri

Bri🩷: nigga the fuck you want if it ain’t about picking up Amora ion need you texting me hoe

Jey📍: hoe? Aye you better come correct Bri when you speaking to me

Bri🩷: bitch fuck you aight? now stop playing on my fucking phone 🙄

Once she sent her last message to him, she set her phone aside with a heavy sigh—why must they remain trapped in this destructive pattern? Why couldn't she simply let him go and focus on their daughter instead?

There was something deeper behind her inability to break free from him, and indeed there was. It was the way he asserted his authority, exuding a powerful dominance, and that allure was so intoxicating that she would have willingly let him fill her with his seed, yearning for another child together.

But did she really want to endure that once more? Managing the baby all alone while he was away on tour? This was yet another factor that contributed to their breakup, as he was hardly present during Amora's birth due to his chaotic work commitments, leaving Bri to shoulder the responsibility by herself.

When he returned, she noticed the hickeys adorning his neck and the lingering scent of perfume on him. In that moment, she realized he had been unfaithful during his travels, and the pain of betrayal cut so deep that it ignited a growing hatred within her.

Despite her lingering hatred for what he did to her, she found it impossible to distance herself from him. His manipulative and narcissistic nature kept her trapped, as he showered her with empty promises each time he came to see Amora. He had the potential to be a wonderful father, but whenever he approached Bri, she would turn away, refusing to acknowledge him.

The deceitful promises and cunning strategies left her profoundly affected, realizing he was not a man of integrity, while his relatives urged her to reconcile for Amora's benefit.

Bri picked up the baby monitor to check on Amora, who was peacefully dozing in her crib, looking adorable in her tiny onesie. Suddenly, a loud banging on the door jolted her, catching her off guard.

They relentlessly pounded on the door, and Bri's irritation grew with each echoing thud.

“Hold Up! I’m coming!” She hollered.

As she rose from the sofa, she noticed the door was ajar, revealing Jey standing there with his arms crossed, looking sharp yet visibly annoyed.

“What the fuck are you doing here Jey?” Bri questioned him.

Without uttering a word, he strolled past her within the confines of her home, seemingly on a quest for someone—she let out a sigh as she closed the door behind her, observing him meander through the rooms.

“Jey! Hello!”

“Where the fuck he at Bri?” Jey asked while searching up and down in the house.

“Where’s who Jey? You look fucking dumb right now.”

“Don’t playing fucking stupid with me Bri, Where’s his bitch ass at!” He hollered.

Bri feared that his loud shouting would disturb their two-year-old daughter, Amora, from her sleep. “if you don’t lower your fucking voice! She’s asleep upstairs you fucking estúpida.”

Jey marched towards her, his eyes blazing with fury, and seized her by the throat. He had reached his limit with her taunts for the evening. “why you gotta be such a bitch huh?”

A bitch? That’s rich coming from him.

“A bitch? Nigga you better come correct because I’m not a bitch, last time I check I was the one taking care of Amora while your stupid ass was on the road cheating.” She retorted while rolling her eyes at him.

“I told you I was drunk and that I was sorry. What more do you want from me Brianna?” He responded.

She scoffed at him, “I wanted you to become better Joshua not only for me but for our daughter but it seems like fucking bitches was the only thing you can do instead of being a fucking parent.” With a forceful shove, she turned her back on him, determined not to waste a moment on his nonsense this evening.

Jey had grabbed her arm while she looked at him, “don’t pin that on me Brianna, you know I couldn’t just stop what I was doing.” She yanked her arm away from him.

“That’s the fucking problem Jey! You didn’t care! You didn’t care how you cheating and not being there fuck me up! Our daughter is two fucking years old!” 

One thing about Jey is that he can't stand being yelled at; it sparks a fierce fire inside him. “Lower yo’ tone Bri.”

“No! Fuck you! See this is why I didn’t want to be with your stupid bitch ass! Because you ain’t shit! You didn’t even care about me nor your daughter while being away!” She shoved him more harshly causing him to stumble back.

Once more, she pushed him relentlessly, driving him to the brink of his patience. In a moment of desperation, he seized her throat, crashing his lips against hers in a fierce, passionate kiss. Despite her struggles to break free, he held her tightly, their connection both intense and tumultuous.

His tongue danced within her mouth as he fell back onto the sofa.

“G-get! the fuck off of me…” She murmured between the kiss as she tried fighting him off but it wasn’t enough.

“You know you miss me baby…” he murmured softly as he sat down on the couch with her straddling him.

They passionately embraced, their bodies entwined as they shed their clothing—she felt his icy hands exploring her firm breast, and as he broke the kiss, he seized one of her breasts and playfully nipped at her nipple, eliciting a gasp of surprise from her.

He playfully traced his tongue around it before reconnecting his lips with hers, while Bri started to move rhythmically on his lap, feeling the heat of his arousal beneath her.

His lips glided along her jawline, descending to her neck, where he left a mark that would require makeup to conceal in the morning, all while his hands firmly grasped her curves, delivering a playful smack.

“Ride this dick for me baby.” With gentle hands, she guided his strong length to her entrance, then gradually sank down onto him, drawing out deep groans from both—she had never experienced such fullness with him deep within her.

Jey's hands rested on her hips, guiding her graceful sways as she nestled on his lap. He watched intently as her breasts shifted with every gentle motion, giving her time to adjust to his considerable presence.

She discovered her rhythm, swaying her hips on his lap as he adorned her neck and cheek with gentle, lingering kisses—whispering those empty promises once more, stirring emotions within her each time he spoke them.

“You know I love you right?” Jey groaned in the air.

Bri asserts firmly, "You don't, so stop lying to me." She felt him thrusting deeper, pressing against her inner walls.

“Why you gotta act like that?”

“Act like what? I have every right to act like this with you.” Bri could only emit gentle whimpers as waves of bliss enveloped her, her body igniting with an inner warmth while his deep, raspy voice whispered sweetly in her ear.

He adorned her neck with hickies, a bold declaration of ownership—he was certain she wouldn't be slipping away from him anytime soon, particularly with their daughter in the picture.

“Fuck, this pussy is so good. Can’t believe you gave this up to someone else. Now I gotta reclaim it.” 

Her eyes were rolling in the back of her head as she gazed down at him, “at least he was better than you.”

Jey smirked at her backhanded comment, “oh for real? Bet.” They changed places, with her leaning against the sofa, while Jey positioned her legs close to her hips, prompting her to lift them for him as he thrust himself back into her.

He positioned her in a launch pad position, thrusting deeply within her, delivering slow, powerful strokes while their lips met in a fervent kiss. Jey's hand gripped her throat, intensifying the connection as he pushed himself deeper inside her.

His member was pressing against her cervix in such a delightful way that it left her breathless, seeing stars as she moaned his name repeatedly. She realized that uttering his name would provoke him to take action, eager to make a statement.

“What’chu tryna prove here nigga that you’re better? You were never better than Derrell.” Bri taunted seeing his facial expression changed.

“Open that fucking mouth.” She complied with his desires, their tongues entwining as he passionately exchanged kisses, overwhelming her senses with his fervent touch.

The way their tongues twirled and intertwined in each other's mouths captivated him, especially since he truly cared for Bri. Yet, he struggled to express his feelings, fully aware that deep within, he was in love with her.

He realized the pain he had caused her ran deep, and only now could he face the truth, especially after making countless empty promises of change and improvement for their relationship—she was exhausted from listening to it.

“Don’t fucking compare me to that bitch.” He murmured between her lips.

“I can and I will at least he treated me  like I meant something to him.” She whispered softly, her back curving against the sofa as she felt him penetrate deeply within her, prompting her to clutch his biceps tightly with her nails.

“Keep holding them fucking legs you fucking slut.” Jey thrust his hips forcefully against her thighs, making her mouth open wider, while the sound of his hips striking her thighs echoed throughout the entire room.

She clutched her legs tightly, biting her lip as she watched him thrust in and out of her, the white cream glistening on his shaft, facilitating his movements.

His hand gripped her throat, his hips moving in a rhythmic dance that struck various angles as he observed her unravel—he reveled in shattering her into fragments, asserting that this was his domain and she was his to possess.

“D-daddy!” Bri whined.

“What baby? Huh? What?” Jey taunted watching her face turn into a pouty one causing him to smirk. “Nah, don’t fucking pout now slut. You weren't doing allat when you posted him now did you?”

Her disdain for him was so intense that it allowed him to say anything he pleased and take charge, even though she believed she wanted nothing to do with him.

“Fuckk, daddy.”

“Shit feels good don’t it? I bet he don’t be making you feel like this huh baby.” She shook her head, unable to articulate the whirlwind of emotions swirling within her at that moment.

That’s when his hand came down onto her left thigh causing her to hiss at the pain, “speak the fuck up Brianna tell me I’m better than him.” She could feel his movements getting slower causing her to whine. “Yes! You’re better than him Jey please don’t stop daddy!”

Jey intensified his rhythm, driving his hips forcefully against her thighs as she clung to him, her head thrown back against the sofa. Bri felt waves of pleasure building within her, each thrust pushing her closer to another climax, leaving her breathless and unsure of how much more she could endure.

He gazed down, captivated by the way she enveloped him completely; it was a mesmerizing sight, especially as he glanced back at her and noticed tears streaming down her cheeks. “Yeah, that’s it mamas. Lemme see them fucking tears fuck.”

“I fucking hate you Joshua, I hate you so much.” 

“If you hate me so much we wouldn’t be here in the first place mamas you love me but won’t admit it.”

He was right; her love for him ran deep. After having Amora, she found herself utterly lost whenever he was near—he had always pampered her like a cherished princess, and now everything had come crashing down.

A tight knot twisted within her abdomen as she tightened her grip on him, causing his eyes to roll back in ecstasy.

“I’m finna c-cum…” 

“nah hold that shit, ion think you deserve to cum yet.”

“Joshuaaa!” Jey didn’t have time to hear any of that nonsense; he didn't think she deserved to cum after being a bratty bitch towards him.

He pounded relentlessly against her depths, her cries echoing in the air, drowned out only by the sound of their bodies colliding fiercely.

The atmosphere grew heavy with a scent of desire, and as tears streamed down her face, she yearned for liberation. Overwhelmed, she released her grip on her legs, attempting to shove him away by his midsection, only to feel the sting of his hand against her left thigh once more.

“Move yo’ fucking hand and take this shit Brianna.” He growled.

“D-daddy! P-please! Can I C-cum…I’m sorry!” She begged.

“Now you sorry? Nah.” He held her wrist against the couch, driving her wild in his pursuit of ecstasy, “un-un, stop fucking runnin’ “ Bri could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, desperately trying to shield her face from view so he wouldn't witness her emotional turmoil.

She was gasping for breath, her nose twitching and hiccups escaping her lips as she wept through his movements—at that moment, her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and she struggled to articulate anything further without tripping over her own words.

He observed her hands shielding her face, prompting him to gently pull them away. As he revealed her tear-streaked cheeks and swollen eyes, he leaned closer, pressing a gentle kiss on her lips, inviting her to explore his warmth as his lips brushed against her neck.

“I’m sorry daddy, I’m so sorry. I can’t take it…”

“Take. This. Fucking. Dick.” He thrust into her on the sofa, feeling the familiar twitch of his arousal as he reached the peak of pleasure. “Joshua!” 

“Tell me you love me and I’ll let you cum.” She was teetering on the brink of insanity, her nails clawing into the skin of his back, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from him, yet he seemed unfazed by it. “Tell me.”

She couldn’t help herself anymore, “I love you! I love you Joshua fuckk!” A wave of sensation surged through her as it slickly enveloped him, the warmth cascading down her thighs, her body trembling beneath him—overwhelmed and exhausted.

With each powerful thrust, his movements became increasingly uncoordinated, a low growl escaping his lips as he reveled in the sensation, beads of sweat cascading down his back and chest.

The atmosphere around them was a curious blend of warmth and coolness. She embraced him tightly as Jey pulled back from the kiss, burying his face into the softness of her neck. “I’m about to nut baby, you gon’ let me nut inside of you huh? You want another baby?”

“Yes! Yes! I want all of your babies daddy!” Bri Mewled out.

“Yeah? You better take all of my fucking babies mamas.” 

He tilted his head back, his eyes rolling as he thrust into her, his grip firm around her throat.

“Fuckkk.” A deep, primal groan erupted from him as his warmth surged forth, filling her completely with each powerful release.

As he withdrew, a rush of her fluids, mingled with his essence, flowed out. Bri's body quaked with intensity, and she struggled to regain her composure, inhaling and exhaling deeply to steady her breath. Jey came back, gently kissing her skin to soothe her nerves.

He gently kissed her lips several times, tenderly wiping away her tears as he shifted positions, lying her down on his chest while he reclined on the sofa, soothingly rubbing her back in slow, comforting circles.

“I’m sorry I did that to you and left you behind like that.” Jey apologized as Bri lazily looked up at him.

“You don’t understand how badly that hurt me, Jey, it wasn’t fair either. It just felt like you didn’t care enough about me or Mora.” Bri said. “I just wanted you to be there and you gave me false hope and promises ion think I’ll ever come back from that.”

He absorbed her outpouring of emotions as she expressed her hurt over his decision to abandon her and their daughter for the company of other women, sharing sweet nothings with them that mirrored the very words he had once whispered to her.

“I know lemme at least make it up to you Bri.”

“I need time Joshua, until I feel like I’m able to trust you again.”

“Take all the time you need, I’ll be right here waiting.”

And he meant that this time, he’ll be waiting for her.

fin 💚

a/n: Jey can never do anything wrong in my eyes 📍🙂‍↕️

[gb-patch]

GB Patch Games: Response About Sensitivity Reader

[Some of you might not have heard of this happening, but I wanted to address it across the board]

Hey everyone,

I want to make a post about the screenshots of comments from one of our sensitivity readers. The situation is that neither me or Rose want people to feel uncomfortable with Our Life: Now & Forever, but Rose hasn’t done anything terribly wrong and isn’t going to be punished.

The comment about OL MCs wasn’t meant to be genuine hatred towards all male players/MCs of OL. Rose wrote a reply about it-

"Hi everyone! This is Rose, I want to address the male MC comment since it was taken wildly out of context and without the lengthy discussion that was after it. I don't hate male MCs, in fact far from it, male MCs are integral to the story in OL:NF as female and trans MCs are. I think the relationship they could potentially have with Qiu could be a great asset in my opinion as they figure out their gender alongside the MC. The discussion itself was about how I noticed players were sticking to heteronormative norms by shipping Tamarack with a man purely out of societal norms than it was genuine thought into the characters and how I personally wished there was more sapphic relationships with Tamarack or just Tamarack with trans characters as a sapphic trans person myself. I didn't mean to offend anyone by it as no one but my friends who understood what I legitimately meant behind my message and it definitely wasn't meant to be seen seriously. I am sorry regardless to anyone I have offended and I love your male MCs regardless."

And most of the comments were about me. I’ve seen screenshots of the full conversations and they’re not as harsh as the cropped snippets made them out to be. It was longer discussions about not including Derek in any base game Moments for no good reason and not having any plus-sized love interests in OL1 because I was afraid players wouldn’t accept it. That’s not a lie, it’s what I decided for the game I created, and it is ridiculous of me. I’m the one who should be feeling embarrassed over how OL1 will forever be that way, not the people who remember that I did that. I’m not perfect and Rose actually cares more about the players than making me feel like I am flawless.

I also don’t want to tone police an employee venting about their boss in private, on their own time. Both the OL games deal with personal, important topics. This is sensitive work, and it can bring up frustrations. Sometimes people do use harsh words among friends, but they wouldn’t ever say it to a person seriously and directly.

I understand if you wouldn’t want to see anyone speak badly of a dev you like, but I promise it’s not a point of contention between me and Rose. I don’t feel mistreated in anyway. Rose genuinely cares about the Our Life series, and that’s why they get fed up with me over certain parts of the game.

Rose has never been unkind or unreasonable to me when working on the project, and their advice is detailed and well-explained. They do care about the game and want it to avoid having content that upsets people because of my own ignorance/shortcomings.

This being shared publicly from a private server is targeting Rose and seems to be a continuation of things that have happened before this. I don’t want this to continue happening. If you do still have concerns over the one comment about the community, you can let me know. But again, I don’t want people being mistrustful of Rose on my behalf for comments about me in conversations with missing context.

Do not send angry messages to Rose about any of this. We’ll do our best so that OL2 will be better than I was before. Thank you to everyone who reads this and participates in the community!

[batsandbirdbrains]

AHHH WAIT WAIT WAIT

Ok ok ok ok but Dick feeling guilty for being a “problem child” and then when Damian comes into the picture, everyone who knew Dick as a kid is thinking something along the lines of “this is your karma lol good luck” except Dick never sees it like that. He never sees Damian as a problem or burden. He might get angry, upset, or frustrated at times but he never responds to Damian the way adults responded to him as a kid. He’s unnervingly patient, encouraging, and considerate. It freaks everyone out a little bit, but mostly it makes them uncomfortable because it’s blatantly shoving the way they’ve treated Dick back in their faces. They didn’t have this much tenderness or patience for Dick as kid, and even the most patient among themselves got irritated and snapped at times. Eventually someone is brave enough to say something about it - a slight mention of how they definitely wouldn’t have enough patience to raise Damian or something like that and maybe something about the way Dick used to behave. Then Dick kind of starts connecting the dots that people view Damian the same way they viewed him, and it makes him quite upset. Maybe he does some self-reflection and realizes he didn’t deserve to be treated badly as a kid (unlikely) or maybe he goes full mama bear mode and says something along the lines of “i may have been a problem child and a burden but damian is neither of those things and if you ever say something like that again… [insert threat of choice]” And then the younger heroes or those who didn’t treat Dick badly are kind of like “wait wtf is he talking about” and the ones who treated Dick like shit get a real wake up call.

I think Dick would be insanely protective of Damian once he realizes others are starting to view him the same way they viewed Dick when he was younger. And he does everything to shield Damian from any negative words or reactions. He takes his role as Damian’s mentor so seriously, he’s so patient, especially when he’s Damian’s Batman. And anytime someone tries to tell him this is karma for how he was when he was a kid, he’s so scathing in his comeback. Maybe sickeningly sweet, even. Says things about how even if Damian might be having a bad day, look how easy it is for Dick to still treat him kindly, to still understand that he’s just a kid, to have some empathy with the fact that Damian has had a lot of change in his life recently and he’s doing as best he can to adjust to this new life he’s been thrust into.

Dick is so patient with Damian. He constantly reassures him that he’s doing a good job, that Dick knows Damian is trying his best, that Dick is always there if he needs anything.

And the adult heroes who always called Dick a problem child? Who always whispered about him when they thought Batman and Robin couldn’t hear? They’re a little amazed how patient Dick is with Damian. They’re a little guilty feeling. Then they feel like shit when they realize they were blaming a traumatized kid for the way he was lashing out.

[stlllle]

Headcanons: What It’s Like Dating Choi Su-bong (Thanos)

Content: angst, possessiveness, protective façade, soft moments and a very peculiar sense of humor.

Author's notes:

"I like to think that being in a relationship with Thanos would feel like this. Am I wrong? Maybe. Do I care? Not at all! (Honestly, everything I post is just silly little daydreams from my head 😛)

Anyway, if this made you smile, feel free to check out my masterlist! And if you ever feel like it, my requests are open too 🙂 (just don’t forget to read the rules before sending something!)

Masterlist –[link]

---

In the beginning:

He’s not easy to get close to. The kind of guy who’s always watching his back, guarded, intimidating without even trying.

You’d have to push a few times, tease him, start random conversations. He’ll pretend not to care… but he does.

Once he realizes you’re genuinely into him — not out of pity, not for gain — he starts to lower his walls.

Your first kiss happens after a stupid argument, where he grabs your wrist, mutters “Fuck, you drive me insane” and crashes his lips to yours without a warning.

---

His personality in the relationship:

Jealous. Very. The kind of jealousy that doesn’t show in tantrums but simmers under the surface, and if some other guy dares to look at you, his brain is already listing 50 ways to end him.

He’s not the type to say “I love you” all the time, but he shows it: fixing your coat, buying your favorite snack without a word, or pulling you close while walking through the streets.

His humor is dark, sarcastic. He’ll call you names affectionately just to get a reaction.

He hates showing weakness — but when you’re alone, he melts.

---

Private moments:

Loves spooning when you sleep together, but you better never mention it to anyone.

When you’re anxious or upset, he doesn’t know how to comfort with words. So he just sits next to you, holds your hand, runs his fingers through your hair in silence.

Low-key affectionate gestures — like stroking your palm with his thumb when no one’s watching.

His kisses are possessive, always like he’s trying to brand you, needing to prove you’re his.

---

Things he does but won’t admit:

Keeps your pictures saved on his phone.

Watches you sleep and sometimes smiles, but if you catch him, he’ll turn away and grumble “Stop staring, fuck.”

Gets irrationally angry when you’re hurt or sick, like he could protect you from the entire world.

Secretly imagines a future — a small house, just the two of you away from everyone.

---

If someone messes with you:

This man turns into a storm.

It doesn’t matter if it’s verbal or physical, he’ll deal with it immediately.

His glare alone is enough to make people shut up, but if needed, he’ll get physical.

And afterward, he’ll scold you too, like: “Are you insane? Don’t get involved with assholes like that!” — while checking if you’re okay.

---

If you fight:

He’s stubborn and hot-headed.

Will say harsh things in the heat of the moment and regret it hours later.

The type to apologize without words, showing up with your favorite snack or putting on your favorite movie, sitting next to you until you give in.

If you cry, he breaks immediately and feels like shit.

---

In the end:

Loving Choi Su-bong isn’t easy. He’s rough, aggressive, proud. But he’s the kind of man who’d protect what’s his until the very end.

Deep down, all he wants is a safe place to exist — and you become that place.

He’s chaos and home at the same time.

📖🔥 NSFW Headcanons: What It’s Like to Fuck Choi Su-bong (Thanos)

Content: explicit language, rough sex, possessiveness, jealousy, marking, light choking, dirty talk, unprotected sex, primal vibes, rough aftercare.

⚠️ Warning: This is explicit smut content. If you're underage or uncomfortable with possessive and rough themes, skip this one.

---

The Build-Up:

He’s not the type for romantic candlelight setups. Most of the time, it starts with tension — heavy looks, sharp words, a fight, or jealousy.

--

He loves when you snap back at him, it gets him hard instantly.

That “don’t fucking talk to me like that” turns into “come here and say that again” real fast.

--

He’ll corner you against a wall, one hand on your jaw, voice low and dangerous:

“Say it again. I fucking dare you.”

--

And you both know where it’s headed.

---

The Sex:

Rough. Desperate. Unapologetic.

He fucks like it’s a war — like he needs to leave you shaking, marked up and ruined so you’ll remember who owns you.

Loves hair pulling. Neck biting. Pushing you down onto the mattress and taking what he wants.

His favorite thing? Making you beg. Doesn’t care how tough you act, he’ll break you down, whispering in your ear:

“Look at you, begging for my cock. Knew you’d fold for me.”

Low, growled moans and filthy words in your ear.

---

Favorite Positions:

Doggystyle, no question.

Loves gripping your hips so hard it leaves bruises, pulling you back against him, watching the way your ass bounces with every thrust.

Also loves you riding him — watching you take him, controlling the pace, hands on your waist, murmuring “That’s it, baby. Take it like a good girl.”

On rare nights when he’s softer (but still possessive), missionary. Holding your face, staring into your eyes while he fucks you deep.

---

Jealousy and Marking:

If someone flirts with you? You’re not walking straight the next day.

Will bite, suck, and scratch you until you’re covered in marks — shoulders, thighs, neck, inner thighs.

And he makes you show them off.

“Pull your shirt down. Let them see who you belong to.”

Possessive growls when you moan his name. Nothing makes him come harder than hearing you scream “Su-bong” while falling apart for him.

---

Aftercare (His Way):

He’s not good with words but takes care of you.

Gets you water, cleans you up, holds you close afterward, even if he pretends it’s nothing.

Runs his rough hand through your hair, brushes kisses on your temple.

Grumbles if you say you’re sore, but secretly loves it.

“Told you to be careful, brat.” — while pulling you tighter against him.

---

Extra:

Obsessed with cumming inside you.

“You’re mine. All of you. Inside and out.”

Gets harder when you talk dirty back — it triggers something primal in him.

Will absolutely fuck you against a wall, in a car, wherever. He doesn’t care.

If you ever tease him in public, expect to be wrecked the moment you’re alone.

---

[mr-payjay]

Salt's Sexual Harassment of OJ in Inanimate Insanity

this essay aims to prove salt is sexually harassing oj and that the show and the fandom take it much too lightly. it shows proof of her harassment and arguments as to why it is that, and why we should take it seriously.

table of contents

• proof of harassment

• “it's just unrequited flirting”

• “oj never says no”

• “salt is just a lesbian with comphet”

• “inanimate insanity doesn't have anything sexual in it/the harassment isn't sexual”

• “it's just a cartoon/it's just a joke”

proof of harassment

how is this sexual harassment? isn't it just unrequited flirting? there's nothing actually sexual about it, is there? well, I'm here to clear that up.

flirting is okay when it is welcome and wanted. if consent is removed or never given, and the person continues to repeatedly flirt with the other, it becomes sexual harassment. trying to force someone to date you over and over is sexual harassment. insisting someone is dating you and telling everyone that they are, when they are not, is sexual harassment. it is one-sided, forced, repetitive, and uncomfortable, which is what makes it sexual harassment. so let's see some examples of this behavior with salt.

semi descriptive video transcript:

the snowdown: salt implies that walking across the ice with oj is romantic, and he reacts with visible shock and discomfort. salt tells oj he's smart, then starts leaning towards him with mistletoe in her hand as he leans away with an uncomfortable expression. salt holds onto oj on the sled ride and he looks visibly uncomfortable, leaning away. once they reach the end, he looks upset but quiet. salt grabs him for a hug and he reacts with shock.

double digit desert: salt is unable to participate in the challenge, and oj is relieved, saying that her flirting makes him sick.

the great escape: salt sneaks up on oj while he's doing the challenge and grabs him in a hug, where he begins to panic and flail to try and get away.

breaking the ice: salt tells oj they can fix up the hotel together and drags him off as he literally yells “no”.

through no choice of your own: salt claims oj (who is dead and cannot say anything about this) is her boyfriend, gets upset when paper says he's not, then insists he's her ex at least.

objects in mirror: salt walks up to paper and oj and yells at them as they reunite. both of them react with anger and exasperation, oj explicitly telling her to please leave them alone. she is angry while being dragged away.

i also want to acknowledge some extra content here.

in the inanimate comic “complaints”, we see more evidence of her harassing oj, a LOT. all of these advances have been rejected, as she says herself, yet she persists.

and in the inanimate comic “everything's about-oj”, you can see oj's (and paper's) exasperation with salt as she shows up. she's wearing an oj shirt she apparently made herself, assumedly without permission (creepy). and there's an addition from brian to this comic.

this also has some proof of fan stalking oj, but this essay is about salt. knowing oj's “favourite hour to sleep” implies salt is quite literally stalking oj as he sleeps. the rest of the things she (and fan) know about oj are strange and unnecessary.

and here's a photo that exists in-canon where oj is physically pushing her away as she runs towards him and tries to forcibly touch him.

so let's look at some arguments.

“it's just unrequited flirting”

as explained earlier, flirting becomes sexual harassment when it is one-sided, non-consensual, and repetitive. oj is uncomfortable with salt's flirting and salt continues to flirt with him anyway for years on end, no matter how many times he rejects her advances. therefore, it is harassment.

“oj never says no”

oj does say no in breaking the ice. he also rejects her advances multiple times as salt mentions in the inanimate comic “complaints”. however, even if oj DIDN'T say no, that still doesn't mean this behavior is okay. he is showing signs of visible discomfort, he is not consenting, and he is frustrated. silence isn't consent. a lack of a no isn't consent. people can be scared to decline flirting, especially if they might be put in danger! and male victims can be afraid just like female victims are.

“salt is just a lesbian with comphet”

first of all, this is a headcanon, not canon. second, this doesn't excuse her behavior. no matter if it's comphet, psychosis, a program—she's still hurting oj. she is still sexually harassing him, no matter her intentions. whether salt is a lesbian or not, that does not excuse her harmful actions and how they cause pain and fear to oj.

“inanimate insanity doesn't have anything sexual in it/the harassment isn't sexual”

in the proof of harassment i gave earlier, you can see that salt forcibly touches oj without his consent (including when he pushes her away, leans away, or even outright says “no”), tries to force him to date her, and nearly initiates a kiss with him even as he's visibly uncomfortable and pulling away. this type of harassment IS sexually themed. non sexual harassment would be something like calling oj names, gossiping about him, typical bullying, etc. but this is specifically about dating, kissing, and touching him, and that is why it's sexual harassment.

“it's just a cartoon/it's just a joke”

why does this matter? because this is a show for children. no matter your age, this show is a cartoon aimed at kids (many, many people at the osc meetups are children or teenagers, in fact!). i, personally, have seen so many people say what salt does isn't sexual harassment, that it's funny to them, that it's just comphet, that it's just flirting, that it's okay. these are the lessons the show is teaching. it's hard to accept that something IS such a big deal, but what salt does is consistent, harmful sexual harassment, played as a joke. it's disrespectful towards real victims of sa and sexual harassment, and it makes it much harder for fans of the show to recognize when it may be happening in real life, either to them, a friend, or anybody else.

[fatkish]

Tengen and his wives with an omega reader please

Alpha Tengen+Wives x Omega Reader

When he learned that an Omega passed and survived final selection he didn’t believe it. He doubted the rumors until he was faced with the proof

You first met briefly during Tanjiro and Nezuko’s trial at demon slayer headquarters

When you fiercely defended and protected Nezuko’s box, not letting anyone take it from you, he thought it was cute

And when you cut yourself and released your scent in front of Nezuko, to prove that she would never hurt anyone, he wanted to behead her and steal you away from danger

He thought your bold move was flashy and he wanted to get to know you

When he learned that Ubuyashiki wanted each pillar to spend time training you to improve your strength, he was upset that he wasn’t your first choice but he agreed to train you after Rengoku

When he got home and told his wives about you they were excited and couldn’t wait to meet you

His wives always wanted an Omega to love and dote on, being betas, they always hoped to have an omega for Tengen to spend his ruts with

Suma was so excited and couldn’t stop talking about future pups and started crying knowing she’d have to wait

Makio was stunned when Tengen told her about your fighting and she was impressed by your reported strength

Hinatsuru just smiled seeing everyone so excited to have an omega in their home for two weeks, even if it was to train the omega’s strength

When the time came for you to spend your two weeks with them, Rengoku walked you over to Tengens house before leaving you with him

Tengen happily brought you inside and showed you around, only for you to be tackled by a crying Suma. Who was then pulled off you by an angry Makio. Then chaos ensued

You just watched and had no idea what to do

Eventually things settled down and you decided you wanted to train, so Tengen had you follow him to the backyard and had you show him each of your breathing forms

Being a musical breather, your breathing technique was similar to Tengen’s sound breathing, to which he was curious about. He thought your technique was flashy and he was interested in your unique weapon

When you sat down with him and showed him your nunchucks, you explained how you use them and even went on to explain how you made them

Needless to say, he was surprised by your craftsmanship and asked about your skills and how you gained them. You told him about being raised by the swordsmiths that forge the demon slayers swords and how they collectively raised you

Tengen and his wives gave you all the necessary materials to build a nest out of. You built a large nest and allowed for them to enter the nest

Suma immediately snuggled up to you whilst Tengen, Hinatsuru and Makio restrained themselves, not that they didn’t want to cuddle with you, they just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable

When it came to meal time, you helped his wives make food and you all ate together

Tengen couldn’t help but picture you with a swollen belly, pregnant with his pups, smiling as he and his wives doted on and provided for you. You’d be the perfect little addition to his family and would make them complete

Tengen was a tease and often made jokes about things like your height, asking if you needed help reaching things or resting his arm on your head, all in good fun

His wives loved to dress you up and had you put on little fashion shows, to which Tengen happily became the judge of

All in all, it was hectic but fun staying in the Uzui household

When you had to leave, Suma was bawling her eyes out and begging you not to go, to which Makio got mad and began a small fight leading to chaos breaking out

You waved goodbye as you set off towards your next Hashira to train with, as Tengen watched you walk away, Hinatsuru noticed Tengen staring at your ass and shook her head

Tengen was determined to make you his and become your alpha, he’d just have to be patient

[uhyjigftkl]

when are people going to realize that once you post something to the internet, its for everyone to see? sure, you can say "don't reblog/like" or whatever, but there isn't really much you can do aside from that.

thats why ive worked on not getting so upset whenever radqueers ignore my dni tag and like/reblog my stuff. because at the end of the day, i cant really stop them.

im saying this because i saw an anti-endo have a full blown tantrum over an anon saying "hey im not endo, but you cant refuse to let someone use your term and then get angry when they coin their own version because they cant use yours" with the anti-endo saying "we actually can be angry when ableist pieces of shit steal our terms and continue to shove their way into our spaces while making everyone who isn't like them uncomfortable and scared"

the irony is that their tagged post said this.

so you get upset whenever endos "steal your terms," but its okay for you to reclaim their terms? and then claim you now own the term and they cant use it anymore? do you not see the hypocrisy here? why is it only okay for you to take someone elses terms and remake it? anyway, if anyone does know who the person i talked about here is, do not send them any harassment. but dont let this jerk stop you from using any term you want. now im gonna be on ponytown if anyone needs me. if anyone wants to play, i guess ill be down for that. dont forget to drink water and hug your pets

[garbinge]

EVERYTHING I NEVER DEAL WITH

Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch & F!Attending!Reader | Dr. Jack Abbot x F!Attending!Reader // Word Count: 3k

Summary: When a rough day allows old emotions to catch up to you, you find yourself very openly breaking down on hospital steps. After a little comforting talk from your mentor, you run into your fiancé as your shift ends.

Warnings/Tags: All my fics are 18+ regardless of content. Angst. Crying. Mentions + descriptions of compartmentalizing and not really addressing emotions/dealing with trauma. Mental health struggles. Reader is engaged. Hurt/Comfort. A/N: First The Pitt Fic! I've been dying to write for The Pitt but there's so many good fics out there I felt a bit intimidated!! The way I relate to Robby so much it's actually unwell but that's okay because we can just project in fic baby!!!! I also have uncontrollable Jack Abbot brain rot so I needed to find a way to include him in this and if it makes it cringe, well then so be it!!!! I hope I captured both of these characters voices, I haven't written in a while so I had to dust off the cobwebs in my brain haha.

You didn’t care about the people staring at you as they were walking up and down the stairs. It was a mix of healthcare workers, patients, and families of patients but none of that mattered. You could’ve tried to hide it. Maybe sit on the bench that was tucked around the corner, almost under the stairway. Or at least maybe try and muffle your sobs but you had reached a point where that wasn’t possible.

Every suppressed emotion from the last 10 years was bubbling at your throat, filling your brain with thoughts in a way that you wished numbed your mind but just paralyzed it so it felt like you were drowning. It was like the static from a radio station except instead of that fuzzy noise it was feelings from years ago clashing with feelings from now. One thought connected to another, which jumped to four more and suddenly there were 30 thoughts all strung together with sobs and a weight in your chest convincing you this was all too much to handle.

That’s how these things went right? You’d bottle it up for months, letting everything that ever made you feel uncomfortable, angry or upset fall to the back of your mind. You’d call it compartmentalizing because that sounded good. It sounded professional, like you had control over it. But really it was just disassociating. It was just putting it in a box inside a box and pushing it to the back of the closet hoping nothing would be added on top of it. But eventually after a few months of pushing it all back there, it’d be overflowed. You’d cry. You’d snap. Sometimes it’d be alone in bed after you watched something online that had you go, ‘hey, that’s how I feel’. Sometimes it’d be in the car, in the form of crying over a song where the lyrics felt a little too personal even though the song had nothing to do with what was on your mind, or maybe just a frustrated string of words at the guy who cut you off. It would happen in the shower on a good day, where it felt like the water took your struggles down the drain with it. And then, the bathroom at work on a bad day because you hated showing anyone how you really felt. Maybe you’d snap at the guy you were deeply in love with, roll your eyes at your best friend, give an attitude to the man who you looked at like an older brother. 

Sure, you could joke about it, a little self-deprecating joke about your mental health, your anxiety and depression all won chuckles all around the ER because each and everyone of them went through it in their own way. And yet, you still couldn’t bring yourself to be real in front of them. You always put up a face. Even when you were dealing with it. In bed, in the car, in the shower, in the bathroom at work. There’d be a moment, where instead of dealing with it, figuring out a way to work through it, you flipped the switch. Pushed all the boxes back up in the closet and shut the door like nothing happened then go months without thinking about it again.  

That’s what lead you to sobbing uncontrollably on the steps just outside the emergency department. Everything was catching up to you again. This one felt worse than the other times. It felt more exhausting, maybe because you knew you couldn’t keep going on like this again and again. That you didn’t even have the energy to stack those boxes up again. Nor did you really want to. But there was that panic in seeing them all over the floor and then panic in not wanting to touch them or clean them up. Every thought, every feeling, every emotion you couldn’t be bothered to label just staring at you at your worst. 

It was then that’s when you felt someone’s body heat next to you. There were no words for a while. Just company. An arm around you in a sideways hug. A literal shoulder to cry on. 

After a while, you heard his voice muffled and against your head before he removed his arm from over your shoulders.  

“It’s gonna be okay.” 

“How can you say that when you don’t even know what it is?” You sniffled and realized the only way you were going to get a breath in was through your mouth. 

“Because whatever it is, it’s always okay.” 

“I don’t think I believe you,” now you looked up, taking in Dr. Robby’s face, his eyes were locked on you and his mouth twisted in a smile at your words. 

“You’re like an angsty teenager,” his eyebrows were raised, a smile still on his face as he shook his head and rolled his eyes a little bit. He was resting his arms on his knees now, leaning forward just slightly.

“Sounds about right, think this,” you waved your hands around your face, “is a bunch of repressed shit since then.” 

“You can’t compartmentalize everything. Hell, you probably shouldn’t compartmentalize any of it, but with what we do, it’s inevitable,” he shrugged before leaning back into you, rocking you back and forth a bit. 

You rested your head on his shoulder again. Dr. Robby was like a brother to you. You were a first year attending now, but he was your mentor through each year of your residency. Even when you made a rash decision to move to family medicine for 6 months before realizing you craved the chaos of the ED. Looking back it was probably because it kept you on your toes, kept your mind busy, kept all of this at bay more than any other department. 

You looked at him when he spoke, not needing any words or even facial expressions for him to understand what you were thinking. 

He shook his head with a chuckle, looking up at the bright white lights above the stairs before turning back to look at you. “Do as I say, not as I do,” he frowned like it was obvious. 

“They do say those who can’t do, teach,” you smiled, finding your words incredibly quick and witty. 

“I’ve been bottling this shit up for a lot longer than you have and pushing it all back in doesn’t get easier. It feels like it’s the easier route but it only seems that way because every time there's a little bit more shit to sift through than the last and then before you know it, it's too much,” his hand squeezed your knee. 

“I feel like it’s too much now,” you let out a little air through your nose as it finally started to clear. 

“Imagine in 10 more years how you’ll feel,” Robby shook his head thinking about his own issue with compartmentalizing everything. 

“15,” you corrected him, “at least.”  That quick wit again. “Let’s not age me on top of everything,” you smiled, the first genuine one since you found yourself at these steps. 

“Angsty. Teenager.” He bumped his shoulder into yours. 

“I’ve been seeing Abbot’s guy. The therapist. Well, not his guy. But someone at the same office,” you trailed off before finding your way back to the point. “It’s nice but I don’t feel like it’s working.” After a quick inhale you shut your eyes tight and brought your hand over them to rub them quickly. “Told Jack that and he told me it only works if you work it, or like you get what you give or some shit.” 

“For someone going through an ongoing existential crisis, he’s probably the best one to trust with this kind of thing,” Robby’s head tilted as his eyebrows lifted, his mouth turning to a smirking frown. 

“How many people told you I was breaking down out here,” it had already started, where you shoved everything back in the closet. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe you’d do what Jack said, put the work in in therapy. But right now in this moment, you needed to do whatever would get you through the shift. 

“A few, in their own way,” he shrugged like it was no big deal. “Whitiker kept it to himself, but his eyes gave away a clue that he saw something that freaked him out.” That made you laugh. “Samira said you were taking a break and not to go looking for you, that you’d come back when you were ready.” That sounded like her, knowing just what everyone needed and respecting your space. “Santos and Javadi are with Dr. McKay working through chairs so think you’re in the clear there. Mel is with our pedes case otherwise I have a feeling it would have been her sitting here not me, then Collins left early and Langdon has been staring at the board waiting for something that sparks joy.” 

“Very Marie Kondo of him,” you rolled your eyes. “So how’d you know I was here, then?” 

“Jack.” His answer came fast. “Saw you when he was meeting with a family in the quiet room,” Robby’s hand lifted to point to the room just inside the ED sliding doors, a clear view to where you were on the stairs. 

“Surprised he didn’t come sit with me himself.” 

“He said, and I quote. Those who can’t do, teach. Think maybe coming from you it might hold a little more weight.” Robby couldn’t help but grin at that and you matched him with your own.

“My teenage angst is rubbing off on him,” you brought your fingertips back to your face, letting them dig into your closed eyes again and letting your palms massage your cheeks as you did. “Drink?” You brought your hands down to slap your knees as a way to snap you right out of this breakdown.

“We got 15 left in shift.” Robby was holding his watch up for you to see. 

“Wrong.” You shook your head and tapped the watch face. “We’re 15 over.” 

That got him to look at the watch in confusion, worried that his mind tricked him. “No, it's quarter of.” 

“I got here 30 minutes early. And if I recall you gave a speech last week about overtime and needing it to be approved or signed off on due to a critical case or something of that nature. I see neither.” You were standing up now, jumping down one step before turning to look back at your senior attending. 

“I have half a mind to approve overtime for you right now and bear the wrath of the suits for it later,” He was trying to hold a serious face as he spoke to you, but you saw right through it.

You lifted your hands like a scale. “Letting me head to the park early, having any conversation with Gloria.” You lifted them back and forth until one was above your head. “Clearly there’s a right answer here.” 

“Go, I’ll meet you there in 15,” he waved his hand and with that you smiled and started walking away before taking a beat and turning back to face him. 

“Thanks. For the whole,” you pointed to the stairs, “you know, pep talk.” 

“I don’t think there was any pep in that talk,” Robby let out a laugh. 

“I don’t know,” you tapped your foot on the tile. “I feel a little pep in my step.” You were teasing and then nodded earnestly. “I mean it, thank you. You’re the big brother I never wanted,” another tease from you through a smile. “I don’t know where I’d be without you, Robby. Seriously. Thank you.” 

He just nodded and brought his hand up to his heart and tapped it. Nodding back, you turned and walked over to your locker to grab your things. You tossed the sweatshirt that wasn’t yours but you wore to and from work everyday anyways on, zipping it up halfway. You grabbed your rings from your little jewelry plate and tucked them onto your left ring finger, followed by a quick makeup wipe to your face and checking your phone to send one important request out. Once you tossed your backpack over one shoulder, you closed your locker and made your way outside. 

You let your head fall back as the cool fresh air hit your face. Your eyes were swollen, your cheeks still warm from crying, the weight still heavy on your chest but less on your mind at the moment. 

“Feeling better?” a raspy voice filled your ear and you couldn’t help but smile when you heard it. 

“No.” There was sarcasm in your tone, because you knew it’d earn a smile from the man approaching on your left. 

“S’just a boost to my ego that I’m the only one who can make you feel better,” Jack was next to you now, his hand resting on the strap of his army backpack as you both looked out at the road. 

“Well, in that case, I’m fantastic,” you turned to look at him just to see his smirk grow. He turned to look at you and frowned his mouth in a knowing way. 

“Trick question, babe. I win regardless of the answer,” his hand dropped from his bag to grab yours. He was quick to bring it up to his mouth and plant a quick kiss there before looking both ways to cross the road, bringing you along with him. 

“They teach you that in therapy?” you called out over the noise of the late night street traffic.

“Yeah, they uh call it perspective,’ he tossed the words over his shoulder before both of you landed at the park’s entrance.  

“Perspective huh?” your voice was lower now.

“You headed home or want to have a drink?” his question was asked still a good few feet away from everyone, you were tucked behind a tall tree so if you wanted to make your escape, no one would see, not that they’d hold it against you.

“Everyone saw me crying,” your eyes were peering around the shrubs to see Donnie next to the cooler, Mateo next to him handing a drink to Princess who had just dropped her bag next to the bench. 

“Everyone saw you have a rough day,” Jack corrected you, his eyes steady on yours even though you were looking everywhere but. 

“You and that damn perspective,” another teasing remark left your lips and you closed your eyes. “I wasn’t crying over the rough day,” now it was your turn to correct him. “I was crying from stress which turned into crying over family, over shit from my past, over things I can’t fix–things I should’ve fixed,” you took a breath, “I was crying over everything I never deal with.” 

There was silence for a beat longer than you expected so you opened your eyes to see Jack looking at you. His eyes meeting yours felt like a hand reaching into the whirlpool to pull you out. 

“Sounds to me like you’re dealing with it now, and that’s all you can do.” 

“I don’t want to,” you shook your head, it was a bratty response, but it was how you felt. 

“Then you can cry on the steps in the hospital all you want,” Jack wasn’t joking, he was being serious, you knew he probably had an opinion but you also knew he would never push anything on you. If you wanted to cry in the staircase, he’d let you, he’d join you, he’d tell anyone he heard talk about it to mind their fucking business, too. 

“I told Robby I’d have a drink,” you pointed to the crowd of your coworkers that had gotten bigger since you two had started standing there. “Plus, I put in a request to see my therapist tomorrow morning so maybe I can show up still a little drunk.” 

“So the talk did work.” Jack grinned as he grabbed your hand again and started walking towards the benches. 

“I’m open to other options next time,” you let go of his hand and nuzzled into his side. He quickly tossed a hand around your shoulders, holding his backpack strap with the other again. Jack let out a hum in a way like he was questioning what other options you had in mind. “Quickie in the on-call room, quickie in the break room…” 

His face got close to your ear and he whispered so none of the group you were approaching could hear him. “Seems like there’s a pattern you’re getting at.” 

“Mhm.” You turned your head and looked up at him. 

He stopped walking for a minute and stared back down at you, turning so his arm that was wrapped around you, now was settling against your cheek. “I’ll keep that in mind next time,” his eyes were locked on yours which is how you knew while he was always down for fooling around with you, he didn’t really mean it this time. He wanted you to be okay for real. He wanted you to get through this weight that’s lived like a cloud over you for years. So you just smiled. “Maybe we can start scheduling our therapy appointments at the same time and have quickies in a supply closet there.” 

That got him to laugh and you caught his gaze moving between your eyes and lips. “My therapist did say I find comfort in the darkness.” 

“No place darker than a supply closet,” your grin was interrupted by a deep kiss to your lips. You melted into it, similar to the way when you come home after a long day and you change into your comfiest clothes and sink into your favorite spot on the couch. It was safe. It was comfort. It was relief. Jack pulled away and then placed another peck to your forehead before he resumed walking you towards the bench with the crew you just finished your shift with. 

“Beer?” Donnie called out to both of you. 

You nodded and held your hands up to catch the cold drink before finding a spot on the bench across from them. “And keep ‘em comin’.”

Dividers by @cafekitsune ੈ✩‧₊˚ 🥼 The Pitt Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @kmc1989 (just lmk if you'd like to be added!)

Feel free to send me requests for Jack Abbot & Dr Robby ♡ As always it just might take me some time to jump into them!

[be-xkyy]

Yandere Sugar Daddy, Yandere Dilf, Yandere Queen, Yandere Husband reactions to a reader who is as obsessed as they are?

Yanderes react when their readers are as obsessed as they are? ( ⚠️Alert Yandere Reader⚠️)

Tagging list: @kthehoeforfictionalmen ★ @dreamlessnight ★ @riawrld ★ @darkuni63 ★ @minshookie29 ★ @rosey1981 ★ @thejadevvitch ★ @jellystar-star ★ @sparklystrawberrycloud ★

Masterlist

Yandere Sugar Daddy Link

Did he die? No? So why is he in paradise?... OK, seriously, this scenario would be this man's dream. He's COMPLETELY obsessed with Reader, and her being equally OBSESSED with him drives him crazy (and arouses him🙄).

This man will revel in your outbursts of rage and jealousy. He'd take you to work with him at his company just to see you upset when his secretary (whom he hired just to annoy you) starts flirting with him shamelessly. (He might play along a little, you know, to see you even more upset.) Bonus points if you attack his secretary. He wouldn't get upset. On the contrary, he'd lean on his desk, crossing his arms over his chest, and encouraging you with a big smile while you grab his secretary's hair.

“That's it, sexy girl. Hit her harder. Are you going to let her flirt with your man so shamelessly? No, right?”

Yandere Dilf Link

This man is happy, although he'd prefer if you didn't do anything too extreme (like kill someone). Please, dear, let him get his hands dirty for you! Just take care of his babies and he'll be happy :) This man loves you SO MUCH, almost worshipping you like a goddess or something superhuman. In his eyes, you NEVER do anything wrong. Everyone else around you is guilty, but never you.

Unlike a Yandere Sugar Daddy, this man wouldn't be happy with your angry, jealous, or violent outbursts. But don't think he's going to treat you badly or blame you for them. Of course not. He'll blame the cause of your jealousy, no matter who it is: a friend, a coworker, a neighbor, his sisters, a random girl who talked to him—it doesn't matter. He'll take care of the problem and calm your jealousy because he hates seeing you upset, frustrated, or uncomfortable, especially around children.

“Calm down, honey, calm down... what's bothering you? Who's bothering you? Tell me and I'll make sure the bother goes away... just don't get upset or angry, honey, think about the children.”

Yandere Queen Link

She's happy! Gods, she'll blush a lot and might cry a little! She was worried you'd hate her for her... less-than-appropriate tendencies with other people (especially women) who get close to you, but she's relieved to know you have methods just as unethical as hers. You'll be a big, happy family!

She adores you and her children very much. Even though she knows her attitude is wrong, she wouldn't hide her tendencies from her children (as she would if reader weren't a yandere). Although she wouldn't directly push them to be yanderes, she would still tell her children how much she loves her reader and how much reader loves her. Even if at some point they had to get rid of someone, destroy families, or poison someone, this is THEIR fairy tale and NO ONE can get in the way, unless they want a cruel death, of course.

“Mom and Dad are meant to be together, sometimes bad people want to come between us... but Mom and Dad won't allow that, just get rid of the problem... but you'll know when you find your own darlings!”

[stargirllanaa]

Dark!rafe beats you for cursing out his friends (as you rightfully should!) for making lewd comments about you and rafe does nothing about it, then forces you to apologize to them forcibly holding your face in place to look at them with a bruised face as you tearfully apologize to them. (Sorry if this is too dark but please I’ve been thinking about this for weeks😫🧎🏾‍♀️)

Apologize.

Warnings: Dark!Rafe, toxic relationship, abusive relationship, domestic violence, manipulation, chocking, misogyny, topper is a weirdo,

Summary: Standing up for yourself isn’t always the best idea.

A/n: Omg my first request!! This was so fun to write and it’s never to dark love!! Hope you enjoy! Also please send more 🙏🏾

Wc: 1.1k

18+ MINORS DNI, YOU WILL BE BLOCKED

————————————————————————

Rafe had his friends over again, and if you were being honest, you really didn't like them; they supported his coke addiction, they encouraged his drunken fights, and, worst of all, they didn't have respect for you in the slightest.

Topper was the worst; he always made weird comments, borderline creepy.

This time in particular, you were already having a bad day; you had unexpectedly started your period earlier and bled through your favorite pajamas, and you had just dropped your phone, cracking it slightly.

You tuned out most of Rafe and his friend's conversation focused on the music in your left airpod, and scrolled through Instagram.

All you heard was,

“Y/n’s shorts are way too short; I can see her whole ass.” your boyfriend's friend Topper commented, followed by a laugh, causing Kelce to laugh as well.

When you turned to your boyfriend, you hoped he would defend you or at least acknowledge that his friend's comment made you uncomfortable and maybe address it. Still, instead, he didn't say anything.

On a typical day when you weren't already angry, you wouldn't have said anything or ignored him like you always do, but today wasn't a typical day.

“Shut the fuck up, Topper.” You sighed under your breath, causing everyone to stare at you.

“maybe you wouldn't be looking at my ass if you could actually get some.” you finished.

Topper awkwardly laughed in response to your very true statement.

“Someone’s on her period,” Kelce said in a sarcastic tone that irritated you even more than his comment.

You got up from the couch and stormed upstairs; you fucking hated Rafe's friends, you hated that he made you guys all hang out, and what you hated the most was that Rafe never stood up for you.

You went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind you; you didn't notice how much this situation upset you until you looked in the mirror. Tears of anger were threatening to spill as you went to grab a tissue to wipe your tears; the bathroom door flew open.

“What are you slamming doors for?” Rafe questioned you, closing the door behind himself and trapping you both in.

“Did you not hear what Topper said to me?” you asked in a shaky tone, still angry about it. “Why do you let him talk to me like that?” you continued.

Rafe nodded in response to your words; it was hard to ignore the evident smirk on his face.

Did he think this was funny?

The blonde took slow steps towards you.

“Well, he was right..”

You couldn't believe your ears, but at the same time, you could; sometimes, it seemed like Rafe intentionally hurt you, and sometimes it seemed like he was a bully rather than your boyfriend.

“When you clearly dress like a slut, someone is gonna mention it…” he trailed off.

You were so shocked and furious at his words that you didn't realize how close he was to you until he roughly grabbed your chin and tilted your head to look him directly into his eyes.

“Now, you're going to go back downstairs..” the blonde continued.

You shook your head no in response, pulling your face out of his harsh grip.

He immediately reached back; this time, his grip was rougher and harsher, leaving you with more than just physical discomfort. You were in pain.

“Listen to me, y/n!” his tone was just as harsh as his grip, showing his anger. “You're going downstairs and apologizing to Topper for your disrespect and language.” he finished, looking directly into your tearful eyes, waiting for a response.

“I'm not apologizing; he's been disrespectful to me ever since we started dating.” you tearfully defended yourself.

“My girlfriend is out here telling my friends to ‘Shut the fuck up.’” Rafe said in disbelief; his grip was getting tighter the more he spoke.

“How does that make me look? Huh?!” he shouted, removing his grip from your chin to push you roughly against the bathroom wall, causing your back to slam against it.

“Like I can't control my fucking girlfriend?”

His hands made their way to your neck, wrapping around it like you meant nothing to him; his eyes weren't their everyday shade of blue; they were dark, and his face was entirely even as he stared into your bloodshot eyes.

Your hands immediately found his, trying your best to pry his hands off of your throat, but his grip was tight; you couldn't breathe, you could barely think, and all you could do was look back into his eyes and regret ever biting back at topper.

Rafe held you there, staring intensely into your eyes while choking you for about 45 seconds in complete silence; he wanted you to think; he wanted you to regret this; he wanted you to learn your lesson.

When he eventually let go, you fell to the floor and gasped for air.

Your boyfriend bent down to your level and roughly grabbed your chin again, desperate for eye contact.

“I don't like you hurt you, y/n..” he expressed as if he deserved a reward.

“But you make me.” the tall blonde stated before letting go of your chin and standing up straight.

“Get up,” he said in a calm tone, way too quiet for this situation, and when you didn't listen, he roughly grabbed your arm, pulling you to your feet.

“Now…You're going downstairs and apologizing to Topper for your disrespect and language.” the blonde said slowly, explaining the steps as if you were stupid.

Your pride told you not to, but you knew Rafe wouldn't let this go, so you tearfully nodded, accepting defeat.

As you walked downstairs side to side with Rafe, you knew they probably heard all the banging and muffled yelling; you were embarrassed, not only by the fact you had to apologize but by the fact these people knew you were staying with a man who treated you like shit.

“I-im sorry, Topper…” you said, looking down at your feet; you couldn't bring yourself to look at him in this state; you looked a mess from all the tears and trauma.

Rafe clearly didn't like this; he gripped your chin again, this time not as roughly, forcing you to make eye contact with Topper.

“For what?” Rafe whispers into your ear. His voice was quiet, but his tone was sharp.

“I'm sorry for being disrespectful and my language.” you couldn't stop the tears from continuing to fall; you felt humiliated, but undoubtedly, that was the point.

“Dude…. What on her neck? Topper questioned, looking at Rafe and then back at you; he didn't acknowledge your apologies; instead, he squinted, trying to make out the marks around your neck.

“She fell,” Rafe stated before letting go of you and returning to his friends on the couch.

He wasn't wrong; you did fall, you fell into his trap.

[sturnlsstuff]

FAMILIAR STRANGER | chapter seven

what's gonna happen when you find out about your enemy's biggest secret?

ghostface!chris x enemy!reader

chapter six | chapter eight

— warnings; smut with plot, dom!chris, sub!reader, pet names, bratty reader, cursing, - english isn't my first language.

~~~

chris had been annoyed for almost a week, snapping at everyone around him including his brothers. spending most of his time outside, doing his thing, taking his frustration out on whoever he could. it was starting to get really bad, the constant informations about murders on TV made the whole city live in even bigger fear, feeling someone's breath on their necks. the ghostface killer became everything people could talk about, his name on everyone's tongues. chris would appreciate the attention he's getting since it was always something he'd want, but not in this situation.

he wasn't only mad because you called him out unintentionally, not realizing how right you were. though chris knew and couldn't stop thinking about that he in fact didn't tell you it's just a hook up. he'd tell himself he just wasn't sure, but sure about what? wanting more? ending it? he was just so confused, but also upset noticing you've been ignoring him for the past week without knowing why. was it because you two fucked again? because he's a stupid idiot and left instead of telling you he maybe wants something more? he was obsessed with you since he remembered, only now realizing that.

it was little things, like the way he was always in the room you were in when you came over to see his brothers, even if it was just to argue with you, which he secretly loved. he always kept an eye on you at parties, making sure everything was fine. when it was your birthday he would order pizza to your apartment, knowing how much you loved that food and leaving you wonder who was sending it to you every year. chris knew a lot about you, always checking how you were feeling, sometimes even unintentionally making it worse when you were sad. when he tried to find out why you're in a bad mood, you just shouted at him, which made him angry too and he'd always ruin your mood even more, later regretting it. but he could never apologize, his ego wouldn't let him admit that he somehow cared about you. even if in his own fucked up way. he liked to explain it to himself that it's only because you're important to nick and matt, but really now he realized that maybe there was other reason too. a reason which was scaring the hell out of him.

he doesn't see you anywhere. you're not in the hallways on campus, you're not hanging out with his brothers. he even wants to ask them why but he doesn't want to arouse suspicion. he expects you to text him again for another talk, or even to yell at him for being a moron, but there's nothing.

by tuesday, he's a nervous wreck, pacing around in his room. without realizing it, he's grown accustomed to bumping into you at least once a day, even if it's just for a few minutes. the silence is deafening.

unable to take the uncertainty anymore, chris finds himself standing outside your door, his fist raised to knock. he hesitates, his heart pounding in his chest. what if you don't wanna see him and you tell him to fuck off? you probably will, which is pretty normal for you two, but damn. he believes you're avoiding him and he hates it for some reason.

when he finally decides to knock, the sound echoes in the quiet hallway as he uncomfortably waits, starting to regret that already, his stomach twisting with nerves. when you don't immediately answer, he once again is ready to go and climb through your window, hoping you won't push him out of that, but then the door unlocks and crack opened.

it's pretty clear to see how tired you look, standing there wrapped in a blanket, the hood of your hoodie put over your head. it hits him like a punch in the gut, your hair all messed up, face flushed. a frown appears between his eyebrows, "you're.. sick?"

"as you can see," you answer, met with his intense gaze. you were confused, not expecting him here.

he shifts uncomfortably, stuffing his hands in his pockets, his eyes darting over your face, taking in every detail. "you look like shit."

you roll your eyes, stepping back to let him in, closing the door behind you two when he gets inside. "thank you, that's the nicest thing you said to me in a while," your voice dripping with sarcasm as you go back on the couch where you've been hiding for the last week, tissues scattered on the coffee table. he toes off his shoes, watching as you retreat to the sofa, "you've been ignoring me." he follows you, settling beside you.

you pull the blanket up higher, looking at him in confusion, "no, i was sick. i still am." chris crosses his arms, his brow furrowing skeptical, "convenient timing." he grumbles, "you're always out and 'bout, but suddenly you're sick after you—"

"i what?" you question, but he just shakes his head, suddenly annoyed that he almost said too much. he wasn't gonna let you know he's been thinking about what you said to him last time he was at your place. "nothing really, doesn't matter. m'just sayin'.. whatever," he huffs, looking away. "jus' wanted to see if you're not dying or some shit, that's all."

"awww, how cute," your eyes narrow at him, a small smile plays on your lips. "careful, i'll think you're worried."

"don't piss me off," he mutters. you're curious if he came here to fuck again or is there was another reason, so you bluntly ask, "are you here to hook up again or what, 'cause if you are then i have to disappoint—"

"are you serious?" his face darkens, eyes flashing with irritation almost as he was offended that you can even think he's here only for that. "like, you're in any condition to..."" he gestures vaguely at your blanket-covered form. "-- i came here to check on ya, not to... do whatever." you watch him curiously, tilting your head to the side. catching your stare, he adds, "m'not that much of an asshole."

"hmm— lowkey doubt it..." you hum with a smirk, making him to lost his mind. "so you thought i'm ignoring you and came here to check?"

chris's jaw clenches, he now feels stupid when he knows you weren't avoiding him at all, you just have the flu. "i didn't know what to think a'ight?"

you see something strange in his behavior so you decide to tease him a little more, knowing how annoyed he's gonna get. "it kinda looks like you'd care if i'm mad or not—"

"i don't," he cuts you off, his tone defensive. "i mean, i don't, like... whatever, i don't know, i jus' wanted to see what's your problem with me this time."

"well, i don't have one," you shrug and cough, reaching for tea from the coffee table to take a sip. chris sighs, rubbing his temples in irritation, "yeah, now i know." he looks back at you, his gaze lingering on your flushed face. "you ate anythin'?"

you shake your head, sipping on tea and putting the mug down, "a bit but food kind of disgusts me right now."

"that's dumb as fuck, you won't get better if you—" he sighs giving up, and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, a glimmer of genuine concern in his eyes despite his gruff demeanor. "food won't kill ya, got any crackers or somethin'?"

you wave your hand dismissively, "somewhere in the kitchen, but i don't wa—" chris already disappears in your kitchen, muttering under his breath something about stubborn girls and their refusal to listen. he's back not even two minutes later with a box of crackers, setting them between you two on the couch as he settles down next to you again. "eat," he says firmly. "you gotta keep up your strength somehow even if you don't feel like eating," he crosses his arms over his chest, clearly not taking 'no' for an answer.

with another eye roll, you reach out opening the box and pulling out a cracker. he watches with critical eye as you eat, "was that so hard?" you shrug as chris plucks a cracker from the box without asking, popping it into his mouth.

his one arm is draped over the top of the couch, he munches on crackers, his gaze occasionally flicking towards you as you nibble on yours. both of you quiet, he's lost in thought, noticing your heated cheeks just as you sneeze. with a grimace, you mutter, "you're gonna get sick too."

he shrugs nonchalantly, a smirk playing on his lips, "if i do, i do. somebody's gotta take care of your pathetic ass, so--"

"i can take perfect care of myself—" as you say that you sneeze again, reaching for a tissue. you felt gross and him seeing you like this was making it worse.

"right," he shakes his head amused. "a real independent badass. that's why you're sweating your ass off, sneezing and sniffling every two minutes?"

"that's what a sick person does, moron-" you respond, taking another sip of tea. chris rolls his eyes dramatically, "y'know if you weren't so stubborn, i'd feel bad f'ya."

"i don't need that—" another sneeze, your eyes half opened now and slightly reddish. he sighs, watching you, something weird in his chest that he only felt around his brothers before when they were sick. he didn't want to believe he might be worried.

"do you, uh... you're like all red and shit, just— lemme--" he hesitates before reaching out to touch your forehead, checking your temperature. "you're really hot—" he murmurs, then frowns at how it sounded. "i mean your forehead is."

"am i?" you tease him a bit with a small smile, then coughing, your cheeks flush an even brighter red as you do. he rolls his eyes again, "yeah, really funny... you're like burnin' up-" he reaches out to touch your neck, checking for any other signs of a fever. you flinch at the sensation of his cold hand against your heated skin.

he's fast to check your temperature, a few minutes later urging you to put a damp cloth on your forehead and taking some meds he found in your kitchen. he's not used to taking care of anyone and the unfamiliarity of the situation is clearly written on his face. "you're fuckin' out of it... jesus—" he mutters to himself, "fuckin' overheating like crazy... you look so pathetic right now-"

"thanks," your voice dripping with sarcasm as you cough again, removing the hood from your head and adjusting the wet cloth on your skin. you wipe your nose with a tissue, just as he says, "disgusting."

"don't have to tell me things i already know," you tuck yourself more under the blanket. a genuine smile tugging at his lips, "someone's gotta keep you in check." you scoff at that, leaning your head back, eyes watery and barely opened. the fever was clearly getting to you. "gonna sleep?" you answer him with a shrug, so after a moment of silence he asks, "want me to go?"

despite his question, he makes no move to leave, clearly seeing as wheels turn in your head, but it was hard to think in that state. it felt even nice to not be alone right now. "you can stay, is whatever..."

"whatever... right," he repeats, pulling out his phone to occupy himself while you get curled up on the couch, your head close to his thigh.

it's how you both spend another twenty minutes in comfortable silence broken only by your sniffling. chris glances at the tv every now and then, not really paying attention and mostly focusing on his phone, until he hears your barely audible words.

"you think i'm a bitch, but i'd never snitch on you—" you're half asleep, whispering. "not only because matt is involved, but also 'cause it's you.... i can be the only one ruining your life—" another sniff, "if someone else would do that, where's my satisfaction in that?"

he looks at the back of your head, feeling his heart leap into his throat at your words, which you definitely would never say if you weren't in this state.

"good..." he finally speaks up, licking his lips. "good, 'cause, uh— i wouldn't want you to snitch on me... it'd be, y'know— it'd, like, maybe even upset me a lil' bit... i guess-"

he cuts himself off, noticing your body is more relaxed now. his brow furrowed in thought as he leans forward to see your face, your breathing evens out, your body in deep sleep. he glances at your flushed from fever face, your mouth slightly opened as you breathe heavily. chris feels relieved and annoyed at the same time, realizing that you didn't hear his answer.

"fuck that," he curses to himself, nudging the blanket higher up your back and adjusting the damp cloth on your forehead, also checking if you were still burned up. it was late already and you did tell him to stay, but now you were asleep and he had no clue what to do. there was no way he's gonna just leave when you have such a fever. if something happened everyone would blame him. so he stays, telling himself he has to, not because he wants to.

quickly texting his brothers that he's at a "friend's" house and doesn't know when he'll be back, chris hesitantly shifts his position so that he's leaning against the arm of the couch with his legs stretched out behind you. almost as if you knew he's laying beside you or felt the heat radiating from him, you shifted around so he was able to see your face, the way you settle against his thigh makes chris tense at first, unaccustomed to such unguarded, innocent contact. but as you continue to sleep, your arm wrapping around his thighs by itself, head moving to rest on his lap. he's actually frozen, not used to this with anyone, let alone you. he tells himself it's only because you're sick and do stuff you wouldn't usually do. so at some point he finally relaxes, his own eyelids growing heavy while listening to your steady breathing and the quiet sounds from tv.

chris jerks awake at some point during the night, realizing that his arm has gone numb from you sleeping on it and the way you kept coughing. he blinks slowly, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of the tv before looking down at you, draped across his lap like a blanket. he gingerly pries your hand off his thigh, hissing at the pins and needles sensation. he massages his arm to get the blood flowing again, his other hand automatically checking your temperature. cooler than before, but still warm. as you shift in your sleep, coughing again, a flicker of concern passes chris's face before it's quickly replaced by his usual scowl. he debates whether to wake you or let you sleep, knowing that rest is probably best for your recovery, but once your head falls off his lap, he knows he has to wake you up. he catches your head before it hits the cushion, gently putting it back onto his lap.

he props himself on one elbow, giving your shoulder a gentle shake, "hey, kid— wake up--" he watches as your eyebrows furrow in your sleep, head rolling from side to side on his lap. he sighs, shaking you a little harder, "wake up, would ya?"

once your eyelids flutter open, finding his face, he explains gruffly, "you keep coughing in your sleep."

you rub your eyes confused like a sleepy child, "what time is it?" chris glances at his phone, squinting slightly, "almost four in the mornin'." he grumbles, tucking his phone back into his pocket, "you've been out for a while."

"oh," you grimace at the thought, sitting up to grab the cold now tea from the coffee table. you take a sip, sighing with relief when your throat automatically feels less dry. chris watches you so intensely that you finally look at him, noticing his messy hair and flushed cheeks, realizing he had to sleep with you here. "you, uh– wanna go? nick and matt are probably--"

"i texted 'em that i'll be late," he cuts you off. "i don' really feel like leaving now. unless you want me to go."

surprisingly for not only you, but chris himself, you shake your head, putting the mug down. "move..."you shift, the damp cloth from your forehead falling down. chris catches it as you move higher on the couch, he obediently shifts sideways, wincing slightly as his joints protest the movement. he glances at you, noting the weariness etched into your features.

"uh, m'gonna go get this wet, you're kinda burnin' up still—"

"no-" you take the material from him, throwing it somewhere aside. you were not having it, all you wanted is to go back to sleep and the heat radiating from chris's body was enough to put you in that state again.

he remains silent almost as waiting for your next move, you wriggle out of the blanket, a faint sheen of sweat on your forehead. he raises his eyebrow, a mix of amusement and concern, "ain't you gettin' a lil' bit too comfortable?"

"can you shut up?" you mutter, chris's gaze drifting down to your midriff noticing that your hoodie has ridden up. he hesitates briefly before reaching out to pull the fabric back down, tugging it securely around your figure. you both are laying on your sides, facing each other, you curled up with your head slightly touching his shoulder. chris shifts awkwardly, realizing he's essentially spooning you on this tiny couch. "cozy, huh?" he asks dryly, trying to ignore how natural this close contact feels. "mhm..." you're already drifting off, nuzzling closer, not letting him get up at all, so he's not even trying.

you're fast to fall asleep, but he's up for some more minutes. barely awake he inhales sharply as he feels your arm wrapping around his waist in your sleep. he frowns, looking at you through half-opened eyes, before somehow relaxing, resigned to this intimate position. "drivin' me fuckin' crazy..." he mutters to himself, then carefully repositions himself, so he's half-lying against you, his body providing some semblance of comfort and warmth. his hand somehow ends up stroking your hair as his body lull into a light sleep, telling himself he's doing all that to make you feel better, to help you cool down, but part of him knows it's bullshit. he'd never expect himself to end up cuddling anyone, let alone you or playing some kind of nurse but here he is.

waking up a few hours later hits chris like a truck, the cuddling felt like a fever dream even if he wasn't the one who was sick. he's laying there almost frozen, waiting for you to wake up which you do almost an hour after him.

he feels you stir awake and glances down at you , your face scrunched up slightly, a grimace on your lips. "fuckin' finally, i was getting tired of being your personal pillow-" his voice laced with mockery as he tries to keep casual the fact that you two were all over each other all night. not in the way he's used to, at least.

confusion is written all over your face as you open your eyes and realize you're practically glued to his side. you look up, noticing his face is too close to yours, so you're fast to almost immediately removing your hands from him and prop yourself up on your elbow to put some distance between the two of you.

his expression was unreadable, "clung to me like a koala or some shit..." he studies your face, taking in the way your hair is plastered to your forehead with sweat, you're slightly pale now, dark circles evident under your eyes.

"my bad," that's all you say before he simply puts his hand on your cheeks, making your heart skip a beat. "no fever," he states. "--at least i guess so." you reply with a nod, sitting up and rubbing your eyes. you felt much better, but mentally strange knowing that chris stayed the night and took care of you. plus you looked disgusting, all sweaty, which now made the embarrassment grown within you.

"i should shower-"

"yeah, you should," he says sarcastically causing you to give him a typical for you death stare. he adds with a smirk, "what? you do smell like a sick person..."

"alright, i'm aware, thanks," you roll your eyes. the tension in the room was filled with unspoken words and something strange you couldn't name. chris runs a hand through his hair and stands up, "m'gonna go if you feel better now." you glance at him when he adds, "unless y'want me to get you somethin', like, make tea or whatever. can be even a kick in the ass–"

"ha, ha, real funny," you mutter but the corner of your lips twitches in amusement. "no, i'm good. emma is supposed to come later today soo..."

he nods and moves towards the door, before your full of hesitation voice stops him. "hey, chris-" he looks over his shoulder, "thanks."

surprise flickers in his eyes but he's quick to hide it, "yeah, no big deal."

though as he was leaving, you could've sworn he crack a little smile.

—

chris spent the rest of the day overthinking, which quickly turned into irritation, and he finally decided he just needs advice. he couldn't take being alone with these thoughts anymore. someone has to agree with him that he still doesn't like you and he doesn't want more than physical stuff.

that's how he ended up in matt's room.

matt was looking at his brother with blank expression, more shocked that chris finally admitted that he hooked up with you more than the fact it actually happened.

"the fuck do you mean by that?" chris is taken back after telling matt everything what was going on between him and you, and all he got in response was a simple "i knew."

"i mean, that i knew it'd happen at some point... but it's still kinda crazy to think about."

"yeah, you don't say," chris rolls his eyes, shifting uncomfortably on the wheel chair and clearing his throat. "but is, like, we fucked twice already, yeah? but i ended up this night at her place and we didn't do it again."

"she didn't want to anymore?"

"no— no, is not that... she was sick." matt looks at his brother in confusion, questioning, "sick?" chris nods, "yeah, had a fuckin' fever so i helped her out 'n shit."

"helped her- like how?"

"how?" chris gives him a stare, "the fuck do you think? gave her some meds, put some damp cloth on her head so the fever would go away. that's how."

matt blinks slowly, trying to process everything what he's hearing now, before asking carefully, "so- wait, so do you like her or...?"

"what? no- i— of course not–- she's just hot, that's all..." chris stumbles over his words at matt's blunt question even if he himself was thinking of that too much for his liking. and he needed his brother to tell him it doesn't look like chris likes you at all.

"so it's only physical?"

"i... i guess-- like, yeah. only physical."

"but you slept at her place and took care of her, so how is it only physical?"

chris felt like he was talking to a dumbass, literally. for him it was clear as day. he gets a bit defensive, "bro, i fuckin' went to her place and saw her lookin' all shitty, burnin' up. what'd you want me to do?"

"you could call me or nick," matt raises his eyebrow. "if you found her in that state, you could call anyone, but you decided to take care of her."

chris feels his blood boil at the sudden call out, only now realizing that it was true. he could've called his brothers or even emma, but his first thought was to just stay with you.

he remains silent, clenching his jaw immediately regretting everything he told matt, because now it was making everything worse. though matt doesn't back up and asks, "why did you even go to her place? to hook up again?"

chris runs his hand through his hair in frustration, avoiding his brother's gaze. "nah, i was actually... uh, i kind of thought she was ignorin' me so i wanted to check—" he catches matt's stare, adding, "jus' didn't see her for a week, i was confused."

"and what if she was ignoring you? aren't you already used to that?"

"is different now—"

"why?"

"what, why?! 'cause i fucked her and she was all silent 'n i thought i— that-- i don't know, i just... had to make sure we're good."

"okay," matt fights the urge to smile. "okay, so was she ignoring you?"

"no, dumb fuck, she was sick." matt replies with a nod and can't hold back a smirk, leaning against the headboard. his expression and the silence pissed chris off even more. he snaps, "what the fuck would you do, like actually?! 'n don't say this bullshit that i could call someone, 'cause yeah i could, but i didn't. so what, you expected me to leave her? would you leave?"

"the difference is that she's my friend," matt says calmly, clearly enjoying this situation. "-- and you claim to hate her."

"but m'not a dick, a'ight? if you hated someone but saw them in that state, would you not care at all?"

"not really," he retorts bluntly making chris scoff. "i wouldn't take care of 'em but i'd call someone who i know would do it."

"oh, fuck you," chris rolls his eyes annoyed. "whatever. it doesn't matter anyway."

"i guess it does if you're telling me all that," he retorts. "so are you sure it's only physical?"

fuck. matt was supposed to help him, but all the things he said made chris even more confused. it helped him realize that maybe he did care a little about you, which was irritating as fuck to him. a frown appears between his eyebrows as he ignores the question and asks instead, "wait, but how did you know? that me and her might..."

"oh, that? please," matt waves his hand dismissively. "you're my brother, she's my friend, it was quite clear to tell with the constant back and forth you two have and the tension that comes with it. besides, she found out that you're the ghostface and she didn't say shit. in my opinion it's not because of me and the fact i'm involved too, i think she deadass doesn't want you to be in trouble. so something is up."

his words trigger a strange wave of emotions in chris, reminding him of what you told him while you were half-conscious and falling asleep. you didn't want him to have any problems or for something to happen to him, that's the reason why you're still quiet about what he's doing.

he came to matt's room for a simple advice but was leaving even more confused and annoyed, realizing everything he was always so scared of, was becoming reality.

a/n: i kinda hate everything i write lately so for me this chapter is so... 🧍‍♀️😐 sigh...... i'll try to post the next (and last !!) chapter before new year's. hope y'all had good christmas !! 🤍

taglist: @certifiedstarrr @chrislovespepsi @le4hsblog @sturnsxbitvh @sweetlikesug4rvenom @xaristhings @mattsfavbitchhh @lvrsturniolo @r0s3luvr @slut4brunettes @madisonsturnioloss @chrispillowprincess @sturnioloslutttt4 @ashlishes @mattsbitchh @hi-people-who-are-alive @stellward123 @inssanely @matts-girlfriend @imnotalive420 @emely9274 @shadowthesim @yunkilm @sophiaxsblog @namelesssav @demyackerman @fratbrochrisgf @lvrsturniolo @chrisweetheart @chrisfavoritewhore @sturnslutz @ncm9696 @certified-sturniolo @mattsobvimyfav @swagalicious260 @giannalovessturniolo @sophand4n4 @brazyturtleneck @jocelyncsblog

[kwanisms]

❑ NOW PLAYING: 「 몸 (body) 」 「 FEVER 」 「 Moth to a Flame 」 

When your dad remarried after your mother’s death, you never expected to get a step-brother out of it, especially not one as mean as Christian. Despite bullying you in your youth, Christian finally mellowed out and now you have a playful and teasing relationship, like most siblings. Except Christian isn’t like most siblings. On the surface, he’s your step-brother who playfully teases you but deep down, he hides something much darker. Or the one where your hot, tattooed, older step-brother has the hots for you and thinks none of the guys you date are good enough for you so he makes your boyfriend break up with you on a family vacation and shows you that only he can make you truly happy. step-bro!Christian × fem!Reader

back || m.list || taglist || next »» ❑ WORD COUNT — 24.9k (47.3k total) ❑ WARNINGS — adult dialogue, female reader, curvy reader, mentions of: food & alcohol consumption, fictional versions of real places, axe throwing, parental death, marriage, axe throwing, infidelity & cheating; THIS FIC CONTAINS A TABOO TOPIC. IF STEPCEST BOTHERS YOU, DO NOT READ THIS!  ❑ CONTENT — slow burn, angst, smut; themes of stepcest, taboo topics, family vacation, Thailand; non idol au, step-sibling au ❑ NOTES — this is my first major DPR IAN fic so be nice. He mainly goes by Christian in this so keep that in mind. The location is a fictional version of a replace: Phuket, Thailand. I’ve never been but I did a LOT of research ((as usual)) on the places mentioned but of course, I can only learn so much from a screen. If you’re from Thailand, I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s a beautiful country and learning what I have makes me want to visit sometime. THERE ARE THEMES OF STEPCEST AS WELL AS ACTUAL STEPCEST IN THIS FIC. IF THIS TOPIC BOTHERS YOU, DO NOT READ THIS AND MOVE ON. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT YOU CONSUME. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Thank you so much for hyping me up @unholywriters you have been my rock during this long ass writing process and thank you for beta-ing for me. It means so much! Thank you to everyone else who reads and reblogs this and as always, this is a work of fiction and all characters are not reflective of their respective irl counterparts. for entertainment purposes only.

MINORS WILL BE BLACKLISTED & BLOCKED. AGELESS BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED.

❑ SMUT WARNINGS: STEPCEST (do not read if this makes you uncomfortable), CHEATING/INFIDELITY (i do not condone, this is for the plot) fingering (f receiving), and that should be on this part. there's more in the second part. if i missed any, just let me know!

When you lost your mother at the age of 9, the last thing you expected to happen was your father remarrying. For two years, it was just you, your father, and your sister, Emmy. Until it wasn’t and your father introduced you to his new fiancée, Kate.

At first, you were angry and upset with your father for trying to replace your mother but Kate quickly grew on you. She was a wonderful person inside and out. She filled the void left by your late mother without truly replacing her.

The only downside was, with Kate came her son, Christian.

Christian was a few years older than you and in high school when you met. You had hoped he would fill the role of protective older brother but he quickly proved you wrong, picking on you when your parents weren’t around and generally annoying the hell out of you. 

It was only you he picked on, Emmy never received an iota of his bullying and instead, he was sweet and protective over your sister but you were his verbal and sometimes physical punching bag. Not that he ever actually hurt you. It was mainly annoyances, like tugging on your hair, pinching the exposed skin of your arm from behind, bumping into you and knocking you into the kitchen island or other furniture.

It was never over the top and he always had a smirk on his face when you turned to glare at him. As you got older, his bullying became more and more incessant but he was smart and never got caught by your parents or anyone else. He saved his torment for when you were alone.

When Christian went off to college, you finally felt free. Except for when he’d come back during breaks and holidays. He was just as mean to you as ever but totally sweet to your sister. It made no sense why he was so awful to you and such a kind and caring older brother towards your sister.

When it was your turn to go to college, you applied for colleges on the opposite side of the country so you could be far away from Christian and his torment. During winter break of your freshman year of college, things took a huge turn.

You had spent the weeks leading up to winter break dreading the return home but upon arriving home, you met Christian’s new girlfriend and his behavior towards you had taken a drastic 180 and he was suddenly nice towards you. It was slightly off putting but you were thankful for the change.

When Christian graduated, he and his girlfriend got a place together and things seemed pretty serious until you returned home to visit your parents and found Christian had moved back in, albeit temporarily. He and his girlfriend had broken up due to irreconcilable differences.

That night, you and Christian bonded over the firepit in your parents’ backyard, talking about failed relationships, goals in life, and more. After that night, things between the two of you were much better. Each family function, you started to grow closer and closer and the former harsh torment turned into playful teasing on both your parts.

After you graduated, you landed a job in the city but were able to go back and visit your dad and stepmom from time to time, running into Christian occasionally. You even started seeing someone, Daniel. When things between you and Daniel were getting serious, you decided to invite him to meet your family over the holidays. Your sister and Kate adored him and your dad warmed up to him as well.

The only person who didn’t seem to like him was Christian.

Regardless, things between you and Daniel got pretty serious so when your father informed you of a family summer vacation he and your stepmom planned, it was a no-brainer that you were going to invite Daniel to join you once your dad and Kate okayed the decision.

“Did you pack your swim trunks?” you asked as you walked out of your closet, phone tucked between your ear and shoulder. You could almost see Daniel smiling on the other end of the phone. “Yes, mom,” he said playfully but you hissed. “Do not call me mom,” you reminded him.

You neatly folded the item of clothing in your hands and set it on the bed, planning your outfits for the vacation and grabbing any other essentials you would need. “I packed like three pairs,” Daniel added as you counted the number of outfits you had. “Good,” you murmured, almost not paying attention.

“You bringing any of those bikinis you bought when we went shopping?” he asked, a hint of playfulness in his tone. You rolled your eyes, your gaze landing on said bikinis. “I was,” you said, smiling as you pulled your bottom lip between your teeth. “But maybe I’ll swap them out for my old one piece.” You heard your boyfriend gasp on the other end. “Don’t you dare,” he said, chuckling.

You shook your head, your own laughter coming out. “You’ll just have to wait and see what I’m bringing,” you continued. You heard him groan dramatically. “Fine,” he huffed. “Will you model them for me?” he asked softly. Your smile returned. “If you’re good,” you answered.

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” Daniel said and you imagined him placing his hand over his chest as he promised. “You better be,” you retorted. “My dad’s paying a lot of money for this vacation. I want it to go as smoothly as possible.” A brief pause fell over you before your boyfriend replied.

“Will your brother be there?” he asked. You sighed, rolling your eyes. “Step-brother,” you corrected him. “And probably? His mom helped plan and pay for this vacation so I imagine he’ll be there. It is a family vacation after all.” Silence followed once more. “Then tell your step-brother to behave. He’s been nothing but cold since I met him. I don’t know what his deal is,” Daniel finally replied.

It was true. While your sister, dad, and Kate had all warmed up to an accepted Daniel, Christian had not. He was nice as ever to you but to Daniel, he was icy and refused to warm up and open up to him. You chalked it up to him finally playing the role of protective brother, especially after your heart to heart chat.

“I can text him. Tell him to play nice,” you offered, which Daniel appreciated. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Daniel asked as you grabbed the last few things you needed from your closet. “Yeah,” you answered. “We’re meeting them at the airport at midnight,” you reminded him. 

Once you both hung up, you tossed your phone onto the bed and started packing your clothes into your suitcase, keeping the outfit pieces together to make it easier on yourself. You eyed the bikinis you’d purchased when you and Daniel went shopping so he could get some swim trunks as the ones he had were falling apart. 

Each one had gotten a very enthusiastic seal of approval from your boyfriend when you modeled them for him, making all your insecurities melt immediately. You quickly took the swimsuits to the counter and bought them, thanking your boyfriend when you got back to your apartment.

With everything packed securely in your luggage and your toiletry bag packed with the items allowed on the flight, you went about the rest of your night, making a quick frozen dinner, showering, and climbing into bed once your outfit for the plane ride was set out.

Sleep thankfully came quickly and you only woke up when your alarm went off at 10 pm. ‘Dragging yourself out of bed before the sun came up should be a crime’ you thought as you pulled on your clothes for the day, opting for a pair of dark gray yoga pants, and a cream colored fitted shirt over a white tank. The shoes you picked were comfortable and you could take them off easily.

As you were packing up your charging cord into your purse, you heard the buzzer sound and quickly made your way into the living room where you checked the camera before unlocking the door to the tired face of Daniel who smiled upon seeing you. “Glad to see I’m not the only one suffering,” he said as you let him into the apartment.

“Got everything packed?” he asked as he followed you to your bedroom where your luggage sat waiting. “Two suitcases, a carry-on, and my bag,” you replied, patting the top of your tallest suitcase. Daniel eyed you suspiciously. “That’s a lot of luggage,” he noted.

You stared blankly at him. “Outfits and shoes for ten days, plus extra underwear and socks. Toiletries, electronics, potentially everything I might need for a ten day family vacation and space in case I buy stuff to bring back? I think this is pretty reasonable,” you answered as you grabbed your phone from the nightstand.

“I like what you’re wearing,” he said as you turned to bend over to finish packing your bag. “Have you worn this for me before?” he asked, moving to stand behind you, his eyes fixated on your ass. You stood up, backing into his hold. “I wear these to the gym,” you answered, giggling softly as he peppered the side of your face with kisses. 

“Daniel! We’re gonna be late,” you whined and he sighed, letting go of you reluctantly. “I got the big one,” he added as you grabbed your bag and slung it over your shoulder while he got the bigger backpack and grabbed the handle of your large suitcase, leaving the smaller one to you.

The elevator ride down to the lobby was quiet as you checked into your flight on the app. Your dad had sent your and Daniel’s tickets to you so you could pick your seats. You helped Daniel put the luggage in the trunk before getting into the passenger seat with your bag and finishing up the seat selection. 

There were thankfully two seats near the rear of the plane. Most people hated the back because it was close to the bathrooms but thankfully you’d never smelled anything in all the times you’d chosen the back. It was worth it to not have anyone behind you. Daniel said anything other than the emergency exit was fine with him.

As he got into the front seat, Daniel lifted a coffee cup and passed it to you and you smiled, taking it from him. “I know you hate how expensive airport coffee is,” he said as he turned the car on and carefully pulled into traffic, following the flow and the route to the airport.

The drive to the airport wasn’t long and you arrived soon, your coffee cup sat empty in the cup holder next to his. Daniel pulled into the parking garage, following the signs to park underneath and finding a spot near the elevators. Meeting him at the trunk, you gathered your luggage and made your way to the surface, following the signs for departures.

Inside, you went through security, checked your luggage and made your way towards your gate, keeping your head on a swivel as you looked for your family. As you neared the gate, you heard a familiar voice and turned around to spot your step-mom, Kate, waving at you, your sister by her side. Weaving through the other patrons, you made your way over with Daniel in tow and were instantly greeted by your sister, Emmy, with a tight hug.

Kate greeted Daniel before turning her attention on you. The relationship between you and Kate had always been good. She never tried to replace your mother and she made it clear that she was merely there as an additional parent if you needed her. You could see how much love she had for your father and by extension for you and for Emmy as well.

“You get all checked in?” she asked as you pulled back and nodded. “We’re sitting in the back,” you answered. “No one behind us,” you added. “Just the way you like it,” Emmy chimed in. You looked around, taking note of your missing father and step-brother. “Where’s dad?” you asked, looking around for him. “He took Christian to go pick up some breakfast,” Emmy answered as she sat back down, pulling out her Nintendo Switch and resuming whatever game was occupying her free time these days.

Kate urged you and Daniel to join and sit down with them while you waited for your dad and step-brother to return. Kate asked you how work and life had been going which you offered small bits of but let Daniel take the reins on that since he had more to talk about than you did.

As you were vaguely tuning into the conversation, you looked up in time to see your dad returning, a smile on his face as he carried a couple bags of what you could only assume were breakfast sandwiches. He joined the group as Kate looked up and then scanned the immediate area, no doubt looking for her son. “Where’s Christian?” she asked.

“Picking up the coffee order. We got breakfast from one place and he got the coffee from another,” your dad answered as he set one bag down and opened the one still in his hand, starting to pull out the sandwiches. “Chicken, bacon, cheese on an everything bagel,” he announced, to which your sister looked up excitedly, setting her gaming device down and taking the wrapped sandwich from him.

You watched your dad deal out the food, offering you the turkey sausage and you smiled, thanking him as you took it, grateful your dad remembered what you liked after all these years. Daniel thanked him as he took another sandwich from him. “Perfect timing,” your dad said and you looked up as Christian came into view. He carried a cardboard drink tray in one hand and in the other a brown paper bag.

“Coffee,” he said simply as your dad took the tray from him. As he opened the bag, you took in his appearance, taking note of some new tattoos he hadn’t had the last time you saw him. His hair had grown out some and he let it do its own thing, forming loose curls. He wore a fitted black tee, black sweats, and some slides with black socks. He’d been hitting the gym more and it showed in his arms.

He pulled out a donut with strawberry icing and handed it to Emmy who thanked him excitedly. As he turned towards you, he stopped, eyes falling on your figure sitting on the edge of your seat, almost as if he was taken by surprise. “Hey!” he said, flashing a smile. You got up to greet him. “When did you get here?” he asked as you hugged him, feeling his toned chest against yours as he wrapped his arms around you tightly.

“Just now,” you answered. When you broke apart, Christian turned his attention to Daniel who had gotten to his feet. There was a tense moment between them as they stared at one another before Christian finally extended a hand out for your boyfriend to take and you were relieved when Daniel did take it and they shook hands. “Hey man, how’ve you been?” Christian asked, a much different attitude than he had the last time your family had been together.

“Good,” Daniel answered. “Just been working,” he added. “Oh right, Y/N was telling us about the promotion,” your dad intervened, drawing your boyfriend’s attention away as Christian turned, reaching into the paper sack and pulled out another frosted donut, handing it to you. 

“Maple, right?” he asked, catching you by surprise. You’d always loved maple frosted donuts but you never expected him of all people to remember that detail. “Uh, yeah.” you said softly, taking the donut from him. “Thanks.”

The rest of the hour passed and finally, they called for the boarding for your flight. You joined your family, falling in line behind your sister and Christian with Daniel by your side.

Boarding the plane was a tedious process you’d done plenty of times before but once you were in your window seat, your carry-on stowed away in the compartment overhead and your bag under the seat, you were ready to relax on the flight, knowing it was about to be a long one. 

Daniel settled into the seat beside you and shuffled through the available movie options, settling on one he’d never seen before. You peered over the seat in front of you, catching sight of your dad putting something in the overhead compartment near the front of the plane. He caught sight of you peeking and waved which you returned.

The flight attendant started their safety briefing while you quickly put your phone on airplane mode and slipped it back into your bag. As you sat back up, Daniel offered you the other earbud for his movie which you took gratefully, hoping the selection he made would eat up some of the 15 hour flight.

The movie was one you’d never seen but it was also in a genre you didn’t really care for so you sort of tuned it out and didn’t really follow the plot that much but Daniel was heavily invested. Sometime well after the pilot had turned off the seatbelt sign, the urge to relieve yourself hit and you mentally cursed yourself for not doing your business at the airport. 

Excusing yourself, you squeezed between your boyfriend and the seats in front of your row to step out into the aisle and head for the bathroom, cursing under your breath at the little sign that read ‘occupied.’ Checking the other side, you could see that it said the same thing and you sighed, resigned to wait for the person inside to finish their business.

Glancing out at the other passengers, you could see your dad and Kate from where you stood. Kate was doing something that looked suspiciously like crocheting while your dad’s attention was focused on the book in his hands. As your eyes scanned over the seated passengers, you could see your sister a few rows back and in the middle section of rows but the seat beside her was empty.

‘Where’s Christian?’ you wondered. Your thoughts were interrupted as the person behind the bathroom door started to move. You could hear the airplane toilet flush and the sink turned on. ‘Finally,’ you thought as your step-brother was pushed out of your mind, the pressure from your bladder building by the second.

As the door opened, you looked up and nearly ran into the familiar face of your step-brother. “Oh,” you said, stumbling back, tripping over your own shoe as your foot slipped out of it. Before you could fall, Christian grabbed your arm with one hand, the other moving to the small of your back to stead you. “Careful,” he murmured. The exchange felt like it lasted for minutes but in reality was only a few seconds.

“Thanks,” you mumbled as your foot quickly found your shoe and slipped it back on. You shifted, pressing your back against the wall as Christian slipped past you. Once he was out of the way, you slipped into the small bathroom, shutting the door behind you and turning the lock so the sign outside read occupied.

When Christian had received his assigned seat and learned he’d be sitting with Emmy, he was glad. Not that he didn’t want to sit with your dad or with his own mother. He would have been glad to sit with them but the thought of sitting next to you on a 15 hour long flight was more than he could bear. But upon learning your boyfriend would be joining your family vacation, he suddenly wished he’d been assigned to sit with you instead.

He had no real reason to dislike Daniel the way he did and he tried his best to be civil but the fact of the matter was that he thought no one was good enough for you. None of the guys you’d brought home in the past, the boyfriends you’d had in high school or even the ones you’d just gone out with. None of them were good enough for you.

He told himself it was his big brother instincts kicking in but deep down he knew that was just the lie he told himself so he wouldn’t give into the delusions that threatened to consume him. The dark thoughts he kept buried deep inside him. The reason he thought no one was good enough for you was because in his mind, there was only one person who was good enough for you but he refused to entertain that idea no matter how many times it popped up because it was wrong.

You were his step-sister. It was wrong to even have those thoughts to begin with but he couldn’t help it. Especially now when you wore those tight yoga pants that hugged your curves and showed off some of your best assets. 

Christian cleared his throat as he returned to his seat and sat down, immediately grabbing his jacket and throwing it over his lap as he tried to will the involuntary reaction his body had to your presence away. He’d gotten good at hiding it but since it had been months since he’d last seen you, his iron will had turned into aluminum foil, easily bent and crumpled.

It had taken all of his willpower not to lose his composure the moment he spotted you in the airport, sitting there innocently as you talked with his mom and your dad. He’d nearly dropped the coffee tray and sprinted for the bathroom because of how visceral his reaction was to seeing you in those yoga pants and that fitted shirt. It was embarrassing. He was a grown man, not some hormone riddled teen.

As he sat there, keeping his breathing calm and collected not only for his sake but for your sister sitting next to him, he felt like he was calming down and able to breathe normally. Next to him, Emmy’s attention was focused on her gaming device, no doubt listening to the soothing tones of Animal Crossing as she worked on building up her island.

Checking his watch, Christian saw they still had several hours left of the flight and he decided to pick one of the inflight movie options to occupy the time and his attention, hopefully he wouldn’t have to run into you again until you disembarked at your destination and then he would have to figure out how to survive a 10 day family vacation at the resort with you.

The flight arrived on time in Hong Kong and Christian was exhausted to say the least. Upon seeing you at the gate, he could tell you felt the same way he did. The layover was thankfully not a super long one but he still had three hours to kill. When your group found the departure gate, he watched as you threw yourself down into one of the chairs and groaned as Daniel sat next to you.

A meal had been offered on the plane and while it was good for airplane food, Christian needed a meal. He glanced around the airport terminal until his eyes fell on something that seemed too good to be true. A place serving breakfast. 

“Anyone else hungry?” he asked, looking around at the tired faces around him. At the mention of food, both you and Emmy perked up. “Food?” you asked. Christian nodded towards a place near your gate. “Chinese breakfast,” he added. Your dad moved to get up but you beat him to it. “I’ll go,” you said softly. “You stay.” Your dad nodded and fished out his wallet for his card but Christian waved him off. “My treat,” he said before turning to look at you. 

“Shall we?”

You followed your step-brother to the breakfast place, looking over the menu. As you both perused the options, you heard Christian mutter under his breath. “None of these really can be taken back.” You glanced at him and back at the menu. “Should we just tell them to come over?” you asked. Christian nodded. “C’mon,” he said, nodding his head. “Let’s go get them.”

After relaying the information to your family and gathering your bags and carry-ons, you returned to the restaurant. Emmy told you to pick for her and sat down at one of the larger tables. Daniel stood beside you as he looked over the menu while your dad and Kate looked at the menu as well. 

After placing your order, you returned to the table and waited for your order to be ready. You sat across from Christian who sat between Emmy and the wall, scrolling endlessly on his phone. Emmy had dived back into her game, your dad and Kate were talking about the trip itinerary and Daniel was looking around the airport terminal, taking in the architecture.

It was part of his job. He loved design and looking at architecture from other cultures. Seeing how things were done differently was of great interest to him. His favorite structures to compare were airports and bridges. He had expressed a desire to visit Prague and see the Gothic architecture there. 

After a while, your food was ready and the order number called out. You got up at the same time as Christian to help bring the food back. At the counter, you collected a couple of the trays while Christian grabbed the others and brought them to the table. You’d ordered quite a bit just to try everything. The dishes you liked the most were the congee, the steamed buns, and the wonton soup. You got Emmy some crepes which were filled with a sweet cream filling and those were also delicious.

After finishing, your group returned to the departure gate to wait the remaining hour to board. As you waited, you decided to do your business in the airport to avoid using the airplane bathroom as often again. You got up, telling Daniel where you were going and headed for the signs that pointed to the restrooms. You found the ladies room relatively quickly and entered.

As you finished up and were drying your hands, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket and pulled it out to check. Daniel had texted you, asking if you’d grab him a coffee on your way back. You sent back a quick confirmation as you headed out of the bathroom, running right into a hard body. 

As you stumbled backwards, strong hands grabbed your waist to steady you and looking up, you met Christian’s shocked expression. “Do you often not watch where you’re going?” he joked. You rolled your eyes, fighting the urge to smile. “Only when you’re around,” you retorted. “Oh?” he asked. “Hoping I’ll swoop in and save the day? Didn’t take you for a damsel in distress,” he smirked.

You playfully swatted his arm. “Damsel? No,” you replied as you both started walking back towards the gate. “In distress? Always,” you added, to which he laughed. “Maybe your boyfriend needs to do a better job,” he mumbled and you turned to look at him. “Better job of what?” you asked, raising a brow. Christian hesitated. “Uh…” he trailed off but you playfully pushed him.

“I’m just fucking with you, dude,” you said, shaking your head as you continued forward, eyes sweeping the airport until you found a place serving coffee. Christian followed and upon realizing where you were heading, sighed in relief. “You read my mind,” he joked as you got into line. “Daniel texted me as I was leaving the bathroom. Asked me to pick up some coffee on the way back.”

Christian said nothing as you quickly pulled out your phone and asked your boyfriend what he wanted as well as asking if anyone else wanted anything. After a couple moments of typing, you got a list of items and walked up to the counter to order. You listed off the items from your phone before placing your own coffee order. Christian quickly tacked his onto the order and as you reached for your wallet, Christian used his phone to pay.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you said as he took the printed receipt from the cashier with a thank you. He turned to you as you both moved towards the pick up counter to wait for your order. “It’s not a big deal,” he said, shrugging. “I hardly ever see you except for holidays anymore,” he continued. “So I don’t get to spoil you. I see Emmy all the time and I’m always paying for her food or coffee.”

You let a chuckle slip past your lips. “That’s because Emmy is a leech,” you joked. “She always made me pay, too.” Christian laughed at your shared experience of your greedy little sister. “I don’t mind,” Christian finally added. “You both know I’d do anything for you two.” As you glanced over at him, you found him already looking at you with an expression he’d never looked at you with.

It gave you a strange feeling, your stomach fluttering. That was something you’d never experienced before. At least not when looking at your step-brother. You quickly looked away as the baristas started loading your drinks into a cardboard tray. You thanked them, grabbing the tray before Christian could, leaving him to grab the two lone drinks and straws.

You led the way back to the gate silently, Christian following behind.

The rest of the hour passed by and soon you were boarding the next plane, thankful for the relatively shorter flight you now had to take to Thailand. You led the way, Daniel following behind as you reached your seats. These were also located in front of the bathrooms about halfway down the plane. By sheer coincidence, Christian and Emmy were the row in front of you and your dad and Kate in front of them.

Daniel helped load your carry-on into the overhead compartment before adding his own while you sat by the window. You had offered to let him sit by the window this time but he declined, citing an irrational fear of window seats. You didn’t push and sat down, putting your bag under Emmy’s seat in front of you as Christian put his in the overhead compartment.

As he took his seat, you could see him glance at you and busied yourself with the display on the back of Emmy’s seat, browsing through the movies and games. After the safety briefing, you found a game you could play and connect with the other passengers and excitedly went to show Daniel but he was already into the opening credits of a movie, headphones on.

You heard a short ‘psst’ and looked up to find Christian peering at you from between the seats. “I’m checked into UNO. I’ll play with you. Emmy’s doing Animal Crossing stuff again.” You smiled and sat back to tap on the icon for UNO. You found the lobby Christian started with the name IAN and clicked on it, setting your display name as ex0ticbvtters. Upon seeing the name you picked, Christian stifled a laugh which came out as a snort.

For the next couple hours, you played UNO with him, laughing and cursing under your breath anytime he laid down a plus four or plus two or vice versa. You came out on top most of the rounds which you cackled softly to yourself about. Daniel’s movie had ended at this point and he asked if you wanted to watch another with him which you accepted.

With your attention captured, Christian decided he would also pick a movie, not wanting to play UNO against anyone else. As he put the headphones on, he thought to himself he might have to find a place selling UNO when they landed so he could play with you again.

The last couple hours of the flight went by quickly thankfully to the movie he chose and soon the plane was making the final descent into the airport. Emmy had put her device away and was excitedly looking around, trying to get a glimpse of the ocean waters below. 

Christian had been to the beach and the ocean plenty of times but he couldn’t deny the small wave of excitement that washed over him as he caught sight of the blue waters that seemingly stretched on and on outside the plane. As the plane continued its descent, Christian turned off the second movie he’d selected and pulled the earbuds out of his ears, wrapping them up and packing them away.

When the plane finally touched down, Christian rolled his eyes, resting his head back against the seat as the passengers around him and Emmy started clapping and he could only imagine the look of annoyance and disgust on your face.

The last family vacation, you’d both been forced to sit together with Emmy on a plane ride to Scotland and when the plane landed then, you had quietly voiced your dislike for people who clapped when the plane landed. 

[flashback] As those around you started to clap, Christian held back a snort as you snarkily, albeit quietly, snapped “oh yes, let’s clap for the pilots doing their job of not crash landing the plane.” Emmy had leaned forward to glare at you from the other side of Christian while he held back the urge to laugh, a smirk creeping onto his face. As Emmy settled back in her seat you glanced at him. “Was it something I said?”

[present day] Christian wondered if you and Daniel were having that same conversation now and Christian’s smile fell as the thought of you leaning over to make a snarky remark about people who clap when the plane lands to your boyfriend and not him. He pushed the thought from his mind as the plane started to make its way to the gate. “Oh thank god,” Emmy whispered from beside him. 

“I thought this flight would never fucking end.”

Christian and Emmy departed some time after your dad and his mom had already exited and they joined them to wait for you and Daniel to exit the gate.

After joining your dad, Kate, Emmy, and Christian, you followed them through the airport to baggage claim. While standing at the carousel, Christian moved into the space next to you as he spotted his bag and grabbed it. As you waited for yours to appear, Daniel grabbed his and lifted it from the metal. Finally, after everyone else and their mother had gotten their luggage, you spotted yours and moved to grab it as it moved towards you.

Christian was faster and grabbed both suitcases and pulled them from the carousel, setting them in front of you. “Thanks,” you murmured as you grabbed the handles. “No problem,” he replied as he adjusted the strap of his backpack and grabbed the handle of his own large suitcase. 

You followed behind with Daniel beside you as your dad led the way through the airport. He mentioned the last time you spoke on the phone that he was renting a 7 passenger vehicle to get you to and from the resort. As you waited for him to finish the paperwork and get the keys, you pulled out your phone and turned airplane mode off, opening instagram and scrolling through your feed.

You snapped a quick picture of the inside of the airport to save for a post later after you got to the resort and got settled in. Daniel noticed what you were doing before going back to his own phone and as you put your phone back in your bag, you caught sight of another pair of eyes watching you which quickly looked away the moment you noticed him looking.

You didn’t have long to dwell on it as your dad got the keys and gesture for the group to follow to the underground parking lot where the rentals were kept. The sales associate led your group over to a very nice white SUV. As your dad and Kate checked over the exterior, you stood off to the side with Daniel. “Are we going to be put in the very back?” Daniel asked softly and you shrugged slightly. “No idea.”

Once your dad and Kate were satisfied, the keys were handed over and you were left to pack your luggage in the back. You helped Daniel and Christian stack the suitcases so they fit snugly before heading around to the side of the car. Emmy had claimed one of the middle seats and you sighed, resigned to climb into the very back but Christian quickly motioned for Emmy to move.

She grumbled and he was quick to remind her that the first to enter always get put in the back. You thanked him under your breath as he climbed in and squeezed between the bucket seats into the seat behind the one your boyfriend took while you got into the one behind the driver which happened to be your dad.

The ride to the resort wasn’t that long and soon, your dad was pulling under the covered entryway and parking the car. He told you all to sit tight while he checked in with the office. Up until this point, you were certain you were staying in a resort hotel but when he returned with a printout and a few keys, that idea went out the window.

Your dad handed the papers and keys to Kate as he got back into the car. “Four garden pool villas,” Kate said softly as she looked over the papers while your dad pulled the car around and into one of the many parking spaces. 

Once the engine was off, you quickly hopped out, Daniel mimicking you. Emmy and Christian followed, the four of you heading to the back of the SUV to start unloading the luggage. Your dad and Kate appeared, taking their own luggage and leading the way.

The first stop was a gate with an electronic lock. You watched as your dad put in the numbers and the light turned green with a short beep, indicating the door had unlocked. Inside was like something out of a movie. White pavement pathways wound around a lush, tropical forested area. Between breaks in the vegetation, you could catch glimpses of buildings and white privacy walls.

You followed your dad as he led the way through the maze of maintained jungle landscaping, rounding a bend and stopping where the paths branched off. To the left was a collection of four huts, all with the same beige walls and black trim around the windows. Each one had a solid white privacy fence around what you assumed was a yard.

Each fence had a dark gray solid gate with electronic entry. To the right was the same thing but mirrored. You turned to look at Daniel who was checking out the villas. He caught your eye and gave you a smile that conveyed both his excitement but also just how tired he was. You’d spent so much time on a plane and in airports and you were ready to face plant into a real bed.

“Here’s your key,” your dad said, handing a key to your sister who looked around, confused. “Do I get an entire villa to myself?” she asked. “They’re only one room,” Christian answered, a hint of amusement in his voice as your dad handed him a key as well. You could see how he watched as your dad handed two keys to you for you and Daniel. “And you two are sharing,” he said. “Behave yourselves,” he added.

Your cheeks burned but you played it cool, handing one of the keys to Daniel. As you turned back around, you caught sight of Christian’s face and you could have sworn the look on his face was a mixture of appalled and indignant but as quickly as you saw it, his expression shifted to more neutral.

After setting a time to meet up the following morning, you headed for the gate to your villa, unlocking it with the keycard and opening it. Daniel followed you in as you walked down the path to the sliding glass door which Daniel pulled open for you. Stepping inside, you quickly slipped off your shoes and dragged your suitcases inside.

The villa was as Christian described. It was one large room with a seating area between the entry and bedroom area. The searing area had two cream colored sofas with colorful decorative pillows arranged in an L-shape with a square low coffee table. Off to your left was a gray door and next to that was a sideboard table with a matching gray cabinet. 

In the bedroom area was a large king size bed, the head of the bed was pushed against an accent wood wall with off white linens and beautiful decorative pillows. Hanging from a bar attached to the bed posts was a set of white sheer curtains tied back to reveal the bed. Two more sets of curtains hung from the sides. The bathroom was off to the right and while you wanted to explore more, you were exhausted.

After getting some well deserved sleep, you got up when the alarm on your phone went off the next morning and headed into the bathroom to take a much needed shower while Daniel slowly started to stir. After your shower, you got pulled on a robe and started your skincare in the mirror as Daniel joined you, his hair sticking up in all directions.

“Morning,” he mumbled as he turned on the shower, testing the temperature until it was where he wanted it. “What’re we doing today?” he asked as he started to strip down. “We’re going to Old Phuket Town,” you replied as you carefully worked your moisturizer into your skin. “It’s supposed to be very sunny and warm,” you added as you put your stuff away.

“So make sure you dress appropriately. We’re gonna be on the other side of the island.”

As he stepped into the shower, you heard your phone going off and headed into the villa, grabbing it from the nightstand. Swiping the answer button across the screen you were greeted by the voice of your dad telling you that they were up and ready to meet for breakfast. 

As Daniel finished his shower and dried off, you got dressed for the day, opting for a pair of light wash denim shorts, a cropped white tee, white chunky sneakers and a beige bucket hat while Daniel changed into khaki shorts, a white tee and a short sleeve blue and white stripe button down, grabbing a baseball cap and sunglasses while you packed your small bag with the essentials.

Outside the villa on the path your family waited for you. Your dad had dressed similarly as Daniel and Kate had opted for a floral white sundress and floppy hat while Emmy wore a white cami with a cropped button down top, tied at the bottom and khaki shorts.

Christian had forgone the black, wearing a pair of dark wash denim shorts that cut off at just above the knee, a white tank and gray button down with short sleeves. He had a black baseball cap and aviator sunglasses.

“Good morning!” your dad greeted you and your boyfriend. “Sleep well?” Kate asked which you responded with a nod. “I was so tired last night. We didn’t even change out of our airport clothes,” you said under your breath as your group moved along the path heading for the front office and restaurant.

Breakfast was a quick affair. You grabbed breakfast from the buffet for yourself and your boyfriend while he got the coffee and joined you back at the table where you were seated between him and your sister. You ate mostly in silence ignoring the stares from your step-brother who kept looking from you to your boyfriend but whenever you looked up, he pretended as if he hadn’t just been staring you down.

You’d have to pull him aside later to ask him what his deal was.

After breakfast, you all piled into the SUV while Kate played navigator and your dad drove. The roads on this side of the island weren’t busy and the drive from the resort to Old Phuket Town took just under an hour. Your dad found a place to park and pay for all day parking and once parked and out of the car, you met for instructions. You were allowed to go off on your own and explore the area and markets but you were to meet back up for lunch at 1 pm at Maimorn Forest restaurant.

As soon as the two of you were on your own, Daniel wasted no time in renting a scooter so you could get around much faster and easier. You held on as he zipped through the busy streets, parking the vehicle and helping remove your helmet. He took your hand and led you towards a large market. 

As you walked up and down the aisles, perusing the items, you stopped to look at some of the local food and asked how much. After buying from two different vendors right next to one another, you realized your boyfriend was missing. Looking around provided no explanation to his absence and as you wandered, you finally found him making his way back to you, a lopsided grin on his face.

“Where did you go?” you asked once he was within earshot. Instead of answering, he told you to hold out your hand. You rolled your eyes but did so. Instead of placing something into your hand, like you expected, you felt something brush against your wrist. You opened your eyes and glanced down towards your wrist where a beautiful but dainty beaded bracelet now sat.

It was made out of silver and crystal seed beads and fishing line and was utterly gorgeous. “I found a lady selling these,” he said as he held your hand in place, admiring the bracelet. “She makes them in her free time and sells them here when she’s not working in her parents’ restaurant.” You looked up to meet his gaze. “It’s beautiful,” you said softly. “Thank you.”

You shared your find with Daniel, telling him you got satay and popiah. He bought a couple bottles of water from a nearby vending machine while you chowed down on your snacks. After finishing the skewers and spring roll, you continued to walk around for a while, watching the vendors work and putting on a show. 

As the day wore on, noon rolled around and you were about to tell Daniel you should be heading back when you caught sight of a familiar face. Emmy was looking around at the stalls, exploring the same market. You called out to her and beckoned her over. She turned to nudge the man next to her and when he turned, only then did you register that your step-brother was with her.

They made their way over, weaving through the crowd.

“Fancy meeting you here,” your sister jokingly said as Daniel joined you, resting an arm over your shoulders. It was casual in a way but it also felt like he was staking his claim, as if he had any competition to begin with. Christian seemed to have noticed as well but he said nothing. “How did you get here?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Scooter,” you answered simply to which he nodded. “Us too,” he replied. A short silence fell over the four of you before Emmy broke it, suggesting the group browse the market a bit longer before leaving and heading for the restaurant. Daniel walked alongside you, checking the stalls and stopping when one caught his eye.

Out of the corner of your eye, you caught something sparkly and told your boyfriend where you’d be and made your way over to find a tray of beautiful rings. As you inspected them, you felt a body slide into the space next to yours. “Getting ideas to give your boyfriend?” the voice asked and you looked up to find Christian next to you.

You shook your head. “No,” you answered, turning back to the rings. “Just looking at something sparkly.” Christian chuckled as you turned your attention towards the necklaces. “Like a little magpie,” he muttered as he followed you through the stalls. You turned to look at him, causing him to nearly run into you as you stopped suddenly. “I’d prefer to be compared to a raven,” you countered before returning your attention to the jewelry.

“A raven?” he asked as he continued to follow you. “That’s a little… odd.” You turned to glare at him but noticed the playful grin on his face. As you continued to weave through the stalls, checking the items being made and sold, you started to wander further and further from the main street and soon, as you looked up, you realized you were utterly lost.

Christian was no help, looking just as lost and confused as you. “Where are we?” he asked as you looked around for any sign of your boyfriend and sister but found nothing. “I don’t know,” you whispered, keeping your head on a swivel. 

“I don’t even know which way the main street is,” you added. “Of course you don’t,” Christian said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Just wandering without a care in the world,” he added as you started to try and backtrack. “And what were you doing?” you asked, rounding on him, the irritation clear in your voice. The smirk on his face dropped. “You just followed me!”

Christian took a hesitant step towards you. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad,” he said softly. “Whatever,” you said as you turned away from him. You started to follow a random path through the market, hoping to find either your boyfriend, your sister, or the main street. 

The market had gotten more crowded as the day wore on and you were starting to feel suffocated and claustrophobic. Your pace quickened as did your breathing. “Y/N, slow down,” Christian said calmly from behind you as he tried to keep up with your hurried footsteps.

You were on the verge of hyperventilating as you pushed through the crowd, not even bothering to be patient or polite at this point. You couldn’t breathe. With one final push, you broke through the crowded market and onto the main street with a gasp, doubling over to rest your hands on your knees.

You felt two strong hands on your waist quickly pull you back, firm but gentle, as a scooter went whizzing past, giving you two short beeps from the horn. Your body bumped into something solid and you looked up to find your step-brother staring at you with wide eyes.

He was breathing just as equally hard as you and there was a look of concern but also one of frustration. “Do you not watch where you’re going, like ever?” he snapped. The panic you’d been feeling from being squeezed into the crowd overwhelmed you and the stern expression on Christian’s face dissipated the moment tears started to form in your eyes.

“Oh,” he said softly, gently lifting your chin. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to- are you–”

“Y/N! Christian!” a familiar voice called.

You turned to find Emmy waving at you as she and your boyfriend were making their way over. The cheerful look on Daniel’s face melted away the moment he saw your state of distress and he rushed over as Christian let go of you and back away. Daniel was quick to pull you into a hug, taking care to look you over thoroughly as Christian explained to him and your sister what had happened.

Daniel pulled you closer, resting a hand on the back of your head. “She’s developed a fear of small spaces and large crowds,” he said softly as his other hand gently stroked your back. “It started last summer,” he added without going into further detail.

After Daniel was able to get you to calm down the four of you made your way back to the restaurant where your dad and Kate were waiting for you outside. “How was the market?” your dad ask which Emmy immediately started going on and on about the art, the food, and more while you and Daniel followed behind.

The hostess showed you to a table and once you were seated and drinks ordered, you looked over the menu. Christian had taken the seat across from Daniel, between his mother and Emmy while you sat between your boyfriend and father. Emmy and Daniel answered most of the questions until your father directed one towards you.

You chose not to talk about the almost accident but did show both him and Kate the bracelet Daniel had bought you at the market. You could see Christian out of the corner of your eye watching you with a look of concern. He clearly wanted to discuss what had happened but like you, he wasn’t about to bring it up.

“Oh that’s gorgeous,” Kate said as you showed her the bracelet as your father nodded silently, a smile on his face. “I think beaded jewelry is so stunning,” Kate added as she took a sip of her tea. Without missing a beat, your step-brother chimed in. “I think anything looks good on Y/N.”

The comment didn’t go unnoticed and Kate was quick to agree. “You’ve always worn everything you put on,” she added. “You wear it, not the other way around.” You glanced at Christian out of the corner of your eye, wondering what the hell that was and why he said it.

“Speaking of beaded jewelry,” Kate continued. “Emmy has started making beaded bracelets,” she continued. “And some of them are so intricate and beautiful.”

And just like that, the conversation was forgotten. The server came by to take your lunch order and most of the conversation that followed stemmed around the plans for the rest of the day.

The scooter Daniel had rented was good until the end of the day so your dad agreed to rent one and the group could head over to Pho Ta Toh Sae Shrine.

The ride through the old town didn’t take long and overall, you reached the shrine in under ten minutes. After exploring the shrine and snapping a few pictures, you continued onto a popular viewpoint, Monkey Hill Viewpoint.

As you walked, various signs warned visitors of not feeding the animals and to hide any valuables. You quickly took your new bracelet off and put it in your small backpack and put it on backwards so it was on the front.

There were macaques everywhere but you rightfully kept your distance as you knew they were wild animals that were extremely agile and fast. Daniel snapped a few pictures from a distance but when someone in another party got too close and had their phone snatched, he put it away and your group decided they were done.

Back in Old Phuket Town, you decided to call it a day and returned the scooters before making your way back to the rental car. This time, you climbed into the back with Daniel while Emmy and Christian took the middle seats.

Daniel had been mostly on his phone since lunch and when you tried to get his attention, he only reluctantly tore his attention away from his phone. Something was bothering him but you didn’t want to discuss it in the car. You’d wait until you got back to the villa.

What you didn’t anticipate was the way he’d blow up at you the moment the sliding glass door shut.

You stood dumbfounded as he snapped at you about Christian’s behavior, bringing up the compliment at lunch as well as the way Christian had his hands on you at the market.

You reminded him that Christian was your step-brother and that Christian had pulled you out of the street to avoid being hit by a motorist.

Daniel insisted that Christian was behaving inappropriately but you wouldn’t hear a word of it and instead of staying and arguing, you decided to take a walk to cool off before dinner.

Your walk led you to the nearby Nai Yang beach which was mostly quiet due to it being close to dinner time. As you walked along the shore, listening to the waves softly crashing against the sand, the smell of sea water filling your nose. You carried your shoes in your hand, kicking the sand as you walked, head down, parallel with the shoreline.

The sun had set beyond the horizon, casting the sky in a golden glow, the colors of the sky fading from orange to a purple and into the darkest of blue as night started to creep in and take hold. You stopped to look out over the ocean, watching the water dance and wave as it dominated the view.

You walked up to the water, letting it wash over your feet, pulling the sand around it as it ebbed.

You let out a sigh and lifted your head, looking up at the sky, enjoying the sunset and the colors it painted. You heard a soft snap and turned to look behind you, catching sight of your step-brother who slowly made his way over.

“Hey,” he said softly as he approached. “Hey,” you said, turning back to look at the ocean. “Your dad sent me to come get you. I went by your villa but Daniel said you went for a walk,” he explained. You scoffed. “Did he tell you why I went for a walk?” you asked, curious if your boyfriend had decided to tell off Christian or not. You watched as he shook his head, a look of confusion crossing his face.

“No,” he answered, shoving his hands into his pockets as a breeze lightly ruffled his hair. “He accused you of being inappropriate with me,” you said, as you turned your gaze back to the water. Christian fell silent for a beat before answering. “Inappropriate how?” he asked.

“The compliment you gave me at lunch,” you answered. “He seemed to think that was inappropriate. And the way you saved me from getting hit by a scooter. That was apparently inappropriate, too.”

You turned your head to look at him, watching the confusion melt into something akin to annoyance and frustration. “Would he rather I called you ugly in front of our parents? I’m your step-brother but I have eyes,” he replied. “I have two very pretty step-sisters. I don’t have to be attracted to you to see that.”

You bit back the urge to smile. “And what would he have me do? Let you get hit by a scooter instead of pulling you to safety? Seriously, what is wrong with him?” Christian asked incredulously. You shook your head, shoulders shaking from your soft laughter. “I have no idea,” you answered.

“I saved my step-sister from being run over. I clearly must want to fuck her,” he joked, snorting at the ridiculousness of the situation. “Yeah, I don’t know,” you sighed. “But if he’s still being an ass after dinner, I’m sleeping in Emmy’s villa.”

“I’m sorry,” Christian said suddenly. You looked up at him. “For what?” you asked, tilting your head slightly. “For causing problems,” he answered. You shook your head. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” you reminded him. “Daniel’s just being… I don’t even know what he’s being,” you said, trailing off. A comfortable silence fell over the two of you before Christian spoke.

“Want me to talk to him?” A smile spread over your face and you shook your head. “No,” you replied. “I’ll work this out, I just need to have a talk with him. Find out why he’s feeling like he’s competing with my step-brother of all people.” Christian nodded. “And if that doesn’t work, dump him,” he said suddenly, making you scoff and gently slap his chest, making him stumble. 

“Hey, I’m serious!” he said as he regained his balance. You rolled your eyes, looking back over the shimmering water, the traces of the moon starting to peek up over the tops of the trees.“You’re too good for him anyway,” he said, his voice barely audible over the sound of the waves. “Always thought so.” 

You turned to look at your step-brother. “You’ve said that about every guy I’ve ever dated,” you said, narrowing your eyes. “None of them have been good enough for you,” he answered simply. Your expression softened, staring at him. He held your gaze, an unfamiliar look on his face. It was a sort of pained expression but not in an entirely obvious way. 

It made you wonder just what was going on in that head of his.

After a few moments of silence, you scoffed softly, turning away and breaking the tension that had slowly been building between you. “You’re impossible,” you said with a chuckle. Christian let out a breathy laugh before he cleared his throat. You looked at him. “I mean it, though,” he said, his expression softening now. “You’re too good for all of them.”

The two of you held one another’s gaze before Christian shook his head and nodded back towards the treeline that separated the beach from the resort. “Come on,” he said. “They’re waiting for us. It’s dinner time.” You nodded and started to follow him, stopping to wipe your feet off and put on your sandals.

When you met up with your family, Daniel was waiting and pulled you aside, apologizing for what he said. You decided for the sake of the trip and peace, to accept his apology but after this vacation, you were going to have to have a long talk with him about his thoughts and feelings.

The next morning, Daniel apologized again and after dressing for the day together, you met up with your family to get breakfast before heading out. The plan for the day was to go shopping and spend the day relaxing after the busy day the day before.

The ride to the mall took a little under an hour and once pulled into a parking space you walked into the air conditioned mall, taking in the sights and sounds. It was fun to explore the multiple levels of each wing of the mall. There were plenty of shops to check out and you ended up buying yourself something nice from the Saint Laurent store.

After the morning and afternoon at the mall, you returned to the resort to relax. Kate had reservations at the spa for her and your dad and instead of chilling in your own pool at the villa, you and Daniel headed for the pool by the office. It was a large, long, irregular shaped one with an island in the middle with lounges set in the ground, each with rounded seating, an umbrella, and colorful cushions.

You and Daniel grabbed one of the double lounge chairs with cover near one end of the pool. As you set your pool bag down on the seat, a light breeze blowing through the area and making the wrap tied around your waist flutter, Daniel sat on the seat beside you.

He leaned back, watching as you pulled two towels from the bag, handing one to him and tossing one onto your side before reaching into the bag and pulling out your sunscreen.

You insisted on putting it on your boyfriend as he stripped down to a pair of his new swim trunks. Once you were satisfied he was covered, he immediately jumped into the pool, lightly splashing the sides before starting to swim laps. You didn’t even get the chance to ask him to put sunscreen on you.

You sighed as you watched your boyfriend, not aware of the two people moving to the solo lounge chairs besides yours. Glancing up, you smiled as Christian and Emmy set their things down. Emmy immediately moved to start cranking the umbrella but Christian stopped her.

“Emmy,” you called, catching her attention, stifling a laugh as she looked around Christian at you. You held up the bottle of sunscreen and grimaced. “Could you help? Daniel just took off and dove in before I could even ask. Emmy nodded and moved to help you.

Christian continued to work to open the umbrella and while Emmy was busy rubbing sunscreen into your back, your eyes wandered. Christian was dressed in a pair of swim trunks that were black at the waistband, turning into black octopus tentacles over a white background. It was pretty cool and you wondered where he even found them.

Your eyes continued to travel up as he finished opening the umbrella and locked it in place before reaching to grab the back of the collar of his shirt and tugged it off over his head. It wasn’t like you’d never seen your step-brother shirtless. He’d often walk around shirtless in the mornings back home but it had been a while and he was sporting some newer ink you’d never seen.

Christian loved tattoos and he was covered in them. His arms, his chest, his stomach, and his back. He had tattoos almost everywhere. You remember when he first came home with one and Kate about had a conniption but since then, she’d grown accustomed to them and didn’t pay any mind to them.

You looked away as Christian turned to sit on the lounge chair and Emmy finished rubbing the sunscreen into your back and handed you the tube. “Thanks,” you murmured as she got up and returned to her chair and stripped off the oversized shirt she’d been wearing. She’d picked one of her one pieces, a cute tie dyed one, and headed over to the steps leading into the pool.

Daniel was still swimming laps, the soft splashing barely audible of the subtle and relaxing music that drifted out of hidden speakers around the pool. You finished applying your sunscreen yourself as Christian settled back against the lounge chair, sunglasses hiding his eyes.

Once you were finished applying your sunscreen, you got up and carefully moved the cover back and sat back down, soaking in the heat of the sun. Before long, you were reclined back, your own sunglasses on and a sun hat blocking the UV rays from your face.

Christian noticed it had gone quiet and opened his eyes, glancing to the side where you were lazing in the sun. You had removed your pink cover which barely covered anything and the moment his eyes landed on you, he regretted it instantly.

You had opted for a black and baby pink string bikini. He turned his gaze away, feeling something stirring that should not be stirring. He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, trying to force the sudden images in his mind away. He could not be thinking about that when he was right next to you.

You were his step-sister. Regardless of how he felt, you were completely off-limits. If not as his step-sister, then because you had a boyfriend. Whatever he could tell himself to justify his completely inappropriate thoughts.

He closed his eyes again and regretted that too because the moment his eyes shut, images of you in a plethora of compromising positions filled his mind and he quickly snapped his eyes open. ‘Goddamn it,’ he thought to himself. At this rate his body was going to betray him and then he’d really have problems.

He heard a rustling to his side and looked before he could stop himself.

You had gotten up and were in the process of lowering the back of your lounge chair flat so you could lay back entirely. He got an eyeful of your ass and he had to force himself to look away, his cock twitching in his swim trunks. ‘Behave yourself!’ he mentally scolded himself.

He heard you let out a soft grunt and sigh and when he looked back, you were now laying on your stomach, arms folded under your head as you let your backside get some sun. His eyes roamed over your body from behind the safety of his dark sunglasses.

He took in the curve of your ass and the way the black and pink spandex hugged your body. He took in the baby pink ties on the sides of your bikini bottoms and how easy it would be to just tug on one and your swim bottoms would come off so easily. ‘Easy access.’

He nearly smacked himself for that thought.

His teeth sank into his tongue as he turned his head away from the sight of your breasts squished against the lounge chair, the side spilling out of the side of your bikini top. It was a simple triangle bikini top and it was just barely large enough to cover most of your breasts.

His eyes kept wandering, almost as if he couldn’t stop himself. When he saw you shift, he quickly turned his head and just in time as Daniel appeared. The last thing he needed was your boyfriend accusing him of being inappropriate. Well, he was being inappropriate but no one needed to know that.

He could keep that to himself.

Daniel walked over to the double lounge chairs, grabbing his towel and started to dry himself off. Christian watched out of the corner of his eye as the man walked around to yourself, squatting down to speak to you. He couldn’t hear what was being said but you lifted your head, smiling at your boyfriend before nodding.

He watched as you lay your head back down on your arms and Daniel stood up before leaning over and pressing a kiss to your head and walked back around to grab his shirt, pulling it on and slipping on his sandals. Christian was aware Daniel was walking towards him and he looked up, reaching up to lower his sunglasses slightly.

“I’m getting some drinks from the bar,” he stated in a way that told Christian that he would need help bringing them back. Christian got up, grabbing his wallet from his bag and slipped into his own shoes. The two made their way around the pool, heading over to the bar just outside the pool area. They walked in silence as they made their way over.

Once at the bar, Christian looked over the menu while Daniel fiddled with his own wallet.

The bartender finally caught sight of them and wandered over with a smile on his face. Daniel ordered three drinks and turned to Christian, clearly waiting for his order. Settling on something that he knew would be more juice and filler than alcohol, Christian made his selection and set the menu back down. He went to fish out his card but Daniel declined to let him pay, instead putting it on his own card.

Christian thanked him and leaned against the bar, glancing back towards the pool. Daniel turned to look at Christian before glancing back. He let out a huff and Christian looked at him. “Why are you always watching her?” Daniel asked softly. “It’s fucking weird.”

Christian removed his sunglasses to stare fully at your boyfriend. “Excuse me?” he asked. Daniel turned to look at him. “You’re always watching Y/N,” Daniel repeated. “It’s really fucking weird. She’s your sister, dude.” Christian felt heat rise into his chest. He kept his cool, breathing as normally as possible as he could feel his heart starting to race.

Had Daniel caught on that much? Was he that obvious? If he was, why hadn’t you or Emmy or even your dad said anything? There was no way he was being obvious if even your dad hadn’t already pulled him aside to warn him or tell him off. No, Daniel must have been the only one to notice. Christian could work through that.

“She’s my step-sister,” Christian clarified. “And if you think I’m keeping an eye on both of my step-sisters for any reason other than their safety, you’ve got some serious issues, dude,” he retorted, staring directly into Daniel’s eyes. “They’re my step-sisters, they’re family, and as their step-brother, it falls on me to protect them when their dad isn’t around.” Christian put his glasses back on as the bartender returned, setting the last two drinks down on the counter in front of them.

Christian grabbed his drink and what he assumed was Emmy’s and started back towards the pool, leaving Daniel to collect the last two and follow behind him, albeit several steps.

Back in the pool, you had pulled the shade back over the double lounger and Emmy was now sitting in her lounge chair, the two of you chatting about something but Christian couldn’t be bothered to listen to whatever it was as he handed Emmy her drink before taking his seat. 

Daniel returned seconds after him, handing you your drink which you thanked him for and set the drink on the small table beside your chair as he sat down beside you. Christian didn’t look your way again as Daniel sat beside you, lounging and resting from swimming. 

An hour passed while you relaxed by the poolside, reapplying your sunscreen with Daniel’s help before you decided to finally take a dip. Emmy said she would join you in a minute and Christian seemed to be sleeping so you entered the pool on your own, enjoying the cool water as you swam around.

Since they got back from the bar, Daniel had been short with his answers to you and Christian was all but ignoring you so you weren’t sure exactly what happened but you were suspicious something had happened and they exchanged words.

As you swam around, enjoying the water, Emmy finally got up and joined you. While you played around in the pool the guys stayed glued to their chairs. Emmy kept you entertained with her weird antics. She could tell something was off with the way Daniel and your step-brother were acting.

“You think maybe they argued at the bar?” Emmy asked as she slowly circled you, pretending to be a crab, complete with crab hands and sideways walk. You shrugged as you let her circle you, glancing over to the side of the pool where your boyfriend and step-brother were sitting.

“Maybe Daniel thought Christian was being inappropriate with you again,” Emmy joked and you groaned, rolling your eyes. “He told you about that?” you asked, referring to your step-brother. Emmy nodded. “Which is ridiculous. Does Daniel know how Christian used to treat you? When we were kids?”

You shook your head. “I don’t know. I might have mentioned it,” you answered. “But I don’t know if he remembers.” Emmy snorted. “Well I sure do,” she replied. “He was awful to you.”

You remembered it in great detail. When your dad and Kate first got married, you and Christian did not get along. You hated one another. Christian picked on you, teasing and bullying you until you cried sometimes. You took to hiding from him the worse it got.

All throughout middle and high school, Christian was awful to you and then when he came back from college, it was like he finally grew up and was no longer mean to you. Whatever college did to him, it worked and he came back a different person.

Your eyes were drawn away from your step-brother as Daniel got up, his phone in his hand. He walked towards the edge of the pool and you swam over to meet him, breaking Emmy’s crab circle. As you reached the side where Daniel stood, he knelt down.

“Work is calling,” he said softly. “I’m gonna answer this and see what they want,” he added. You nodded and smiled as he stood up and swiped his thumb across the screen to answer the call while you pushed off the side of the pool and drifted back towards Emmy.

“What was that?” she asked when you finally reached her, stopping so Emmy could resume her crustacean activities. “Work,” you answered, eyes following your boyfriend as he walked towards the gate and stepped outside, letting the black iron fall back into place.

Your eyes soon wandered over to Christian who was still lounging but he had his phone in his hand and was scrolling through it as well. You wondered what he was looking at when a splash of pool water hit your back. You turned to find Emmy smiling at you mischievously.

You grinned and started to chase her through the water, pretending to be a shark as she giggled and swam away, letting out a small shriek every time you got close to catching her. Christian’s eyes were no longer on his phone but instead watching the two of you play until Emmy ducked under the bridge that crossed over the pool to the island, conceding her defeat. 

You laughed and turned away, noticing Daniel still wasn’t back and that Christian’s eyes seemed to be on you. His head was turned in your direction but his eyes were masked by those dark sunglasses. As you stared at him, seemingly caught in his gaze, you noticed the sun was no longer shining down on.

Glancing up, you saw clouds had started to roll in. Dark gray clouds. You turned to Emmy who was now behind you, also looking up. “We should probably get out of the pool,” you said simply and she nodded, following you to the steps. The last thing you wanted was to end up electrocuted on your family vacation.

Christian had been relaxing, almost asleep until he heard a shriek and opened his eyes. It wasn’t of fear but of play and he noticed how you were slowly swimming behind Emmy as she tried to get away. He couldn’t help the smile that formed as he watched you, a clear playful expression on your face as you swam after your younger sister.

He was accustomed to the playful antics between the two of you. Even when you were younger. You always made sure to include your sister in your play. The two of you had always been super close. Christian on the other hand had grown up an only child. He never had a sibling to share those kind of childhood memories like you had.

He was not above admitting that he used to be jealous and that was probably part of why he used to bully you so badly. He wasn’t entirely sure what drove him to bully and tease you relentlessly but as he got older and you did, he started to realize that he was attracted to you and as a result, he took the frustration of this realization out on you. In his mind, if he hurt you enough, when you moved out, you might never want to see or speak to him again.

He also knew he could never be as close to you as you were to Emmy. It was just not possible.

But as he got older and saw you mature and start dating and seeing other boys, he knew that no contact was the last thing he wanted. He wanted you in his life, even if he had to suffer because of it.

He wasn’t going to let you slip away, especially since he couldn’t have you in the way he wanted. He would settle for being in your life as your step-brother. Life was a circus and he, its clown.

Christian was drawn from his thoughts when he noticed you staring at him and it was then he realized he’d been staring at you this whole time. He knew you probably couldn’t see his eyes from where you were but he was certain you could feel his gaze on you.

Instead of looking away as he had in the past, he decided to be bold and hold your gaze, feeling heat rising and his heart starting to pound in his chest. The only relief from his symptoms came when you looked away as light from the sun started to dim.

Christian sat up, removing his sunglasses to see that dark rain clouds had rolled in, blocking out the sun. He started to get up but his movements were halted as he watched you and Emmy get out of the pool. Emmy took the stairs but you had instead moved to the side of the pool, opting to push yourself up onto the side of the pool.

Christian’s attention was captured as the water rolled off your body, your wet bikini now sticking to you, clinging to your skin as if that was the only way it would stay put. As you passed in front of him, thighs jiggling with each hurried step, he noticed the way your swimsuit clung to everything.

His gaze landed on your chest, enraptured by your pert nipples now visible through the wet material of your bikini top. He tore his gaze away as you grabbed your towel and started to hastily dry yourself off. Other pool attendees had started to pack up, sensing the impending storm.

Christian threw his things back into his bag as Emmy pulled on her overshirt and you wrapped the pink cover around your waist. You grabbed yours and Daniels towels, hastily shoving them into your bag and slipped on your sandals. The three of you made your way out of the pool area as the wind picked up. Christian wasn’t sure were your boyfriend had gone but seeing as he wasn’t anywhere nearby, he assumed Daniel had gone back to the villa you two shared.

The trees around them swayed in the wind as the once gentle breeze turned violent. Christian stopped to let Emmy and you go ahead of him, making sure he didn’t lose either of you. The path back to the villas was short and both branches and leaves were dropping off the trees left and right as the wind picked up even more.

Christian made sure Emmy made it into her villa before following you to your gate. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, deep thunder rumbling in the distance as a particularly harsh wind swept through, knocking your bag out of your hands.

You scrambled to grab your things but Christian was faster. He scooped your things up, telling you to open the gate. You did so with the keycard and instead of letting you take your things, he gently nudged you into the fenced in garden as the sky opened up and rain started to pelt the ground and buildings.

You led the way to the villa and opened the door, letting Christian in behind you. Christian set your things on one of the couches while you searched the small villa for any sign of your boyfriend. “Daniel!” you called, opening the door to the outdoor bathroom area.

Christian watched as you came back in. “He’s not here,” you mumbled, looking around. Just as Christian opened his mouth to say that maybe Daniel had taken shelter somewhere else, your phone rang from your bag and you rushed to collect it, swiping your thumb across the screen and bringing the device to your ear.

A look of relief washed over you as no doubt it was Daniel on the other end. “Oh thank goodness. Just stay there until the rain’s done, yeah?” you said as you walked over, thumbnail in your teeth as you listened to whatever he had to say. “Yeah. I’m okay. I got our stuff and am back at the villa.” Christian looked away from your wet bikini clad body, moving over to the open sliding door to look out at the pouring rain.

It was coming down in sheets, rain pelting the small relaxing pool outside. Leaves and small branches from the nearby trees littered the garden. The sky had gone dark gray, blocking out most of the sun as lightning danced across the sky and thunder shook the ground.

Christian turned as you said goodbye and tossed your phone onto the bed with a sigh. “He’s at the lounge with our parents,” you explained as you walked over. Christian nodded wordlessly as he watched you approach him.

As you neared him, you became acutely aware of the fact that you were still in nothing more than a few triangular pieces of wet fabric and he, in nothing but a pair of swimming trunks. You didn’t have long to dwell on it as a particularly strong gust of wind blew the curtains that hung in front of the sliding door in.

You rushed to push them aside as Christian pulled the door shut. The motion put him in front of you with a solid wall behind you and your shirtless step-brother in front of you. Your brain was on the verge of short circuiting with the way Christian was looking down at you.

You could have sworn his eyes dipped down to look at your lips but it was so fast you couldn’t be sure it even happened. Your heart hammered in your chest as it seemed like Christian was inching closer. Or maybe you were inching closer? You couldn’t be sure when your eyes met his and it was like the world stopped. You’d never felt a pull like this before. Not even with Daniel.

When your lips were mere inches apart, you still weren’t sure who was moving and who wasn’t. Your breath stopped but just before anything happened, the shrill tone of Christian’s ringtone cut through the tension and he quickly backed away, fishing his phone out of his pocket and checking the screen. He sighed and answered it, turning away as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah?” he said softly.

A sudden chill ran through you and you moved from the corner to grab something to cover yourself, pulling on a large overshirt while Christian’s back was turned. While he was occupied with his call, you turned away, panic rising in your chest. You almost kissed your step-brother.

You almost kissed your step-brother! As you tried to calm down, you heard Christian end his call. You turned to face him as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “My mom,” he said softly. “She was checking to make sure I was okay.” You nodded, not needing an explanation.

Christian walked over to look out the glass door. The rain hadn’t let up. You slowly walked over to stand beside him, arms crossed over your chest. Neither one of you said anything as you watched the rain hit the ground, the pool, the pavement. The only sounds that could be heard was the rain on the roof and the deep rumbling thunder that grew louder as the heart of the storm drew nearer.

Christian finally broke the silence after what felt like minutes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. You turned to look at him. “For what?” you asked him. Christian turned to look at you. “For…” he trailed off. His eyes once again dipped to your lips before he turned to look away. “Never mind. Let’s just forget this.”

An odd feeling of disappointment washed over you at his words. That’s what you should do, right? You should forget this happened and prevent it from ever happening again. Why were you feeling disappointed? Christian was your step-brother and you were in a happy and committed relationship.

If so, then why was your heart sinking into your stomach?

When the rain finally subsided, Christian left your villa to return to his own and minutes later, Daniel returned, pulling you into a tight hug, kissing your forehead, cheeks, any part of your face he could reach. He had clearly been worried about you and you couldn’t help but feel guilty that all you could think about was the kiss you almost shared with your step-brother.

The storm blew itself out by morning which was good for your plans. Your family spent the morning at a place called the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project which was only a 25 minutes drive from the resort. It was a really unique and interesting experience to see the animals in their natural habitat and learn about the species and the efforts to protect them.

Afterwards, you had lunch back at the resort and relaxed in your villa with Daniel until it was time to go to the next adventure which was an axe throwing and archery place near Patong beach. The drive was nice, taking you through the mountains and forested areas of Phuket as you followed the highways and GPS. Part of the drive took you past Kamala beach and the area around it.

Upon arriving at your destination and parking, you stepped out of the car and waited for Daniel, slipping your hand into his. All day, Daniel had been more attentive, doting on you and sticking close to your side while Christian kept his distance.

Part of you was glad for the distance but what came with it was cold indifference, something you’d never experienced from him before. Dinner was a mostly quiet affair. You noticed that you weren’t the only quiet one as Christian was not engaging until his mother addressed him.

“You’re being awfully quiet,” she noted and Christian looked up, forcing a smile. “Just a little tired,” he said simply. “Well hopefully not too tired,” your dad said. “We’ve got reservations at the axe throwing place next door.” Christian forced a chuckle and shook his head. “Not too tired for that,” he said as he downed the rest of his beer.

After dinner, you headed to the axe throwing and archery range. Your dad had booked two of the stalls, both axe throwing. You’d never done this before and initially you were terrified of trying, afraid you might hurt yourself. After a drink, Daniel managed to nudge you to try it out.

Emmy was currently tearing it up in the stall next to you, throwing axe after axe and not only hitting her targets but getting the axes to stick. You allowed the instructor to show you how to stand and how to throw the axe, including the precise moment when to let go.

Your first few attempts were poor but on the fourth try, you got the axe to temporarily stick into the wood before it fell.

Emmy finished her turn, returning to the table where your dad and Daniel were engrossed in a deep conversation and Kate immediately congratulated Emmy for her performance.

Christian got into position next to you in the second stall and while you attempted to focus, he threw the axe perfectly. You watched as he threw another and then stepped into the area to collect the axes.

As he turned, his eyes met yours and you felt your heart skip a beat, cheeks burning under his gaze. He quickly looked away as he returned to the mark. You tried to focus on your own attempts but you just couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. After watching you struggle, Christian sighed, hanging his axes and climbing out of his stall and into yours.

“You’re too tense,” he said as he moved into the space behind you. You felt one of his hands on your waist and another on your shoulder. “Relax,” he said softly, almost directly into your ear. His hands then moved, placing them on the axe. “Hold it like this,” he continued. “Bring it back over your head like this,” he added before moving aside.

“Now deep breath in,” he said, his hand lingering on the small of your back. You inhaled sharply. “And exhale as you throw it.” You did as he said and brought your arms down, letting go of the axe. It spun through the air and while it didn’t hit the mark, it did hit with a loud whack, the blade sticking into the wood. You turned to look at him as Kate and your sister clapped enthusiastically from behind you.

“See?” Christian said, a lopsided grin on his face. His hand quickly lowered as he pulled away, accidentally brushing against your butt as he got out of your stall.

Daniel was still in deep conversation with your dad and your step-mom and Emmy were still cheering you on so clearly you were the only one who noticed. As you watched Christian enter his own stall again, he looked up, caught your eye and gave you a wink.

It was then that you knew he’d done it on purpose. ‘So much for forgetting it happened.’ 

When you returned to the villa, what you thought had been something no one else noticed became apparent that someone else had noticed. As soon as the glass door had shut, Daniel rounded on you, the anger on his face unmistakable.

“What the fuck was that?” he demanded, his voice raising with each word. You stared at him, like a deer caught in the headlights. “What was what?” you asked, feigning ignorance. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice what he did,” Daniel snapped as he advanced on you.

“That little stunt with the axes. Climbing into the stall to help you. The way he had his hands all over you,” he continued, narrowing his eyes. “I thought he was shameless but you? You liked it, didn’t you?” Your blood started to boil, heat and anger rising from the pit of your stomach.

“What?” you asked incredulously. “Admit it,” Daniel snapped. “You liked having his hands on you. It’s not like you did much to stop him.” You glared at your boyfriend, not believing the words coming out of his mouth. “How fucking dare you!” you hissed. “He was helping me!”

Daniel scoffed and rolled his eyes. “What, by having your ass all in his crotch?” he asked. You gaped at your boyfriend. “My ass didn’t even touch him!” you yelled back. “He was showing me how to throw the axe!” Daniel turned and stormed around the bed.

“Oh, because the instructors couldn’t do that,” he snapped. “The instructors were busy!” you retorted. “What is your fucking problem?” you snapped. Daniel glared at you, and for once in your entire relationship, you actually felt scared of him.

“My problem? I’m not the one who wants to fuck my step-sibling!”

You gasped, dumbstruck by his words. “What?” he asked. “Speechless? Did I catch your dirty little fantasy?” he asked angrily. You could feel tears welling up in your eyes and you shook your head.

“I’m not going to stand here and listen to this bullshit,” you said, walking over to the cabinet where you stored your things. Daniel watched as you collected your skincare items and grabbed some clothes and your pajamas.

“Where are you going?” he demanded as you headed for the door, phone and keycard in hand. You turned to face him. “I’m going to sleep in Emmy’s villa tonight. And until you can apologize, don’t talk to me,” you snapped, wrenching open the door and stepping out into the garden as Daniel raced after you.

“Y/N wait,” he called but you weren’t about to listen. Instead, you opened the gate and walked down the path to Emmy’s villa, pushing the button to ring the bell. She appeared moments later, opening the gate. The moment she saw you, the dam broke loose and you started crying.

Emmy ushered you inside and graciously allowed you to sleep with her that night. What you didn’t know was that Christian had been on a walk when the fight started and heard the entire thing. He made up his mind then and there that Daniel wasn’t good enough for you and if he had to purposely break you up, then so be it.

The following day, the moment between you and Christian at the axe throwing place hadn’t left your mind and the fight with Daniel had left you at odds with one another. The first event of the day was a canopy walkway tour at one of the ethical elephant sanctuaries on Phuket.

You’d dressed for the day opting for a pair of high waisted, cutoff jean shorts, a cropped black tank top, a white with black striped Japan baseball jersey and a black plain baseball cap with three rings in the bill. You wore comfortable chunky white sneakers with your outfit since it was a lot of walking.

The day was hot with lots of sun but the morning was plagued with overcast, blocking out most of the sun and making it a more pleasant day. Daniel hadn’t said a word to you since the fight and you weren’t going to be the first to break. You had nothing to say to him until he apologized.

Emmy, sympathetic to your plight, stayed by your side, keeping you company.

The tour was a fun and immersive experience, seeing the elephants up close but in a safe way that didn’t disrupt their natural activities. Many of them were curious about the presence of the people on the walkway but everyone was quiet and respectful.

You spent most of the time gushing softly over the baby elephants who were so tiny compared to their adult counterparts and had yet to grow into their large feet and equally large ears. They were so cute, chasing each other and the occasional butterfly that danced by.

Your dad wanted a photo of the family at some point and you were unfortunately squeezed in next to your boyfriend with Christian on the other side. “Can we talk?” you heard Daniel whisper in your ear. “Not now,” you murmured before smiling for the camera.

A passing patron stopped and asked your dad if he wanted one with the whole family and he said yes, moving to stand beside his wife with Emmy in front of them, Christian between you and Kate and then Daniel on your other side. Daniel’s arm was slung around your shoulders, the picture of casual but you could feel Christian’s hand on the small of your back.

It wasn’t light. He fully had his hand against your back and despite feeling comforted by this, you knew you needed to tell him to knock it off. His lingering touches, however innocent, were causing issues between you and your boyfriend.

After the picture was taken, you squirmed out of the way, linking your arm with Emmy’s and steering her away to look over the opposite edge of the canopy, pointing to the elephants on that side. You could feel two sets of eyes on you and knew that it was both your boyfriend and your step-brother but you weren’t about to turn around and look at either of them.

The rest of the tour passed by and afterwards was lunch and then the next activity which was ziplining which was fun and made you feel better, zipping through the rainforests and getting spectacular views of the ocean and mountains.

After ziplining you returned to the car to take it back to the resort. You and Emmy were sitting in the very back while Christian and Daniel had taken the middle seats. Christian was waiting behind you as Emmy got into the back. You felt his hand on your back again and turned to look up at him. “Stop it,” you snapped under your breath.

He looked shocked at your aggressive reaction. “I know you mean well but you can’t keep touching me like that. It’s causing problems with Daniel. So just… fucking knock it off.” Christian’s expressions soured and he pulled back, giving you space to get in the car without touching you again. As he got into his seat, he pulled the door shut, slamming it and rocking the SUV.

Either no one noticed or they just didn’t say anything because you were off back to the resort in no time.

Upon arriving back, you headed for your villa to collect some clothes. Daniel followed you in and stopped you as you tried to gather your suitcase. “Baby, just stop and listen. I’m trying to apologize!” he said as he grabbed both your hands and turned you to face him.

You stared up at him and waited. “I was an asshole,” he started. “I shouldn’t have said what I said and I was getting into my head about everything. I know you’d never look at Christian like that. I’ve just never seen a relationship like yours. It feels less like a brother and sister relationship,” he continued.

You sighed and nodded. “I know. Christian and I aren’t exactly traditional siblings. We never were. He used to bully me heavily. So right from the start, it was never a brotherly-sisterly bond. He was truly awful to me until he went to college. He seemed to mellow out after that,” you explained.

“It’s not a normal sibling bond because we bonded as adults, not kids. So it’s going to look different. Especially to someone without siblings,” you added, pointing out he was an only child so he didn’t really have anything to compare it to.

As promised, you stayed in the villa with Daniel that night. After dinner, and unable to sleep, you decided to take a walk. It wasn’t a long walk like you’d taken down to the beach and more of one around the resort area. As you were heading back, you caught sight of a familiar figure heading towards Christian’s villa accompanied by one you didn’t recognize.

As you got closer, you watched as Christian led a striking woman to the gate of his villa, unlocking it and gesturing for her to enter before following her in. You felt your stomach twist and an unexplainable and unfounded jealous rage built up inside you.

‘You have no right to be jealous,’ you told yourself. ‘He’s your step-brother. If he wants to fuck a random stranger, that’s his prerogative. It’s none of your business.’

You turned on your heel and headed back to your own villa, trying to put what you’d just seen out of your mind.

The next morning, you decided to put the events of the previous night out of your mind. After you went back to the villa and got back in bed, you replayed the moment over and over and tried to discern why you felt so… mad.

Christian was a grown man, capable of making his own choices. He was single, attractive, and exercising his free will. So what if he met another single guest and decided to have some fun?

What concern was it of yours?

As you mulled over it until you fell asleep you finally came to the only conclusion that made sense: you were jealous. Though you shouldn’t be. Why did you feel jealous? You had a boyfriend and not only that, Christian was your step-brother. Those were thoughts you could not, and should not, entertain.

The weather was supposed to hold out and in the morning your family decided on a trip to the nearby Nai Yang beach. You decided to wear one of your more covering bathing suits, a white leopard print one-piece with ruching on the sides.

As you packed your beach bag, Daniel stepped back into the villa and walked over, already dressed in a pair of dark blue swim shorts, white tank top with an open light blue short sleeve button down over it.

He rested his chin on your shoulder, arms wrapping around your waist as you double checked the items in your bag. “I like leopard print on you,” he murmured, pressing a short kiss to your shoulder.

“Yeah?” you asked as you tucked two neatly rolled towels into the bag before adding the other items like water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses, and more.

“Mhmm,” Daniel replied, lightly swaying your bodies side to side. You gently removed his arms and sidestepped him to grab your black sheer kimono that hung up near the door to the bathroom area. Daniel sat on the edge of the bed as you retrieved your black sandals and went over the list of items again. “Baby,” Daniel started and you turned to look at him over your shoulder.

“Hmm?” you hummed. “Do we have to go to the beach with your family?” he asked, his tone gentle and cautious. “I know it’s a family vacation and all,” he continued, getting up as you turned fully to face him, a knowing smile on your face. “But we’ve barely spent any time together, just us,” he added.

“I understand,” you started, walking over to where he sat. He gently pulled you in by the waist, resting his chin against your abdomen as he looked up at you. With a smile, you combed your fingers through his hair. “We’ll have plenty of time to ourselves,” you reminded him. 

Daniel pouted but nodded all the same. You leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead before pulling away. “Come on,” you said as you grabbed the beach bag and walked over to the door, your black sandals in hand as your boyfriend reluctantly got up and followed, slipping on his own sandals at the door with you.

You had agreed to meet with your family at the beach rather than at the resort so you walked hand in hand with Daniel as you made your way to Nai Yang beach, following the paved path through the resort. Daniel took the lead, opening the gate so you could exit the villa area and walk down the sidewalk. As you walked, you admired the trees and other flora along the walk to the beach.

It was the same beach you’d taken a walk to the other night after your fight with Daniel but this time of the day it was much busier than it had been at sunset. Rows of families and couples lined the beach, some with umbrellas dug into the sand to provide shade so they could sit closer to the beach.

As you walked, you caught sight of your dad waving at you from the shade of a few trees. You led Daniel over, smiling as you reached them. “We grabbed this spot early,” your dad explained as you unloaded your bag. Your dad had managed to snag several chairs which he told you were from a local shop.

“So we don’t have to sit in the sand,” Kate said from her spot beside your dad. You smiled as Daniel picked the chair furthest from Christian, putting you between him and your sister with Christian on the end. As you unpacked your bag, handing Daniel his towel and a pair of sunglasses, you caught sight of Christian scrolling on his phone.

He hadn’t greeted you when you arrived and now he was blatantly ignoring you as you set up your space. As soon as you sat down, Emmy decided this was the perfect time to get into the water. Your dad and Kate decided to join her leaving you with your boyfriend and your step-brother.

The silence that fell over the three of you after their departure was awkward and the tension was so thick, you could have cut it with a knife. Christian seemed entirely unbothered as he tapped away on his screen and you wondered if he was texting the woman he brought back to his villa the night before.

A flame of jealous rage fanned inside the pit of your stomach but you quickly quenched it by reminding yourself that Christian was your step-brother and you were sitting next to your boyfriend. Glancing out of the corner of your eye, you could see Christian was wearing a simple black pair of swim shorts, a blank tank and his hair looked like it had been freshly washed and was void of any products.

You quickly looked away, leaning over to reach into the bag and grab your tube of sunscreen. Turning to Daniel, you offered him the tube which he took hesitantly. “Could you get my back?” you asked a little louder than necessary but Daniel said nothing, instead obliging your request.

As you turned your back towards your boyfriend, you could see Christian watching the exchange with a neutral expression. The moment you turned your gaze towards him however, he looked away, resuming his endless scrolling on his phone. Daniel finished and handed the tube back to you, declining your offer to get him, stating he just wanted to relax for a bit.

You slipped the tube back into your bag and got up, slipping off your sandals and fully removing your kimono to roll up and place into your bag. Once out of the chair, you made your way out of the shade, heading for where your dad, Kate, and Emmy were standing in the shallows.

Christian could barely keep his eyes to himself as you walked away, admiring the way the snow leopard print one piece hugged your curves from behind the safety of his dark sunglasses. As you neared the spot where your dad, Emmy, and his mom were gathered, Christian returned his gaze to his phone, but soon his eyes were wandering back to you as you joined your family.

He tried so hard not to look, he really did. He was supposed to be mad at you. Not that he didn’t blame you for snapping at him. His intentions had been anything but pure yesterday. He was actively trying to break you and your boyfriend up, knowing that Daniel was not the right fit for you. No one was.

No one but him.

His efforts hadn’t gone in vain since you spent most of yesterday away from Daniel and most of it with your sister. Daniel had said something hurtful and you’d slept in Emmy’s villa. The wedge between the two of you was pushing, forming a crack in the foundation of your relationship. All Christian had to do was keep chipping away at it and he knew Daniel would crumble and you’d be free.

Free to be his.

Christian knew it was wrong. He knew that he shouldn’t be savoring this. Breaking up a relationship was wrong on many levels but he was long past the point of caring. No one had to know he’d encouraged the break up. And no one would know.

An excited shriek pulled Christian out of his thoughts and he looked up from his phone, watching as you chased Emmy around with a piece of seaweed. An amused smile spread across his face as he watched, not noticing the way Daniel was looking from you to him and back.

“You’re staring again,” Daniel said, a hint of annoyance to his voice. Christian resisted the urge to roll his eyes. ‘Your girlfriend’s hot,’ he thought to himself. ‘Of course I’m gonna stare.’ He lifted his sunglasses as he turned his head in Daniel’s direction.

“You’re delusional,” Christian said plainly, catching the younger man off guard. “I heard a scream and looked up to find Y/N chasing Emmy with some seaweed. Am I not allowed to watch my family be silly now?” he asked, his tone a lot more hostile than before. Daniel glared at him. “Just admit you have the hots for my girlfriend!” Daniel snapped.

Christian narrowed his eyes. ‘I do,’ he thought to himself before shaking his head, letting out a dry laugh as he put his sunglasses back on. “Whatever man.” That seemed to set Daniel off further.

“Just fucking admit it,” he hissed and Christian let out an exasperated sigh, turning to look at the younger man as he pulled his sunglasses down to look at him over the rims.

“Is that what gets you off?” he asked suddenly. He watched the color drain from Daniel’s face. “What?” he asked. “Does the idea of me being attracted to my step-sister get you going? Is that why you’re pushing this so hard? Is this some weird fantasy you have?”

Daniel got up and Christian watched as he stormed over, kicking sand. “I’m not the fucking creep oggling my step-sister,” he snapped, making sure to keep his voice low so only they could hear. Christian scoffed, shaking his head as he looked down at his phone, not even bothering to answer Daniel’s remarks. 

This only served to further anger him and Daniel reacted violently, smacking the device out of his hand.

Christian glared up at Daniel standing over him. “That was rude,” he said monotonously. He tried to get up and retrieve it but Daniel quickly pushed him back into his seat. Christian could feel his blood boiling but kept his cool. Violence wasn’t going to solve this and he wasn’t going to be the one to throw the first punch but if Daniel did start throwing punches then Christian would for sure defend himself.

He tried once more to get up but again Daniel forcefully pushed him back into his seat. From where they were and the way Daniel was standing, Christian had a clear view of the beach and the spot where you were standing. He could see you watching from a distance. 

When Daniel had pushed him back down, you had started towards the pair and Christian knew he could play this to his advantage. What was said was between Christian and Daniel. No one else had heard them. From an outsider’s perspective, Daniel was the aggressor.

As you got closer, Christian tried once more to get up and as he expected, Daniel reacted the same as before, pushing him even harder that when Christian fell back into the chair, it very nearly tipped over.

“Daniel!” you called, witnessing the whole thing. You were still a good twenty feet from them and Christian tried one more time and when Daniel attempted to push him down, he was ready for him, immediately pushing him back, watching as Daniel stumbled in the sand just as you reached them. “Hey!” you snapped, moving to help steady your boyfriend.

“What is going on?” another voice said and Christian looked up to see your dad had followed while Kate and Emmy watched with worried looks from the shore. “Nothing,” Daniel started but Christian interjected. “Ask him what his problem is,” Christian stated, pointing at Daniel.

“He just started mouthing off, knocked my phone out of my hands, and each time I tried to get up to go get it, he kept pushing me back into my seat. So ask him what’s going on,” he continued. “I’m going back to the resort and until you can apologize and behave yourself, I’m staying in my villa.”

Christian moved to grab his phone from the sand, shaking and wiping it down before pocketing the device before grabbing his things, chair included, and started the trek back to the resort.

You turned, rounding on your boyfriend with an expression of confusion and anger and your father had an equally confused expression on his face.

“What is going on?” your dad asked. “I think that’s a good question,” you replied, looking expectantly at Daniel for an answer but he gave none, instead moving to sit down, crossing his arms over his chest like a sulking child.

You turned to your dad, looking for guidance but your dad was just as lost as you were. The rest of the day you spent by Daniel’s side, trying to get out of him what happened but he refused to answer you. As lunch rolled around, your family reconvened on the beach to eat some food Kate had packed into a picnic basket.

Afterwards, Emmy and Kate moved their chairs out into the sun to enjoy the warmth and the rays. Your dad opted to stay in the shade with you and Daniel who was now scrolling on his phone and not talking to you. With a sigh, you decided to head back, packing up your things. 

Daniel ignored all your attempts to speak to him. Your dad gave you an apologetic smile and asked you to check on Christian when you got back. You weren’t sure if it was the best idea but you said you’d try. The walk back to the resort was quiet as the sun started to sink behind the trees that separated the beach from the road.

Once you returned, you quickly cleaned the sand off your feet in the outdoor shower and stripped out of the swimsuit, leaving it to hang up and dry fully. You changed into the dress you planned to wear for the evening, a cute cream colored off the shoulder dress with a small red floral pattern all over it and a pair of beige wedge sandals with sparkly straps.

Once dressed, face washed and makeup applied, you decided to check on Christian, exiting the gate to your villa. There was no sign of your dad, Kate, Emmy, or Daniel as you walked around to the gate of the villa Christian was staying in. Once in front of the gate, you cleared your throat and pressed the buzzer.

After a moment and no answer, you tried again, hoping he would answer and not make you look like an idiot. After a few more moments and no answer, you were about to give up and just go back to your own villa when you heard the gate unlock and looked up at Christian appeared and the reason for his tardiness was revealed. 

He was wet from head to toe, water dripping from the ends of his hair, a thick white towel hung around his waist. You tried not to follow the droplets as they rolled down his bare chest and abdomen. “What?” he asked, sounding impatient. “My dad asked me to come check on you,” you said softly. Christian nodded, expecting you to say more.

“Is that it?” he asked. You shook your head, now desperate for him to not shut the gate and shut you out. “No,” you replied. Christian waited for you to continue speaking but sighed when you didn’t and stepped back. “Come in,” he said, gesturing for you to enter. You did and he let the gate shut behind you before leading the way back to the villa.

Inside, it was a little messier than yours, some of his dirty clothes were left in a pile near the door, a few empty food containers sat on the small table and some show was playing on the TV on low volume. On the bed were two outfits that he was probably debating between the two while he showered. You stood awkwardly by the open sliding door as he disappeared into the closet area, the door shutting behind him. You looked around, noticing the cabinet door open and moved towards it.

Was it wrong to snoop? Yes. Were you going to do it anyway? Also yes. As you neared it, you glanced over your shoulder before pulling the door back to peer inside where some of his accessories were including the very expensive watch your father had gifted him for his 30th birthday. 

As you pushed the door shut to the same position you’d found it in, you turned and your attention was caught by the small wastebasket that sat underneath. Taking a peek inside, your stomach churned and heat rose into your chest creeping up into your neck at the sight of a few ripped condom packets, clearly having been used. The green monster of jealousy reared its head but was interrupted as the closet door opened and Christian appeared in a pair of gray sweats, still shirtless as he dried his hair.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” you asked, internally cringing at the words that left your mouth. Christian stared blankly at you, stopping his motions of drying his hair. “I would fucking say so,” he snapped and you felt your heart sink. “Sorry,” you murmured. “I’ll just,” you trailed off as you started to head for the door. Before you could reach it, you felt a hand on your arm, gently pulling you to a stop.

“Stop,” he said softly. “I’m sorry,” he added. “That was really mean. You haven’t done anything wrong.” You nodded silently. “Hey,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He gently tugged your arm. “Look at me.” You kept your eyes on the floor as he turned you to face him. Christian tilted your head back with his knuckle, forcing you to meet his gaze.

Even after turning your gaze onto him, his hand didn’t move away, instead, he surprised you by tenderly cupping your cheek. “I’m sorry,” he continued and you felt him wipe under your eye and it was then you realized you had been crying. There were only a few tears but it was noticeable.

“What’s wrong?” Christian asked, eyes searching your face. “It’s n-nothing,” you stammered. “Did Daniel do something?” he asked, his grip on your arm tightening. It wasn’t in a hard or painful way but more in a protective one. You felt safe. Shaking your head, Christian’s grip loosened.

“No,” you finally said. “I thought you were mad at me,” you added, your voice small. Christian’s hand on your cheek moved, sliding down to the side of your neck. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not mad at you. I don’t think I’ve ever really been mad at you,” he added.

Looking up, your eyes met and silence fell over the two of you. Neither one of you moved until Christian’s eyes quickly fell to your lips and then back up.

It was just like the other day after the pool and the storm blew in. The world around you seemed to slow down, a force beyond your comprehension pulling the two of you closer and closer, your lips inches apart. Your eyes fluttered shut and you could feel his breath on your skin. Just when you thought something might happen, Christian pulled away from you, turning to head over to the bed, leaving you standing there, your heart sinking once again.

“You should leave,” you heard him say softly. “I need to get dressed and your boyfriend is probably wondering where you are.” At the mention of Daniel, you glared at your step-brother’s back before turning and storming out of the villa. This was twice now he’d done this. Was it some sick game? Was he getting off on leaving you just on the edge and pulling away at the last second.

Did he enjoy making you look like some weirdo? That had to be the only explanation. It’s not like he had shown you anything to suggest otherwise. As you headed for the gate, you pushed it open, letting it slam behind you, hoping he heard it and that he knew you were upset with him. You felt like you kept getting the rug yanked out from under you and couldn’t find your footing because Christian was the one pulling the rug.

The next morning, Daniel was almost back to his usual self as you got ready for the day, dressing for hiking in the national park nearby. You chose a pair of light wash, high-waisted jeans, a black cropped tee with the words ‘LIVE LAUGH LOBOTOMY’ in red bold text across the front, a white cropped windbreaker jacket, and khaki hiking boots.

You packed some water, sunscreen, bug spray, sunglasses, your hat, and a few snack bars into your small backpack. Daniel had dressed similarly to the first day on the island, khaki shorts, a plain white tee, boot socks and hiking boots, and a khaki bucket hat. 

Outside you met up with your family and made your way on foot to the entrance to the park, deciding to take a hike up the mountain to a very nice viewpoint.

Kate had packed another picnic which your dad carried on his back and Emmy was dressed for the hike as well in jeans, a lightweight jacket and hiking boots.

Christian appeared from his gate to join the group, wearing a pair of black athletic pants, black hiking boots, a plain gray tee, a lightweight jacket over his arm, and a dark gray baseball cap on his head.

The walk to the entrance to the park didn’t take long and as you reached the sign, you opened your bag to retrieve your hat, putting it on. Emmy glanced over, reading your hat and burst into laughter, prompting a chain reaction of everyone looking at you.

Your dad rolled his eyes, Kate shook her head, a smile on her face, and Christian looked as if he was trying not to laugh and the words that read ‘you can’t make a baby in the butt.’

You turned to look at your boyfriend who read the text and instead of finding it amusing, he instantly scowled and looked away. “Are you fucking serious right now?” he asked under his breath as your dad and Kate started leading the way but stopped when they noticed no one was following.

Emmy was watching yours and Daniel’s interaction like a hawk and she wasn’t the only one. Christian was also keeping a close eye on the two of you. “What?” you asked, looking at your boyfriend innocently. “First the shirt and now this?” he asked, nodding towards your hat. 

Your face fell as he glared at you. “God, you’re so fucking embarrassing,” he snapped and started forward on the trail, leaving you behind with Emmy and Christian who looked positively furious. “Hey,” Christian barked, drawing everyone’s attention. Daniel turned to look at him.

“That’s no way to talk to her,” Christian snapped, moving towards you. You watched as he took the hat off your head and replaced it with his own. “Problem solved,” Christian added as he adjusted your hat now on his head. “No need to be an asshole about it.”

Daniel said nothing, instead turning away and starting up the path. Your dad turned to follow while Kate gave you a sympathetic look before following your dad with Emmy starting up the path after them. You glanced over to your step-brother, meeting his gaze.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you murmured. “Do what?” he asked. “Stick up for you? It didn’t seem like anyone else was going to,” he continued. You shook your head. “No, I meant you didn’t have to swap hats with me,” you clarified. Christian stared at you for a moment before snorting.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he replied. A silence fell between you as you both started to walk forward, following the footpath at a distance from your family. Your mind was swirling with questions. You had so many and weren’t entirely sure where to begin. You wanted to ask him what yesterday was about. You wanted to ask him about the day after you left the pool.

You wanted to ask him about the thoughts in his own head but instead you settled on a less loaded question. “Why did you stand up for me?” Your voice was quiet but Christian heard it all the same. He was silent for a moment, probably mulling over his response. “Because,” he started as the path turned and began to rise into a gradual incline. 

“It didn’t seem like anyone else was going to do it,” he continued. “Your sister just glared at him, your dad looked like he wanted to say something but probably didn’t want to overstep and my mom is just a general peacekeeper. I don’t care about overstepping,” he added. “If someone does something I think is wrong, I’m going to tell them off. I don’t care if he’s your boyfriend or not.”

You glanced at him as you continued to climb the path. “You deserve better,” Christian continued. “The way he spoke to you isn’t acceptable and you shouldn’t settle for some loser who doesn’t treat you with the utmost respect.” You felt a flutter in your stomach as he spoke. “You deserve to be treated like a queen,” Christian added as the path started to flatten out and you reached what looked to be a viewing area. “Don’t accept less than that.”

With that, Christian stalked forward to join your family, looking out through a break in the trees at the ocean below. Daniel stood off to the side, arms crossed over his chest and sulking like a child that had been reprimanded and you wondered if your dad had caught up to him and said something in private. As you walked over to peer over the protective fence, Christian’s words played over and over in your mind.

‘You deserve to be treated like a queen. Don’t accept less than that.’

The rest of the hike you spent time walking with Emmy and Kate. Christian kept his distance and Daniel followed behind you like a kicked puppy. When you reached the bottom of the path where you had originally entered, Christian returned your hat and you gave him his back but nothing else was said between you during the walk back to the resort.

The plan for that evening was dinner at a theater. Your dad had made reservations for the group

After resting, you changed into your outfit for dinner, a black long sleeve off the shoulder romper with white stripes and a pair of black heeled sandals with rhinestone covered straps.

Daniel chose not to attend, opting to stay behind at the villa while you went out to meet your family, speaking only to inform you of his intention to not go with you. Deciding a fight was not worth it, you only nodded to let him know you had heard him and left to meet up with your family.

Emmy had put on a cute short white dress, Kate had changed into a black jumpsuit, and your dad had dressed into something casual but nice as well. As you waited on Christian to arrive, you checked your phone and saw no new notifications. You put your phone away as Christian joined you, dressed in a pair of fitted black slacks and a long sleeve black button down.

He looked really good and you could see how the material of the shirt stretched over his muscles. Your eyes wandered down as he approached and just as quickly, you turned away. The theater was a 30 minute drive away which you spent in the middle seats with Emmy while Christian took the back.

Upon arriving, your dad pulled up to the valet and handed the keys over before joining his wife and leading the way into the building. Once inside the doors, the lobby was bright and inviting with an old time-y feel. Along the main wall once you entered were several old style ticket booths, none of them open and were merely for show.

The floor was an older ornamental style carpeting with damascus print. Following the crowd to the ticket scanners, your dad scanned all but one ticket and then you followed the crowd to a secondary lobby area where a large curved bar stood. All around you, the other patrons were dressed similarly, some even going above and beyond.

As you glanced around, you noticed several patrons were already carrying drinks and you were tempted to go grab one. After some internal debating, you decided to say fuck it and get one, excusing yourself to go get in line, unaware of the way Christian’s eyes followed your figure.

So far, Christian had kept his eyes to himself but now that he wasn’t in a car and out in the open, he couldn’t stop his eyes from following your every move. Daniel was nowhere in sight and while your dad, his mom, and Emmy were there, they clearly didn’t pay enough attention to Christian to notice his close attention to you.

He watched as you crossed the lobby to the bar, getting in line and he contemplated on joining you but decided against it. Instead he chose to look around, taking in the marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and large glass windows that looked out into the jungle.

The theater was located just outside of the main downtown area near Patong Beach and up in the mountains. Past the tops of the rainforest, Christian could see the sun setting at the horizon of the ocean, casting an orangish golden glow through the trees. He turned away from the windows to see you had reached the counter and were in the process of ordering.

The line had died down and Christian turned to your dad and his mom. “I’m gonna grab a drink, do you want anything?” he asked, getting their orders as well as one for Emmy before walking towards where you were standing. He walked up beside you just as another bartender turned to him.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked, wiping his hands on a towel hanging from his belt loop. “Can I get a dry martini, two bay breezes and a salted dog,” he said as he glanced behind the bartender at the glass shelves holding up various bottles of liquor.

The bartender got to work as your drink was set in front of you by another bartender. Christian watched as you pulled out your card but before you could hand it over, he called to the bartender who turned to look at him. “Add her’s to my tab,” he said. You glanced at him and rolled your eyes. “Do not,” you replied, holding out the card again for the bartender to take, which he did.

Christian watched as the bartender swiped the card and handed it back before giving you a pen and the card slip to sign. He watched as you signed before pulling out a few notes and setting them down on the slip, thanking him as you put your card away and picked up your drink.

Christian turned back as you walked away, not sparing him a second glance as the drinks he ordered were set on the counter and handed his own card over to pay. He tipped the bartender, put his wallet away and grabbed the drinks, carefully balancing two in one hand before turning to head back to where your family stood.

After a few moments, the doors to the theater opened and Christian followed as your dad made his way to the door, leading the group. The usher checked the tickets and beckoned your group to follow, leading you to your table. It was a table close to the middle with six chairs.

Christian’s mom took the seat closest to the railing with your dad next to her. Emmy sat next to the railing, across from Christian’s mom while you sat next to your dad at the end of the table and Christian sat next to Emmy, leaving the seat across from yours open. Where Daniel would have sat if he had joined.

A server came by, bringing water and skipped asking for drinks orders, instead asking if you wanted an appetizer. Christian glanced at the menu, eyes skimming over the appetizers. Your dad and his mom consulted each other and then the table and settled on an order of bruschetta and spinach artichoke dip. The server left to put the order in which gave everyone time to look over the menu and select their entrees.

Christian ended up selecting the steak to make things easy. He minded his business as everyone else placed their orders but the moment you spoke, it was like his senses were attuned to you and you only. “I’d like the Atlantic salmon but could I get some lemon cream sauce with that?” The server nodded and left to put in your orders. A calm silence fell over the table before your dad tried to stir up conversation.

Christian didn’t pay much attention as his focus was almost solely on you. Your phone was in your hand, checking the screen and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that you were hoping that your boyfriend would message you but judging by the look of annoyance on your face, Christian knew Daniel hadn’t messaged you yet.

The show started and all Christian could do was focus on you. Every time you shifted in your seat, his attention turned back towards you, watching you out of the corner of his eye. Every subtle movement caught his attention and by intermission, he had no idea what was going on. It was during intermission when dinner was served and when you decided to visit the bathroom.

Christian watched as you got up and walked away and out of sight. The server came by, taking your empty glass and replacing it with a new cocktail. One by one, the tables received their orders and when it was their table’s turn, Christian decided to get up and come find you. He made his way to the bathrooms, hoping you were on your way back.

As he got closer he saw no sign of you and upon reaching the bathrooms, he waited outside for a few minutes. He thankfully didn’t have to wait long as you came out and ran almost directly into him. Christian caught you, steadying you with a lighthearted chuckle.

His smile fell when he caught sight of your face and he suddenly knew what had taken so long. There were tears in your eyes, tear stains on your cheeks and your eyes were red. You had definitely been crying but for how long, he couldn’t be sure. “Sorry,” you murmured, trying to side step him but he wouldn’t let you, instead moving into the way to block you from going back.

“Did he say something else?” Christian asked, making you look up at him with your brows furrowed. “What?” you asked but Christian got back into it immediately. “Did your boyfriend say something else?” he asked, his tone more demanding. “Something stupid to make you cry,” he added.

You nodded your head slowly, clutching your phone in your hand. Christian looked down, spotting the device, unlocked in your hand, and grabbed it from your hand. You immediately tried to reach for it but he easily held you off as he opened your text with Daniel. “Give it back!” you whined, trying to reach for your phone but Christian was clearly much stronger than you were.

As he read the most recent texts, anger built up in his chest, bubbling up from his stomach and leaving a sour taste in his mouth. You finally were able to snatch your phone back as he froze, eyes locked on the place your phone had been in his hand only moments before. “That’s not okay,” you said as you locked the screen. Christian turned to face you.

The look of anger on your step brother’s face was unmistakable. He was livid. “Why are you still with him?” he demanded, his angry tone catching you off guard. “It’s none of your-” you started but he cut you off, advancing on you and forcing you to back up until your back met the wall. The hall was empty now with everyone back in their seats before the second part of the show started.

It was just you and Christian.

“None of my business?” he asked, finishing your sentence. “Your safety and happiness are absolutely my business,” he countered. “Daniel isn’t good for you,” he continued. Your eyes widened. “And how do you know what’s good for me and what isn’t?” you challenged, stomach fluttering at the way his eyes darkened. “Just trust me when I say that you deserve so much better than him,” he answered.

A silence fell between you that was neither uncomfortable nor comforting. It just was. Before you could say anything, Christian backed away. “The second part of the show is starting,” he said and as if on cue, the lights in the main theater started to dim. “We should get back.”

Without another word nor letting you say anything, Christian started back towards the theater with you reluctantly following him. You snuck back to your seat, finding a new drink and sat back down, glancing at Christian who had moved from the seat he was in before to the one across from you, leaving a space between him and Emmy.

Whatever his reasoning for doing so, you didn’t know and you were sure he wouldn’t tell you even if you asked. So deciding it wasn’t worth it to worry about it, you tried to focus on the show. You were able to follow a long for a while until you felt something against your leg. Glancing across from you, Christian was not looking in your direction but instead was looking at the stage, watching the performance.

You glanced under the table and noticed he’d stretched out his legs in your direction, one of which was pressed against the side of your calf. You glanced back up, hoping he’d see you out of the corner of his eye but he didn’t flinch, not even when you nudged his leg with yours. He stayed fixated on the show. You sighed and leaned back in your chair, arms crossed over your chest and turned your head towards the stage.

It was then you felt him gently nudge your leg and turned your head back towards him. His eyes were still on the stage but there was a small smirk on his face. You nudged him back and he immediately nudged you, the smirk on his face growing slightly. You slid your foot out of your shoe and nudged his knee with your toes, pulling back quickly when you saw his hand disappear under the table.

He kept his eyes trained on the stage but he was ready. The fact that he wasn’t looking put him at a disadvantage and you nudged him quickly, pulling back once more. Christian’s smirk grew still and you tempted fate, going to nudge him again but this time you weren’t fast enough in pulling away and he grabbed your ankle. You bit your lip, holding back the urge to shriek.

Christian’s grip on your ankle was tight and you were unable to pull yourself free. He tugged you towards him, making you slide down in your chair and you shot him a warning look but he wasn’t looking at you. Glancing around, you wondered if anyone was watching but everyone seemed to have their attention focused on the show.

You tried to pull away but Christian kept a tight hold on you, even going so far as to gently pull you again. “Christian,” you whispered, struggling to keep yourself seated. He was holding back a laugh but kept a hold of your ankle. Just when you were about to fall, he let go of you and you quickly pulled yourself up, pretending as if nothing had happened and glaring at Christian.

The show went on and when it finally ended, dessert was served. You hadn’t ordered anything but Emmy had ordered some kind of cheesecake, your dad and Kate were splitting something that looked like custard and Christian had ordered a drink. As he took a sip, you watched him.

“What is that?” you asked, drawing his attention. “Black Russian,” he answered. You stared at the glass in his hands. “What’s in it?” you asked. He pushed the drink towards you and you picked it up, sniffing it before taking a sip. You recoiled as you set it down. It was both bitter and strong.

“Coffee Liqueur and vodka,” Christian answered as you cringed, a chuckle leaving his lips. “It’s not that bad,” he said as you shook your head, pushing the glass back towards him. “Blech!” you whined, making him laugh as he took the glass back. “Emmy,” you said, turning towards your sister who looked up at the mention of her name. “Give me a bite of that. His drink is disgusting!”

After dessert was finished and the bill paid, your party left the theater, getting back into the car at the valet pickup and heading back to the resort with Emmy in one of the middle seats while you and Christian sat in the back. In the car, your dad and Kate dominated the conversation with details about the show but you tuned it out, staring outside the window at the dark scenery.

Emmy joined in the conversation eagerly, talking about her favorite parts while you and your step-brother sat quietly in the very backseat. As you stared outside, you felt a hand on your knee and turned to look at it, finding a tattooed hand resting on your knee. You turned to look at him, finding him looking straight ahead. Upon feeling your eyes on him, Christian turned to look at you.

“You’re bouncing your leg,” he said so softly so only you could hear him. “It’s very distracting.” You rolled your eyes, leaning back in your seat, turning your head to look back out the window and expecting him to remove his hand. Only he didn’t. His hand remained on your knee, heat radiating from where he touched you and throughout your body.

You were sure it was the alcohol but the heat started to pool in your belly and you closed your legs, hoping Christian would remove his hand then but he didn’t. Instead, he decided to test the waters, his hand sliding up to the middle of your thigh.

Startled, you turned to look at him with wide eyes and found his eyes already on your face. He held your gaze, his stare sending chills down your spine and fanning the flame in your stomach. ‘It’s the alcohol,’ you told yourself. ‘It has to be.’ When you didn’t move, Christian took that as permission to keep going, moving his hand further still up towards the hem of your romper.

The space between your thighs was starting to grow hot, arousal pooling in your panties as he held your gaze and his hand moved dangerously close to a place it should not be anywhere near. His eyes dipped down to your lips briefly but now you weren’t alone. You were with family and your dad could easily glance in the rearview mirror and see what was happening. Emmy could turn her head and see exactly what was going on between her older sister and older step-brother.

It was far too risky and too dangerous to even try anything here. But in the dark of the backseat, Christian’s hand was all but invisible. His hand slid between your thighs and your breath hitched. He paused, waiting to see if anyone noticed and when they didn’t he continued, squeezing the plush of your inner thigh, fingers dangerously close to your hot, aching core.

Your lips parted slightly as you stared at him, not daring to look away. His hand slid up further, finally making contact with your clothed covered cunt and you had to bite your lip to keep from making a sound, a moan catching in the back of your throat. The moment he made contact, Christian’s fingers went to work, pressing against the wetness that started to seep through your panties and romper.

Neither one of you said anything as he slowly started to work his fingers, massaging against you through the fabric. Your eyes fluttered shut, head falling forward onto his shoulder as his hand moved, fingers slipping under your romper and panties with ease. You bit back the urge to moan, teeth sinking into your bottom lip as you felt his fingers slide between your folds slick with arousal.

You rested your head against his shoulder, your mind hazy and cloudy because of the alcohol but also because of the pleasure. A mewl nearly slipped from your lips as you felt his fingers slip into your needy cunt, filling the space as best they could. A jolt of electricity shot through your body as he sank his fingers as deep as he could from that angle inside your velvety walls.

“Stay quiet,” he murmured in your ear, his breath hot against your skin. “Spread your legs for me.”

You did as he said, widening the space between your knees. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, burying your face in his shoulder as he started to pump his fingers in and out of you. “That’s it,” he muttered. “Stay quiet, baby.” A whine sounded from the back of your throat but no one else seemed to notice. Christian picked up the pace, his fingers moving faster.

“You close?” he whispered in your ear and you nodded in response. “Good,” he breathed. “Let go, baby. Let go and cum for me.” Your body slumped over, thighs squeezing around his hand as your legs shook and you came silently, falling apart under his touch.

As you were coming down from your high, the car came to a sudden halt and you quickly snapped upright, Christian’s hand disappearing from between your legs.

The car engine shut off and you glanced over at Christian, the realization of what just happened and what you’d done hitting you at once and the moment the doors unlocked and the lights came on, you were out of the SUV and heading for your villa for the night.

©️ kwanisms 2018 - 2025 | all written and artistic works on this blog are protected under copyright. reposts, continuations, and translations of my works are not permitted. All graphics made by me.

[lovely-peace]

Lovely?

Summary: You don't like the marauders. You don't talk and don't even look at them. But as you visit your friend in the hospital wing you encounter a certain boy with brown hair, scars and this lovely eyes.

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Gryffindor!reader

Warnings: Low self esteem, past bullying?, This is no bully! Marauders fic!!

Part 1 Part 3

"Hey, do you want to study for Transfiguration together?"

A normal day. It should have been. But ever since I was asked who I would date, I've been hearing giggles and whispers. And now James is standing in front of Amy and me. Ready to finish something. I don't know what yet, but it's going to hurt.

Because it will be a joke of theirs.

"Why should we?" I go straight on the offensive. Leave fears behind and intimidate them.

Sirius, who was standing behind James, looked to the side to stifle a laugh. That kind of upset me.

"Well, in the last lesson you had... We thought we could help each other."

Oh. My mistake. That they laughed about. Learning. Together. Actually, they just want to smile at my stupidity. SMILE.

"Amy doesn't even have Transfiguration." I hissed, looking the boy in front of me in the eye for the first time. He looked almost uncomfortable.

This boy I rode to Hogwarts with in the same wagon. And who now feels too cool to remember my name. I'm just a joke that you crack a few times and then forget.

"Which is why, unfortunately, I have to say goodbye and go upstairs. Important subjects are waiting for me!" Amy tapped my shoulder and I was about to thank her inwardly until- "That's why I'm leaving this sweetie here with you, okay?"

Peter looked up from his book for the first time. He was sitting on the couch by the fire.

In the common room of Gryffindor, it was not uncommon for people to fight over this space. Peter snatched it early enough so that Remus, who looked very ill that morning, just sat on the chair at the table next to it.

Peter was probably just as disappointed that Amy left as I was, if I interpreted his expression correctly.

"Amy," I whispered to her, "what are you doing?"

She raised her eyebrows, rolled her eyes and sighed briefly. And I understood. She wanted me to give them a chance.

I looked at her with begging eyes and screamed at her in my mind not to leave me here alone.

"So...?" James stood there like a boy waiting for his mother's permission.

And I wasn't going to give it to him.

"Sorry, Jarry, but I was planning on studying for other subjects with Amy today. So if you'll excuse us." What did I just say?

"Oo-," James looked to his friends while Sirius laughed out loud, "-okay?"

I didn't look at Amy and just stomped faree upstairs to our room.

Amy followed me, but not without letting out a sigh of disappointment.

~~

"What was that about?" My voice was a little louder than usual. "I thought we agreed that we didn't like the four of them?"

Amy groaned and threw herself on her bed. "I never said that. I meant that they can be assholes sometimes, that's all."

"But they just were assholes?"

I also sat down on my bed and looked out of the window. The Hufflepuff team was playing quidditch.

"How were they assholes in any way, please? James just asked us if we wanted to study with them in the common room."

I could hear Amy starting to get angry.

"You know what he meant. He only asked because I said something completely stupid in Transfiguration the day before yesterday and everyone had a laugh. And now he wanted to hear more of it."

Amy had gone quiet. Then she snorted loudly. "Jesus Christ."

"What?!" As I turned around, two piercing eyes looked into me.

"Can you please stop painting the devil on the wall for once? You sound worse than Cassandra!"

Now I snorted.

But Amy wasn't finished yet. "You're so afraid of being ridiculed that you're becoming an asshole yourself!"

The sun was setting. And the moon slowly rose.

"Why are you so sure that the four of them are making fun of you?"

I hated that tears were welling up in my eyes. "That's how it always is! Suddenly all these people are nice to you, who didn't even know who you were before, to lure you into safety, but in reality they're blaspheming and laughing at you. It's always like that!"

Amy shook her head.

"No, it's just always like that in your head. There's a chance that these people just want to get to know you better."

Amy took her DADA textbook and turned to the other wall. "To exclude this opportunity from the outset is not only a mistake, but also a missed opportunity to make new friends."

I looked up at the full moon. I felt as if he was out there suffering with me.

You understand me, don't you?

Probably not.

~~

The next morning, Amy was still mad at me. I couldn't blame her. What I said already sounded pathetic.

But so far it had always been the truth.

It was unusually quiet at breakfast. Amy ate almost nothing and hurried to her tray.

We had different subjects at the beginning of the day, but at lunch Amy was nowhere to be seen. There were whispers again and I wanted to scream.

And it was only in charms that I was told she had been taken to the hospital wing. 

That was not uncommon for Amy. Amy was very fragile. Amy always put on a very strong front, also to help me. But the truth was that stress really affected her and at one point she almost fell over sick.

Was it because of our argument? I don't know. But I certainly felt guilty.

~~

After class, I hurried to the hospital wing and let myself be led to her bed.

She looked almost peaceful as she slept. I carefully sat down next to her and took her hand. She was sweaty and cool at the same time.

Madam Pomfrey explained to me that Amy had been under a lot of stress lately and had eaten something bad. Then she went to the next bed and talked with the visitors there.

Visitors with... familiar voices?!

"Oh, please, you can't expect us to just leave him here alone?" Was that Sirius?

"Yes, I must. You know he needs his rest now. So shoo." Madam Pomfrey sounded a bit annoyed.

"We can stay here quietly!" That was James. Ironically loud.

"No, Mr. Potter, you cannot. So, gentlemen. Out!"

I saw out of the corner of my eye how Madam Pomfrey shooed several people outside. But who was behind the curtain of the bed? Whom were they visiting?

The curtain didn't cover the whole bed. In fact, it was only drawn on my side. Quietly, I got up and tried to get a quick look at the person. I took a cautious step to the side and—

There layed Remus. A pretty battered Remus, wrapped in bandages.

Suddenly, the curtain was pulled back and I stood there as if caught red-handed.

Remus looked at me in surprise. His look was somehow different than usual and I imagined he took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Hi." ... "Hi."

His body was even worse wrapped up than I had seen from the side. He was sitting upright and his upper body was full of bandages. His face also had scratches but his eyes were still so deep-

I stared at him. For far too long.

I quickly sat down next to Amy, who was still asleep.

Remus cleared his throat. "Is Amy very unwell?"

Somehow I wasn't prepared for a conversation with him. Not with one of the four. Not with Remus.

"According to Madam Pomfrey, it's just stress. She just needs to get some rest and then she should feel better." I was almost whispering, my voice was so quiet. Nothing compared to yesterday.

"That's good. I hope she gets better soon. Has anything bad happened?" I looked up at him. His eyes were so gentle, as if he really cared. "Something that's really stressing her out?"

When he noticed my look, he looked away. To my disappointment. "But actually, it's none of my business-"

"We had a fight." Why did I tell him that? "I worried her again."

I looked at Amy. Her face wasn't quite so pale and her hand, which I was holding, wasn't quite so sweaty.

"Oh." Remus' voice was very quiet. As if he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. As if he was worried to say the wrong thing.

"And why are you lying here? What happened to you?" It was only when I looked at him that I realized the question was a bit rude.

"If you want to tell me," I added.

He just sighed and suddenly looked so far away. "It was an accident."

I waited for him to tell me more. He didn't.

It stayed quiet between us for a long time. I could feel his gaze from the side, but somehow it didn't bother me a bit. I almost felt safe.

Suddenly he asked me: "Why did you argue?"

I looked into his eyes and almost wanted to tell him everything. I looked at Amy and borrowed her words. "I was an asshole."

He tilted his head and smiled cautiously. "Somehow I can't imagine that."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"Why?"

"Well, you... It's not like you at all."

I continued to look at him. He continued to look at me.

"What do you mean?"

"You're usually so... Lovely."

Lovely? He saying I was lovely?

I had to laugh. He looked away.

"Me? You don't know me then." I giggled softly. "Besides, anyone can be an asshole, no matter how sweet the person still is."

He looked outside. The moon was up. He had that look again. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

It was quiet again after that. I heard soft footsteps outside and my anxiety wanted me to leave. So I stood up and was about to say goodbye to Remus as he-

"I want to know."

"What?"

He suddenly looked into my eyes so intensely that I felt dizzy.

"I want to know you properly."

I didn't know what to say and just looked at him as he continued.

"I want to know what goes through your mind when you see me us."

His gaze moved away from me. "I want to know why you hate us so much."

My whole world suddenly spun and I was in the middle of it. What was he saying? What did he mean, why was he even talking to me? What was going on here, why was he even here? And why did he call me lovely? What did he mean?

I wanted to say something. Something about... What actually?

Somehow I couldn't get anything out of me and was stuck in this spiral of trying to say something and figure out what to say. I opened my mouth, as-

"Remus, we're here!" James' voice tried to sound quiet but was unmistakable. Just like the footsteps of the two boys walking towards his bed.

When I saw them, so many things came back to me. Why I didn't talk to Remus.

"Are you feeling better? Remus -" Sirius faltered when he saw me. He looked between me and Remus and then grinned at me.

"Oh hello."

He turned to James now and 'whispered' to him. "Prongs, let's go and give these two some time to themselves-"

Remus cleared his throat and pointed at Amy who was lying next to me. Sirius fell silent.

"I'd better go now." I said in a very quiet voice again. James and Sirius even left me alone, but I heard their voices before I closed the door behind me.

"So, did she talk to you?" "What was going on with her?" "Is there something-"

The door slammed behind me and my head seemed to explode with questions.