#and the other cleaning stuff he gave me i had to trash cause some of it was REALLY gross but the dish soap LOOKS normal

[yoshistory]

FINALLY got groceries for the first time in awhile today and like half the stuff i got was cleaning supplies. thank god. ive been using hand sanitizer from the food bank to clean its been awful. i just wiped my kitchen counters down big time and i plan on spending tomorrow tiding up and doing some deep cleaning. ive been needing it

also i got stuff to make chocolate chip cookies (my favorite)(simple but loving) and i got some nice ramen i've been wanting to try (premium shin gold with chicken broth) .. im excited

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

WIP Wednesday Thursday

Happy Thursday y'all! It's been a while since I gave an update on the Dancing with the Stars Dieter fic, Closed Position.

As mentioned before, I do not plan to fully dive into this fic and start posting until Destiny & Deliverance has been completed. However, there is only one chapter and the epilogue left (I'm not ready). Since, it's not that far off...I have started working on my outline for dancing Dieter. More below the cut. 👇

I have it planned out fairly well, so I am sharing my chapter list with you today. This could change slightly when I start digging in, but this is the format I'm going with:

Prologue

Introductions

Week 1 - Foxtrot

Week 2 - Cha Cha

Week 3 - Jive

Week 4 - Rumba

Week 5 - Argentine Tango

Week 6 - Paso Doble

Week 7 - Jazz

Week 8 - Viennese Waltz

Week 9 - Quickstep

Week 10 - Samba

Week 11 - Finale

Epilogue

I've been doing a ton of homework on the show, so I plan to incorporate a lot of crazy behind the scenes stuff that actually happens and makes for an entertaining plot. Anyone down for a weekly spray tan? No? Dieter isn't a fan either.

This fic will not be anywhere near as angsty as D & D. However, some tough topics are mentioned, mostly relating to Kat's (OFC) asshole ex who will be very present as another professional dancer on the show. Then of course, Dieter's issues with drugs and alcohol are discussed too. He will be sober in this fic, but early on in his journey. Still very much our loveable, hot mess trash panda though.

I would like to do a lot more extras with this fic. I plan to share some inspiration videos for each chapter so you will have a visual of the dances. I think it will help you understand what ultimately causes Dieter and Kat to fall for each other. If nothing else, the visuals are just hot AF.

There will be a lot of Latin dances, just because we have to show off Dieter's loose hips. You know there are going to be jokes about that. I feel like it's a good excuse to take Dieter's button allergy up a few notches too. 😏 Here is a sexy little Rumba video to get us started. This dance may or may not be the one that gets them in trouble...🤐

Series Summary: Dieter Bravo was looking to change his bad boy image and clean up his act after hitting rock bottom. His team hoped that having him join the nationally televised family friendly dance competition would be a good first step, if they can keep him out of trouble. 

Katarina Stamos expected her last season as a professional dance partner to one of Hollywood’s biggest stars to go the same as it had for the past nine seasons. That all changed when she was partnered with the infamous Dieter Bravo. 

Dieter and Katarina are reluctantly thrown into their partnership and must learn to work together to succeed in the competition. In the process they form a deeper connection beyond the dance floor that neither anticipated.

If you would like to be added to my taglist for this fic, feel free to comment below or shoot me a message and I will get you added.

Tagging all my usuals. If this isn't a fic you would like to be tagged on, let me know and I will remove you. 😉

@rhoorl @chaoticfestninja @survivingandenduring @partyofone3413 @wannab-urs @cakipy-blog @titlee78 @poodlebae @guelyury @missladym1981 @maried01 @alokaerza @samiamproductions @misstokyo7love @themonadiaries-blog @madnessofadaydreamer @darkheartgatita @avastrasposts @weho2kcmo @harriedandharassed @tkchaos @girlofchaos @yghuibt @musings-of-a-rose @secretelephanttattoo @maggiemayhemnj @legendary-pink-dot @linzels-blog @morallyinept @undercoverpena @sin-djarin @trulybetty @goodwithcheese @jazzloveslatte @timpletance @myloveistoolittle @annieispunk @bitchwitch1981 @readingiskeepingmegoing @runningmom94 @for-a-longlongtime @hisandsnakes @sarcasm-theotherwhitemeat @copperhalfcent

[mymisfitsbabe]

Billy had just finished cleaning his kitchen, just finished putting away the last clean plate when someone pounded on the front door. Frowning, Billy pulled off his apron and tossed it on the counter. 

“Who is it?” Billy asked as he padded over on bare feet to the closed door. 

“Who the fuck do you think it is? Open the Goddamn door.” Gator called back. 

“You can't just start showing up here, Tillman.”

“Just open the fucking door before I kick it down, Hargrove.”

Opening the door Billy sighed.

“What are you doing he- What the fuck is that?” Billy hissed as Gator pushed into his trailer and handed him a large furball. 

“It's a dog.” Gator sneered as he moved further into the small living room.

“Uh, and why the fuck did you bring it here?” Billy asked as it wiggled in his hold, it's sandy brown fur already shedding onto his black shirt.

Gator turned and gave Billy an exasperated look, but Billy's focus shifted as he spotted the shiner Gator sported under his right eye. Gator was still in his police uniform, his vest had some blood on it and he was covered in dirt splotches. He smelled like sweat and dogs.

“What the hell happened to you?” Billy asked, shifting the pup to one arm so he could grab Gator's face and get a good look at his eye. 

“Nothin. Anyways, you need a dog round here since it's so easy to break in this shit hole.” 

“Oh fuck off, just cause you decided to go all psycho horror movie on me doesn't mean I need a damn dog.” Billy passed the ball of fur back to Gator. 

“Just keep the fucking dog, Bills. It ain't gonna kill you.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do with it? I'm at work 12 hours a day.” 

“Take it with you, Benny loves dogs and the shop is gated off.” 

“Great, then give Benny the dog if he loves them so much.”

“I didn't get the dog for Benny, I got it for you.”

Billy sighed, as Gator set the dog on the couch. The thing was huge for a pup, thick sandy brown fur with bright brown eyes. It's paws and ears seemed too big for its body and the thing looked half wild. 

“Where'd you get it from anyways?” Billy asked, crossing his arms over his chest and eyeing the pup suspiciously. 

“It's a police pup reject. The mom got knocked up by a wolf and this is the pup. Bright side is it's trained.” Gator rambled as he sat next to the pup and started petting it's head. 

“A wolf? You want me to keep a wolf as a pet?” Billy balked. 

“Course, they make great guard dogs. Roy has a pack of bout six back home.” 

“Gator, I don't know. I've never had a dog before,” Billy carted a hand through his shaggy hair and sighed. “I don't have food for it and the store is closed.”

Gator shrugged, his face turning down. “I got stuff in the truck, you don't need to get it nothing. I just thought you'd like it. It's gotta be shit being out here alone all the time.” 

Gator was chewing on his lip, looking like he'd been kicked and Billy sighed. “What’s his name?” 

“Gator Jr.” Gator smirked up at Billy.

“That's a shit name.” Billy said arching a brow and suppressing and grin 

“Fuck you, Gator's an awesome name.” Gator threw the old beat up couch pillow at Billy.

Billy caught it and laughed. “I'm not calling him Gator, pick a different name you fucking redneck.”

Gator jutted his lip out and scratched the back of his head. “Fine, I guess her name is Eleven then. That's whats on her tags.” 

“Christ, there's eleven of them?” 

“Yeah, but the others are full German shepherds. The station is gonna keep those.” 

“Go get her stuff and show me how to not kill her.” Billy sighed. 

[broken-glowsticks]

What Once was Mine

Chapter 14 - Spending the Night

Genre: Childhood friends, Eventual Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Love corner/love triangle, love rivals, Series. Not all chapters will be proofread!!

Warnings: 18+, mdni, mentions of sex and alcohol consumption, additional warnings will be added to individual chapters as needed.

Previous • Main • Next

You felt better after talking to Felix, it helped you put your thoughts in order and make a decision.

After returning to the studio and finishing dinner, the boys returned to their work as you and Felix cleaned the trash from your meal. Following that Felix pulled out his homework, attempting to knock out as much as possible as you settled in and watched a movie on your tablet. It was quiet, but it was nice, the five of you simply enjoying having the others around.

It was a few minutes to one in the morning when all of you collectively decided to call it a night. Felix had groaned about how he was totally going to fall asleep in his first class of the day while Jisung sauntered over to you.

“I was going to crash at Chan's place tonight, do you need me to drive you home?”

“No, it's cool, I drove myself here, I can drive myself back,” you said with a thumbs up, one Jisung reciprocated.

“Okay, cool then. Text me the second you get home, I promise I'll be home again soon. We can have dinner together,” he said with a smile, pulling you into a tight hug. Changbin wasn’t the only one who missed seeing you.

“Actually, bunny,” Changbing said once you and Han had finished your hug and you had bussied yourself with collecting your belongings. “I came here with Chan and, I was thinking, maybe I could go home with you?” Changbins voice came out in a nervous whisper as he finished his sentence, causing goosebumps to flourish across your skin. “If that's okay, of course.”

“Of course it's okay,” you reply almost immediately, your voice also hushed. You almost melted at Changbins grin.

“Let's go then?” You nodded fervently at Changbin before hastily finishing collecting your things and giving everyone a goodbye hug.

“You gonna talk to him tonight?” Felix asked gently in your ear, so no one else could hear.

“Maybe, right now I just want to enjoy getting to have time with him.”

“Just don't chicken out,” Felix teased, making you scoff as you playfully shoved him away.

“Whatever, get home and get some sleep. We don't want you sleeping through all your morning classes.”

“Ready to go, Princess?” Changbin asked, appearing behind you and resting his hand on your waist. The two of you shared a smile as you nodded and Changbin gave a friendly goodnight to Felix.

“Goodnight you two~!” Felix called as you and Changbin walked out the door.

It was a surprisingly chilly night as the two of you left the building and made your way to your car. You were thankful to still be wearing Changbins jacket but also felt bad as he clung to you in what you assumed was an attempt to stay warm, however you were surprised when you reached your car and learned that actually Changbin had clung to you as a distraction while he, once again, swiped your keys. You decided to not complain, too cold and tired to argue, as you made your way to the passengers side and slid in.

It was a comfortable drive to your apartment. Changbins hand rested on your thigh as he drove while your arm had snaked around his, your eyes drifting closed as you focused on the momentum of the car and the gentle lull of your music coming from the car speakers. You were slowly starting to fully fall asleep when you were suddenly woken up by a gust of cold wind. Your eyes snapped open to see Changbin leaning over you, in the middle of taking off your seatbelt. When did you get to your complex?

“You woke up, thank God, I really didn't want to have to go through your stuff for your key,” Changbin chuckled as he slung your bag over his shoulder and lifted you from the passenger's seat.

You shuttered as your body was assaulted by the cold air, your mostly bare legs squeezing together to maintain as much body heat as possible. You prayed you'd get to your door soon as you clung to Changbin.

You didn't get to your door nearly as fast as you wanted, but were beyond grateful that when you handed Changbin the key and the two of you fell into your apartment that the air was warm.

“Bed time, bed time,” Changbin sang softly as he continued to carry you, making his way to your room and pushing the heavy door aside. “Do you wanna change?” His voice was low and muffled as he pressed a sweet kiss to your hair.

“Mmh, no, just wanna get to bed,” you mumbled, nuzzling roughly into Changbins’ neck. You weren’t sleepy anymore, having been jolted awake when Changbin took you from your car's warm cabin. All you wanted now was just to get cozy in bed and warm up with your boyfriend.

“Alright Princess,” Changbin chuckled, pulling back your fluffy comforter and attempting to lay you down only for you to refuse to let him go. “Someone's clingy tonight, ” he said with a small grin, one that grew when you began to pull him onto you, a small grin of your own.

“you're just warm,” you said as you wiggled, attempting to make room for him on the bed without letting him go.

“I'm supposed to sleep in my jeans?” Changbin teased as he lifted you towards the other side of the bed.

“You can take them off after you get in bed,” you replied, just drowsy enough to make you confident and shameless.

“Do you plan to help me, Princess?”

“I can,” you whispered, feeling the bed dip beside you and the press of Changbins’ kiss your forehead.

“Promise?” Changbins lips kisses continued across your face and down your cheeks before stopping at the corner of your mouth, “hmm?”

“Promise,” you breathed before slotting your lips against Changbins’, one hand coming to rest at the nape of his neck while the other trailed down his torso to hook a finger into his jeans. Your thumb swiped over the button a few times, smiling playfully until Changbins teeth caught your lower lip, tugging at it harshly and causing you to yelp.

“Don't tease, Princess,” he warned, a hand sliding under your shirt to swipe at your covered nipple.

You mewled softly at the sweet tingle before giggling, muttering a small apology before working Changbins button loose and dragging down his zipper. Changbin laid in wait, keeping himself busy by kissing and gently licking at your sore lip while you slid your hand into his pants and palmed his stiffening cock. A low groan vibrated in Changbins throat as you pumped this shaft a few times then swirled your thumb over his tip.

“Plan on spoiling me again, Princess?” Changbins voice was breathier than he anticipated as he spoke between kisses, kisses that grew sloppier as you continued to tease his tip, collecting his arousal.

“More than you know.”

“Bunny, are you sure, I thought you were tired?” Changbin teased, rubbing his nose against yours.

“I’m sure,” you breathed, lifting yourself from the bed and pushing your boyfriend on his back before climbing on top.

“Binnie, I've missed you,” you said candidly as you began to trail your hands up Changbins’ abs, lifting his shirt as you spoke, “I want to be closer to you. I want you. I especially want to finish what we started in the pizza parlor, y'know… before things got awkward,” you finished with a shy little giggle. As you spoke, a bashful smile spread across your boyfriend's face. It made you want to ride it.

“Lift your arms please,” you instructed, removing the fabric of his shirt from his body before tossing it aside, your hands roaming as you leaned down and kissed up Changbins torso to his eager lips. As you kissed, your hands continued to feel him up, inching downward until they once again landed at his jeans. “Lift your hips.”

Obediently Changbin lifted his hips, allowing you to yank his jeans down far enough to let his dick spring free before interrupting your momentum.

“Am i supposed to just lay here naked, while you're still wearing all of this?” Changbin asked, his hands tugging at your shirt and his jacket.

“You make a very fair point,” you conceded, leading changbins hands to the waistband of your shorts and lifting your hips. With ease, Changbin yanked the material down, bringing your panties down as well.

You gasped as the comparatively cold air hit your already dripping cunt and the need to ride Changbins’ face hit you again. Without a word you stood above him on the bed, his curious eyes watching you intently as you kicked your shorts and panties from the bed and dropped to your knees over his head, your core hovering above his lips.

“I didn't know I'd be getting dessert,” Changbin said with a grin, his arms hooking around your legs and fingers gripping the plush of your thighs.

“Been wanting to do this for a while,” you said, hands finding your headboard as you looked down at him.

“I have too,” Changbin admitted before closing his eyes and diving in.

Your breath hitched as his tongue swiped over you, his warm muscle collecting your wetness before swirling around your eagerly awaiting clit. Repeated, low groans pushed through your pressed together lips, the blissful sensation causing you to close your eyes and tilt your head back as you felt Changbin lick and suck. It felt so good and you just couldn't help but begin to rock your hips over his pretty lips.

Changbins’ grip tightened on your thighs, his fingers digging your skin as loud, sloppy noises began mixing with your increasingly pitched up moans. Those moans began to turn into near screams as Changbin dipped his tongue between your folds, his nose rubbing harshly against your now sensitive clit. It was getting harder to focus and keep yourself upright, you didn't even realize when your legs had given out and you had fully released your weight onto Changbins’ face, all you were aware of was the overstimulating sensation of your boyfriend absolutely devouring your as your vision began to get foggy.

“Binnie… B-Bin…!” You slurred, trying to warn him with shallow pants of your growing orgasm. But words failed and soon you were creaming all over his face, your hand fisting his soft, black curls as you rocked your hips harder against his face, riding out your euphoria. Your orgasm hit you so hard that your knees gave way, causing you to topple over and land on the bed with a soft thud.

Changbin didn't give you a moment to let you recover, kicking off his pants and boxers entirely before climbing over you. You had managed to get a good look at him, your white slick stuck to his face, before he wiped it off with his arm and crashed his lips against yours. The two of you kissed fervently, limbs wrapping around each other as you tried to etch the absolutely erotic image of you cum all over his face into your brain.

“Condoms… bedside drawer,” you mumbled between kisses, your nails dragging across Changbins’ back.

Changbin shuttered at the sensation, savoring your kisses for a few seconds more before pulling back. You whined at the loss of his warmth, caushing Changbin to playfully pinch at your skin a few times.

“Do you wanna do this, or not?” He teased, turning his attention back to the side table drawer, rifling through the damn thing before finally finding a condom tucked between a headband and a random sock. “Found you,” Changbin grinned, turning back to you and tapping the corner of the small wrapper against your lips. “Help me?”

With a giggle you opened your mouth, taking the corner between your teeth. Together the two of you opened the wrapper and Changbin slid the condom over his almost too-stiff dick with ease before slotting himself back between your legs.

“Ah, I'm suddenly getting a little shy,” You blurted as Changbin glided the tip between your folds, collecting the slickness from your orgasm.

“I kind of am too,” he admitted, slowly beginning to push in the tip, “I wanted this during our last date, but you weren't ready…” Changbins voice was low and soft as he slowly eased himself into you. He was girthier than you remembered, this felt different than when you took him into your mouth the day you spoiled him. The stretching of your walls as Changbin filled you caused a strange swirl of pain and pleasure to wash over you, making it hard for you to focus on his words. “I'm glad I get to do this with you now.”

When Changbin finally bottomed out, a sharp jolt of electricity cut through the mix of pain and pleasure, causing you to reflexively claw at his back, your cunt squeezing around him. Changbin hissed out a swear as he stilled, gritting his teeth at your nails on his back while you adjusted to the foreign sensation. He wasn’t focused on your scratching anyway.

“God, you feel so good, bunny,” Changbin muttered, pressing kisses to your neck and behind your ear.

“You're so big…” you admitted in a hush.

“Does it hurt, baby?” You shook your head adamantly, your arms circling his broad shoulders tightly.

“‘S just different… Don't break me,” you joked, rocking your hips as a sign that Changbin could move.

His actions were slow at first, a gentle attempt to acclimate you to his girth. You appreciated his tact at first, it felt as if one wrong move and Changbin truly could split you in two, but as your body grew used to his width, the more you wanted more. You couldn't quite place your finger on it, but something about the size of your boyfriend - both in stature and girth - made you want him to treat you much rougher than he currently was. You adored how he didn't want to hurt you, how he cared for you so deeply and wanted to cherish you. But you so desperately wanted him to put his strength to use, for him to pin you down or toss you around. You felt like he was holding back and wanted him to let go.

“Binnie, baby, I'm okay now,” you purred into his ear, “you don't have to hold back anymore. It won't hurt.”

“Bunny, are you sure?” Changbin all but groaned, his hips stuttering for just a second as his grip on his self control slipped. “What if I hurt you?” Locking your gaze with his, you gave your boyfriend's heart quite the pulse with the salacious gaze you gave him.

“I like a little pain.”

Those five little words were all he needed. Without even removing himself from you, Changbin circled his arms around you, pulling you close to him before rearing back and lifting you off the bed entirely, sitting himself on his knees. Mercilessly he began drilling into your pussy, strong arms holding you up with ease. It was as if you weighed no more than a basket of feathers.

The change of position allowed Changbin to hit your favorite spot and all you could do was hold on for dear life as the sounds of squelching and your euphoric cries filled the air. You weren't going to last long in this position, you were still rather sensitive from your first orgasm and Changbin was absolutely slamming into your cunt. Before you could even realize it was building, you were creaming all over Changbin's thick dick, but he didn't relent, continuing his assault to your cervix.

One of Changbin's hands came to rest on the curve of your ass, his hand kneading into the flesh as he guided your hips in a motion he desired. You barely had any strength in you, but somehow you managed to gather enough to comply, angling your hips as Changbin pounded into you over and over again.

“God, I'm gonna cum, bunny. Fuck. Baby, I'm gonna cum so hard,” Changbin growled against your collar, his teeth grazing the skin only to clamp down once he hit his high. Your body bounced as Changbin's hips faltered before stilling entirely, his length filling you so entirely that you almost came again yourself. The only thing that was keeping you grounded was the sting of Changbins’ teeth bared against your skin.

With a few more rolls of his hips, Changbin finally came down from his high, his tongue running gently over where he bit you. He never let you go.

“That's gonna leave a mark,” he mumbled idly, ghosting his lips over the sore spot. You winced slightly but giggled all the same. You were fine with it if it did, you liked the idea of having a little memento from tonight.

“As long as you didn't break skin, it's fine.”

“I got lucky then,” Changbin replied with a small chuckle, pulling your face to his for a sloppy kiss, one you returned eagerly. Maybe a little too eagerly, as you started to feel heated again, excitement thrumming under your skin as you caught his tongue and sucked. Changbin gave a little grunt at your action, his hand wrapping around the back of your neck and pulling himself from this kiss reluctantly. “Trying to egg me on for another round?”

“And if I am?” Your hooded eyes looked at him daringly, your question a challenge.

“Then I'm gonna fuck you so hard you're not gonna be able to walk, Princess.”

“Promises, promises,” you teased with a giggle, biting your lower lip before Changbins stole it with his teeth and plopped you back onto the bed.

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

I'm baaaaaaaaaack. Soooooo I have a good chunk of the story planned, almost all the way up to the end. My husband gave me a laptop, and I've been slowly getting back into the groove of writing!

I don't plan on posting every week like I used to, jfc... How the hell did I ever manage that? I might post only monthly. All I know is that when I do post it will still be on Saturdays.

Taglist: @groovygroovyhyunjin @hhwangsmoon @luvyblossom @doggezz @kayleefriedchicken @hyunjinhoexxx @zadkielr @bincxtesworld @jisunglyricist @kpop-kink @amarecerasus @its-kitten-now

[wolfxplush]

Caught Lead Handed

Small one shot of Oscar and Lovette cause I’d find their friendship funny!!!

Oscar belongs to @lyalyagushkina

It was late in the afternoon, and the last few rays of sun streamed through the classroom windows of bullsworth academy, most of the students had cleared out, leaving a faint hum of chatter fading down the hallway from the remaining cliques having some last minute activities or calmer bullies shaking down the stray nerds dumb enough to stay late. The only sound now was the scratching of chalk on the blackboard as the prefect, Lovette , finished tidying up the classroom for the day. She had a reputation for being no-nonsense—sharp, disciplined, and with a near-permanent look of annoyance etched on her face. Earning the nickname The Bear among the other prefects due to her likeness of one.

As she moved between the rows of desks, she noticed something strange. A few loose papers were strewn carelessly across the surface of one desk, left behind in the rush to leave. With a heavy sigh, Lovette bent down to gather them up, expecting to find some crumpled-up math homework or a forgotten essay. But when she turned the first page over, her eyes widened in disbelief.

There, in crude pencil sketches, were detailed drawings of naked women—amateurish but undeniably bold. She flipped through the pages, each one more daring than the last. Her jaw clenched, and her cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and irritation. What kind of idiot would leave these sitting out?

She didn’t need to look far to find the culprit.She had felt with this type of stuff before, all tracing back to one of the school’s resident greasers. Oscar.

"Of course, it’s him,"Lovette muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as she tucked the papers under her arm. She stormed out of the classroom, her footsteps echoing in the empty hall as she sniffed out her prey.

Oscar was leaning casually against the lockers just outside, his leather jacket slung over one shoulder, nose deep into his notebook sketching away. His hands smudged with pencil lead from the pencil he held tightly in his grip. The same pencil he slammed shut in his notebook once he heard Lovette approach.

“Lovette!" Oscar drawled, his lips curving into a lazy grin. "What brings the almighty prefect to my corner of the world? Couldn’t resist my charm?"

Lovette didn’t waste any time. She pulled the stack of drawings from under her arm and held them up, waving them in front of his face. “Care to explain this?” she demanded, her voice laced with annoyance.

Oscar's eyes flicked to the drawings, a flicker of shock in his eyes, but his grin only widened. He gave a mock sigh and leaned in closer, his voice lowering in that signature, smooth tone he reserved for flirting. "Aw, c'mon, You know, if you wanted to see me outside of class, all you had to do was ask. No need to frame me for something!” A chuckle left his throat as he shrugged, removing himself from the locker he leaned upon.

Lovettes lips thinned, and she crossed her arms over her chest, clearly unimpressed. “Don’t even try it, Oscar. You left your trash on the desk, and now I’ve got to clean up your mess—again. Do you know this is far too inappropriate for a school! Keep this shit in the dorms! I don’t need the younger students finding it.” She hissed out. Tone laced with a venom.

Oscar chuckled, his voice a teasing mock. “Aw come on they ain’t porn, this is art! It’s like nude modeling! Are you trying to restrict my artistic creativity? That’s not very perfect like of you Lovette, maybe I should-“

“Don’t,” she cut him off sharply, stepping closer with narrowed eyes. “I don’t have time for your sleazy excuses, and this—" she waved the papers again, "is getting you in detention. So keep your 'inspiration' to yourself.”

For a moment, Oscar looked like he might keep pushing, the playful spark in his eyes dancing as he leaned in even closer, close enough for Lovette to catch a whiff of his cheap cologne and the lingering scent of pencil lead smudged on his cheek. “You know, sweetheart, if you spent less time scowling and more time relaxing, you’d have a lot more fun. I could show you how!”

Lovettes expression was pure ice. “I’m not here for fun, Oscar. I’m here to make sure punks like you follow the rules. You can take your ‘charm’ somewhere else because it doesn’t work on me.” She crumpled the paper in her hand into a ball.

Oscar leaned back with a shrug, his smile faltering just for a second. But like always, he played it off, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. No need to get all worked up, prefect. I’ll pick up after myself next time, promise.”

“Good,” she snapped. “Because if I catch you pulling this again, you’ll be doing a lot more than sitting in detention. Now get out of here before I change my mind.”

Oscar gave her one last cocky smirk, but as he turned to walk away. Lovette didn’t care. She watched him go with the same look of mild irritation she always wore, shaking her head.

“Unbelievable,” she muttered under her breath, shoving the drawings into her bag. Some people just never learned.

[bollface]

(📼) ᰔᩚ 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 ・．｡ﾟ

prompt — found love tapes

pairing — jimmy x johnny

season — season five

warnings — not proof read, rushed, sleep deprived writer, random bullshit I popped up with, slight angst

Robby grunted as he placed another heavy carton box on the floor, sneezing when dust brushed his nose, he was in his dad's apartment, helping do some spring cleaning, so from the morning to four in the afternoon, Johnny and Robby have been throwing away some of Johnny's old 80s stuff.

"you know, from how much trash you have, you look like a hoarder" he commented yelling to his dad who was out in the kitchen taking the bad meat out of the freezer.

"the fuck is a hoarder? Just move boxes! If their tapes leave those alone" yelled back at Robby, mumbling about 'kids these days making up shit'

Robby rolled his eyes at his dad and peaked into the box, it had old looking posters, baby shoes, DVDs of old movies, and VHS tapes.

The tape peaked his interest, he picked one up and looked at it, blowing air on it to get rid of the dust, 'Anyone else but you— if you feel lonely watch this' read the tape with the white sticker in the middle.

"what the-" Robby whispered before looking for a VHS player, and luck was on his side cause he found one, her placed the items on the side and moved the rest of the box to a pile.

"what is this? Why does Dad have it" he whispered, was it like something his dad did for some girl? Write a love song and record himself but never gave it to her because he was a wuss? Probably.

Maybe the guys would like to see it, have something to tease his sd with, Robby reached for his phone in his back pocket, going to his contacts and called Sam.

"Hey, Robby what's up?"

"Sam! Hey so uh where are you right now and who is with you" Robby started as he stood up and went to his closet grabbing his backpack and placing the vhs player and tape inside.

"Uhm just me Tory, Miguel—you know the usual friend group? Why? Is everything fine with you and your dad?" Sam asked with a concern tone.

"yeah everything's fine, just Uhm doing spring cleaning in the apartment, hey so imma pass by I found something" Robby said as he placed the phone between his shoulder and ear as he grabbed his beaten up converse.

"what'd you fine?" Asked Sam intrigued.

"tapes, but this one seems interesting it was like hidden under bunch of random stuff and it looks really like well played, anyways imma pass by soon, meet you ina bit!"

"okay bye-"

Robby hunged up and finished tiring his shoe before grabbing his skateboard, "hey so I'm going to hang out with the group for a bit, I'll be back soon" he said walking into the living room, seeing his dad placing the new groceries into the fridge.

"eh alright, be careful, you need a ride?" Johnny asked looking at his son, but Robby shook his head holding up his skateboard, "nah got this, bye be back in a bit!" He said and walked out the apartment.

It took him some time to reach the larusso houses but when he made it, before he could even knock on the door Anthony opened the door, "she's in the living room with the others" he informed before disappearing somewhere.

"Robby!Sam said you found something about sensei" Miguel said waving at Robby from the couch, "yeah I found like this tape, look" the blonde digged in his school bag and took the tape out, tossing it to Miguel.

The boy caught it and stared at it, turning it around and thumb grazing the fading tape, "super old" chuckled Eli, "you got a VHS player?" Demetri asked looking at Sam, "done worry brought that too" Robby said as he placed his backpack down and slowly took the dusty player out.

"dude isn't that shit heavy?" Questioned Eli.

"yeah it was but hey, I'm really interested what that tape has, like it's a love song! It has to be because 'if you feel lonely watch this?' come on my dad must of wrote it! Aren't your curious too? We now her little of my dad's life other than the fact he was a bully" Robby explained, he felt like a kid in Christmas.

"I'm curious, sensei Lawrence doesn't seem a romantic" Tory smirked as she grabbed the tape from Miguel's hand, "kinda cute and dorky, for Sensei Lawrence" Devon said looking at the tape.

"alright, intrest is peaked, let me help" Demetri got off the couch and helped Robby set up the vhs player into the flat screen tv, "what if it's someone singing to sensei Lawrence?" She asked tilting her head.

"like anyone would serneat my dad, I don't think he would like it...okay! We got it!" Robby high fives Demetri and they quickly went to the couch, watching as the tape rolled and popped a boy with fluffy brown hair, holding a guitar on his lap.

"Uhm hey Johnny or future Johnny, uh, it's Jimmy, of course, I Uhm wanted to make this tape because maybe one day, when we grow, up our life's will be different, and we will separate, so I'm making this as a way you can remember me if that ever happens or if you just miss me that much."

The boy, or Jimmy's chuckled softly, their voice was sweet with care and honey, eyes looked into the camera with love and adoration, even if that specific Johnny wasn't there.

"who's he?" Whispered Tory towards Robby, the blonde boy squinted, inspecting the other boys on screen who tuned the guitar a bit, "uh seems like a friend of my dads" Robby whispered back.

"right, so I hope you listen to this it's our song" Jimmy quirked a smile before his hands started to strum on the guitar, humming into the melody.

"You're a part time lover and a full time friend

The monkey on your back is the latest trend

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

Jimmy sang softly looking into the camera before back down, fingers making the soft melody on the guitar.

"I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of the train

I kiss you all starry eyed, my body's swinging from side to side

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

Robby and his friends stared in awe, so Tory was right, His dad was getting serenaded to, and from a boy who looked really enamored with Johnny, the same the boys lips would quirk into a grin when he sang the lyrics, and the soft pink flush appeared in the boys cheek.

"this is...really sweet" Robby whispered staring at the video in awe, his chest felt warmth with the love that radiated from the screen.

"Here is the church and here is the steeple

We sure are cute for two ugly people

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

Jimmy smiled shoulders chuckled for him, pearl white showed, he sang with love, with feeling, even if it was to a hot headed stubborn blonde boy.

"The pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive me

So why can't you forgive me?

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

"I will find my niche in your car

With my MP3, DVD, rumple-packed guitar

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

He hummed the rhythm, nodding his head with it, Robby stared, lips quivered, this touched his heart, it somehow did, and he was glad, he liked knowing someone loved his dad, from what he's heard and seen, not many liked his dad, it's nice seeing someone that looked like he adored his dad.

"duh-d-duh-duh-duh"

"duh-duh-duh-duh"

"Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B A start

Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

"the guys sings pretty" Miguel whispered smiling at the tape, everyone nodded with a hum, they watched how the boy felt more comfortable with the song, full on smile appeared into his face and the soft pink flush went to his whole face.

"You are always trying to keep it real

I'm in love with how you feel

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you

We both have shiny happy fits of rage

You want more fans, I want more stage

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

Jimmy looked into the camera, brown eyes stared at it with love and adortion, as if Johnny was sitting there reacting to the song.

"Don Quixote was a steel driving man

My name is Jimmy, I'm your biggest fan

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you"

Jimmy paused a bitz stopped his strumming before he smiled, a full loving smile and started to strum again, honey voice sang with love.

"Squinched up your face and did a dance

You shook a little turd out of the bottom of your pants

I don't see what anyone can see

In anyone else but you

But you"

Jimmy ended the song with a sigh and soft tap on the guitar, "I love you Johnny Lawrence... remember that" he said softly before he looked up with a smile, in view came in Johnny cupping Jimmy's face.

"I like that song... especially when you sing it" Johnny said with a giggle and lead down to press a kiss into Jimmy's lips.

"well now you got this tape for you and forever, say bye" Jimmy chuckled moving his guitar to the side of the bed, and pulled Johnny by his waist and looked up at him like a puppy looking up at his owner, blue eyes looked at the camera, and a smile spread across the flushed pink face.

"bye future me! Hopefully I'm married to this hunk of a man!" Laughed Johnny before Jimmy stood up, and shuffled to the camera, and Johnny stopped the recording and the tape turned off with a faded laugh and squeak.

Robby stared at the black screen, tears softly rolled down his cheek, why happened, why didn't his dad stay with Jimmy? Why did his dad have to suffer? This was new to him.

"that was very sweet" sniffed Eli, Robby turned seeing how everyone was sniffing or looking away with a bit of disappoinment.

"yeah..." Robby whispered, still staring at the black screen, hoping for something else to pop up.

Maybe in a other universe, his dad was happy with Jimmy, had a family, had a happy life, a perfect one, with Robby in it.

Maybe in another universe.

A/N— this is not proofread, this was rush, it currently 3am and I'm tired and JUNK MENTION

[trinity-mia]

a story as endless as the ocean

the lightning thief

1.2 committing a felony (don't do this)

warnings : ANOTHER effing monster attack, some more cussing, mention of arson

word count : 5.8k

1.2 Blow Torching a National Monument So Badly, I Could Be Tried for Arson (Even Though It Literally Wasn't My Fault)

I could safely say we were all miserable that night. None of us liked the thought of spending the night in a place where we had just killed the only occupant, so instead, we spent the night camped out in the woods a few miles away.

The clearing we settled down in was obviously a frequent gathering point for the local kids to hang around. It was about a hundred yards from the main road and rather marshy. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans and fast-food wrappers. We spent a few minutes piling the garbage together so we could dump it in a trash can tomorrow on Luke's suggestion.

It was easily the worst place that I'd ever spent the night, but with the snug sleeping bags we'd taken from Camp, it wasn't too bad. We'd decided against a fire. The Furies and Medusa were enough for one day, and a fire would most definitely bring more unwanted visitors.

I kind of regretted it, cause frankly, I was freezing, but again, I'd had enough of fighting for today. Well, for the rest of my existence really, but I didn't exactly have a choice in that matter. My father had seen to that very firmly.

I volunteered for the first watch, and Luke gave only a moment's objection before he fell fast asleep. Grover, however, simply laid down, staring up at the sky with a brooding expression.

"Regretting ever meeting me?" I asked as lightly as I could. Really though, I wouldn't blame him for it if he was. Tyche definitely had some sort of grudge against me. On the other hand, I did manage to survive all the shit I went through, so maybe she actually liked me. Something to dwell on at another time, I guess. 

Grover startled out of his thoughts, turning to stare at me and shake his head wildly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Allie!" he objected. "You're my best friend, I love you. It just... it makes me so sad. And mad. I'm mad about it too."

I frowned at him. "What makes you sad?" I pressed. "Can I help?"

The side of his lip quirked up briefly before falling again, his frown returning. "This makes me sad," he gestured at the rubbish pile and up at the sky. "I mean just look at the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

I bit my lip. I knew already that Grover was an environmentalist, but he talked about this with so much emotion, feeling guilty seemed to be my only option. For what, I wasn't exactly sure.

"I'm sorry," I finally ventured. "I guess it must be really hard for a nature spirit to see this sort of stuff. We'll dump it tomorrow."

He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "Do you know what a searcher's license is?"

I shook my head. "Not really," I admitted freely, not worrying about my lack of knowledge on the subject. "I just know that your family has a tradition of getting them, and you'll only get yours if we succeed in the quest."

I cocked my head to the side for a moment as a breeze wafted through the clearing. It was fresh and sweet and brought with it the smell of berries and clean air. Suddenly, I was nostalgic for something I didn't know.

"Tell me about it," I requested quietly. 

Grover gave me a studying look, like he was trying to decide if I was worthy of knowing about his dream or not. I must've been, because he nodded, straightening and beginning to explain. "The God of Wild Places disappeared two thousand years ago," he told me. "A sailor off the coast of Ephesos heard a mysterious voice crying out from the shore—"

"'Tell them that the great god Pan has died!' Yeah, I know that story," I said, recalling Chiron teaching it at the beginning of the year.

"RIght. When humans heard the news, they believed it. They've been pillaging Pan's kingdom ever since. But for the satyrs, Pan was our lord and master. He protected us and the wild places of the earth. We refuse to believe that he died. In every generation, the bravest satyrs pledge their lives to finding Pan. They search the earth, exploring all the wildest places, hoping to find where he is hidden, and wake him from his sleep."

"Wow," I said simply. "So you want to join them?"

Grover nodded. "My whole family has been searchers for generations," he explained. "My dad, and my Uncle Ferdinand. You saw his statue back at Aunty Em's."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Grover waved me off. "Dad and Uncle knew the risks. Every searcher does. But I'll succeed. I'll be the first one to come back alive."

My eyes widened in shock at that. "The first? What happened to them all?"

"Nobody knows," Grover shrugged gloomily. "But we have to keep trying. We have to believe that we'll be the one to find Pan and wake him up. It's the only thing that keeps us from giving in to despair when we look at what's happened to the world."

I stared at the orange haze of the sky and tried to understand how Grover could pursue a dream that seemed so hopeless. Then again, was I any better?

There was no way I'd ever be able to make Hades do what I wanted, after all. I was only a seventeen-year-old girl with a sharp tongue and a stupidly large amount of money. He was a god, and one of the most powerful gods at that. I was screwed and I knew it.

"How are we going to get into the Underworld?" I asked him. "I mean, what chance do we have against a god?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But we'll figure it out. We all have faith that you'll succeed in this, Allie."

"Why?" I demanded, angry that I could feel that my voice was shaking and trying to hide it. "Why is everyone so goddamn confident that I can do this? I've known about this stuff being real for a week!"

Grover chewed on his lip, genuinely considering my question, which I appreciated. "You've just got this aura around you," he finally told me. 

I paused in tugging agitatedly on my braids to stare at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just the way you talk and move and just... just act. It makes everyone feel that you'd lay down your life for ours without thinking about it."

"Of course I would," I replied instantly. 

Grover flashed me a sad smile. "And that's why we trust you," he insisted. "And you have real power. In multiple ways. Allie, you are quite literally a global celebrity. You could probably go to the White House and create any law you wanted and it would get passed. And as a demigod? You probably can't control it yet, but your father is the god of the seas. He holds an extensive amount of power and you are his first mortal daughter. It's reasonable to suggest you are going to be stronger than most of his other children." 

I didn't know what to say to that. Truthfully, I'd thought about it a lot the night before, but didn't want to go much further with my thoughts— they still scared me. Not wanting to do the same now, I changed the subject to something I did want to ponder.

"I think something is off about this whole thing," I admitted to him. "On the bus, the Kindly Ones, did you hear them? They were asking where it is. Not her, it. We're missing something big, I know it."

Grover bit his lip, worry flashing over his expression. "Well, we have to go to the Underworld anyway," he finally stated. "The prophecy said we'd go west and face the god who has turned. And it said you'd find the bolt and return it safely. Everything will work out, Allie, you'll see."

I said nothing, but the Oracle's warning about being betrayed and war beginning played ominously in my mind as I watched Grover fiddle silently with his reed pipes.

More than anything, I wished for my mom to be there, holding me and stroking my hair.

"How about I take first watch?" he suggested. "You could use a rest." 

Before I could protest, he lifted the pipes to his mouth and began to play. Unlike his earlier attempts, the tune, something by Mozart I think, actually sent me to sleep. 

Eventually, the nightmare started. I was standing in a dark cavern before a gaping pit. Grey mist creatures churned all around me, whispering rags of smoke that I somehow knew were the spirits of the dead.

They tugged at my clothes, trying to pull me back, but I felt compelled to walk forward to the very edge of the chasm. Looking down made me dizzy. The pit yawned so wide and was so completely black, I knew it must be bottomless. Yet I had a feeling that something was trying to rise from the abyss, something huge and evil.

"The little heroine," an amused voice echoed far down in the darkness. "Too weak, too young. But perhaps you will do."

The voice felt ancient— cold and heavy. It wrapped around me like sheets of lead and filled me with sheer terror. I wanted to run, but my feet were frozen in fear.

"They have misled you, girl," it said. "Barter with me. I will give you what you want."

An image appeared in front of me of my mother. She looked just like she did the day she died. Her long brown hair was down, flowing around her messily, her face was bare of make-up with her loving smile that always made me feel safe and happy, no matter what. She was dressed in her pajamas. And her arms were open, like she was waiting for me to run into her embrace like when I was a little girl being picked up from school.

I tried to cry out, but my voice wouldn't work.

Cold laughter echoed from the chasm. An invisible force pulled me forward. It would drag me into the pit unless I stood firm.

"Help me rise, Astraea." The voice became hungrier. "Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!"

The spirits of the dead whispered around me, "No! Wake!" The image of my mother began to fade. The thing in the pit tightened its unseen grip around me. I realized it wasn't interested in pulling me in. It was using me to pull itself out.

"Good," it murmured. "Good."

"Wake!" the dead whispered urgently. "Wake!"

Someone was shaking me. My eyes opened, and it was daylight. I shot up, gasping for breath.

"Allie?" Luke asked, just barely avoiding our heads knocking together. "What happened, are you okay?"

I shuddered. "Just a nightmare," I managed to croak. "It was just a nightmare."

Luke looked tense. "Allie—"

"Come on," I interrupted. "We need to get to the train station, and quickly. I can get all of our tickets."

***

We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, and past amber waves of grain.

We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax. I felt like we were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity. I tried to read the books my friends had packed for me and played some cards with the boys, but I just couldn't get into it. Our deadline and my prophecy loomed ominously over me and I always ended up getting up to pace the length of the train instead.

Once, I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they (I assumed) hunted lunch. The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved. I looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.

Another time, toward the evening, I saw something huge moving through the woods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a Hummer. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light. Then it leaped through the trees and was gone. Frankly, I was relieved. I'd seen it before and I was in a bad enough mood without adding fighting the Nemean Lion to it.

The tickets I'd bought only went as far as Denver and, since I didn't want to waste any time, we decided not to wait four more days for a train to get us where we wanted. I had a bad feeling about wasting time, and I knew it'd be quicker and easier if we just got off in Denver. 

Luke and Grover had to almost physically fight me to keep me from buying us expensive seats that would actually give us beds. I was tired of sleeping uncomfortably, but Luke said if we got into a fight, being in a bigger space would help a lot more. 

At one point, Grover's shoe fell off and Luke and I had to hurry to replace it before any mortals noticed something was off.

"Angel," Luke said seriously as we sat back down again. "We need to talk about your dreams."

I tensed at that. I had no desire to talk about my nightmares of the pit despite having had a repeat of the dream only that night. It seemed as if by doing so I'd be turning them from bad dreams into the quest related visions that Luke had mentioned to me before.

"Allie," Luke pressed me when I didn't speak. "This is important. I can't help if I don't know the problem. And I know you had another dream last night. Tell me." He cupped my face to turn my gaze to him. I felt a strange feeling of warmth in my stomach and chest at the amount of concern in his bright blue eyes.

He has to have gotten those eyes from his father, I thought hazily. No way is that color natural. Way too vibrant.

"Fine," I huffed, breaking his stare and crossing my arms stubbornly.

His smug look at having broken my stubborn will vanished as I spoke, his demeanor becoming serious again.

"That doesn't sound like Hades," he said, chewing over my explanation. "He usually appears on a black throne, and I've never heard of him laughing."

"He offered to bring my mother back to life in trade though," I argued, a pang in my heart. "Who else has the power to do something that if not the god of the dead?"

"Thanatos is the god of the dead," Luke corrected me, tapping on his leg. "Hades is the god of the Underworld and everything under the earth. But Thanatos has even less to gain from this than Hades does. I guess it could be him. But why tell you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"

I shook my head, wishing I knew the answer. I thought about what Grover and I had discussed, that the Furies on the bus seemed to have been looking for something.

"Where is it? Where?"

Maybe Grover sensed my emotions. He snorted in his sleep, muttered something about vegetables, and turned his head.

I silently reached over and readjusted his cap so it covered his horns.

"Allie," Luke began carefully. "You know that you can't barter with Hades. He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"If that was them being unaggressive, I never want to actually piss them off," I cut him off sharply. My eyes fell to my lap as I started fiddling with the locket and the new necklace that hung around my neck.

The locket was an antique, belonging first to my great-great-grandmother and then being passed down through the generations until I received it from my mom. It was in the shape of a rose, made of real gold. On the outer edges of it were engravings of a rose and in the very center was a diamond and engravings to make it look like the north star. When I opened it, I saw a picture of my mother at twenty. She was standing on the beach in front of the ocean, with me heavily bundled up against the cold sea air cradled in her arms. On the other side was the most recent picture we'd taken together, right in front of our beach house. I'd thrown myself in her arms and Danny took the picture at the perfect time.

"I know that I can't try to bring her back," my voice was ragged as I spoke, and my lip shook slightly. I scowled to keep the tears that were stinging my eyes from falling. "But I just..." I fell silent. I didn't even know what I was going to say.

I started when Luke's arms wrapped around me and pulled me into a strong embrace. I stayed there for about a minute before pulling away and adjusting myself on the bench.

"While you were still out you mumbled a little about your mother and what happened to her. What was she like?" Luke treaded anxiously. The question hung unvoiced in the air between us, and for a moment I contemplated pretending I didn't pick up his hint. Instead, I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I kept on playing with my locket.

"My mom's name was Sally Jackson," I finally told him. I didn't look away from the necklace, determinedly studying the rose engraved on the shiny surface to avoid his gaze. "She was actually the nicest person ever, I'd bet my life on it. Her parents died when she was five, in a plane crash if you can believe it. Every time I got on a plane she about had a heart attack. When she was in college, she ended up having to drop out of school to nurse her uncle until he died and then she had me when she was nineteen. She loved English literature, so I grew up on Jane Austen and Shakespeare, stuff like that."

He gave me a small smile. "Is that why you can quote the whole Romeo and Juliet balcony scene from memory and not have to grab a source?" 

I giggled. "That and I recently played Juliet in a remake that comes out in a few months."

"Ah, my mistake." 

"Anyway, she got me into acting around the time I turned two. The director of the first movie I was in saw her walking around outside our apartment and needed a young child for a few scenes and she let them use me. After that... I'm not sure. I guess they liked how natural I was at it and continued putting me in things and now... my life is what it is. Getting followed whenever I go out to dinner. Flying around the world to perform songs that I've written. Walking red carpets. Having every inch of my body scrutinized whenever I appear on a runway. It's not all bad, but it certainly isn't entirely glamorous, either." I shrugged. "And then, when I was six, she married this asshole named Gabe. He liked taking my money to fund his gambling problem. Then he'd get drunk, his equally bitchass buddies would leave, and if my mom wasn't home, we'd argue. A lot."

Luke frowned at me, obviously putting a few of my hints together in his head. It wasn't hard to see that the scars that most definitely didn't come from a monster weren't caused by accident. He obviously felt like I wouldn't go into it, and he was right, and changed the subject. 

"I met Thalia just outside of a dragon's lair in Charleston," Luke said quietly. 

I started in surprise at the non sequitur and opened my mouth to tell him he didn't have to explain, but he held a hand up. 

"She was twelve, same as me. We had both run away from bad home situations, not really abusive, just bad, and we met Annabeth a few months later. She had just turned seven. We traveled together for a few months, before meeting up with Grover. And then we headed for Half-Blood Hill. We were being pursued by a legion of monsters sent by Hades to kill Thalia, and there was no way that we could have made it. We were about to be overwhelmed, only minutes from the border. Thalia made us go on ahead. She sacrificed herself. Zeus turned her into a tree, so now her lifeforce guards Camp."

I glanced at him. "Is there some kind of rule?" I murmured. "All half-bloods must have as screwed up childhood as possible. Ancient Law number whatever."

It wasn't remotely funny, but Luke cackled in laughter, anyway. We both pretended not to see the other wiping away tears.

Toward the end of our second day on the train, June 13th, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Luke craned his neck to see the Gateway Arch, which was a little anticlimactic, considering I'd been there before.

"Annabeth loves that stuff," he informed me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"What stuff?"

"Architecture. It's her favorite thing in the world. She wants to build a monument that'll last a thousand years."

"Lofty goal," I observed. "Makes me feel embarrassed about my ambition of living into my twenties."

"Ah now, Angel," Luke teased. "There's having a dream and there's being fanciful. All the trouble you get into will have you being buried at nineteen, tops."

"Make sure that there are roses and sunflowers at my funeral," I snarked back at him, ignoring Grover's obvious horror at our morbid humor.

"Oh, but of course, Angel," he answered in a posh British accent. I patted his shoulder condescendingly. 

"Let's visit the Arch!" Grover said, obviously trying to move the topic away from my funeral. I glared at him with an incredulous look on my face. He cowered from my infuriated glare as I went to whack him over the head with my bag.

"Are you serious? This is a mission to stop the apocalypse, not a fucking sightseeing tour! What the hell is the matter with you, you goddamned, furry—"

Luke placed a hand over my mouth. I tried to bite him, but he was too quick, pulling it away and putting it back too fast for me to either hurt him or continue my rant. "Calm yourself, Angel," he drawled. "I agree with Grover. We have a while before our train leaves again, we might as well do some sightseeing to distract ourselves from the whole apocalypse thing."

"But I've already been—"

"Doesn't matter, you can go again."

So that was how we ended up standing in line at an elevator in the St. Louis' Arch while Grover passed me jolly ranchers, me trying to slip them into my mouth without taking off the mask and sunglasses I'd put on to keep from being recognized.

I kept looking around, though, at the other people in line. "You smell anything?" I murmured to Grover, voice slightly muffled from the mask.

He took his nose out of the candy bag long enough to sniff. "Underground," he said distastefully. "Underground air always smells like monsters. Probably doesn't mean anything."

But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here.

"Guys," I said, shifting uneasily. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Hade—"

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?"

"Um, right," I said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Luke nodded. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" I asked.

He nodded again. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus— the shortest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than Annabeth's invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true..."

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" I asked.

Luke and Grover exchanged grim looks.

"We don't," Luke admitted. I noticed his hand slip to his disguised sheath, clutching his sword pommel as he scanned the area.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," I said. "Got any Snickers left?"

I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I remembered the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. It felt very different from the last time I was here.

We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye chihuahua, because none of the guards said a word about it. Usually, I liked animals, but something about that dog made me feel uncomfortable.

We started going up, inside the Arch. 

"No parents?" the lady asked us. She definitely wasn't gonna be winning any beauty contests with her beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp. I scolded myself for the insulting thoughts, but couldn't help but feel as though I needed to be wary. 

"They're below," Luke lied smoothly. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings."

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave." The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

"Sonny," I repeated. "Is that his name?"

"No," the lady told me. She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but it still felt weird and I wanted out of there.

Luckily for me, the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes. I actually thanked the gods, I was so relieved.

I steered Grover and Luke toward the exit, loaded them into the elevator, and I was about to get in myself when I realized there were already two other tourists inside. No room for me. Fan-fucking-tastic. The gods were seriously out to get me.

The park ranger said, "Next car, miss."

"We'll get out," Luke offered. "We'll wait with you."

But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I waved him off as I spoke, "Nah, it's okay. I'll see you guys at the bottom."

Grover and Luke both looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

I looked around uneasily and met the eyes of the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Forked tongue?

Fuck.

Before I even had time to sigh, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at me.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!" His parents pulled him back. The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

"Uh, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

She rolled up her denim sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, I saw that her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar. The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

Terror rose up inside my throat, nearly choking me as I scrambled to turn my necklace into a sword. There were still mortals there, so I didn't want to pull out Shaker. I'd have to go with only one sword this time.

The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA— RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS— IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS— EXT. 954.

I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter. "Be honored, Astraea Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

I stared at her. All I could think to say was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?"

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage. "I hate it when people say that! I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me. For that, Astraea Jackson, my son shall destroy you!"

The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. I managed to leap aside and dodge the bite.

I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

I couldn't let them get hurt. I ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!" The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible.

Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me.

I dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off my eyebrows. For once I was grateful for being forced to do the lava climbing wall at camp. At least I was mostly desensitized to being viciously burned now. I was hardly able to feel the mask fall off of my face. 

Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.

Great, I thought. I just blow torched a national monument. I was pretty sure that was a felony. Did Missouri have the death penalty? Oh, fuck, it did. Riptide was a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck.

That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. I tried to regain my balance, losing my sunglasses in the process, but I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and sank its fangs into my calf.

The pain was agonizing. My whole leg was on fire. I tried to jab Riptide into the Chimera's mouth, but the serpent tail wrapped around my ankles and pulled me off balance, and my blade flew out of my hand, spinning out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the Mississippi River.

As a last resort, I tried to pull out Shaker, but the Chimera wouldn't let me.

I managed to get to my feet, but I knew I had lost. I was weaponless. I could feel deadly poison racing up to my chest. I remembered Chiron saying that my swords would always return to me, but Riptide hadn't come back yet. 

I backed into the hole in the wall. The Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. The snake lady, Echidna, cackled. "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"

The monster growled. It seemed in no hurry to finish me off now that I was beaten. I summoned up enough strength to glare at it contemptuously like it was some sort of insect.

Then a noise made me glance at the park ranger and the family. The little boy was hiding behind his father's legs. I had to protect these people. I couldn't just... die. I tried to think, but my whole body was on fire. My head felt dizzy. 

There was no place else to go, so I stepped to the edge of the hole. Far, far below, the river glittered.

If I died, would the monsters go away? Would they leave the humans alone?

"If you are truly the daughter of Poseidon," Echidna hissed, "you would not fear water. Jump, Astraea Jackson. Show me that water will not harm you. Jump and retrieve your sword. Prove your bloodline."

I was genuinely torn. I knew that hitting water from very high up was the same as hitting concrete, but still. Chiron had said that children of gods had control over their immortal parents' domains. And I was dying anyway.

The Chimera's mouth glowed red, heating up for another blast.

"You have no faith," Echidna told me. "You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."

She was right: I was dying. I could feel my breath slowing down. Nobody could save me, not even the gods.

I backed up and looked down at the water. I'd never been afraid of heights, but staring down, knowing I was dead save for a miracle, made me nauseous. I remembered the warm glow of what could've been my father. My mom had taught me never to give up until you were outright dead. I couldn't disrespect her memory by not trying to do something to survive. My eyes darted frantically around the area, searching for a solution to my situation.

My eyes again went to water swirling beneath us. I remembered the swirling green trident that had appeared above my head the night of that fateful game of capture the flag, when Poseidon had claimed me as his daughter.

But this wasn't the sea. This was the Mississippi River, dead center of the USA. There was no Sea God here.

"Die, faithless one," Echidna rasped, and the Chimera was about to send a column of fire towards my face, but I reacted quickly and with the last of my strength, pulled out Shaker and stuck it through the Chimera's mouth. I didn't wait to see if both had dusted or if I'd even fully killed the Chimera.

With a final thought of both of my parents, I turned and jumped out of the Arch.

*    *    *

previous | next

SERIES M.LIST | MAIN M.LIST | TIPS

[ali-anne-undertale-stoof]

Did someone order the second half?

First half

Chapter 8: Chore Day!

A successful day! The house was absolutely spotless! Well, it will be once Sans cleans his room. But other than that, spotless!

So what does that mean? Television! Better known as a TV.

Papyrus excitedly sat his tailbone down on the sofa. "YOU KNOW... I HAVEN'T HAD THE CHANCE TO WATCH MUCH TV HERE. I WONDER IF IT'S ANY GOOD!"

He turned the TV on, and... Oh. It looks like some weird children's cartoon is playing. Why are they moving like that? Why do they look like fleshy anthropomorphic animals? And how did they get weapons that big???

"NYEH... TOO CHILDISH."

Zoop! The channel changed.

"The weather forecast today calls for a chance of snow in Snowdin and rain in Waterfall, just like every single day, so I'm not surprised. Sometimes I wonder..."

"UGH, NO! TOO BORING!"

"...why we even have this section in the news at all-"

Zeep! Now it's playing some kind of black-and-white silent film featuring a strange fleshy monster doing stunts for the audience.

Actually... This guy is pretty funny!

"YEAH!! THIS IS THE ONE!!" Papyrus bounced his leg happily as the "skeleton but fleshy" monster pulled various different Stunts as he ran away from the cops. What is he even in trouble for? Who cares! This film's hilarious!

Hold on a moment. Why does it feel breezy all of a sudden?

"SANS!!! DID YOU LEAVE A WINDOW OPEN?! WE LIVE IN SNOWDIN, REMEMBER?!!" Papyrus cannot believe he had to berate Sans for leaving the wind- OH MY GOD!!!!

A tornado of... of... STUFF paraded through the house like it owned the place. In five seconds flat, all of Papyrus' hard work was literally unravelled by the travelling THING. Sans' clothes? Everywhere! Lamps were knocked over, books and paper on the ground, the dust from the vacuum cleaner this morning, all over the place! It was a nightmare!

"WHAT. THE. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" Papyrus, the cool, calm, collected skeleton that he is, immediately flailed around and dashed around the living room in fury.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" Ever the stoic cool guy, Papyrus calmly and bravely pursued the trash-eating, kitchen-destroying tornado.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" The stone-faced warrior wrapped blue magic around the tornado faster than the speed of sound!

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE..." There. That should hold it.

The Great Papyrus was always under control.

With his incredible blue magic, Papyrus lifted the tornado of the kitchen floor and stormed into the living room, steadily growing angrier with every second he looked at the mess it caused.

And Sans had the audacity to look over the ledge like he was PROUD of himself!

"hey, bro."

"HEY? HEY?!?! DO YOU MIND EXPLAINING TO ME WHY THIS THING MADE A MESS OF MY PERFECTLY CLEAN HOUSE?!?!?!" Papyrus stomped his foot in rage.

"i made it. you like?" Sans' grin was so wide it reached his eyes. Papyrus did not return the same sentiment.

"I WOULD HAVE... IF IT DIDN'T TRASH THE HOUSE!!! LOOK AT YOUR CLOTHES!!! THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?!"

"i got better things to do."

"BETTER THAN DOING THE LAUNDRY??"

"it's more important, trust me."

"WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW THAN HAVING CLEAN CLOTHES!!! IT'S BASIC SELF-CARE, BROTHER!!!!"

Sans gave an infuriating nonchalant shrug.

"UGH, THAT'S IT!!!! YOU'RE ON LAUNDRY DUTY!!!!"

"aww, but bro..."

"NO, SANS!!!"

"did you mean nonsans?"

"NO!!!! I MEANT 'NO, SANS' BECAUSE I'M SAYING 'NO' TO YOU!!!!" Papyrus puts his head in his hands before he looked up at Sans again. "YOU BETTER DO YOUR LAUNDRY, BROTHER!!!!"

"alright..."

"AND I WILL BE WITH YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU DO IT!!!!"

Sans let out a long groan. This did not go according to plan. Why do self-sustaining tornadoes have to be so unpredictable?

He did it to himself.

Sans felt like a child being supervised by their parents after doing something bad, what with Papyrus watching him and all. So he reserved the rights to grumble like one.

"stupid clothes, stupid laundry, there's more important things i could do..."

"NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SELF-CARE, SANS!"

Papyrus didn't want to watch Sans grab clothes out of the hamper and put them in a plastic bag to take to the laundromat, but he didn't have much of a choice. The moment he left Sans alone, he created a SELF-SUSTAINING TORNADO, because OF COURSE he did! He silently wondered where that tornado went, anyway. He betted it was back in Sans' room. Well. At least it was contained.

His room...

"YOU DIDN'T CLEAN YOUR ROOM, DID YOU, BROTHER?"

"i had better to do." Sans shrugged, before going back to grumbling.

Papyrus sighed, facepalming. Of course...

"FINE. IF YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF MAINTAINING YOUR OWN LIVING SPACE, THEN I'LL HAVE TO DO IT FOR YOU!!!" With that, he stormed to Sans' room.

"aww, you're too kind, bro."

"SHUT UP!!!!"

The tidy skeleton stormed into Sans' room and SLAM! There went the door. As expected, Sans' room was in the exact same state it was left it. The cut out labels, shaped vaguely like animals. The pieces of paper with what looks like math hastily scrawn out and shredded all over the carpet. And the dust that accumulated from the exploding vacuum cleaner from this morning... Papyrus really needed to get a new vacuum cleaner. One thing that was notable, however, was that Sans' blueprints that were previously there were nowhere to be seen. He probably took it with him. Go figure.

Seriously, whatever Sans just HAD to do couldn't possibly be more important than self-care! But Papyrus knew that self-care was never a priority for Sans. Not at all.

"SANS..." Papyrus looked up, only to find cobwebs above the crusty mattress Sans called a "bed." A shiver went down his spine. Cobwebs meant spiders. And spiders are tiny bugs. Tiny bugs that could crawl between your bones and get into your joints! No. No! They had to be rid of IMMEDIATELY!!!

Papyrus looked around for his trusty feather duster... only to find it sitting outside on the balcony from where he fell off the roof.

"DANG IT!!!!" He pounded at the window in frustration. "WHOEVER BUILT THIS HOUSE, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A WORD!!!" He screamed at no one in particular.

This room felt really breezy... Wait.

Papyrus perked up and turned to find the tornado swirling around in the corner of the room. Sans' latest creation. Now, the cool skeleton knew that his brother was capable of incredible things, but nothing of this degree! Too bad it happened to ruin his day!

"STUPID SELF-SUSTAINING TORNADO!!!! LOOK AT YOU OVER THERE, OH, SO INNOCENT AFTER WRECKING ALL MY HARD WORK!!! SIGH... WHAT IS SANS GOING TO DO NEXT? PERHAPS HE COULD MAKE A FLASH FLOOD, OR A MAGNITUDE 7 EARTHQUAKE!!!" His eyes popped out of his skull. "WHY AM I EVEN TALKING TO YOU?!?! UGH, THIS WHOLE THING IS LUDICROUS. I'M TALKING TO A LITERAL TORNADO THAT MY BROTHER MADE, THAT'S JUST SITTING HERE DOING NOTHING, GATHERING DUST AND TRASH AND-"

Hold up, there's an idea!

"WAIT... IF I USED YOU TO CLEAN SANS' ROOM EVEN QUICKER... THEN I COULD SPEND THE REST OF THE DAY 'CHILLING OUT', AS IT WERE!!! YES YES, THIS IS PERFECT!!!!"

Without a second thought, Papyrus once again grabbed the tornado and positioned it with his magic. He cocked it like a vacuum cleaner that's ready to exterminate some ghosts!

Those poor ghosts...

Using the open end, the trashado briskly sweeped across the room, gathering every scrap of paper, every molecule of dust and the cobwebs up above. By the end of it, Sans' room was almost as spotless as the rest of the house! Another job well done!!!

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!! WELL, PAPYRUS, YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN! TIME FOR A SKELEBRATORY SNACK!!!!" Without needing to, the ingenious skeleton boy stretched his arms and... Ooh...

That lamp on the bedside table... So enticing... So delectible... It drew Papyrus in like a moth to a flame.

Flames were edible, right?

Papyrus should really learn not to chomp random lamps. He ran downstairs to find something to pick the glass out of his teeth when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye sockets.

A lone sock that Sans forgot to pick up when he made him organise his laundry earlier. Well, that won't do! No sock was going to ruin his lovely living room!

Maybe Sans needed a reminder to pick it up.

Luckily, he had just the thing! He pulled out a drawer and found some post-it notes and a pen, and got to writing.

SANS! PICK UP YOUR SOCK!

There! Problem solved! Papyrus proudly placed the post-it just above the sock, before he strolled into the kitchen to find something to pick his teeth with. A knife should do the trick!

A couple of minutes later, Sans struggled to haul the bag of laundry out the door. The shortie was never physically strong to begin with. Did Papyrus really think he could carry the whole bag without his magic?

Actually, he should probably use his magic. It would be a lot easier. Why didn't he think that before? Silly!

Just as he placed the bag down, something caught the corner of his eye socket.

"hm? whoops, guess i forgot one. come here, little guy." As he was about to pick up the sock, Sans spotted the note. Huh... That gave him an idea.

"pick up my sock, huh?" The little prankster smirked. "alright, just for you, bro."

It didn't take him long to find the post-its and leave a message.

ok.

Once that was over and done with, Sans picked the sock up... Then placed it back down. Any opportunity he could take to tease Papyrus, he would take.

"heh heh. welp. guess i have to do this stinkin' laundry." The short skeleton groaned. The sooner he can get this done, the sooner he can go back to what is REALLY important. Without a moment to lose, Sans finally hauled the heavy bag out of the door.

Not even ten minutes later, Papyrus returned to the living room, his teeth glass-free! He looked down at the sock. At first, he just figured Sans was still busy, but then he found the note...

Clever boy.

With a huff, Papyrus decided to leave another note.

DON'T PUT IT BACK DOWN! MOVE IT!

There! That should get through to Sans!

Satisfied, Papyrus went upstairs to check on his social medias.

About half an hour later, Sans came back with a fresh pile of clothes to put away. He was levitating it with blue magic. No way was he gonna carry all that with his tiny bone arms! He wondered if Papyrus responded to his adoring message.

The response made Sans let out a laugh that was somewhere between a chuckle and a giggle. Well, if Papyrus wanted him to move it, who was Sans to say no?

He moved it two inches to the right. That should do it.

"whoops. shouldn't forget the message." Sans tittered to himself as he grabbed the pile of post-it notes.

ok.

This was fun.

And it just kept going!

YOU MOVED IT TWO INCHES! MOVE IT TO YOUR ROOM!

ok.

Papyrus caught Sans place the sock back down that time! But instead of getting annoyed, he just left a note right when Sans could see him. The smaller brother's ribs hurt from suppressed giggles.

AND DON'T BRING IT BACK!

ok.

It's become a bit at this point. Papyrus' mood slowly changed from annoyance to amusement at the fact that this was still going on. How long can the twins keep this up, huh?

As for Sans, well... He enjoyed the distraction. Perhaps being pulled away from his project wasn't too bad.

IT'S STILL HERE!

didn't you just say not to bring it back to my room?

Papyrus was in the living room when he spotted Sans with the sock, dangling it over the edge of the landing almost threateningly. This whole thing was so silly, it was almost laughable!

"S-SANS..." Papyrus swallowed the urge to laugh. "W-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Similarly, Sans also swallowed his giggles. "nothing..."

"A-AHARE YOU SURE...?"

"yehehes..."

"D-DON'T YOHOHOU DARE..."

Oh, he dared.

Screw it, it was completely laughable.

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!!!"

"ehehehehehehehehe! ehehehe hehehe!"

"I CAHAHAHAHAHAN'T!!! I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!!"

Papyrus left one final note.

FORGET IT!

Sans wiped the tears from his eyes. Oh, this was fun. Messing around with his silly brother was always a treat.

That sock was a testament to that. That spot in the living room is its new home now.

He had to admit, he was impressed with Papyrus' hard work. He had a cleaning ethic Sans could only dream of.

Fresh clothes put away, Sans pulled out his blueprints once again. He finally figured it out.

The weird symbols, the calculations, the parts he needed. Now there was only one thing left to do before he got started on the thing.

He needed materials. But where could he get them?

Luckily, he heard of this magical place where materials just show up every day! There's always something new there, surely he could find the appropriate parts he needed.

And that place... was the Waterfall dump.

"don't worry, big guy. we'll make it back soon."

[goldenheartgirl1]

Rose and Marigold Ch.6- Blooming Passion

Marigold was shocked one day when Oscar returned to Versailles, tears sliding down her face and the absolutely most rage filled eyes that the redhead had ever seen in those sapphire orbs. It had only been a couple days since Oscar saw how France was really suffering, and now it was the only thing that flooded the blonde’s mind. Marigold helped the commander to her room and had them sit on the bed while Oscar explained that earlier one of the most powerful Duke’s had killed a child. A child that only wanted money for food. Even the hazel eyes teared up as she held Oscar in her arms and brushed her hair, trying to comfort the poor guard and urge her not to act irrationally. They decided to head back to the manor of Jarjayes, falling into a peaceful slumber of cuddling and kisses, to which right before bed Marigold made a promise to Oscar she would stay at the manor for a while.

Once her friend and lover had left the next day, Marigold began to scour the mansion for items that were broken or unused, whether that was a damaged fork or a clock that was broken. She took her time combing through and making sure not to be caught as she piled all the old things into her room. Putting all the items in a satchel she hurried out to the brown colored mare in the stables and rode off to the city in haste, looking for shops that could trade the items for money. There was some luck, but clothing did not sell so Marigold decided to just give the clothes to those that needed it. She rode through the slums with a dark cloak to cover her hair, handing out whatever coins she had until they were all gone, which saddened her when she had to turn others away. The redhead was determined to do all she could for these people, and despite her promise to Oscar she rode to Versailles next. Getting in was not an issue, but finding an excuse to take broken stuff from Versailles was another thing, most nobles brushed her off while servants inquired why she was taking the trash.

Soon the redhead had charmed her way through Versailles with a satchel of broken or unwanted items and happily rode back to the city, proud that she was able to avoid Oscar and the queen herself. By the second trip through the slums, she graciously gave away everything she collected and smiled when the people thanked her. Once again her hands were empty though and there was nothing more for her to give, meaning it was time to leave. She took a slow ride through the slums, not wanting to rush home so soon or risk the chance of her hood falling off and uncovering her hair. Marigold watched the sky peacefully as the horse walked through the slums, the hazel eyes reflected its many colors in the sunlight and she felt at peace with the warmth of the fall season.

“Amee!” A voice called, causing Marigold to snap out of her trance and slow her horse down to a stop, a man came running up to her.

He looked like another noble but that only confused the girl since this area was composed of the poor. His hair was dark as leather and his eyes even a darker brown, his clothes were clean but his hair seemed messy. “I’m sorry but I am not a person called Amee. Can I assist you?”

“How dare you speak to me as a stranger!”

“But..you are-“

“Insolent brat, how did you earn your keep at Versailles? Did you sell yourself to a noble like that prostitute Du Barry?”

Marigold’s eyes narrowed and chose to do a different tactic, not showing any fear she hissed back. “And why should I answer you? What have you given me that is so profound?”

The man stilled for a moment, then suddenly changed tune and commented. “Amee, please, father is ill. You cannot hold a grudge against him.”

Father? Now Marigold’s stomach sank but she did her best not to show it. “Answer me this, does he not earn my fury after the knife in my gut? Or for the sake of my mother?”

“H-how cruel! Your mother’s death was by her birthing you! If anything you deserved all the pain we gave you! You owe us for taking her!”

“And what of us? You claim you found me just for my abusive father?” A wave of nausea hit Marigold and her head started to sting.

“I had to do what I needed to in order to provide for our family. But now we are running out of money..” He spoke with frustration, his hands shaking at his sides as he glared up at Marigold. “I..father said you were dead, but when I heard of a redhead singing at Versailles..”

Marigold’s eyes widened as she questioned. “How could you become paupers? From your greed?”

“Do not talk down to me!” He snarled and his face grew red as his temper rose. “You left us without our mother, our father hated you by how much you resembled her and fell into madness, you should have just dyed your hair as i warned you!”

She heard enough and jumped down, unsheathed her sword and pointed it at the man’s neck, glaring at his shocked expression. “Pol?”

“W-what are you doing? Don’t aim a blade at your brother!”

“You are not my brother..Osmont is not my father! Never approach me again!”

Marigold sheathed her blade then climbed onto her horse, she smacked the reins and raced out of the slums with Pol yelling after her angrily and desperately. The redhead's eyes watered dangerously, blurring her vision as she raced home to the manor of her master. Her head throbbed and stung with pain as she tried to block out Pol’s words, she did not want to remember, she never wanted to remember since Oscar had found her. When she arrived at the stable her eyes were too swollen for her to even open them, she quickly put her horse in her pen before racing to one of the trees and curling up under the color changing leaves. Marigold pulled her knees to her chest and hid her face in her legs, crying in whimpers and silent hiccups, her hair draped around her as a cover from the world.

A hand touching her shoulder made Marigold gasp and flinch, looking up at Nanny with her tear stained face, the older woman frowned and knelt down to hug the girl. “Oh dear, what’s wrong Marigold?”

“I..i think i remember.”

Nothing else was said and they just held each other, a few minutes later Nanny insisted on getting Marigold to bed and helped her inside. The young woman followed mutely as Nanny helped her to the bed and removed the cloak, then told the girl to rest before leaving the room. Marigold wept silently with dying emotions, her anger and fear was reduced to a numbness, she tried to compile all her thoughts among the new and old memories. She couldn’t remember her mother or father, but now she did not want to after meeting her brother, it was clear that her father despised her for her mothers appearance. At the thought of what kind of woman her mother was, she wondered if she was kind and loving, or would she have been as vile as her father and brother? Marigold would never know now, nor did she even want to ever find out. But that raised some questions, if she were from a noble family or one that made money, does that mean they hid her from others? Was anyone looking for her? Did they lose all their money from impractical needs? The more the young woman thought, the faster she fell into her stupified state of mind.

Without realizing it, hours had passed and it was close to evening, she barely registered the door opening until a hand brushed the red hair from her hazel eyes. Marigold felt drained, but gathered the strength to look up as a gentle kiss was placed on her cheek. “Oscar?”

“Marigold..” Oscar mused softly, helping Marigold lay on her back and looked at her lover in worry. “Your eyes are puffy, what happened?”

“I..I met someone..My brother.” Marigold’s voice croaked out from the dryness and exhausted feeling that weighed her body down into the bed.

Sapphire eyes grew, Oscar sat beside her and whispered her question. “Did he try to hurt you?”

“He threatened me, but I dealt with him.” The hazel eyes closed to wet her agitated eyes. “He was saying how it was my fault my mother passed..that I owe him and my father for being useless and taking away my mother..”

“You owe them nothing, they deserve nothing.” Oscar growled a little, she cupped Marigold’s cheeks and rubbed her thumbs slowly against the freckled skin.

“They lost all their money, they are new to poverty. Oscar, is it wrong of me to believe they have gotten what they deserved?”

“No, they deserve to live in misery after what they put you through.”

“I feel so..tired, Oscar. I’m glad I will never see them again, but my head is swimming in dark clouds.”

“Look at me Marigold.”

She did as she was told and opened her hazel eyes, staring at the blue ones the entire time that Oscar began planting small kisses on her face and lips. Marigold whimpered as she kissed Oscar heatedly, wrapping her arms around the royal guard and deepening the kiss the moment the blonde responded. They stayed in this embrace for a couple minutes before Oscar pulled away and gave a small smile at Marigold, keeping her voice low. “Allow me to pull you back to your home, you are no longer alone and I love you.”

That was the first time Oscar ever said it first, Marigold was normally the one to say ‘I love you’ and would receive a reply, but her heart swelled with joy hearing it from Oscar. “Oscar, I love you too, more than anything.”

They continued to hold each other, only getting up from the bed when it was time to eat, but when nightfall had already come Marigold found herself still alone in Oscar’s bed. The blonde claimed she needed to get some air, yet she has yet to return and it was already so late. When the door to the room did open, Marigold quickly looked to the royal guard as she started to dress down for the night. The blue eyes found hazel quickly and Oscar questioned quietly. “Marigold? Why are you still awake?”

“I..I wanted to make sure you were here.”

“I see, well I am here now, you can sleep.”

“Oscar? Why was there so much tension at the table tonight?” Marigold watched as Oscar froze up. “Are you hiding something?”

She stood tall and proud, but did not turn to look at the redhead, slowly she replied. “I have a duel tomorrow with the Duke. Pistols at dawn.”

A gasp left Marigold and she quickly got out of the bed, ignoring the cold that shocked her body, and hurried to Oscar. “Oscar! I understand your anger towards him, but this is a life! Who are we to play God? And what if he kills you?!”

“Marigold-”

“No! Please yield! Please Oscar, I don't want to lose you!”

“Marigold!” Oscar suddenly snapped back, but quieted her voice down again. “I will not die.”

“Y-you can’t-”

“I promise.”

The redhead felt like crying again, the capable hands of her lover held her shoulders as those sapphire eyes bore into her hazel ones, and that cursed smile of confidence made Marigold nearly whimper. There was no way to talk Oscar out of this, she knew it, nothing would ever talk Oscar out of something she needed to do. Marigold quickly hugged Oscar, her hands shaking as the warm ones of her lover rubbed her back, and the valley of red hair soothed Oscar as the softness brushed against her chest. Without any warning, Oscar swept Marigold up and carried her back to the bed, laying the lithe woman down before getting over her and asking.

“Marigold, may I have more of you tonight?”

The redhead nodded and gave her best smile in return. “Yes, please Oscar..”

Without hesitation, Oscar kissed Marigold roughly, her lips sliding desperately against Marigold’s soft pair. Their tongues immediately met soon after for another duel while Marigold shuddered when Oscar’s left hand began trailing down her body. Her hand was tentative as she explored the redhead’s body, tracing over her collarbone, then dipping down the valley of her breasts and stopping at her scar. Marigold broke the kiss and looked up at Oscar with a gentle expression, noticing how Oscar’s eyes narrowed in conflict. “Oscar..if you’re not ready-”

“I am, I just..I am trying to see how I should pleasure you.”

“Oscar, may I guide you? I can take over.”

Oscar juggled with her pride and worry, but nodded her head and laid down on her back while Marigold moved over her and initiated the next kiss. It was slow and calming, unlike the rushed kiss that Oscar started with, and the redhead sucked lightly on Oscar’s bottom lip for a second before returning to a normal kiss. While Oscar had started to explore with her hand Marigold decided to use her lips, pulling from the kiss she kissed down the blonde’s throat to her chest, her hands resting on Oscar’s hips for the time being. A shudder surprised Marigold as her lips had traced over Oscar’s left breast, and she looked up at the guard to see if she was still comfortable, getting a silent nod in return. Marigold’s lips kissed at Oscar’s breast before her tongue hesitantly brushed against the skin, but as she heard a gasp from the blonde she became more confident and licked at her nipple instead. Oscar was internally struggling, Marigold accepted her no matter what she believed to be, however she knew in the end she was a woman. She wanted to give all she had to Marigold, and that had to start with her learning.

Sapphire eyes watched as Marigold switched to her other breast, and the redhead’s fair hand reached down to brush her fingers on the inside of Oscar’s right thigh, causing her to tense up for a second from the unfamiliar touch. Marigold pulled away from Oscar’s breast to kiss down her stomach, her left hand continuing to slowly brush Oscar’s legs to get her used to the heat, it was then that Oscar felt a tight heat pool down into her nether regions. All of this was unfamiliar, strange, but not unwelcome. Soon, the hand stopped and as did the kissing, Marigold looked up to the flushed face of the blonde and asked softly. “Do you want me to continue?”

“Yes please.” Oscar groaned out, she was anxious for any sort of touch at this time.

Smiling gracefully, Marigold shifted her gaze down and carefully touched the delicate folds with her right index finger, then slowly slid it into Oscar’s virgin hole. A violent jolt made her stop for a moment but Oscar’s eyes blazed with the kind of determination she had protecting someone she cared for, it was a plea not to worry about her. Marigold nodded and leaned up to kiss Oscar again, this time Oscar was incredibly eager and wrapped her arms around Marigold tightly, the blonde moaned against her lover’s lips as she felt the finger within her begin to thrust slowly. Rarely did Oscar present herself as a woman or vulnerable to anyone, it made the woman weary but with Marigold she felt no awkwardness or discomfort, only overwhelming love and trust. A second finger joined the first in quicker succession, a louder moan escaping Oscar’s throat and Marigold releasing a hum of endearment. After they broke the kiss for air, Marigold suddenly shifted down and removed her fingers from the moist opening, moving her tongue in place of her fingers and slowly licked at her entrance. Oscar’s body quivered and she released a low moan, quickly cupping her hand over her mouth she watched Marigold with surprise and continued to sing into her hand in pleasure. Marigold continued to eat her lover out, her heart throbbed painfully in her chest over the idea that she was able to make Oscar feel this good, her tongue dug in deeper with her encouraged thoughts.

Oscar was dizzy from the heat radiating from her body, overcome from the pleasure she never felt, yet it was not nearly enough. The tightening in her stomach was merely a symbol of all she was missing out on, and she wanted it to finally snap. Her hands reached down to grasp at the red hair of Marigold, making a point to tug her closer as she mewled. “Mar-ah~ Marigold- Nngh!”

Marigold’s nails gently clawed at Oscar’s legs, licking faster as she moved one hand closer to her core and her thumb touched the blonde’s clit. That action alone had Oscar gasp out in surprise and a gush of heat left her body, catching Marigold by surprise as she practically drank the sweet nectar. Sitting up, Marigold smiled at Oscar and leaned back over to kiss her again, the blonde was blissed out but quickly became focused as soon as she tasted herself on Marigold’s lips. Suddenly the redhead was turned over and the kiss was abruptly broken, her hazel eyes looking at Oscar in shock as the royal guard began to suck and nip at her neck and collarbone, generating a series of whines and moans from the singer's throat. Oscar has heard her singing before, but this was far more beautiful to her. The urge to hear more and pleasure Marigold to the fullest extent became Oscar’s mission, her right hand moved down to rub at the redhead’s cunt while her left hand occupied itself with fondling Marigold’s right breast.

In comparison to Marigold, Oscar overwhelmed her lover with speed and multiple sensations, whereas Marigold focused on one sensation at a time at a slower pace that was maddening. Oscar wasted no time slipping in two fingers and thrusting them deep into Marigold while also sucking on her neck to leave a dark mark. Hazel eyes rolled up from the fingers within her and prepared to lose herself, but the feeling of Oscar sucking on her pulse kept her grounded from achieving such euphoria. Marigold let out a squeak as she felt a third finger slide in, Oscar’s hands both had strength and tenderness to them while thrusting into her wet heat, leaving her craving for more.

“A-ah, haa~ O-Oscar, it’s too much~”

“I know you can handle it.” Oscar whispered to her, moving her left hand up to cup Marigold’s cheek to plant a kiss on her lips, sliding her tongue in the second their lips connected.

Marigold shook under her lover and attempted to fight back the tongue invading her mouth but lacked the strength. Slender arms reached up to grasp onto Oscar’s shoulders and proceeded to claw into them while moaning her song, receiving a grunt from Oscar as well. Much to Marigold’s disappointment she could feel herself about to come, desperately she tried to hold back to enjoy this passion but Oscar made it increasingly harder with her insistent fingers. Oscar was thankful she had kissed Marigold to hide the scream of pleasure from the rest of the manor, otherwise they would have had some unwanted guests. Marigold’s body arched up as her body pulsed, her core quivering as she felt her juices slide down Oscar’s fingers, the redhead dropped and panted softly for air after Oscar pulled from the kiss. Curiously, the blonde removed her fingers and gently licked the discharge from her fingers, savoring the peculiar taste before grabbing the nearby wash cloth from the water basin and rinsing her hands off.

Hazel eyes watched in devotion to the beautiful guard above her, who gently started to clean the mess on both of their nether regions, she smiled and asked softly. “How did you feel, Oscar?”

Sapphire eyes gazed lovingly in return as a smile graced her features, she set the basin and cloth down to lean over and give another gentle kiss as she answered. “You were wonderful, it all felt so..spellbinding.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Marigold giggled and sighed happily, curling under the covers and waiting for Oscar to join her, quickly wrapping her arms around her lover.

The sapphire eyes continued to watch the hazel ones as they enjoyed the moment of bliss, Oscar’s fingers began to card through the red hair while Marigold planted kisses on Oscar’s arm. Before either of them realized it, sleep held them and continued to hold them through the night until Marigold awoke to find Oscar missing from bed. Fear pierced the young woman’s heart but all she could do was wait until she received news of the duel. Much to her relief, Oscar returned later that day and embraced Marigold, both women overjoyed by their love not being severed by a single bullet. André informed Nanny and Marigold about Oscar’s confinement punishment for accepting the duel, but Oscar was not hurt and that’s all Marigold cared about. They all began to discuss what to do for the month and Oscar commented on how this was the perfect opportunity to visit one of Master Jarjaye’s homes in Arras, much to André’s and Nanny’s surprise. Marigold however was pleased to see how happy Oscar was, perhaps this “confinement” was a well deserved vacation.

[one-abuse-survivor]

Hey, this is the roommate anon.

So, my dad and I are looking for someone to rent the room left by the roommate who was having repeated medical emergencies. A coworker had expressed interest. Previously, she had said she only needed one room, but now she needs two rooms. We have a side room that we had rented out a few years ago, but the guy straight up disappeared on us. So my dad said we could give them the side room. My stipulation is that I’m not sharing my bathroom, cause the guy who disappeared had shared my bathroom, and after a gallbladder surgery, that became an issue. Also, it’s messy, and I’m not willing to clean it to anyone else’s standards. Which means slow going.

The coworker and her nephew showed up today unannounced, towards the end of me eating lunch. I’ve been cleaner than I used to be, but there’s still some of my stuff that need to be neatened up, in addition to a bunch of my dad’s stuff stored in the living room, and a bunch of stuff from both ex roommates in the side room. And add in the fact that I hadn’t cleaned up from lunch yet, it wasn’t perfectly cleaned through out the house. Not terrible, but not great.

My coworker and her nephew asked if we wanted help to clean stuff up, for everyone’s health, because of bacteria and germs. This bothered me, because the mess wasn’t that bad, and also so much of it belongs to other people. And then she showed up without warning. Like, it just bothers me so much that she’s complaining about the kitchen right after I used it, or the rugs being dirty (yes, there’s stains from the past 16-17 years, again not entirely my fault). Like I said, I was eating lunch, and was gonna neaten up after. And I don’t mind my dad having a bunch of his stuff here, it’s his house, but I’m not gonna have it blamed on me. And it just bothers me so much that she said that bit about germs and bacteria when she showed up unannounced, especially cause I don’t think it’s as bad as all that.

I think a large part of the reason it upsets me so much is cause my ex step mom basically used me being messy (because of depression) as an excuse to invade my privacy for years, and then I had a bunch of people give me a bunch of different advice over the years, none of which worked, it only gave me problems with hoarding. So far, the only two things that have helped are: 1. Cleaned on a timer, and 2. It doesn’t have to be perfect. That, and that I don’t have to be responsible for other people’s messes. And I don’t know if it’s a culture thing, or if she has some mental thing where she can’t have any mess whatsoever, or what, but I told my dad that I don’t really want to live with someone who shows up unannounced, and criticizes something that isn’t that bad. Especially cause I had to show my dad the kitchen, and then how much of the stuff in the living room is his to get him to believe me. Cause all he did was say that maybe it was the smell. We have compost without a lid (his choice, not mine), the sink has been having problems with smell recently, and then My cat eats wet food, which I put the cans in the trash, and his only suggestion was to get another trash bin, which only makes things more complicated and goes back to part of the issue of making things more complicated just makes me more messy. He hasn’t even met her face to face yet, and I had to literally prove him wrong to get him to actually take my side.

Hey, nonnie! I'm sorry this happened. It sounds like a complicated situation, and though I know this ask is old and I'm sure the situation has resolved or at least changed by now, I hope you know that it's absolutely fair to have that boundary to not want to live with someone who shows up unannounced and criticises the way the house looks.

I mean, I've lived in rented places for the past 7 years of my life, and I get that when you move into a new place that has been lived in by others, you want to clean everything a bit just to feel comfortable inside it. Maybe this is a me thing, but I always clean and disinfect the surfaces and cabinets before I start to fill the place with my things. Otherwise I get really uncomfortable and constantly feel like I need to wash my hands and like I don't want to touch anything. Not necessarily because I think it's full of germs or bacteria—I just like having control and knowledge of what's been in contact with the things I touch in my living space 😅

But it's one thing to have that need to clean up your new living space, and another thing entirely to show up whenever you want to before said space is ready for you and start making comments about the conditions the space is in. And while I do think your personal history can be a part of why this affected you more than maybe it would've affected someone else, that doesn't change the fact that they had no right to show up unannounced like that, and you have a right to set boundaries and be taken seriously.

Sending a virtual hug ❤️

[dandelionwhisp]

Credit

An Automaton AU ft. Azul

Automaton Au by @jackplushie !!

I hope I’ve done some justice to all the amazing writers I’ve seen writing this au. Enjoy and thank you for reading! <3

—————————————————

“Oh wow- Your files are so well organized!” A fellow scavenger friend of yours came over to hang out and talk about your recent finds.

“Everything is in a specific place and labeled too! Blueprints, notes, maps and diagrams, even costs of machinery!”

You had shut down your automatons for the day so they wouldn’t cause a ruckus, after all yours were known to be a bit... unpredictable around other people.

“Hm? Oh- nah none of that was me. Azul, organized those stuff. Like all of it. He’s incredibly skilled.” You shrugged honestly, smiling to yourself as you remembered jolting awake at night, only to see Azul copying all your papers and placing them in neat folders despite you never asking for it. “He works pretty hard.”

“Azul?... Oh- oh your bot? You give credit to your bots..?”

“I mean- yeah? I didn’t do any of it after all.”

Your friend hummed. “I guess that makes sense. Sorry I’m just so used to people taking full credit of what their bot did.”

You shook your head irritably. “Credit should be given where credit is due.” You both made soft conversation as an onlooker gazed at you in shock. Not that it showed on his face. After all. He was supposed to be completely shut down.

Azul often scoffed at his masters, those who believed they had any power over him and took the credit for his hard work. Once information was handed over, Azul was the one in control now. Despite this, he is still just a bot. Humans had created many failsafes in case of malfunctions and to think with a mind of your own as an automaton made to serve, was definitely considered a malfunction.

Everything would be wiped and taken away from him and like trash, he was thrown aside. He would never feel that stability of power again.

Until you came along. Eyes shining, you were perfect for him. Easy to manipulate, naive and excited over every little thing you found rotting in abandonment within the dump outside your home. You were his savior, his client. His victim.

But he had learned his lesson. This time, he would be more cautious. He would do things for you without being asked to under the pretense of “repaying a debt” as he called it, he would let you become dependent and cocky like every human does. He would suck it up when you took the credit for his efforts in order to benefit him in the long run.

But you didn’t. No none of his past experiences could prepare him for the way you checked in on him as he worked, asking if he wasn’t burning himself out (literally) or the way you thanked him sincerely for his hard work. Azul was never worried over, never thanked.

He suffered to take revenge on those who wronged him. But how was he supposed to take revenge on someone who only did him right? For now, at least.

So as he waited, hidden behind a curtain, Azul trained his eyes on you and your friend conversing happily.

‘Credit should be given where credit is due.’ you had said.

It wasn’t the first time you exercised that belief. Even as you received strange looks from others who would’ve done differently, you always gave credit where it was due.

“Ruggie found those parts for me actually. He’s got a sharp eye!”

“No, no, I didn’t make that- Trey did. Pretty good right? Let me tell you about the time he made some brownies...”

“I didn’t put this together on my own. Jamil and Jade gave a lot of guidance too. They’re really helpful with repairs and stuff.”

“Kalim and Epel had a hand in cleaning the house with me the other day! There were some stumbles but it was probably the most fun I had cleaning my garage ever.”

“Isn’t my makeup amazing?? Vil is so good with it and I can’t believe how talented he is— yes I know he’s a bot it’s still cool though!”

To be praised. To be referred to as an equal. It is unheard of for automatons to receive that kind of treatment. Ever. Until they met you. And they would do anything to keep you.

“Thanks for having me over! Haha if you ever don’t need your Azul bot, then send him over to my house- I could use that hardworking efficiency.”

“Pfft alright I’ll ask him about it.” Your friend rolled their eyes with a laugh and waved goodbye.

You picked up the food remnants of your friend’s visit and put everything away in the rare silence of your home. There was usually always some machinery whirring or clicking coming from your bots- if not the endless chatter from the more talkative ones.

Making your way over to the translucent curtain draped over the bots you thought so fondly of, you dusted Azul off and fixed his glasses with a gentle smile. The same one you wore when he was nothing but broken scraps with nothing to offer.

“Azul, you could probably be assigned to someone really rich and powerful with better living conditions than a scavenger like me.” You touched his face gently. “I’m sorry you’re stuck with me for now.”

Just as you powered him on, his hand shot out to grab your wrist. Yelping in surprise, your eyes met with his periwinkle ones glimmering with something unknown.

“A-Azul?”

You wince as his grip becomes tighter and more unforgiving, sure to leave a mark. Just as he wants.

He brings your hand up, pressing your palm to his lips in a manner too intimate for an automaton to be capable of. Tears welled up in your eyes at the sensation of pain and tenderness from him as he whispers against your skin.

“I will never serve any one else but you. No one. Not even you can tear me away from being yours. Or you mine.”

You gave this poor little octobot a chance to experience something he had never even dreamed was possible before, and you can’t possibly think about letting him go anytime soon because you were different. So he would treat you differently.

The day you took him in, you made a deal. A deal that enabled equal and opposite care between the two of you.

Credit should be given where credit is due, and Azul feels as though he hasn’t given enough credit for all the kindness you’ve shown him.

The automaton intertwines his fingers with your own, sending shivers down your spine, and flashes a smile similar to that of a businessman who scored a good deal.

Hitched breathing and heart thumping, he brings you to his chest. Somehow cold yet burning against your skin.

“You’re mine.” he repeated, commandingly. desperately.

You signed the contract marked upon his manmade heart, so won’t you let him stick around? Don’t worry, it’s just until the contract ends.

And as for how long it stays active?

Indefinitely.

[diedbutterflies69]

Cars- Bang Chan imagine

Contains: explicit sexual contact, chan as hot rich hotel owner, car sex, slight degradation, blowjob, fingering, etc

Minors don't interct.

Working in one of the most expensive hotels in the country was something you never expected. You were just a normal student who was struggling to meet deadlines and pay for tuitions and so doing many part time jobs. A law student washing dishes in random restaurant and drooling over food, observing the way those chefs used to work with wok , deep fried food, the process fascinated you so much. Even though you were familiar with cooking since a young age it was rather more like responsibility, a chore. And that's how you learned cooking by slowly observing the chefs and utube videos, as changing the entire career dreams at the last year was little too wild and impossible. But struggles eventually leads to happiness, the owner of one of the restaurant you used to work at got surprisingly close with you ,her name lucy a single divorced hot milf she thaught you many skills and tricks with cooking. Your last straw before quitting the law school was getting failed . And just like that a blessing in disguise. She noticed how dishearted you were and then decided to give you the greatest opportunity in your life.

Working in God's menu was every chef's dream, and Lucy made your dream come true. The owner and main chef of God's menu Bang Chan was close with Lucy and just by that using some connections you got yourself inside that paradise, but Chan was a total boomer with you, he didn't wanted to give you job at the first place as you lacked experience and knowledge but he valued friendships way too much to deny Lucy.

Chan was always hard on you, constantly making you work with him, teaching the mystery behind flavours, making you memorize foreign cuisine recipes, you sweared you didn't even struggled that much in law school as there was no one lecture you and expect from you. He acted all tough just to make you perfect and eventually became close, you fell in the pit of one sided love the moment Chan agreed to hire you. What you adored most about Chan was how he always made sure to not make you panic while being near fire, never told you to hurry while cutting vegetables. His this small gestures meant so much too you. And in span of 7 months that baby was finally your boyfriend. Chan was someone who followed his heart and just like that, he confessed in the most cheesiest way possible. And here you are today a great chef with lot of knowledge and a handsome, caring and loving boyfriend. 3 years of loving relationship.

"baby~~ " you said while hugging your boyfriend from the back who was too invested in making a 4 tower cake for his best friend's wedding even though he wasn't much experienced with baking whatever he tried doing was no less than perfection.

"yes, baby? Need anything?", Chan asked you. Even though you have been listening to his sweet honey voice since years it never failed to make your heart flutter.

"stop working now, it's 2:30 am let's go home now", you whined slightly tipping on toes and kissing Chan's neck. Getting a small hum from your boyfriend.

"just few more minutes babe", Chan said turning back and softly giving pecking your forehead . You huffed in response being too tired of your boyfriend's night owl tendencies, you went back to the table and singing a good night in most extra way possible. Chan just smiled at his girlfriend, he too wanted to go home and just cuddle with you but work was trash .

Finally looking at clock it was 3 :15 something, his work finally done. After cleaning up every thing,washing the dishes and shoving the massive cake into refrigerator carefully, Chan happily made his way to you. He too saying baby~ in most extra way possible, he was an true night owl no matter how much he worked at nights without you being by his side he wasn't able to fall asleep. A habit he picked up 3 years ago.

"get up, it's 5 am", Chan whispered into your ear while aggressively moving you to make you leave your dreamland.

"aggh, good morning the love of my life", you said slowly leaving your subconscious world. Even in slight unconscious mind you were flirty and cheesy.

"good morning, it's 5 A.M ", Chan again told you a wrong time just messing up with you.

"what the fuck", you yelled being angry on your boyfriend's crazy work habits , you were glaring at him till he bought his his wrist infront of your face . His watch reading 3 : 08 , being confused and worried for your wrong vision you looked at the wall clock that to read 3:07 am.finally realising you have been scammed.

" you fucking lier", you yelled at Chan for pranking you, but you were glad that he finished the work soon.

"heheh", Chan laughed, he was too cute for you.

"let's just go home", you said trying to keep a poker face, packing your stuff then gripping Chan's hand and walking out of the space.

Going down through the elevator, Chan unleashing his 50 shades enthusiast.

"What is it about elevators?" Saying this and immediately pulling you into a deep kiss, he tasted like chocolate probably from the previous cake flavours, his tongue feeling so good while exploring your mouth, one hand at the back of your neck and the other interlocked with yours. His lips always felt like heaven.

He broke the kiss as the door opened, he adjusted your hair and outfit and locking his eyes with you giving you a warm smile, fully a contradiction to his previous action. This man's duality always suprised you.

"let's go baby~", Chan said getting out of elevator with you, hands interlocked moving back and forth, if someone saw you both they would probably think that you both are possessed, smiling and jumping like kids finally reached the car.

"let me open the door for you", Chan said with a smirk while opening the car door for you , there was not a single human present in the parking lot, creepy vibes but perfect for your both future activities. Chan entered the car and stared at you in the most innocent way possible.

"what?", You asked him giving him the same innocent eyes.

"babe, the kiss made me hard", Chan admitted almost shamelessly his eyes pointing at his pants , and yes it was a great hot site too notice.

"will you melt, till we reach home?", You asked Chan looking into his eyes hands slowly creeping to his thighs dangerously close to the not so safe zone.

"I would rather burst here than melt till we reach home", Chan said holding your hand bringing it straight over his memeber, you blushed deeply at his actions.

"Come on babe, we had done Car sex multiple times", Chan said making you blush and wet down there even more. You got a little too needy as the memories of Chan fucking you ruthlessly on the back site of the car came to your mind. Your hand still palming his cock through pants.

"hop on the backseat", you said almost breathlessly, Chan smirking at your needy , horny State. You both went on the backseat to make a great mess over there .

"aaah" , you moaned loudly as Chan slapped your left boob while sucking your neck. His teeth never failed at marking you all over, his touch was heaven especially whenever he squeezed the back of your neck or roughly groped those boobs. Detaching himself from your neck he gripped your neck in an erotically painful way and forcing you on your knees.

"Suck, use that mouth atleast one time for a good cause", Chan said , his degrading voice mixed with heavy lust. Nodding at his words , without wasting any time you bought your hands to undid his belt and zipper . Palming him through his boxers and finally releasing it from all restraints, you slowly put hs cock inside your mouth, he was really really hard. A fucking long and thick cock he had, you not being able to take him even half way as the position was slightly painful but nevertheless you started bopping your head up and down and palming the remaining with your hands. His loud groans and moans indicated that he was satisfied enough, you increased your speed, occassionally hollowing your cheeks to take him deeper every time. He gripped your head as he was close , he started to move your mouth as he pleased making you gag non stop, it hurted but you liked it so much. " You feel so fucking good, all mine", Chan said breathlessly after a final thrust and empting himself inside your mouth, his cum feeling your mouth in escasty. You sucked off every single drop not wasting anything.

Chan lifted you up from the car floor and made you sit on his lap. You looking fully fucked out, with clothes misplaced and mouth dripping with saliva and his liquid , black mascara tears running down.

"My precious slut", Chan said while making his way to your panties, your jeans were already removed a long ago.

"you want my fingers? Hmm?" Chan said as his fingers were slowly entering your pussy , his cold hands making you shiver .

"yes please sir" , you begged voice laced up with pure desperation and needily grinding on his fingers and thighs. Chan smirked again at you.

"what you want more, my fingers or my cock?" Chan made gave you 2 choices both of them heaven.

"your cock, sir please" You begged again. He finally smiles at you pure ill intention smile.

"Since you are too good girl, I should give you whatever you want", Chan said and finally bought his cock towards your tight leaking cunt slowly entering himself inside you.

"ride", Chan said and you felt like being on cloud nine. Slowly moving your hips up and down in decent speed . His cock fitted so well inside of you, it was pure bliss for you.

But without a warning Chan bought his hands towards your clit and pinching it making your whole body jolt in overstimulation.

" babe,you are too good, so deserve my fingers too", Chan said with a sadistic smile.

It's gonna be a long morning.

[aminiatureworld]

Careless Words

Characters: Albedo, Childe, Xiao, gn!reader

Word Count: 4,114

Warnings: Brief depiction of drunken character, swearing

Premise: Words are thrown around so carelessly, phrases, endearments, accusations. But when all is gone and only the words remain it can be difficult to pick up the pieces.

In which the reader and their s/o argue and make up.

Author’s Note: Ended up spending a good two hours on Albedo’s bit alone, wow I got carried away with this. Also I feel so bad for Childe, I’m sorry!

Not proofread cause I ran out of time, will do so tomorrow.

Albedo

“Do you even respect what I do?” Those words kept ringing through your ears, a bitter litany that fueled your anger just as it began to fade. Do you even respect what I do?

Of course you did, you respected him and his work very much, it was one of the first things that had drawn you to him, his inquisitiveness, his eternal questions, his determination to unlock the secrets of the world.

But really could he not do all that in his lab where all of his experiments and equipment belonged?

At first you hadn’t really paid attention, it was just a few plants after all. When you’d asked what they were for Albedo had smiled eagerly, replying that he wanted to see how different plants, especially those infused with elements, reacted to sunlight. You had just smiled then, although you were slightly worried about the mist flower freezing the ground around it. Still, it was a mundane enough experiment, and the plants looked very pretty on the windowsill. Nothing to worry about.

Well evidently that wasn’t quite the case because one experiment morphed into two morphed into five morphed into ten, until there seemed barely enough room to live among the beakers and graduated cylinders, the odd smells emanating from the various petri dishes which now scattered the coffee tables and the dressers.

It was becoming a nuisance, plain and simple. More than a few times you’d managed to almost tip something over, trying to grab a book off a shelf that was crammed with small boxes of various specimen, or almost putting a pot down on a counter covered with vials of whooper-flower nectars. You couldn’t live like this, and though you wanted to let Albedo carry on as uninhibited as possible, it couldn’t go on any longer. You were going to scream.

“Albedo, can we talk?”

“Of course.” Albedo looked up from the microscope he’d managed to cram on the coffee table. You let out a smile that quickly morphed into a grimace, making your way to the couch, careful not to bump into the table.

“Albedo, I love your passion in all that you do, but you really do have to tidy up a bit. I’m sorry I know it’s a bit of an inconvenience, but it’s just becoming a little difficult, you understand?”

“It’s only a few experiments.” Albedo replied, gaze still fixated on whatever he was observing. You felt a twinge of frustration, had he even heard you?

“This is serious Albedo. I don’t want to ruin any of your experiments, but it’s really becoming an impossible situation. We can barely cook for fear of crashing into something, and I’ve started waking up to the smell of fire flowers burning. Can’t you move one or two things into your laboratory?” You tried to keep your tone light, hoping that this time would be more successful. It was very irritating to feel like you weren’t being heard.

“I have an important experiment going on at the lab. It needs space and air. So I’m just moving everything here for the time being.”

“How long is that going to take?” You asked, once again feeling frustration rising up. He couldn’t even look up at you.

“Three weeks or so.”

“Three weeks?” You couldn’t help but let out a cry. “Albedo I’m sorry I cannot live like this for three weeks.”

“Why not.” It wasn’t even a question.

“Please look at me.” You finally said, tone dropping to one that made no attempt to hide your growing irritation. Albedo let out a curt sigh, glancing over at you with a disinterested sort of gaze. “You have to move some of this stuff out Albedo. It would be one thing if it was a week, but three? We can barely live right now, what are we supposed to do for the next three weeks?”

“I don’t know.” Albedo scowled in a dismissive tone. “I think you’re making too much of it.”

“And I think you aren’t listening. Are you even hearing what I’m saying? Even processing the situation? Or are you so focused on that microscope that you can’t see that your partner is besides themselves.”

“You seem fine to me,” Albedo’s tone continued its aloof cadence, “I don’t see why you can’t just wait three weeks. You’re being awfully demanding.”

“I…” for a moment you were speechless, feeling as if you were fighting a losing battle, why was it so much easier for Albedo so say words that meant nothing at all while you were quickly finding yourself losing your cool? “You aren’t listening to me!” You finally managed to get out, knowing by this time you were awfully close to shouting but too frustrated to care.

“And you aren’t listening to me,” Albedo’s tone finally began to inch into something a little more emotional, you weren’t sure why but it gave you a hint of satisfaction, “do you even respect what I do? Or are you too wrapped up in yourself.”

It was like getting punched in the gut.

“Fine.” You stepped away almost knocking into a dresser crammed with empty equipment. For a moment you wondered what you could say that would hurt him so much but quickly gave it up. You were too angry to think straight anyways; right now you just wanted to get out.

“Where are you going?” Albedo’s tone seemed to have shrunk back to its previous range.

You didn’t even respond, not bothering to gather anything up as you made your way to the door. Albedo called out your name once. You responded by slamming the door as hard as you could on your way out.

•

At first Albedo simply went back to his observations, trying to ignore the negative feelings that churned inside him. How dare you, he thought, how dare you take him and his work so lightly. Maybe it was good that you were getting out of the house, Albedo wasn’t sure how long he could’ve lasted until he lapsed into that horrible shrieking as well. “How embarrassing.” He murmured to himself, as if that would drown the unease. Still the fight was new and the emotions were raw. He wasn’t about to ponder the matter anytime soon.

This carefree attitude slipped a bit when you didn’t come home for dinner. Still he simply sighed and went to cook for himself. By now his anger had cooled extensively and he was beginning to feel a bitter sort of regret. Maybe he had been to harsh, though he still wasn’t ready to admit he was wrong. No, you were just being dramatic, and though he should’ve been kinder with you, backing down was absolutely not on the table for him. He cared about his work after all, cared deeply; he couldn’t just stop because it was inconvenient to you. Moving a few vials out of the way Albedo laid out the chopping block. The amount of pasta he’d bought looked comical against the knowledge that he was going to be eating alone tonight.

Dinner was a sad affair. Somehow Albedo had gotten used to cooking with you, your proximity, your easy conversation, the way the one who finished their food first always pushed their chair next to the slower party, usually to lean their head on the other ones shoulder which while not necessarily comfortable was certainly relaxing. It was lonely now, and the loneliness only grew as Albedo lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Tomorrow would be better. Still he lay there, thoughts scattered and hazy. Was he in the wrong? He couldn’t tell. But certainly he was in the wrong now, in the wrong for not being with you like usual, for not reacting when you left, for still being unable to react now.

It was that thought that eventually lulled him to sleep.

Albedo woke up to the most horrible smell. Squinting he sat up, trying to figure out what in the world was going on. The smell was vaguely akin to burning flesh, but it that flesh was also experiencing a bad case of freezer burn. Fighting the urge to gag Albedo stumbled around. Once he got to the living room he groaned. Some ammonia had managed to fall of the shelf and spill onto all the flowers he’d propped on the roof. Crinkling his nose he went to clean it up, but found it took about twenty minutes just to find where he’d put the tools for properly disposing equipment and bio-experiments.

By the time he was done the final shreds of his resolve had utterly dissipated. You were right. You were absolutely right and he absolutely needed to tell you. Barely stopping by the lab to throw the bags of ruined equipment in the trash he sprinted down the streets of Mondstadt. He hoped that he arrived at the Guild in time.

Albedo spied you just as your were getting your commissions handed to you. Calling out he stopped slightly as you turned to look at him with a weary gaze. Clearly you were still upset about the matter, and for a moment Albedo wondered whether or not he should just turn and leave. But he knew that wouldn’t help either. Nothing would help until he apologized, and that was exactly what he was going to you.

“Albedo I-”

“I’m so sorry,” Albedo blurted out, not wanting to give you a chance to misconstrue his actions, “I am truly so sorry my darling. You were absolutely right, and I shouldn’t have dismissed you like that. I am so deeply sorry.”

“Albedo,” you replied, voice sort of quiet in a way that worried him, “I’m very glad to accept your apology for that, I’m sorry for snapping at you, only…”

“Only?”

“Only did you mean what you said when you asked if I even cared? Do you think I am so selfish or so careless. I understand of course that words said in arguments are ones no one really thinks of, but I still want to know.” You glanced away, trailing off and Albedo felt his heart seize and a wave of guilt poured over him.

“Of course not!” Albedo stepped closer to you. “May I?” He opened his arms and you nodded briefly before closing the room between you two.

You buried your face in his shoulder, not wanting to look up. “I’m so sorry my darling,” Albedo whispered, running circles along your back. “I’m so sorry for making you question you and how I saw you like that. You’re right, I wasn’t thinking. I was the one too wrapped up in myself, in my work, and for that I am so deeply sorry.”

“It’s alright,” you mumbled, just happy to be as you’d been before. Arguments were always unpleasant, no matter what, but now it was all said and done and you could be yourselves again.

“Would you like to eat lunch together?” Albedo ventured, smiling when you looked up and gave a soft “yes”. The relief he felt was overwhelming and he vowed next time to be more careful.

One can get over arguments, but words are difficult to take back.

 Childe

Although you disliked the Fatui in a vague, formal sort of way, that hatred had never truly been honed until you’d met Dottore.

At first you weren’t able to pinpoint what it was. Perhaps it was his erratic gaze, his odd smile, the way that he seemed to look at everything as if it was something to dissect – something which made you extremely uncomfortable. But then your dislike was given a proper motive when he and Childe went out one evening and your partner came back so plastered he didn’t seem to know who you were.

“Sorry about that dear.” Childe has laughed the day after, honestly how this man never seemed to have a proper hangover you didn’t know, not that he was drunk around you very often, something you appreciated greatly.

“Just don’t do it again.” You’d replied, frowning slightly. “That Dottore is a bad influence.”

“Awh, he’s not that bad,” Childe grinned, carelessly tossing about a book he had been reading, “not as bad as half the others anyways.”

“Still, be careful,” you commented, “you don’t want this to be a regular thing do you?”

“Aren’t I always careful?” Childe shook off your worry with his characteristic charm. “Besides Dottore’s going to be called back for a report to the Tsaritsa in about two weeks. Might as well make what you can out of his company while it lasts.”

“Perhaps.” You commented, secretly thinking that day couldn’t come close enough. Still it was only once, and you trusted Childe. He didn’t seem to like any of the Fatui anyways. Hopefully that would keep him from the fiasco of knocking down your door at 3:00.

But that didn’t stop him from doing it the next night, or the night after, or the night after. By night five you were absolutely done.

“Childe you have to stop this, you’re going to kill yourself the way you’re drinking.”

“You’re making too much of a fuss my dear,” Childe flitted his hand in the air as if batting away your concern, “if you think this is a lot you should see the sprees people go on in Snezhnaya. Honestly it’s only a little bit of fun, you know how hard it is to relax as a member of the Fatui in Liyue. Drinking buddies are hard to find, especially those who share my skill.”

“It’s more than a little bit of fun. Honestly Childe if I took this week by itself I’d think you were halfway to alcoholism! And I don’t appreciate you dragging me out of bed in the middle of the night, for fear you’d fall down the stairs if I left you and hurt yourself. It’s uncomfortable, seeing you so drunk.”

“Why?” Childe’s tone was still playful, but his eyes were narrowed slightly. Good. At least then he was listening to you.

“Have you ever interacted with a drunk person? Especially a drunk person on their fifth bender that week? It’s uncomfortable whether or not you know them and if you do it’s downright terrifying. Childe, I care about you and your health. And I’m begging you please stop these nights.”

“It’s fine.” Childe’s voice was growing harder by the moment. “I told you I can handle it, why do you have to pester so much?”

“Because I care about you!”

“Well maybe you should care a bit less.”

Childe stood up, making his way to the door. You knew that he was going to the Bank, knew that he was going to be out that night, but you said nothing. For now Childe’s sentence rang through your head. How could something so short be so painful. Shaking your head you moved to get your own equipment. Today was going to be a painful day.

You’d half expected the knock not to come, but sure enough it did. Turning to the clock you groaned inwardly. 3:45. Getting up you made your way to the door. Opening it you nearly slipped as your partner leaned on you. There was vodka on his breath and it made you feel as if you had no air. His words rattled through your head, refusing to leave since you’d first heard them. Maybe you should care a bit less. Fine, you would.

“Comrade?” Childe let out weakly. That was a new one. You made your way to the elevator and shoved him in there, making sure to angle it so he wouldn’t concuss himself.

“Get sober somewhere else.” And with that you slammed the button for the lobby floor, running out as the doors closed behind you. Childe made a strangled cry of protest but you didn’t care. You just wanted to sleep, and to forget. Maybe you should care less. Well why did it hurt to do so?

•

Childe squinted as a few rays of sun hit him square in the face. What was going on? Groaning he moved to reach for some blanket before realizing there was none. Shaking his head and ignoring the pounding headache that glanced right behind his eyelids he looked around. His mind was running as slow as it seemed possible to run but the minute it registered Childe felt himself flooded with embarrassment. A bench.

He was on a bench. Childe, Tartaglia, the Harbinger who had almost sunk Liyue. Said Harbinger was now sleeping on a bench, not because he’d fallen on hard times, not because of any reason that was understandable, but because he’d gotten too drunk to make it home.

No, not quite. Childe reached back into his memory, trying to piece together the night before. He had made it home, to your home, but you’d kicked him out. At first Childe felt a swell of irritation, but slowly but surely his memory caught up and he recalled the argument the morning before. He’d said something, hadn’t he. What was it?

Oh. Oh fuck.

Running back to your apartment he tried to straighten himself up, as if it wasn’t painfully obvious that he wasn’t nursing the worse sort of hangover. Damn he really relied on you. He relied on you and now he’d fucked up and now he needed to apologize.

Unfortunately his brain had only gotten that far so when you opened the door there was a bit of a pause, as he tried to think of what to say, words being drowned out by the pounding in his head.

“What do you want Childe?” You sighed, looking more depressed than anything. Childe felt a twinge of regret, but still the words wouldn’t come, not properly anyways, he must’ve still been a little drunk.

“I’m sorry.” Childe began, figuring that was the best way to go. “I’m sorry. Thank you and I’m sorry.”

“Thank you?” You tilted your head. “Are you sure you aren’t still drunk? I told you to sober up somewhere else.”

“Yes, I know, and I don’t know. But thank you for caring. And for looking after me. And I’m sorry.”

There was another pause, before you sighed.

“Come in.” You gestured, opening the door wider. Childe smiled weakly.

“Thank you.”

“Thank me later. I want to see you straightened up. And I want you to stop drinking like that.”

“I will.” Childe promised, making his way to the bedroom, wanting nothing more than to smash his face into a pillow. “Dottore was bad company anyways. Dear?”

“Yes?” You asked, still feeling a little shy. Perhaps you should’ve been more angry, but arguing always sat with you wrong. As did throwing Childe out.

“Thank you for caring.”

“You already said that.” You pointed out, finally cracking a smile, something that Childe mirrored, seeming somehow relieved.

“I know. But thank you.”

“Thank you for listening then.” You replied closing the blinds as Childe flopped onto the bed, sighing happily. “And thank you for forgiving me for kicking you out.”

“So callous.” Childe muttered, barely hearing your slight laugh as he drifted off to sleep.

 Xiao

You hadn’t wanted to fight, not at all. Your relationship was still so young after all, so raw, but you couldn’t help it. And now, as you watched Xiao disappear into thin air, you felt the sour taste of fear mixed with anger and regret. You’d almost forgotten really, how quickly an adeptus can vanish.

The point of contention had been your commissions. While Xiao said nothing against them verbally, you could tell that your newfound partner was dissatisfied by your constant comings and goings, something made worse by your recent string of long trips. And it had all come to a head when you announced you’d be gone a month, traveling into Inazuma via a covert nautical route – thank you Beidou – before delivering a few papers to the Monstadt embassy, most being passports and travel papers for diplomats who let theirs expire. Xiao had listened to the scheme, glared becoming more and more pronounced as you went on. And when you were done he just shook his head and crossed his arms.

“You aren’t going.”

“What do you mean I’m not going?” You asked, confused.

“You aren’t going. For the love of the Seven, what kind of partner let’s their loved one smuggle themselves into a country with no chance of reprieve if something goes wrong and with no contact for a month? You aren’t going.”

“I’m going whether you like it or not,” you replied, irritation quickly running through your voice, “it’s fine Xiao, many people have done this before. And we need to get those Liyue diplomats home. Honestly, I’m not sure why you aren’t proud of me, proud of what I’m doing.”

“Because you’re putting yourself in needless danger and breaking the law for a few people who I’m sure could do just fine themselves.”

“You can’t just keep me from being an Adventurer Xiao. You can’t keep me from doing my job.”

“I told you it’s because I care about you.”

“No, it’s because you’re putting yourself above the needs of both myself and your own land. Xiao, don’t you care about Liyue?”

“I care about the land,” his voice was like stone, and when you glanced into his eyes for a moment they seemed truly without empathy or care, the gaze of an adeptus who understood nothing of the human world, “humanity can rot.”

“I’m a human,” you pointed out, voice soft. “Don’t you care about me.”

For a moment recognition flitted through Xiao’s expression and he seemed almost regretful. Then his gaze hardened over once more.

“You aren’t going.” And with that he disappeared.

•

It took Xiao approximately ten minutes to regret the entire situation. Being angry for long periods of time wasn’t necessarily an alien emotion to Xiao – sometimes he felt as if he carried anger everywhere he went – but anger at you certainly was, and no sooner had it arrived then it was fading away, replaced instead with a deep sense of shame and guilt.

Why was he so upset? Was it really out of care for you? Yes, he decided, there was that aspect to it. But there was something more, something less noble. He was afraid, he was afraid for you. He was afraid you’d be arrested, or your ship would succumb to the open ocean, or you’d be betrayed, or…

Thoughts fluttered in and out of Xiao’s mind, each one more outlandish than the rest. Behind them said the same thing. He was afraid. You were right, he was afraid.

Did he care about humans? No, Xiao could say that with certainty. Not the way humans cared about each other, the way the humans cared about the adepti, when they thought about them. Xiao hadn’t cared for humans for a very long time. Even the karma that he kept from wreaking the land was exorcised, not because of humans, but because it was his duty. He didn’t care about humans, not really.

But he did care about you. He cared about you and he didn’t want to keep you from what you loved in return. Not like he didn’t know you would go do your mission anyways. You would do your mission and if Xiao wasn’t careful the weeks of cultivating an acquaintanceship, and friendship, and then more would be ruined. And he’d just be left, watching and waiting, wondering if you’d be alright.

Xiao was thankful that you hadn’t left the balcony of the Inn. Appearing before you he reached out to hug you before hesitating.

“You can go.” He murmured, knowing that wasn’t ever a question.

“I’m going.”

“And I’m sorry.”

“I wish you hadn’t disappeared like that.” You frowned, but Xiao shook his head. Was that the worst he’d done?

“No, I’m sorry for saying you couldn’t go. I’m sorry for not caring. I’m sorry.”

You furrowed your brow in a familiar expression and Xiao nodded slightly. Hurrying to embrace him you shook your head, still not over what had just transpired so quickly.

“Your eyes were so cold.” You murmured.

“I’m sorry.” Xiao murmured again, hugging you tightly.

“Don’t be.” You replied. “Just, stay like this a little longer.” Xiao was all to happy to comply.

It was easy to forget Xiao was an adeptus sometimes, that he still had that side of him, those cold eyes, that brusque demeanor. But even if that sometimes threw you off, even if you argued and worried and regretted, it would all be fine in the end.

Because you’d always return to a familiar embrace, and a shared love.

[theodorecanaryhood]

Great times

Jason Todd x male reader

18+ so please don’t troll me for this if you’re a minor!

Sex, language, mentions of body parts and some other stuff

It was a long night for you as work had taken it’s toll on you. You didn’t realise how quick your shift had actually gone till you saw it was way past 8pm.

Walking into your shared apartment with your boyfriend, Jason, you threw your jacket down and fell onto the couch. Sighing deeply as you saw some candles lit here and there around the apartment.

‘Jason?’ You called out, no answer but you heard some water running from the bathroom.

Standing up you walked over to the bathroom where Jason was, he was cleaning out some trash cans.

‘Hey babe’ Jason said as he looked up to you smiling, you smiled back and gave him a quick kiss as he placed a hand on your butt.

‘How was your day?’ You asked him, Jason just shrugged.

‘Same old, yours?’ He asked as he turned the water off and placed the wet trash cans on a rack to dry off.

‘Stressful, what’s with all the candles?’ You asked curiously, Jason gave a devious smile as he took your hand and walked you out into the hallway.

‘Babe, I love you so much and I wanted to make it as special as I could. I was planning on booking a trip but most of the places I wanted to take you are in the red zone cause of Covid, so I will plan something later’ Jason began, you smiled as you held his hand tight.

‘Y/n, my man, my best friend, will you marry me?’ Jason asked you. You smiled as you reached up and grabbed hold of his face and kissed him.

‘Hell yes’ you answered sincere, smiling so bright it almost lit up the apartment.

Jason kissed you as he began to bite lightly at your neck. Knowing how much it sends you over the edge. You began to kiss his neck and face as Jason moaned a little in your ear.

‘Fuck me’ you panted, almost like you were starving and hadn’t eaten in months. Jason picked you up and carried you to the bedroom.

Laying you on the bed Jason got into bed next to you, almost ripping his clothes off. You taking yours off too.

‘Lube’ Jason blurted as he ran over to the dresser and grabbed the bottle. Getting back into bed with you, you reaching to the bedside table on the left grabbing a condom.

Jason kissed you hard as you began to wrap your arms around his neck, Jason then rubbing his hands all over you. Feeling how hard you were getting already.

‘Twink want Daddy?’ Jason whispered, you chuckled.

‘Oh I’m a twink now?’ You smiled, Jason nodded.

‘Twinks are slim built, no body hair, usually white with blonde or light coloured hair, babe you fit that description’ Jason laughed as he took off yours and his underwear.

‘Right, guess they’re almost always a bottom too?’ You smiled as you kissed Jason again.

‘Yup’ he smiled as he began to feel your dick and rub it gently.

‘Oh, that’s new’ you smiled, laying in your back while Jason played with you a little more.

‘Never told you but when I first saw you, you gave off a very strong top energy’ you smiled as Jason picked up a pace with his hand.

‘You know, you gave off a dominant bottom energy’ Jason replied as he began to lick the tip of your dick.

‘Jason’ you breathed out, Jason taking it all in and gagging a little as he went deep throat.

‘This is a great stress buster just FYI’ you chuckled, Jason went for a slow and sensual pace to savour the moment of your taste. You just lay and enjoyed the feel of Jason taking you in.

‘Mmm, that feels good, don’t forget to use your tongue a little more around the sides’ you instructed. Jason obeying by licking the sides of your hard penis.

Jason didn’t want you to cum yet as he wanted to enjoy you moaning a little more. You shifting a little as you felt a curdle in your stomach suddenly.

‘Babe?’ You said, Jason lifted his head from your dick and gave you a look, ‘I need to go toilet’ you cringed as you said it.

‘Better go now before I come out of you brown’ Jason laughed as he rolled over.

You walked to the bathroom leaving the door slightly ajar, Jason laying in the bed touching himself in order to keep himself hard.

‘It happens often with anal, I thought you as a gay man would know that’ you called out while sitting on the toilet. Jason chuckled.

‘Don’t talk about shit now y/n I’m trying to stay hard’ Jason called back.

You flushed and washed your hands, walking back into the bedroom.

‘Ready to finish? It was just a fart’ you smiled as Jason sat up and grabbed you by the waist to pull you into bed with him.

Kissing you all over the face and neck while you thought, it always surprised you how much Jason shows his affection for you. The time he came out to his family and literally shouted his love for you.

It was 2 years ago, Jason had told Bruce and his brothers he was gay and introduced you to the family. Then saying how much he loved you, how much he couldn’t be without you.

‘Earth to y/n’ Jason whispered as he bit your neck a little.

‘Was miles away there for a sec sorry’ you smiled as you kissed Jason again.

Jason pulled away a little to open up the condom and put it on, then getting lube and rubbing it on your asshole.

‘Roll over twinky’ Jason breathed out as you obeyed and lay on your front, Jason taking a second to slide into you slowly.

‘Oh, oh ok’ you breathed, taking a couple of deep breaths as you adjusted.

‘You ok?’ Jason asked you caring as he placed his hands on your hips.

‘I am’ you said as Jason began to move slowly into you, both of you taking breaths in pleasure.

‘Fuck baby’ Jason panted, ‘so tight’ he said as he thrusted deeply into you a little more.

‘Mm a little tougher than that’ you breathed out, Jason took note and went a little faster as you leaned more into him.

‘God’ Jason moaned as he leant down to kiss you again. You turning your head to greet his lips.

‘Make some more noise’ you said, Jason looked at you.

‘What?’ He asked as he continued moving.

‘I find it hot as fuck when you moan’ you said, Jason raising an eyebrow.

‘Turn around’ Jason said as he pulled out of you. You obeyed again and turned over onto your back, lifting your legs up.

‘Don’t forget to moan’ you smiled as Jason entered you again, this time a little quicker than before.

Jason got lost in the pleasure of being inside you as he moaned in thrills and bliss, you smiling as you jerked yourself to Jason’s thrusts.

‘Y/n this feels amazing’ Jason smiled in pleasure, you ran your hand down his sweaty abs as you jerked with your other hand harder and faster.

‘Jason, harder’ Jason pounded into you harder as you began to moan a bit more, Jason joining moaning more.

‘Fuck, fuck I’m cumming’ Jason called out as he slammed his hips hard and fast, then getting slow an sloppy. Grunting. Growling.

‘I’m close’ you said, Jason pulled out and rolled onto his back. Pulling you over to sit on him.

You sat on Jason’s stomach as you jerked yourself off, moaning as you came on his chest, Jason smiling at how lost in pleasure you were.

‘That’s my man’ Jason sighed as he began to stroke your stomach with one hand, the other rubbing into the semen on his chest that you spilled, then licking it off his fingers.

Catching your breath after and laying next to him again, cuddling into him a little.

‘Damn, think we got stuff in places’ Jason smiled, looking around the room.

‘Let me get a towel’ you said as you got out of bed grabbing your underwear, Jason standing up too grabbing his underwear.

‘I’ll get the shower started’

[thetargaryenbride]

A Way of Mourning

Requested by:  @iamhowieson​ Hey! I was wondering if you could make a Levi x reader request where Levi accidentally hurts the reader and he feels terrible about it but the reader comforts him and tells him they’re ok. 

Thank you for requesting! <3 And I’m sorry for the delay. 

Words: 2K+

Pairing: Levi x Reader [gn]

Hope you like it  ❤️ Feedback is deeply appreciated! ^^

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *

“Where…” you whispered, almost choking, as your dry throat tissues scratched against each other.

“Here, have some water,” someone helped you sit up and held a glass to your lips, letting you gulp greedily. The chilly liquid soothed your parched throat and you sighed in relief. Finally opening your eyes, you were met with the face of your best friend and the rest of your squadmates.

“Captain, you gave us quite the scare there. It’s been two days and you weren’t waking up. Glad to finally have you back!” grinned one of them and you smiled, only now feeling the dull ache in your abdomen. You remembered now, how you had saved one of your subordinates which resulted in a titan sinking its teeth into you.

Your eyes widened as your thoughts shifted to a certain trio.

“What happened to Levi and the others?” you asked, almost frantically, because you didn’t remember anything from the mission and the worry quickly settled inside you, like a parasite, and started eating.

Since Levi, Isabel and Farlan joined the Scouts, you were one of the few people who were assigned to take care of the three. They needed to learn more about the world above, about how the military worked, about how the Survey Corps operated, and tons of other stuff, not to mention training, riding, and strategy. The others who were assigned to help, did it with disdain until at one point they just gave up, not wanting to have any contact with the “mongrels from the Underground” but you had stayed. You genuinely liked them. Your mother had done some charity in the Underground and you had accompanied her on a few occasions. What you felt towards the people from that place was only pity, because they deserved so much better than the curse they got since birth – to live in a place with no sun and light, where only filth and shadows flooded each corner, lurking over every inch of your skin.

So you had tried your best to take care of the three. Isabel had quickly taken a liking to you, followed by Farlan. Levi had been harder to win over. He was very quiet, reserved, and distrustful. But your constant kind gestures managed to crack even his shell if only a bit. He didn’t have problems with letting you be near him anymore. He even started talking to you and a day before the expedition he had even allowed you to rub his right shoulder. It had been aching and you had told him that he had to be healthy and strong for the expedition if he wanted to protect himself and his friends. He couldn’t malfunction. He had actually chuckled, although it was so quiet you almost mistook it for him letting out a breath, and let you do your magic at soothing his muscles. You had grown so attached to them that you couldn’t imagine your life without them. The thought that this was their very first expedition had hit you like a sack of bricks just before you had taken off and you had been worried out of your mind throughout the whole expedition, wondering whether they would make it out alive.

“Look, Y/N…I know you grew close during this past month but…Isabel and Farlan are dead,” announced your friend grimly and your heart dropped to your stomach. And suddenly your throat was dry again and no amount of gulping water or saliva was going to help. You let out a shaky breath as your trembling fingers clutched the edge of the bed, helping you sit up straighter and swing your legs over it.

“Wait, where are you-“

“I need to see Levi,” you muttered and your friends shared worried glances. They let you pass. They knew you were one of the most stubborn people alive and no amount of persuasion would put a stop to what you have in mind.

You stumbled all the way to the male barracks and opened the door, fully expecting to see Levi slumped on his bunkbed. But he was not there. In fact, the barracks were quiet and there wasn’t a single soul inhabiting them. The only sound that penetrated that silence was that of running water. Your eyes snapped to your left where the male common showers were located and you took hesitant steps towards it. This had to be the man you were looking for. After all, one of your squadmates had told you that Levi hadn’t left the barracks since the expedition.

You didn’t know how long you just stood in front of the door, wondering if you should wait for him or leave and come back later, endlessly contemplating on what exactly you were going to tell him. But after thirty minutes had passed and nobody was coming out, your thoughts shifted to, once again, worry. Because nobody ever took showers that long. The hot water had to be preserved. After all, there were around a hundred soldiers in the regiment who needed it and it was a bit harder to warm it up since they lived in a castle and not in the city like the Military Police or the Garrison.

“Levi?” you called out as you knocked but no answer came. “It’s me, Y/N. I’m coming in, ok?” you slowly opened the door and your face and body were instantly hit with hot thick steam and moisture. It was almost suffocating. “What the-“ you rubbed your face and eyes as you fully stepped inside and tried to focus. You finally located a figure at the end of the room and you walked towards it. The fog parted a bit and revealed the familiar backside of Levi. You were about to huff and scold him when you noticed just how red his back was. Your eyes widened as you outstretched your arm and put it under the sprinkling water, hissing and retreating it almost immediately.

“That water is scalding hot!” you exclaimed. “Levi, hey, let’s get out of here, hm?” you asked, voice laced with desperation and worry as you went to put a hand on his shoulder and shake him out of whatever trance he had fallen in. “You’re harming yourself. Please, let’s leave,” but before you could touch his skin, his hand shot out and grabbed yours, clutching it so tightly that he almost snapped it. He stood up abruptly and shoved you away, causing you to let out a squeal as you slipped and fell on your bum, the pain from your wound jostling your body, making you groan and clutch your stomach as if it was going to help soothe it.

“Get out,” he growled, his back still turned on you.

“But-“

“I said leave!” he yelled as his head sharply turned to look down at you. His eyes grew wide and the angry sneer and furrowed eyebrows he had donned eased a little. You stood up slowly and raised a hand, nodding.

“Ok…it’s alright, I’m going…just…don’t stay here long,” you whispered before you turned on your tail and exited the room.

* . °•★|•°∵ ∵°•|☆•° . *

“Gods, would you go to bed already? Your wound is still healing and instead of resting you’re burying yourself in paperwork!” exclaimed your friend angrily as she crossed her arms.

“You know that there is always extra paperwork after expeditions. And I’ve been out for two days. I have a lot of work to catch up to. I’m fine,” you smiled at her reassuringly and she rolled her eyes before they snapped to the door after a knock echoed throughout your office.

“Name and business?!” you called out but nobody answered. The door just opened and your eyebrows shot to your hairline as you saw Levi holding a tray with two cups of steaming tea. Your friend gave you a look and nodded.

“I’ll leave you two to it,” she said as she quickly exited and closed the door.

Levi just stood there awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot until you told him to sit. He placed the tray on your desk and grabbed a chair, dragging it to sit in front of you while you were sipping on the liquid. There was silence for some time as you looked at him but he didn’t have the courage to look at you, focusing on his lap as his bangs covered his face.

Levi felt horrible. He felt disgusted with himself. He had been shaking like a leaf the moment you had left the bathroom. He hadn’t known what to do. He hadn’t even known which world he was on.

He remembered sitting there, almost choking on the thick steam, feeling the hot water drops drum against his skin. He had been so deep into his thoughts and the still fresh memories from two days ago, eyes scanning his hands in haze, seeing not clean skin but skin marred with dark wine blood – the blood of his family. The family he couldn’t protect because of his own foolishness and weakness. The moment he had felt that someone’s presence breathing down his neck and feeling the closeness of their hand, hovering over his shoulder, the close proximity creating warmth and electricity that had made the hair on his neck bristle, his hand had shot out automatically. He hadn’t wanted anyone to breathe the same air as him, much less touching him. He hadn’t hesitated when he pushed them away. But the moment he had turned and his eyes fell on you, regret had struck his heart and he had been frozen in place, not being able to do anything but watch with wide eyes as you shot him an apologetic smile before leaving.

He told himself that it wasn’t on purpose. He told himself it was just a reaction – a reflex – to something, someone, foreign, invading his personal space in a moment of deep vulnerability. But still…he felt like a trash.  

“I’m sorry,” he finally let out and you smiled at him, shaking your head.

“It’s fine,”

“No…I yelled at you…I pushed you…I didn’t mean to hurt you,” he whispered and you sighed.

“Everyone mourns differently, Levi. You needed space; so I gave it to you. I probably startled you by touching you. I shouldn’t have been so abrupt with my actions,” you explained gently, hoping to ease the guilt that was so obviously drowning him. His hands balled into fists as he bit the inside of his cheek.

“You’re the only one I have left,” he muttered as his eyes finally locked with yours and your hand touched his ever so slowly.

“And I’m not going anywhere. Please… let’s just forget everything and keep going together,” you smiled at him as your hand stroke his and he let out a sigh of relief before nodding. The emotions swirling in his eyes were so many and so vivid that it almost made you cry. It engulfed your very being and had such an impact on you that it overwhelmed you, making you succumb to emotion rather than rationality. You stood up and approached the man, crouching down in front of him. The smile you sent him and the emotions swirling in your eyes, had him give you a soft smile. You rose on your toes and closed the distance, letting your arms embrace his form. You sank into him, head nestling in the crook of his neck as his own arms tugged you closer and squeezed your form.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured in your hair again and you tightened your hold, nuzzling into him. He didn’t know whether he truly deserved this forgiveness. You were simply an exceedingly kind and forgiving person. But he knew one thing. From now on he was going to do anything for you. He was aware he had a difficult personality but he was going to try his best and stick by your side. Because you truly were one of the few people who gave him a chance and tried so hard to forge friendship with him despite all and you actually managed to wiggle into his heart and settle there.  

.

.

.

I promise to protect you...

[readyplayerhobi]

Little Wolf, Pretty Wolf, Your Wolf

; Omega!Jungkook x Alpha!Reader

; Genre: Fluff, smut, angst

; Word Count: 22.3k

; Warnings: Stereotyping, blowjob, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, knotting, sub!Jungkook, dom!reader, impregnation kink

; Synopsis: An Alpha wolf is supposed to be strong, powerful and bold. A commandeering presence that can rule a pack efficiently. An Omega is supposed to be submissive, quiet and meek. A calming influence and a lucky charm for a pack. But you’re not like a normal Alpha wolf. Just like Jungkook is not a normal Omega wolf.

; A/N: I’m very unsure over this story. We’ve been having troubles but I finally got it finished and out! It’s half proof read...I hope you enjoy. If you do, please reblog and leave me comments, feedback or reviews! Or send in an ask, I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions :)

-

“Now, what you need to remember is that the Ancient Greek’s weren’t one nation like how we think of them today. They were a collection of city states which were called polis back then. In their times, this was considered a nation on it’s own like the Vatican City or Singapore is today. You might realise that polis is actually still used today in words such as metropolis, which basically means ‘mother city’ as it comes from the Greek word for mother, necropolis which translates to city of the dead basically and so forth.

“The notion of ‘nation’ as we understand it is actually a relatively new concept that has only emerged in the last few centuries so trying to discuss things like a ‘nation’ or a ‘nationality’ is hard. Particularly when we’re talking about ancient civilisations.” You carry on talking, hands gesturing to the interactive whiteboard behind you that currently shows a map of Ancient Greece.

Your students are watching intently, some nodding slightly while a few of them jot down notes in their exercise books or read from their textbook. History was one of those topics that many people found boring but it had always inspired a fire inside you. The desire to learn from the past and incorporate it into the future was strong. Over the course of your own education, you’d also felt it was important to teach and mould the minds of the young with the lessons of the past.

It was why you’d gone into the teaching career, despite the concerns of your parents and everyone around you. Alpha’s like you simply didn’t go into teaching, the aura of power and dominance around them normally too strong for youngsters to cope with.

But you’ve always been a little different to the other Alpha’s you’d known throughout your life. Your wolf was always present and willing to protect when necessary but mostly she was content to lay back and watch the world. While most Alpha wolves were tall and extremely well muscled, a genetic quirk that gave them a visual representation of strength along with the metaphysical one that all wolves could understand, you were of average height and just looked in shape.

Your scent was sweet and pleasant to be around, according to your friends growing up you smelled like the tastiest candy with the slightest hint of rose. That on it’s own was unusual because Alpha’s were supposed to smell like...well an Alpha, power with that hint of earth that reminded everyone of the forest. Instead, you just smelled like a candy shop.

While great for the Delta’s, the general population that made up most packs, or Omega’s, the rarest and most treasured of all wolves, it wasn’t really great for an Alpha. You were the equivalent of a teddy bear instead of a grizzly, which didn’t really mix well with people's expectations.

On the plus side though, it meant that you were excellent at getting through to people because they listened to you first and only if you needed to would you show the aggressive and dominant side of yourself. You may not look or smell like an Alpha, but you were still an Alpha and you liked to make sure some people remembered that.

A sudden movement out of the window in the door to the corridor catches your attention and you continue to speak, only looking in that direction for a moment. The mop of silver hair on the lithe wolf standing outside tells you immediately who it is and you stifle a smile, glancing over at the clock and noting the bell is about to go.

“Okay class, it’s time to end. I want you all to read this chapter and then write a one page essay on any Ancient Greek city state. I want you to try and be creative though, don’t all do Athens and Sparta. There’s plenty out there.” Smiling at them, you watch as they begin to put their stuff away into their bags when the shrill ring of the bell causes you to wince slightly.

You always hated how loud they put it, but you guessed that was the whole point. 

Once everyone has left the classroom, a few of them running to catch the bus that was waiting for them outside, you lean back against the table and let out a deep sigh. That silver mop of hair darts through the door just before it closes and grins at you broadly, his eyes almost disappearing as the roundness of his cheeks takes over.

“Ahh Ancient Greece...your favourite topic.” Jimin says cheerfully, moving over to give you a quick side hug before standing back and looking around. Your big brother was taller than you, though not as tall as any Alpha got. He was a Beta though, so just below you in the pack social hierarchy. He used his height to his advantage in any arguments you had though.

Smiling at him, you nod as you begin to clean up the classroom that teenagers have made messy throughout the day. There’s a whole stack of papers on your desk that need to be taken home and marked, plus a whole new lesson plan to come up with for next week. For now though, you’d just focus on this and be thankful it was the weekend.

Jimin begins to help you, moving through the desks and placing the chairs on top of the tables carefully. He’d come straight from one of his jobs and so is still wearing the oh so stylish black work trousers that have a billion different pockets sewn into them, some of them still filled with items from wherever he’d been. A plain black polo, covered in a few stains from whatever he’d been doing has the logo of his company on the left side.

Your big brother had always been good with his hands and he’d developed a love of manual work when you were younger. Everyone in your family had thought that he’d become a mechanic or something, but he’d surprised you all by becoming a plumber of all things. But he seemed to enjoy it and he’d founded his own company last year, enabling him to take on jobs at his own pace while also taking on another plumber along with an apprentice.

“Have they called about your car?” He asks absentmindedly, throwing the trash that he’d found on the floor into the bin before moving over to wipe your whiteboard clean. You’re putting away some of the books that you’d used earlier in the day before storing the printouts you’d made but you give him a quick nod.

“Yeah, it’s all done. Are you okay to drop me at the garage so I can grab it?” Jimin smiles and nods, giving you a thumbs up as well before hopping up onto your desk. His hands drop between his legs while his feet dangle happily as he watches you.

“That’s fine. I can take you there and then go get some pizza if you want? The job today will pay well and they’ve already signed up to be a repeat customer. Which is exactly what I want as it’s a chain of businesses!” He says excitedly, wiggling in place and you grin at him.

“Awww, that’s so good. Congrats. Told you that you’d do well.” Turning back to the little bookcase you keep in your classroom, you place the final book into its place before standing back and moving over to him. Jimin has that look on his face now and you sigh, knowing where he’s going to go with this already.

“Yeah, I’m doing well. And I think you’re going to do well in the elections too. You just need to actually...get out there and talk to people in the pack. They know of you, but most of them don’t really know you, know you? I mean...you work out here in the city so there’s not really any reason for anyone to get to know you well.” Jimin points out, leaning back on one arm and raising a brow at you.

Sighing again, you look over at him before chewing your lip. “I grew up there and I live there again. How is it that people don’t know me? They’ve known me my whole life. I’m only really doing this because you’re adamant on it and think I’ll have a chance, which I think is stupid by the way.”

The pack leadership elections were going to be in less than a year and the candidates had already put their name forward for consideration a month ago. You’d been one of those to enter your name and had been confirmed as a potential candidate only a week ago.

Unsurprisingly, only Alpha’s could enter the pack leadership contests because Alpha’s had the required inherent characteristics that allowed them to lead. They needed to be strong enough to cope with everyone’s demands, empathetic enough to listen to people, diplomatic enough to make decisions about people’s problems and tough enough to defend the pack if necessary.

You didn’t think you really had the required skills given your unusual nature, but Jimin thought you’d make a good leader. Family and friends had thrown their weight behind you too and so you’d found yourself submitting your name, wondering what on earth you were doing.

The idea of you being the Pack Alpha was ridiculous, but you knew that you were going to receive a lot of stigma and hate because of your differences to a regular Alpha. On top of that, there had also been the creeping misogyny that had been spreading throughout the wolf world in recent decades, in direct contrast to the humans, which meant that many of the old schoolers in the pack were beginning to look down on a female Alpha.

It was all bullshit and everyone knew it. That was actually one of the reasons you’d gone along with it, because if you somehow did win then you’d love to be able to rub it into all of their sexist noses that you’d beaten their little boys. Petty? Yes. But you had to do what you had to do.

“Yeah, you grew up there. And we both live there. But you also went to the other side of the country for five years to go to college. They remember the baby Y/N, the teenage Y/N. Most of the folk in town don’t even recognise you. It’s only when they scent you that they realise it’s you. You went away and became all cultured with the university elites, became friends with other wolf packs and even other shifters. Most of the people in our pack have never seen another shifter breed or even left the state. They don’t know you anymore and you need to show them.” The look on your brother’s face is incredibly serious and you let out a groan that ends in a whine.

It’s very unbecoming for an Alpha but you don’t care. The idea of having to ingratiate yourself with a lot of people who would likely laugh at you for the very idea of thinking you could be Pack Alpha makes you want to throw something. But you know he’s right.

Jimin’s always right, unfortunately.

“Fine. Fine. What do I do? Go and knock on everyone’s doors? Hold a party? A meet and greet? Come, meet the pack’s weird Alpha and vote for her to your leader!” You make an overly exaggerated gesture as you talk, walking towards him and he rolls his eyes in response.

“Just...become a bigger part of society. Join some of the groups, come with us on pack hunts or runs. It’s easy. I don’t get hugely involved but everyone still knows who I am. I swear, you’ll be able to do it. And if you get to be our Pack Alpha, then you can start to make all those changes that you rant to me about regularly.” He shifts off the table at that, stretching his arms back until you can see the toned muscles of his abdomen.

Reaching out, you poke at them hard and he lets out a soft whine as he recoils forwards, arm covering himself before pouting at you. You grin and ruffle his hair, leading to even more complaints before he escapes your grasp.

“Those aren’t rants! They’re issues that need to get sorted out! I mean...you know that I thought this place was a little backwards when we were growing up here but moving away and coming back? God, you wouldn’t believe it.” Jimin grabs your bag from beneath your desk, placing it onto your desk before carefully putting your stuff into it.

You don’t go to stop him or anything, you trust Jimin with your personal belongings. The two of you live together in an apartment in the town you’d both grown up in, the ancestral homeland of your pack. It was partly to save on money for rent and utilities and partly just because you both liked being around each other.

Unlike other families in your pack where having four or more kids was normal, your parents had only been able to have you and Jimin. And it had taken six years for you to come into the world after Jimin. So despite the age difference, you were both close and adored each other.

“I do believe it. Because you tell me it’s true and I know you wouldn’t lie to me. Plus, you know I think there’s a lot of people in our pack that need to come into the 21st century. Some of them make me think they don’t even know what electricity is. And this is all why I think you’d make the best leader for us. Someone to modernise us finally and stop making us just look like the little backwater pack still stuck in the 18th century. I know we can do it, we have good wolves in our pack and there’s probably a lot who think like us but just don’t want to rock the boat.” Handing you your bag, he waits out in the corridor as you do a final sweep before turning off the lights and leaving.

“Yeah...you’re right. God yeah, you’re right about it. I’m trying to teach my kids here about the mistakes that were made in the past so that they know not to repeat them but I should try more with our pack too. And then...then I can make sure that our kids learn better and how to be better right?” Jimin grins broadly and hugs you to him, kissing your forehead sweetly tickling your sides until you growl gently.

“Yep. So...Operation Leader is a go.”

-

Humming lightly, you looked over the basket of potatoes that was on display in your local supermarket. It was your turn to do the grocery shopping, which was why you were stocking up on all the vegetables that Jimin turned his nose up at half the time. Sometimes you felt like you were living with a child but he always ate them eventually.

Tonight you were going to make lasagne and garlic bread, one of Jimin’s favourite meals. It was incredibly easy to make and you’d found yourself craving it as well, realising it had been a month or so since you’d last had it. And given Jimin was going to be home tonight, you’d decided it was time to make the cheesiest lasagne possible.

You might even indulge and make the garlic bread cheesy too. It was more than an indulgence really, because you would happily cover it all in cheese until it made you sick. Jimin wasn’t a huge fan of it though, so you knew that you’d have to limit it.

Picking up a tomato, you squeeze it experimentally to see how fresh it is before nodding and placing it inside the little net bag you’d brought for the vegetables. Fresh herbs go in as well and you get enough vegetables to make a hearty stew tomorrow, figuring that if you make a big enough pot then you can freeze some for the future and let both Jimin and you take some for lunch at work.

It’s only when you walk towards the dairy aisle, intent on grabbing a bottle of milk and deciding upon which cheese to liberally accentuate your lasagne and garlic bread with, that you accidentally knock into someone. A small ‘oof’ leaves your mouth as you wobble slightly, dropping the bag of prunes that you’d grabbed as you’d passed the end of the fruit aisle.

“I’m so sor-” You paused, brow creasing as a delicious scent fills your nose. Inhaling deeply, you take it in with wide eyes as your inner wolf growls lowly, her instincts immediately roused to life by the smell. Omega, she rumbles to you and you immediately get the biggest urge to press yourself to this newcomer.

The reaction from you isn’t surprising, given what you know of Omega’s. You’d never encountered one before, not until now, but everyone grows up learning of Omega’s. They were the rarest kind of wolf and a pack with an Omega present was considered to be exceptionally lucky.

Due to their rareness, an Omega was often treasured and deeply adored by the rest of the pack. They were to be protected at all costs, with the entire pack often banding together to ensure that they were okay. The reason for this was that Omega’s were considered to be the most submissive in a pack, naturally weak and timid along with being passive. It was a pack’s duty therefore to protect their Omega.

So you were beyond surprised that you’d encountered one in the supermarket of all places.

Shifting backwards slightly, you turn and pick up the packet of prunes before grabbing the tin of tomato soup that’s rolling your way. Standing back up, you hold out the tin to the Omega before pausing, your eyes going even wider as you look up.

He’s taller than you, a lot taller when combining what must be his natural height with the thick sole of what look like combat style boots. And he’s broad, his shoulders wide and accentuated by the black leather jacket he’s wearing, the silver embellishments of the buttons shining in the light.

Skinny jeans in black adorn his thighs and you can’t help the way your eyes drag over them, in awe of how...tight his jeans are. Especially when combined with the fact that this Omega evidently does some serious workouts given how thick and muscular his thighs are. In fact, how muscular everything looks.

His white shirt doesn’t give much away to you, but you have no doubt that if his legs look like that then the rest of him must look quite similar. Long, wavy hair is messed around his face, the strands wild and dark as they cover part of his eyes.

And it’s here that you discover the only part of him that looks like what you’d imagined an Omega would look like. Because right now, they’re wide open with shock and you freeze at the sight of them, the inner instincts that have been bred into you over centuries roaring to the fore and telling you to protect.

His eyes are filled with innocence and a tiny hint of fear, almost as if he’s afraid of what you might do. To any onlooker, that might look comical given how tiny you look in comparison to him. But his scent gives away the difference, because despite how...non-Omega he looks...he is still an Omega.

Which means if you wanted to, you could make him bow at your feet in submission as you forced a wave of dominance towards him. It wasn’t something you liked doing as it often felt like an assault on the receiver and you felt gross doing it. Some Alpha’s abused their ability, finding it amusing to lord their status over others.

But you only used it how it was meant to be used. When you were faced with someone who was refusing to follow the rules and putting others at risk. It was the only time you felt was acceptable to use that power, in order to save others.

So the fact he was looking at you like that made you pause, confusion making you hesitate as you wondered if maybe he thought you were going to force him to do something. And you realised that he’d probably be right if he’d met anyone else. There were plenty of asshole Alpha’s that you knew that would be pleased to play with an Omega, despite the reverence that a pack held for them.

Gesturing towards him with the tin, you give him a sweet smile as he takes it from you carefully, the way his fingers carefully avoid yours almost comical. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you or I would’ve moved out of the way.”

He doesn’t answer, his brow creasing in confusion as his eyes scan over you. You can’t help but watch those eyes in complete fascination, they’re so naturally big and you feel a strong urge to protect him. Not because he’s an Omega, but purely because he looks like someone with an innate curiosity that you don’t want to see die.

His nose twitches ever so slightly as he inhales deeply before speaking. “Why do you smell like that?”

You know what he means. An Alpha is supposed to smell earthy and musky, to remind a wolf of their forest homelands from centuries ago. It inspires confidence and trust, yet you smell sweet and gentle. Jimin said that you often smelled like he’d walked into a candy store.

This Omega though, he smells like an Alpha should. His strong scent is so reminiscent of the pine trees that grow in the forests around the town you’d grown up in, the only reason you know he’s an Omega is that genetic knowledge that distinguishes that part of his scent that’s different. It amuses you that you’ve found someone as contradictory in their nature as you.

“Why do you smell like that?” You counter, lips quirked up on one side in amusement as you tilt your head to look him over once more. A true contradiction of everything. Now you can understand why people find it hard to understand you.

He doesn’t respond, just stares at you with that same confusion that everyone always gives you. Only it seems a little stronger now, causing you to laugh slightly as you shake your head. “Well, it was nice to meet you, but I really have to finish my shopping and go. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.”

Turning away from him, you continue onto the dairy aisle as you ponder what you’ve just said. You’re naturally nice as an Alpha, always polite and helpful to anyone who asks it. As someone running for the pack leadership, you’d resolved to be even more helpful from now on in order to try and help. Jimin had said it was a good idea, and you’d long ago discovered that it was easier to just go along with whatever he says instead of questioning it.

Questioning it would just lead to him whining.

But you’d felt the need to be extra nice to the Omega, almost as if to prove that you were not like other Alpha’s. Which was ridiculous, because why on earth would you care to prove that? You’d never even seen the Omega before, and you doubted that you’d see him again. They were so rare that you doubted it would be long before some Alpha snapped him up as a mate.

Pursing your lips, you hum to yourself in thought before shrugging and carrying on. You’d discuss this more with Jimin later. No doubt your brother would be fascinated to find out what you’d discovered today.

-

Jimin turns up in the kitchen within two minutes of you getting home, his curious expression ever so familiar as he tries to peer into all the bags. You don’t know why he’s so interested as he knows that you always buy the healthier food compared to him. Whether or not his card has ever seen a vegetable remains a mystery known only to him and the universe.

“Oooh, lasagne?” He says excitedly as you pull out the familiar items that make up his favourite meal. Grinning at him as you place the perishable items into the fridge and begin organising everything else, you nod.

“Yeah, I thought it’d be nice to have since you’re home tonight. I’m gonna try and make it so that I make one side be overloaded with cheese while the other side is more normal for you.” Your stomach gurgles at the thought and Jimin snorts in amusement, taking one of the apples that you’d bought and biting into it eagerly.

He may not be fond of vegetables, but you knew that he loved fruit.

“I fully expect you to make a mac n cheese lasagne one day. No meat or anything.” Jimin says, sitting down at the table as he watches you finish putting everything away before you turn on the oven to preheat.

Your nose wrinkles at his words and you shake your head in response, taking the minced beef out of its packet and into a saucepan before turning on the hob. Waiting for it to heat up so you can brown the minced meat, you turn to making the sauce for the lasagne.

“No way. I may love cheese but that’s because it can make the lasagne go all lovely and crispy. Mmm. I do enjoy the meat too.” Lips pursing, you take the juicy tomatoes that you’d bought to make the sauce and look at it for a moment, memory suddenly sparking.

“Hey Jimin...when I was at the supermarket...I bumped into an Omega there? It was really weird, I didn’t even think the pack had an Omega or anything. But like...he didn’t smell like one properly, nor did he look like what I imagined an Omega would.” The tone of your voice is wondering and Jimin can tell that you’re going through scenarios in your head.

He lets out a long noise as he considers for a moment before making a small ‘ahh’ sound. “That was probably Jeon Jungkook. You remember him? Or...remember of him?”

Nodding slowly, you frown as you try to think back to when you’d been younger and you’d heard of the stories of him.

“Yeah but I thought he, like, never left his house. Weren’t his parents super overprotective of him? He got homeschooled and everything right?” Jimin shrugs in response, biting into his apple once more and chewing carefully.

“He did. I think they did it so he wouldn’t get bugged by any Alpha’s or anything. I mean...your reaction right now is telling me that was probably a good reason and you’re one of the best Alpha’s I know. But he’s spent the last year living on his own, away from his parents. I think he’s trying to gain more independence and experience the world in a safer way or something. I see him occasionally around town. Not really what you expect of an Omega, huh?” That makes you laugh as you nod.

“The man is built like a truck. Honestly, I think he could probably take on most Alpha’s and win. He didn’t say much to me. He bumped into me and I gave him back his soup. In fact, all he said to me was ‘why do you smell like that?’ to which I asked him the same thing. He smells like an Alpha should smell, only with the overlay of Omega. He was very brusque, almost confrontational.” You ponder that as you turn the meat over, evenly browning it all before setting a second saucepan on the hob.

“Well, that’s understandable. I mean...he gets accosted by a lot of the Alpha’s and Beta’s who see him around town. The whole stereotype of Omega’s means that they think they can basically bully him into hanging out with them or...doing stuff with him. I think he’s probably been given a ridiculous number of mating requests and he’s turned them all down. Despite what many wolves think, apparently Omega’s are not as submissive as they’re stereotyped to be.” His voice gets light at that and you can practically hear the irony in it, knowing that Jimin probably severely disapproves of how Jungkook is treated.

It makes sense though, he’s grown up seeing how people have mistreated you because of how you don't adhere to the stereotypes of a traditional Alpha. Hearing that about Jungkook makes you feel angry though, almost resentful of everyone else in the pack who make Jungkook’s very existence a likely chore to him.

“Well that’s just rude. He’s still a person, a wolf with his own mind and abilities. Why are they so mean to him? I mean...I’m the least Alpha you’ve ever seen but it doesn’t mean I’m not an Alpha, you know? This is what I mean I say the pack is so ridiculous and outdated! It’s just gross. Why are they so bigoted and small minded? There’s no one way to be an Alpha and there’s no one way to be an Omega. Jungkook and I both show that. There’s nothing wrong either of us.” You say vehemently, grip tightening on the large plastic spoon in your hand.

Your argument makes Jimin laugh lightly, causing you to glare at him until he holds his hands up in defence, one hand holding an apple core. “Hey, hey. I agree. I fully support Jungkook being an ass to everyone if they’re being an ass to him in turn. See, this is why you need to win the leadership! So that then everyone can see how stupid they’re all being and backwards!”

That makes you groan loudly, eyes rolling to the ceiling as your head tilts back. You don’t even look over at Jimin as he deposits the core into the bin and makes his way over to the door frame. Your defeated expression makes him chuckle though.

“Jimin, I swear, every conversation with you better not end with you bugging me about this stupid fucking leadership competition. If it does, I promise that I stick this spoon up your damn ass.” You threaten, lifting the spoon threateningly as he laughs even louder.

-

Licking the ice cream that remains on top of the cone you’d bought, you let out a little happy noise before grinning over at Sana. She’s eating her own ice cream, only she’s already onto the cone now and you snort in amusement. Salted caramel was her downfall and you’d known immediately which flavour she was going to pick when you’d both headed into the small, family owned ice cream parlour in town.

It had been years since you’d been in there, long before you’d headed off to college and part of you had been surprised that it was still going. Mainly because it seemed that in this day and age, a lot of smaller stores like this seemed to die off as bigger conglomerates took over.

There was a Baskin Robbins just on the outskirts of town so it was impressive to see just how busy and popular the old ‘50s themed parlour still was. And also kind of nice, to see people still doing well in the pack while the pack supported them in turn.

They’d upped their game since you’d left though and now offered a ridiculously large range of flavours to match the national chain that had opened up while also expanding their range of milkshakes and smoothies in turn. And that was to say nothing of the cakes, cookies and other baked delights they’d invented.

Sana swore that it was the best place in town when you’d agreed to meet up with her today, praising it to the heavens. You were both just going to chill out and do a little shopping in the smaller, more boutique stores that your town had to offer while catching up on everything.

She was your best friend from childhood and when you’d gone off to college, she’d chosen to stay behind to attend the college in the closest city. It had allowed her to attain her degree in law and she was now working towards the bar, while interning at the only law firm in town. Quite obviously, it specialised in wolf law and inter-species relations and Sana had been determined to be a part of the law network around here.

Understandable, given her mother was a human and her father a Beta wolf. Their relationship hadn’t been entirely well received by the pack, yet another reason you felt spurred on to enter the leadership contest as it was another example of the pack being outdated. Human-wolf relations were completely normal when you’d been in college, the city you’d been living in cosmopolitan and liberal.

Perhaps it was too much of you to expect your small town to be more open, but you were determined to try. For wolves like you, Sana and Jungkook.

Bumping into her gently, you smile softly before taking the final lick of what remained of the ice cream in your cone. You’d picked your old favourite, chocolate chip mint, and had enjoyed every bit of it.

“Mmm, this was a good choice. It tastes even better than when I last went there.” Sana grins brightly, her face lighting up with happiness at the combination of the ice cream and just being with you again. It felt good to hang out with her and you were determined to spend more time with her now that you were living here once more.

“I know right? I mean, it was good five years ago but that Baskin Robbins has really made them up their game. Along with the general like for more flavours now. And thank goodness they decided to invest in learning how to make a salted caramel flavour because I swear, I go here once a week for this stuff.” She sighs dreamily before eating the last bit of her cone, licking her fingers in an attempt to make sure she got all the flavour before pouting dramatically.

Chuckling, you carefully bite your own cone before licking at the remnants of mint ice cream that cling to the inside. “Do they sell tubs? They should, it’d be a good business venture. They could even stock them in the stores here. People would buy it.”

Immediately, Sana’s eyes go wide with excitement as her jaw drops.

“Oh my god, yes they should! Why have they never thought of that? That's the best idea ever. We need to suggest it to them, they have a suggestion box and I would like to have my entire freezer filled with delicious salted caramel ice cream. Oooh, and the cookies and cream. And the pecan ice cream! Oh, and the pistachio!” Snorting, you shake your head as you finish your own cone and push her arm lightly in amusement.

“It’s a good thing you’re a wolf with a wolf’s metabolism because I don’t know how you’d keep that figure otherwise. Honestly. Does your fridge or pantry even have any food that doesn’t contain sugar?” You tease her gently, smiling as she scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Of course. There’s water. That’s the perfect remedy for when I’ve indulged in too much wine.” Amused, you look away from her to the window of the store you’re both passing. Sana hadn’t changed much since you were both eighteen and you were thankful for it. She was still the happy, bubbly girl you’d been friends with for years, only now she has a veneer of adulthood about her.

Hopefully you were the same.

“You know, I can see why Jimin started dating you. You both have the eating habits of a five-year-old. If it wasn’t for me, I’m not sure Jimin would even know what a vegetable looks like. And I mean any vegetable.” That gets Sana smiling as you mention your big brother, and her boyfriend of two years.

The two of them had started dating in your final year of college. It hadn’t been too surprising as you’d known that Sana always had a little crush on Jimin but you’d been surprised that Jimin had reciprocated it. He’d always been steadfastly avoidant of anything that could potentially encourage a crush with your friends when growing up, which you’d definitely appreciated.

But apparently they’d come across each other a few times in your small town and one thing had led to another. They weren’t mated yet or anything, but you had a sneaking suspicion that it was only a matter of time. Jimin never did anything quickly, always taking his time to be as sure as possible before doing anything. It’s what made him a good plumber with a 100% success rate.

You had no doubt that Sana probably appreciated it as well, as being mated would mean they would have a higher chance of creating pups. And you knew damn well that Sana had big dreams for her career before starting a family. Not that she wouldn’t welcome them into her life, but you were pleased that they were both taking things slowly still.

“I don’t know, I’ve seen him with a cucumber before.” Frowning, you look away from the display of the latest book releases and over at her. You were about to ask her a question when you recognised the sly look of mischief on her face and you gagged loudly, turning away and back to the display.

In the window, you could see your expression of pure disgust. “Sana. That is my brother! I do not want to...oh god, ew. Ewwww.”

Sana’s high pitched giggle takes over as she enters the bookstore, her pure amusement at your horror causing you to smile despite the gross image you’d just had ingrained in your mind. That was the last time you were ever buying cucumber for the apartment.

The scent of fresh books welcomes as you enter the store and you instantly relax, closing your eyes to take a deep inhale. You’d always loved books and reading, it had been a strong passion of yours which was why you’d taken a dual subject degree; English literature and history. Your master’s degree had been in teaching, meaning that you were qualified to teach both English and history in the school you worked at.

Books were one of the most important things in the world to you as they not only informed and passed on the knowledge that people had gained over the centuries, even millennia, but they also opened up entirely new worlds to positively millions of people around the world. There was no world too big when it came to books and you felt passionately about encouraging everyone to read and indulge, whether they loved a bodice ripping romance or the autobiography of a popular sports star.

Sana tugged at your arm as she directed you towards the shelves of the popular novels, both of you scanning over them quietly. Reading had been a passion of you both and your parents had always been amused to sometimes come into your room when you were younger to find you both reading separately, the only thing making any noise was the stereo that played your favourite songs.

“You heard of anything good coming out?” You ask idly, crouching down to examine the history section and pursing your lips when you see an interesting book on the history of Ancient Mesopotamia. Flipping it over, you read the blurb intently before standing with it firmly in your hand.

“Not really, I think I’m just in the mood for something really light though. Easy to pick up and read for ten minutes or so at night.” She says, pulling out a copy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. You take in the cover before laughing and taking it from her, putting it back in its place. 

“That is not the book you want then. Trust me, you have to read that book like, twice, to even understand what happened. Hmm...I’d recommend this, I have read it and it’s got a few sequels so you’ll be able to sink your teeth into it.” You hand her a copy of The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. “It’s a series called The Witcher, they made some games from it and there’s a Netflix show out too. You’ll enjoy it.”

Sana makes an interested noise and reads over the back before nodding in approval, giving you a smile of thanks before wandering off to her favourite genre section of the store. She’d always been a sucker for the fiction books with a particular love of crime and thriller. No surprise really, given her career choice.

Smiling, you make your own way over to the non-fiction section. You would read anything but you really enjoyed your history, autobiographies or memoirs. Tilting your head, you scan over the titles carefully before pulling out a book called Educated by Tara Westover. It only takes a quick scan over the blurb to see that it’s something that interests you and you add it to your small pile before continuing to look.

“Are you stalking me or something?” Comes a deep voice to your right, the sound so low and unexpected that you jolt in surprise, a hand coming to rest on your chest as a noise leaves you. It’s probably not a very Alpha-like response but honestly, what did he expect when jumping up on you like that? He was lucky you hadn’t responded the other way and tried to rip his throat out.

Turning quickly, you go to snap at the intruder and pause, eyes having to scan upwards to meet him. You’re so surprised at who it is that you take a step backwards, any irritance you might have had vanishing as you take in the sight of Jeon Jungkook standing before you.

Today, he’s got an oversized black hoodie covering his entire torso while black cargo pants adorn his legs, the numerous pockets looking empty and meeting the same boots he’d been wearing the other week. You take all of that in within seconds, brows narrowing inwards as you try to understand how you’ve come across him again.

“I’m not stalking you. I’m buying books. What does it look like I’m doing?” The words fall from your lips before you even run through them mentally, causing them to come out simultaneously belligerent and confused. 

Jungkook’s beautiful eyes narrow slightly at you and his free hand pushes his hair out of his face, his surprisingly soft looking lips going particularly pouty. You take the moment to admire how clear his skin looks, the crappy lighting of the store making him probably look worse than he actually does. Which is impressive, because he already looks monumentally handsome.

“Well I don’t know. Wouldn’t be the first time an Alpha stalked me.” He grumbles, glaring at you before turning to face the bookcase. It’s almost with amusement that you note he doesn’t even look at the spine of the book he grabs, instead just pulling it out immediately.

Brow rising, you bit your lip to try and stop your smile. “So...got an interest in the history of sex hmm? Not really something I’d try and teach my students but it’s always good to have more information.”

You can’t help it, not when you see the obscenely large pink text that clearly states ‘A Curious History of Sex’ on the front cover. Of all the books he could’ve picked out, he managed to grab that one. And you think he’s probably mentally thinking that too by the way his cheeks flush the prettiest pink, even his ears going red with heat as he lets out a sigh and quickly shoves it back into place.

“Shut up,” The growl he gives is actually kind of impressive. “Of all the fucking books. Of course you picked out a sex book with an Alpha next to you.” He mutters quietly to himself, rolling his eyes and actually taking the time to read the spines this time. You’re kind of impressed that he gave you an order, particularly given the unfortunate stereotype of Omega’s. Evidently, there were a lot of things that were exaggerated.

Silence falls between you both and you sigh this time, eyeing him out of the corner of your eye. His raised shoulders indicate that he clearly wants nothing to do with you, but you feel a deep and innate need to say something to him.

“Hey...Jungkook. I know you probably don’t want to talk to me and I swear I’ll leave after this. Or at least...go to another part of the store. First of all, I know your name because my brother told me about you. I’ve not been in town for a few years. And second of all...I know it’s probably not much but...I’m really sorry about how you’ve probably been treated over the years. As you can probably tell, I’m not really like other Alpha’s so I’ve been on the receiving end of some negative treatment too and I know how cruel wolves can be. I just...I’m sorry for anyone who has stereotyped you and felt they had some right to you as a result. It’s probably not a lot but I hate that you felt the need to say that to me.” 

Taking a deep breath, you give him a hesitant smile before carefully stepping away from him. It was probably pointless that you’d done that, and he would probably laugh at your idiotic behaviour lately. You knew Jimin sure would. Why the hell would Jungkook care if one Alpha apologised for the bad treatment he’s received for years? Particularly given you’re the least Alpha-like wolf out there.

But Jungkook is staring at you intently, his eyes narrow not in anger or suspicion but careful thought. His lips purse slightly before he licks them, his body posture loosening up slightly as he relaxes a little.

“You’re not like other Alpha’s are you? I mean, besides from the whole being tiny and smelling sweet thing,” He gestures to all of you at that, causing you to give a smile of amusement to let him know you’ve taken no offence. “You’re the first Alpha that’s ever apologised to me. For anything really, and you haven’t even done anything to warrant the apology.”

Chewing on your lip, you play the books in your hands before shrugging at him.

“Yeah well, no one ever apologised to me for all the comments they’ve made over the years. Not sure if I’d like to accept one either but I at least like the thought of someone trying to apologise. Won’t help everything that’s happened but it’s a start, you know?” You offer the words to him gently, hoping that he’ll understand why you felt the need to apologise to him.

He was right, in that you hadn’t done anything to offend him so far. You hadn’t said anything rude or negative to him, you hadn’t stalked or pursued him. In fact, the very idea of it was absolutely abhorrent. Sure, he smelled delicious and you had the biggest urge to press yourself to him and preen but you wouldn’t do it. You were an Alpha, and Alpha’s were supposed to have the best control.

Jungkook pauses slightly before nodding, running his hand through his hair once more. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Does feel a little nice to get some form of apology I guess. But you didn’t need to. You’re the first Alpha to not try to bully me into submitting to them or obeying them. I’ve even had a few try to force me into sex. In fact, I think the only time I’ve ever smelled your dominance was when I just scared you. And that was my fault, so I’m sorry.”

Grinning, you nod your head at him in acceptance and casually reach to the bookcase, grabbing a book about the history of the British SAS and adding it to your pile. You don’t even need to read the blurb, already knowing that you’d enjoy it and Jungkook eyes your books curiously.

“I don’t like making people submit to me if they don’t want to. It’s cruel and demeaning. We only have that power so that it’s used in dire circumstances. Anyone doing it to you is an asshole and you should tell them that. Or...well...think it at them, don’t do anything that might get you hurt,” Pausing, you frown over at him as you feel your heart expand in sympathy while a fire of anger burns in your stomach. “And I certainly don’t force people into sex with me. There’s a legal definition for that, and the act is most definitely illegal. Anyone does that, or tries it, I hope you report them because that’s disgusting.”

The vehemence in your voice is strong and firm, causing Jungkook to back away ever so slightly, his eyes widening as you accidentally let slip of your control. But you see no fear in his eyes, because it was quite clear that your anger was not directed towards him. In fact, it was more of a protective anger, an anger that he’d possibly been hurt or scared.

Still though, you don’t like the fact that you’d slipped and you bow your head, apologising quickly to him. He doesn’t say anything and you take a deep breath, calming yourself down before giving him a very neutral smile.

“I think it’s probably time for me to go now, I’ve got enough for my bookcase and my friend is waiting for me. It was nice to meet you Jungkook and I hope that whenever we meet next, you can feel a little more comfortable with me. And that you don’t terrify me at the start.” That gets a laugh from him, the sound high and lou. You end up laughing in turn, your own laugh quieter and more gentle.

Turning from him, you go to head over to the cashier before you feel a slight pressure on your arm. Pausing, you realise that it’s Jungkook before you even turn around, his delightful scent surrounding you so much that you can’t help but close your eyes and take a deep breath. Combined with the heavenly scent of books, you’re not sure you’ve ever smelled anything better.

Shifting until you’re facing him, you see Jungkook’s face looking a little nervous. His eyes glance about, almost as if he was checking to see if there was anyone around and you wonder what he wanted from you.

Finally though, he gestures down to the phone in his hand that he points towards you, the screen open to a new contact page. Glancing back up with a raised eyebrow, you have to seriously fight to stop the smile that wants to spread when you realise that his cheeks are pink once more.

“I’m sorry if this is...a little forward or anything but, is there any chance you might be okay with giving me your number?” He smiles at that, his white teeth perfect and straight in his mouth as his eyes positively light up with the same mischief you see in Jimin sometimes. “I think I’d like to get to know you a bit more...if you’re okay with that?”

You’re positive that your jaw has dropped and you desperately want to shove it back into place, feeling that you were probably being a little rude. Okay, a lot rude. But seriously, Jungkook had just asked for your number. An Omega, who had a clear dislike of Alpha’s for a good reason, had asked for your number.

Carefully, you eye him and realise he’s being completely serious. There’s a small delay between you realising this and your hand moving forward to take the smartphone from him, your fingers carefully typing in your name and number.

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Handing back the phone, he glances down at the screen and smiles softly.

“I think so. It was nice meeting you Y/N. I’ll talk to you soon.”

-

It had been over two months since that day at the bookstore, when you’d experienced how...non-Omega like Jeon Jungkook was. And he’d continued to surprise you ever since. He was bold when you expected submissive, arrogant where you’d been told to expect meekness and so much more. 

You were thoroughly delighted by how contradictory he was and enjoyed testing the limits with him. He seemed to enjoy it too, given how he let you push at his boundaries while he in turn pushed at your own experimentally. It was an odd give-and-take with him, something you’d never experienced before and you were finding yourself increasingly enamoured with him.

Not that you were going to tell him that of course. The last you wanted was for him to feel like there was yet another Alpha pressuring him for anything. But it was just hard to not develop any feelings for him when he was so sweet and kind.

The two of you had texted frequently for the first two weeks before you’d met up at a local café, learning how to translate that easy going conversation via text into face-to-face conversation. You’d learnt how to though, carefully navigating the intricacies of a friendship with an Omega.

Jungkook could often be abrasive and sometimes took things to heart. A simple sentence from you that had no negative implications would be misunderstood by him to the extent that you were sometimes left wondering if you’d said something bad. And then he’d apologise, his cheeks red as he’d admit that it had been him who has misinterpreted you.

It was the strangest friendship you’d ever had, yet also one that you’d grown to love. Jungkook had a big heart beneath all his overly large, black clothing and his blunt personality. You had certainly enjoyed discovering that, finding out all the ways that made him smile in that soft and shy way, how to make him laugh in the overly sweet giggle that made your heart race a little.

Tonight he had come over to your apartment with the promise of freshly made Greek food and a night of watching Locke and Key on Netflix. You’d both watched the first episode independently before deciding that you’d watch it together when Jimin and Sana had shown no interest. Which meant that tonight, you would hopefully both blitz through the rest of the series in one go.

Of course, Jungkook wasn’t going to turn down food. Especially free food. So he’d happily said yes and had been a surprisingly good help in the kitchen as you’d shown him how to help prepare the food. Right now, your stomach was pretty content and happy; full of pork souvlaki, dolmades made of hollowed out and stuffed tomatoes with a whole array of delicious sides including homemade tzatziki and fresh olives. 

The dessert had been a store made baklava, because you weren’t quite willing to put your talents as far as making that. But it had been just as delightful and you knew that Jungkook had enjoyed every mouthful. In fact, he’d probably wanted more when he’d realised there was no more souvlaki left. He’d even eaten all the salad.

And now you were both sitting on the couch, your feet curled under you as your belly protested ever so slightly from being filled with so much food and a glass of red wine in your hand. Jungkook had a bottle of beer and you were surprised by how...domestic it all felt really.

Jimin wasn’t home tonight, he was spending the night with Sana and had given you a very peculiar look when you’d told him that you wouldn’t go with him because Jungkook was coming over. Normally, you’d spend a few hours at Sana’s before heading back home and leaving them both alone to enjoy each other.

Your brother had met Jungkook over the last few weeks. Even become quite friendly with him. Jungkook’s own friends, Kim Taehyung and Kim Namjoon had slowly become friends with both you and your brother as well. They were both Delta’s, the general population of a pack, and so were completely harmless to Jungkook thankfully.

It had been particularly amusing when you’d met them to see how protective they were over the Omega. Especially given the fact that as an Alpha, you were the top rank out of them all. But their hackles had slowly gone down as they’d gotten to know you better and realised that you had no intention of pushing your will on any of them, particularly Jungkook.

All of you had gone out to the city one day, checking out the giant shopping mall there and even playing around in the old school arcade that they had. Jungkook and you had engaged in more than one round of the classic Time Crisis, both of you yelling whenever you died and had to feed more money into the machine. The others had stood around watching for a while before moving off to play the basketball game. 

After that, you’d both devoured fully stacked cheeseburgers and a portion of large fries before drowning them in a large cookie dough milkshake. It had been fun and had almost felt like a date, if there hadn’t also been Jungkook’s two friends with you along with Jimin and Sana.

Thankfully, the presence of an Alpha and two Beta’s had prevented anyone from trying anything funny with Jungkook, leaving him to simply enjoy the day out. And you were beyond happy that had been his experience so far with you every time you’d both gone out together. Your mere presence as an Alpha kept others at bay.

Despite how easy everything was being tonight, you felt a little funny and strange. Jimin had made a casual comment the other day about how your scent seemed to change when Jungkook was around, taking on an almost earthy scent while Jungkook’s in turn became sweeter. You thought it was just because you were near someone who was awakening the primal instincts in you, and vice versa with Jungkook.

That had got you a droll stare.

But you would have to admit that being like this, sitting with him and his warmth being so close to your own while his scent overwhelmed you so delightfully, made you feel happy and content. A small voice in the back of your mind was telling you what it was, what it all meant. But you didn’t want to acknowledge that voice, didn’t want to let it gain ground in your mind.

What you had with Jungkook was good right now. It was solid, surprisingly stable given the short amount of time you’d known him and how drastically different both of your backgrounds were. Though you couldn’t help but think.

Okay, if you were being entirely honest with yourself then you wanted Jungkook. You wanted to date him, to hold his hand and make him smile. Kiss his cheek and his nose, feel all of that strong body beneath his clothes, feel his hands on you while you run your hands along him, learn the taste of his mouth and…

Shaking your head, you try to push those thoughts out of your mind before your scent changes in a way that even Jungkook is going to notice. Taking a deep swallow of wine, you point at the screen while scoffing loudly.

“Is it just me, or are these kids taking all this weirdness in their stride way too easily? Like, oh look! A key opens a mirror world where you can get lost and die! Nothing weird there. Casual day in their lives.” Jungkook snorts, grinning as he takes a drink. 

“They do seem to be quite calm about this whole thing. I mean, I’d be freaking the fuck out if that was me. Taking the first train to Nopeville and stopping at Hell the Fuck No City on the way.” Laughing, you press your face into his shoulder. He had the strangest humour sometimes.

Jungkook particularly liked those old school ‘90s comedy films or early 2000s. He’d already made you watch Dumb and Dumber along with Clerks, Happy Gilmore and Dodgeball. You’d admit to enjoy Dodgeball, okay so maybe you’d laughed particularly hard at the ‘if you can avoid a wrench!’ scene, but the others had questionable humour to you.

To him though, it had been the funniest thing he’d ever seen. His laugh was particularly loud when he was enjoying something so freely, the sound infectious until you were giggling along with him. So even though you weren’t exactly enamoured with the films he liked to watch, you went along with them because he liked them. And you liked it when he got the happy look in his eyes.

“I guess it wouldn’t really make it exciting though if they just noped the fuck outta there, huh?” You muse, casually eating a fruit gummy from the pack of Haribo you’d bought at the grocery store too. Jimin would kill you if he found out that you’d bought them when he wasn’t here, but whatever.

Offering the packet to Jungkook, he gives you a sweet smile before carefully reaching inside and picking out a tangy cherry gummy. He pops into his mouth quickly, a hum of happiness leaving him as he wiggles slightly, rosy pink lips pouting slightly as he chews. Snorting, you smile brightly and poke his cheek affectionately.

Looking at you, his eyes widen in that innocent way of his that makes your heart strings tug. Despite his bold and aggressive exterior, the tattoos that line his arms in what you’re convinced is a way to express his creativity while also protecting himself from anyone looking, he was still an Omega. He growled at you and grumbled frequently, ignoring your requests and straight up argued with Jimin frequently.

Jungkook defied every stereotype of an Omega and almost took great delight at doing so. Yet at his heart, just like you were still an Alpha when you stripped everything away, he was still an Omega. The way he would watch with boundless curiosity when you cooked or helped to build the new bookcase you’d bought last week. His sweet nature was always so giving, how he would happily share his food with you and how much he loved affection despite his initial belligerence. 

You knew that the only reason you were seeing this Jungkook was because he felt comfortable with you. That you gave him the stability and protection that made him feel like he could be open with you and honest about himself.

“Jungkook...how...okay, don’t answer this question if you don’t want to or anything. But...when we first met, and the second time, you were surprisingly aggressive. For an Omega. And I know, I know, stereotypes and all that. But...having got to know you, I’m a little surprised by how unlike you that was. You’re so sweet and kind and funny, genuine and honest. I was half convinced that you were gonna bite my head off the second time we met.” Jungkook’s cheeks flush bright red at that, one hand coming up to rub at them before he lets out a quiet laugh.

“Yeah...I know. It's an, erm, survival mechanism. My parents taught me to be...bolder than I actually am. Inside, I’m quaking with fear when I act like that because all it takes is one genuine command and I’d be on my knees. Usually an Alpha is so surprised by my aggression that they don’t do anything further. No one wants to fight an Omega, right? And then I make my getaway.” He takes another gummy from the pack, chewing on it carefully.

“That makes sense. Your parents were smart. I know I confused my parents when I was younger because of how...non-Alpha I was. By all of the stereotypes, I should’ve been hammering and pushing around Jimin when I was old enough to walk and shift. But instead, I would let him push me around. It was almost amusing how confused it made them.” You laugh, grinning at him brightly with an aura of smug amusement. “I have the instincts in me, but I don’t feel like-”

“Like you’re being run by them. I get it. Same here. I get the urge to be submissive and quiet and meek, all those lovely instincts that Omega’s have for some godforsaken reason. I just don’t feel the need to let them come to the fore. Instead, I can almost push-”

“Push them away. They’re there, in your head and your body, your wolf knows them, but you don’t need to use them.” Jungkook looks at you for a moment with a serious expression, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly and you wonder what he’s thinking. He looks like he’s considering something.

“I’ve never met anyone who understands what it’s like. And it’s even weirder given how different we are in the pack hierarchy.” Reaching for his drink, he takes a long swallow and you watch the way the muscles in his throat work as he does so, your own mouth suddenly bone dry. His words permeate your mind and you purse your lips, shrugging slightly.

“Same. But...it’s nice not to feel so alone, you know? Part of the reason why I’m running for leadership. I mean, a big part is to shut Jimin up but...I genuinely want to change the way this pack thinks and how it runs. Wolves like us are just as normal as any other and I don’t see why a stereotype should be the way we have to run our lives. You’re an Omega, yes, but you’re so much more than that. I know we have our wolves in us, and there’s part of us and instincts we can never change, but the human side of us needs to learn and grow. Move with the times.” That gets a laugh from Jungkook as he places his bottle back down, grinning at you.

“You sound like you’re giving some great speech. But you’re right. I’ll vote for you.” Looking at him sharply, you scan over his face closely to see if he’s joking or anything. You’d had plenty of people who were being honest when they said they would vote for you, but you’d also had plenty of people who had been joking.

It would be nice if you could say the high school nastiness had stayed in high school. Instead, it had just become an unfortunate personality trait of some wolves.

But his face was serious, his expression earnest and his eyes wide with his sincerity. Your hackles slowly relaxed as you chewed your inner lip before giving him a small nod and an even smaller smile.

“Thanks. I mean...I’m not gonna win but you know.” 

“Well, not with that attitude. Come on, you’re an Alpha. Embrace your stereotype for once and be braggadocios. It’s the one time I won’t hold it against you.” Dancing his finger around your nose, he practically sings the words and you laugh while also noting he has a nice voice.

“Okay, okay. I guess. Even though I’m all about dismantling the stereotypes of the pack, I will embrace my own this once. For Jimin and you, because I think between you both, you’re going to drive me crazy until it’s all over.” The Omega laughs loudly, the sound so pure that you can’t help but laugh along as your heart soars and you feel almost light headed. You’re not sure if that’s basically of his basic nature, or if it’s just because it’s Jungkook.

“Good. And while you’re embracing your stereotype, I’m going to take your advice and go against mine and be bold right now,” He pauses for dramatic effect. Or at least, you think it's a dramatic effect, until you see the nervous way his eyes look away from you constantly. “I like being your friend. It’s really good, and I really like it. I do. But...I was wondering if maybe...you wanted to be...more?” 

Jungkook’s boldness dies away by the end of his sentence until his words are so soft and gentle, you can barely hear them. His cheeks are a flaming red now and you get the impression he’s trying to hide behind his luscious locks of hair. But you heard the words all the same, and you let go of the breath you’d been holding.

Part of you wants to interrogate him, to ask if he was being serious. If this is what he really wanted. If he was really okay with being with an Alpha. You wanted to make sure this was all comfortable for him.

But the bigger part of you, the part that was jumping for joy and your wolf who was howling in excitement along with you, wanted to just say yes. Jungkook was a grown man. An adult who just happened to be an Omega. If you were serious about ignoring the stereotypes that had been placed on you both, then this would be a prime start.

By letting him have true agency over his decisions and acknowledging that he had evidently thought them through until he had come to this request. Jungkook was naturally shy beneath his veneer of boldness, and you knew he thought things through a lot. So to know he’d been thinking of this...in the same way you had.

You only have one word to say to him, a word you both evidently want to hear and you can’t stop the giant smile that paints across your face as you give it to him.

“Yes.”

-

Standing in front of the mirror in your bedroom, you contemplate whether to wear the olive green shirt or the buttercup yellow one. It was traditional for the candidates for pack leadership to wear the colours of nature on the election day and you were keen to uphold this one tradition at least. If there was one thing you did agree with the pack on, it was the need to appreciate and love nature.

But still, you were unsure of what to wear. You had to make a good impression after all and you were the only woman going forward for the Pack Leadership. That thought immediately makes you scowl though and you want to pinch yourself. There was no need for you to put more effort in than the other two candidates just because of who you are. That was the kind of thinking you were rallying against.

“You should wear the yellow. It looks pretty on you.” Jungkook’s voice pipes up from where he’s laid on the bed. He sounds a little tired and you know that he’d been up late last night trying to finish the project he’d been assigned by the digital marketing company he worked for. Their deadline had been moved up drastically which meant he’d had to work harder to get everything finished, being one of their few website and graphic designers.

“Really?” You hum, shifting to assess yourself as you hold the yellow shirt in front of you instead. It does look pretty good on you but you were going to be wearing sand coloured jeans. That would be too pale overall and you didn’t want to stand out too much, plus there wasn’t any green in your wardrobe. But then again, the olive would make you look like some kind of army dropout.

“Don’t you have some dark green pants in there? I’m sure I saw them.” With that, he heaves himself out of bed and stretches, looking mighty fine as you’re gifted with the view of his muscled body and tan skin, the abundance of tattoos he loves so much scrawled across his arms. His hair is just as long and ruffled as the day you first met, only it’s looking even more like a mess right now and you snort.

You don’t remember the pants he’s talking about so you wait for him to finish scratching his belly, nails scraping against the fine hair that leads above the band of his boxers. Finally though, he walks over and rummages through your closest while humming lightly to himself. Smiling, you run your fingers along his back and enjoy the way he shivers against you.

It’s been a good few months since the two of you had started dating. The rest of the Pack had been surprised to find out that the impossibly grumpy Omega had finally agreed to date an Alpha and you’d gotten plenty of suspicious words from people over time. There were a lot who didn’t understand why Jungkook was with you of all Alpha’s, given how...unlike the one you were.

But it had also bizarrely had a strange effect on your popularity in the rankings. Given the almost mythical status afforded Omega’s, it was almost like the Pack viewed you as someone more worthy of the very idea of leadership because he’d chosen to be with you. Jimin had told you it was because of yet more antiquated ideas surrounding Omega’s and the fact that a lot of wolves believed that they would only mate with superior Alpha’s.

While you weren’t going to push away the idea of mating with Jungkook, if anything you were pretty positive that your wolf had long ago picked him, you didn’t like the pressure it placed on him. Nor did you like how you felt like you were manipulating the people who were coming to know and appreciate.

You’d tried not to let it bother you too much and had instead focused on getting to know the people of your town and Pack once more while exploring the budding relationship between Jungkook and you. He was perhaps the sweetest wolf you’d ever met with a pure heart of gold and you adored the gruff exterior he presented to keep away others. 

“Here it is.” He says proudly, bringing out a pair of olive green pants that you’d forgotten you even had. How he’d found those, you had no idea but you were pleased to see that you’d had the forethought to at least hang them up, meaning there were currently no wrinkles.

Ideally, you’d obviously have washed them but whatever. As long as it looked good and not like a last minute decision. Smiling brightly at him, you take them and pair them up with the shirt, liking the neutral tones that look like sunshine and earth combining.

“Good decision ‘kook. I like it.” You’d already showered, hence why you were currently wrapped in a towel, and carefully chose some underwear as well. This wasn’t as important obviously and you preferred to be comfortable instead of sexy. Though there were certainly occasions when the latter worked...particularly with a certain wolf.

“I’m gonna go shower quickly and then get dressed. We’re meeting up at the parking lot right?” Jungkook asks, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek to avoid morning breath before heading over to the bathroom. You gave him a nod before he slipped inside and began to get ready, taking a deep breath to steel yourself.

Jimin had moved out two months ago and Jungkook had moved straight in, your relationship deepening even further. You’d say it was fast, but you were probably just used to Jimin and Sana’s snail pace relationship. They’d finally mated though and you’d been informed only last week that you would be able to play with a nephew or niece sooner rather than later.

But logically, you knew that a true mate pairing just knew with each other. And you suspected that had happened with Jungkook. You were taking things slow not only for him, but for yourself to make sure that you weren’t just rushing into something. Which was silly, because your wolf wasn’t going to change her mind anytime soon.

Pulling on your clothes, you accessorise with a few pretty rose gold bracelets and a beautiful necklace with a small, bejewelled hummingbird pendant. Jungkook had bought you it for your six month anniversary, which made you laugh because you didn’t realise he’d been counting, but it was a sweet gesture and worked perfectly with your colour scheme today.

A few touches of make up to your face are finished by the time Jungkook comes out and he snorts at the sight of you nearly finished already. Apparently he was constantly surprised by how quickly you got ready, more used to his mom’s time consuming efforts. 

He pulls on a white, button up shirt along with some dark grey skinny jeans. Witnesses aren’t required to dress to a code like the candidates were, but you couldn’t deny that he looked almost outrageously attractive. You didn’t even realise you were growling at a subvocal level until Jungkook looked at you with a grin, drying his hair and styling it to make sure he looked good.

He always looked good though.

Before you even realise what you’re doing, you’ve placed the lipstick down you were about to put on and are standing in front of him, arms wrapping around his slim waist to hug him. Jungkook hadn’t buttoned his shirt fully yet so none of your makeup got on his pristine shirt but you didn’t particularly care right then.

Humming lightly, you inhaled deeply and took in his scent, body relaxing as your nerves washed away with his presence. This was why you weren’t protesting your wolf’s choice of mate too much, or the fact that she’d become more insistent over the last few weeks. Because he made you feel happy and stress free.

Honestly, you weren’t entirely sure what you’d been doing before him.

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, instead wrapping his arms around you in turn and simply hugging you back. The two of you sway slightly as he moves you both and his chest vibrates as he hums a song in his usual habit, the sensation gentle against your ear.

“I love you.” The words fall from your mouth before you even realise what you’re doing and you go to freeze, uncertain if he’d accept the words. Declarations like that were not taken lightly in your world given how mate bonds were permanent. You simply didn’t ‘fall in love’ with someone who your wolf didn’t want and trust implicitly.

Which meant you’d just given the game away to Jungkook. And on this very important day that you had been anxiously waiting for, you now had to comprehend with the fact that you needed to hear whether he would reciprocate or deny. Because it was entirely up to him now.

He could respond, meaning all you would need to do was consummate the bond together later, or he could deny you which would mean your relationship probably wouldn’t last much longer. Swallowing thickly, you wait to see what he’d say.

“I love you too.” They’re so soft and gentle that you almost don’t hear them, even with your superior senses. And you get the impression that he’s a little choked up himself, a little shy and beyond all that, happy with the way his arms tighten around you. It makes you want to cry too but you’ve just put your damn makeup on and you are not going to ruin it when you don’t have time.

Pulling away, you look up at him and bite your lip in excitement, taking in the way his eyes practically glitter with reciprocal emotion. You’ve never seen a more beautiful sight in your life. The two of you move like magnets attracted to one another, lips connecting as if there’s not a force on Earth that could stop you both and you sigh into his mouth happily.

It doesn’t take him long though to gently push you away, his hands firm on your shoulders as you whine at the loss of him. He doesn’t give in though, very carefully directing you back over to the make up he’d distracted you from before kissing your forehead quickly.

“There’s no time for that right now. We can discuss this further after the election, okay?” Jungkook’s voice is soft as he crouches next to you, resting a hand on your thigh and giving you the sweetest smile that makes his eyes positively glow. Resting your hand on his cheek, you stroke the skin there softly before sighing and nodding.

“Well...at least one good thing has happened today.” He laughs at that, standing up to finish dressing while you finish up as well. The two of you chat about the show you’ve both been watching, carefully avoiding any discussion of what had just happened or what was about to happen.

It stays like that until you’re meeting up with your friends and family in the parking lot outside the entrance to the forest. Well, there’s lots of entrances but this was the entrance. The one that led to the ancestral clearing that had been used to determine the leader of the Pack for centuries now. Long ago, the election had actually been a competition in which Alpha’s would fight to claim the leadership.

Those who didn’t submit, or die, won the right to lead. Thankfully, that had been outlawed long ago or you wouldn’t have even considered the possibility of entering the election. The very idea was simply barbaric and despite the fact you turned into a wolf, and had a wolf with her own mind inside you, you were still also human.

“You ready?” Jimin asks, smiling at you reassuringly as he moves over and hugs you tightly. Smiling, you press yourself into your brother and inhale the smell of him, the familial connection helping you to relax. Sana soon joins in the hug and you laugh softly, enveloping her too and taking in the difference of her own scent now that she is pregnant. There were subtle hints of Jimin in there, indicating he was the father and you wanted to squeal with excitement.

You’d been beyond happy that they’d finally bonded together after what seemed an absurd amount of time but you were even happier than they were pregnant. The two of them were going to make fantastic parents and you were beyond excited to be an aunt as well. 

Looking back at Jungkook, you reach out for his hand and tug him into the hug too, making him whine before laughing. He was still pretty shy with affection in public, almost like he was afraid that people might make comments about him or something but you weren’t going to let him get away with that right now.

That baby was going to be his nephew or niece too now. Though obviously Jimin and Sana didn’t know that just yet. Still though, they welcomed into the hug with open warmth and you sighed happily as some of the most important people surrounded you with their love and support.

“Thank you all for coming.” You mumble before separating yourself from them and giving your parents a hug as well. They give you their own well wishes and support as well and you chat with them for a few minutes about everything that’s been going on, promising to visit them more often.

“Come on, we’ve got to go.” Sana says suddenly, interrupting you with an apologetic smile before looping her arm through your own. The two of you start doing the dirt trail, quiet for a moment as you take the time to inhale the clean scent of the trees that surround you. Reaching out, you run your hand along the rough bark of the trunk of the nearest one and feel yourself centre with the help of the nature surrounding you.

Generations of wolves had been born, lived and died under the watchful gaze of these trees and you wondered what stories they could tell. The love stories they’d seen or the battles they’d been witness to. What would be the story they were going to see today? Would it be you, taking leadership or someone else?

“You’ll be fine,” Sana whispers to you, giving you a big smile before squeezing your arm reassuringly and you give you a tight smile in response. “Seriously, I think you’re going to do great. You underestimate how popular you are with people.”

“That’s just because I’m with Jungkook.” You mutter, pouting slightly as you contemplate just how much of people's warmth towards you was because of what you had done yourself or because you were dating the pretty and mysterious Omega. Glancing back at him, you watch as he chats with Jimin contentedly, laughing softly at the sight of him so big and broad next to your slight brother.

“You’d never think he was the Omega.” Your best friend muses, her tone light as she looks back too and you nod with a snort. Out of the two of them, Jimin looks like he would be the Omega instead of Jungkook. People would get a shock if they tried to treat Jimin like a submissive though. He’d probably bite their head off first.

Your brother could occasionally have a bit of a temper.

“He puts effort into looking that badass. Works though.” Chuckling, you turn back and take in a deep breath as you spot the opening just ahead. There’s sunlight streaming through, giving everything an almost ethereal look and you bite your lip as trepidation burns in your stomach.

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t win anyway. It’s all fine. I took part and hopefully changed some people’s minds too.” Nodding in confidence, you eye Sana for a moment before pushing at her lightly with affection. She raises her eyebrows at you before grinning and you both burst into nervous giggles.

“Okay, okay. Let’s be serious now. Game faces on. This is important.” You say, holding out your hand in front of your face before bringing it down in a gesture to simulate you getting serious. It makes Sana snort but she doesn’t say anything to contradict you. She knows you’re not entirely confident about this but you don’t want her to say anything about it.

Letting go of her arm, you turn and take a deep breath as you take in the faces of support from everyone you love. Sana’s parents along with Jungkook’s have joined now, having already reached the clearing and moving over to be with your supporters on the outskirts. You give them a nod of acknowledgement and thanks before heading into the centre of the circle of trees.

It’s bigger than you’d expect when you heard the word ‘clearing’. The tall sentinels that stand guard in an almost perfect circle have wide, foreboding trunks that indicate they’re old while the centre is wide enough to have wild grass growing freely. The strands sway slightly in the gentle breeze that filters through the trees and you note that there are a few wildflowers beginning to pop up as well, their colours bright and vibrant against the lush green.

Quiet murmuring and soft discussions mean that you can’t hear any of the natural sounds of the forest, the Pack members who were eligible and able to vote clustered around the outer edges. It always surprised you just how many wolves there were in your Pack, particularly considering it was considered to be small compared to Packs elsewhere.

There were a good few hundred people in the clearing though, making it seem even smaller. Even then, a lot of them were actually in the trees, waiting for their moment to come forward and vote. One day, the Pack wouldn’t be able to fit in this clearing. They were already spilling over the edges and you frowned, wondering when it had all gotten so big.

That was a thought for another day though and instead you simply go round, greeting as many people as you can and giving them your most gracious and humble smile. You would be leading these people if you won, but you would also be serving them too. It’s something a lot of people didn’t seem to realise about leadership positions, that they were designed to serve the very people who put them there.

Most were happy to greet you, giving you equally polite smiles and making small talk while there were a few others a little more frosty. You weren’t surprised that the families of the other candidates, Kim Seokjin and Oh Taewon, weren’t exactly the happiest to see you but there wasn’t exactly a lot you could do about that except be civil.

Soon enough thankfully, the current Pack Alpha is calling for quiet. His strong voice has a deep timbre and is still strong, despite his age. Though that might be because he was using the dominance he’d been born with to reinforce his words and ensure that everyone was listening to him.

A few of the Alphas in the crowd bristled to be ordered about, not exactly an unusual occurrence given the clashes of dominance that could happen. It wasn’t usually a problem but with this many wolves around, the election would have to take place quickly to ensure it didn’t cause any issues such as fights.

The quietest whine from behind you causes you to turn, catching Jungkook’s eyes and taking in the slightly distressed look in them. Almost immediately you feel protective, a need to rush over to him and comfort him. You’d been worried about him coming here, with so many dominant personalities present and how he’d handle it all but he’d been determined to come for you.

When he realises you’re watching him, he gives you a tremulous smile that’s a little weaker than he probably anticipated. It makes your heart clench and you catch Jimin and Sana’s attention subtly, indicating towards your boyfriend who was now fidgeting with his hands. They take approximately a second to realise what’s wrong before nodding at you with a smile, Sana’s arm wrapping around his waist in a hug.

It’s not you, but the comfort of someone he knows and trusts makes him relax and you sigh in relief. The last you needed during this moment was to be constantly fretting over him. As much as you love him, you need to get through this.

Turning back, you stand in between the other two candidates and listen to the current Alpha talks. He explains the history of your Pack along with how important the role of leader is. You zone out for a little bit, the nerves causing you to ignore what he’s saying until you realise people are moving forward slowly.

The way your ancestors had devised the more democratic, and less brutal, method of choosing the new Pack leader was for each member to place a stone in a wooden bowl that was set in front of you. Once everyone had voted, the stones were counted by the current Alpha and the leader declared. In case of a tie, the vote was decided by the Pack Alpha, who didn’t vote normally.

As people came forward and voted, you decided that while you appreciated the concept of voting, you didn’t particularly appreciate having to actively watch as people you had come to know voted for others. It was beyond awkward as you tried to avoid eye contact while also making sure you didn’t appear too upset or offended.

But what surprised you more than anything was the fact that...you seemed to be winning? The stones in your bowl were growing more and more plentiful while your opponents had only handfuls each. Frowning ever so slightly, you realised with a start that at this rate, they wouldn’t even need to count the stones. It was that obvious.

Instead of fretting over that, you focused instead on who was giving you their trust and loyalty. The people who were telling you that they thought you were the best Alpha to lead them forward, despite how you’d always been considered a lesser Alpha in the past. Part of you, the part that didn’t think you were ready, wondered how much of their choice had been impacted by Jungkook.

Shaking your head slightly, you pushed the thought away. It didn’t matter at the end of the day. If the final votes kept up like they did, then Kim Seokjin and Oh Taewon were going to be congratulating you on your win and acknowledging your leadership. You, the Alpha who defied all stereotypes.

Smiling slightly to yourself, you looked down at the ground as the final votes slowly trickled in. The win was to such an extent that your bowl looked like it was in serious danger of overflowing and you felt almost embarrassed at it. Glancing over to the other two candidates, you saw them give you a warm smile before they both walked over to give you a congratulatory handshake.

Given how temperamental Alpha’s could be, you were thankful that both Seokjin and Taewon were magnanimous and kind in defeat. Though you supposed that only level-headed Alpha’s would even be allowed to contest the election. No point allowing a candidate who was a hothead and would start a fight just because they lost.

Still, you made sure to be warm and welcoming to them both to avoid any future awkwardness. He current Pack leader, or rather the previous now, didn’t even bother counting the stones and instead moved over to you with a wide grin. Once you’d finished talking with Seokjin and Taewon, he grasped your hand and lifted it high above your head.

“I think this is probably the easiest victory in a while. Which is a testament to the popularity of Y/N and the strong belief that she will lead this pack in a positive way for the future. With this, I officially relinquish my role as leader and bestow it to you. May you experience good health, a fortuitous life and no troubles.” He smiles at you as you have the bizarre knowledge that you’re now higher ranking than he is. This is the wolf who has led the Pack since before you were even born, the wolf you had acquiesced to every time when he made a decree. And yet now, he bowed to you.

Well, he didn’t actually bow. But the metaphor was the same. Eyes widening at the thought, you accept his words before turning to look at the Pack. Your Pack. Catching the sight of your family, you see the tears of joy and pride your mom and dad cry while Jimin beams so brightly at the knowledge his little sister had actually done it.

And then you see Jungkook, who’s smiling so brightly at you that his nose is all wrinkled and his eyes have disappeared into the sweetest crescent moons. His cheeks are flushed with a combination of happiness and what you presume to be stress from the presence of so many dominant personalities but he pushes through it for you, focusing firmly on you as he cheers and howls alongside the rest of the Pack as they celebrate.

Getting them to calm down with a gesture, you laugh as the howls continue for a moment before stopping and simply look over the wolves who are now yours. Yours to rule and nourish, protect and discipline if necessary. It’s a big ask for someone who’s simply a teacher, but if you can handle a day full of moody teenagers then really, the Pack would almost be a vacation.

“Thank you, for putting your trust into me to lead you. I will try my best to be fair and kind, an Alpha who you can come to with your worries and stresses. I know that many of you may question me given...how I don’t appear like other Alpha’s but I promise you that I am just as ready to protect and fight for you if necessary. I am here for you and I will respect each of you. In turn, I expect equal amounts of respect back. I may be your leader, but I am not your ruler. Please, if you have any concerns then bring them to me sooner rather than later. And with that, I think that’s enough of discussing politics for the day. I’m sure you’re all waiting to go back to your homes and have your parties so...please enjoy.” Grinning, you stifle the laugh that wants to erupt at the enthusiastic howls and yells from many in the crowd as they begin to disperse.

Election day in your Pack had long been a day that everyone would take off from their normal work, turning it into a day of voting in the morning and partying in the evening to celebrate the election of their new leader. You would spend a few hours visiting random parties tonight throughout the town, making an appearance to them and showing that you were there before settling in at the party your parents would be hosting.

Glancing over at Jungkook, you bit your lip as anticipation roiled in your stomach. Under normal circumstances, the next few hours would be a breeze as you socialised and got to know people. You may not particularly enjoy it, but you were well versed in how to do it thanks to your job. But today?

Today you just wanted to rush home and into the arms of Jungkook. Because tonight you had more important things to do than having a party. Tonight, you were going to join together as mates for the very first time.

-

You wish that you could say that you enjoyed the parties that you went to that night, but it would be a complete lie to be honest. What you really want to do is get home, spend some time with your family and friends while you were still in a content and happy mood before spending the night with one Jeon Jungkook.

But you were, after all, the leader now. So you didn’t get to be selfish when it came to things like this. Though you kind of wished that you could because as much as you’d ended up wanting this role despite only doing it because Jimin had bugged you enough to sign up, some of the people in the Pack weren’t very accommodating to you. Or even nice really.

You were generalising really, because the vast majority of wolves who you had met and spoken to tonight had been very sweet and congratulatory towards you. Many of them had openly told you that they’d voted for you, leading to you awkwardly thanking them for their support. A lot of them had laughed at your uncertainty regarding their words but they seemed to appreciate how genuine you were being.

Perhaps they thought you might have ended up being like another Alpha who was brusque and almost rude, as if their support was never in question. There were plenty like that in the Pack and you were glad to give them someone who defied their expectations.

But after three hours of driving around town and greeting people, you were just ready to leave. So you give a polite smile to the young couple whose barbecue you’d crashed along with all of their friends and family, including their grandparents who had haughtily told you that they’d voted for Kim Seokjin, a real Alpha. 

That had just amused you and you’d shrugged apologetically when they’d told you, telling them that you’d do the best you could for them to meet their expectations. Of course, they’d just sniffed at that but you didn’t see any point in trying to change their mind. 

After finally saying goodbye to everyone there, you hop into your car and drive to your parents house with a relieved sensation in your stomach. Pulling up into their drive, you smile brightly at the sight of the cars of all your beloved friends and family, realising that they’d all congregated here for what must have been hours now.

“Ah, here she is. Our noble Alpha.” Greeted you when you walk through the door, Jimin’s bright smile accompanies his sugary sweet words and you snort in amusement, punching his stomach lightly as he goes to hug you. The whine he lets out is overly exaggerated but he embraces you tightly, his emotions genuine.

“Seriously, congrats. Told you that you could do it.” Rolling your eyes at him, you acknowledge his words with a nod before hugging Sana just as tight. She’s already babbling on about the election and how she’d thought it was going to be tense but that you’d made history with the landslide. Of course, she then starts to suggest laws that she’d like to have in place and you take her hands gently, squeezing them.

“Hey, hey. Sana...I love you, but can I please at least have tonight? We can talk about laws tomorrow, I promise you. Okay?” She pouts slightly, her pretty pink lips giving away her eagerness and you just chuckle.

“Sweetheart, what did we say about talking law tonight?” Jimin asks his mate, brows rising slightly with an expectant look and you watch in fascination as your best friend pouted even further, her shoulders dropping.

“To leave it alone for the night. But it’s important we get started on the right foot!” She protests, looking from him to you and you just smile at her. Jimin sighs deeply before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek affectionately.

“Peanut, I love you, I really do. But I’m sure that Y/N has had a really tiring day and probably just wants to go round and say hi to everyone before dragging Jungkook off.” He’s looking firmly at Sana when he says that but you feel yourself go warm with embarrassment at his words. Not that he’d said anything crude out loud, but because he was perfectly right.

You did want to drag Jungkook off, because you had something very important to do with him. So you take Jimin’s words as permission and give them both a warm smile of happiness before hugging them both tightly together.

“Thank you both for all your support these last few months. I really mean it. I couldn’t have done any of this without you both. Especially you, you weasel. It’s because of you that I probably am going to have a massive headache and a short temper 24/7 with the Pack. I’ve already met some grouchy folk so I’m sure it’s going to be fun.” Jimin laughs loudly at that, his eyes almost disappearing with the intensity of his emotion and he squeezes you even tighter round the neck, causing you to yell as he drags you down.

“That’ll be nothing for my little sister. She’ll put them straight, won’t she?” He teases and you growl, the sound rumbling from your chest without even meaning it. But the wolf inside you is displeased at being caught like this, being restrained, and so before Jimin realises what’s happening, you’ve grabbed his arm and twisted with an enormous amount of force and strength. 

A cry leaves him as he gets flung over your body, his ass thumping the ground hard as he lays there with a stunned expression. Not that he should be too surprised really. You’ve done this with him plenty of times over the years so he really should be used to being thrown around by his smaller, younger sister.

Still, it makes Sana laugh with wild abandon at the sight of seeing her mate so thoroughly put in his place. Grinning at her, you give her a high five before heading further into the house and saying hello to the people closest to you.

Your parents give you the tightest hug possible and you can practically feel the pride dripping of them, that their little girl is now the leader of their Pack. It was something they’d told you that you could do as a child but you doubted they’d have ever considered you were actually going to go for it.

“Are you going to quit teaching now? Being the leader is basically a full time job.” Your dad asks, a frown on his face as concern fills his expression. Humming, you shake your head with a smile before squeezing the hand of Jungkook. He’d been talking to them when you’d arrived and had slipped his hand into yours as soon as he’d been able to, the pride in his face possibly equal to the one in theirs.

“No. But I will transfer to the high school here instead. And maybe teach some classes at the local community college for anyone who wants them. I still love teaching and I don’t want to give it up. If anything, I think I want to encourage more people in the Pack to learn. I’m considering offering some cultural lessons to try and broaden the minds of some of our more...reticent members. Maybe offer cultural exchanges by inviting other Pack’s to send a representative and tell us how they operate and live. You know...every little helps right?” Your mom is nodding thoughtfully, her arm looped through your dad's arm and you feel pride at knowing she approved of your thoughts.

“Sounds like a good idea. There’s plenty of people that need to be dragged into the 20th century in our Pack, never mind the 21st century. So if you can succeed in that, then I’ll be a very proud dad.” He grins before hugging you, and you contemplate the fact that you’ve probably never had this much physical contact in years.

“Anyway, as much as I love you all and this is a great party, I’ve already been fed about six times by now so I’m ridiculously full and I’m tired. Are you okay if Jungkook and I head off? I know I’ve barely been-” You barely even get the words out before your mom is pushing Jungkook and you with a tut, rolling her eyes.

“Honestly, you don’t need to apologise. It’s been a big day. For both of you. I’m proud of you too Jungkook, for doing so well with everyone there. So I want you both to go home and just relax! You’ve done enough for today.” Snorting, you let her practically push you out of the door while you manage to wave your goodbyes to everyone, noting the amused expressions on their faces as well.

Getting into the car once more, you turn and look at Jungkook with raised brows. “Ironic that I’ve spent more time with other people at their parties today than with my own parents at my own party.”

“Hey, they understand. Don’t be too worried about it. They’d already told me that they planned on sending you home as soon as you got here to be honest. We all knew you’d be a bit tired and stressed after it all and I don’t think anyone wanted to cause you anymore anxiety than needed after what’s happened.” He says thoughtfully, running his fingers over his lower lip and you hum quietly.

“Are you okay? I’ve been worried about you since I left. It was a lot to take in and you did so well Kook. I’m really proud of you. I can only imagine how hard it was to be there with almost the whole Pack, all those different personalities and dominance battles going on.” Your voice goes soft with worry and you see him smile out of the corner of your eye, reaching out for your hand and intertwining your fingers once more.

“It was hard, yeah. I wanted to run away for most of it but I’ve got a reputation to uphold you know? I’m an Omega, yeah, but I'm also a badass,” He puffs his chest out at that and you snort, gently pushing at him without taking your eyes away from the road too much. “Seriously though, I’m really proud of you too. You were so convinced that no one was going to vote for you because of who you are and how you don’t meet the stereotypes others have for you but...you were wrong. And now you’re our lovely leader.”

“Yeah...you’re right.” Silence falls between you both but it’s not uncomfortable, instead it’s familiar and comforting. Sighing softly, you run your thumb along the back of his hand before smiling once more. You’d managed to do it, despite a year ago being convinced that you wouldn’t even be considered. And along the way, you’d found your mate.

“This morning...what you said...do you still think that?” Jungkook’s voice is soft now and you pause at his words, thinking back and remembering the intimate moment you’d both had in your bedroom. It felt so long ago now, but those emotions came swarming back with a vengeance as you pulled into the parking lot of your apartment building.

“Every word.” Turning the engine off, you look at him with a serious expression and he swallows thickly. His eyes are wide, reflecting the light from the nearby buildings and you feel your heart positively clench at how beautiful he looks. It’s not that he’s innocent, because he’s not, but it’s like he has an innate curiosity and wonder about the world that his eyes can’t seem to hide. As if he wants to learn and see everything before his time ends and you want so desperately to give that to him.

“Me too.” He whispers and you don’t stop yourself from leaning forward in your seat, pressing your lips to his in a kiss that is gentle and yet needy at the same time. The underlying ‘I love you’ is so prominent between you both and you feel the need to mark him. To make him yours and show the whole world that he chose you.

Pulling back, you look at him at him intently and see the way he swallows at whatever he sees in your own eyes. Nipping at his lip playfully, you nose along his cheek before biting softly at his jawline and enjoying the way he gasps.

Sex with Jungkook is more than satisfying and you’ve been pleased to discover that he’s not as submissive as he looks in that department either. There’s days when he takes control and you love it almost as much as the days that he lets you wreak havoc with him. But today is a day when your base instincts will take over, the wolf inside you demanding you dominate your mate to show him that you were capable of protecting him, of loving him and keeping him safe.

Unsurprisingly, Jungkook’s own wolf was obviously telling him to go along with his own instincts as well as he leans his head to one side, revealing the wonderful expanse of golden tan skin stretched over the strong tendons and muscles of his neck. The beautiful skin that is currently unmarked.

“We need to go inside. Now.” You growl and he nods immediately, hands grasping at the door handle before you even finish and you almost want to laugh at his eagerness. But you don’t, because you’re following him every step of the way, almost stalking his steps like the predator you truly were.

The idea of doing this to him normally would be horrifying because it would immediately set off his Omega instincts. And no matter how much he’s managed to suppress them over the years, no matter how much he can pass for something other than what he is, he is still an Omega at the end of the day.

But tonight, the tension in his shoulders wasn’t from fear. It was from anticipation. And from the way he looked back at you with eagerness in those pretty eyes, you got the sense that he was turning this into a little game. The rumble of appreciation rolls from your chest before you even realise and you bite your lip at the sight of him shuddering when you reach the apartment door.

Getting your keys into the door is a bit of a challenge when your mind is solely focused on him. You finally do it though and as soon as the door latches shut behind you, you turn and pull him down for another kiss.

This one is deeper than before and more frantic, the need to join stronger than ever. The two of you leave a trail of clothes through the apartment as you move to the bedroom, his shirt torn from the force of your pull. Humming happily at the feel of smooth, warm skin beneath your palms, you nip at his collarbones playfully and delight in the way he squirms and whines for you.

Running your hands down his toned and muscular stomach, you reach the waistband of his boxers and eagerly pull them down. They slip past his slim hips with complete ease and you resist the urge to salivate at the sight of his cock, bouncing gently as it strains against gravity.

Jungkook is not a stereotypical Omega. He is tall, broad, muscular, tattooed, has a black belt in taekwondo and will snap at anyone if pushed. And his cock is just as beautifully magnificent as the rest of him, not too long to be painful but beautifully girthy and with the most delightful veins that make him whine when you trace over them. In a simple word, Jungkook is physically perfect.

"You're so damn beautiful," The words slip from your mouth reverently and you press your lips to the dip in his hips to a kiss that turns into a nip. "You're perfect and all for me, aren't you?"

As you whisper words of affection, praise and dominance into his skin, you wrap your fingers around his shaft and stroke slowly. The whine he gives it like music to your ears and you growl in appreciation, licking along his stomach before rewarding him with one, slow glide of your tongue along the underside of his cock.

He sighs in contentment at that, his hands clenching and opening repeatedly as he struggles to find something to do with them and you laugh. Pulling back, you stand once more and point to the bed.

"Lay down for me, pretty boy." You almost don't manage to get the words out before he's practically throwing himself on the bed and you have to stop yourself from snorting and ruining the mood. His eagerness to please suddenly is endearing and this is the one Omega stereotype you're glad he embodies.

The sight of him laid out on the bed, his skin almost glowing with health from the soft lighting of the bedside lamp he’d turned on, has you almost turning into a cat as you practically purr in contentment at the sight of him. His big, sweet eyes are focused firmly on you while his cock strains against his stomach, desperate for your touch.

“Good boy.” You praise him sweetly, running your hand along the muscle of his calf and biting your lip at the way he shivers in response. Slowly, you remove the final pieces of your own clothing and delight at the way Jungkook lets out the softest keen at the sight of the damp spot in your panties, a visible sign of just how unbelievably wet you were for him.

It didn’t take much for him to get you going, you’d discovered this in the past, but there’s something particularly delightful about him today. You may not be a typical Alpha but you’d be damned if Jungkook’s willingness to submit right now wasn’t hitting every dominant bone in your body.

Kneeling on the bed next to him, you continue to let your fingers dance along his body in a slow, steady exploration that only heightens his arousal. Everywhere you touch tenses beneath your fingertips and you don’t miss the way his hips subtly move, trying to catch your attention and give him the blessed relief he wants.

But you don’t want to yet. You want to make him desperate for you, to make him whine and pout and cry out for your touch before you finally mark him. The wolf in you demands it, demands his full submission as your mate and you want it as well. From the look of pure need in Jungkook’s eyes, he wants it just as much.

Pressing a kiss to his lips, you dart away from him quickly when he goes to follow and smile at the whine he gives you. Tutting quietly, you begin to kiss down his body in hot, open mouthed kisses that leave a slick mess to follow, a few spots darkening from where your kiss had been particularly forceful.

“What do you want, baby boy? Tell me.” You whisper, biting gently at his hip and enjoying the way he writhes beneath you. There’s almost zero resistance before he’s speaking to you, the subtle whine in his voice telling you he’s trying to hold back.

“I want you. Please. Please. I love you, please.” Pursing your lips, you move down till you’re kissing along his inner thigh, enjoying the way his muscles twitch with need. There’s no missing the way his cock jerks occasionally, his balls tight and firm in your eyesight and you resist the urge to play with them. Not yet.

“Tell me what you want.” The words are repeated back to him and now Jungkook does let out a whine, the sound strained in his throat with frustration and need. But he responds to you perfectly, causing you to grin.

“Please touch my dick. Jerk me off. Lick it. Put your mouth on it. Anything. Please.” He mutters a few more times, almost praying to you with how much he wants your touch on his cock and you pause for a moment to watch him. His face is ever so slightly flushed while his hair isn’t as put together anymore, his hands having ruined what he’d carefully arranged this morning.

“Since you asked so nicely.” You purr to him, voice going low. It’s not really because he asked, but more because you can’t handle not touching him anymore. Not when you want him this badly.

Grasping his cock at the base once more, you give him a slow stroke while squeezing tightly, enjoying how he gasps. A second stroke has his hips jerking, but not nearly as much as when you lick him from bottom to tip, flattening your tongue to try and reach as much of him as you can. The noises he makes are nothing though compared to when you wrap your lips around his head, engulfing him in your mouth and sucking tightly.

It’s pure enjoyment from your part as you take in how he reacts, moving your hand to meet your lips in a rhythm that’s perfect for you both. Head lowering, you press your tongue to him as hard as you can on the way down before hollowing out your cheeks as you rise back up, trying to increase the amount of pressure he’s feeling. The gasps tell you he likes it and you hum, adding vibration to the mix while your free hand moves to cup his balls, running your fingers along him until you find what really makes his hips jerk.

For a few minutes, you continue on like this. Changing up the speed with which you tug on him, the pressure you apply to his cock and how you play with his balls to make sure he doesn’t get too complacent or too near completion. It would ruin the fun if he came too early.

Pulling off him, you begin to lick at his tip almost like you’re enjoying an ice cream, eyes closing as you let your tongue slide around the head of him and find all the places that make him quiver with need. Your hand slows on him as well, squeezing the base of him tightly to stop him from reaching his end if he is near and the reduction in pleasure has him whining your name.

“Please, please. Oh god, please fuck me. Please. I want to be inside you.” He begs desperately, his hands moving to grasp at the covers of the bed as you press kisses to his cock, letting go of it and enjoying the way it stands for a moment for falling back to his stomach with a wet slap from the weight of it. Smirking, you sit up and wipe at your mouth before looking down at him.

His pupils have blown out from lust while his cheeks are a beautiful, rosy pink and his chest is breathing a little heavier than before. Moving over him, you carefully avoid his cock as you lean down to kiss along his neck, biting gently and sucking in other places before moving up to his mouth. It’s already swollen from your previous kiss and the way he keeps biting at them, but it doesn’t stop you from nibbling on his lower lip.

“You want to be inside of me? Do you think you deserve to be in me, baby boy?” You ask the question lightly, whispering the words into his ear and he shivers in response. Jungkook is nodding before you’ve even finished speaking and you hide your smile.

“Yes, yes please. I’ve been good. I was good today, right? Please. Please let me.” Sitting back up, you lift yourself and grasp his cock, straightening it till the tip is brushing against your wet folds. The slight sensation has him making the strangest noises, his throat tight while his hips try to push up and you tut at him.

“Stop pushing. We go at my pace, okay?” He settles down, forcing himself to be still at the thread of dominance you weave through your words before nodding. Feeling a little bad that you’d done that, you lean forward and kiss him gently.

“I’ve got you baby boy, don’t worry. I love you.” You try not to grin at how he almost preens at that, his chest pushing out while happiness and pride fills his eyes. Despite the lust rushing through your body and the incessant desire that makes your pussy ache to have him inside you, your chest feels full of love for him.

Slowly, you lower yourself onto his cock. There’s no foreplay for you, but then you don’t need it given how wet you already are for him. Slowly, he penetrates you inch by inch and you let you the deepest sigh of relief once you’re finally seated on him, clit rubbing against his pelvis as you lean forward ever so slightly. 

You feel full and an experimental squeeze of your muscles has slight pleasure rolling through you while Jungkook moans at being so deep inside your warm depths. Biting your lip, you rock your hips slowly and feel the perfect friction as his cock slides out of you before pushing back in just as deep. The slickness of your excitement allows him to glide with each and you hum at how good he feels.

“Fuck baby, you feel so good in me,” Panting slightly, you slowly speed up your movements until the room is filled with the lewd sound of him slipping in and out of your soaked pussy. “Mmmm, Jungkook. Fuck, you’re perfect.”

Half of you isn’t even actually sure what you’re saying anymore to be honest, the sensation of him inside you as you fuck him is all you can really focus on and you’re just saying whatever comes to you. But it’s all praise for the man beneath you, the man who is grasping the sheets so hard to avoid touching you yet because you haven’t given him permission to.

Who is holding himself so steady to avoid pushing up into you, letting you use his body however you want. You love it and opening your eyes, you tell him so while shifting, leaning forwards ever so slightly to lightly scrape your nails along his chest. It makes him writhe and whimper, the sound deep from his throat and you automatically squeeze around his cock when you hear it.

“Good boy.” You whisper absentmindedly, your fingers reaching down to rub at the swollen flesh of your clit. It’s almost hard beneath your touch from how turned on you are and you slick your fingers in the sticky mess before rubbing in a rhythmic circle that has you gasping and tightening.

Rocking your hips on top of him, you take all the pleasure that you can get and slowly, your movements begin to match so every circle of your fingers is complemented by a rock of your hips. You mix it up occasionally, circling your hips and sighing in relief at how Jungkook’s cock presses against every part inside of you that sparks fires of pleasure.

“Touch me Jungkook. I want your hands here,” You take one of them and press it to one of your breasts, making his fingers twist and pull at your nipple in exactly the way you love. “And here.”

His other hand goes to your clit and you press his fingers in exactly the manner that you enjoy the most. It feels even better with the extra stimulation and you whine loudly, the sound mixing with your gasps as you feel almost overwhelmed.

“Are you close?” You whisper to him, opening your eyes after a few minutes of enjoying some of the best sex you’ve ever had with him and he nods quickly. His eyes are scrunched close, jaw tight as he clenches his teeth together in a desperate effort to control himself. Your wolf growls at the sight of it and you feel your chest rumble too, the sound causing Jungkook’s hip to push up automatically.

“I want you to knot me,” Moving to almost lay on him, you kiss and nip at his jaw insistently as his eyes widen suddenly at your words. “I want you to fill me up with your cum until you’re spilling out of me.”

“Seriously?” He pants and his hands still on yours. Looking into his eyes, those beautiful eyes that you love so much, you nod and kiss him deeply. Tangling your tongue with his, your hands move to cup his cheeks almost tenderly as the kiss takes over your thought process. Your hips slow down until you’re simply rolling them, your clit getting the pleasure of rubbing against him and it suddenly changes from sexy to intimate.

Parting from his lips, you pant softly, chest heaving from the effort of riding him for so long before nodding. “I want you to cum in me, and I want your knot. I want you to breed me while I bond with you, fill me up with your pups. Do you understand me?”

His eyes are bigger than ever and you wonder if he’s about to say no or something. Knotting is only done when you’re trying to impregnate and you want that desperately, want to feel him swell inside you until you can’t even move while he fills you up with rope after rope of thick cum. The thought of almost intoxicating and you tighten around him.

“Give me your knot baby, give it to me. I know you can. Don’t you want to give me pups? Watch me grow with them, all with the knowledge that they’re yours? See your Alpha, your leader, all swollen with your pups while I deal with everyone, knowing that they can see I’m yours?” The dirty, dark words whispered into his ear work and he lets out a deep growl of his own, the first time you’ve ever heard him growl.

His hands grasp at your hips, holding you steady as he begins to thrust up into you and you moan in delight at the increased sensations. You encourage him along, nipping at his jaw and continuing to coax him to knot you as you squeeze on his cock tightly, trying to encourage him and you finally begin to feel it.

It starts almost slowly and you’re not sure it’s happening at first, but then you’re certain his cock is beginning to swell in you. Reaching between you both, you rub at your clit exactly how you like as he continues to expand slowly, his jaw clenched so tightly. Any sign of the sweet, innocent Omega you’d fallen for is gone at the moment and you could easily mistake him for an Alpha with how strong he looks.

His hair is matted to his forehead, the strands ink black while his skin shines with the sweat he’s worked up and you’re not sure you’ve ever seen a hotter sight. Though looking between you both and taking in the sight of his cock thrusting into your pussy, there may be one thing hotter. 

“Cum for Jungkook. Knot your mate.” Panting into his ear, they must be the magic words because he pushes into you harder than ever, pressing down on your hips to keep you in place while he swells inside you. A deep moan that sounds like it’s been pulled from his chest comes from him and you shudder as your own release takes over, pussy tightening around him as your orgasm washes through you.

Before it finishes, you snarl softly and bare your teeth, the fangs that have grown suddenly biting into the soft skin of Jungkook’s neck as you mark him. He stiffens momentarily before letting out a ridiculously loud groan, his knot growing even bigger and you hum contentedly as you practically feel him orgasming inside you. 

The remnants of your own orgasm continue to rush through you and are intensified when Jungkook bites back at your own neck. Almost immediately, you feel the mate bond snap into place between the two of you as you mark each other at the point of orgasm. There’s no ceremony, no special words, just pure instinct that drives you both to fulfil this need.

Pulling your fangs from him, you slowly lick at his neck to help the wounds to heal while he does the same to you. Warmth fills you with the knowledge he’s your mate now while you can feel the oddest sensation of the knowledge that someone else occupies space within you now. You can’t talk to him telepathically or anything like the books, but it’s more just an awareness that he’s there.

A bottomless pit of love and protection for him along with an oath to love only him for as long as you live. 

Resting against him, you take a moment to simply enjoy the feeling of being on him while his knot continues to keep you held in place. The knowledge that he could even now be impregnating you is hot and you sluggishly lift your head up to gaze into his own tired eyes. Jungkook gives you a slow smile and you kiss him lazily, realising the sensation feels a little different now that you’re bonded.

“I love you.” You whisper, your dominant flair vanishing in the comfort of his embrace as he wraps his arms to simultaneously hug you and keep you in place to avoid you hurting yourself. A gentle kiss is pressed to your nose before he kisses you once more, a quiet hum of contentment leaving him.

“I love you too.” Neither of you say anything after that, simply enjoying each other as you wait for his knot to go down. When it finally does, there’s an almost uncomfortable feeling as a rush of his cum begins to seep out of you and onto him. You’re used to him orgasming inside you, knotting was the only way to get pregnant and wolves didn’t get STI’s like humans after all, but this was entirely different.

“God, how much did you cum?” Laughing, you shift until you can see between you both. His cock has slipped out of you now, resting against his thigh and shiny with your own excitement. But your thighs and his groin are beginning to become covered in white cum as it drips out of you.

“Well...you did tell me to get you pregnant.” Is all he says, his face innocent and you laugh loudly at that. Nodding slowly, you kiss him once more and enjoy how comfortable he is with you. There’s not much you wouldn’t do for him, you decide to yourself.

“I guess I did. You did a good job...baby boy.” Teasing him for how much he likes his submissive nickname, you watch as his face screws up into a scowl and he goes to reach for you. But you dance out of the way, moving off the bed and heading to the bathroom while he whines quietly.

“Please don’t call me that in public. I’d never live it down.” He begs and you pause at the door frame, looking back at him with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Well...I guess the only solution to that is that you give me a reason to make sure I only use it in private...right?”