#bc i wanted to focus on the circumstances too and not just his reaction

[sunfyredarchive]

grab my muse by the throat | accepting

【 @korzionseteski sent a raven】: 🙌🏻

what time was it ?

not that it mattered much anymore— he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

water .. he needed water.

on his parched lips. down his sore throat. all over his overheated body. to try && make the phantom flames falter just enough to help him go back to sleep.

was he not already asleep ?

he could not tell anymore. was the slowly approaching shadow a dream, then ? he surely hoped so. he had neither the patience nor the energy for any pitying gazes and false encouragemen—

. . . NO.

now standing close enough to be recognizable, aegon felt something he hadn't felt in quite some time while staring up at it. replacing the red-hot flames he could swear never stopping licking him as if he never truly left the battleground.

sheer cold.

it made him tremble visibly, blood turning into ICE in his veins as the apparition reached out for him with ill-intent.

this cannot be .. he watched her DIE—

oh but those sinewy fingers closing around his bared throat felt as solid as the sweat-soaked mattress below him, dipping more and more with the weight of her.

it hurt .. he wished to scream. push her off. anything. ANYTHING but what he was doing in that moment— lying there in utter helplessness as though paralyzed, staring up at this .. thing with his eyes wide with unfathomable fear, allowing her to accomplish what she'd been trying at rook's rest until his brother descended on them, killing her.

he would LAUGH at his fate if he could .. had the gods truly allowed him to survive all that simply to let him die at the hands of her ghost .. ?

his body finally remembered how to move once the need to breathe overpowered the shock. his good hand rising in haste to claw at her pale face—

only to swipe right through her.

WITH A CHOKED GASP aegon pulled himself up against the headboard despite the sheer agony that simple movement caused, blinking rapidly to see through unshed tears.

the ghost was gone, and the familiar soaring heat was all he could feel.

that, and an unexplainable pain around his neck.

[fmet]

I understand if you’d prefer not to talk about this bc, like you said, it’s a very emotionally fraught topic, but do you think Fujimoto is handling the topic of SA well in CSM? I ask bc I’ve seen a lot of negative reactions to this chapter in a way I’ve never seen about Makima’s, Himeno’s, and Fumiko’s actions

It’s OK. I’m sorry that the response I’m gonna give is somewhat of a nonanswer, but I think dumbing it down to a simple “yes” or “no” might be worse given the subject of discussion anyway, so whatever.

I think a lot of people are horrified by the chapter, and rightfully so, both because I contest Fujimoto wanted this sort of response and because 167 has gone further than either Makima, Himeno or Fumiko have gone in terms of physical sexual assault. Like, he was actually molested in this chapter. Himeno was drunk and vomited in his mouth, Fumiko felt him up above clothes, Makima groomed him into the mentality that this sort of behavior is permissible, but Yoru went “all the way” for lack of better term. Even if 167 is narratively consistent and unfortunately fulfills what Denji’s chara and Chainsaw Man have been leading up to since part 1, this doesn’t make that any less horrifying. Makima and Fumiko and Himeno’s respective attacks on Denji, while terrible in their own rights, just were not as grossly severe.

NTM that him and Asa’s relationship development was actually framed in a positive light for a while, unlike any of the former, so this happening may seem like a sort of “betrayal” from Fujimoto to people who perceived their hypothetical relationship as a source of catharsis for the both of them.

So I think a lot of people saying it was handled badly are just caught off guard and sensitive to having had to see it, which makes sense, because I was too. There are also a lot of people who have valid criticisms of Fujimoto given that he’s treated sexual assault against men as a joke, as something attractive, etc, before. Even knowing this was an inevitable there can still be criticism made of the way it was delivered.

But going into that realm of subjectivity also opens up the discussion of WHAT depictions of sexual assault should look like to be “accurate” and “respectful” to the survivors experiences. How should a victim be portrayed feeling during the assault? How, if it’s in comic form, should the pages lay out? How explicit should it be? Where should the focus lay? What demographics should the victim and assailant belong to? When you start asking these sorts of questions with the intention of concocting a “well-handled” sa depiction, at least for me, you begin to realize that there aren’t any—barring its large scale framing as negative, ofc. Every victim and every act of assault are different, with different reactions and feelings and circumstances leading to it. Every artist and author has a different style of storytelling that may or may not lean into depicting acts of SA in more socially acceptable ways (e.g., completely expunging it, or fetishistically, or with delicacy and care).

Denji is not the type of victim we most commonly see depicted in fiction at all. He’s a boy, he’s hypersexual, his assailants are all women, he doesn’t display much (TYPICAL) sorrow/pessimism and he actively pursues further sexual contact during and following his abuse. I think looking to more common archetypal depictions as a frame of reference to how Denji’s sexual trauma should be handled is asking to be frustrated and confused as to why his is the way it is, instead of illuminated onto whether it’s quote good or bad unquote.

So, if I’m asked to whether it’s well-handled, I would say that it’s clearly horrifying and uncomfortable and unforgiving enough to be a clear reflection of the kind of person Denji is and how he would react to such a thing happening. I think, given Fujimoto’s goriness and tendency to sexualize his women characters, the chapter is very tame. It only shows what it shows to communicate what happens and trigger your revulsion. 167, in it’s entirety, is about as respectful a depiction of SA as you’re going to get with an author like him. But nobody reading csm has to suddenly conform to Fujimoto’s weird fucked up standards, so if you think it’s badly portrayed, then it is. SA is a widespread issue, but it’s also deeply personal, so you are entitled to your feelings towards the chapter as much as Fujimoto is entitled to representing this atypical character’s trauma in an atypical way.

[pdrrook]

Hi! It's me again. Just wanted to remind you that your work is✨amazing✨. But also a request (if your not uncomfortable with eating disorders). I'd like to ask how the LI's (if it's not too much: + Dia) Would react if they figured out they're partner had an ED.

Ayo tysm ❤️ I think I am comfy with everything unless it's SA or pregnancy, but I'll keep the answers under the cut for those who aren't:

Dia had her own share of struggles throughout her life, so she understands how deeply personal each battle is, and also that ultimately MC has to want to help themselves first. She'd offer to finance professional help should MC wish to receive it, because she's a full believer in the benefits of therapy, otherwise she'll make sure MC knows she's here any time MC wants to talk. 

Reed would be both concerned and terribly guilty for not noticing faster, but given the way he, himself, deals with stress + his own positive relationship with food, in his eyes trying to feed MC their favorite meals and encouraging them to eat would be the correct choice. The same way he can't fathom the possibility of MC ever being insecure, the same way he wouldn't understand them hating themselves in any way, because for him, they are genuinely perfect just for existing. Eventually, he'd go to either Alan or Flavio to help, understanding that the problem runs deeper than just eating in itself, and think of an actual solution from here. 

Laurent would notice pretty fast, both because he usually makes sure MC eats well (he's big on nutrition bc of his training) and because the agents he works with are no strangers to psychological conditions other than PTSD and general stress. In a sense, the possibility of MC's mental health being affected is something sadly expected, if only because of their circumstances. Like most SPD agents, he has personal experience with seeing a shrink, so his go-to would be to convince MC to give it a try. He's also one of the most patient people in regard to letting MC set their own recovery peace and just letting them talk about it without feeling judged, but his helicopter parent urges would be hard to control. 

Alan and Jewel would kind of subconsciously internalize it as, if not entirely their fault, then something they should have prevented. MC would never learn of it, and they'd pour all their focus into learning more about the issue and how to help, but it'd be killing them slowly even after MC got better at managing their disorder. 

Flavio, like Laurent, would notice the signs early on, but out of all RO's he'd feel the most helpless about it. After dealing with Reed as a merc and when they were estranged, he knows how little power he ultimately has over other people's lives. He got burned badly trying to live his life for someone else, to make their day-to-day as smooth as possible, only for them to slip and hurt themselves. He'd be split between feeling for MC, and a numbing sort of 'I failed again,' that he’d try to kill off, feeling guilty for ‘making it all about himself.’

Nino's reaction to things she can't prevent or fix is anger, not toward MC but her own powerlessness. Despite psychological conditions being a well-known issue with the SPD, she's never had to deal with it on a personal basis, she also refused to ever see a shrink unless absolutely necessary. In MC's case, she'd firmly believe that it's 'someone else's fault' as in that the issue could be solved neatly if only she could beat someone up for it. It'd take her a long while to come to terms with the truth.

[cobiehaven]

Jinxed — Kim Seungmin

SYNOPSIS; seungmin has lost his jinx and can no longer find that good luck in his music anymore. with you new on the job and clinically obsessed with his voice, you couldn’t help but stumble into some very fortunate circumstances that might spike his rise again.

PAIRING; rockstar!seungmin x stylist!reader

GENRE; fluff, funny, drama, suggestive.

WORD COUNT; 2.6k

TAGS/WARNINGS; rock!seungmin, bass player!seungmin, personal stylist!reader, very very very obsessed!reader, reader is a hardcore klutz, based off of real idols but with no real resemblance, suggestive wording, dressing room scene, near kiss scene, reader is kinda set on the fact that she is going to lose her job because she’s too distracted by seungmin.

AUTHORS NOTE; this is dedicated to my bestie @arlen3 bc she has a ragging obsession with kim seungmin and i just couldn’t live down her expectations 😻.

“hellloo?? kim seungmin! get your head out of the clouds! we need you back down to earth,” one of seungmins band mates scolded, her bright pink bubble gum popping against her lips. she scoffed when he finally shook his head out of his thoughts and stared back at her. she held up her guitar,

“bass, seungmin. please, play it.”

seungmin silently looked around the rehearsal room at his other band mates, they had already started and he was still standing there yet to have gotten out his instrument.

“right, sorry,” he stammered around the room trying to gather his things and get situated. the same girl rolling her eyes with an attitude. thankfully, a few of his other band mates didn’t have the same reaction as she did.

“let’s take a break,” chan said.

“but we just started!”

“we can’t start without one of our most crucial members.”

she groaned in response, putting her own guitar down and stomping out of the room, announcing she was going to go buy a drink from the nearby vending machine. “what’s her problem? she only came last week and i already can’t tolerate her attitude,” hyunjin complained as he jumped down from the stage, his fingers raking through his bronze hair. “she’s only here to fill in for jisung, relax,” chan tried to calm the younger down but he just wasn’t having it.

why did everyone seem to be in a bad mood today?

after everyone seemed to finally get their nerves to dial down, seungmin joined the stage and everything started smoothly. only, it was short lived when he kept messing up the rhythm in one of their songs. not only that but he couldn’t seem to get the same rhythm for his vocal parts either.

“seungmin, what’s up with you today? did something happen?”

it was clear that they weren’t going to have an efficient practice today if things kept going this south.

“sorry.. i just have a lot on my mind. can we pick this back up tomorrow?” he asked. “our concert is in 3 days, we can’t waste time if we’re doing this horribly,” chan reminded everyone.

well, he couldn’t argue with that.

the day of the concert followed quick, the band was still struggling and seungmin blamed it all entirely on himself. he couldn’t seem to focus hard enough to sing or play the correct notes much less the rhythm. was stress finally getting to him? he didn’t know. maybe he lost his jinx?

usually all it took was cleaning the house for his jinx to come to him but he had already cleaned everything that needed to be cleaned for the past week. what was wrong with him?

this is what he had been thinking about as he sat in the leather chair hoisted up to your height. you stood awkwardly as you admired his features, not knowing what to do. you had rehearsed this scenario in your head millions of times. you would walk in, great your all time love of an idol, and get on with your job while trying not to stare at him like an idiot. but much to no one’s surprise, it seemed like you had already failed 3/4 of those steps. “i- uh- hi! seungmin-“ you wanted to run out the door and never come back.

good thing he wasn’t focused on you to pay attention to your stuttering ass.

shrugging up your shoulders into a deep inhale, you gathered up the courage to finally start doing your job like you were paid to do.

oh, the amount of things you did to get this position.

“i’ll start with your makeup,” maybe you should have started with his outfit first but you decided he could just go without until you got to his hair. “please close your eyes while i apply a skin moisturizer,” he did as he was told, instinctively. you had to hold yourself back from the nauseating feeling of being around such a flawless man.

as you rubbed the thin coat into his skin, you were infatuated with how surprisingly soft it was. your hands sculpting his face almost perfectly.

when he opened his eyes back up again, you had to hold yourself back once again from passing out.

this was just too much.

you started applying his makeup, the process wasn’t too hard as all of the members were going for the same smokey theme. thankfully natural colors were your forte. you couldn’t have seungmin looking like a troll when you had just gotten the job.

when the makeup was done, you lead him over to the dressing room area to pick out his outfit. now it was starting to get hard, the concept required the members to have extravagant clothing and this was where you didn’t study as hard in your training when you were getting mentored. maybe that was going to be your downfall.

“hmm..” you picked out a white set with a red accent, handing it to him to try on. he silently went into the small closed off dressing room. “oh wait! try this instead!” you handed to him once he stuck his hand out to grab the new clothing. “wait.. no,” you interrupted as he was about to close the door to the room, your instinct quickly launching you to grab the mistake of a choice you made. except, you seemed to have made a bigger mistake when you decided to jump into his arms unexpectedly. the both of you bouncing off of the dressing room wall and into the door that slammed shut, trapping the both of you inside. you had to stop yourself from nearly vomiting right then and there at the feeling of his bare chest against your cheek.

he was shirtless.

“i-i’m- uh- uhm- i’m actually so sorry!!” you stuttered. you weren’t even sure if he was understanding the language you were speaking right now. you weren’t even sure if you understood it. finally, after the almost 30 minutes you have spent with your favorite person in the whole world, he noticed you. looking down at your embarrassed and flustered state, he leaned down to your height, his body hovering over yours. “who are you?” he asked.

you were almost thankful he didn’t recognize you.

“i’m your new stylist..” you mumbled, the heat rushing to your cheeks when you realized you whispered it with no way of knowing that you even said coherent words. “what?” you stared at the ground, scared to look up at his face or even his chest for that matter.

“seungmin?”

suddenly, you were pushed up against the wall, one of seungmin’s arms digging into the wood next to your head while the other pressed up against your face. shushing you from making any sound. he was so close that you could feel his body heat through your thin layers.

but your anxiety was further deepened when you finally came to your senses and realized there was another person in the room.

a woman.

“hey i know it’s right before the concert but.. i need a huge favor!” it was the same girl that was giving him shit the other day during rehearsal. “i was wondering.. y’know how you were talking about how you have a jinx? yeah uh.. i know it’s a stretch but i was wondering if you could help me out with mine..? maybe if we try it out, you might learn how to spike yours back up again!”

you were disgusted. just who did she think she was trying to ask seungmin such things when it was the night of the concert? it was due to start in 2 hours and she was actually asking to do such vile things with him right now? in public? did she even know him? you couldn’t even begin with how much you had to say to such a proposal.

yet, it wasn’t your place to say anything. in risk of getting caught and losing your one and only opportunity to see your idol daily, you kept your mouth shut.

the room was silent. no one said anything.

“seungmin?” she called out again. “are you in there?” her footsteps got closer. the panic flashed across his face as you watched him closely. he quickly grabbed ahold of the door handle, pushing you behind him and out of sight. “oh, sorry, i had headphones in. what were you saying?” he watched as her eyes trailed down his bare shoulders as that was the only thing shown from the crack of the door.

“oh.. uhm. where is your stylist?”

that was definitely not what she was saying.

“she stepped out. said she had to run to go look for an extra accessory that was left out of the box,” he shrugged. thank god all celebrities were required to take acting lessons in this company or else the both of you would have been screwed.

“oh.. well, i was just asking if-“

as if a guardian angel was upon you, you were saved when the girl was called out of the room to finish up her hair. you sighed out a breath of relief when you heard the door close faintly.

“oh my god, i thought i was going to die..”

“you’re the one who got us into this mess.”

“i didn’t know she was going to walk in!”

“oh, so you meant to rush me into a strictly one person dressing room and shove me up against the wall while peeping at my half naked body?”

you stayed quiet. that was entirely not your intention yet you realized how it seemed to be that way in his eyes. you didn’t know how to apologize accordingly. “can we just- not be in this room anymore?” you murmured. “don’t i still have to change?” you nodded. “right,” that was when you finally were out of his way and getting back to work. although he seemed to already have a bad impression of you, you couldn’t stop your heart from racing at the thought of him being that close to you. the way his hand wrapped around the back of your head to keep from hitting the back wall.. to the way his hair fell perfectly into his eyes with a messy fluff. it had your blush spreading from ear to ear. you stood next to the clothing rack in a fangirling frenzy for so long that you didn’t even notice when seungmin stepped out and observed you while you stopped your feet, wishing such a moment could happen again. “do you have ants in your pants or something?” he stared at you unassumingly. “huh? oh! no- i just- uh-“ he rolled his eyes and walked back into the main room to sit back in the same leather chair as before. you failed to notice the small smirk that he secretly displayed.

the embarrassment was suddenly a familiar and commonly occurring feeling to you.

you walked back into the main room as that was where you were going to finish up the rest of seungmin’s look, topping it off with some accessories. you dampened his hair with some water so it would be easier to style, starting with the back and going to the front as that seemed to always be the way to go for you. the closer you got to the front half of his hair, the more you started to notice a smile creeping up onto his cheeks.

you raised a brow, “what are you smiling about?”

“you.”

you tried your hardest to hide your blush.

“i don’t understand what you mean..” you trailed as you continued to blow try his hair, thankfully the blow dryer was at a low enough setting so you didn’t have to ask him to repeat himself 10,000 times. he just chuckled in response to your confusion, which only furthered your mixed feelings but you just continued on his hair.

finishing with his hair, you moved on to the accessories as he was busy looking at something on his phone to care too much about what you were doing. in a way, you liked it better that way. now you could admire him without being paranoid that he was going to say something to embarrass you. picking a nice looking chain off of the table of accessories that was located close to the dressing rack in the corner of the room, you walked back over to seungmin who was still peacefully looking at his phone, scrolling and giggling occasionally as he seemed to be going though tiktoks or reels. you dared to peep, though. you knew better than to be rude like that.

snaking the chain around his head, you made the mistake of not shuffling around behind him to do this as it made for a difficult time reaching around him to clip the silver. you struggled so much that you didn’t even realize you were slowly leaning too far into his space that he had to put down his phone because the space was so close that you started to block his view, your face coming only inches away from his. “yes!” you whispered a praise to yourself when you heard the click of the chain locking into place. yet your happiness was short lived when you realized the situation you had put yourself in, your eyes growing wide when you saw his already as wide as they could possibly open. you were speechless, unable to form words as your idol, your star, was sitting in front of you, inches, centimeters away from your lips. he was so close that you could feel his hot breath tickling your dry lips, your tongue subconsciously running across them to give them their color back. “i-i-i’m-“ you started but were stopped by seungmin. “let me guess.. sorry? isn’t this the third time you’ve messed up today? it almost feels like you’re trying to get my attention now,” his shocked expression smoothly forming into a smug one, as he made no efforts to push you away or pull you in.

not yet, anyways.

you didn’t respond, not sure of what to say as you were still in shock. your arms were still wrapped around his shoulders from when you put on his chain, your knee holding yourself up as you leaned on the extra space in the large leather chair that his slender body didn’t take up.

when he caught on to your loss of words, he just smiled. “are you waiting for something in particular?” he asked you, that question alone being enough to send all kinds of messages and unprofessional thoughts through your brian, wanting nothing more than for your long lasting fantasies to come true with such a question being thrown out. just what exactly did he want you to say in a time like this?

deciding that you had embarrassed yourself enough, you cleared your throat and made an effort to get up. he didn’t stop you, you understood why. he didn’t know you and you were only his stylist. that’s all it should be.

but something told you that this wouldn’t be the only you embarrass yourself like this, in front of him. as it had already been happening an unreasonable amount of times, today.

“well.. i’m done with everything! i apologize for.. well, y’know.”

“it’s okay, it didn’t bother me, really.”

that’s a relief. you think.

you were both interrupted by a sudden knock on the door, both of your heads turning to catch whoever was trying to get both of your attention. “we’re getting ready to start soon, is his look ready?” you nodded and turned to seungmin, who was already up and gathering his things into his arms—which wasn’t much—and headed for the door where the woman was standing. before he left, he turned his head back towards you, “thanks for helping me find my jinx, again.”

when he left, you could barely hold back a scream.

you had such a love-hate relationship with his job.

© cobiehaven 2023

[magnoliamyrrh]

Hey, sorry, just adding on to the pile of stories from the Balkans. I also grew up with family groping me and being uncomfortable with it, but never being allowed to say anything against it. My mother and father often made sexual comments about me, or when I went through puberty they would occasionally grab at my breasts and butt and comment on them. It's mostly stopped now, thankfully. It always felt so invasive and in general I hated how much focus there was on if I was growing up beautiful or not. My grandparents often did so as well. Whenever I would try to make any of them stop, show discomfort, or have a negative reaction I would get treated as if there was something wrong with me and I was being rude. Looking back I can't believe just how much we have made this sort of behavior normal. Ugh. Family members should not be calling children sexy under any circumstances. There is no possible reason for there to be discussion around a kids genitals. This should not be normal and so many of us shouldn't have stories like this. I'm glad to hear other's speak of it but it has made me so disgusted. We really are taught to ignore any bounderies

heyo anon <3 no need to apologize. yea its.. jfc. this whole thing has left me disgusted too. and frankly, baffled. i just feel so baffled. i keep trying to wrap my head around all of it, try to make some damn sense of how and why, and yet all it leads me too is just.... bafflement and being grossed out. when i asked on here if anyone knew what i was talking about i was not expecting this many ppl to get it. i wasnt sure if anyone would get it

im sorry u went through this, it really is a fucked up way to grow up. and the gaslighting that goes on - bc i rly do think thats what it is - tends to rly mess with your head. its immensely messed up that somehow in all this its children who keep being blamed and made to feel bad for.. v much having normal reactions to things. its a very jarring feeling to know something is just.. wrong. and not be allowed to feel that way. im sorry again that you were put through this, tho i am glad its no longer going on; i hope eventually you'll be able to heal from it all <3

and youre right. were very much taught to not have any sort of bounderies with our bodies. weather its this shit or the beatings or generally being treated as if were property, were really raised to not have much of a say.... it sets a very bad precedent and teaches a very bad and dangerous lesson

i was thinking abt this last night actually. when i was around seven or eight i would spend a lot of time with my cousin at my uncles house. he was some years older than me, by five i think. we used to get along well because i was a tomboy and he didn't make fun of me for it, he liked it. but i remember this one time he started showing me sexual games on the computer they had, some game in which you would give virtual money to a woman to see more of her naked, and it just made me feel so gross. i never looked at him the same, i felt he thought women were just pieces of meat. other times i remember laying in bed with him and he would want me to show him what's under my clothes, though he never took it further than that i don't think. he would occasionally grope at me but basically everyone did that anyway. i remember being upset with him, and him taking me to the candy shop down the street to make up for it

i always wondered if he had been abused first because i found out later his dad had molested another family member of mine. but looking back maybe it was the things he saw on the internet or from other boys. anyway, i tried to tell my mother and grandmother about it but they never took it seriously. never even scolded him. "boys will be boys" mentality and i was told i was being dramatic and shouldn't take it to heart because it's normal for boys to do things like that sometimes. it was normal to be felt up by family in general i guess bc. idk this culture is a fucking nightmare sometimes. now when i see him we just pretend it never happened i guess. it really is fucked up how much this sort of behavior is normalized, excused, and frankly defended at the expense of the saftey and comfort of kids... like what lesson does this teach other than, its ok to let people do whatever they may please with you, regardless of how much you dont like it? it must be some form of grooming i swear to god

[enniewritesathing]

replies

under the cut bc it's long, all from @pink-chevalier

“Went from DSL to 5G internet (which me being in the sticks, being surrounded by 3 towers = all the speed).” Dude, I didn’t know you had internet like that! I gotta connect the damn internet cable whatever that bitch is called just to play siege. (Give me a second I’m copying and pasting my notes)

yuppp. It's the main reason why there's a bunch of gifs now. would NOT have been able to do anything with the internet i used to have. I'm still running speed tests just to see the meter be on the right side, lol

I've been on the struggle bus for SO long 😭😭😭

“Hey. Charles? He may be unhinged. Just a little bit.” Only a tiny bit? Him and Daniel remind me of the scientists that tend to go too far or lose whatever was left of their morality to play God. It’s crazy how easy they can develop some sort of God complex when dealing with things they don’t understand or believe that whatever they are experimenting on is not the same as them. Sometimes I think those kinds of scientists are one step away from diving into the pool of of becoming serial killers.

it makes you wonder and maybe this raises a huge question for all of them -- just how the fuck did they get here in the first place? And you figure, they're getting away with a lot of shit because they're in such a trusted position in trying to help John. (and I truly say in the loosest sense possible.) When -- definitely not a matter of if -- it goes down, their excuse can be like "oh, unfortunately circumstances blah blah blah" when it was really "whoops we tortured him a bit too much our bad.

Charles definitely has a God complex and... well. I shan't say. Daniel is more relunctant but he still does it anyway. Dunno if that's a sunk cost fallacy with him or if he's just spineless.

“That said… you think The Werewolf might be holding back on that? Do you think it’s actually messier than that?” Something tells me that it has to be a lot messier. Because even though it is a lot of blood and yeah it looks like shit hit the fan, you can’t tell me that it was so neat. Even real life murders can become ten times more messier with blood in the ceiling. (Really reminding me of Patrick Bateman from American psycho when he got his raincoat on)

it does look way too clean 🤔but part of that is not me having enough blood splatter CC at the time. There's a little more (and also I may just do some editing). I know it's niche but anyone who does horror cc in any way, please make some more blood related things please and thank.

But I have good authority that The Werewolf's holding back.

I don’t know I feel like there was more but the werewolf is trying not to traumatize John or the audience which I can respect.

I like to think that The Werewolf said that basing off of the knife memory and John's reaction to it -- which was very understandable as it was very explicit (the other half of it that wasn't shown to us/the audience). Even then, he still gives plenty of chances for John (and to some extension us/the audience) to bail out. He's mindful, I'll give him that.

The file name I gave John during the conversation was "go king, give us nothing.blend”. Not us having the same damn braincell.

I try to name my files something silly every once in a while :)

It’s good to see that the werewolf was able to make a door in the first place! It shows a lot of how far he’s come and that he can do that at least. The handle can come much later when he’s ready to open it or close it since he should be taking baby steps. There is no need to rush all of this and the werewolf should focus on what it means to him making that handle happen. Like is he ready to open it to relive what happen, to truly expose himself or does he want to leave it close and ignore that part of himself. Both of them are okay to do because as humans we need time to open or close a door, no matter how fast we want to do that there’s no point in stumbling out or in something.

Yes! He's able to make doors but his main issue is keeping it there or if it is there, the knob's not working. That door in the memory was summoned out of survival and he thought of the most simplest type (which means that he's seen it at least once. 🤔). The knob was more or less that John still had overall control of it which is why he opened it.

There's a few more things that are door-involved though... but you're right. There's a reason why you can open/close them. 👀

(oh shit, I just thought of something that happens in a previous story omggg)

“First the hospital bed surrounded by flowers, and now the exam table (?)… what’s with that?” Simpler times? A way to make the whole thing look rather peaceful then the living hell the werewolf and John went through. It could mean a lot of things from daydreaming of being in a better place with his lover, and having his hair played with by said lover. There is a lot of meaning behind the flowers and the exam table. Exam table could mean a lot of things such as…. self-criticism, a need for healing, feeling so exposed but against your will.

🤔...

And what’s up with John…? Does he remember more than he lets on? Or is he hiding under the guise of medicinal amnesia? It’s like he could be in denial or something. I feel like John remembers bits and pieces. The reason why I believe this is because some people that tend to go through intense trauma will forget some things or believe other things happen, which isn’t a bad thing it’s your brains way of trying to protect you from what happened…..

Oh, don't I know the feeling on that part... (🙃) And of course the parts he does remember, John probably downplayed it. It wasn't that bad; I survived years of this shit, I'm fine!"

(Narrator: "It's much worse than he thought.")

There may be another angle to this that I'm not quite ready to drop yet but I guess I can wonder out loud -- what if The Werewolf was protecting John this whole time and he's starting to crack because of it? Why now? Much to think about.

This might be random or sort of funny, but when the Silent Hill PT demo came out a long time ago, I watched it and I talked about it with my friend but I completely forgot about the talking fetus baby in it. My brain completely blocked that part out for no reason at all, I guess I was scare and didn’t know at the time. But it can happen to John, I think he wants and is trying to remember, but his head is blocking him out to protect him from what happened.

man... PT would've been the scariest game of all time, hands down. I'm a huge weenie when it comes to horror games in general... the fact that bitch was behind you THE WHOLE TIME? I think the fuck not. but NOOOOO, Konami did the fumble of the fucking millenium.

Anyway... there is another element of John's memory lapse that obviously involves The Werewolf and perhaps, it's Vin's way of confronting John's part in all of this too. But that's not for a minute.

[chaseadrian]

I love how much u love the bear too lmao i can’t stop the relogging and reading stuff about it (literally reading any analysis on any of the characters is so fun!!) do u have any thoughts about the season 2 or what ur looking forward to in s3 lmao whenever that may come

it’s SO good!!! there’s so much to be analyzed and like i don’t even think most of it was intentional i think the writers and actors did just such a good job at characterizing real humans that exist and have naturally occurring reactions to trauma and circumstance.

i feel like right now there’s big talk and debate about carmy/sydney versus carmy/claire and i don’t care what anyone says, i’m here for carmy/sydney all day long. i think claire was intentionally characterized the way she was so that when carmy pulled the bullshit he pulled in the finale we wouldn’t all immediately turn on him bc we love claire so much. she was really a plot device and like i have feelings about that, but i think she as a character wasn’t like this huge betrayal to female representation bc sometimes yeah characters are just there to move the plot along for others. like michelle in ‘fishes’ had a personality but her whole “purpose” within the show was to encourage carmy to keep his eye on the prize and let him know that there is life outside this toxic family.

i think s3 will be a lot of focus on getting that star, or potentially getting the star immediately and then retaining it throughout the season. i really want carmy/sydney to be a slow burn, bc i don’t think they’re in love yet, i really truly think they’re good friends and partners and it could develop later. also my beautiful man richie i want more of him!!!! he and the sous in ‘forks’ had a bit of chemistry and i would like to see him actually move on from tiff, stop wearing the wedding ring, and focus on himself.

richie is my fave character and he has so so so much more potential, i’m really happy and proud of how far he’s come from the first episode while still being himself. he just found purpose, and you can tell he hasn’t lost any part of his personality, but rather discovered that the aggression he’s so used to was actually getting in the way of who he could be and the purpose & affect he could have.

[mokutone]

tags from @kakashihasibs on this post

#ive been thinking about this post all afternoon and evening and night lol #i dont think we see yamato outwardly express anger ever (at least in the episodes we see) #like the closets he gets is when he's annoyed at naruto and even then that seems more playful or frustrated than properly angry #even when he is yelling at Bee and Naruto he doesn't seem ACTUALLY angry #but like how could he not be angry? #like everything that's happened to him? to people he loves? it's gotta be in there #you can't face the evils he's faced and not come out the other end at least a little angry #yam is too nice for his own good #sometimes #I think the biggest reason he represses his anger so thoroughly is bc i think a part of root is specifically repressing 'negative' emotions #i feel like i can remember a line from danzō about how emotions can lead to hate #but also focusing so much on the 'negative' emotions might be to keep root agents from turning that anger and resentment towards #Danzō and root itself #like another way of keeping kids in line is teaching them anger (especially justified anger) is a dangerous emotion #and with the extra focus on that perhaps that still something yamato isn't able to express properly #but also yam cares a good deal for naruto and probably for Bee too #he might not WANT to be angry at them #maybe he keeps it repressed so he doesnt lash out at someone he loves? #hmmmmmmmmm #i love him #someone needs to needle him until he snaps #get that anger out my guy #at least in the episodes that I'VE** seen #i did not mean to say we #whoops

enthusiastically points at these tags. enthusiastically points at these tags. enthusiastically points at these t-

im going to chatter abt them below the cut specifically i think about. why he might be afraid of allowing himself to be angry + im gonna talk a lil bit about danzō + root's role in all this i think.

image descriptions for all images are in alt text

SO!!!! YEAH!!!!! YEAH EXACTLY...

these tags are so very right...we do see him get frustrated, or have that knee jerk kind of "no!!! you're horrible!!!" reaction at Naruto + Killer Bee when they scare him shitless, but ur right...that's not a serious anger that's a "You scared me!!! don't do that I was worried!!!!" and annoyance at most. frustration. it comes and it passes easily...

alas that kakashi is VERY good at needling him (admittedly in a friendly and affirming way), but yamato probably would want to be mad at kakashi least of all!

i think you're right that he probably doesn't want to lash out at the people he loves, or risk hurting them especially with an emotion he doesn't or won't let himself understand well

but also. i think he might feel a lot of guilt tied up in his anger as well...so it's not just an "I don't want to hurt the people I care about" thing, but also kind of a,

"What right do I have to be this mad?" "Do I feel I'm deserving of better treatment? Better circumstances? I am and have been incredibly lucky. What a selfish thought."

type of deal. which is. ough.

LIKE. the way he might see it...he was the Only one of the 60 mokuton kids in the lab to survive (how lucky)

and then when he did survive danzō was like. "if things had gone even slightly differently, your life would've only been that of an experiment, but he lost interest in you, and I picked you up." (how lucky)

and then, amongst all the Root shinobi, danzō, the leader of root, decides to train him personally, indicating a particular favoritism or attention towards him (how lucky 🤮)

this one particularly i want to point at.

because if Danzō singles Kinoe out as a favorite, all of these other Root shinobi, especially the other kids who are completely emotionally neglected...would likely feel jealous of the attention and favor that Kinoe receives, perhaps especially because he's young, perhaps especially if he is not the strongest (what has he done to deserve such special attention? etc etc)—which would isolate Kinoe even within the already isolating experience of being in Root.

its technically a position of privilege, but the privileged is of being the closest in proximity to the worst man in Konoha, instead of waiting to the side, trying to draw his attention and approval. And the "benefits" might include the jealousy and judgmental eye of Kinoe's fellow agents.

(no wonder he latched onto Kakashi so fast, if that was the situation. Kakashi has his own problems with Being Nice and everything, but if Kinoe is hearing "you aren't worthy of the abuse you're receiving" the fact that Kakashi thinks that Tenzō is not just worthy of sparing but. worthy of rescuing. even when Kakashi's recovering from Kinoe's attempt on his life. is. well. How could he even begin to process that?)

but ah. but still...when Tenzō departs Root for the final time, he thanks Danzō for everything he's done for (to) him.

(And, in the Tsukkuyomi, Yamato expresses a want to take over team Kakashi, and then an immediate guilt and horror at his own selfishness, for wanting the spot which Kakashi occupies, when he had a position at Anbu he was supposed to return to. Who is he, to want something like that? Who is he, to want what Kakashi has?)

Does he understand that he doesn't have to be grateful all the time, for everything, for the slightest scraps? I worry so much! Does he know that he doesn't have to thank people for not having been worse to him? Yamato, you're allowed to ask for more! You're allowed to want things!

I think that working alongside Sai has to be both extremely good and fairly painful for him in this regard. I'm sure Yamato could find a way to forgive or excuse Danzō's actions towards himself—especially if he thinks he was in some way lucky to have that situation.

But Sai? Sai is a different person. Sai isn't him, doesn't have his baggage—maybe he can see in Sai, what he cannot in himself! A kid who didn't deserve any of that, and is struggling in the aftermath. I like to think that, even if Yamato could forgive Danzō at the time for how he was treated, he could not ever forgive Danzō for how Sai has been treated.

I think he gives Sai a lot of leeway in expressing himself and picking fights with his teammates that he might not if he wasn't aware of Sai's situation, because I think he knows how important it is to let Sai uhhhh. hm. To let sai be completely fucking unhinged, for a bit. A line has to be drawn sometimes, but.

Yamato voice: I think he should be allowed to be a little malevolent. As a treat. Get it out of his system.

anyway. god. this reminded me of a comic i'd started Literally About This Concept that I absolutely forgot I was trying to work on

[betawooper]

Hi, how are you?? If its not too much trouble, I have two questions 1. How do you get motivation to write your fic (which is amazing, btw!!) because I am trying to write a fic of my own but I can't seem to find the motivation to actually sit down and write it out, even though I am super interested in it. 2. If its not too much, do you have any tips on outlining a story?? I'm not very good at planning lol Hope you have a great day!! I love your art and your KNY Plot Rewrite!!

Hiiiiii thank you for the ask!

1.

Honestly dedicating a certain portion of my day just to write has been super helpful. I tend to feel most motivated in the morning so I just write then and just keep dabbling in it.

I do this weird technique where I write with white text on a white background so I don't focus too much on the mistakes. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, just changing the font color so you can't see what you're typing breaks that anxiety. Drastic, but it works.

I also write on my phone when I'm feeling particularly unmotivated?

Here's a vod of me doing exactly that for Ch 53 (the video quality is very crunchy, forgive me):

I usually use a lot of ADHD strategies to get myself into the mood lol.

2.

It seriously depends on what kind of story you want to write, but I'm assuming you mean novel/longfic type of stuff with a fleshed out story and a whole cast of characters? That's the assumption I'm going under while writing out my next tips.

What is your main theme? Or genre rather. Is it humor? Romance? Tragedy? A combination? Knowing the overall tone that your story will be in helps a lot in the development of the characters, since each character should fit into that theme in some way. In KNY, the main theme of the story is tragedy, and this affects literally everything, from the backstories for all the characters to the literal worldbuilding in the form of Demons (victims of circumstance, cruelty of the world, that kind of thing).

Once that's down, start small. Just figure out your main character, their motivation, their character arc, and what you want them to realize by the end of the story. Can just be as simple as:

main character (Tanjirou)

wants to live a normal life and go back to the way it used to be

ideally, he should realize there is no going back and he has to move on so he doesnt get left behind? oh ye his sister could represent the constantly changing state of the world and his negative reaction to her changes expresses his inability to let go of his past

*note to self, develop sister character more

Don't think about other characters unless they will actually help the main character get closer to the ideal end you have for them, like I did with Nezuko in the above example. Don't want to overwhelm yourself, you know?

From here, you can start developing stuff. Thinking of concepts. If you're anything like me, you've probably already come up with something your story focuses on like "oh yeah there's magic and shit, and they have to take down the government with it" because I like magic and shit. What kind of setting do you want your story to be in? Post-apocalyptic utopia? Dystopia? Steampunk fantasy? 1920s Japan in the midst of rapid westernization? Is this based in a specific region of the real world or are you making up a whole new world for this?

Once you get the basics down, write down story beats. It can be a similar list as before like:

idk ig nezuko becomes a demon and loses her memory

the two meet a super strong swordsman to kinda show the reader the concept of demon slayers AND the highest ranking people from the get go (oh, think of a name for this rank, maybe pillars? bc pillars of hope and shit lol im a genius)

oh shit, you write hashira in 9 strokes? maybe we could have 9 pillars ooooh that would be pog

tanjirou and nezuko have an argument about tanjirou's Problems bc he refuses to talk about anything that bothers him

uhhhhh fight a demon

fight a Strong demon (what the hell am i gonna call these, just do that later)

oh hold on theres gotta be a training montage bc swordfighting takes time to develop

i should add an examination right? yeah like naruto ok put that into the consideration jar

broooo omg what if [insert plot twist here] happened? ive gotta put that in holy shit-

Doesn't even have to be in order. Just let your mind flow. If you have more characters at this point, think about how you want their arcs to end and all that like you did for the main character, then slap those beats into the massive list of story beats.

From here, you can sort stuff out. Then zero in on a specific arc/plot development and build around that. How much you should develop the story depends on how many characters you have and how long you want the story to be. KNY has a fairly large cast and is meant to be serialized, so Gotouge really needed to spend a lot of time thinking about this stuff (and you and I know that didn't end up working out too well lmao, they tried their best though).

Biggest tip is to take your time. You can't create a world in one day, especially if you want to be respectful to the other cultures and stuff you want to portray. Research stuff, look up writing inspiration blogs, all that, just take your time.

Also lemme know if you want to know how I specifically outline stuff in chapters to prepare for writing because its a little different from what people normally do? Idk what people normally do but its certainly not the way how I do it and this post is long enough already.

(Thank you for the compliments btw, good luck on your own story!)

[dewykth]

—CYBΞRSΞX (m)

pairing. jeon jungkook | female reader | park jimin genre & au's. smut, humor / camgirl!reader, camboy!pjm, rich boy!jjk word count. 10.213 warnings. please read ! multiple explicit sexual scenes, masturbation (f + m), porn, sexting, nudes, jk in a thong (bc yes), ice play, sex toys, face sitting, sub!jk, (soft) dom!reader, sub!jm, [18+] note. AHH it's finally here!! thank you to everyone who liked the teasers, i hope you'll enjoy this baby! this went thru a lot of editing, rewriting, and deleting, but i’m finally happy w it !! feedback is vv much appreciated <3!! note two. and yes, i did take the opportunity to write subby bts, bc i can, and we need more of it. thats it. sub jk rights! 

—shoutout to vira ( @periminkle​ ) for beta reading and making me laugh w her reactions <3 ily

[teaser #1] ♡ [teaser #2] ♡ [playlist]

synopsis. there are three rules you set for yourself when you signed up for cybersex.com. one, separate work from your personal life. two, do not get involved with any cyberboy, no matter how stupidly & unfairly gorgeous he is. and three, do not, under any circumstance, fall for a client. they're very simple, and very easy to follow. so why are you about to get in bed with park jimin, cyberboy extraordinaire, in order to spite a loyal client of yours?

 [ :: LOADING... my strange addiction :: ]

The hot pink log-in screen of cybersex.com is a sight Jungkook is embarrassingly familiar with. Frankly, he’s afraid to admit how many times he’s logged on this past week. It takes him no longer than a minute for him to input his account information, quickly searching for the sole reason he’s still on this site at all.

Jungkook glances at the time. He might still be able to catch a bit of your show tonight. Even if it were only for a few moments, it’d be enough for him until he actually got to talk to you tomorrow. Hopefully. 

Jungkook knows better than to think he could ever get enough though.

● LIVE!: sittin here undressed...

By Sweetheart666

83,938 viewing now

The screen goes black for a second before you appear, sitting on your bed with a pink pillow between your thighs. Jungkook sucks in a breath, feeling his dick twitch in his sweatpants. Your hands are on your chest, playing with your nipples and whining softly. Your sounds spur Jungkook further, his eyes glued to the completely fucked out expression on your face and (too soon) his dick is fully erect. He doesn't know how you're able to get him like this so quickly every time.

There's sensual music in the background, but Jungkook only focuses on the pretty sounds falling from your lips. Jungkook begins to palm himself through his sweats just as you tease your fingers over the band of the mesh shorts barely leaving anything to the imagination. Jungkook's skin is hot to the touch, and he can feel the sweat building on his forehead. 

“Oh? Do you guys want this off?”

Comments fill the screen quickly, all fervently voting in favor for removing the sheer white fabric. But this isn’t Jungkook’s first time, and he knows better than anyone you like for them to beg.

“Show me how bad you want me to take it off.”

v_steponmepls_ tipped 2,000 hearts!

secretly1ntoXhibitionism tipped 5,000 hearts!

bbybun14 tipped 1,600 hearts!

“Aww, is that all? Guess you don’t want it that much...”

Your fingers leave the band of your shorts, choosing to fiddle with the heart chain around your neck as you wait. Jungkook chuckles, knowing that the comments were all probably whining at your teasing. But as previously mentioned, Jungkook was a bit more experienced in your realm. His fingers dance on the keyboard of his computer.

nj_94 tipped 10,000 hearts!

Tiny red hearts fill Jungkook’s screen as he smirks, lying back against his headboard. He sees the way your eyes flash, before you’re smirking at the camera, as if you could see how desperate Jungkook was. 

“So needy, aren’t you, nj_94? Alright, I guess I can give you a little something then...”

Jungkook suddenly feels warmth on his face, and he realizes he’s fucking blushing at your attention. There was something about you acknowledging him in front of almost ninety-thousand people that made his chest swell with pride. He’s so fucking whipped, a thought that crosses his mind momentarily before his focus is back on you. When you finally remove your flimsy shorts, Jungkook moans loudly at the sight of your dripping core. Oh, how he wishes he could stuff his face in between your thighs. 

He pulls his sweatpants to his thighs, letting his dick spring free. Jungkook gathers his saliva, spitting into his hands before leisurely stroking his shaft. You play with your clit, moaning softly. He can see your juices dripping onto your mattress, leaving a mess. Jungkook briefly wonders how you would taste on his tongue. 

nj_94 tipped 15,000 hearts!

“Wow, straight to the point huh?”

When you slip two fingers into yourself and whine, Jungkook’s strokes begin to speed up. He moans, uncaring of the fact that it was past midnight. Jungkook is mesmerized by the sight of your small fingers pumping in and out of your entrance. Your moans begin to grow louder, and he can tell by the way your hips are grinding along your hands that you're getting closer to your release. Jungkook can feel his coming as well, his strokes becoming sloppier. 

“Fuck, I wish those were m-my hands instead of yours,” he mutters, lost in the way you’re making him feel. You moan louder, almost as if you could hear the words coming from Jungkook's mouth. It's impossible, but Jungkook lets his imagination wander. 

“You’d probably make me beg for it, w-wouldn’t you?” he chuckles breathlessly as you grind down on your hand. “I-i don’t m-mind, though,” Jungkook is sure he’s mumbling nonsense, yet he can’t find it in himself to care when he’s so close to his release. “I l-love begging for you.” His voice sounds echoey, but in his lust-ridden mind, he can’t make sense of anything else other than you, you, you. Jungkook watches through lidded eyes as your hips stutter. You thumb your clit a couple more times before a loud whine rips through you, and you're reaching your climax. 

Jungkook keeps his gaze on you, stroking himself a few more times until he too is spilling his seed all over his abs with a low groan. He’s left breathing harshly, lying on his back as he stares at the ceiling in a post-orgasmic haze. It takes a couple of minutes for Jungkook to fully recover before he looks at his computer screen again, realizing your live has abruptly ended. He sighs wistfully before closing his laptop shut.

Until tomorrow.

[ :: LOGGING IN... computer (almost, but not really) luv ::]

[ENDED]: feelin a bit bratty tonight?

By Sweetheart666 

106,729 viewers / 202,728 hearts

jacker82: sailor moon cosplay plssssss?

i_swallow_: feet?

James Miller Jr.: would love to take you to dinner some time!

_tittystan_: OH MY GODDD PLSS PUNCH ME IN THE FACE T-T

catdaddyXoX: ur so hawt yumm XD

Scrolling through the comments section and reading them out loud always made you giggle to yourself. They were either always some absurd comment or a simple compliment thrown your way. And you’d be lying if you said doing these videos didn’t make your confidence go up tenfold. During the past few months you’ve been a Cybergirl, you’ve been steadily growing a following. Your past three videos have done exceedingly well, but it was always your lives that got the most attention. 

It started as an easy way to get money to pay your bills. A lonely night in your apartment spent drinking cheap wine and crying about how pathetic you felt, because you couldn’t keep a job to save your life, led you to the hot pink sign up screen of Cybersex.com.  You told yourself it would be just for you to get yourself back on your feet, but as you began to post more and see the numbers in your bank account go to the triple digits, you grew a penchant for the website. 

All it took was a bit more effort into your videos for it to become your main source of income. You’ve grown much more comfortable around the camera than when you first started, and with that you've also been able to claim your place on the Hot200. It was undemanding work, for the most part. As expected, there was heavy competition between the cybergirls, which only worked to fuel your desire to chart. You had to come up with new and creative ideas for every video, and if you were being honest, you’d say you were pretty fucking good at what you do. And of course, there was no way for you to get fired.

To put it in simpler words, you loved being a cybergirl.

But, the best part, if you had to choose, were the personal clients. The ones who would pay an additional price in order to be able to talk to you directly, maybe even get a private show or pictures if they gave a bit more. You had yet to give a private show to anyone, which was pretty expensive depending on the popularity of the cybergirl.  Not that you were complaining, there were enough message requests to keep you pleased and your pockets full.

An alert appears on the corner of your screen, signaling the low battery of your computer. After plugging it in you opt to clean your cam set-up, putting away your toys and equipment. You check the time on your phone, noting that you had time to shower before your upcoming session. One that you had been waiting impatiently for all week. 

When you emerge from your bathroom, you pick up your phone again, scrolling through the messages until your eyes fall on one in particular. You look at the time. Punctual as always.

[𝟷:𝟹𝟶 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ʜᴇʏ ;)

Him.

Nj_94 was your most loyal client, but he only messaged you twice a week. It’d been almost four months since you first started talking to him and you’d be lying if you said his messages didn’t leave you feeling giddy inside. Granted, you’ve never met him, nor do you even know what he looks like, but it didn’t exactly matter to you. Getting to know him over the soft pink message threads of the Cybersex app, you've definitely grown a soft spot for him. There was something about his cute, albeit awkward, self that sometimes had your mind brewing up visions of him beneath you, quivering and begging and-

You digress.

Your back hits the soft silk sheets of your bed, deciding to make him wait a bit. If there was anything you loved more than your little sessions with nj_94, it was teasing him. 

[𝟷:𝟹𝟺 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ʜɪ…

There’s not a moment for you to put down your phone before there’s a chain of pings! echoing through the quietness of your bedroom.

[𝟷:𝟹𝟺 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ʜɪ 

[𝟷:𝟹𝟺 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴍɪssᴇᴅ ᴜ 

[𝟷:𝟹𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴏ?  

[𝟷:𝟹𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ʏᴇs. ᴠᴇʀʏ.  

ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺 ɪs ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ… 

ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺 ɪs ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ…

The text appears and reappears several times before his message finally graces your screen.

[𝟷:𝟹𝟾 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴅɪᴅ ᴜ... ᴍɪss ᴍᴇ?

Of course you did, but you’d never tell him that. You sit up on your headboard, playing with the frill of your shorts for a few moments before typing out your message.

[𝟷:𝟺𝟷 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ʜᴍᴍ... ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅs

[𝟷:𝟺𝟷 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴅɪᴅ ᴜ ᴅᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴜ?

On the other side of the screen lays Jungkook on his bed, eyes wide as he stares at your message. He knew you were going to ask him about it, but he didn’t think you’d do it right away. Of course he listened. And he enjoyed it an embarrassing amount, something he’d never be able to admit to anyone except you. Shaky fingers tap on the screen of his phone, typing out his response before he clicks the send button.

[𝟷:𝟺𝟸 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ʏᴇs ɪ ᴅɪᴅ  

[𝟷:𝟺𝟹 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ʜᴏᴡ ᴅɪᴅ ɪᴛ ғᴇᴇʟ ʙᴀʙʏ?

His heart quickens when he reads the sentence. It wasn’t uncommon for you to call him pet names, but it usually meant he was in for the night. And probably on your good side.

[𝟷:𝟺𝟹 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ɢᴏᴏᴅ. ʀʟʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ.  

[𝟷:𝟺𝟻 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴏʜ ᴄᴍᴏɴ ʙᴀʙʏ... ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ?  

[𝟷:𝟺𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ɴᴏ ɪ 

[𝟷:𝟺𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ... ʀᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ᴛᴡɪᴄᴇ

A blush appears on Jungkook’s cheeks almost immediately after he types out the message. No matter how many times he’s texted you the most indecent and lewd words, he’ll probably never be able to fight the shyness that accompanies it.

[𝟷:𝟺𝟾 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴏʜ? 

[𝟷:𝟺𝟾 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ʙᴀʙʏ… ᴀʀᴇ ᴜ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ɪᴛ?

Jungkook glances down at his bare thighs, where the thin fabric wraps around his hips. He gulps.

[𝟷:𝟺𝟿 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ʏᴇs. 

[𝟷:𝟻𝟶 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: [ɪᴍᴀɢᴇ𝟶𝟾𝟹𝟺.ᴊᴘɢ]

There’s a moment where your mouth hangs open, watering at the sight of his salacious thighs. But, the thin black lace barely covering his prominent bulge is what makes you squeeze your thighs together. If his texts weren’t enough to show how desperate he was for you, this unexpected picture definitely got the point across. God, he was such a—

[𝟷:𝟻𝟷 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴏʏ. 

[𝟷:𝟻𝟷 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʙᴀʙʏ 

[𝟷:𝟻𝟷 ᴀ.ᴍ.]sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴜ ᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ɪᴛ

Jungkook's heart throbs, or is that his dick? Either way, it's almost humiliating how easy it is for you to rile him up from a few words. You just had that effect on him. And, god, did he fucking love it.

[𝟷:𝟻𝟸 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴜᴍ 

[𝟷:𝟻𝟸 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜ 

[𝟷:𝟻𝟸 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴘʟssss :(

This was... new. Usually, you only allow him to be the one receiving all the attention and pleasure. Despite the waning professionalism in your relationship, this was still your job. It was only after your sessions that you'd grant yourself to come to the fresh memory of his whining and pleading. But who were you to deny him?

[𝟷:𝟻𝟹 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ...ᴏᴋ ʙᴀʙʏ 

[𝟷:𝟻�� ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ʀ ᴜ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʜᴀʀᴅ ʏᴇᴛ ʙᴀʙʏ?

[𝟷:𝟻𝟻 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ʏᴇs. ʙᴇᴇɴ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴀʏ 𝟺 ᴜ…

His fingers itch, his cock aching for any form of relief, but he knows better than to do anything without your permission. Besides, you make it all worth it in the end.

[𝟷:𝟻𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ 𝟸 ᴛɪᴍᴇs 𝟸ᴅᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴜ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡɴᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ?

[𝟷:𝟻𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: sᴏ ғᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ɴᴇᴇᴅʏ, ʜᴜʜ? 

[𝟷:𝟻𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ʏᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ 𝟸 ᴅᴏ ʙᴀʙʏ ʙᴏʏ

nj_94 has sent 3,000 hearts!

[𝟷:𝟻𝟽 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇᴇᴇ

You laugh breathlessly despite the wetness building between your thighs at his begging. Your hand slips behind your back, unclipping your bralette before slipping it off and throwing it somewhere in your room. You angle the camera so that only the top half of your body shows before snapping the picture.

[𝟷:𝟻𝟿 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: [ɪᴍᴀɢᴇ𝟶𝟾𝟹𝟻.ᴊᴘɢ]

Fuck. Jungkook can’t take his eyes off of the image of your bare chest. Your hand sits right above the band of your thin panties, before the image cuts off. There’s a teasing glint in your eyes as you bite your lip, staring straight into the camera. Jungkook can’t help it, he whines. His hand is pulling the black panties down to his mid thigh before he can think. He sighs at the feeling, grabbing the strawberry lube -your favorite- from his nightstand drawer and squirting a generous amount into his palm. He begins to leisurely stroke his member before a ping! from his phone interrupts him.

[𝟸:𝟶𝟹 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴜᴄʜ?  

[𝟸:𝟶𝟹 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ғғᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀs. ᴜʀ sᴏ ғᴜᴄᴋɴɢ ʜᴏᴛᴛ 

[𝟸:𝟶𝟺 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴡɪsʜ ɪ ᴡs ᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡ ᴜ

You wish so too. To have him begging to touch you, to feel you, right in front of you? Fuck, it definitely did things to you. He did things to you. And you wanted to show him.

[𝟸:𝟶𝟿 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: [ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ𝟶𝟾𝟹𝟼.ᴍᴘ𝟺]

Jungkook’s hand falters when he sees you’ve sent a video. Not that it was uncommon, but usually he’d have to send hearts first. But, he decides not to question it, instead choosing to click on the video. It takes a few moments to load, but once the first few seconds start playing, Jungkook’s mouth drops. 

Your fingers are in your mouth, sucking and lathering them in spit before they trail down your body and under the fabric of your thin panties. Jungkook doesn’t need to see it, no, he can hear how wet you are. The sounds of your soft moaning and your fingers entering you drive Jungkook utterly wild, and he finds himself whimpering. He can’t stop watching the way you bite your lips and giggle, as if you knew exactly what you were doing to him. Of course you knew. 

Jungkook replays the video, deliberate strokes of his hand sounding through the quietness of his room. “F-fuck, ____... what are you doing to me...” There’s another ping! that seems to reverberate in his head, and Jungkook slows his movements before he can get too lost in the endless ocean of his thoughts.

[𝟸:𝟷𝟾 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: sᴘᴇᴇᴄʜʟᴇss, ʙᴀʙʏ? 

[𝟸:𝟷𝟾 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴏʀ ʀ ᴜ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴜʀsᴇʟғ ʙᴄ ᴏғ ᴍᴇ?  

[𝟸:𝟷𝟿 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ғғᴄᴋ ɪ ᴄɴᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ 

[𝟸:𝟷𝟿 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴜʀ sᴏ ғᴜᴄᴋɴ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛғʟʟ 

[𝟸:𝟸𝟶 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴄᴀɴ ɪ sɴᴇᴅ sᴍᴛʜɴ ɴ ʙᴀᴄᴋ?  

[𝟸:𝟸𝟶 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴏғᴄ ʙᴀʙʏ

A few minutes pass before your phone finally vibrates, your screen lighting up with a new message. 

[𝟸:𝟸𝟻 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: [ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ𝟶𝟼𝟽.ᴍᴘ𝟺]

You hesitate for a bit, biting your lip before you press play. The sound of his hand fervently sliding up and down his shaft fills your ears, soft whines of pleasure slipping through the speaker of your phone. If you weren't turned on before, you definitely were now. Your hand travels down your body, slipping underneath your panties. Gasping at the pool of your wetness, your hand moves along your clit expertly as his hand slides along the mess of precum and red lube. Strawberry.

Right as the video is reaching the last ten seconds, your hands speed up against your heat. Your thoughts are clouded, lidded eyes staring at nj_94’s huge cock. Right before the video ends, you hear his voice, muttering nonsense, but that isn’t what makes you cease your motions. “F-fuck, ____, see what you do to me.”

It’s clear he doesn't realize he’s said your name, your actual name. But that's not even the weirdest part. No, because the voice sounds too familiar to you. Similar to the voice of— ping!

nj_94 has sent 5,000 hearts!

[𝟸:𝟹𝟺 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ғᴄᴋ ɪᴍ ᴄʟᴏᴇs 

[𝟸:𝟹𝟻 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ʟᴛᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴄᴜᴍᴍ 

[𝟸:𝟹𝟻 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴘʟssss?  

[𝟸:𝟹𝟽 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: [ɪᴍᴀɢᴇ𝟶𝟾𝟹𝟽.ᴊᴘᴇɢ]

The still image of your drenching core is enough for Jungkook to spill his seed all over his hand. His hand slows as he pumps the last spurts of his cum, chest heaving harshly. He grabs a couple of tissues from his nightstand, using it to clean the cum off of his fingers.

[𝟸:𝟺𝟷 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ɴᴊ_𝟿𝟺: ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ  

[𝟸:𝟺𝟸 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴏғ sᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴇ ʙᴀʙʏ ʙᴏʏ

[𝟸:𝟺𝟻 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼:,, ɪᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ 

sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼 ɪs ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ... 

sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼 ɪs ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ...

Jungkook’s head is spinning, but he doesn’t think it’s from the breathtaking orgasm you had just given him. He’s on edge as he watches the little typing bubble appear and disappear multiple times. What could you possibly be ‘thinking’ about? Were you thinking of ending this whole thing? Oh god, were you thinking of—!

[𝟸:𝟺𝟾 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴀᴍ ɪ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʟɪᴋᴇ?

No, this was definitely much worse. Jungkook never would have guessed how far this would have gone when he first impulsively texted you all those months ago. After the first two months, when the sexting had turned into a regular thing, he knew you’d eventually grow curious.  He knew you’d eventually ask. And, god, does he wish he had the fucking balls to tell you. 

Jungkook would be lying if he said this hadn’t turned into something more than just sexting. At least for him. He wasn’t really sure how you felt about him, though sometimes the things you’d say when you were coaxing him into an orgasm would go to his head, and he’d think, if only for a moment, that maybe, just maybe, you felt something more as well.

But after he’d come down from his high, and come down back to reality, Jungkook knew it was just wishful thinking. How could you have feelings for someone you’ve never met, never seen? Even if you did, it wasn’t Jungkook you felt something for, it was nj_94. Which, yes technically was him, but not to you. You probably thought it was, well, literally anyone except your nerd of a neighbor who was too much of a coward to tell you who he was. What the hell would he even tell you? How the hell would he tell you?

“Oh, hey, _____! You know that guy you’ve been sexting consistently through Cybersex for four months? Well, surprise! It’s been me the entire goddamn time!”

SLAP!

Yet, even in the safety of his imagination, you're fuming, ears blowing steam as you slam the door in his face. A demand to never speak to you again, and Jungkook sinks into the floor from shame and embarrassment. Sometimes, you’d laugh in his face, disbelieving, or worse, unwanting of him.

Jungkook’s mind was a weird and ghastly place.

He doesn’t know how long he’s been staring at your message, but he sees you’ve gone offline, probably tired of waiting for him to reply. His thumbs hover over the keypad of his phone, but he can’t bring himself to say anything, not even to jokingly brush you off. There have been many moments before where you’ve brought up what nj_94 looks like, but somehow this time it feels different. Jungkook can’t pin down the feeling coiling in his stomach, so he does what he does best.

He ignores it.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The blaring sound of your alarm fills the once quiet room, ripping you away from your peaceful slumber, and you groan loudly into your pillow. Your hand fumbles around your nightstand as you try to blindly reach for your phone. Once you're able to turn off your alarm, you hear the pounding at the door. You lift your head, able to make out muffled calls of your name through your clouded mind. Who the fuck is trying to knock the door down so early in the morning? 

You choose to bury your face in your pillows again, shifting the duvet over your head in order to block out the noise. Reaching for your phone once again, your eyes take a moment to adjust to the bright screen, and- oh, shit, you’re running late... again.

You throw the covers off your body, almost falling over the heap of clothes strewn over your bedroom floor. The knocking continues, and you rush out of your room, throwing the door open without sparing another glance at who’s standing at your doorstep.

“Give me five minutes!”

The figure chuckles, entering the threshold as you run back to your bedroom to throw on something presentable. “Rough night?” he says, voice sounding muffled through the closed door.

You laugh breathlessly, “More like rough weekend.” but you’re sure your voice is too quiet to be heard. Hastily brushing your teeth, you attempt to slip on your sweatpants at once. Following your successful multitasking and finishing your morning routine in record time, you emerge from your bedroom. Grabbing your keys and book bag from the living room, you pad over to the shoe rack near the front door.

“Wow, you should start waking up late every day if you’re gonna get ready this fast.”

You roll your eyes turning to shoot Jungkook a glare, “Don’t worry, I’ll start taking my time now just for you.”

Not waiting for a response, you open the door, gesturing for him to exit. He curtsies before he begins walking down the hallway to the elevator, you following closely behind.

-----

There’s something different about you today.

You’re quiet, gazing into the distance as you both walk to the coffee shop a few blocks away from your university campus. He tries to think nothing of it, chalking it up to the sleepiness still wearing off from the early morning. But usually you’d be pointing out random things on the street, or teasing Jungkook endlessly. And maybe he might miss the (albeit playful and meaningless) flirting, but he’d never say that out loud.

You reach the shop without a word, the sound of the city waking up and Jungkook’s boots hitting the pavement the only source of noise between you. When you reach the cashier, you’re still dazed, and if Jungkook didn’t know your order by heart (something he also would never admit), you’d probably forgo ordering anything.

Despite noticing all the things off today, Jungkook decides to not ask. He really doesn't want to push you to talk. And you’d come to him if there was something really bothering you.

At least that’s what Jungkook tried to do, but when you continue to be off in your own world, unknowingly ignoring his attempts at making conversation, he decides fuck that. And even though Jungkook would deny, again, if anyone would ever ask him, he does care deeply for you. Anything bothering you, bothers him.

“Alright, what’s up?” he asks, trying to seem casual despite rethinking the words a thousand times in his head.

“Huh?” you blink, coming back down to earth. “What do you mean?”

Jungkook sends you a disbelieving look, “You know what I mean. I asked you three times if you wanted a piece of my cheese danish, and you haven’t said a word since we left your apartment. So, what’s up?”

You duck your head, suddenly feeling bashful for ignoring Jungkook, but you haven’t been able to stop thinking about... him since the weird conversation you had on Friday. And to make matters worse, the fucker has been ignoring you. The only times he has bothered to text, was only to cancel your Saturday night appointment, despite the money already being transferred to your account. And when you tried to send it back, he declined the request without a word. Everything that he does leaves you more confused than before, and now you’re left to deal with these gross feelings building inside you. 

Because even if you’re trying to ignore it, and him, as much as possible, your stupid brain can’t help thinking about all the sessions you’ve had with him, and all the mundane conversations that crossed the strictly business and purely sexual line. It was all too much, and you wished you could make sense of at least some of it, but now he won’t even talk to you. You can’t help thinking that maybe you had imagined it all. That maybe you had somehow convinced yourself that he felt the same way you did.

Or maybe he felt that it was becoming too much, too intimate, too serious, and wanted nothing to do with it. But even then, why couldn’t he have just told you that? Why did he have to fucking ghost you, for crying out loud? Why did-!

“Hello? Earth to _____!”

You blink, eyes focusing on the hand waving in front of your face. “Fuck, did I do it again?”

Jungkook chuckles, and you try to ignore the way your heart skips a beat. What the hell is up with you today? “Seriously, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” you hesitate, because what would you even call this? The whole situation is weird if you were to explain it to, well, literally anyone else. Not to mention the fact that Jungkook thinks you work as a coder from home. “Boy problems.” 

Jungkook clears his throat, averting his eyes and choosing to focus on the grey concrete beneath him. “O-oh,” and as much as he doesn’t want to know about the other guy who’s got you so in your head, he still asks, “do you want to talk about it?”

You’re quiet for a moment, and Jungkook thinks that you might not say anything, that you might brush him off. He almost sighs in relief but then-

“Well, there’s this guy, and well- uhm,” you stare at the iced coffee in your hands, contemplating how to word your thoughts without actually spilling your secret. “We’ve never actually met, or anything, but we’ve been talking through this,” you pause again, glancing at Jungkook, whose jaw is clenched, “dating site. And well, we’ve been talking for about four months...” 

Jungkook almost trips over his own feet whipping his head to look at you. You’re still talking, but now his brain is hazy and he can't think straight. No...  you couldn’t... you’re not... you can’t be... you can’t be talking about... him, right? There’s... there’s no way. It has to be someone else. It has to be a coincidence that almost everything you’re saying sounds exactly like your relationship with... nj_94. Right? Right, of course, you’re definitely talking about someone else and it’s all in his-!

“...and when i asked, if uh, i’d ever get to see him, he kinda ghosted me, so, yeah.” you laugh nervously, noting the way Jungkook hasn't said a thing.

But, Jungkook is more sure than ever that you’re talking about him, well, not him, but nj_94, which technically- ok, you know what? It doesn’t matter because he feels nauseous and he’s sure he’s about to empty the contents of his stomach right here on campus in front of everyone. And now you’re looking at him with worry in those beautiful gleaming eyes of yours and oh, god, he needs to do something, anything to make this go away. Jungkook opens the lid of his coffee, taking a huge gulp without thinking anything of it because- OH FUCK!

IT’S FUCKING SCALDING. OH, GOD HIS TONGUE IS FUCKING BURNING AND HE’S SPUTTERING AND SPITTING THE COFFEE BACK OUT AND FUCK, IS HE SWEATING? IT’S SIXTY FUCKING DEGREES OUTSIDE AND HE’S SWEATING? NOW YOU’RE LOOKING AT HIM WITH CONCERN IN THOSE BEAUTIFUL GLEAMING EYES- wait, isn’t that the exact reason he’s stuck in this situation? God, what were you doing to him?

Jungkook barely registers the fact that you’ve both stopped walking, and are standing underneath one of the big trees on your campus. There’s a hand on his shoulder, and he realizes through his mess of a mind that it's yours. 

“Jesus, Kook, are you okay?”

“Mhm,” he says, like a liar because no, he’s not okay, far from it actually. Because you’re fucking talking about him, and you don’t even fucking know it. God, the last thing he wanted was to make you feel like this. Truthfully, Jungkook doesn't exactly know why he’s been ignoring you. It was in a panic that he had cancelled your next session, afraid to talk to you after the sucker move he had pulled Friday night. 

And he knows, he fucking knows that avoiding it is just making it worse. And that it won't go away, no matter how much he tries to ignore it. Jungkook is at a loss for what to do, and it's not like he could go to his friends to ask for help. This whole situation was too fucking absurd to even bother explaining. But if there was one good thing coming from this, it was learning that you did actually care about him, or...erm...nj_94, at the very least. Sure, there were almost a million other things Jungkook had to figure out, but hey, he’ll cross that bridge when he gets there.

Jungkook unconsciously pouts, willing the tingling on his tongue to go away. He’s too busy glaring at the offending coffee in his hands to notice the way your worried stare turns into one of suspicion, if only for a moment.

“Awww, do you want me to make it better?”

His head whips up at that, eyes widening at your words. Innocent and insignificant, yet Jungkook can’t help but think of the videos where you use the same tone. He’s sure that he’s completely forgotten the scalding burn on his tongue now. And it’s then that he sees it. The amused glint in your eyes, and the way your lips are pursed, seemingly holding back a laugh.

You’re making fun of him.

Jungkook scoffs, pushing your hand off his shoulder. You offer him the ice in your now empty cup, but he only rolls his eyes. You both toss your drinks in the can next to you, continuing the walk to your morning class. 

And he tries to act upset, he really does, but when he sees you start to laugh, he can’t help but do the same.

 [ :: ENTER... the (cyber)boy of your dreams ::]

There’s a familiar ping! that sounds through your bedroom, making you run out of your bathroom, toothbrush hanging from your mouth as you reach for your charging phone. 

[𝟷𝟷:𝟹𝟸 ᴘ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: ᴄᴀɴ ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴀʏ ʜᴏᴡ ғᴜᴄᴋɪɴɢ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠɪᴅ ʟᴀsᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ?

Trying to ignore the slight pang of disappointment in your chest, you roll your eyes at his compliment. Typing out a response, you hit send before chucking your phone across your bed, huffing as you plop onto your mattress.

[𝟷𝟷:𝟹𝟹 ᴘ.ᴍ] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴅᴏ ᴜ sᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴛᴏ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɢɪʀʟ ɪɴ ᴜʀ ɪɴʙᴏx?  

[𝟷𝟷:𝟹𝟹 ᴘ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴀʙʏ ;)

Jimin was a bit of an icon in the cybersex world, adored by fans and other cyberboys alike. His videos centered on a more… demanding persona, which is what got him his mass audience. It obviously worked in his favor, if a peek at his account was anything to go by.

ParkJimin 

@mincams

1,500,000 monthly viewers / 10,183,209 hearts

Most Popular: be a good girl, would you? / 7,937,937 views

And while a lot of cyberboys faked their personalities on screen, everything Jimin did had a sense of genuinity, and there was no doubt he was just as dominating in real life as he was on camera. You’d know better than anyone.

Jimin had begun texting you a few months ago, right when your videos had begun charting. It definitely took you by surprise, having only been messaged by two other cybergirls asking where you had bought your lingerie. And seeing his immense following only made you question it even more. What did he want to do with you when there were so many others who were more... on his level? 

Yet, despite you sometimes disregarding his messages due to the suspicion you had in the early weeks, there would still be a text from him every Wednesday without a doubt. This obviously led to you, eventually, texting him back, if only to satiate your curiosity. And well, he was definitely... intriguing, considering the fact that you’ve been speaking ever since. Though, your ‘acquaintance’  with him has definitely crossed that line of playful flirtiness and frisky texting.

Cyber fuck buddies was probably the best way to describe your relationship with Jimin now. One lonely, frustrating late night had led to you and Jimin exchanging some very lewd thoughts with each other. And yes, although you had broken your second rule of being a cybergirl, the intense orgasm Jimin had given you was enough for you to... tweak them a bit. 

See, at the beginning of your Cybersex journey, you had set rules for yourself, if only to make your job easier. And rule number two was to never get involved with a cyberboy. And, really, you were doing a great job at ignoring them completely, then Jimin had managed to slip his way into your life. But could you really blame yourself? Jimin was fucking hot, and you had your own desires that needed to be satisfied every once in a while. When he had just offered himself up, what were you supposed to do? Say no? It’s not like you were fucking him in real life anyway. 

So, you changed that rule to never fuck a cyberboy. Harder to actually break and straight to the point. And yet... here you were, thinking of bringing none other than Park fucking Cyberboy Jimin onto your next show.

And you know, it sounds fucking stupid because what the hell? Did you not go over your own rules just now? But Jimin was the only one that could (possibly) help you in this very... unique situation. And, no, you were not gonna fuck him. Despite how much you’ve bent your rules, you were still going to try to respect them. Besides, you had other plans for him. 

Like you mentioned before, Jimin was as demanding in his videos as in real life. Yet, there he’d be, in your direct messages, damn near begging for an opportunity to film a video with you. 

Who would have thought that Park Jimin, the one who has everyone begging for him, actually wanted to be on his knees for you. 

And at first it was easy to brush it off as a meaningless joke. Hell, you’d even respond back with a quip of your own. But when he actually explained himself, you had to say, all his points were very convincing. Something about gaining a bigger platform and a more ‘enlightening’ sexual experience. But, you had never brought anyone on your channel, and honestly, you had brushed the idea of a ‘partnership’ with him to the back of your mind. That is, until now.

Now, you needed him more than ever, for your own reasons.

[𝟸:𝟸𝟸 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ɪs ᴜʀ ᴏғғᴇʀ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴜᴘ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ... ᴄᴏʟʟᴀʙᴏʀᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ?  

[𝟸:𝟸𝟹 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀsᴋ 

[𝟸:𝟸𝟹 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ɪᴛ ɪs   

[𝟸:𝟸𝟺 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪ’ʟʟ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ. 

[𝟸:𝟸𝟺 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴs.  

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸4 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sʀs? 

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟻 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: sᴜʀᴇ...ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ  

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ɪᴍ ɪɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ 

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ɴ ᴡᴇ ғɪʟᴍ ᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴛʜɪs sᴀᴛ. 

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟼 ᴀ.ᴍ.] sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ𝟼𝟼𝟼: ᴅᴇᴀʟ?  

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟽 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: ʏᴏᴜ ᴅʀɪᴠᴇ ᴀ ʜᴀʀᴅ ʙᴀʀɢᴀɪɴ, sᴡᴇᴇᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛ.  

ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs ɪs ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ... 

ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs ɪs ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ...

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟽 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: ᴅᴇᴀʟ. 

[𝟷𝟸:𝟸𝟾 ᴀ.ᴍ.] ᴍɪɴᴄᴀᴍs: sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴀᴛᴜʀᴅᴀʏ ;)

The buzz of quiet conversation fills the room, accompanied by the sounds of the documentary playing on the projector that no one could be seen paying attention to. Even the professor seemed to be falling asleep grading papers near the corner of the room. There were excited whispers of a party later tonight, but you, you were ecstatic for reasons completely different.

“Pssst! Jungkook!”

Jungkook lifts his head, looking around before he feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns around and almost jumps back in shock from how close your face is to his. 

“Uh, yeah?” he whispers back.

There’s something in your smile that throws him off, demure and something else he can’t seem to figure out. Maybe Jungkook pays too much attention to anything you do. Fuck, you're driving him crazy just sitting there.

“Are you doing anything tomorrow?”

“Uh, no... why?” he stutters, and maybe it’s just the dark lighting in the room, but he swears he sees your eyes gleam. 

“No reason,” you respond, leaning your head against your hand. Your other hand comes to toy with the necklace sitting around your neck. “But I’d advise you to stay home this weekend.”

His eyes widen. What the fuck? Did Jungkook hear you correctly? Or is he starting to hear things too? What the hell are you doing to him? “W-what?”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard about the... show,” you make sure to look right into his eyes, “playing tomorrow night. I heard it was going to be really special.”

Jungkook blinks multiple times, sure the confusion and shock is written on his face as he stares at you. Fuck, he doesn’t know if he heard you correctly, and he’s too afraid to ask. He’s only able to dumbly murmur a “what?”

You only smile, no indication that those words had actually left your mouth. Except the fact that Jungkook had seen it. “There’s supposed to be a storm tomorrow. It’s not safe to go out.”

The lights flicker back on, and students begin to get up to leave the lecture hall. Jungkook is glued to his chair, staring at the desk you had just been sitting in. He’s too stunned to even bother thinking of a response, but luckily (or unluckily) you don’t seem to mind it. Instead you rise from your seat, swinging your bag over your shoulder. 

“I’ll see you later, Jungkook.”

He glances up, swallowing hard at the coy grin on your face. Jungkook can’t help but follow your movement, watching as you pause at the door. You turn your head, making sure that you meet his eyes once again before winking at him. You take your leave, disappearing down the hallway but lingering in Jungkook’s mind.

There was... no way you knew, right? He’d been so careful not to let anything slip. Maybe you were talking about a TV show? As much as Jungkook tried to tell himself that it was all in his head, that no, you didn’t know about his not-so-little secret, somewhere, in the back of his mind, a voice kept telling him that it was futile.

He’s embarrassed to admit that once he gets into the safety of his apartment, he runs to his computer, biting his nails as he waits for it to turn on. Jungkook clicks on the pink heart icon in the corner of his home screen, inputting his memorized account information.

USERNAME: nj_94

PASSWORD: boyzwithfun97

Jungkook hasn’t logged onto Cybersex since last Saturday, but searching for your name is like clockwork. Right as he clicks on your profile, he sees you’ve made a new post. Usually, Fridays were the days you went live, but apparently things were different tonight.

[9 MINUTES AGO] SWEETHEART666 said:

no live tonight, babes. vv special video coming tomorrow <3.

Yeah, he was completely and utterly fucked.

[ :: JOINING... the valley ::]

Jungkook doesn’t know how to feel.

He doesn’t even know what to expect. It’s finally Saturday, well Saturday morning and Jungkook finds himself lying in his bed, staring blankly at his ceiling. He’s already dreading the day, knowing that all that would be on his mind today would be you, and your stupid, vague words with your stupid smirk and, fuck, let’s just be real for a second; Jungkook has never been more mortified in his twenty-three years of living. Though if anyone were to ask, he’d say he’s doing fucking peachy, like the liar he is.

He hasn’t seen you since yesterday when you almost gave him a stroke from those borderline seductive words of yours. Fuck, a “show”? What else could you possibly mean? Did you know that he watched your videos? For Jungkook’s sake, he prays to whoever is up there that that’s all you know. The walls of the apartments are thin, thin enough for Jungkook to hear you moaning every time you film, and definitely flimsy enough for you to catch the sound of your name tumbling from his lips almost every goddamn time he comes. But, god, does he really wish he knew how you felt about everything. Instead of leaving him in the dark, he wished you would have at least told him you weren't angry at him for watching your videos in secret.

Oh, how things have taken a turn.

Something Jungkook is great at is pushing away his feelings. Which, in hindsight, has definitely never ever gone even remotely in his favor. Does that stop him from burying it all down? No. But it definitely has taught him ways to distract himself from anything and everything. And one of his favorite distractions is working out. In the gym located in the lower level of his apartment complex, he’s able to filter out the world, his thoughts, and throw all the shit he’s pushed down onto the treadmill. He focuses on the loud drumming of his playlist, pressing down on the arrow button until he’s completely drenched in sweat, panting from the thirty-minute sprint. Then it's weight lifting, which isn't as distracting as he’d like it to be, but if he turns his music up louder, he can't hear the way his brain is screaming at him to just! make! sense! of! his! feelings!

But it only lasts a short hour and a half during the workout. Now, all Jungkook can focus on is the way he hasn't ridden this elevator with you in what seems like forever, and how much he misses talking to you, even if it's just as nj_94. He wonders if maybe he’ll catch sight of you walking back from doing your laundry like he always does when he comes back from his Saturday workouts. Much to his dismay, there’s no sight of you when the elevator reaches your shared floor. His shoulders deflate, and he walks with his head down, feeling completely pathetic.

It’s only when he’s a few feet away from your apartment entrance that he spots the unfamiliar man leaning against your door. He’s poised, aura oozing with confidence and nonchalance. Jungkook slows his walking. Who the hell was he?

The man in question turns his head slightly, and consequently makes direct eye contact with Jungkook. Jungkook feels his eyes widen at how attractive this man was. But, honestly, he would be more surprised if he saw you with someone who looked any less than a fucking god amongst mortals. The man looks Jungkook up and down, plump lips shifting into a smirk before he tilts his head. Jungkook tenses, throwing him a quick nod of the head. His smile widens before the door to your apartment opens, and he walks in, disappearing as quickly as the door shuts. 

Great, the last chance he had to see you before tonight was gone. No questions answered, but it was fine. Everything was fine. All he had to do was wait a bit more. Jungkook glances at his watch, sighing loudly before inputting the code, rather harshly, to his apartment.

Only five more hours.

Five minutes.

Jungkook has lost count of how many times he’s refreshed your profile page. He probably looks as crazy as he feels waiting for the clock to hit eleven. He doesn't know what he’s feeling. Excited? Unnerved? Terrified? Jungkook's willing to bet it might be all three.

The minutes seem to go agonizingly slow as if taunting him. The ticking of the clock above his bed threatens to send him into overdrive. He has half a mind to rip it from the nail on the wall and throw it across the room. Even the soft rain hitting his bedroom window makes him want to scream. But he knows every jumbled thought crossing his mind is just an attempt to distract him from the absolute fear he’s feeling right now.

Then finally, finally, after the umpteenth time Jungkook has refreshed the page, right when he feels he's about to implode and have his insides turn into mush, it appears. Right as the shorthand hits eleven.

● [LIVE!] ur fav boy on his knees... w/ a special surprise <3

by Sweetheart666

2,039 viewing now

Jungkook swears he feels his heart stop beating, and he almost doesn't click on the live, he almost shuts his laptop and walks to the corner of his bedroom to rethink his actions in shame.

Almost.

The sight is familiar, one of your dimly-lit bedroom and a king-sized bed freshly made with black satin sheets. It’s a view Jungkook has grown all too accustomed to, after spending countless late nights watching you come undone under the same light. But tonight, everything has him on edge. Even the sensual music playing quietly in the background makes his heart rate increase. 

It takes another minute before you appear in frame, wearing that damned smirk on your face again. But now there’s a flash of something he can’t seem to name, that flickers in your eyes. Jungkook must either be losing his mind, or the camera was playing tricks. You greet everyone in that same sweet voice of yours, as you always do in every video. You wait a few more moments for more viewers to join, toying with the heart that hangs on the chain wrapped around your neck. Everything seemed normal so far, and for a split second, Jungkook is able to breathe again. But before his thoughts could get any further, he comes into the frame.

“Everyone, this is Minnie. You might know him as Jimin, or mincams. He’s the first person I’ve ever brought on my channel, so please be nice to him...”

The same guy that had been standing outside of your apartment door. Jungkook should’ve connected the dots. It was all right in front of his fucking eyes, yet he was too in his feelings to even realize it. This was your ‘special surprise’. 

Jimin’s face is eerily familiar, and Jungkook realizes that it’s not from the fleeting hallway interaction. No, he’s definitely seen him on the trending page of Cybersex multiple times. He doesn’t know how he didn’t recognize him at first, having clicked on his videos out of curiosity before. He briefly wonders how Jimin, the ever dominating and controlling Cyberboy, was so willing to get on his knees for you. Then again, Jungkook knew better than to doubt your authority over anyone. 

“...unless, of course, he misbehaves.”

Jungkook almost chokes on his spit, mind failing to grasp the last few words that had tumbled from your mouth. Had he heard you right? Judging by the way Jimin’s eyes light up, he’s gonna take a wild guess and say that yes, this was going exactly where Jungkook thought it was. He looks down at his pants. Jungkook was definitely more excited than terrified now.

You stand from your spot on the floor, but Jimin stays kneeled right where he is, eyes following your movement behind the camera. Jungkook glances at the growing number of viewers, half probably from Jimin’s own audience. Just one look at the comments, he notes that this is definitely something his fans had been waiting for. 

“Sit on the bed. Strip down to your underwear.”

Even though he knows your words aren’t directed at him, Jungkook’s dick has a mind of its own. Sure, he’s watched the way you dominate during your solo shows, but seeing you order about another man, fuck, does it do things to Jungkook.

He watches as Jimin obeys immediately, sitting on the edge of the bed and almost ripping his shirt in his haste to please you. You walk into frame again, holding a piece of fabric in one hand. You trace your fingers over the slope of his nose, past his lips, and down the length of his neck. “Such a pretty face. Shame I have to cover it...” you pout, though your eyes are shining with mischief. Your hands bring the silk scarf around his eyes, tying it behind his head. 

Jungkook puts his hand over his growing bulge as you guide Jimin further back onto your bed. You turn him to the side, both of your bodies perfectly lining up with the camera. Fuck, is it driving Jungkook absolutely wild knowing that this was all happening just on the other side of the wall behind him. God, the things he’d do to be in Jimin’s place. Or just be there in person.

You’re on his lap now, nipping at his neck as Jimin’s soft moans filter through the speakers of his computer. Your hands, however, are kept at your side, only making Jimin’s pleas for your touch more desperate. Yet, you give into none of it. Pulling away from him, but not without another whine from the blinded man, you grin. “So whiny.” 

Jungkook pauses his clothed palming, waiting with bated breath as you go behind the camera once again. The sight of Jimin’s flushed cheeks and harsh breathing makes his dick harden impossibly more. You appear in frame, this time with an unfamiliar object in your hand. Your hand goes to Jimin’s chest, and he jumps from surprise, then immediately after whines at your soft caresses. Once his nipple stiffens, your other hand clamps the pink clip onto it, prompting a gasp from both Jimin and Jungkook.

Jungkook watches as you adjust the tightness while struggling to pull down his pants laying down. Jimin looks even more flustered than before, hands digging into the flesh of his thighs. “Does it feel okay?” he hears you whisper, and Jimin nods eagerly. You chuckle, “Use your words, baby.”

“Yes,” Jimin’s voice is strangled, and Jungkook can see the painful swell of his cock outline through the camera lens. “It’s perfect.” 

“Good.” you pat his cheek before pushing him to lie down on his back. Another piece of fabric comes to wrap around Jimin’s wrists, placing them above his head. You climb over his body, opting to lay over his thighs, just below his prominent erection. “Tell me, baby,” Jungkook’s eyes catch the matching pink remote in your hand and the smirk on your face. Your thumb presses down on the button, and the sudden sounds of buzzing mixed with Jimin whining sets Jungkook’s skin ablaze. “Is it ok if I use you for tonight?”

“F-fuck, y-yes, p-please use me, sweetheart.” 

Jungkook has his hand on his shaft, leisurely stroking as he watches you press the button once again. The humming stops, but Jimin is left gasping, back arching off the sheets. The sight spurs Jungkook further, and he brings his own hand to his erect nipples, pinching hard. You move to straddle Jimin’s thigh before lifting the other clamp to his mouth. “Open up, baby.”

Jimin quickly complies, opening his mouth wide enough for your index finger and thumb to enter. His lips wrap snugly around them, sucking until you tap his cheek. Your fingers and the clamp emerge drenched in his spit, but Jungkook only gets a glance before you’re shoving them beneath your thin mesh slip-on. The clamps come to life once again, you and Jimin releasing simultaneous moans of ecstasy. 

There’s a thin sheen of sweat building on Jungkook’s skin as he pumps himself harder, whining at the sight. God, he’s never wanted to be beneath you as much as he wants to now. He watches as you press the remote once again, giggling quietly at Jimin’s complaining. Jungkook stops his stroking, despite how much he wants to continue, realizing he’d probably make himself come unintentionally. And he could tell you were just getting started.

Your hand trails down the expanse of his chest, trailing down his toned stomach before stopping right above the place Jimin wants you the most. Your touches are playful, teasing as you use your other hand to reattach the wet clip on Jimin’s bare nipple. Jimin gasps when you press your hand down on his erection. “Nngh, sweetheart. It hurts.” he pouts, and Jungkook is almost sure if he wasn’t blindfolded, he’d be giving you puppy eyes. 

But you’re inexorable.

“Awww, do you want me to make it better, baby?” you’re still talking to Jimin, but you look straight at the camera, and at Jungkook, as you say it, lashes fluttering.

Now that makes Jungkook cease his motions. Even in his hunger-ridden mind, the words feel strangely familiar, like he’s heard them before, but in a different situation. Jungkook can’t seem to remember, but the thought disappears as quickly as it came. You’ve left Jimin alone on the bed again, standing beside as you slowly strip yourself of your underwear. Hearts blow up the screen as you smirk at the camera. “Everyone’s so needy today, huh?”

You crawl up next to Jimin, tracing your fingers lightly over his toned chest. “You could probably come from these alone.” Jimin voices his pleading objections, desperate to feel your hands elsewhere, but you leave his side once again, walking closer to the camera. “Hmm, let’s ask your fans what they think.”

There’s no need to even glance at the video chat, because your laugh says it all. “Looks like they want you like this, Minnie.” He arches his back of the bed, attempting to plead with you for more stimulation. “Nnngh, please, sweetheart.” Yet you only giggle quietly. Your hand reaches for the remote off to the side before you turn the clamps on once again. Jimin’s breathy moans are loud, loud enough to filter through your shared wall, and Jungkook gulps. 

Leaving Jimin alone on the bed once again, you emerge with a silver bowl in your hand. You crawl onto his thighs again, clicking the button and halting Jimin’s pleasure. Your fingers pick up an ice cube before tracing it down his chest. Jimin shivers at the coolness, but otherwise stays quiet, waiting for your next move. When you reach the band of his boxers, you leave the ice cube to melt on his abs before pulling them down and letting his cock hit his stomach. Jimin gasps at the cold wetness, tied hands digging into the mattress above his head. “Is that better, Minnie?” he only nods in response, and this time it’s enough for you. 

Jungkook glances at the mess on his lap, a mix of his precum and spit lathered all over his shaft and hand. He looks back at his screen, and he sees you’ve crawled over his chest, nearing his face. Your hand goes to cradle his jaw, using your thumb to trace his bottom lip. “Tell me, Minnie, is this mouth only good for whining and complaining?” Jimin shakes his head fervently, tongue coming out to lick at your thumb. “Hmm, mind if I test it for myself then?”

Jimin swallows, trying to find his voice. “Please.”

You push his head back onto the bed, placing your knees on either side of his head. Another ice cube finds its way to your hand, and you bring it to Jimin’s lips. “Open, Minnie.” he complies, sucking the ice into his mouth. His mouth is left agape, and you smile, pleased. “Good boy.” 

You slowly sink down, just enough for Jimin to start licking and sucking your heat. You gasp, holding your breath before letting out a small whimper. The hand that’s not steadying you holds the remote, pressing down on the button once again. Jimin groans into your clit. Jungkook watches the way your back arches with pleasure as his hand speeds up on his dick. He imagines being the one underneath you, eating you out like he’s wanted to for so long. Jungkook tries to be quiet, he truly does, but, fuck, just the vision of you spread out above him, makes him moan out loud.

“C’mon, Minnie, louder. Don’t you want everyone to know how good I’m making you feel?” Jungkook doesn’t realize how loud Jimin is until he hears his moans clearer through the wall than his computer speaker. Jungkook swallows down his whines as best he can, but when he sees the way your toes curl from Jimin’s unrelenting mouth, he can’t help it anymore. He’s sure the noises falling from his mouth can be heard as clearly as Jimin’s, yet he can’t find it in himself to care. Not when he’s so close to his own release.

Your whimpers only spur Jungkook further, and he’s too lost in the way you smirk straight at the camera to worry about his volume anymore. He groans, on the edge of ecstasy when your voice sounds through his clouded mind. “C’mon, baby boy, I know you can do it.” White flashes behind his eyelids, and he comes in spurts of white all over his stomach. Jungkook doesn’t notice the way all light in his room has suddenly shut off, leaving him with only the glow of his dying computer to luminate him. 

When Jungkook finally opens his eyes, there’s nothing but darkness, the harsh sound of rain splattering against his window and the howling noise of the wind mixing with his harsh breathing. Even Jimin’s whines and the humming of his laptop has stopped. The post orgasm haze clouding in his mind the only indication that whatever just happened was actually real.

CLICK!

[ENDED] ur fav boy on his knees w/ special surprise <3

by Sweetheart666

687,982 viewers / 2,298,836 hearts

#16 on trending 

“Fuck.” he mutters, finally grasping the fact that the power had gone out. But, it’s when Jungkook’s eyes adjust to the darkness, that it comes back to him. Something you said that sounded too familiar, and this time he knows it’s not his imagination. 

“Awww, do you want me to make it better, baby?”

It becomes clearer as his breath evens out.

“Awww, do you want me to make it better?”

You know.

© dewykth. all rights reserved. do not plagiarize, repost, translate or modify.

[nicholasthepunisher]

as much as i can understand and sympathise with the way jet reacted to the news of vicious taking kimmie in supernova symphony (bc it is a Perfectly Reasonable reaction given the circumstances), i do personally believe his anger towards spike is blown pretty out of proportion to how i think he’d actually react to that whole situation and how he’d treat spike 

jet makes it clear kimmie is his top priority (even if he’s being prevented from participating in her life by forces beyond his control) and i think what faye says about the three of them is true--they would have more of a chance of getting kimmie back safely if they all work together. spike is familiar with prospective meeting place too, which would be very advantageous, and even begins talking about a possible plan of attack before jet cuts him off with a punch to the gut and throws him in the trunk of the car

like. jet is entirely in the right to be angry at spike in that moment because it’s an incredibly distressing and scary situation, the severity of which could have been greatly mitigated if spike had just come clean about his past to him earlier, but jet loves kimmie more than anything else in his life and i believe he would take any avenue he could by any means necessary to ensure he’d get her back safely, which of course would include hearing spike out about the area of the meetup and working with him and faye to concoct a rescue plan

so if they had characterised jet how i think he should’ve been characterised i believe he would have stowed his anger, the very at least for the time being, to let himself work with spike and faye to rescue kimmie. she is the priority, and he can be furious at spike all he wants later, and spike would let him be, because he’s Right, but right now that doesn’t matter, because kimmie is in danger and he needs to focus on what’s most important

[flying-elliska]

i've caught up with 911, some pretty solid episodes, the one on parenthood made me cry and the treasure hunt was hilarious (i want to also launch a treasure hunt when i die, just not with an insane ton of money)

and like....listen i never really believed they would make buddie canon for real but like that last episode ???? hello ??? what was that ????

first they have Taylor friendzoning Buck on the ep before this one which honestly kind of surprised me bc I thought they would predictably make them a Thing and I wasn't super opposed, I thought their dynamic was cute even though I actually prefer them as friends (tbf they're both so attractive maybe it's just my bi ass being like omg). but they could have done a character arc where they're both growing as people - Buck is less self centered, she's less cutthroat - and they find each other again and now they can have a meaningful relationship but....apparently that's not what they're doing. so then what ? because we know Buck wants a relationship and he's already been through a lot of 'dating strangers' moments

then you have Eddie calling his relationship with Ana "easy" and that's like. not Romance, at least not in this context. right after Carla tells him to 'follow his heart not Christopher's' and we see Ana and Christopher get on well so this is basically Carla telling him she sees something is missing. i've read this dynamic soooo many times in fic, where Ana is like this perfect woman/easy relationship he ought to love, it corresponds to how he sees himself, she's the woman his parents would love, she could be a good 'new mother figure' for Christopher, she's a teacher and she's good with kids, etc etc - but it's not working for him. so what's the alternative ? i thought they might go there with the blonde mom because Eddie helps her out and their kids bond etc but no she's actually deranged. so there's no alternative except for..... you know. or him just being single again which would be like. okay. narratively a bit repetitive, they would have to introduce a whole new female character because we know he wants to 'move on' from Shannon so like, thematically then it would be weird to leave him alone for too long sooooooo what ? it's the 'easy' thing that does it to me bc that really gives me 'oh we're struggling with heteronormativity' vibes here

or i guess they could just let him DIE which would be an ASSHOLE MOVE

and then there is just the way the last scene is shot, which is just really framed around Buck and Eddie, Buck's white shirt with blood on it standing out so clearly, the focus on his reaction and the intense stares, Eddie trying to reach out, etc etc. now thinking about that post about how men aren't allowed to show intimacy unless they're on the battlefield/wounded and !!!!! like ok it's a trope for comrade-in-arms to be super emotional in these near death circumstances buuuuuut i just don't quite think they would have shot it entirely like that if that was their intention especially since 1) they know buddie as a concept is a big draw and 2) in most of the other near death scenes for the both of them there was also a focus on the other team members and their reaction. and like, whenever you have a near death scene, whoever's reaction is focused on, it means there's an emotional arc going on between those characters that is presented as the most important. like when Buck was pinned under the truck it was more about his relationship with Bobby as a father figure and it tied into what would happen next thematically. so like. Buck and Eddie haven't had a focus on their relationship in a while so now what ???? especially since so much of their individual stuff lately has been about them growing and getting to a healthy place as people/potential partners, and we've already had the 'our friendship is so important to us!!!' bits so like WHAT

i'm still skeptical but honestly the timing of all of this put together is driving me a little bit insane rn

[taeyongdoyoung]

pairing: vamp!Chan x Reader

genre: vampire!au, romance, angst, humour

warnings: sugar daddy!Chan, don’t ask why, he just is; biting, blood; jealous/a bit possessive!Chan bc why not; light swearing; awkward jokes, secrets; Felix and Hyunjin have a cameo due to personal reasons; keep an eye out for back door & insomnia references

word count: 7.7k (i got a little carried away…)

author’s note: Happy Halloween! This is a very special gift for @chaotic-fairy bc I know about her Vamp!Chan weakness and I want to ruin her life (jk ilysm Mary) and I hope she likes it! Without further ado…

Another exhausting week at work and you were genuinely considering quitting. But you needed the pay check to deal with your bills, your rent and getting food. Sadly, you rarely had enough cash left to treat yourself to something nice. You were so damn tired you wished you could find a way to make some extra money without lifting a finger. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

You were feeling pretty desperate when you picked up your phone and started looking for sugar daddy apps. At first, it was just a joke to you. A silly way to pass the time and unwind from the long week you’d had. However, after half an hour of scrolling, you were seriously starting to weigh your options. Some guys on these apps didn’t even want sex! They were just asking for feet pics or something of the sort. Others simply required their potential sugar baby’s company! It was truly amazing what guys would do for a bit of affection. One of the offers piqued your interest more than the others:

Sugar daddy looking for loyalty and something else. Not sex. Specifics discussed in person. 1000$ a week.

Loyalty? That was easy enough to provide, wasn’t it? It was the something else part that got you curious. What could he want that wasn’t sex? There was a phone attached and you wondered if you should call the guy. But he’d specifically said that he would only discuss such details in person. But 1000$ a week was quite a lot of money. Compared to what the other guys were offering, this guy was pretty generous. What would he ask for in return? You were a bit intimidated by the large sum but more than anything, you wished to find out what that something else meant.

You didn’t waste any more time and called the number. You were met with a ridiculously attractive voice.

“Hello?” you said. “I’m calling about the offer in that app?”

“Ah, the sugar daddy app?” the man on the other side of the line answered. Damn it, why did his voice have to be so sexy?

“Y-yes,” you stammered nervously. “Is it still on?”

“I would have deleted it if it weren’t,” the stranger laughed. “Are you interested?”

“I guess so,” you responded. “Could we meet in person to discuss…specifics?”

“Alright,” he agreed easily. “In front of Lotte Hotel. Tomorrow, 6pm.”

Judging by his intonation, you could tell he wasn’t asking, but instead was simply ordering you to go there, which under normal circumstances, you would have found repulsive, but for some reason, you felt the need to do as he asked.

“Okay. How should I call you?”

“On my phone?” the man chuckled.

“No, I mean…do you have a name?” you whispered, feeling a bit awkward.

“You can call me Mr. Bang,” he murmured and for some reason you felt weak in the knees. “What is your name?”

“Y/N,” you managed to utter. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, then, Mr. Bang.”

You hung up before you could let him he say “goodbye”, because his dominant behaviour was frustrating you and you wanted to get in the last word. What had you expected from a guy who was offering money for something mysterious in a sugar daddy app? But you couldn’t be hypocritical, because you had been spending time on said app, as well. You sighed to yourself. You were too tired to think. You decided you would dwell on it tomorrow.

🧛🧛🧛

You couldn’t sleep much despite your exhaustion. You were anxious about your meeting with the potential sugar daddy Mr. Bang and had no idea what he would request in exchange for such a large sum of money. You wished he’d been more explicit on the phone or in the app itself so that you would have realistic expectations. You realized you couldn’t do much but go and see for yourself what he wanted. You had a whole day ahead of you so you decided you’d spend half of it watching one of your favourite shows and the other half, picking out an outfit for your meeting with Mr. Bang. Even though you still had no idea what he would like, you wanted to make a good first impression. You settled on a blue dress and white shoes that always made you feel good about yourself.

Once the clock struck 5, you started getting dressed. You put on some make-up, grabbed your bag and walked outside. You lived relatively close to the hotel Mr. Bang had mentioned yesterday, so you decided no public transport would be necessary. When you arrived in front of the hotel at around 5:45pm, you realized you had absolutely no clue what he looked like. How would you be able to recognize him? How would he be able to recognize you? You dialled the phone you’d contacted last night.

“Hello?” Mr. Bang spoke on the other end of the line.

“Hi, it’s Y/N from yesterday. Just wanted to tell you I’m in front of the hotel and to ask you what you’ll be wearing.”

“You can’t wait to see for yourself?” you could swear the mysterious man was smirking.

“No, I just…won’t be able to recognize you? There are a lot of people in front of the hotel, you know.”

“Oh, right,” Mr. Bang laughed. “I’ll be wearing black leather jeans, a black shirt and a red tie. Trust me, you’ll know me.”

You rolled your eyes at his confidence.

“What are you wearing?” he asked.

“Um…a blue dress and white shoes. Is this helpful?”

When he didn’t reply rightaway, you got a bit worried.

“H-hello?” you murmured nervously.

“You look ravishing,” Mr. Bang complimented you and you jumped up in surprise when you heard his words coming both from your phone’s speaker and from behind you. You turned around in shock and couldn’t stop your mouth from dropping. Nothing, not even him informing you in advance about his outfit, could have prepared you for how devilishly good-looking Mr. Bang was. He was taller than you and his face was, to put it mildly, flawless. His black shirt outlined his well-defined figure and his leather jeans made you focus on his muscular thighs, which was honestly quite distracting. If you had to compare him to photos of sugar daddies you’d seen online…nope, it was impossible, his existence was incomparable.

“Earth to Y/N?” Mr. Bang snapped his fingers right in front of your face, which startled you a bit.

“Y-yes, hello, I’m sorry.”

He chuckled, obviously used to such a reaction when people were confronted with his otherworldly beauty.

“Shall we go inside and get a room?” Mr. Bang suggested boldly.

“A room?” not that you were exactly opposed to the idea, but you weren’t sure getting into a hotel room with a complete stranger was sensible.

“Yeah, I can’t afford others listening to the specifics of our arrangement. Is that okay with you?”

This sounded like bad news. What had gotten into you? What on earth were you doing here? Alone? With a potential sugar daddy? What had started as a simple joke had progressed into a completely unexpected direction. You weren’t certain whether it was too late to back out.

“Well…I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this,” you admitted.

“That’s alright,” Mr. Bang reassured you only to frighten you further with his next suggestion. “We could go to a secluded park. Or an abandoned bathroom. Or a secret basement. Which one would you prefer?”

When faced with such horrendous options, you immediately regretted not agreeing to the hotel room. Perhaps what gave away your terror was the expression on your face.

“Relax, I’m just messing with you,” Mr. Bang chuckled softly. “There’s a café nearby that doesn’t have many people, but it’s still not isolated enough for you to concern yourself about getting kidnapped. Or worse.”

His cryptic intonation while pronouncing the “or worse” part didn’t do much to ease your worries. But a café nearby sounded way better than hotel rooms and shady basements, so you agreed to it reluctantly.

Once you two settled in the café and your drinks arrived, Mr. Bang resumed the conversation.

“I know I put that in the app, but let me say it again. I haven’t come here for sex.”

“What have you come here for, then?” you asked, the curiosity killing you at this point.

Mr. Bang sighed.

“Blood,” he blurted out too quiet for you to debate whether you’d misheard him.

“Don’t get me wrong, you look healthy enough not to need blood transfusion,” you pointed out.

“I don’t need a blood transfusion,” he clarified. “I need to drink blood.”

“Is this some weird kink that is fashionable nowadays? If so, I’m afraid I’ll have to go…”

“No, wait,” Mr. Bang said and grabbed your hand to keep you from walking away. “It’s not a kink. I literally need blood for survival. I’m a…vampire.”

Your initial reaction was to burst into a fit of laughter. What drugs was he on? Once you noticed how deadly quiet he was, how unmoving, how serious his expression was, you felt the need to ask:

“You’re joking, right?”

“I wish I was,” Mr. Bang closed his eyes, as if to hide something painful. You couldn’t believe this…this couldn’t be real.

“Fine,” you played along. “Can you prove it?”

“Not here,” he warned you. “That’s why I suggested a hotel room. I suspected you’d ask for proof.”

“How do I know this isn’t some intricate plot to force me into becoming a sex slave or some shit?”

Mr. Bang laughed again.

“I would have simply stated that’s what I’m after in the app, no? See, the truth is that I’m tired of lurking in the shadows, stalking random strangers. It’s too stressful and time-consuming. I’m simply looking for a companion who would give me their blood every once in a while in exchange for a reasonable sum, of course.”

You stared at him wide-eyed, still in disbelief of what he was saying. Either this man was a total lunatic who really believed his own words or…no, him being sincere was practically impossible. Unless?

“Let’s get a room. I need proof.”

“As you wish, sugar,” Mr. Bang smirked and paid the bill in a very attractive way. You were seconds away from asking him not to call you that when he held the door open for you, which got you all flustered and you forgot about your initial plans.

“Thank you,” you murmured shyly on your way out.

Once the two of you had checked into the hotel, you felt how rapidly your heart was beating. Even though you had suggested it so that you could potentially see proof of his bizarre story, you were so damn nervous you could swear you would die from anxiety. What if he was a serial killer? This was a terrible idea. But he seemed so polite…Why would he kill you? You hadn’t done anything wrong. The second the door of your hotel room closed behind you, Mr. Bang bared his long, sharp fangs at you, causing you to flinch in terror and take a few steps back. What the fuck? He was actually telling the truth?! But this was impossible, you thought.

“If you want to go, I’d let you escape.”

You were so frightened that you couldn’t move at all. Frozen in place, you simply couldn’t react to his words for the shock was too great to bear.

“Did you hear what I just said?” the vampire asked.

You nodded numbly, but still couldn’t find the strength to speak.

“You may go, if you wish.”

But you couldn’t. It was foolish and maybe a bit crazy, but no matter how scared you felt in that moment, the larger part of you was so damn curious. You wanted to stay, you realized. And maybe, yeah, you were somewhat tempted by the huge sum of money being offered. But also, you would be lying if you said you didn’t find Mr. Bang hella attractive. And not just because you had just seen proof that he was, in fact, a vampire. There was just something about his mannerisms, his voice that got you addicted in the brief time of your acquaintance.

“If you drank blood from me…” you started hesitantly. “You wouldn’t kill me, right?”

Mr. Bang smiled mysteriously.

“What’s the point of paying you if I was planning to kill you?”

“If I stay…” you continued interrogating him. “Will you drink from me?”

The vampire took a step closer and tucked a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Only if you consent,” he whispered softly.

“Will it hurt?” you wanted to know, too curious for your own good.

“Of course it will hurt,” he laughed coldly.

“Just get it over with, then!” you gave him the green light and braced yourself to feel the touch of his sharp teeth on your neck.

You closed your eyes in anticipation. Seconds passed and nothing came. You sneaked a peak, utterly confused.

“You need the extra money that much, huh?” he teased you.

“I’m just…so exhausted of working all day long and not getting enough in return. I wish I could get spoiled from time to time, you know?”

“Let me take you out,” Mr. Bang offered gallantly.

“Huh? We just got here,” you argued in vain.

“You said you wanted to get spoiled, didn’t you? So, let me do this for you. New clothes, fancy food, anything you wish for and it’s yours.”

He was joking, right? You hadn’t even given him your blood yet and he was already promising you so many things…

“What about the arrangement?”

“We’ll get there eventually. But first, I want to show you I’m serious about this and I will hold up my end of the bargain.”

“Oh-okay,” you stammered. “What, r-right now?”

Instead of responding, Mr. Bang grabbed your hand and dragged you out.

You spent the rest of the evening under his wing, while he showed you a whole new world of luxury you previously couldn’t even dream about. Mr. Bang spent more money on insanely expensive dresses, bags and shoes for you than all the money you had ever spent in your entire life. Under any other circumstances, you would have called such a pointless waste of cash outrageous, but because you were the one being spoiled, you allowed yourself this little indulgence. After shopping for clothes, Mr. Bang took you to a ridiculously posh restaurant with the most exquisite meals you had ever seen. Once you were full and started getting worried that the new dresses would no longer fit you, he took you for a walk near the river. The city lights looked so magical at night and with him by your side, you became aware of the fact you had never before felt so happy. It wasn’t necessarily his money that influenced your good mood. The mere knowledge that a busy, good-looking man (okay, vampire, but whatever) had just spent so much time on you, taking care of you and indulging your every wish was so attractive that you couldn’t think straight. Besides, his company had turned out to be quite entertaining and during your walk around the city, you had discovered a lot of things in common, such as your shared love for music, dogs and swimming. Moreover, his sense of humour was so unique that you couldn’t help but laugh at his jokes every once in a while.

At around 10pm, you started getting sleepy so you told Mr. Bang that you had fun and that you were grateful for all the time and money he had spent on you, however, there was one thing bothering you.

“What’s wrong?” the vampire asked you in concern.

“Well, the anticipation is honestly killing me. I want to know what it’s like to be bitten by you,” you admitted openly.

Mr. Bang seemed taken aback.

“We’re in public, you do realize that?”

“There aren’t any people nearby,” you pointed out. “Besides, didn’t you say that you used to follow people on the streets?”

“I did, but…I want this to be different.”

“Should we go back to that hotel room?” you suggested.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Mr. Bang eyed you suspiciously.

“I’m just curious…and I want to ‘pay’ you back by giving you that ‘something else’ you need.”

“You’re a strange creature,” he murmured.

“If it isn’t the pot calling the kettle black!” you giggled and before you could register what was happening, Mr. Bang leaned down and bit your neck. You let go of the bags you were holding and wrapped your arms around him to stop yourself from crumbling on the ground. It did hurt, like he’d warned you it would, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as you had expected. In fact, there was something intoxicating about the venom of his fangs and you could feel yourself getting used to the unfamiliar sting. After he was done with you, Mr. Bang lifted you up in his arms and carried you to sit down on a bench nearby. The world around you was spinning, but you felt uncharacteristically safe in the arms of the vampire.

“It wasn’t that bad,” you shared your thoughts with him.

“If it was another vampire, you would be dead by now,” Mr. Bang explained.

“What, you have some special powers of self-control I should know about?”

“I do, actually. I’m quite restrained in some aspects.”

You found that hard to believe for some reason.

“Do we have a deal, then? Should I sign something?”

“That won’t be necessary,” he informed you. “Human contracts mean nothing to me.”

“Well, I did sign with blood, so…” you joked, earning a chuckle out of him.

“Let me drive you home,” Mr. Bang insisted. “You look tired.”

“Yeah and whose fault is that?”

When you arrived in front of your building, Mr. Bang told you he’d contact you whenever he required your presence and he’d send you money whenever you needed. That wasn’t part of the initial offer in the sugar daddy app, but you couldn’t complain, because it worked in your favour.

“Well, if that’s all,” you were about to part ways. “Good night, Mr. Bang.”

“Oh, and one more thing, Y/N,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Please, call me Chan. It’s only fair.”

You smiled at him. His name sounded as beautiful as he was.

“Alright, Chan. Good night!”

🧛🧛🧛

He didn’t call you the next day. Or the following day. And the day after that. In fact, he didn’t call you for another week, which left you going back to your schedule. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. It was quite upsetting, really. You had so much fun in Mr. Bang’s…no, in Chan’s company. And he seemed to be enjoying himself, as well. Especially with his teeth stuck in your neck. You shuddered at the thought. Why did it feel so good? Did you have a vampire kink? Why hadn’t he contacted you already? You wondered if he was having second thoughts about your little arrangement. If anything, you were the one who had every right to be troubled by this whole thing. And yet, you were looking forward to seeing him again. You kept telling yourself that this was all about the extra cash and the wonderful feeling of being spoiled and treated like a princess. But there was just something about him…

Another Friday night came. You were making dinner for yourself when you heard your phone ringing. You sighed. It was probably one of your colleagues, you’d call them later. Oh, how wrong you’d been. After you were done cooking and sat down to have a bite or two, you remembered to check your phone. And boy, did you have a mini heart attack! It was Chan! He’d finally called and you’d missed his calls, thinking it was someone else! You immediately let go of the fork you’d been holding and dialed his number.

“Why aren’t you answering my calls?” he asked you the very second he picked up.

“Sorry, my hands were busy,” you explained. Even though you had no idea why you were apologizing. Why was he being so demanding?

“Busy doing what?”

“Um…making dinner,” you responded. “Why? What’s up?”

“I…need you,” Chan groaned and his voice was doing unexpected things to your body.

“Right now?” you really didn’t want to abandon your delicious-looking spaghetti. It would be such a shame.

“Yes,” Chan confirmed. “Can you meet me in half an hour in front of Lotte?”

You didn’t agree to it rightaway. What right did he have to separate you from your dear friend pasta? Why couldn’t he wait a bit longer?

“You still there?” Chan asked.

“Yeah, I’m just thinking. Could you come over?” you suggested bravely. “It’s just…you’re not the only one who’s hungry.”

Chan laughed wholeheartedly, the sound sending waves of pleasure in your ear.

“Inviting a vampire to your home isn’t a very bright idea, Y/N. Are you sure you’re ready for such a big step?”

Screw it.

“We’re both starving, so I’m just suggesting the most sensible solution. I’ll be done eating by the time you get here,” you replied. “I’ll text you my address.”

You hung up before he could argue further and quickly texted him your location. Then, you left your phone nearby and started eating your food before it got cold. You wouldn’t let anything get in the way of your relationship with spaghetti. Not even a very handsome, rich, funny vampire…Nope, not at all. You had just finished your plate when you heard the doorbell ringing. Wow, that was fast. You went to open the door and weren’t surprised to find Chan standing there like a man starved.

“Hey, you wanna come in?” you offered.

Chan didn’t want for another invitation and walked inside, looking around curiously.

“Nice place you got there,” he said, paying special attention to every detail of your little home. “So warm and cosy. So…human.”

You smiled at his unexpected compliment, but pulled yourself together soon enough.

“You can skip the formalities, Chan. I know why you’re here.”

He smirked.

“Oh, really? Enlighten me, then. Why am I here?”

“Well, you said you needed me. You’re hungry for blood, correct?”

Chan laughed, obviously amused by what you were saying.

“Are all humans so direct? Or is it just you?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

“I think you’re different.”

“Oh, please, spare me the clichés,” you rolled your eyes. “What are you waiting for?”

Chan made his way towards you in a deliberate manner, like a cat hunting on its prey. You closed your eyes, anticipating him to bite you rightaway. But what took place next was far more shocking. Chan embraced you tightly, not giving you room to breathe, not that you were complaining. It felt quite nice, actually. Being so desperately…needed.

“You’re so soft,” he whispered. “I just wanted to see you again. To make sure you’re real.”

What the hell was happening? You thought he only required your presence for blood. Why was he hugging you all of a sudden? Despite the pleasant surprise, you were a bit worried about his motives.

“If I’m making you uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll let you go,” he mumbled gently.

“It’s okay,” you managed to utter.

“Yeah? Why is your heartbeat so loud, then?”

“Cause I’m nervous.”

“Am I making you nervous, sweetheart?”

“Just a bit,” you confessed.

“Why? You should know by now that I’m not going to kill you.”

Oh, but what if he did something so much worse?

“I know. But still.”

Chan let go of you and you blinked up at him, half-relieved, half-disappointed.

“If I’m going to be your sugar daddy…does that make you my babygirl?” he joked.

You couldn’t resist the urge to punch his chest lightly.

“Shut up, Chan! This is so cringey!” you groaned.

He giggled cutely.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. But tell me, how do you want me to call you?”

“My name not good enough for you?” you crossed your arms, pretending to be annoyed.

“Of course it’s good enough! I love saying your name!” Chan reassured you. “But I want to have a pet name for you. And if you don’t like ‘babygirl’, we can think of something else.”

When put on the spot, you couldn’t think of anything else. You had to admit, ‘babygirl’ wasn’t that bad. It was the ‘sugar daddy’ part that gave you goosebumps. But you couldn’t say that to him right after you had denounced it as cringey.

“Whatever,” you shrugged. “You can decide.”

“Hm, how about I call you ‘my princess’? Sounds good?”

It was perfect, actually. You wouldn’t tell him that, obviously. But it sounded like an upgrade.

“Agreed. How do you want me to call you? Other than your name, that is.”

“You can call me anything, my princess.”

You smiled happily and wrapped your arms around his neck. You had a very, very bad idea. Vicious, even.

“I’ll call you glucose parental figure,” you teased.

“You’re terrible,” Chan chuckled. “I love it.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely.”

🧛🧛🧛

Things were going great between you and Chan. You two would meet up pretty often, sometimes because he was thirsty, sometimes because you were…In any case, your mutual agreement was working in your best favour and you quite enjoyed spending time around him. He would spoil you like there was no tomorrow and even flirt occasionally, which felt really nice. You would flirt back more often than not, but there was one thing that worried you. Was he serious about this? Because to you, this was beginning to look a lot more like an actual relationship. You had to remind yourself it was actually a business arrangement. As saddened as you were by that fact, you decided it would be better to make peace with it and enjoy the situation while it lasts. After all, you had known what you were getting into the minute you had signed up on that damned app.

One day, you were having a break from work. You wondered how to spend it. You could binge-watch a new show. Or you could try baking muffins. But you’d done both of these recently. And you kinda wanted to try something different, more exciting. You wanted to surprise Chan at work. You knew you couldn’t bring him human food, because his diet consisted of…well, blood, obviously. But you could bring him yourself! Both delightful company and meal! He’d be thrilled! There was one teeny tiny problem. You had no idea where Chan worked…You had known him for nearly three weeks and you still had no clue. It was a bit suspicious. You had told him plenty of things about yourself and your workplace. But he was so…mysterious and secretive. It wasn’t even the vampirism that troubled you. His personality, though engaging, was also perplexing. You were struck by an idea. You decided to…Google him. He looked pretty rich and well-spoken so there was a huge possibility you could find his workplace by lurking around the Internet. You told yourself it wasn’t wrong to check out your glucose parental figure on the web. After all, it was the very place that had brought you together. When you typed in his name you were overwhelmed by the thousands of results. It turned out Chan was the CEO of a music company. How come he never told you about this? How he had managed to be so casual when having a conversation about music without bragging even a little was beyond you. Google informed you that Chan was producing and writing music, occasionally singing and rapping himself. You were flabbergasted by all this unexpected knowledge. Why didn’t he share these things with you? It was a good thing to occasionally take pride in your talents. So why? Didn’t he trust you enough already? You didn’t dwell on it further and simply took a screenshot of the location where his company was supposed to be. You dressed up in a hurry and made your way towards him. Once you arrived in front of the large building, you felt a bit intimidated by its size and the number of guards in front of it. What was this? Prison? You had not thought this through. You noticed people were only entering the building with special permits. You didn’t have one. Which meant you couldn’t get in. Damnit. You started lurking around, hoping some generous soul would take pity on you and let you inside with their permit. Somehow…the miraculous happened.

“Are you waiting for someone?” a young-looking guy with blond hair and the deepest voice ever asked you casually.

“Um…I actually wanted to surprise my su-“ you interrupted yourself. You couldn’t just tell a complete stranger that the CEO of one of the most famous music companies was your sugar daddy. That would be so awkward. “My sweetheart,” you said dumbly. Nice save, Y/N. Brilliant.

“I could call him out for you. I work here, you see,” the guy showed you his permit, rubbing salt into the already painful wound – you didn’t have a bloody permit.

“Well, I was hoping I’d catch him by surprise inside. But I guess that’s impossible…” you murmured sadly, hoping that you’d manipulate the stranger into letting you enter the prison-like building.

“What’s his name?” the blond inquired.

“Bang Chan,” you replied smugly.

“Oh! You must be Y/N, then!”

“How did you know?” you were taken by surprise.

“Chris won’t shut up about you,” the guy said. “I’m Felix, by the way! It’s really nice to finally meet you.”

You shook his hand in confusion.

“Chris?”

“That’s his name, yeah.”

So many secrets…What else was Chan…Chris…not telling you? You were so shocked by all the new information that you momentarily forgot your initial reason for coming here.

“I could sneak you inside,” Felix offered. “On one condition.”

“Sure, what is it?” you agreed without thinking.

“I want to see the look on his face when you surprise him.”

“Alright, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

Felix smirked almost devilishly.

When you got inside, you had another big shock. If the building looked fancy on the outside, it was outrageously luxurious on the inside. The lights! The minimalism! You were utterly transfixed by the expensive furniture that you almost didn’t register the fact that your name was being called.

“The Y/N? You’ve got to be messing with me, Lix!” an unfamiliar voice whisper-yelled.

“Keep your voice down, Hyunjin! Her arrival is supposed to be a surprise for Chris!” Felix responded animatedly.

“He’s going to lose his shit!” the guy who was apparently named Hyunjin warned.

Why? You hadn’t done anything wrong by coming here, had you? You just wanted to see him on your day off. If anything, he was the one in the wrong for keeping so many things from you.

“Come on, Y/N. Chris should be in his office,” Felix said, leading you up the stairs.

“Wait up, I wanna come, too!” Hyunjin ran after you. Oh, dear. If you had known your unexpected arrival would create such a scandal in Chan’s workplace, you wouldn’t have come at all. You hated being the centre of attention. Okay, that was a lie. Maybe you liked it. Just a little. Being surrounded by such sweet and handsome guys was kinda exciting, you had to admit.

Before you arrived to Chan’s office, you noticed something a bit weird. Even though Felix and Hyunjin obviously knew about your relationship (or whatever it was) with Chan, they continued to find excuses to touch your back or hold your hand, which, though nice, was also a bit concerning. Not that you had ever talked to Chan about not being allowed to be touched by other people, but still, a part of you felt…guilty? It was so confusing. Also, you noticed that Felix and Hyunjin were walking in a frustratingly slow manner. And you were using the damn stairs even though you suspected that this ridiculously tall building had an elevator. What’s with that? Moreover, you were fairly certain these two were flirting with you. They kept complimenting your hair and your dress, which made you feel both flattered and uncomfortable. Why were you like this? It’s not like you were Chan’s girlfriend. So what if he bought you nice stuff and you gave him your blood. It wasn’t like that, you kept telling yourself. Expect…you wished it was like that. In the rare, brief moments when he showed some semblance of affection towards you, you felt the most special, the happiest in the world. But then, as quickly as he’d start opening up, he would go back to being cold and not mention anything about the way he felt. Which left you in a permanent state of confusion. What were his intentions? Why was he so…on and off?

Eventually, you arrived in front of Chan’s office and he stormed outside as if he knew you’d be standing there, Felix’s arm around your neck and Hyunjin holding your hand for whatever reason. You felt as if you’d gotten caught in the act. Despite the fact you had tried to push his clingy employees away. But they were too persistent and you initially thought they were just being extra friendly. Oh, well.

“Hands off,” Chan snarled out angrily. Okay, that was new. Never before had you seen him act so…possessive about you. Your heart started beating loudly and he gave you a warning look.

“Chris!” Felix unwrapped his arm smoothly. “Look what we bring you!”

Hyunjin also let go of your hand silently. The way Chan commanded them so easily was kinda hot, you had to admit.

“Get out,” Chan growled at them. “You,” he pointed at you. “Stay.”

The last word was said in a soft, almost apologetic way. You walked into his office nervously and began playing with your hands, feeling uncharacteristically shy.

“I just wanted to surprise you,” you murmured sheepishly. “Felix and Hyunjin were just being friendly.”

Chan rolled his eyes.

“Oh, please,” he hissed sarcastically. “I could hear them flirting with you from three floors down.”

Fuck. You had forgotten that vampires had super hearing.

“Don’t get angry at them. They were just excited to meet me.”

“You should be careful around faeries.”

He was kidding, right? First, vampires, now this? What was next? Aliens?!

“Around what now?”

“Lix and Jinnie are faeries. They can be quite clingy…if you let them. Which you did,” Chan pointed out. Was he blaming you? After not telling you anything about himself? Seriously?

“Hey, you can’t take it out on me!” you defended yourself. “If you had warned me in advance where you work, who you work with and your other name, I would have been better prepared!”

Chan nodded, silently agreeing with you.

“You should have told me you were coming,” he continued.

“Are you mad at me?” you pouted cutely, because you didn’t want to fight with him.

Chan shook his head.

“How could I be mad at you when you look so delicious, babygirl,” he whispered and placed his hands on your cheeks.

You didn’t bother complaining about his pet name for you. It was kinda growing on you.

“Why don’t you have a taste, then?” you replied suggestively.

Chan leaned his forehead against yours and licked his lips.

“Later, my princess. I forgot to tell you something.”

“What?”

“It’s really great to see you again.”

“Yeah? You didn’t seem so happy earlier?”

“That’s because I hate it when someone touches something that’s mine.”

“So now I’m something?” you were a bit offended by his choice of words.

“You know what I meant,” Chan sighed, visibly frustrated by having to explain himself.

“I don’t, actually. What am I to you, Chan?” you confronted him. “You keep mentioning our business arrangement and yet you’re acting like this…I don’t understand you,” you admitted angrily.

“I don’t understand myself, either,” Chan confessed sadly.

“Yeah, well, call me when you do,” you sneaked out of his arms and stormed out of his office.

🧛🧛🧛

A week passed by with no contact from Chan. Things were going so great before you’d come to his office. So, why was he acting so distant? Why hadn’t he called you already? After all, it wasn’t your fault that he was being so secretive. You wouldn’t call him first, you had nothing to apologize for. He had to fix his behaviour towards you. Besides, he kept giving you mixed signals. One minute he’d be talking about your relationship as if it was nothing but business, then the next he’d act all protective and affectionate. It was so confusing and frustrating you didn’t know what to think. If he wanted to talk to you again, he would, you kept telling yourself. But damn, you missed him so badly. His beautiful smile and his wacky sense of humour, his adorable dimples, his sexy voice and his mysterious personality that was also the reason for your conflicts. As if he’d read your mind, Chan finally texted you a string of desperate messages.

Glucose parental figure: I miss you.

Glucose parental figure: Can we talk??

Glucose parental figure: I’m so so sorry…

Glucose parental figure: Let me explain everything in person.

Glucose parental figure: Please??

Glucose parental figure: I need to see you again.

You opened the messages but didn’t respond rightaway. Serves him right. A whole week without a call, not even a text. You imagined him seeing that you had read his messages, but still didn’t give any reply. You wanted to torture him a bit longer, the way he had.

Glucose parental figure: I can see you’re online :(

Glucose parental figure: I sent you my money, pls respond <3

You couldn’t help but laugh at his joke. Just as you were about to reply, your phone started ringing. But it wasn’t Chan like you hoped it would be. It was one of your co-workers. However, it was your day off…

“Hi, what’s wrong?” you asked.

“Y/N, quick! We need your help, it’s an emergency!”

“I’m on my way!” you promised and hurried towards your workplace, completely forgetting about Chan’s pleas.

🧛🧛🧛

Once you had dealt with the unexpected problem at work, you returned home, absolutely exhausted. You lay down on the bed and checked your phone. Oh, fuck. Chan had left you a couple more messages and you also had a bunch of missed calls. All from him. He had gotten so worried and you felt awful for not responding to his texts rightaway. You called him immediately even though it was 2am. He had previously told you that vampires didn’t need sleep.

“Please just tell me you’re alive,” Chan begged.

“I’m fine, Chan. There was an emergency at work…Sorry for not picking up or texting you back,” you explained, even though you had hardly done anything wrong. You were still waiting for his apology for the way he’d treated you during your last meeting.

“Oh, that’s a relief! Listen…about last time…”

“You can tell me in person,” you cut him off. “I’m really tired, Chan. Can we meet up tomorrow?”

“It’s already tomorrow,” he teased you. “But yeah, I get what you meant. Just tell me what you want to do, where you want to go. I’d hate to impose on you.”

You smiled, touched by his consideration.

“How about Lotte Hotel? 6pm?” you deliberately suggested the time and place of your first encounter with Chan.

“I’ll be there. Sleep well, Y/N.”

“See you tomorrow. Well, today, but whatever,” you laughed. And you couldn’t tell him to sleep well, because you knew he wouldn’t sleep at all, he’d forever be in a state of insomnia. But you still wished him good night, because despite everything, you still wanted him to have a nice time. You wondered what he did all night. Maybe he watched something. Or produced music. And with such thoughts, you drifted away.

🧛🧛🧛

“Hey,” you greeted him the second you spotted him and Chan pulled you into a hug.

“I missed that smell,” he whispered.

“You do realize how creepy that sounds, right? It’s like telling a pig how nice it smells right before eating it,” you joked.

“Not like that,” Chan laughed. “I just missed everything about you.”

“Right,” you sighed contentedly. He let go of you and you tried your best not to look too disappointed.

“Before we go anywhere, I want to tell you how sorry I am for being an asshole and that I’d completely understand if you never want to see me again. No strings attached.”

You nodded in a morose manner.

“Okay, well, it was nice knowing you,” you teased, but judging by his devastated reaction, he had taken it seriously. “I’m kidding, relax! Of course, I would like to see you again!”

“Really?” Chan blinked at you cutely and you found it extremely hard to resist the urge to kiss him right there and then.

“Yes, dumbass, I would.”

“So…you wouldn’t say ‘no’ to a surprise?”

“Hm, that depends. Will I react the way you did when I surprised you?” you had to make sure.

“I hope not,” he chuckled lightly.

“Let’s give it a try, then,” you consented.

A couple of minutes later, you two were standing on the rooftop of the hotel. There was no one and nothing else but you and Chan, a table full of food and the city’s lights shining in the night. It was an extraordinary sight, one so special you had to pinch yourself to be certain it was real and not a mere figment of your imagination.

“Wow,” you uttered. “This is…a lot.”

“We have the whole place to ourselves,” Chan informed you smugly. “Nobody can bother us.”

“Chan…” you started, feeling shy that he treated you so nicely. “You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to,” he stroked your cheek gently, which felt infinitely sweeter than any material thing he could provide.

“What if I hadn’t come?” you posed a question.

“Then, I would do this every night, waiting for you until you did.”

You shook your head, overwhelmed by emotions you couldn’t quite place.

“You’re crazy,” you closed your eyes, enjoying his touch.

“Come on, the food will get cold.”

You knew, of course, that he intended all this for you, because human food wasn’t to his liking. Initially, you felt a bit awkward to be stared at while eating, but you reminded yourself this wasn’t the first time. Soon enough, you relaxed around him. When you were done devouring the delicious meals, you found yourself inclined to ask:

“Are you hungry?”

“Not in the way you’re referring to,” Chan giggled.

“Oh?”

“I have something to tell you. You stay right here, okay?”

“Okay?”

Chan got up from his chair and from somewhere on the rooftop, pulled out a freaking guitar. What was he doing? When he came back to you, he knelt down next to you and started playing it, while singing.

“Use the sleeves of my sweater

Let's have an adventure

Head in the clouds but my gravity's centered

Touch my neck and I'll touch yours.”

You started tearing up. The emotions in his voice were unlike anything he’d ever showed you before. What was he doing to your poor heart?

“Cause it's too cold whoa

For you here and now

So let me hold whoa

Both your hands in the holes of my sweater.”

It was getting progressively harder to look him in the eyes as he sang his soul out. Your blurred vision was also not helpful. He was affecting you in a way you hadn’t felt before.

“Y/N…I know that in the beginning, I told you I wasn’t looking for a romantic relationship. I know that the way we met wasn’t traditional. I know that I’m a vampire and I probably couldn’t give you as much warmth as a human could. But I also know that the way I feel about you is special. I know that my life was a shell before I met you. I know that if you let me…I would do my best to make you happy. I guess what I’m trying to say is…I really like you, my princess.”

“Chan…” you whispered and placed your hand on his cheek, rubbing circles with your thumb. “I don’t know what to say. Despite the initial arrangement, I fell for you. And…that’s why I got so upset last week. Because I didn’t think you liked me back.”

“I’m sorry for being a fool and not telling you sooner,” Chan replied.

“It’s fine. But please, don’t ever keep secrets from me anymore, okay?”

“I will try,” he promised. “I really want to share my whole world with you.”

Chan leaned down swiftly and captured your lips in a passionate kiss. He pressed his hands against your back and kept pulling you closer, not wanting to waste any more time. You enjoyed the light chill his touch was sending your way and wrapped your arms around his neck. You couldn’t help yourself and moaned into his mouth, as he squeezed you tightly. A while later, you realized you needed to breathe. You gently untangled yourself from his grasp.

“You’re as cold as ice,” you said softly, not meaning to upset him, just pointing it out for some reason.

“You’re willing to sacrifice our love!” Chan immediately burst into song again.

“Oh my God, Chan, you’re so annoying!” you scolded him playfully.

He gave you another kiss, this time on the cheek.

“You like that about me, no?”

“Are all vampires like you?”

“Oh, no, babygirl, trust me, there are no vampires like me.”

You shook your head in disbelief.

“Listen…now that our relationship has evolved,” you started. “You should probably stop paying me...”

“You can’t stop me from wanting to spoil my princess,” Chan stroked your hair gently.

“No, but seriously! I want to be able to call you my boyfriend in front of people…”

“You’re ashamed of me being your glucose father figure?” he continued tormenting you with his ridiculous sense of humour.

“Will you shut up already and go back to kissing me, please?” you complained needily.

“As you wish, sugar,” Chan relented and came back into your arms…

[sagurus]

04. caged

Prompt was: Running out of time: caged.

Using @whumptober2020‘s prompt today.

The original idea behind this is credited to @magpythe; I don’t believe he’s posted any of his writing for this au himself yet, but it’s inspired entirely from a scenario that he started, and then we talked about collaboratively. For some context, this takes place in a world much like our own in terms of scientific rules, except there are magical/supernatural beings (vampires, werewolves, shinigami, kitsune, etc) living among us as well. This was a well-kept secret from the general populace bc those magical beings didn’t want to deal with the backlash, but alas this facade couldn’t last. Humans aren’t handling their new understanding of the world very well :’)

Anyway, onto the story.

----------

Eighteen hours, fifty-seven minutes, and counting.

The cell was minimalistic and austere. Plain walls behind and beside him. Metal bars before him, looking out at a vacant wall. The opposite side of the holding area. His cell was one of about five in the short hallway, all lined against one side of it, with a door on either end. Each cell was a little under two metres wide and three deep. Saguru’s own cell was the second from the right.

Insofar as he could tell, he was the only one in this particular holding area. In the nineteen hours he had spent here, the only sounds he heard beyond his own breathing were those of officers. It would seem that most non-human individuals who displayed the clinically-induced violent reaction were swiftly neutralized without extenuating circumstances to protect them. He was lucky, he thought bitterly, that nepotism could guarantee him the civility of a holding cell rather than more immediate measures. For other, less fortunate individuals, Saguru imagined that containing them was seen as risky. Or a waste of resources better dedicated to human criminals who had willingly broken the law, rather than innocent non-human civilians forced into a hopeless situation.

How long they intended to hold him here, though, he didn’t know. For all he knew, it could be indefinite. Or he could be released tomorrow. Or meet some more final fate. The seconds ticked by.

Nineteen hours, five minutes. By his calculation, it was almost noon, assuming his timekeeping wasn’t too faulty without the aid of his pocket watch.

The heavy, industrial door fell open and then closed again, sounding out a dulled thud. Footsteps clicked against linoleum tile. Saguru estimated at least three officers, until he belatedly managed to pick out a fourth, much lighter set of steps. Someone slight. A child? He dearly hoped it wasn’t a child’s footsteps he was hearing. There was something strange about them, too. Something about the way that these steps struck and slided across the tile, making them sound…sharp?

The cluster came near enough he could just make out the line of one of the officer’s uniforms. He stayed seated on his cot, listening. He couldn’t see the majority of the group from here, let alone make out whether the owner of the smaller footsteps had, indeed, been a child. There was a solemn air as the door to the cell neighboring his own. Small footsteps padded inside. The cell door shut. A woman’s voice, strained and tense (not with fear—guilt? Stress?) said, “Someone will bring your dinner around seven.”

A beat, something like hesitation hovering in the air, and then the officers’ steps (all three sets) retreating down the hall. Saguru held his breath, waiting for the officers to be out of the holding area entirely.

Once they were gone, he continued to wait, listening in for any activity from his new neighbor.

Saguru’s own arrival into this situation had been a rather unexpected one for all parties involved. The issue was this: the world was rapidly becoming aware of the existence of supernaturally-inclined beings existing among them in society—generally referred to as youkai in Japan. Sensationalized media ensured that this was not well-received, but at the very least most inhuman individuals still managed to keep the truth under wraps and continue to assimilate. Until scientific innovation introduced a drug which garnered no reaction from virtually all humans, but revealed any magically obscured, glamoured, or otherwise concealed features that these other beings possessed. It also bore a few potential unfortunate side effects for some youkai. The most common of these was an uncontrollable violence, pushing the recipient into a dangerous frenzy. In other, rarer cases, the drug had even killed some. The kicker here was that Hakuba labs was a major proponent for the creation of the drug and helped pioneer it. Once the drug left clinical trials, it was determined that it needed to be administered to as much of the populace of Japan as possible, in order to catalog human and youkai population.

Hakuba Takahiro and his ex-wife, Rosalin Caldwell, were both humans. As far as anyone had been aware, Hakuba Saguru was also human. Saguru himself had never doubted this.

That didn’t explain the flurry of flame, the way he had tried to surge out his seat, the loss of sense or understanding, vision gone red in outrage. They had barely managed to restrain him. His father had almost been struck with the explosive fire, before Saguru had somehow managed to extinguish it.

On principle, Saguru had been opposed to the usage of the drug; frankly, the ethical implications were horrifying even without the potential for dangerous side-effects geared specifically toward one party of people. Nevermind the fact there were not yet any laws to protect youkai, nor any clear delineation of a plan to accommodate for them a place in society. He had considered refusing to participate in receiving it and thus being complicit in the cause, but his father had left him little room for argument.

Needless to say, it had all gone very badly. So far, Saguru had not been informed at all about what was being discussed with regards to his fate.

Hell, he still didn’t even understand why it had happened.

In the cell beside Saguru’s, his new neighbor seemed to be getting acquainted with the room. Those strange, precise footsteps seemed to walk its inner perimeter. A few moments later, he heard the sound of the cot squeaking and settling.

Breathing, even and measured, but in a forced way. A restrained way. Holding something in.

Saguru couldn’t think of a single thing he could say to improve the situation. He decided he would wait until he heard some indication that the other would even want conversation.

Hours of mutual silence later, the heavy door opened and shut again. Heavy footfalls approaching from down the hallway. Saguru guessed that it was probably for dinner.

“Who would have thought Beika city’s murder magnet really was a shinigami after all?” the officer observed with an amusement that Saguru found chilling. It seemed to be directed at the neighboring cell, as the officer hadn’t reached Saguru yet.

Beika city’s murder magnet… Dawning horror. There was only one person Saguru could think of who matched that morbid description.

Meanwhile, the officer was met with tense silence. After apparently handing off the food, he moved onto Saguru. Saguru started at him icily. He was silent, privately daring the man to breathe a word in his direction. The officer, this time, was equally silent.

Once the officer was gone, Saguru set his food aside. He didn’t have any appetite to speak of, right now. Instead, he needed to know. “Edogawa-kun, is that you?”

The response was a startled, stammered, “Haku—Hakuba nii-san?” Alarm colored his voice. Clearly, he was just as distressed to find someone familiar here.

Saguru’s heart sank. “Yes, indeed, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here?” Edogawa demanded.

Saguru laid back on the cot, exhaled long and slow. “I suppose I’m not human,” he said simply. “Believe me, it was a surprise to me, too.” He paused, and then ventured, “Are you unhurt?”

He tried to imagine what Edogawa must look like, now. The officer had called him a shinigami, but Saguru wasn’t entirely clear on what, visually, that entailed. Bat wings came to mind. He thought back to the strange sound of the boy’s footsteps. How much of his anatomy had been forced to change to its truer form because of the injection?

“More or less,” was Edogawa’s noncommittal response.

Saguru was still trying to get his head around the fact that the police had put a seven-year-old in a holding cell. Youkai or not, this was a child. What did they intend to do with him?

This had all been much easier when all Saguru had to worry about was his own fate.

Edogawa Conan, as it turned out, made a perfectly good neighbor, and even a pleasant conversation partner. The sheer amount of boredom that came with sitting in a cell with nothing to do for hours that stretched into days was almost enough to forget the horror of their situation. Either way, the only real escape—from the horror or the boredom—was to fill the space with conversation.

Fortunately, there was plenty to talk about. Old cases, literature, trading favorite Sherlock Holmes stories. The situation at hand. It was difficult not to discuss the problem they were in together, as they were both people who couldn’t help but try to study a problem from all angles in order to try to solve it. But inevitably the direction of those conversations turned dark too quickly for Saguru’s comfort. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to focus on the ways things could go wrong.

“Hey, Hakuba,” Edogawa said one day, apparently forgetting to use the honorific (or simply electing to drop it, there being very little bandwidth for Edogawa’s more childish act). “What are you, anyway?”

It was a blunt question, but over the past handful of days, they had mutually elected not to worry too much over politeness. Saguru faltered, before saying honestly, “I haven’t the slightest idea. I suspect one of my parents may not be biologically related to me, and whoever the other contributing party was, was some variety of youkai.” Yesterday, Saguru had been granted a visit by a scientist, who had studied him like a specimen and taken a variety of samples, all while Saguru remained restrained for the scientist’s safety. Never mind the fact that the more alarming skill he (apparently) possessed was manifesting fire without the use of any tools, so he wasn’t sure what good restraining him would do to anybody. Regardless, the examination had gone by without incident, and Saguru suspected that there had been some kind of DNA test conducted, although he had no confirmation as to the results.

Edogawa made a noise of consideration, lapsed into silence, then started again. “Did you change?” He asked, almost delicately.

“I don’t think I did,” Saguru told him. “As far as I can tell, visually everything is still the same as it had been. Admittedly, I haven’t seen my reflection since some time before the incident, so I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty.”

Quiet, again, and Saguru wondered if he should ask if Edogawa had changed, then decided against it. The other boy could tell him if he’d like, but otherwise Saguru didn’t want Edogawa to trouble him with it.

“So, they found out you were youkai because…”

“Because I had—an outburst, yes.” Understatement of the century.

Saguru could hear the grimace in Edogawa’s voice when he asked, “—Was everybody alright?”

“I—” Saguru recalled the violence of his reaction, the flames licking out and nearly making contact in a dangerous way with his father as well as one of the nurses. He recalled the feeling of a vicious snarl contorting his expression and the way he’d surged against the precautionary restraints.

He recalled going perfectly still as soon as he’d regained a handle on himself. The doctor approaching him with a new syringe, and the distant thought, Is he giving me a sedative or is he euthanising me? The foreign, turbulent rage churning inside of him until he’d gone under thanks to the shot (sedative, it turned out).

“Nobody got hurt,” Saguru assured him after a too-long silence. “It was—frightening. But nobody was hurt.”

“—I hurt a nurse,” Edogawa said, and his voice was the sort of stony that belied the great effort of holding in his emotions. “It could have been a lot worse, but I still hurt somebody. Really badly.”

“You can’t fault yourself for it,” Saguru said immediately, sternly. “It speaks volumes about your sense of accountability and responsibility, that you feel guilty for it, but it wasn’t your fault that it happened.”

“If you say so.”

It was their seventh day like this. Still, Saguru received no news any time he asked a passing officer for updates.

Earlier today, Hattori Heiji had visited, apparently to discreetly provide Edogawa some contraband (such as books). Edogawa had kindly requested that Hattori pass one of those books to Saguru. The other detective had been frankly shocked to realize he was here, and despite their usual animosity, the other boy had seemed mostly genuinely concerned for him. When Saguru asked if there was anything Hattori could tell him about the situation, it had been a definite negative. Apparently his situation was being kept well out of the hands of the media, at least for now. Saguru could only imagine his father must have told the school that he was on some sort of vacation, or had accepted a case which required him to head overseas again. Nobody would be worried about him, then.

Now, the visit was over and they had lapsed into silence while they, for the moment, privately entertained themselves. Rather than read, Saguru had tucked the book away for later, and was instead practicing what little exercise he could to keep his body active. Right now it was warm-up stretches. He desperately ached to go on a run.

At some point, Edogawa cut into the silence.

“What do you think is going to happen, Hakuba?” and then, hastily added, “—nii-san.” He sounded pensive, uncertain. He didn’t sound afraid, but Saguru thought that he might be anyway.

“I don’t know,” he murmured, opting for honesty rather than false hope. “It’s been a week and we’re still here. I don’t know what anyone’s plan for us is.”

“Yeah…” Edogawa trailed off, deep in thought. Saguru wondered if it would have been better to say that he was sure things would wind up working out. The problem was, he wasn’t sure. He had been under the impression that he would be placed under holding until they worked out the best circumstance to harness or otherwise stifle his apparent abilities, and then return him to something like normal life, but with a tight leash.

But now it had been seven days, with no developments, and Saguru was beginning to wonder if this was all much more dire than he had thought.

They both went quiet again, only for Edogawa to speak up just as abruptly as he had before. “—I need to tell you something.”

Puzzled, Saguru went still. “Proceed.”

“It’s pretty unbelievable, so I need you to bear with me. Okay?”

Edogawa seemed to do a lot of things that fell quite near the ‘unbelievable’ category, in Saguru’s experience. Much like Kuroba tended to, although they had different styles in the ways they defied reality. “I’ll do my best to keep an open mind,” he assured Edogawa.

“My name isn’t really Edogawa Conan,” he began.

And the sky was blue, and Kaitou KID was Kuroba Kaito. “Mm.”

“It’s actually Kudou Shin’ichi, and I’m really seventeen, not seven.”

So this is what Edogawa meant when he said it was unbelievable. He couldn’t help but wonder if Edogawa was engaging in a delusion to cope with the frankly traumatic situation they had found themselves in. “Is that so?” he inquired, honoring his promise to keep an open mind. Edogawa was right, though. This was difficult to believe.

Edogawa made an irritated sound, like he could tell Saguru didn’t believe him. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to us, and almost no one knows. I want you to know. I—a year and a half ago, I went with Ran to Tropical Land, and worked that case with the roller coaster beheading.”

Saguru recalled the news reports of that case all too well. Truly, it had been a particularly gruesome case, so he was eternally gratefully it hadn’t been him on the scene.

“There were these suspicious men there, and after I solved the case I left Ran so I could tail them and figure out what they were up to. But one of them surprised me from behind, knocked me out, and gave me this—drug,” allegedly-Kudou-Shin’ichi explained. “It was supposed to kill me via apoptosis, but instead it… de-aged me. ”

It was certainly a lot to process. It felt a little bit like the plot of a bad science fiction. But he spoke with urgency, and he was clearly being genuine. Although Saguru was still inclined to lean toward delusion, he decided to consider his way through the facts he had from his limited research into the whereabouts of Kudou Shin’ichi. It was true that the same day Kudou disappeared, Mouri Ran had wound up taking in Edogawa Conan. It would explain the strange amount of knowledge and understanding Edogawa possessed, especially in terms of investigating crime scenes and solving cases. It also clarified anachronistic errors—moments when Edogawa would say he’d seen something when it was first released, even though it should have come out well before his birth date.

After analyzing the facts, Saguru realized there was nothing (beyond his own understanding of scientific development) that disproved the claim. None of the facts he had specifically proved it either, though. He didn’t know the other detective well enough to quiz Edogawa in order to prove it for himself, either.

He thought back to their previous conversation. They didn’t know, really, what would become of them here. If they would make it out of here. Perhaps this was a delusion, but if so, Saguru didn’t think it would do any good to deny the other that. It certainly wouldn’t change anything for the better in the short term.

Saguru resolved that he would take the other boy at his word, and, should he have the means and opportunity if they got out of this, he’d pursue it more critically then.

“—I see,” he said, nodding slowly although Kudou couldn’t see him. “It is good to have gotten to know you, then, Kudou-kun. I’m sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances.”

When the other boy next spoke, it was obvious to Saguru that something coiled very tightly had unwound. The relief was nearly palpable. “It’s good to meet you too, Hakuba-kun. Here’s to hoping we make it out of this so that we can keep getting to know each other.”

They could only hope. “I’ll do my best to remain optimistic,” Saguru murmured in agreement.

[startwithbrooklyn]

THE GREAT ND REWATCH OF 2021 / SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 // larkspur lane/the whisper box

this post is a double whammy cause they have 2 eps happen in the same day if u can believe it (thats how awful judging timelines in this show is!!)

-"hi josh..." LMAOOOOOOO

-BESS just breaking in lmaooo how many god damn times does bess just shit the bed in this show

-LOVE her frowny face at nancys closet ("my expectations are low" lmfaoooo but this would totally be me)

-"bet she meant it metaphorically" okayyy but then why did lucy say that at all? i feel like theres defo more to this story, combined with josh's cagey behavior (part of which is to get nancy to stop looking into shit d/t him and karen but still)

-"they dont accept visitors unless they're family" .....🙂

-ace "youre really good at that" to bess i fuckin love this friendship with all my heart (also love their talk at the claw mirroring nick & nancys talk in the last ep)

-also PINK AND ORANGE BESS ARE U BLIND (also 1) why tf would nancy own this and 2) where would she wear it??)

-okay wtf is vampire dip

-"boss??" see this is what i meant yesterday about nancy ruining everything for nick/george

-god DAMN she sucks at dealing with this news lmaooo that emotional competency babey + love george literally agrees to help bc she feels bad (AND nicks immediate look of "you just reprimanded me for helping her last ep and i know why youre doing this rn" lmaoooo)

-LOVE george noticing nick "shout out to jean valjean" lmaooo once again nancy would never have noticed/commented on something like that

-"get the hell out of here" was this foreshadowing for an epic dad joke for these two eps? "how do you make holy water? you boil the hell out of it" 😂😂😂😂

-so what i dont get about the whole haunting is the ball + kids' laughter but its all the emphasis on "mr roper" the adult? wtf like what kind of entity is this

-"how did you ever have a solo career??" 😂

-okay amaya's hair is gorgeous here (also "you feel like a snack" ....👀) *ahhh so the reason bess feels so off balance is bc its like a top vs a top scenario

-has anyone who's ever been to prison confirmed this is what it looks like?

-love how ace is the only employee there when they all leave so he had to fucking close the place when he goes

-why does she take the whole file? time constraints? it'd be smarter to take pics + replace it (better sleuthing) but this place is clearly not well run anyway 😂

-so this is a pretty decent cover she invents but theres no way she would get away with it so easily for a real guard

-love how ace recognizes ryan's car (+ is able to find it by driving around)

-"my father wouldnt do anything like that" LMFAOOOOOO SIS WHY ARE U DEFENDING HIM ironically, ace is actually the best person suited to engage w ryan here d/t the car accident + connection with laura being ryans SIL. its a unique set up

-i am fascinated by the concept of priests + holy water being so effective here combined with mcginnis' beliefs and basically nondenominational ghosts/seances etc after that. the show is very clearly big on diversity but definitely steers clear from too much WASP stuff yk? wonder if other stuff from christianity works against the ghosts/demons like taking refuge in a church "holy ground" or using silver etc

-"did this start after the night of sept 10?" *this is where you get the time line for the seance if you didnt know

-this is so fucking funny when u realize that patient sal talks to is actually a ghost so sal really is psycho i guess 😂

-bitchsplain/tall jar of mayonnaise 🙏🏻😌 2gether 4ever

-how did ace get this van? also heart attack when he yells at carson (but then grins at him like a goofball lmaooo)

-"for nancys sake and yours" damn she owes ace big time for all this shit

-"what do we do for 7 minutes?" ...ummm play 7 minutes in heaven lmaooo 👀🥵

-was not expecting ace to look this sexy holding an axe but okay (*ah, its his short sleeve shirt showing his arms. usually hes a sleeves guy)

-"desperate for attention" nancy (from gomber) vs "bc she's starved for attention" patrice --> lucy (and candace also...) we know nancys detective work makes her seem like an attention seeker, but what was lucy doing to make them all think that? she was trying to hide her relationship with ryan, not expose it. unless they just mean the rumors about her?

-so is patrice hiding lucy's "truth" talking about lucy being a whore or lucy being a ghost? what is lucy's secret? did patrice guess she was pregnant or did patrice's somehow garbled mind remember tiffany trying to show patrice the video with lucy on it?

-wonder what captain thom thinks of this stand off w ace lmaooo

-"like you do?" top v top shenanigans

-how awko for carson to talk to karen again like this

-"oh no" ACE 😂

-love how amaya says "be a human" like shes kind of admitting people in rich circles typically arent (^this is an interesting focus in s2 when bess's rich family rejects her, thus making her human again, but nancy embraces her rich fam and experiences subsequent moral struggle which is predicted with the wraith)

-wonder what ryan thinks he could get from the marvins (which he cant get now lmaooo)

-this damn whisper box. so many questions. who named it the whisper box? why are the ropers' old possessions still there? who decided to build a mental hospital on top of it? and patrice! she "hid lucy's secrets" hannah gruen thinks tiffany tried to show patrice video w lucy on it, which patrice then specifically says she hid in the thin mans book. so patrice knows of the thin man? can she see him? does she know he was a ghost/supernatural? she must have a supernatural sense to know about him (unless sal told or some shit) so then when tiffany shows up w/ lucy being supernatural in it patrice hides it to protect her? is this why she is "crazy" kinda like victoria? supernatural elements or ability to sense ghosts makes her unstable? this is why lucy being a ghost/nursery rhyme that she repeats makes patrice worse/"stroke"? how did patrice even get into the whisper box to put the key in the bible and get out without getting trapped? also, her dementia --> lucidity is really fucking off, some people mildly switch like that but usually with dementia they cant even register new shit anymore

-...so did bess take the ride? 👀

-interesting how celia says "your father will be disappointed" but nothing of her own opinion. wonder how much celia truly puts up with to keep everett calm and nonhomicidal

-like george asking nick follow up questions that nancy never really would have asked

🥞🥞🥞(ep13)🥞🥞🥞

-is this bitch just eating a plain pancake with her bare hand?

-"extra case load and excessive volunteering" ugh. nancy's family here are like, gross in how "good" of people they are // unrealistic, trying to paint carson in the best light/ no way ryan could ever compare (but the reality is theyre not that good of people for lying about nancy) **and shes arrogant to think shes better than everyone else ie the only one who truly lives virtuously, thinks she can do no wrong sometimes even tho using sex to cope, breaking and entering, etc is not morally "good" stuff she still thinks she is the only one who doesnt lie and plays fair (like in the pilot she lists everyone else as a suspect but herself- obviously we know she isnt guilty but no one else does. (i mean in theory we really dont, what if nancy was an unreliable narrator and was actually guilty, that would be a hella cool show)its reactions like that where she cant understand why others like the chief suspect her

-ooooh ironic that in the Good Place carson readily agrees to pay her for helping with cases as opposed to s2 in reality

-nick's house has "problems" so why does he need a lawyer? as opposed to an interior designer, plumber, or realtor?

-in the Good Place nick and george realize they are not going to work out after one date. does this failure in the Good Place predict failure in reality, or merely an easier way of figuring out the truth? does this mean that the "opposite" of the Good Place is reality, or only an opinion of what is better? (nancy says "you all like me" as her opinion of them liking her is skewed; does this then only reflect nancys version for what is the "perfect life"?)

-why is bess a hippie??? and love how george curls her hair and wears pink lipstick here

-if this dream is so realistic then why is the one thing it cant conjure smoke? like how random

-love the locket being a key realization bc with things like jewelry you dont notice the weight of them until theyre gone

-"you all like me" in her perfect life nancy means they "like" her objectively/regardless of circumstance even though liking her is still an objective choice (like they "like" her because of other reasons instead of her working at the claw? (like how you make friends with coworkers/people at school every day but after you leave the job/graduate you never speak to them again) and her "thanks for showing up!" as if theyre not doing exactly that in reality 😐like where is she getting this shit? she sort of acknowledges in earlier eps she is hard to like/that she puts mysteries before friends, but also pushing them away to avoid danger like the previous ep "why do u show up" etc

-is it just me or does the inside of nicks "house" look like the drews'?

-nick has a dick scar lmaooooo (or more likely was hit in the balls or smth)

-love how nick + george match their anger in confronting sal 100% on the same level

-so when did ace go back to work after having such a busy day earlier?? lmaooo

-damn father shane is a creep (casting defo hired him for his voice) and how tf did he just poof + escape? and what did he request???

-love bess's white hair bow here 😌+ her jacket, whole outfit on point as usual

-like how bess is right that nancy has to find her way out but thats kind of a nonstarter for a room full of panicked people wanting to help

-in the Good Place theres no bad blood between drews + hudsons bc nancy is really theirs

-"the only one who has the key is you" in the Good Place nancy has the key (smaller picture, to finding out what happened to lucy but bigger picture, post-reveal) but ryan has the clues nancy needs- following the Good Place's mirroring, this just means that in reality ryan will either be completely useless or an active hindrance (but you KNOW this is a dream bc in what universe would ryan remember clues like that 😂)

-so in a perfect universe ryan acknowledges his family's "criminal empire" as opposed to reality where he only makes under cover jabs about disengaging with being an "entitled corrupt legacy criminal" ie finding the bonny scot relics but does nothing about them, etc

-"strippers" 😂

-okay what is nancys obsession w her beanie?? bc her mom made it? "wear beanies do crimes?" idk

-making the call: nancy -unable to make up for lost time/both her mothers had to find out/suffer alone / in the Good Place nancy was able to be with kate while she called, and in reality she had carson; somethig about seeing the mother looking to the daughter for strength in the Good Place instead of the reverse (which is what reality sounded like, kate being strong for nancy through the illness despite the struggle)

-concept: nancy & nick "let's wait out the storm"

-"i believe that you believe it" nick in the Good Place + owen in reality both trust nancy when she says she's seen things (owen's is the teeth) but nick in reality (and not really knowing details) doesnt think much of their "moment" bc it wasnt real (so she had to leave the Good Place to save carson- but if she had known then he wasnt her real dad, would she have stayed to be w nick?)

-stranger - suede james 💙👌🏻

-"really anxious as a kid" v telling bc of her desire to know everything to remain in control of situations like she always does now

-"the medicine or the metaphysics?"/"you cannot beat supernatural with science"

-i love nancy playing with her pinky while saying goodbye 🥺

-"always seek out the truth even if it hurts" this is straight irony bc kate never told nancy anything. like does that include the truth about nancys parentage? they taught her to seek out the truth, but who taught her that the truth is the only thing to live by? ie things dont count anymore like carson and kate straight up raising her is tossed out bc she finds out its not "the truth" like all that work/stress to protect carson + she just drops him? with kate maybe shes just upset thst she spent all that time mourning for someone who lied. and would she do the same to ryan if needed? probably

-bess and ace head tilt 💙

-like how for all the time she spent there nancy only has a subconscious memory of blue curtains

-YESSSSS i LOVEthese beautiful overhead shots of hannah's hands. so out of character for the show lmao but so gorgeous

-i feel like future eps/grand future will be nancy going through the lock boxes to help people who asked hannah for help

-the video is officially dated Aug 22, 2019

-soooooo in the first ep nancy breaks into the hudsons house and finds tiffanys secret drawer w the nail polish and finds the amulet with a note that says "for your protection HG" yet on this video tiffany says she talked to a medium who gave her the amulet sooooo am i just confused? HG is hannah gruen obvi so is the address for the medium what hannah gave her? or was the address on the amulet which nancy dissolved in salt water to see? so how would tiffany know where to go? its chicken and the egg which came first hannah or the medium?

and lastly:

i close these two eps with a thought that everything in this show is sealed in death. all the lies, the imagery, the fake constructs people put up to get by all crumple the second someone dies- all the secrets come clean just like these doors have been unsealed.

[emybain]

i’m picking a random number here. 5 for nodrian.

i saiiiid i was going to focus more on young nova in the nova’s family lives AU bUT then i got this ask (Throwing their arms around the other person’s neck, hugging them close before kissing them passionately on the lips) and i couldnt NOT use it. after this though i promise to dive into a younger nova with her family, as that was my original intention for this AU. this is about a month following the last fic i wrote for the AU (after two certain people...keiss) and yes i kind of drew inspiration from the fight with Hawthorne in Archenemies bc im basic. enjoy! feedback is always appreciated, especially if you want to see more of my content:)

ao3

Nova’s first week back on patrol and the fates decided to screw her over. 

Her team had been patrolling from the rooftops of a busy area when she received a message from Sketch, requesting assistance in capturing criminals that had just performed an armed robbery. Of course he knew she was patrolling that day, as she had told him so a few days prior. Many blocks and a scuffle later, Nova found herself being dragged away from the edge of the bridge by Ramona, who was worried about a wound on Nova’s arm where a bullet had grazed her. The fight was over. The criminals escaped on a getaway boat. And Adrian...Adrian had chased after them, despite being told not to by the Council. And then he got himself thrown overboard after putting up a fight on the boat. There was no sign of him in the water, which was beginning to calm from the boat disrupting it. 

They hadn’t even been dating for a month yet, and Adrian had to go and get himself killed. 

“He’ll be fine.” Ramona led Nova over to a healer, who sat Nova down and immediately began addressing the injury, instructing her to unzip the top of her uniform and pull her arm out of the sleeve so they could get a better look. The pain from moving her arm was nothing compared to the fear pounding in her chest. “This is Adrian we’re talking about.”

“Can’t you go searching the water for him?” Nova begged, wincing slightly as the medic began roughly cleaning the wound. “If anyone can find him, it’s you.”

Ramona shook her head. “No can do, babe. Since you’re a dumbass and got yourself shot, I have to go give the briefing to the cleanup crew.” She began to walk away, but looked over her shoulder. “They’re already sending out people to look for him. He’ll show up, like he always does.”

Beside her, Adèle sat down. Benton crouched in front of her and took her free hand. 

“Someone’s upset over her boyfriend, is she not, mon ami?” Adèle shot a playful smile at Benton. Skies, Nova swore the two only got along when it was at her expense. 

“Oui, oui.” Benton grinned at Nova, who only glared back. “Oh, don’t give me that look, pouty pants. Ramona’s right. You’ve known your little boyfriend for years, and you’re trying to tell me that some water is going to take him out?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Nova lied, as she had been doing smoothly for the past month. “I’m just...worried about him. As a friend should be. That was a hard fall.” 

“Why so uptight all of a sudden?” Benton frowned. “You’ve never been this upset over him before. You know he always bounces back.”

“Benton is right, Nova.” Adèle laid a hand on Nova’s good arm. It was rare for her to show her affectionate side. Nova must’ve looked as though she was in really bad shape. “What is bothering you?”

Nova sighed and looked down. She knew it was only right to tell them the truth. They were her best friends, after all. But...not yet. Especially when there was a healer still mending Nova’s arm. “I’ll tell you guys later, okay?”

They gave her space after that, assessing their own injuries and getting supplies from the healers. Nova was handed a pair of sweatpants and a loose cotton tank after she was patched up. The injury was already beginning to heal itself with the added prodigy assistance. She ducked behind a curtain set up in the little tent and changed out of her bloodied uniform. Mom wouldn’t be too happy about cleaning this one. 

Why did Adrian have to go and do that? Nova was terrified for him. What if he was still in the water, stuck somehow and drowning? What if the boat hit him when he fell in and knocked him out? Frankly, she was frustrated with him as well. He was always doing shit like that, trying to make himself out as the hero. But, as Simon liked to say, there was no ‘I’ in hero. Adrian had a team, dammit, and she wished he would work with them instead of against them. Nova would never understand that side of him. He wasn’t an attention seeker, not in the slightest, so it wasn’t because he wanted recognition. And besides, his parents were some of the most famous people in the world, debatably. Adrian already got enough attention as it was, and he had expressed many times before how uncomfortable it made him. Nova understood that, of course, having grown up in the spotlight alongside him as Ace Anarchy’s niece. 

When she stepped out onto the street to examine the damage done to the bride, a shriek cut through the air. Her eyes landed on Ruby, who was now in shorts and a tank top, a bandage around her thigh. The girl ran across the bridge and nearly tackled a familiar looking boy that was drenched from head to toe. The rest of his team followed, although at a light jog, embracing their leader. Nova’s mouth fell open, and she suddenly couldn’t help herself. 

Clenching her jaw shut, she stormed up to him. He had the audacity to grin at her, opening his arms for a hug as his teammates stepped back to let her through. Instead, she shoved his chest. He fell back a little, probably more from the shock of her reaction than the impact. 

“You fucking idiot,” she said between her teeth. “What made you think it was smart to do that?”

“Nova,” he reached for her arm, but she stepped back, “I thought I could catch them, but I was wrong, okay?”

“You could’ve died.” Nova didn’t notice that they were starting to get looks from the prodigies and newscasters and journalists. “And for nothing. What if you drowned?”

“I can swim.” He took on a light hearted tone, as though the conversation was a joke. But it quickly dissipated, a softer voice replacing it, meant just for Nova. “Babe, I’m fine, okay? Only a few cuts and bruises.”

“Don’t call me that,” she muttered, getting closer to him again until their shoes were practically touching. Her head craned up to look at him. She sent every atom of her anger in his direction through her piercing eyes. “You’re an idiot, Adrian Everhart. Do that again and...and I’ll-”

“What?” he interrupted, tilting his head to the side. “You’ll do what?”

Damn her emotions. 

She jumped up, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her height. His hands immediately went to her back as she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his neck. “I’m just glad you’re safe. Please don’t scare me like that again.”

He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, pulling her closer. “I won’t. I promise.”

Nova wanted to scold him on his stupidity more, and how he left his team behind, but she knew this wasn’t the time or place. She drew back enough to see his face. Her hand trailed over a cut on his cheek, another on his temple. He was dripping with water still. She tilted her head up, inviting his lips to come down onto hers. A warm feeling draped over her, as it always did when they kissed. It didn’t matter that they had done quite a bit of kissing in the month they had been together; every time his lips were on hers, it was like the first time. 

She sighed against him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Her hand curled at the nape of his neck. She wanted him to know how much he worried her, how much he angered her, and how much she cared for him in this kiss. 

He broke away first, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. For a moment, Nova let herself forget about his impulsiveness and just enjoy being in his arms. And then the moment ended with an awkward cough from her right. 

His team was staring at them with open mouths, along with nearly every person on that bridge. Nova’s cheeks brightened. Well, that was one way to announce they were a couple. She had been so caught up in her emotions and Adrian that she had literally forgotten where she was. Adrian seemed to have forgotten as well, based on the sheepish yet unashamed smile on his face.

“Told you,” Danna muttered, shouldering Oscar. “Pay up.” 

Adrian sighed loudly and took Nova’s hand as he pulled away from their embrace. He squeezed her palm. “This one’s going to be fun to explain, huh?”

Nova could only look around as people began going back to work. The press were only louder now than before, shouting at the two of them and taking pictures. Her team was headed over in their direction, the most stunned looks on their faces. Had the circumstances been different, their expressions would have almost been funny.

“Yeah. Real fun.”