#but idk I get my ups and downs so frequent idk if it’s normal to feel this way | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

illbegottenfaith · 26 days ago

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do you exist? or have I made you up? (a normal thing by gracie abrams inspired fic)

years after theo, now presumed dead, walked out of you life, you see him once again on your television screen (theo nott x reader)

a/n - wowoww this fic ended up being kind of random trbh? I havent rlly listened to this song in months because tsou came out around when i was talking to/dating this guy which i am SO ANNOYED by because normal thing truly is such a beautiful song but idk i was just so starstruck by that guys (for what. for WHAT) ehehe so this might be my way of trying to rewrite what this song means for me? anyways enjoyyy :))

tropes/warnings - angst, mentions of the wizarding war II, soft!theo so a bit of fluff heh

word count - 2.4k

taglist - @kandralice @justme989898 @iamheretoread1234 @allie-sturns @hzdhrtss @friedfreyfries @bushnellswife @rose-of-the-grave @thaliashifts @pariahsparadise @babene-e @fratbrochrisgf @user089167

You padded into your living room, wincing at the feeling of your cold apartment floor beneath your feet. Your flat was plunged into darkness, save for the flickering lights from your television with the volume turned down. You didn't always switch the lights on, but lately you had been forgetting more and more frequently. It just felt easier this way.

You sank into your couch, pulling a thin yet warm blanket up to your chin. You squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of the bleary images that seemed to be going by too quickly to keep up with. Distractedly, you hunted for the remote. When you finally fished it out from between the cushions, you pointed it at the television, now showing a preview of some documentary on the post-war trials. When your remote remained resolutely unhelpful, you scowled at the blinding screen.

And that was when you saw him. Somewhere between the dramatic narration and the courtroom montages, the camera cut to him.

Theodore Nott.

For a moment, the world dropped out from under you.

The remote drooped in your fading grip. You sat frozen on the couch, eyes wide with disbelief, jaw slack, oblivious to the tea going cold on your coffee table. But there he was, larger than life, inches away from your eyes but miles away in reality, standing in a courtroom, flanked by Ministry officials. He looked older. Sharper. A little worn out around the edges, if his gaunt face was any indication, but none the worse for wear. A version of himself you only imagined in the quiet hours of the night when you wondered what had become of him.

You knew him from the parties.

Skulking in the corners, a little out of the way from the main buzz of the party, there was hardly a party Theo did not attend. Reserved that he was, he was the kind of boy with a cinematic sort of mystery about him. It was almost ridiculous how, no matter the lighting, the shadows on his features couldn't help but carve out a charmingly attractive face. He had an easy, sloping smile and the kind of face that promised to dazzle. One of your friends pinned it down as a movie star charm.

And she wasn't wrong. He certainly had the looks and presence for it - equal parts unbothered and unreadable, aloof in a way that drew everyone in.

Occassionally, you'd find yourself sitting next to him during common-room gatherings, brushing shoulders with him during those draggy, half-hearted drinking games. Over time, the two of you grew closer. You learnt why he took Herbology - because plants calmed him, no matter how vicious they could be. He learnt that as a child of two very doting parents, you were very used to being the center of attention and getting your own way, which he was typically accommodating enough to humour. You learnt that his air of mystery was more akin to an air of bashfulness, if the way he glowed faintly pink under scrutiny was any indication.

At first, you made fun of him. He learnt to not-very-successfully dodge your cold, cold fingers creeping up to grab his face, squeezing it as you cooed at him, asking how your little movie star was doing in a vaguely Brooklyn accent while his face burned beneath your fingertips. He would roll his eyes, and you would laugh, unwilling to tear your gaze away from his crinkled eyes or well-worn laugh lines.

At first, you chalked it up to curiosity. After all, who was this freak of nature who'd rather not have the spotlight? That was what you told yourself, at least, every time you mirrored his grin.

But somewhere along the line, the joke started to turn.

You liked that he amused you, even if (or especially if) it was at his expense. You liked the way he always poured your drink first, as if his was only an afterthought. You liked the way he tilted his head when you talked, like he was putting a little extra effort in processing your words. Your words. You liked that he never turned you down for a dance, and that he wasn't grabby like the other guys, which meant that you could rest your head on his shoulder, swaying soothingly for as long as you wanted.

Theo wasn’t charming in the way other boys were. Or, at least, he didn't try to charm the way they did. He didn’t partake in their headassery or play at something he was not. He was attentive, alert in a way most people weren't. You found yourself drawn to it - his quiet focus. At first, it unnerved you, how easy it was to fall into a rhythm with him. How being near him didn’t feel strange at all.

It felt… familiar. Normal.

You felt yourself relenting, softening towards the gentle boy with the dark eyes. Night after night, holding him close enough to hear the softest of his sighs, you had to wonder if you were special or if this was all just something he had scripted in his head. Even on the nights you spent apart, it was sickeningly adorable (read: borderline pathetic) how lovesick you seemed. But it was the only way you knew how to try to make sense of it all - meandering along the corridors outside to not wake your roommates, staring hard at the moon, replaying every touch as if to find some fault in his sincerity.

In the end, the only conclusion you came to was that the pull you felt from Theo was more than just a feeling. You had done your fair share of gallivanting with conceited, mannerless boys, but you were way out of your depth when it came to Theo. No one ever lived up to your expectations, so it was normal for you to become underwhelmed very quickly and far too easily. But being with Theo made you feel things you hadn't learned to put a name to yet. There was no adrenaline, no thrill, and still you sought him out.

It was terrifying, the feeling of someone having this much influence over you. Not that he seemed to be aware of any of it. With his hair roguishly pushed back with his spindly, sleek Ray Bans, squinting into the distance on a hot summer afternoon, Theo looked like a regular 70s heartthrob - the kind that drove you to tears merely by being a work of fiction.

For all your confidence, you never could quite shake the deep-rooted insecurity that you were hardly anyone special. You were hopelessly average. Mediocre. Uninterestingly normal. But when you were with Theo, watching him lean in to hear the most mundane drivel about your day, for a moment it would feel like he wanted nothing more. He wanted normal. And if you wanted him badly enough, then, well, couldn't you learn to love normal too?

The joke faded and burnt out. You still called him your movie star. Always to poke a little fun at him, always half-teasing, but now it had little to do with the way he looked.

Because he was the first person who could make everything else fade to black.

It was one of those late winter nights when something shifted.

With the threat of another war brewing ever closer, a frantic energy had possessed quite a few of the older students, as if to convince themselves this wasn't actually happening. Even you couldn't deny how nervy you had become. It made people more reckless, authority figures less compelling, and the parties more boisterous. On this particular night, the party didn't die down until the early hours of the morning. Most of your classmates were passed out in piles of limbs and cushions or had snuck off to engage in more sordid affairs. You and Theo were still in the common room, curled into the corner of a sagging loveseat, the last dusty bottle of firewhiskey between you.

Your head rested against his shoulder. One of his arms was loosely draped around your waist. There was hardly anything sexual about it. It wasn’t even intentional, not really. You closed your eyes. It felt easy to forget, curled up together like this. Theo felt so warm, quiet, and so deeply comforting you wanted to cry.

“I’m not sure I even like this stuff,” Theo murmured suddenly. He turned the bottle in his hand, rubbing at the peeling sticker. “Tastes like sugar and ash.”

You hummed against him. “Better than sugar and soap. Like that one jellybean.”

He huffed a soft laugh. “Or sugar and thistle root."

"Or sugar and copper."

Theo's bottle stilled. "There's a sugar and copper flavour?"

"No," you said, peeling your eyes open. "But could you imagine? It'd be awful."

Theo sighed in agreement. Your eyes started drooping shut again.

"You ever tried that chocolate from Honeydukes? The one filled with raspberry and that weirdly bitter leaf?”

You wrinkled your nose. “Sounds awful.”

"I forgot," he teased, "your diet consists solely of diamonds and caviar."

You shifted slightly to look up at him.

"And what about it?"

He grinned as you resumed your position, lulled by the vibrations in his chest when he spoke.

“Well, it is awful. It starts off sweet, and then it punches you in the jaw with this bitter aftertaste. We used to compete to see who could eat the highest number in a minute - me, Mattheo, Enzo, my cousins.”

Theo's voice dipped a fraction at the last part. You peeled your eyes open. He was staring into the fire, at the dying wisps of amber.

"You've never mentioned your cousins before."

Without missing a beat, still staring into the fire, Theo replies, "Don't have any. Not anymore."

A heavy pause followed. You let the edge of resentment to his words sink in. You wondered if it had anything to do with the growing mass of pureblooded You-Know-Who sympathisers. It had been a touchy, off-limits at the breakfast table on the mornings you and your friends ate with the boys, given the prominent roles their families played in the first Wizarding War.

But now, you were quickly realising that the only thing worse than learning a schoolmate sided with a dictator was learning that they didn't despite being obliged to. You-Know-Who wasn't exactly known for his kind or accommodating nature. You were either with him or against him. He didn't take too kindly to anyone he deemed a traitor.

The light shifted. The fire burned out. Theo's face fell into the shadows once more.

How much longer did he have?

The war crept closer. Ominous headlines rained down in the Great Hall day after day, hushed arguments in dimly-lit corners, tension thickened into a fog. Everyone walked around constantly looking over their shoulders. It was nauseating.

You felt it weighing down on you one rainy night. You had given up trying to sleep through the roll after roll of thunder crashing through the sky. There was a weird, sickly feeling curling tight in your stomach. A gut instinct that something was off.

You wandered the halls in your bedroom slippers, half-dazed, until you somehow ended outside Theo's room. Theo would be the right person to talk about this with, you thought. He would know what to do.

You rapped against his door.

"Theo?"

You pressed an ear to the solid door. Nothing. Your knocking turned more insistent.

"Are you in? Hello? Theodore?"

You felt panic swelling like a lump in your throat. Why wasn't he answering the door? Was he dead? Or worse, gone?

Just as you were about to abandon all hope, you heard the fiddling of some locks before the door finally cracked open. Theo's bright eyes peered out.

"Y/N? Is everything alright?"

You visibly relaxed at the sight of him alive and unhurt. It was almost laughable now, how realistic the delusions of a sleep-deprived mind had seemed just a moment ago.

"Yeah, I'm - "

You had undeniable proof that he was alright. Everything was alright. You should probably go back to your dorm and knock out to the sounds of the rain.

Then why was there still a pit in your stomach?

"I'm cold," you found yourself saying instead. "Very cold."

Obligingly, Theo stepped aside and opened the door the rest of the way.

In a way, it was the most comforting thing anyone could have done for you. It felt just like old times, before the stench of fear poisoned the air. You spent the night tangled together in his bed, fully clothed and half-asleep, neither of you saying what you were really thinking.

You must have finally dropped off at some point. In the far too early hours of the morning, cold crept in. You stirred, eyes fluttering open, only to see the blurry image of Theo shrugging on a notably thick jacket.

Your chest tightened.

“Where are you going?” you asked drowsily, too sleep-addled to have the sense to disguise your suspicion.

Theo wasn't looking at you. He was staring out into the too-bright wasteland of what was left of the night's storm, beneath clouded skies.

"...out. Just stepping out for a quick smoke."

"In that jacket?"

He finally deigned to look your way.

"It's cold out."

You sat up slowly, looking at him through the half-dark. The silence between you wasn’t angry. You wished it were. But it was full. Heavy. Knowing.

Theo moved through his room slowly, occasionally adding to his unassumingly deep pockets. You watched him blearily. Miserably. It made sense, after all. Running away was the best thing Theo could do for himself and his family. You should have seen this coming. Maybe you did see it coming. Gut feeling, and all that. You wanted to sulk, even if it was just so that he would have to stay to cheer you up. You wanted to yell at him, berate him for leaving you.

But that was what everyone was doing these days, wasn't it? Making arrangements for how they were going to fight their battles to survive the war. And no matter how much you wished otherwise, you couldn't blame him for his battles being different from yours.

Theo stepped towards you, eyebrows knitted in concern.

"Do you think you'll be alright on your own? Just for a little while?"

"I think," you whispered, rheumy-eyed, "you keep giving and giving and giving until you don't have much left for yourself."

You coughed, a dry, painful rattle in your chest, still somehow managing to glare at him.

"I can't believe you were going to step out without telling me."

Theo smiled weakly. "Sorry," he said. He had the audacity to sound genuine about it. He tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear, cupping your face, dragging a thumb along the corner of your watery eyes. "Do you think you'll be able to forgive me?"

You turned your face away from him.

"I think I want you to stay safe."

The throbbing in your head dulled to give way to something sadder. Something more sentimental

“I had a good time. Last night.” And all the nights that came before.

"Me too," he said quietly.

He looked ready to leave, but something was holding him back. After a moment's hesitation, he bent down to gently press a kiss on your forehead. Hot, heavy tears gathered underneath your eyelashes, weighing them down, threatening to fall. You never hated him more than in that moment.

He straightened. You couldn’t see his expression, only the shape of him against the shadows. He took one last look around the room. One last look at you. He gave a slight nod.

You didn’t stop him. You let him leave.

You waited until his footsteps faded. Once they did, you pressed your face into his pillow and sobbed ceaselessly, like a dam had burst. You cried and cried for hours until the sun had risen high enough to properly illuminate his room, painfully devoid of his presence. It felt wrong. Unnatural. Abnormal.

Not just because he was gone.

Because you knew this was the last time. Because no one would ever know who he really was.

You cried over the futility of it all. You cried for the sweet and soft side of Theodore Nott that no one one else was ever going to know, lost to the bloody hands of war. You cried for how scared, how terrified you were for him. You cried for the loss of the one person who was everything you’d hoped for - the only thing you couldn’t keep.

So you became a prophecy fulfilled, in the most bitterly ironic way - crying over Theodore Nott for reasons too awful to have anticipated.

Now, sitting in your tiny flat, tea long gone cold, you watched him on the screen. Alive. Older. Far away.

You cried again.

Not for the unfamiliar, weathered man in the courtroom. But for the man who had made those silences feel a little less lonely.

The man you'd never have again.

#theo nott #theodore nott #theo nott x reader #theodore nott x reader #theodore nott x y/n #theodore nott x you #theodore nott angst

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anonymousjaxygirl · 5 months ago

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The Plan (nsfw)

sub!jax x fem!reader

here’s my first one shot; she’s quite long I’m sorry 🥲 the 4th episode really inspired me, jax just looked too scrumptious in that uniform 😩🙏🏻

Anywho! Enjoy & be nice please!

Warnings:

p in v, teasing, cockwarming, idk just sex stuff

🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪

From the moment your adventure at Spudsy’s began, you had one mission in mind: to teach a 6’2 insufferably smug ass purple bunny a lesson.

Since you’d arrived at the circus, Jax had made you his favorite target. You are the butt of his joke almost more frequently than Gangle, and you’ve always fought back against it. However, your rage and outbursts almost seemed to fuel his desire to bully you more. You were stumped on how to really get back at him for all the humiliation he’d caused you these past few weeks…

Until 2 days ago.

You and the rest of the digital crew were eating a Bubble made feast when you noticed Jax staring at you. When you met his gaze, he quickly looked away. That’s not like him…

You noticed a blush creep onto his cheeks as he avoided eye contact and abruptly pushed his chair away from the table to exit the dining area. You followed him, just far enough behind so he wouldn’t catch you. He got to his room and slammed the door. You could hear the CLICK of his lock all the way down the hall. You slowly made your way to his door, ever so slightly leaning your ear against it. At first, you heard nothing. You were about to pull away and leave when you heard it:

“ughhhh, fuck y/n.” He moaned lowly, his voice like honey.

“God, yes. Take it, y/n fuck baby” he groaned, his words punctuated with desperate panting.

You yank your ear away from the door, eyes wide and unblinking. You quickly run to your room and lock the door behind you, just as he had moments ago.

Your pussy was throbbing, and it took everything in you not to return to his door and offer yourself to him.. but no. You had a better idea. You had a plan to finally get under his skin in the most satisfying way. You’d get your night with him, you knew that much. For now though, the memory of him moaning your name would fuel your nightly activities.

You started the adventure as normal, Jax being a dick, etc etc. You noticed him alone in the drive through area, just messing with the register when you decided to make your first move. You glide over to him, a mental smirk settled in as you watch him look you up and down. His cocky smile slithered across his face.

“Hey there, doll face. How’s the job goin’?” He mused, leaning against the counter nonchalantly.

You simply smile, leaning forward on your tiptoes to reach his ear. You can hear his breath hitch as your lips brush against him.

“You look really good in that uniform.” You whisper in a sultry tone that leaves him weak in the knees.

You make sure to catch his eyes for a brief second before turning on your heel and getting back to work. You didn’t want to give him time to respond, knowing he’d just put his arrogant exterior back on, but you had to see the look on his face. His eyes were wider than you’d ever seen them, his face flush like it was the day you caught him staring.

Jax was stunned. He couldn’t get himself free from his frozen state until you exited his vision. Finally, his muscles relaxed and he let go of the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding.

What the fuck was that?

He brushed it off as best he could, but he couldn’t ignore the twitch he felt in his pants.

The next advance you make happens in the walk in. You catch a glimpse of him just as the door closes, opening it again almost immediately. Jax whips around when he hears you enter. His face is already giving away what he so desperately wants to hide. He quickly tries to return to his normal cocky smile.

“What’s up, toots? Come to tell me how good I look again?” He quips, secretly wishing he hadn’t brought it up once he feels his dick twitch again at the very mention of her sudden come on.

Little prick, you think.

You giggle, shaking your head.

“No silly, just needed to grab a bag of fries.”

You squeeze in next to him to grab the bag of fries, when you notice one on the lower shelf. Your excitement is palpable but you try to play it cool, everything was just working out so perfectly!

You got down on your knees to grab the bag, adjusting yourself right before you stand to be directly in front of his crotch. He stares down at you, once again frozen at your brazen actions. Your face inches away from the obvious semi in his pants, you slowly rise.

You're still only inches away from him as you speak.

“See ya back out there, Jax!” You say, bubbly and sweet. Leaving him standing alone yet again.

Okay.. WHAT THE FUCK?

Jax took the trash out just to get a moment of uninterrupted pacing in. He paced outside the back door, his cock throbbing in his pants uncomfortably as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

He had been attracted to you ever since you got to the circus. He didn’t think it was possible to find a character in this realm so undeniably sexy, damn near irresistible to him. He loved your fiery personality and perfect cartoon form. He couldn’t let you know that, though. He had a reputation to uphold here. So what if he thought you were hot? You were just another character to bully for his entertainment.

As time went on, he couldn’t help but take a special interest in you. He found himself always wanting to mess with you, just to get you near him; yelling at him, whatever. He was infatuated with you, and the only way to relieve the tension you built up inside of him was to indulge in his fantasies alone.

The way you were treating him for this adventure, though? He had no idea how to handle it. One part of him was screaming to just keep up his condescension, but the other half could barely breathe when you were that close to him, let alone blatantly teasing him.

Lost in thought and still pacing, he suddenly hears the back door slam behind him. He spins around to see you, once again. You’re carrying the second bag of trash he was supposed to go get, when he was done pacing that is. You throw the bag into the dumpster, pivoting back to look at him.

“How’s it going, cutie?” You tease, leaning against the building, admiring how this normally confident character is slowly melting under your gaze.

He shakes his head and smiles at you. “What’s gotten into you?” He asks, trying to feign his normal apathetic demeanor, but it comes out more desperate than he’d have liked it to.

You look at him incredulously.

“What do you mean, baby?” You ask, slowly closing the distance between you. You place your hand on the back of his neck and gently pull his head down to you.

He hates the way his body reacts to your touch, your words. He hates how fucking good it feels to have your hot breath fanning over his neck.

“You’re the only thing I want getting into me.” You whisper, gliding your lips from his ear to his neck where you lay a firm kiss before pulling away. You don’t even take a second glance before retreating back into the building.

His cock is impossibly hard now. He’s never felt this way before, this intense need for your touch. It was physically painful, his desire building every time he looked at you.

“Fuuuck.” He groans under his breath, walking back into the building only to see your perfect ass in the air as you bent over to pick up a tray that had fallen on the floor. He quickly retreats to the empty drive through area, trying to calm himself down.

He can’t stop thinking about you now. Every advance you’ve made on him today, the way your lips felt pressed against his neck, your words ringing in his mind over and over.

You’re the only thing I want getting into me.

He couldn’t contain himself any longer, he was deteriorating under the tension. He could barely think at all with his dick straining against his zipper like this. He could only think of one thing to do.

Jax approaches you while you’re filling a to-go drink; when you notice him, you quickly realize he is not his normal self. His ears are slightly wilted and his face is flushed & teaming with embarrassment.

You raise an eyebrow at the bunny you’ve been relentlessly teasing all day. That’s when your eyes drift down to his hand, desperately clutching at his apron in an attempt to hide his growing bulge. He shifts uncomfortably.

“Can I g-give you a ride when you get off?” He asks, so gently it was practically a whimper. You bit your lip, feeling a rush of heat gather between your legs at the sight of him so intensely desperate for you.

“Sure.” You say, with a tilt of your head. You brush past him and you can feel him shudder at the brief contact.

You can feel the excitement in your chest threatening to spill out. Not only was everything going exactly as planned, but you were so turned on from seeing him all hot and bothered that you were practically dripping at the idea of what you were going to do to him.

Finally, your shift was over. You and Jax clock out together, walking to his car after you say your goodbyes. The moment you get in the car, you waste no time giving orders.

“Drive somewhere we can be alone for a bit.” You demand, placing your hand on his thigh and meeting his glazed over eyes.

He starts the car, eager to oblige. He has no brain power available to sass back or get defensive, too focused on the aching in his cock that’s only more intense with you next to him.

The air is thick with desire as you start to speak.

“You know, you seem a bit.. flustered, Jax. Is everything okay?” You ask smoothly, still resting your hand on his thigh. His breath is shaky as he attempts to respond.

“You’re just m-making it really difficult to f-focus.” He shudders, losing his mind at the feeling of your fingers drawing circles on his inner thigh, so close to his area of need.

“Me? How so, baby?” You pout, playing dumb. “Maybe you should pull over if you’re having such a hard time focusing.” You suggest, leaning in even closer to him. You can see how much his blush has deepened, and it makes your pussy flutter to see him so needy for you. He obeys your suggestion without hesitation, quickly finding a small, dark area to park.

He undoes his seatbelt and flops his head forward onto his steering wheel. He groans before turning to look at you with hazy, lust filled eyes.

“You’ve been teasing me all damn day.” He breathes, venom laced in his words. You can tell he’s too tired and horny to let his anger take hold like he normally does. You giggle at his words and his glare hardens.

“And you’ve been bullying me since the minute I spawned in the circus.” You spit. His eyes widening at your unusually dark tone.

“I think it’s only fair that I get to mess with you a bit, too. Now get in the back seat.” You order, undoing your seat belt and sliding into the back; making a point to let your ass move right past his face. He lets out a shaky breath, and follows.

You waste no time, immediately straddling him. Your teasing isn’t over yet though. You can feel him practically panting beneath you.

You bring your head to rest in the space between his neck and shoulder; kissing and nipping slightly at the flesh. Jax squirms, soft whimpers and moans falling so deliciously off his lips. He can’t help jutting his hips into you, wanting nothing more than to feel you envelop him, taking away all of the aching he’s been trying to push down for hours.

You trail your lips up from his neck to his ears once again, leaning forward to whisper.

“I heard you the other day. In your room. I followed you after I caught you staring. I heard you fucking yourself, moaning my name so sweetly.” You admit, resting one hand on his shoulder, the other cupping the opposite side of his neck, keeping him close to you.

Jax could barely breathe.

You heard him? How much did you hear? Fuck. No wonder you’d been so bold all day. You clearly knew how badly he wanted you.

“Speechless, baby?” You ask, leaning back to behold his embarrassment. Before he can respond, you're capturing his lips with yours in a passionate kiss.

Jax’s length throbs against your clothed pussy, making you moan into his mouth. Jax deepens the kiss, desperate to hear more of that sweet sound. His hands roam your body desperately, enthralled in the feeling of you. You grind against his impossibly hard dick, moaning at how good the sudden pressure feels. Clearly Jax agrees as he lets out a deep groan in response to your movement, throwing his head back against the seat.

“God..” he moans, unable to control himself.

You quicken the pace a bit, grinding on him just a bit faster, keeping the pressure. You’re enjoying the sight of him absolutely losing himself in the feeling of you on top of him, but you stop yourself.

Jax’s head snaps back up, eyes frenzied.

“Why’d you stop?” He asks, breathless.

“I want you to tell me what you want, Jax.” You say, looking at him through your lashes.

He huffs beneath you, ever so slightly rocking against you, desperate for friction.

“I-I.. want you to fuck me.” He whispers, his ears falling in front of his face.

You shake your head. “I’m sorry baby, I can’t hear you. Speak up.”

He grunts, missing the pressure previously applied by your warm center that was now hovering just above where he needed you most. Practically whining from the loss, he looks directly in your eyes, swallowing every bit of his pride like a large pill with no water.

“Please, y/n.” He starts, pleading eyes glistening. “Please fuck me.” He begs, his voice low and gravelly.

Your heart is racing; his face was flushed with pure desire, just for you. Your plan had worked, but you didn’t even care. You were too lost in his submission and the wetness pooling between your legs.

You pull your top off slowly, letting him drink in every inch of your torso as it’s revealed to him. His hands immediately begin exploring the newly exposed skin, finding their way to your sensitive peaks before capturing them between his lips. You gasp at the feeling of his warm tongue playing with your nipple, once again grinding against him to relieve some of the now unbearable tension.

You begin undoing his pants, chills running down your spine every time you hear a moan escape him. His dick is so starved for your touch, it practically lunges at you. You take his surprisingly big length in your hands, reveling in the sounds he’s making above you, chest heaving uncontrollably. You kiss his tip, hearing a sharp hiss from him.

“P-please, no more t-teasing baby. I-I need you now.” He breathes, trembling from the tiny kiss. You decide to obey his wishes.

“Mmm.. okay. You’ve been such a good boy, after all.” You purr, moving to straddle him once again.

His body hummed with excitement, he couldn’t think straight anymore. His mind went blank with desire, only concerned now with getting to feel every crevice of that perfect pussy.

You pulled off your pants and aligned his throbbing purple cock with your entrance. You tease your quivering hole with his tip, soaking his head in a mixture of your wetness and his. He lets out a strangled moan, head falling onto your shoulder. You slowly sink onto him, breathing out a string of curses at the feeling of him filling you to the brim.

You lean back, watching as Jax’s head falls back against the seat. His eyes screwed shut as he pants. He moans your name, making your pussy clench around him. He gasps, instinctively thrusting up into you at the spasm. You melt into him as he thrusts into you again and again, hard and slow, as if he’s savoring every inch of your dripping cunt.

“You feel so fucking good” he moans into your neck, kissing and sucking sloppily as his pace quickens. You feel your climax approaching fast, his dick slamming into your g spot with every thrust.

“Fuck Jax, don’t stop!” You moan into his neck, arms wrapped tightly around him as he pounds you into oblivion.

“Just like that baby, god your dick is perfect for me” you hum, euphoria taking hold of you as your climax rapidly approaches. Jax whimpers at your words, thrusts getting sloppy as he reaches his orgasm.

“Fuck baby YES!” You scream, pussy convulsing around him as your orgasm triggers his own. He continues to make shallow thrusts up into you as you both ride out the waves of pleasure.

Both of you are still a moaning mess when his pace finally comes to a halt. You lay like that for awhile, his softening dick still comfortably inside of you. You lean back to look at him, eyes blinking open at you slowly. He looks so good like this, all fucked out and pussy drunk. You kiss him, which he immediately returns. His arms snake around your waist, pulling you as close to him as he can. The kiss is slow and deep, effectively making you hot all over again.

“You’re so fucking perfect.” He mumbles, barely able to keep his eyes open. You smile, kissing him one last time before resting against him again. You both stay like that in the back seat, enjoying the feeling of fullness as you doze off on top of him.

#jax smut #the amazing digital circus jax #tadc jax #smut #tadc smut #the amazing digital circus #jax x reader #jax x reader smut #jax x y/n

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loveharlow · 11 months ago

Note

headcanon for jayj😜

s3x when they were at pougelandia and the pougies catching them

idk why but this has been on my mind sorry if this is weird

smut/mentions of smut, 18+

ᯓ★ not discreet. at all.

ᯓ★ you'd been stranded on the island for weeks and you didn't think not having sex would bother you but...

ᯓ★ something about this island made jj ten times sexier

ᯓ★ and he was ungodly sexy before.

ᯓ★ you two had been trying to keep it pg, considering you were out in the jungle and surrounded by all your friends

ᯓ★ but when the opportunity reveals itself, who were y'all not to take it?

ᯓ★ the group had split up in pairs, going to look for food or fresh water, anything to aid survival, really

ᯓ★ you and jj happened to stumble across a beautiful waterfall, like stunning scenery + water? what could be better??

ᯓ★ the both of you bottled up some of the clear liquid before jumping in, the water cleansing your dirt-caked bodies almost immediately

"is it bad that i kind of want to stay here? it's so beautiful..."

ᯓ★ then he's behind you in the water, whispering in your ear

"i can think of something more beautiful than this."

ᯓ★ and normally, you'd laugh at his flirting but the words and his breath on your neck sent a chill down your spine that settled...somewhere else

ᯓ★ before you know it, you were both butt naked and dripping wet, fucking on the most uncomfortable rock known to man

ᯓ★ it was probably the most dumb teenage idea you'd ever had - unprotected, outdoor sex while stranded on an island

ᯓ★ but after weeks of barely touching or anything, you were both bursting at the seams for some kind of intimacy

ᯓ★ you didn't even realize how loud you were being...the both of you.

"oh...fuck, jj!"

"i know, baby, i know..."

ᯓ★ you'd have a village of small cuts and bruises on your back later but it was all worth it for the feeling of him spilling inside you as your walls contracted around him

ᯓ★...which probably wasn't the best idea either

ᯓ★ jj was still inside of and on top of you when you heard them

"dude, what the fuck?!"

"are you guys serious? this is supposed to be an expedition! not a free porno service for whatever birds and shit are out here!"

ᯓ★ you and JJ cursed, laughing and scooting away from each other as you covered yourselves and looked for your clothes, still getting scolded by the rest of the group

"you probably just alerted bears and shit to where we are, you freaks!"

©loveharlow.

heads up: i added emoji anons to my blog, so feel free to send an ask to take one if you frequently send in asks!

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samanthacastano02 · 3 months ago

Text

Hold My Hand Pt2 (18+)

MDNI 18+

Han Jisung x FemReader x Lee Know Trigger warnings: talks of pregnancy, cursing, protective Felix, unprotected sex, fingering, oral (Fem rec), mushy fluff, talks of what happened in part 1, this is a sequel read part one before reading this part. Probably more

Word Count: 7.1k

Summary: After everything that happened, things seemed to be ok but then the boys seemed to be getting distant. Not sure why, you can’t bring yourself to ask, while dealing with that you are dealing with nausea and extreme tiredness. When the realization hits that you might be pregnant you call Felix in a panic, seeking his help in getting help and finding a way to tell the boys. Will everything work out in the end or will this be the end of the relationship? (Idk what to write for the summary.)

*This is way longer than I intended but it just kept coming and I didn’t want to do another part.

Photos are not mine, credits go to photographers

It had been a few months since the incident, things had been better. Jisung had been so attentive that he was almost a completely different person, he never brought home his issues from the studio. Minho also made sure that if he had a bad day at the studio, he either talked it out before coming home or he went to the gym, he really did not want a repeat of what had happened. Both boys tried to spend as much time at home as possible but it was getting harder and harder because of the fact that they were preparing for their upcoming tour. It was rare right now for all three of us to be home at the same time, I don’t remember the last time that the three of us got to actually sleep in the same bed at the same time. Either Minho was home late from practice or Jisung was home late from the studio, and sometimes neither boy made it home for the night. Those nights became more frequent, and it was becoming more and more lonely. To make matters worse, for the last few weeks I have been feeling sick and tired and all I’ve wanted was their comfort but any time that I try to ask them for it they are too tired or too busy and I don’t know how much more of this I can handle before I break. The relationship that once felt like three now feels like two with me watching from the outside, no longer a part of it.

Present:

Today seemed to be a particularly bad day in terms of the nausea and tiredness for me, I for the life of me couldn’t figure out what was going on and it was starting to worry me because of how consistent it was. I couldn’t talk to the boys because of how busy they’ve been, I also didn’t want them to worry about me on top of getting ready for their tour. I knew whatever it was would pass eventually and soon I would be back to normal, and then it wouldn’t matter if they knew or not because it would be over.

The issue is that as I think about it, Han, Minho and I usually used protection and it had been a little over a month and a half since the whole incident and I don’t remember if we used protection or not. The realization that this might not just be some stomach bug but something much more life altering hits me and I don’t know what to do or what to think. The boys have been distant, I don’t even know if I am what they want anymore, if I am pregnant who's to say that they’ll want a baby. I begin to panic and break down crying, I know I can’t call Han or Minho until I know for sure, and there is only one of the members that I remember saying he wasn’t busy today. With shaky hands I grabbed my phone and pulled up Felix’s contact, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to do this by myself. After the first two rings he picked up, the excitement in his voice made this even harder for me.

“Hey y/nnie, what's up?” “F-felix, I need your help. Um, are you busy right now?” “For you, never. What do you need help with?” “Can you take me to the store? I need to get something and I don’t think I can do it alone.” “Sure, but wouldn’t you rather have Han Hyung or Minho Hyung help you?”

“T-they’re busy with getting ready for tour and I don’t want to bother them unless I absolutely need to.” “Ok, I’ll be there to pick you up shortly.” He sounds unconvinced, that I don’t want Han or Minho. He’s right to be unconvinced because I do want them but I can’t until I know for sure whether or not I’m about to accidentally ruin their lives.

I sit on the couch crying to myself while I wait for Felix to get here. I know that I should make myself more presentable, it seems like something isn’t wrong but it’s hard to stop crying and it's hard to not overthink everything. I knew that once Felix saw my face he’d know something was wrong, if he didn’t know already by my voice from our earlier phone call. One thing about Felix is that he never waits down in the car, even when he’s here to get the other’s. He will always come up to the door. Part of me wishes that he would wait in the car so that I had more time to prepare myself but I knew better than to ask that of him. I barely have it together when I hear Felix knocking on the front door, I wipe my eyes the best I can and make my way to let him in.

“Hey y/nnie, you ready to go?” His voice drops off at the end when he sees that my face is read with tear streaks.

“Yea, yea, I’m ready to go. Let me grab my purse and then we can head out.” I rush back into the living room, grabbing my bag. I hear the front door close, I know that Felix is going to ask what’s wrong and I don’t have the heart to lie to him. The man is a walking ball of sunshine, no one would be able to lie to him.

“Y/n, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did the two idiots hurt you?” “No, it’s nothing like that Felix. But if it’s what I think it is, the result might hurt all three of us.” “Y/n, that response doesn’t help. What’s going on, why are you crying and why aren’t you wanting me to call Han and Minho to be here for you?” “Because, if it’s what I think it is, they wont want to be around me.”

“What did you do? Because those two are madly in love with you and would do anything for you.”

“I don’t know about that anymore, especially in the last month or so. They’re barely here anymore, deciding to sleep at the dorms more often than not, Felix. I'm starting to feel like an outsider in my own relationship. I don’t even know if they actually want to be with me anymore, I’m scared that if my assumptions are correct I’ll be alone.”

“Y/n, they love you more than anything. I’m sure if you talked to them, they’d make the effort to be here at night for you.” “Felix, this could ruin their careers. I can’t do that to them.” “Y/n, what could ruin their careers?” “Felix, I think that I’m pregnant.” “Oh, oh wow.” With that statement alone, I sent Felix into shock. I can’t imagine what it would do to Han and Minho. His reaction makes me break down into tears again, knowing that I’ll most likely be left to do this on my own.

“That’s why I need you to take me to the store. I need to make sure that I am before I tell them, even if they decide to end things with me, they at least deserve to know.” I hiccup out. “Y/nnie, shh. Calm down, they won’t leave you because of this. They are head over heels in love with you and would never and I mean never leave you alone to deal with this. I’m sure if they knew that you have been feeling like this they would not be staying at the dorms and would be here pampering you and catering to your every need.”

“I wish I could believe you Felix, but it’s so hard to.” “Let’s get you the test and then I’m calling those idiots before they ruin this.”

I decided not to argue with him, allowing him to lead me out of the apartment. We both donned masks in hopes to hide our identity a little bit in case fans recognised Felix. It didn’t take long to get in and out of the store, and back to the apartment. While I went and took the tests, Felix busied himself with whatever show was playing on the tv, something I had left on earlier. The five minutes it took for the tests to finish reading seemed like they took forever, and when the timer on my phone finally went off I could barely stand up off the side of the tub, not ready to know if my future held the boys or not.

With shaky hands, I flipped the tests over, one after the other every test either had the positive sign or said pregnant. I dropped down to my knees sobbing, knowing that this could ruin Han and Minho, we hadn’t even talked about kids or even the prospects of possible marriage. Felix must have heard me crying because soon I heard him knocking on the door, asking if he could come in. With slow movements I open the door enough for him to know that he can come in, he looks from the tests to me and back to the tests. He can see that they are positive, he drops down to the ground with me, pulling me to him knowing that I need the comfort. I don’t know how long I sat on the bathroom floor with him crying, but it was long enough that I felt myself fall asleep. I was passed out enough that the movement of Felix lifting me didn’t wake me up, the next time I woke up was to the sound of a panicked Han and Minho rushing into the apartment but I didn’t have the energy to figure out how and why they were here.

Felix’s POV (Half an hour before Han and Minho arrive):

I was sitting in y/n’s living room waiting for her to call out to me when she knew the results, I knew that she was terrified that Han Hyung and Minho Hyung would leave if she was pregnant, but anyone with eyes that worked could see that those two were head over heels for her. She didn’t know this but some of the times that they said they were at work, practicing with Channie Hyung, they weren’t. They were actually out looking for a set of engagement rings for her, they both wanted to give her a ring that would then be sautered together, something from both of them. Why they spent the night at the dorms more often than here, I didn’t know. Maybe it’s because Han can’t keep anything from y/n and he didn’t want to spoil the proposal.

As soon as I heard y/n sob, I knew that she needed support. I rushed to the bathroom, waiting until she gave me permission to enter. When I did, I saw her sobbing on the floor and the positive tests on the counter. I dropped to my knees and pulled y/n to me, with this motion she sobbed even harder. No matter how much I tried to get her to calm down and breathe nothing seemed to be working, finally after around thirty minutes she tired herself out and fell asleep which gave me the chance to lay her in their bed and call the two dumbasses to come take care of their girl who had been feeling this way for way to long. Y/n is like a little sister to me, even though she is only a couple months younger than me, I would do anything to see her happy and if that meant cussing out my Hyungs for being idiots, I would gladly do it. With her safely and comfortably in bed, I called the two dumbasses to get over here quickly.

“Felix? Why are you calling, is everything ok?” Minho asks, confused, I can hear Han in the background asking why I was calling.

“You need to come to y/n’s apartment, she needs you, both of you.” “Why isn’t she calling us herself? You know what we are currently doing.” Minho answers suspiciously.

“Minho, forgive my abruptness. But you need to get both of your asses to her apartment before you lose her.”

“Lose her? What is going on?” Han answers panicked, Minho must have put the phone on speaker.

“It’s not my place to tell you, but I know she’s not doing ok mentally and she needs both of you here for her, like yesterday.” “Shit, ok. We’ll wrap up here and be there in like an hour.” “Minho, this isn’t something that can be put off. She is terrified and she needs you here for her, now you either get here now and be there for her or you actually risk losing her and your future with her.” “Felix, what do you mean our future with her?” Han cuts in, I can hear rustling around in the background, I can only assume that they are getting ready to leave wherever they are.

“I mean that she has been going through it and has kept it from you because she doesn’t want to add more stress, but it has hit its boiling point and I can’t make any promises that if she wakes up and you aren’t here, she won't leave.”

“Fuck, Minho. We cannot lose her.” Han panics as I hear them run out of wherever they were, I assume it’s the JYP building because I could hear one of the security guards ask if they were ok and Minho’s rushed yes.

“We’ll be there in 15 minutes, please Felix if she wakes up before we get there make sure that she doesn't leave.” Minho begs, it’s the first time I have ever heard him do that.

“I will do my best but I’m not going to hold her against her will.” “Just please, please do your best.” I hear Han beg.

“I’ll do my best.” With that the call ends.

I sit in the living room, quietly playing on my phone hoping that she doesn’t wake up and that they get here soon because I want them to be happy. I know that if they knew, they’d be so happy, both of them want kids, and I know that they want those kids with y/n. And if they knew that their actions were hurting her, they wouldn’t continue to act this way. They’d find another way to keep the proposal a secret from her. Either traffic is really light or Minho broke multiple traffic laws to get here as quickly as he did. When he and Han burst through the front door, I shot them a glare, afraid that they’d wake y/n up and she needed as much sleep as she could get.

Minho’s POV:

When I got the call from Felix, telling me that I needed to get to y/n’s apartment as soon as I could and that it wasn’t something that could wait I was terrified that something horrible had happened. I still believe that because Felix won’t tell me what’s wrong and why Han and I need to get to y/n’s apartment quickly. Much to the dancer’s dismay we both rushed out of the practice room and rushed to her place, her needs mattered more right now than dealing with the aftermath of angry dancers. Y/n was our everything and if we lost her because of some stupid mistake that we could have fixed easily. Han is hot on my heels when we rush into her apartment, we both look around for her but she’s nowhere to be seen. When our eyes land on Felix, he levels us with a glare, a silent warning to be quiet as he points to her bedroom, the door slightly closed. We both sigh in slight relief when we realize that she’s not gone, but asleep. We still have time to fix whatever it is that we ruined, or are in the process of ruining.

“Felix, why did you tell us to get here as soon as possible?” Han asks slightly out of breath. Sitting down on her couch.

“Because she needs you both here. I can’t tell you why, it’s not my place to tell you. But I can tell you that she needs you now more than ever.” “Is she in there?” Han asks quietly, pointing at the bedroom door.

“Yes, she cried herself to sleep.”

“She cried?!” Both Han and I ask in a panic, hating when she cries.

“Yes, I’ll wake her up for you. But then I’m leaving because I can’t fix this, only you two can.”

We watch as Felix gets up and walks into the bedroom, his protectiveness over y/n is calming because it’s nice to know that she has other people besides Han and I that she can rely on. It’s not long before they are both walking out into the living room, y/n is clinging onto Felix as if her life depended on it. I can see him lean down and whisper something into her ear, she shakes her head and seems to cling onto him even tighter. Whatever is bothering her, it’s enough that she doesn’t seem to want to tell Han and I by herself. I can see Felix pat y/n's arm as he sits her down on the couch across from Han and I. I can’t tell if he’s going to stay or not. I get my answer when I see him start to stand up, y/n practically refusing to let go of him. Whatever he says to her, seems to calm her down enough that she lets go.

“Be there for her, and I swear to god if I get a call from her and she isn’t crying tears of joy. You two will wish you didn’t know me.” I’ve never seen Felix this upset. He doesn’t even give us a chance to respond before he’s out the door, leaving the three of us in the living room. Y/n has her arms wrapped around herself, before I can move Han is next to her, holding her. This movement seems to make her begin to cry.

Your POV:

When Han wrapped himself around me, I couldn't hold it together and broke into tears again. The combination of hormones and tiredness from the days events and the past months events. Me crying seems to make Han hold onto me tighter, Minho doesn’t seem to know how to react but he still comes over and sits next to me.

“Jagi, what’s wrong? Why are you so upset?” Han asks as he brushes the tears from my cheeks.

“P-please don’t hate me.” I sob harder.

“Jagi, why would we hate you? We could never hate you.” Minho answers from beside me.

“When it could ruin your careers, you might.” “Lovie, unless you somehow have nudes that got leaked I don’t think there is anything that you could do that could ruin our careers.” Han tries to joke but it makes me sob, knowing that he’s trying to comfort me when in a few seconds he’s going to hate me.

“Jagi, take a deep breath for me. We need you to breathe for us.” Minho tries to get me to take a deep breath.

“C-can I g-get one more h-hug from you, before you hate me?” I cry as I ask.

“Jagi, you will get as many hugs from us for as long as you want.” Han answers for both of them, knowing that Minho isn’t always the best at expressing himself through words.

I don’t answer them, instead letting each of them give me a tight hug, letting them hold me for a long time before finally pulling back and standing up. I begin to pace the living room, unsure of how to tell them. I know that I need to, it’s not something that I can keep from them and they deserve to know. I try to think of the best way to tell them, do I just come out right and say it, do I try to lead up to it? How do I tell them that they’re going to be dads?

“Love, please sit down. You’re making us nervous.” Minho tries to get me to sit down, but my nerves won't let me. “There’s something that I need to tell you. I know Felix already might have mentioned something, but please just listen and try not to hate me.” “Did you cheat on us?” Han asks, a slight tremor in his voice.

“God no, I could never do that to you.”

“Then I’m sure whatever it is ok, but take your time Jagi. We are here to listen whenever you are ready.” Minho answers before Han can dig them an even deeper hole.

“This isn’t easy for me to say, I don’t want to lose either of you.” I say with a tremor.

“You aren’t going to lose us.” Han responds, I look at both of them before taking a deep breath and deciding to just say it.

“Hannie, Minnie, I-I’m pregnant.” They stare at me in shock, neither saying anything. I begin to panic again, crying hard as every worst scenario runs through my head. Minho is the first to recover, rushing to stand up and come to me.

“You're pregnant? You’re sure?” He asks as he takes my face in his hands, looking into my eyes while wiping the tears.

“Positive, I took six tests.” I respond, tears still falling, a shake in my voice. That seems to finally snap Han out of his shock because he rushes to me, wrapping me in his arms, pulling me away from Minho.

“You’re really pregnant Jagi? We’re gonna be parents?” He asks, almost hopeful but I can’t see it through the nerves and fears that they are going to leave me.

“Yes, I’m so sorry. I know, the timing isn’t good. But please don’t leave me.” I sob as Han pulls me into him even more. I can hear both of them sharply inhaling.

“Jagi, why on earth would we leave you when you are carrying our child? We love you, we would never and could never leave you to do this on your own.” Minho answers, pulling me from Han. I can hear Han whine in complaints but he doesn’t fight Minho.

“Weren’t you already planning on leaving?” I hiccup out.

“Why on god's green earth would you ask that?” Minho asks, offended.

“You’re rarely here, ever since the incident you and Han are rarely here anymore. I just thought that you decided that I’m not for you anymore.”

“Jagi, are you talking about what happened around two months ago? When I got angry and took it out on you?” Han asks, almost scared of what the answer could be.

“Yes. You both have been so distant, choosing to stay at the dorms more than here, rarely calling or texting. I thought that maybe, after that happened you realized that a relationship with three people wasn’t what either of you wanted anymore.”

“Jagi, you are everything that we want, and more. And we are so sorry that we’ve been distant, we promise we didn’t mean to.” Han responds from behind me.

“Hannie, that was the night I got pregnant.” I decided to drop another bombshell on them.

“H-how do you know?” Han asks.

“I was ovulating during that time, and due to stress I forgot the pill a couple of times and me being 7 weeks pregnant lined up with that weekend. It can’t be any later than that and we haven’t had sex since then.”

“Surely we’ve had sex since then?” Han questions, looking to Minho for confirmation.

“Hannie, you haven’t had sex with me since that night. I don't know what you and Minnie have done together at the dorms but it’s been almost two months.” “No, no. That cannot be right, surely we haven’t neglected taking care of you in that long.” Han asks almost to himself.

“Hannie, it’s really been that long.” Minho confirms what I’ve just told them.

“You’re telling me that our child has barely known Minho and I, and was conceived in a night of misplaced anger?” Han asks.

“Y-yes?” I answer questioningly.

“Well, that has to change. They cannot only know anger from me.” Han responds, before looking to Minho for confirmation that he wants to join. When Minho nods, Han is picking me up and carrying me into the bedroom. Minho follows behind us, kicking the bedroom door shut behind him.

Han places me gently down on the bed, before pulling my shirt over my head. Leaving me in only my sleep shorts, Han kisses my lips and then begins to move down to my neck and then working down to my stomach, I expect him to go lower but he doesn't. He kisses my stomach, pressing kisses all over it, trying to show the baby his love. Minho seemed to get tired of waiting his turn and pushed the younger man out of the way. Han grumbled his complaints but they fell on deaf ears as Minho quickly kissed my lips before moving himself down to where he could easily kiss my stomach. Han, bored of waiting his turn again, came to sit up by my head and began to kiss me all over the face and neck. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to be fully immersed in the feeling of the two men around me. I could feel Minho’s lips on my stomach and Han’s lips on my neck. I soon felt a hand grab my breast, I didn’t bother opening my eyes, not even caring to see which man it was. I soon felt a tug on my sleep shorts, I knew that it was Minho, he was always impatient when it came to getting me naked. If he could, I think he would have me naked all the time, in his mind and words it just meant easier access for him and Hannie. Not that I would complain, I knew the moment I told them to stop they would, even after what happened I knew that they would stop.

I lifted my hips, allowing Minho to slip my sleep shorts and panties off, leaving me completely naked and at their mercy. I thought that it was completely unfair that I was fully naked while they were fully dressed still, I looked at Han who was the easiest target out of the two of them. I tugged at his shirt while letting out a soft whine, hinting to him that I wanted it off. I felt both men move off of me and when I looked, they were both pulling off their shirts. No matter how many times I see them, they take my breath away each time, I don’t think that I will ever get used to seeing them like this. Minho takes his place between my legs again, while Han is back by my head. I look up at Han, almost breathless when I see his tattoos on full display, I can’t believe that I get to see these. If stay got to see them, they’d lose their minds. Minho must have gotten slightly annoyed that I wasn’t paying attention to him because I soon felt him press a kiss to my clit, causing me to let out a moan. Han immediately kissed me, eating up every moan that left my mouth as Minho began to eat me out like a man starved.

Minho sucks my clit into his mouth, applying just the right amount of suction and pressure with his tongue. I could hardly keep my moans in, not that they wanted me to. I soon felt Han grab at my chest, flicking and gently squeezing my nipples between his thumb and middle finger. My chest was already sensitive, so adding the pleasure from Han made me reach my peak even quicker. What sent me over the edge was when Minho began to finger me along with eating me out, the moans that I let out were beyond what either man expected from me. It didn’t take long before I was reaching my peak, cumming all over Minho’s face and fingers. When Minho finally emerged from between my legs, I could see my release all over his face. If I was more coherent I would try to find it in myself to be embarrassed but I honestly couldn’t.

Han gets impatient and moves down to crowd Minho between my legs, the older man who would usually scold the younger man doesn’t say anything and instead moves up to be by my head. He doesn’t immediately go for my chest like I expected him to, instead he lays by me with his hand resting on my stomach, almost holding it protectively even though there isn’t a bump yet. I was so focused on Minho that I didn’t notice Han again until I felt his tongue prod at my entrance, catching me off guard I let out a moan and grip onto Minho. Minho doesn’t seem to care and continues to gaze at my stomach with a look in his eye that I can’t quite place. Han, enjoying himself, begins to eat me out with everything that he has, trying to make up for the last time he and I had sex. Knowing that it wasn’t as pleasant for me, he wanted this time to be different, rather than a rough fucking he wanted this time to be a sweet love making. Already stimulated from the first orgasm, it doesn’t take me long to get close to my climax. When Han realises that I’m close, he moves his tongue up to my clit and begins to finger me as well. Within seconds I am sent over the edge again, he eats up my release as if it’s his favorite meal. When I finish, he pushes himself up and off the bed. Immediately I watch as he pulls both his pants and boxers off, his cock stands at full attention, I feel Minho get up from beside me and watch as he follows Han in taking off his pants and boxers, also just as hard.

“Minho Hyung, c-can I go first? I know you usually do, but just this time can I?” Han asks Minho, hopeful that the older man will let him.

“Hannie, it’s not up to me today. Jagi is in charge.”

“Minho, lovie. Would you be upset if Hannie goes first?” I ask, not wanting to upset either man.

“Not at all, tonight is all about you. Are you wanting him to go first to replace the memories of last time?” “Y-yes, I don’t want my body to be subconsciously scared to have sex because of last time.”

“Oh Jagi, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Han comes up to me, hugging me.

“I know, I know Hannie. I want to replace that memory though.” “Then we will replace that memory with one that you won't ever be able to forget.” Han responds, kissing my forehead.

“Hannie, make sure she is prepped enough.” Minho instructs Han, as he usually goes first

“Always.”

Han climbs over me until his hips are positioned between my legs, his cock prodding at my entrance. We already know that I am wet enough with having two orgasms and their spit, he just has to go slow. I look up at Han, I can see the question swimming in his eyes, is this ok? Is he ok to begin pushing in? Am I feeling ok to do this? I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck, nodding as I lean up and kiss him, with confirmation I feel him begin to push in. He is able to push in with relative ease, and when he bottoms out we both let out moans. I feel Minho lean over me, I look over to him and see him gently press a kiss to Han’s lips before he leans down to press a kiss to my lips.

“Jagi, can I move?” Han struggles above me, wanting to move but also wanting to wait until I’m ready.

“Please Hannie.” I almost begged.

“Jagi, you don’t have to beg. Whatever you want tonight, you’ll get.” Han and Minho respond at the same time, I let out a laugh at how in sync they are.

“Please move Hannie, I want to feel you. All of you.”

That’s all the confirmation that he needs, I feel him move his hips back before pushing back into me. I can’t get over the feeling of him, the warmth of his skin against mine and the feeling of his cock sliding in and out of me is almost too much to handle. His thrusts pick up in pace just slightly, his hands grab my hips and tilt them just right to where he is repeatedly hitting my g-spot over and over. It doesn’t take long before I am being sent over the edge again, Minho kisses me while Han kisses my neck. After a few more thrusts Han finishes, groaning into my neck. He pulls out slowly, trying to not overstimulate me even more than I already was.

“Lovie, do you want to stop? We can stop for the night.” Minho asks.

“No, no I want to feel you too.” I practically sob into his stomach at his suggestion.

“Ok, ok, we’ll go slow.” He sounds hesitant but knows that I’ll ask him to stop if it becomes too much.

I feel Minho switch spots with Han, I close my eyes allowing myself to be even more immersed in the pleasure that both men offer. Minho nudged his head into my neck, kissing it as he slowly pushes himself into me. I let out a high pitched moan while he lets out a low groan, I open my eyes to look for Han but I can’t see him or feel him.

“Minnie, where is Hannie?” “He’s drawing you a bath. I know I won’t last long and after three orgasms neither will you.” “He’s so sweet.” I cry out as Minho pushes fully into me.

“He loves you, he wants the best for you. And now he wants the best for you and the baby.” Minho answers matter a factly.

Minho gives me a few seconds to adjust to him before he is pulling himself out and slowly thrusting back in. This isn’t at all like how it normally is, where it’s quick and fast, it’s slow and sweet. All he cares about is my pleasure, making sure I finish one last time for the night. I can already feel myself reaching my high, and from the way Minho is shaking above me, I can tell that he’s close as well.

“Minho, lovie. Harder please.” “I don’t want to hurt you or the baby.” He says hesitantly.

“You won’t, a little harder won’t hurt either of us. I promise.”

He complies and goes a little harder, not enough to hurt but enough to get me to my peak quickly. He can tell that I’m reaching both of my breaking points, the point where the pleasure is too much and I’ll need to stop and the point of my peak. He wants me to finish before it becomes too much for me to handle. He thrusts into me, once, twice, thrice more times and I reach my climax. He finishes with me, my clenching pushing him over the edge. When he comes down from his climax, he can tell that I’ve entered subspace, this time he isn’t worried when I can’t really respond. I sleepily blink up at him, smiling when my eyes meet his, he smiles down at me before looking towards the bathroom where Han must have just come from.

Han’s POV:

When I come out of the bathroom, I see that y/n and Minho are finished, she’s sleepily blinking up at him while he’s looking down at her with all the love in the world. When he hears me enter the room he looks up at me, holding the same look towards me that he had for her. It makes my heart stutter, knowing that this great man not only loves y/n but loves me. That these two amazing people love me and that I get to spend the rest of my life with them.

“Is she ok?” I ask quietly as I walk up to the bed.

“Yea, she’s ok. She’s in subspace though, if you want to take her into the bathroom. I’ll change the sheets and then we can all go to bed.”

“A-are you sure I should be the one to help her? You usually help her when she enters subspace.”

“Hannie, love. She trusts you, we both know you would never let anything happen to her.” “O-ok.” I answer unsure still.

I walk the rest of the way over to the bed, gently lifting her up. She’s still awake but out of it, when she sees me, she snuggles her head into my neck breathing in my scent as she claimed to do in the past. I look over to Minho one last time before turning to walk into the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, I gently step into the tub lowering both of us into the water. She sighs at the warmth of the water before fully relaxing into me, she slowly looks up at me and blinks the smallest yet brightest smile on her face. I lean down and kiss her cheeks, trying to keep her awake until Minho lets me know that the bed is all made and ready for us to go to bed. Minho must be some type of wizard or something because it’s barely even ten minutes later that he’s calling out that the bed is made and ready for whenever we are ready. I can tell that y/n is about ready to fall asleep, so I stand from the tub, holding her again and once out of the water and tub I set her on the counter so that I can dry her off and slip on a new sleep shirt, a shirt that happened to be Minhos. I don’t bother with any panties, knowing that she’d likely get annoyed by them and take them off in the middle of the night. I slip on a pair of boxers quickly before carrying her into the bedroom, laying her down in the middle of the bed. Both Minho and I climb in on each side of her, Minho sits her up and has her drink some water and eat a granola bar before allowing her to fall asleep, knowing that if she didn’t she’d feel it in the morning. He places a quick kiss to my lips, before kissing her head and turns out the lights. I know there is a rough road for us but with them I know it’ll be ok.

Five years Later -

Your POV:

The boys had an interview and wanted our little girl Harper and I to be there watching off to the side. It had been a hard five years but neither of us would trade it for the world. Harper was an amazing little girl and she loved both her dads with everything she had. In the end we decided not to get a paternity test, not caring who the biological father was because in the end both men were her father. But at the end of the day, Harper was basically Minho’s twin, it was crazy how much she looked like him. Hannie was hoping that the baby I was currently carrying would be his, not that he actually cared. That man was so protective of Harper, it gave Minho a run for his money.

“Momma, look, look there’s daddy.” Harper pointed onto the stage, seeing both of her fathers, she hadn’t gotten to the point where she tries to differentiate Minho and Han yet. Part of us hopes that she never does but we all know that’s wishful thinking.

“Yeah, there they are. Are you excited to see them?” “Yea, maybe they’ll let me get ice cream.” She says with hope, knowing that Minho will cave, she has him wrapped around her finger.

“Maybe lovie, maybe.”

We watch while they finish and before we know it, they’re rushing off the stage towards us. They give Harper a quick kiss before planting a kiss on my lips and belly, I see Felix coming up behind them. Before any of us can stop him, he’s taking Harper from me with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Go you three, Seungmin and I will watch Harper tonight. Enjoy the night together.” “Are you sure Lixie? She can be a handful.” I ask him.

“Shhh, don’t make him rethink his offer. I want some quality time with my wife and husband.” Minho jokingly hisses. I decide not to comment and wait for Felix to respond.

“I’m sure, it’s been a minute since I’ve gotten to spend some quality time with my niece. Uncle Lixie needs some good Harper cuddles.” He responds by giving Harper a sloppy kiss on the cheek, which causes her to giggle. “Uncle Lixie, stop. You’re getting my cheek all slobbery.” She groans and playfully pushes at Felix.

“Go you three, we got her for tonight.” Seugnmin says from behind us.

“Do you need any of her clothes?” I ask, now always the worried parent.

“We have everything that she would need. Clothes, toothbrush, stuffies, bed. She’ll be ok, spend time together before the little one gets here.” Felix urges us.

“Minho, Han, y/n. Seriously go, if you want I’ll stay with the two disasters so that you know Harper is ok.” Chan says from further in the room.

“Channie Hyung, you just want an excuse to spend time with Harper. Just admit it.” Felix teases. “So what if I want to spend time with my niece, have you seen her? She’s the cutest thing in the world.” Chan swoops in and steals her from Felix, before rushing off with her.

Minho, Han and I watch as he rushes off with Harper, Felix and Seungmin hot on his heels. Minho grabs onto both Han and I, leading us out of the building, taking advantage of the fact that we now have a free night to ourselves. What I expect from Minho is a sex proposition but instead he surprises both Han and I. “I say, we have a nice candle light dinner, give y/nnie here a much needed massage and then call it a night and sleep in for as long as we want.” “Minho, my love. You are a genius.” Han responds before I can even say anything, but I wouldn’t complain about going to bed early after getting a massage and getting to sleep in. Our life isn’t perfect but neither of us would trade it for the world.

#han jisung x reader #han jisung imagines #han jisung smut #han fluff #lee know x reader #lee know smut #lee know x y/n #stray kids imagines #stray kids x y/n #stray kids fluff

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call-memissbrightside · 4 days ago

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a/n: I believe Sukuna would be the WORST boyfriend ever | warnings: non-con mentioned, miscarriage, toxic relationship, yandere themes |

❌ he wouldn’t even ask you out properly— he frequently came into the urgent care you were interning in, injuries spanning from stab wounds to a fractured knuckle because he just had to beat up the drunk guy who was a little too touchy when you tried getting his vitals. One night he just announced, “taking you to a diner after your shift.” You don’t remember agreeing but still— he’s waiting for you when you step out at 4:30am. He’s sitting on the hood of his car, his sinister smirk making your heart drop. “Get in.”

You do, like a scared little bunny who stupidly falls into the wolf’s lap. Sukuna picked you up from every shift after that.

❌you don’t tell him you’re going home for the summer break. Why would you? Sukuna didn’t have your phone number — he never asked for it. He just stalked you, always around when you’d leave classes or just be in your apartment. you spend two months away, and you finally feel like yourself again. You file a police report against him. Your parents help you move. You feel like you’re starting a new chapter in your life. Only Sukuna knocks on your door only an hour after your parents left you on your own again.

“Little pig, little pig, let me in.”

You tried to shut the door— but Sukuna easily pushed back.

“What do you want from me?” You hated how easily he made you cry.

“I missed you.” He admitted so casually, like you were stupid to ask that.

“Leave me alone, please,” you begged, shocking him. You hadn’t begged in a long time — you learned quickly he never would listen to you.

“No.” Sukuna moves toward you, making you flinch. He pauses.

“You’re stuck with me,” he declares. “I don’t care if you’ll never love me, but you’re mine.”

You hold his hard gaze, an open sob leaving your chest. You knew he was telling the truth.

❌he hates labels, but will hate fuck you when his friend flirts with you during some bar crawl Sukuna dragged you too. Your cervix is bruised for weeks, and you called into work so much that they let you go but you were in so much pain that you couldn’t leave his bed. Sukuna doesn’t do aftercare. Asshole would even smack your already bruised ass — laughing when the pain made more tears fall down your face. He doesn’t do aftercare, but he’ll get you all the ice and weed to numb the pain that you need.

❌ You weren’t trying to have a baby. Sukuna sure as hell didn’t want any brats. It was an accident. you didn’t know you were pregnant— you stopped having your normal period months ago from all the stress your ‘relationship’ gives you. It happened after Sukuna got home plastered after spending a night out, where you were too tired to go with him and cried just enough to make him ago out alone.

You were in pain, thrashing on the bed and crying.

“Why the fuck are you crying again?” Sukuna’s temper immediately skyrocketed when he saw the water works.

“S-something’s wrong,” you were shaking, feeling a sudden warmth between my legs. Blood.

“You’re making a fucking mess in my bed!”

“I need help, please,” you begged. You wouldn’t put it past him to just leave you to bleed out.

Sukuna rolls his eyes, yanking you off the bed to take you to the hospital.

He moves you in with him shortly after your miscarriage.

a/n: honestly idk where this came from, I just kept thinking how Sukuna would be such a bad boyfriend 😭😅🫶

#ryomen sukuna #sukuna x reader #sukuna angst #sukuna x reader smut #jjk ryomen #jjk sukuna #jjk x reader #jjk x you

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the-family-business-83 · 4 months ago

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Unexpected Calling – Part 2

Part 1 | Part 3 | Masterlist

Fandom: Marvel

Prompt: A world class contract killer finds an envelope at his dead drop. Inside are $23.42 in short change and a letter handwritten by a 9-year old girl.

Type: Series

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader's daughter (platonic obviously), Bucky Barnes x F!Reader

Genre: fluff, action, slight angst, might get smutty but idk yet

Warnings: None for this chapter, it's really all fluff. Maybe a slight disclaimer about a lil kid interacting with a total stranger and some mom panic, but nothing bad happens!

Word count: 2.4k

Send me an ask to let me know if you wanna be added to/removed from the taglist!!

A/N: Trying to let myself just enjoy wirting and not overthink it all too much, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a little bit of filler but I thought it was cute and it was fun to write. And yes, I know, it took forever to get posted. I had a lot going on, and I still may not be posting super frequently but to those of you who love this series so far, rest assured: I will still post, even if it's slow.

Any and all mistakes are my own as this chapter is unbeta'd, I did all my own editing/proofreading for this.

Text dividers made by @firefly-graphics <3

Transportation had really come a long way from what he'd been so used to when he was younger. There were planes that's the air of the skies with their quiet rumblings, helicopters that you could hear coming long before they appeared, and cars. Cars were so different these days, he'd gotten used to them but it just wasn't the same. Some part of him still couldn't wrap his mind around the concept of phones being able to connect to the car. And that was just one of many new upgrades.

But Bucky didn't take his trip by air, customs were a bitch to get through on a normal day let alone when he needed to bring weapons with him. He didn't take a train either, because–well. He'd had an uneasy feeling with them ever since 1944 when he fell down the mountainside. So, instead he went by cross-country bus, and kept to himself in his seat once he got on and found one near the back where it was mostly empty. Being perfectly on time, if not a little early, there were a fewhandfuls people that he watched enter in the time that he waited for the bus to start moving. His watchful eye kept them in sight here and there but for the most part, he simply pulled his dark red baseball cap down a little lower and looked out the window to help hide his face. He could only hope that when one passenger entered with not one, not two; but three small children, that they wouldn't be very loud.

Oh how very wrong he had been. Not even 20 minutes into the trip and two of the rugrats were already whining and fighting with each other. Bucky could only stare at them in distaste as he blinked at the sight, wondering how in the world such tiny things could make so much noise. Granted, he'd never really had to deal with children, not like this anyway. And they couldn't have been any older than 3 or 5, each of them. The oldest of the three seemed to be perfectly fine and well-occupied, thank heavens but that didn't make it any more desirable

Sucking a deep breath in, Bucky suppressed the urge to ask the clearly struggling mother to turn off the screeching, and pulled out a book from his day-pack, beginning to flip through it to find his spot. Maybe if he just pretended they weren't there, they would disappear from his mind.

Not likely, but the effort was still made as he focused on the pages of the small paperback copy of The Hobbit he'd brought with him. Glancing up when it once again wasn't working well, he was caught by surprise when suddenly the older child was standing right there by his seat row, and admittedly he tensed in reaction as a sort of mini-flinch. She hadn't said a word, he hadn't even heard her walking over. But there she was, standing with her stuffed bunny in her arms, simply staring at him while he did the same. Both were quiet for a long moment before Bucky glanced up the way towards where her mother sat with her brothers, clearing his throat. "Can I…help you?" He asked a bit awkwardly as he brought his furrowed-brow gaze back to the little girl. Once more, she didn't really say anything, instead just looking him over quietly. Then, she climbed herself up into the seat next to his since it was open, and Bucky was starting to wish he'd put one of his bags there. "Hey, look, kid- your mom- ….what are you doing?"

She shrugged as he stumbled his words out, and glanced down at her bunny fiddling with it a little as she got settled in the seat. "Too loud." Her answer came simply, and while it didn't answer his question completely, he definitely understood the feeling.

Sighing slightly, he glanced towards her troubled mother once more, and then back to bunny-girl. "...Alright, what's your name kid?"

"Mandy." She replied quietly, glancing up at him a moment later with big green eyes. "What's yours mister?"

"Bucky. My name's Bucky." The man paused for a moment then, almost as if debating whether he should send her back to her family yet or not, but she was calm and quiet, and wasn't harming anything. And it wasn't like he was going to let anything happen to a little kid, so he dismissed the idea for now and instead went back to his book.

It was a minute or so later that he felt the little girl–Mandy, he reminded himself silently–leaning over the arm rest between them slightly to see what he was reading. Brows knitting once again, Bucky glanced from the pages to the young girl, whose curly pigtails somewhat bounced in the way of his view of the words. His mouth parted a fraction, ready to let something slip off his tongue to tell her to sit back and let him read. But nothing came. He didn't know how to tell the girl to get out of his space without, well… being a dick. This was a *child* it would have been different had it been an adult. So instead he simply blinked at her in silence as he debated how to handle it.

Mandy seemed to sense he was looking at her though, because then she met his gaze and inched back into place in her seat, curling around her stuffed, yellow bunny, the apology clear in her demeanor. "I just wanted to see your story." She muttered out, albeit the words likely came out a tad muffled because her bunny's head was pressed against her mouth slightly.

Kids. There was something about them that just- got to him. Admittedly, maybe some part of him had a soft spot. One that he'd probably always had, an instinct he'd never been able to shake. And maybe there was something about that moment that reminded him of the slightly younger girl that he'd been on his way to help, that made him realize he was already traveling across the states to investigate the disappearance of some kid's mother. A small gesture really couldn't hurt him. He may not have said anything, but he did nod, and as he brought his crisp blue hues back to the book in his hands, he started reading the words out to her, quietly but still loud enough to be heard against her brothers' tantrums.

Whatever she'd been expecting, Mandy seemed delightfully surprised when he began reading to her, and her eyes lit up as she looked from him to the book, leaning over once again but this time while staying back more in her seat meaning her head rested against his arm lightly, so that he could still see but she couldn't help wanting to peek. There was something about how trusting she was, about how trusting kids often seemed to be, that just genuinely baffled him. Maybe it was because he'd been so jaded for so long that it was just a mind boggling concept to see such innocence. Or maybe it simply was a brilliant anomaly that children lacked the cynicism of their parents and the adults around them, that they saw things grown-ups didn't and thought of things that were unique to them.

Bucky didn't know when the crying and whining had stopped, but eventually the sun went down around them and it was dark in the bus, nothing but the glow-in-the-dark caution stickers and the light of the full moon to let him read the words on the pages. And just as he'd glanced over towards the little girl next to him, seeing that she was well on her way to passing out completely, he heard her mother patter over looking both exhausted and annoyed. "Mandy- for God's sake, you cannot-" only then did the woman seem to register that her daughter was half asleep, not really hearing her mother much and so all that Mandy gave in response was a tired hum as she nuzzled against Bucky's arm a little more.

Well, shit. He may not be experienced with children but he knew enough to know that if he moved she might wake up. And frankly he didn't even know if she'd let him move. Glancing up towards the mother, he offered an apologetic smile. "Didn't mean to scare you…she just kind of walked on over and climbed up. Seemed like you had your hands full so I hope it's okay I kept her busy for you?" He whispered to her, stopping her before she could rage at him–if that was what she'd been about to do, that is. She looked tired, and scared, understandably so. And most of all she looked ashamed that she hadn't even noticed her daughter leave.

"O-oh…thank you, I- I mean, I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble, I just- yeah…those boys…sorry they were so loud, they're in that phase…" she apologized sheepishly in hushed tones of her own, rubbing her palms against the fronts of her jeans as her gaze flicked between her daughter and the quiet stranger of a man. "I passed out and then I…I woke up and she was gone, I'm so sorry sir."

"Not a problem, honestly. She's pretty decent company, let me read in peace with her." Reading that nervousness on the woman’s features, he paused for a moment before shrugging his free shoulder up. "Don't sweat it, I shoulda sent her back…I was going to, believe me but uh. Well, at least now you get a break, right?" He tried to ease her nerves, but then glanced down towards Mandy. "I can carry her back to your seat if you'd like."

He was just so damned kind, she thought. A complete stranger and yet her daughter was clearly safe and well, asleep even and yes, now everything was quiet and she had some time to relax. It didn't stop her mom-dar from going off, but at the very least she'd be a fool to not appreciate his kindness. "No, no it's… it's okay, I don't want to wake her, she's a bit of a light sleeper…just uh, if she wakes up let me know. I'm Erin, by the way…in case that helps." This time it was her turn to offer a kind smile.

"Bucky. Nice to meet you…I'll keep it in mind, hopefully she lets you have a break though." He chuffed an amused breath out his nose.

Doing the same, she shook her head. "Yeah, if only. Thanks, again…I'll let you uh. Read in peace." She teased lightly, taking a hand back through her hair as she went back to her seat before the driver could reprimand her for standing up so long.

Smiling in amusement at that, he watched Erin go back to her sons, and in turn went back to his book after a moment. It was the small things, that made life easier. The small things were what really made things worth it. Sure, saving the world and saving people was big, and it was good. And it was worth it. But sometimes it was moments where he managed to do something more mundane, and helped someone else, that made all the other shit worth it. Because it meant he was still capable of being human.

———

By the time the sun was back up, Bucky rose with it, his eyes slowly opening to the light streaming through the window and he groaned quietly at the crick in his neck from how he'd slept. Running his flesh hand over his face groggily, as he glanced around he noticed that the warmth that had been leaned up against his arm the night day before was no longer there. He would have been concerned, thinking he'd now somehow lost some stranger's child, but he saw the pigtail-bearing girl peeking up over her seat at him a moment later, watching her smile appear once more as she gave him a little wave. Crisis averted. Not like there was anywhere she could really go on a bus, but still.

Despite still being a bit plagued by morning sleepiness, he smiled back and gave the girl a small wave of his own before watching her sink back into her seat properly. Probably at the urging of her mother. His sleepiness didn't last long, though, because soon those boys were back to making noise, but at least it wasn't as much of a headache as yesterday because it was merely them playing and babbling about random things. That was tolerable. And so he relaxed a bit more, rolling out his neck some before he picked up his book again and went on reading.

Somewhere along the way, the lone mother with her trio of children had reached their stop and were gathering their things to leave. It was Mandy who escaped her mother's sight once again to go see the kind man at the back of the bus who had read to her, bunny still in her arms but this time with a warm smile in place. "Hi Mr. Bucky! Mommy said I shouldn't bother you again… but I just wanted to say I liked your story and you're very nice." She didn't give him time to process all of that before she climbed up in the same seat as before, and kissed his cheek for a moment before hearing her mother call her name.

"You're welcome, Mandy. I think your mom needs you though, better get going." He encouraged even as he seemed surprised by her display of affectionate gratitude. The little girl wiggled back down from the seat then, but not without turning to wave at him, walking backwards to do so. "Bye Mr. Bucky!" She rushed the words out before running along to catch up to her mother. Watching her run along, he smiled at her little goodbye, and waved back at her as she went on her way. He wished that woman luck with her undoubtedly trouble-filled journey, honestly. Because he had his own coming up and somehow he felt like she was going to have it harder.

The rest of his ride went on rather uneventful, and when he arrived at his stop it was almost nighttime. But he was all the more closer to getting this job done, so saddling himself up with all his bags, he made his way into town and started heading for the address he'd gotten on the envelope.

Tags: @baw1066 @fluffydanger @vicmc624 @sjsmith56 @capswife @dispatchvampire @sofi1sstuff @sarbear94 @impeterporker @hhiggs @safiraish @kayden666 @saltedcoffeescotch @mcubuckyandsteve @thebuckybarnesvault @himikotoga

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defilerwyrm · 2 years ago

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I'm a trans man who wants phallo SO bad but the Fear Mongering people do makes me so scared. I have such a fear of surgery anyway and people say phallo is nearly 23hrs long, and it has more risks than heart surgery does, and idk if these are true bc I'm too scared to google it..But I want it so bad, but the stuff I hear scares me. Also people saying it doesn't have any sensation worries me. You said trans men can ask about it so I hope this is ok to do on anon!!! I'd appreciate a non fear filled reply so much thanks!!

23 hours!! Those poor surgeons, can you imagine!

Virtual hugs if you’re the hugging type, Anon, and a cool rock if you’re not.

Those things are definitely not true, not remotely. It’s a long surgery, but when I say it’s long that means it’s about 8 hours all told. It sounds like maybe someone heard it referred to as an “all-day” thing meaning a full WORK day, but instead assumed that that meant a full CALENDAR day. Or, you know, a transphobe made shit up to scare people.

It is most definitely not nearly as risky to your wellbeing as a surgery in which they saw open your sternum and cut open your actual beating heart. There is a fairly high chance of a minor complication that can result in the terrible ordeal of getting pee on your pants sometimes—a urethral fistula—and in most cases, they close up on their own anyway without needing another surgery to correct them. And in this case, “fairly high” means 40%, so it’s still less than half a chance that it’ll happen in the first place. At worst it’s annoying. Serious complications, the type that put you in danger, are extremely rare.

The sensation thing is also false, because they literally harvest a length of nerve from your donor site and hook it up to your existing bits specifically so you WILL have sensation! Sure, it takes a little while for the nerve to heal, but that’s just the reality of ANY surgery.

The nerve grows back in your donor site, too, by the way. While I was typing this up I discovered that one particular spot on my graft is ticklish.

Everyone has their own individual healing factor, but speaking for myself, I had full erotic sensation before the 3-month mark, and the orgasms have been incredible. The head and base are highly sensitive, and everything in between responds pretty damn nicely too, just less of a hit-the-ceiling level of sensitivity. And, you know, if you’ve handled an AMAB person’s penis much at all you’ll know that’s pretty much in keeping with how their dicks work too.

It is an in-patient surgery so if you have it, you’ll be staying in a hospital for a few days so they can keep an eye out for rare disasters. My stay was four or five days of snoring most of the day and periodically getting woken up to eat or answer some simple check-in questions, lift my arm for nurses to move stuff, etc, and then conking back out.

Being cathed sucks, but two weeks of frequent trips to the toilet to drain your bag is honestly nothing compared to a lifetime without (or with vastly reduced) bottom dysphoria. That’s the part that I hated. Everything else was your typical recovery: 10-15 days of sleeping 20 hours a day, then however many weeks of being tired, taking meds, and careful washing, gradually feeling more and more normal until you’re back up to full and ready to get back to business as usual.

Except with this one, you get to learn to pee standing up in the process. :D

(Protip: don’t try a public urinal until you’ve got it down pat at home. Not because of cis men, but because the learning process is messy, lol! The overwhelming majority of cis men in public restrooms want nothing to do with anyone else while they’re in there. The only place anyone’s gonna give your dick more than half a second’s accidental glance is in a gay bar. In 8+ years of using public men’s rooms I have yet to see one (1) penis that wasn’t mine!)

#phalloplasty #ftm #trans men #bottom surgery #trans matters #transphobia.#queerdom #medical transition #replies to things

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asliceofzosan · 1 year ago

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i've seen figure skater sanji and hockey player zoro before. idk if its been explored but i'd love to put it out there:

hockey player sanji (specifically goalie bc he desperately wants to avoid being checked) and then pairs skater zoro.

pairs skater zoro's long time partner has been nami. though many people ship them together a Lot, they just know each other super well. Well enough to try dating and both of them realized they don't swing that way. in fact, it makes them a really good team. they fought long and hard to claim top spots in competitions because they portray a chemistry that's separate from the rest. plus zoro can carry nami like she weighs fucking nothing. so their lifts are so much more dynamic. they even have a whole next to impossible combination that they're trying to get the ISU to name after them officially.

sanji plays for the East Blue Straw Hats in the Grand Line Hockey League – a formidable rookie group that took down lots of big names in the preseason. they want to make it all the way to the postseason playoff finals but always seem to fall short. but theyre so determined. they reignited a lot of old sparks that were no longer there for old fans and brought in new and curious fans. sanji is the starter goalie and a damn good one at that. it makes sense bc goalies are often doing splits on the ice just to make a save. he's perfected the technique that utilizes just his legs to make saves that make the crowd go fuckin insane.

we have the usual "i booked the rink to practice before you did" trope but a little more spice. in actuality, sanji loves watching pairs skating competitions. his favorite pair rn is franky and robin (mostly for robin). and he adamantly does not want to admit to anyone that he watches zoro and nami's routines much more frequently. (and if anyone asks, he always says its bc of nami. its never just bc of nami.) and zoro's besties with luffy so he always watches their matches even if he barely understands the rules. and he definitely does not stare at a certain blond starter goalie most of the match thats fucking ridiculous

one day zoro and sanji are invited to do one of those comparison videos between hockey players and figure skaters. both get to laugh at the other even Attempting to do their sport. zoro frankly looks ridiculous in all of sanji's usual goalie get-up. and sanji couldn't land an euler to save his life. the video producer suggests they try a simple pairs skating routine. sanji is like "oh i couldn't do that–hEY WHAT THE FUCK MOSSHEAD PUT ME DOWN" because zoro lifted sanji and had him sat on his shoulder like it was normal.

zoro smirks, "you might be lighter than nami, actually. wanna be my new partner?"

sanji knees him in the stomach before skating away while blushing so hard he could melt the ice beneath him.

#listen #both figure skating (most especially pairs skating and ice dancing) AND hockey were my hyperfixations at one point #and zoro? built like a pairs skating man #sanji? has the ass of a hockey player #iT MAKES SENSE TO ME !#but also the dichotomy of zoro doing a graceful sport and sanji in a fast paced brutal game #idk man im too tired to psychoanalyze why i think pairs skating actually works well with zoro's philosophy on strength and balance #and sanji's phobia of being checked tied to many little league games that led him to become a formidable goalie #i COULD GO ON #But i will sleep instead #one piece #sanji #roronoa zoro #zosan #niki's log: op #niki's fics: checks and balances #dO YOU GET THE PUN IN THE TITLE GOD IM SO ANNOYING !!!!!#lowkey my contribution to zosan week even if it might not fit any promprs #i just wanna feel included

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ilona2nerrie · 4 days ago

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Mer JL au:

Hal: Gobiodon histrio.

(it’s a fish that can be multiple colours. If you want to find the one, I see google it with the term green behind it, and it has orange stipes. I’m honestly not fussed, whoever wants to decide Hal’s stripe colour just put it in the comments, first one wins. Unless it’s a joke one. I don’t want to wreck the vision for others just because he first comment is a joke. Either way, I like this foosh.)

Jason: Maroon Clownfish

(I think this one’s really pretty and would accurately show how Jason was before he died. This is before he died in my au, so yes. And the reason I’m adding a pic for Jason is because there is a normal type, but this one looks so cool, and Jason deserves the best. Idk if he’s going to be in this chapter, but when I reference this fish, it’s not the one you google, it’s this one. I read an article on it; it is the same species but mutated to look amazingly cool. if you cant tell, i like fish.)

Hullo, it’s me again! Here with a part four. Please read, enjoy, let me know if you need me to do anything, have fun, enjoy!

Every part I think I’m just going to try to add two more species of Mer, like I did in the first part. The first part will be linked under the people who asked to be tagged if you want to be tagged PM me.

Tagged:

@ancientdreams-in-a-modernland

@pettitneko

@random-generated-name

Part one linked: Clark finds himself a friend. Bruce finds himself a meal ticket.

Chapter Two: Clark almost gets caught. Bruce tries to communicate with him.

Part three linked: Bruce shows off his pup and Clark learns to communicate.

Enjoy the story!

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

Clark was happy for days after that interaction. The league was confused about why he was so happy, but every time they brought it up, he just brushed it off, saying he was just in a good mood. He hadn’t seen Bruce since then, but he didn’t feel the need to worry about it anymore. He had gained at least a little trust. I mean, Bruce had let Clark talk to his pup. Progress!

Meanwhile Arthur was getting increasingly frustrated with this recent disaster. The trench. There had been spotting of trench monsters outside the trench much more frequent than normal, and it was getting disruptive. He was starting to think something was scaring them off. He turned to Clark to get his opinion but saw the other smiling at his JL pad again.

“Clark.” He tried, attempting to coax the other into helping him, it was almost as if Clark didn’t hear him as he just continued to look at his pad. “uh- excuse me Kent. Am I interrupting something?” he tried again, making a face.

Clark looked up, surprised for a second before clearing his throat. “apologies Arthur, uh, no, you’re not interrupting. Please, continue.”

Clark reluctantly put his pad down as he looked up to listen to the other drone on. Every time Clark glanced at his pad, he swore he was being watched, but when Hal and Barry were giggling to each other about something stupid at the other end of the hall, no one batted an eye.

His eyes met Dianas, and she smiled at him sympathetically, also a bit bored of the meeting. Nothing much had happened in a bit, and when Clark was allowed to leave, he practically jumped for joy. Well, I swam up for joy. (lmao puns). He had heard of a spotting of a black finned creature who was with a small Mer pup, and apparently another, smaller one. So, Clark knew Bruce was around and decided to go see him. That was his friend, the black scaled creature, not some dangerous one. Just Bruce.

When Clark got to the reef he swam around, dipping in and out of coral places. It took a while, but he saw Bruce sitting under a rather large piece, with dick swimming g around but close to him, staring at some vibrant fish. While a smaller, red-tailed Mer, clung to Bruce’s arm. Dick was 12, but this pup looked about 10. He had one arm wrapped around Bruce, and the other playing in the sand with a shell. Bruce watched his kids play, sighing as he tilted his head back.

When he met Clarks, for the first time he didn’t seem outright hostile. He just nodded tiredly and gestured Clark over. Clark happily swam to the other, before slowing down when he was in the closer vicinity. He was surprised when Bruce didn’t glare at him to go further away but just looked at him tiredly. When dick saw Clark, he grinned and swam over happily, plopping himself in front of the older mer. “hey Clark!” dick said, smiling. “My dads tired, you think you can help him. He says he doesn’t need any, but he’s lying. There are too many kids for him to handle- “

Dick, like nay child his age, just talked and didn’t really think about the consequence of his words. Clark chuckled, gaze shifting to a red-faced flustered Bruce, who gave his oldest son a look before flashing a reprimand about telling personal things. Dick stuck his tongue out at his dad. “but you need help! You even brought Jason here so Clark could take care of him while you rested.” He pouted. Bruce put his face in his hands.

“Jason huh?” Clark asked, looking at the pup. Who promptly shifted himself, so he was hidden behind his dad, poking his head out at Clark, who smiled at him. “wait- there are more of you?”

“Mhm.” Dick affirmed, “there’s me, Jason, Tim, Damian, Steph, Cass and duke. But at home. Dad finally got them to go to sleep. So, he’s here with me and jay.”

“Oh god that’s a lot of kids,” Clark muttered. He lowered his voice so Bruce, who was making sure Jason was ok, wouldn’t hear. “dose your dad has a partner?”

Dick grinned like he’d been waiting for that, shaking his head. “nope! Were all adopted. And I think he likes you.” Dick whisperer the last part.

Clark breathed a sigh of relief, glancing at Bruce before returning with his next question.

“How old are you all?”

“I’m 12, Jason’s 10, Steph Tim and Cass are 9, duke is seven and Damian is 2.” Disk stated, counting them off on his fingers best he could. Sensing Clarks next question, he added. “he found us all in need of a family and took us in. and he left the others at home because its dangerous out here and he needed a break. There fine though, there being looked after by a shark called Titus. And don’t worry about that, he’s friendly.”

Clark was going to ask but decided against it. instead deciding to continue to talk with dick and hang out with Bruce. Dick wasn’t joking about Bruce being tired, as he fell asleep mid conversation. Jason was concerned for his dad before dick stepped in and introduced him and Clark. Jason was wary, but eventually warmed up a little, holding Clark’s hand instead while he played in the sand. Bruce’s unconscious body lay on Clark’s shoulder as dick played trapping fish and Jason dug in the sand.

Clark stayed till late into the night, when Bruce woke up, got extremely flustered and then had to rush home to take care of his kids. He did flash at Clark though. Dick said he was thanking him. And Clark smiled to himself as they left. Jason even gave him the shell he was playing with. Clark loved this.

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lilacmingi · 11 months ago

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A QUEST FOR LOVE

My works are 14+ ONLY. If you’re under 14 DO NOT interact with me or any of my works

Pairing: Half-orc!Hongjoong x Elf!fem reader

Word count: 13,960

Note: I did NOT intend for this to be nearly 14K words!?? I just kept writing until the story was finished. This is the longest imagine I’ve ever written. Idk if I’d even consider it an imagine at this point. It’s more like a mini fic lol. Idk how you guys feel about long imagines (I feel like a lot of people don’t really read them) but if you do, I REALLY appreciate it

The noises in the tavern were loud. Conversations of patrons mixed together to a point where you could hardly make out what anyone was saying-not that you were listening. Belly laughs and the clanking of tin steins hitting against one another in celebration of a successful quest filled the space of the establishment. One might find the cacophony of noises bothersome, but you found it comforting. You'd spent many evenings in the tavern to wind down or just have fun. It was a place you frequented often to treat yourself to a nice meal.

Presently, you were sipping on a delicious soup that was doing wonders for you. That day had been particularly chilly and the broth was warming you up nicely from the inside out. At one end of the room a small group of people danced together as a local musical duo performed songs for them.

Your attention was pulled towards the crowd which had grown quieter and was separating as someone squeezed their way by. You craned your neck to see someone with a head of black hair moving through the mass of people, only catching glimpses of whoever it was. For some reason, your gaze stayed glued on the person as they emerged from a particularly dense group of people and went to sit at a table near the edge of the room to meet with a burly man that you knew as the local quest giver. The stranger was a man, and based on his appearance he was half-orc, though he looked a little different from the usual half-orcs that visited the tavern.

Your interest was piqued and you found yourself watching as he exchanged words with the quest giver. Though half-orcs weren't totally uncommon, they were rare around your village and this one looked different from the others. You didn't have the best vantage point, but from what you could see this half-orc had more gentle features. His skin was a pale green hue like that of a normal orc, but his face was nothing like one-at least from what you could see. You were only getting a side view of him, as he was on the opposite side of the tavern. He wore a black leather vest, brown pants, and knee high boots with a baldric strapped across his back that held a silver sword. No matter how much you tried, you couldn't seem to tear your eyes away from him as he spoke to the quest giver.

The half-orc leaned back in his seat, glancing around the interior of the establishment and that's when he locked eyes with you. The entirety of your body froze and you found yourself staring back. His gaze was sharp and almost intimidating as he maintained eye contact.

It was only when the quest giver got his attention that he turned back to the burly man across the table. Ever so slowly, you lifted your eyes and watched the half-orc as he retrieved a scroll from the man and started making his way out of the establishment. Your gaze followed him as he walked out, noticing how the tavern became quieter when he exited. Everyone seemed to be muttering about him.

A vaguely circular object went tumbling across the floor near the doorway just after the eye-catching man left. Having finished your meal, you shot up from your seat and scrambled to retrieve the item, reaching between the people that passed across the wooden floors, snagging it before anyone could step on it. Upon brief examination you saw it was a rock of some sort-a chunk of red ruby. The gasp that left you was one of both awe and realization as you hurried out of the tavern after the gorgeous mystery man. Shallow huffs left your mouth as you jogged down the cobblestone streets of your village, catching sight of the half-orc just a short distance ahead of you.

"Excuse me!" You called out, hurrying after him.

He heard your call as he came to a halt and turned around, looking for the source of the summoning. His eyes landed on you as you approached him.

"I think you dropped this in the tavern on your way out." The ruby was presented to him.

"My lucky rock." He plucked it from your palm, wondering how it could've fallen out of his bag.

He examined the small satchel he kept tied to his waist, frowning when he saw a hole in it.

"Thank you." The half-orc clutched the ruby rock in his hand. "I didn't even know it fell out of my bag."

"You're welcome."

Your eyes stayed on him for a few moments, taking in every detail of him now that you were up close. His brown eyes were soft and captivating, his dainty nose was fairylike in the way that it sloped and came to a delicate point. His tapered ears donned many piercings, a double helix on one side with a single lobe piercing, on the other side a single helix and three lobe piercings. An array of jewelry decorated his ears, most being silver hoops, some with charms hanging from them with a couple ruby diamond studs in the mix.

"I bet I made quite the spectacle in the tavern."

His words made you blink yourself back to reality and you realized you'd been staring at him for longer than you intended.

"Oh. Well, new people always grab the attention of locals."

"Yeah." He let out a short huff, he knew they were staring at him for another reason. "I'm Hongjoong, by the way." The half-orc extended his hand.

"Hongjoong." You echoed his name, giving his hand a shake. "I'm Y/n. Are you going on a quest?"

"Oh." Hongjoong glanced at the scroll tucked under his arm. "I am."

You glanced around. "Who's accompanying you on your journey?"

"No one. It's just me."

"That's a bit dangerous, isn't it?"

"Maybe." He shrugged.

"And how are you going to defend yourself?"

"I'm pretty good with a sword. Besides, I couldn't find anyone that wanted to tag along."

"Why?"

"I don't know if it's obvious but I don't exactly look like your typical half-orc."

"I know. You're much prettier." is what you wanted to say, but chose to keep that to yourself.

"And that's why you're going alone?" You inquired. "Because you look different?"

Hongjoong let out a short huff through his nose. "Yes."

You furrowed your brows, but chose not to question him for the time being.

"Have you ever been to this village before?" You asked, the question seeming random to Hongjoong.

"No. I heard this was a place where I could receive quests and it was the nearest location."

"Ah." You nodded. "Well, our bakery is the talk of the town. I'd love to take you there if you're up for it."

"I'd better not. Thank you for the offer though."

"Please. My treat. Besides, you'll need something to eat before your quest."

His eyes met yours and he stared at them for a while before nodding.

"Alright."

A small sense of relief and delight washed over you.

"Right this way." You beckoned the half-orc, heading down the cobblestone street towards the bakery.

You had just eaten a generous portion of soup at the tavern, but you wanted to continue speaking to this Hongjoong fellow, which is why you invited him to the bakery, hoping you'd get the chance to extend your conversation with him.

As soon as the wooden door was pushed open, you and Hongjoong were greeted with the pleasant scent of freshly-baked bread and confections as well as a warm gust of air that contrasted from the chilly outdoors. A cheerful 8 foot tall half-giant whom you knew as Yunho, greeted the both of you when you walked in, asking what he could get you.

"I'll have a square of chocolate fudge please." Hongjoong spoke.

"And I'll have one sweet roll please." You added.

The half-giant nodded, getting to work right away, moving to the display case and pulling out what you'd ordered. About that time, a gremlin came hurrying out of the kitchen carrying a tray of freshly-baked blueberry muffins. He had grayish skin, pointed ears adorned with hoops, black hair, and an apron tied around his waist. Most gremlins were quite ugly, but this guy was the complete opposite.

Yunho's eyes lit up at what the gremlin had brought out. "Oh you made my favorite." His large hand moved towards one of the baked goods only for it to be smacked away.

"Get your giant hands away. These are for customers."

Yunho pouted and you could hear the gremlin whisper in a huffy tone, "If there's any leftover at the end of the day you can have some."

"Thanks, Wooyoung." Yunho smiled before bringing your roll and Hongjoong's fudge over.

As you fished out some coins to pay, you asked the half-giant, "Does he bake everything?"

Yunho spared a glance at the gremlin who was making sure the display looked presentable, slightly nudging over a muffin so it sat in line with the others he'd just set down.

"He does. He's really good at baking, which is surprising since gremlins are so... unpredictable."

You and Hongjoong nodded knowingly. Though you had been to the bakery a handful of times, you'd never seen the owner before, probably because he was always back in the kitchen preparing his culinary creations.

Yunho counted the coins you'd given him, thanking you for your purchase as he dropped the money into a wooden chest under the counter.

You and Hongjoong went to sit at one of the tables. The latter glanced around the establishment, his eyes falling on the handful of patrons sitting about, their gazes on him.

"So, what's your story?" You inquired, pulling off a piece of the roll and popping it into your mouth while simultaneously tearing Hongjoong's attention away from prying eyes.

"My story?"

"Yeah. You're going on this quest but you're going alone."

"I don't really have a choice." He spoke, staring at the small fudge square. "My tribe kicked me out."

"Kicked you out?"

"Because I look different. I'm too short, I'm not strong-looking, and I'm not an asset to the group. I'm a liability."

His words etched a small frown onto your features. It hardly seemed fair that he was kicked out simply for his appearance.

"Well, I personally think you're the perfect height."

He gave a half smile.

"How tall are you, anyway?" You inquired purely out of curiosity.

"5'8." (172cm)

"Can't half-orcs be as short as 5 feet?"

"Yes, but most of my kind are closer to 6 feet tall, so I stick out like a sore thumb around them."

"Height doesn't matter."

"It does if you're an orc."

"Not necessarily. I've seen quite a few powerful half-orcs pass through town. They've shared tales of their adventures and excursions. They're quite successful."

Hongjoong finally took a bite of his fudge, nodding softly at your words as if he were processing them.

"You said your tribe kicked you out. What about your parents?" You asked after a few drawn-out moments of silence.

Hongjoong scoffed. "I'm the product of a raid in a human village. My mother didn't want me and dropped me off with a random group of orcs that raised me... sort of. They more so tolerated me, though they made sure I knew exactly how they felt about me."

The frown returned to your face, deepening at his words as you imagined some of the horrible things the orcs might've said to him as he grew up.

"I wanted to prove myself to my tribe and make them reconsider their decision to kick me out by going on a quest, but everyone laughed. No one thinks I'll be successful." He continued.

There was a part of you that, despite not knowing Hongjoong very well, wanted him to succeed in his quest and show those nasty orcs that he was just as strong and capable as they were, perhaps even more.

"Is this your first quest?"

Your inquiry was followed by a nod from the half-orc seated across the table.

It was his first quest and he was going alone because he couldn't find anyone that wanted to accompany him?

"I'll go with you." The words spilled right out of your mouth without warning.

"What?"

"I said I'll go with you."

Hongjoong leaned to the side in his seat to give your appearance a once-over.

"No offense, but you don't look like someone who goes on quests."

"You're one to talk."

His eyes became wider at your quick quip.

"Sorry. Low blow."

"It's true though." He cracked a small smile, showing off a small set of lower fangs which you hadn't been able to see too well before.

"Look, I know an elf girl like myself doesn't look like much, but I'm quite skilled with a bow and arrow."

Hongjoong nibbled on his fudge in thought, tossing around your offer and taking into consideration that he'd be letting you tag along without knowing the extent of your skills. Then again, you were the only person willing to join him and, though he felt he could handle the quest on his own, there's power in numbers-and two is better than one.

"Alright. You can join me."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I suppose it'll be beneficial to have a second person along for the journey."

"Out of curiosity, what's the quest you received?"

"Retrieving a stolen artifact."

"What information do you have?"

"The quest giver said it's an hourglass called The Cromer. It's said to have the power to allow someone to travel between dimensions according to the moon phases."

"Wow." You had never heard of such a relic. "And does that map tell you where it's located?"

"It's supposed to, yes. Apparently, a dragon has hoarded the relic and a local keeper needs someone to retrieve it so that it can be put away safely. The reward is quite large too."

Your brows raised. "A dragon?"

Hongjoong gave a nod of confirmation. "The map is supposed to lead right to his lair."

The suggestion was then made by you to swing by your place and solidify a plan for your journey as well as pack for what would surely be a few days worth of traveling.

Moss blanketed the roof of your quaint cottage, long tendrils of green ivy and purple morning glories growing up the sides of the structure which was surrounded by a plethora of bushes. Hongjoong noted how fitting your home was for a forest elf such as yourself, smiling softly at its woodsy appearance.

Once inside, Hongjoong spread the map out across your circular dining table, using your salt and pepper shakers to keep it weighed down.

"This leads from the tavern to the dragon's lair." Hongjoong pointed out, dragging his index finger from one point to the other. "The quest giver told me the dragon dwells in a cave in these mountains here."

You nodded, glancing at the map, trying to figure out which way would be the safest and shortest passage for the both of you.

"We should avoid going this way." You called attention to a dark cluster of trees by pointing to them.

"Why?"

"Banshees."

"Ah." Hongjoong nodded, relying on you to tell him where the biggest threats lie since he was unfamiliar with the areas on the map.

After some deliberation and heedful planning, you and Hongjoong had your route decided.

"How soon do you want to head out?" You asked while placing a handful of supplies into your bag.

"The sooner the better."

"Very well." You went off to another room, returning moments later with a bow and a quiver of arrows. "Before we go, you might wanna let me fix that torn bag of yours. We don't want anything important falling out of it."

Hongjoong spared a glance at his satchel. "Oh. Right."

As you rummaged for your sewing kit, the half-orc removed the bag and laid it out on the table. The hole wasn't too big and easily repairable.

Your hands busied themselves by threading the needle that was pinched between your fingers, securing it in place and getting to work. Hongjoong's brown eyes observed your actions, a certain emotion swelling in his chest as he watched you do such a simple task. You were so welcoming and had shown him such kindness—it was nothing like Hongjoong had ever experienced. Others were harsh and judgmental, making assumptions about him before he could even open his mouth. Then there's you: warm, friendly, kind, accepting. You'd even offered to accompany him on this quest despite the fact that you hardly knew anything about him. Who does that?

You. That's who.

"Done."

Your voice pulled Hongjoong from his reverie. He blinked himself back to reality.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. It's good as new now." You smiled softly, the light shimmer on your cheeks catching in the sun that filtered in through the window.

Hongjoong could feel his heart squeeze a bit at the sight. Were all elves this enchanting? He wondered.

Pushing yourself out of your chair, you scurried about your home, gathering only the absolute necessities for your journey which was food, money, and a first aid kit equipped with herbs and other things to make a salve in case of injury.

You excused yourself to change into some quest-appropriate attire, ditching your forest green dress and chestnut corset for a more comfortable cream-colored button down shirt, dark brown pants and knee high boots.

While you changed, Hongjoong rolled up the map and tucked it into his satchel.

Emerging from your room, you collected your quiver of arrows and slipped the strap across your body. Hongjoong blinked a few times, taking in your new garb. You retrieved your bag and bow, turning to the half-orc who averted his gaze immediately.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." He stood up, adjusting the leather baldric strapped across him, tossing his satchel over his shoulder.

"We need to make one stop before we set out." You mentioned, stepping out of your house.

"Where to?"

"You'll see."

A brief walk through town brought the both of you to an apothecary.

"Potions?" Hongjoong questioned, gazing up at the wooden sign.

"We don't know what we'll run into on the journey. We may need some." You mentioned, stepping inside the small business.

The bell above the door jingled, signaling your entrance. A man with black hair that flipped out at the ends and curled just under his ear stood behind the front counter, a stunning set of small, green-tinted iridescent wings on his back. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, tucking a strand of hair behind one of his pointed ears, lifting his head to greet you and Hongjoong.

"Hello." He smiled warmly, his voice deeper than you expected. "I'm Yeosang. What can I help you with today?"

"We're going on a quest and I'm looking to purchase some potions."

The fairy's eyes lit up. "Oh! A quest? What potions are you interested in buying?"

"Defensive potions. Maybe one that can be used as a smoke bomb?"

"Yes, yes." The fairy nodded, turning around to rifle through the shelves along the wall behind the register, pulling two small bottles out, inside was an opaque grayish white liquid. "Throw these on the ground and they'll explode in a mist that'll temporarily disorient your opponent and give you a chance to flee."

"How much?"

"100 gold pieces each."

"Ah. I think I'll just take one." You dug around in your bag, pulling out one of small tied satchels that held your extra money, sliding it across the counter. "There's 100 gold pieces in there."

The fairy opened the bag and poured out the coins, handing you the empty satchel before beginning to count the pieces. "100 exactly. Thank you for your business."

You gave a small nod and took the potion, placing it into the potion holster secured around your waist.

An unexpected muffled boom sounded from somewhere in the shop, causing you, Hongjoong, and Yeosang to flinch. Moments later, a tall man with messy, brown hair and glasses sitting askew on his nose emerged from a back room in the establishment. His face and robes were dusted in a pale blue powder, assumably from the small explosion.

"Yeosang, I messed up."

"Mingi." The fairy sighed before turning back to you and Hongjoong with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm training him."

You raised a hand, shaking your head in a dismissive manner. Yeosang turned to Mingi, telling him to start cleaning up whatever mess was made and that he'd come help in a moment.

"Clumsiest mage I've ever met." Yeosang murmured under his breath when Mingi left. "Apologies. Is there anything else I can get you for your quest?"

"The potion should be enough. Thank you." You bid the fairy goodby before heading out.

Your boots crunched under the gravelly dirt path leading out of your village with Hongjoong in tow. The pretty cobblestones that paved the streets had gotten sparse as you exited the village limits and entered the unknown.

"Map please." You held a hand out.

Hongjoong immediately fished the rolled parchment out of his bag, handing it over.

The guide was unrolled and you glanced at it, your eyes following the line of ink that had been drawn along the path you and Hongjoong agreed to follow.

"We just keep going until we get to the blueberry fields." You directed aloud, rolling up the map once more.

"Can't believe that smoke bomb potion was 100 gp." Hongjoong huffed out.

"It's a fair price for something like that." You shrugged, following the gravelly dirt trail.

Your trek was mostly uneventful as you traversed along the path, sticking to the planned route that was discussed earlier. Eventually, the lush grass and sizable trees lining the dirt road thinned out and the vast, wild blueberry fields came into view. Hongjoong pulled out the map, the tip of his index finger gliding along the parchment until he came upon the blueberry fields you both stood by. His eyes drifted from the illustrations on the map to what lied head of you.

"According to the route we decided on, we need to take a left here by the tree." Hongjoong informed you.

"Left by the tree." You repeated, stepping forward and veering off to the trail on the left, the rocks in the dirt crunching under the soles of your boots.

"You seemed familiar with some of the locations on the map. Have you ever been outside of your village?" Hongjoong asked, putting a stop to the silence that had been hanging in the air for the last half hour.

"A couple times. I don't like to wander too far, but I've been to two or three places outside of town. Have you traveled outside your home village?"

"With my tribe, yes. Though I never had the opportunity to really enjoy where we went. Too much commotion."

"Ah." You nodded.

Orcs were known for their brute strength and violence, which led you to believe they were too busy causing a ruckus and raiding. You felt a twinge of pity for Hongjoong knowing he could never fully enjoy any of the places he went with his tribe due to all the trouble they most likely caused.

"Maybe this journey will give you the chance to enjoy new places." You mentioned with a smile.

Your words brought some comfort to Hongjoong and gave him something to look forward to. Perhaps he could try and enjoy himself a bit on this journey. After all, it was the first time he was on his own and he didn't have his tribe causing trouble or teasing him.

Your journey led you through valleys and along a few rocky trails, but nothing either of you couldn't handle. Presently, you and your quest partner were trekking through a dense forest, the foliage on the towering trees so thick it was blocking the sun, giving the woods an eerie atmosphere.

"So, how difficult do you think locating The Cromer will be?" You asked Hongjoong as you stepped over a particularly large tree root. "This dragon that's guarding it has to have it hidden somewhere safe." You added.

"I'm not sure. According to what I heard, it's a powerful artifact so I'm going to go ahead and assume it's gonna be difficult to obtain."

"That's probably our best bet."

"The Cromer, huh?" An unfamiliar baritone voice spoke from somewhere in the trees.

Before either of you could speak, a monstrous troll came thudding out of the dense cluster of trees that surrounded you.

You and Hongjoong both came to a halt, taking a collective step back as the troll looked back and forth between the two of you.

"An elf and a little half-orc." The troll chuckled deeply. "What a pitiful duo."

You took a defensive stance, your heart hammering against your chest as you narrowed your eyes at the big oaf.

"What do you want?" You asked, keeping your voice steady.

"I want the map to The Cromer. I could do a lot with an ancient artifact like that."

"Not a chance." Hongjoong spoke sternly.

The troll let out a bellowing laugh, finding Hongjoong's defiance to be amusing, not taking it seriously.

"I can always just take it from you." The troll spoke, pulling out his spiked wooden club.

Hongjoong shook his head, not giving up so easily, especially not to a stupid troll. He was determined to complete the quest and prove himself to his tribe. In other words, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

The troll grinned, showing off a set of ugly, yellowed teeth as he did so, seeing that he'd have to forcefully take the map.

You and Hongjoong collided with one another while attempting to scramble away from the threat just as the wooden club was smashed into the earth, sending clumps of dirt flying up in the air.

The troll laughed deeply, swinging the club towards you. A yelp escaped your mouth as you ducked, the weapon colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree instead, knocking off chunks of bark. Scrambling for a place to hide, you slipped behind another tree nearby, your trembling hands reaching for an arrow from your quiver.

Hongjoong gathered himself and pulled his sword out, the blade making a resounding shing as it was withdrawn from its sheath. He saw you struggling to slide your arrow into your bow as the troll stomped in your direction. Without thinking, he ran forward and swung the blade, slicing along the troll's lower back. A loud, rough groan reverberated through the air as the troll spun around, no longer focused on you.

"You little weasel!" The troll growled, swinging his club and knocking Hongjoong with immense force, launching him right into a tree trunk. He yelped upon impact, his sword falling from his hand as he dropped to the ground. His body lie crumpled in the dirt and undergrowth as he groaned, his bag having come undone during the fall, the map sticking out. The troll laughed victoriously at the sight and took a step forward.

"There it is."

You gasped, sliding your arrow into place and stepping out from your hiding spot, aiming right at the troll's calf. Though tensions were high and your hands were still trembling, you knew you needed to save your friend. Expelling a long breath, you released the arrow, watching as it went straight into its intended destination.

A loud roar of agony ripped through the air as the troll stumbled a bit, glancing back to look at the arrow lodged in his calf, pulling it out with a hiss. This gave Hongjoong the chance to push himself up from the dirt and grab his sword. He staggered, getting a good grip on the hilt before swinging it with all his might as the blade sliced through the troll's backside. You watched with wide eyes as the troll groaned and dropped to his knees, falling face first into the dirt. Hongjoong rushed over and took hold of your forearm, tugging you away from the collapsed troll.

"Let's get out of here."

You nodded, running by him as the both of you fled the scene.

"This might be a good time to tell you that this is my first quest." You confessed, huffing as you leapt over vines and tree roots.

Hongjoong's expression fell into one of shock. Instead of questioning you, he kept quiet, deciding to focus on getting out of the woods and away from that troll first. He could ask questions later.

Short, labored breaths left your dry lips as you slowed to a jog, the trees around you becoming more sparse, indicating that you were close to getting out of what you presumed was troll territory. Hongjoong huffed out a sharp puff of air, slowing to match your pace.

"Almost there." He announced, his voice sounding strained.

A few brief moments later, you emerged from the woods, no longer in an area that was unsafe. Hongjoong let out a soft grunt, his hand placed over his side as he doubled over.

"Are you alright?" Concern laced your voice.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Just getting a pain in my side from running."

You peered out at the sun that was beginning to drop lower in the sky, taking note of how late it was getting.

"We should find a place to set up camp for the night."

Still catching his breath, Hongjoong merely nodded, forcing himself to stand upright.

"Here." You gestured to a decent-looking terrain just off the trail. There were trees and rocks scattered about the area, which seemed like an ideal place to settle for the evening.

Hongjoong trudged behind, following until you got to your designated camping spot.

"I can gather some firewood." He offered.

"Alright. That'll be good." You nodded.

As he walked off, you noticed the way he kept placing his hand on his side. It caught your attention for only a moment before you brushed it off, deciding to start setting up camp.

Retrieving a small blade from your bag, you used it to cut off a few twiggy branches from nearby trees, using them to lie across the grass as a makeshift bed. It wasn't the best, but the leaves added some cushioning.

Hongjoong returned shortly with an armful of sticks and chunks of wood. He appeared to be in no pain, so you chose not to ask questions about his earlier behavior, merely thanking him for collecting firewood.

"I can go back for more if you need me to. This may not be enough."

"This'll be fine."

"I'm gonna go back and get some more."

"Wait. Are you sure you're alright?" You decided to ask.

"I'm fine. I won't be gone long."

The words of protest that were about to leave your lips died on your tongue as Hongjoong walked off.

The fire crackled softly in front of you, bathing its nearby surroundings in an orange glow. You sat a short distance from your half-orc partner, the both of you leaned back against a sizable boulder. The day was fairly warm, but now that the sun had gone down, the night air was beginning to cool. Thankfully, the fire provided just enough heat to keep you both comfortable.

When Hongjoong returned from collecting wood a second time, he had brought back a few berries wrapped in a leaf for the both of you to share. Presently, the both of you were eating and watching the flames and the embers.

"You're hurt." You stated after noticing Hongjoong shifting uncomfortably for the last few minutes.

"I'm fine."

Scooting closer, you hovered your hands tentatively over his side, not touching him just yet. "May I look at it?"

"I said I'm fine. Really."

"You're not." Your voice took on a firmer tone that made Hongjoong fall silent. "I saw you holding your side earlier today."

His lack of response prompted you to unbutton his leather vest to get a look at the injury. Your wandering eyes momentarily halted, lingering on his exposed figure before they finally trailed down to his right side which he had been nursing for the last hour. A nasty-looking purple splotch blemished his perfect skin right where his ribs were.

Before you could question when this could've occurred, you remembered how he was knocked against a tree earlier during your brief battle with that troll. You winced at the sight of the bruise, knowing just from the sight that the injury wasn't minor.

"How have you been walking around like this?"

Hongjoong shrugged. He wasn't one to show much weakness, especially when it came to injuries.

"How does this feel?" You applied light pressure on his side and he hissed, his face twisting in agony.

"Mmm. I think you might've cracked a rib."

"Feels like it." Hongjoong grunted.

"Stay still."

"What are you doing?"

"Just stay still." You repeated, keeping your palm pressed to the bruise.

Hongjoong watched idly as you closed your eyes and took in a deep breath, slowly releasing it through your nostrils. A soft glow emitted from around your hand, a warmth seeping into his skin. The dull throbbing in his ribs subsided after a few moments. The half-orc's brows furrowed in awe while he watched you focus, the bruise that stained his skin fading ever so slightly.

"There." You sighed out, retracting your hand.

A small part of Hongjoong missed the feeling of your touch, but he pushed those emotions aside in order to assess the damage, or lack thereof.

He tentatively sat up straighter, moving a bit to test out the effects of what you'd just done.

"It... doesn't hurt." He murmured breathlessly.

"I healed it for you. Elf magic." You wiggled your fingers, making Hongjoong crack a tiny smile, amused by the cute display. "You'll still have a bit of a bruise, but you'll be able to continue the quest without any hinderance."

His fingers traced lightly over his side, his skin still tingling a bit from where you palm was.

"Thank you."

You began sifting through your satchel, producing a small canteen and an apple.

"Here." You passed them to Hongjoong. "You should eat something besides berries."

"What about you?"

"I've got another apple. No worries." You proved your point by pulling out a duplicate of the fruit.

Hongjoong nodded, satisfied to see that you had something extra for yourself.

"So," He began after taking a bite of his apple, chewing for a moment. "earlier you said this is your first quest."

"That's right."

"Why didn't you tell me before volunteering to tag along?" His question wasn't laced with malice, but genuine curiosity.

"When you told me why you were going on this quest and what you'd been through, I just couldn't let you go alone. My lack of experience was the last thing on my mind."

He nodded, taking in your words. "You were really good earlier when we fought that troll. If you hadn't distracted him by shooting that arrow, I don't think I would've had the chance to get back on my feet."

"You're the one who delivered the final blow that knocked him down." You pointed out.

"Ah. That's true... but, again, I wouldn't have been able to do that if not for you stepping in."

"Right." You chuckled. "So we have each other to thank then."

A moment of silence passed between the both of you before Hongjoong spoke up again.

"I guess we make a pretty good team."

"Yeah." You smiled fondly, nodding your head. "Yeah, we do."

It wasn't long after that the both of you decided to call it a night, hoping to get an early start the following day.

A relaxed sigh left your nostrils as you gazed sleepily at the stars above, admiring the way they dotted the expanse of the atmosphere. You then turned your head to spare a glance at Hongjoong who was already fast asleep. His pretty lashes rested on his cheeks as small snores left him. A fond smile tugged at your lips when you noticed his lower fangs poking out from his bottom lip as he slept. The sight was incredibly endearing and had your heart swelling with adoration towards the half-orc. With a gentle exhale, you shifted your position on the makeshift bed of leaves and closed your eyes, drifting off to the sound of the crackling fire and distant crickets.

The next morning, you awoke to chirping birds and the quiet shiff of someone's shoes moving through the grass. Raising up a bit, you squinted your eyes to see Hongjoong walking around, looking at the map.

"Oh. You're up." He announced once he heard you stirring, heading over and taking a seat in the grass.

"Yeah." You grunted, sitting upright and rubbing your eyes. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not too bad. You?"

"My back is a little stiff."

"Mine too."

"How's your ribs?" You asked, sliding on your quiver of arrows.

"Much better, thanks to you." Hongjoong gave an appreciative smile.

"Good." Your eyes moved to the map, which he was looking at. "Ah. Looks like we'll be passing through a village today."

"Maybe there'll be someplace to eat."

"You read my mind." You chuckled at Hongjoong's statement. "I'm ready for some good food."

After a journey along some rocky terrain and across a creek, you and your quest partner arrived at the village you were set to pass through on the way to your destination. The town was bigger than yours and had many different businesses from clothing shops, weapon shops, bakeries, and eateries. One in particular was called Mountaintop Tavern.

"How about eating here?" Hongjoong gestured.

"Yeah. Let's check it out."

The both of you stepped inside the establishment, which had a decent crowd. Your eyes roamed around the interior of the tavern as you followed Hongjoong to the bar, taking a seat on the stool. A man, presumably a human, with short, choppily-cut black hair stood behind the counter drying a glass. Once he noticed the presence of customers, he approached and greeted you both with a dimpled smile.

"Hi. I'm San. What can I get you two?"

"We're not sure." Hongjoong spoke.

"We're just passing through." You added.

"Oh! Travelers. Are you exploring or are you on a quest?"

"A quest." Hongjoong responded.

"How fun!" The cheery bartender grinned. "Well, we have soups, freshly-baked bread, meat, ale, juice, beer. Normal tavern stuff."

Hongjoong's eyes lit up at the mention of meat. "If you have any sort of seared beef, I'd love some of that."

"We do. It's served with a baked potato and a roll."

"Perfect."

After mulling over the options San had given, you placed an order for what you usually got at your tavern back home.

"We'll have two silver dragonic ales as well please." Hongjoong added.

"Coming right up." San winked, turning around to prepare drinks first.

Two tin steins were set on the bar top moments later, filled to the brim with a slightly coppery liquid.

"I'll go pass your order on to the cooks." San informed before walking off to the back.

"To a successful quest." Hongjoong held up his mug.

"To a successful quest." You echoed his words, clinking your stein with his, taking a generous sip of the ale, humming in satisfaction afterward.

"Ooh. That's crisp." Hongjoong commented, the coolness of the ale colder than expected.

"It's delicious." You took another sip. "Tastes like cider."

"Made with the finest apples." San's voice rang out as he returned to the counter. "Your food will be ready shortly."

"If the ale is this good, I can't imagine what the food will taste like." Hongjoong said with a grin.

You nodded in agreement.

"Well, thank you. I work hard to keep the patrons coming back." San grinned.

"So, you're the owner?" You asked.

"I am."

"I'm curious about the name of the tavern."

"Ah. My name means mountain, hence the name Mountaintop Tavern."

"Ooh." You and Hongjoong nodded in unison.

A customer approached the bar and San excused himself to go take care of them.

"This place is really nice." You commented, looking around at the different items hanging on the walls: swords, shields, and shelves lined with various trinkets and crystals.

A heavenly voice reached your ears, making you turn your head in the direction of the melodic singing.

On a small stage at the front of the tavern was a man with chestnut hair. He held a small guitar and was belting out the most enchanting notes. San noticed how you and Hongjoong were zoned in on the performance, chuckling to himself.

"That's Jongho. He's a local bard that performs here." He informed, walking back over. "He's pretty good, isn't he?"

"Pretty good is an understatement." You murmured.

"He's incredible." Hongjoong added.

"He's very popular with the customers."

True to San's words, the patrons in the tavern had migrated towards the stage, all of them looking just as captivated as you and Hongjoong.

The both of you were so focused on this Jongho fellow that you sat there watching him perform until your food arrived. The mouthwatering aroma is what drew your attention away from the bard.

As expected, the meal was delicious. It was probably the best tavern food you'd ever eaten—even better than the one back home.

Hongjoong let out a satisfied sigh, having cleaned his plate. He didn't know seared beef could be so tender and flavorful. Back in his tribe, he often ate dried meats or meat grilled over a fire, though it was flavorless and sometimes overcooked. This, however, was so well-cooked it practically melted in his mouth.

San gave you the total for your meals and Hongjoong promptly counted out enough silver pieces to pay for them, giving you no time to pull out your own money. You quietly thanked him for covering the meal, standing up from your seat.

"Everything was phenomenal." Hongjoong praised San.

"It was." You agreed. "It took us a day to get here but I'd almost consider coming back just to eat here again."

A bright and prideful grin spread across San's face at your positive words. "Thank you. Both of you." He gave each of you a nod as you headed out. "Safe travels."

The both of you stepped out into the dirt streets, satisfied after having a decent meal.

"We should hit the road." Hongjoong mentioned, reaching towards his bag to retrieve the map.

"Wait. Let's walk around for a bit and check out the village."

"What about the quest?"

"The quest can wait. You said you never got the chance to explore new places with your tribe, right? Let's just enjoy ourselves for a while."

The half-orc's expression softened, settling into a gentle smile. He couldn't believe you suggested sticking around just so he could explore. It was so... considerate.

The both of you set off through the village, window shopping and waiting for something to grab your attention. Hongjoong's eyes were practically glimmering while passing by each store, taking in everything like it was his first time seeing it. You could only imagine it was the first time he was seeing a town that wasn't in a panic from a raid his tribe started.

"Could we go in here for a minute?" He gestured towards a shop.

You nodded, following him into the small establishment where many garments were being sold. From fine clothing for fancy events to simple travelers clothes—it appeared this shop had it all.

Hongjoong veered over to a rack displaying a variety of satchels which he started perusing. The thought of purchasing a new bag crossed his mind since his current one had ripped, but he paused, glancing down at it and running his finger over the seam where you'd sewn the tear shut. The image of you sitting across from him, quietly mending his bag flashed in his mind, making his heart feel warm. He decided at that moment that he didn't need a new bag.

Abandoning the display of satchels, he headed to the clothing where he briefly scanned the wares, finding simple lace up blouses, neutral tone trousers, leather jackets, and even animal pelts. Just the sight of the furs reminded Hongjoong of his tribe. Many orcs back home wore pieces of armor, tunics made from animal skin, or fur pelts tossed over their shoulder—some only wore a loincloth. Hongjoong shivered at the image. He was the only one who dressed civilly, which was another thing he was made fun of for.

Any thoughts of his life back home were chased away when he laid eyes on a rack of coats, more specifically a long fur coat. It didn't look messy and primitive like some of the animal pelts his tribe members wore, this one was regal and carried an energy of prominence and grace. He didn't have a need for something like that and he wouldn't be able to bring it with him on the remainder of the quest, but it was a wonderful coat. His hands ran over the fur, feeling the soft material before relocating to another area of the shop.

Meanwhile, you were browsing a selection of dresses in an array of colors and styles. Your fingertips brushed over the fabrics, taking in the various designs. One dress in particular caught your eye; it was in your favorite color with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a long, flowing skirt. You quietly marveled at the simplicity of it, liking that it wasn't too frilly. After admiring the dress, you moved to a different section of the store, browsing everything there was to offer, occasionally sparing a glance in Hongjoong's direction to check on him. He was completely engrossed in what he was doing, meandering around the shop with bright eyes. A fond smile tugged at your lips while you watched him, stepping a little closer to admire him. His delicate and stunning features were what first drew you to him. He truly was the prettiest half-orc you'd ever laid eyes on.

Hongjoong lifted his head, making eye contact with you from where he stood a couple racks away. You gave him a small smile before busying yourself by looking at a collection of boots nearby. You tried not to stare at him after that, slightly embarrassed that he happened to look up while you were silently admiring him.

After spending some time in the village and stopping inside different shops, you and Hongjoong got back on the road, following the route drawn on the map.

"So, what did you think?" You asked. "Was it nice to enjoy your time in a village for once?"

"Yes. Even if I didn't buy anything, it was enjoyable to be able to browse in peace."

"I assume your tribe was always raiding places and causing chaos?"

"That's right. I never participated in raids and chose to stay home. Though there were a couple times I was forcibly dragged along. I just stayed back out of the way and watched." He shook his head, visibly reliving the memories. "It was horrible."

A sympathetic expression flashed across your features at Hongjoong's recollection of events.

"It must be difficult being the only half-orc in your tribe."

"It is. They're all so... primitive and boisterous. I'm nothing like that."

"I like that you're not."

Hongjoong's eyes met yours, his fingers playing with the strap of his messenger bag. "You do?"

"Yeah. I like you the way you are."

Your words made a smile spread across his face and a warm feeling blossom in his chest.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about." Hongjoong spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Yes?"

"We never discussed the reward money, but I plan to split it with you."

"What?" Your brows furrowed in perplexmxent. "No, no. That's not necessary."

"It is. You offered to tag along and you're helping retrieve The Cromer so you should get a cut of the reward."

"I only tagged along because I didn't want you going alone."

"And I'm grateful for that, so we're splitting the reward."

Heaving a reluctant sigh, you silently agreed to his proposition. This pleased Hongjoong, as a content smile settled onto his lips and he gave a nod of finality.

The map was retrieved from Hongjoong's bag and he gave a glance at it, locating the village the both of you were headed out of.

"Looks like we'll be at the mountains sometime today." He spoke. "If we don't run into any trouble, that is."

You released a long breath, glancing out at the few cottages dotting the land. "Let's hope for the best."

Things haven't been too bad for the both of you. Yes, you'd run into a troll, but you and Hongjoong both made it out of that situation with your weaponry skills. Not many people had it that easy.

"So, that ruby of yours, is it really lucky?"

"I don't know." Hongjoong shrugged, reaching into the pocket on his bag and pulling out the small rock, turning it between his fingers to watch it shimmer under the sun. "I just keep it with me. Though nothing too terrible has ever happened to me while I've had it on me."

"How'd you acquire this lucky rock?"

"I found it while my tribe was raiding a town. I was stood behind a couple barrels trying to stay out of the way and happened to see it in the dirt right by my feet. There were no crystal or gem shops nearby so I'm not sure where it came from, but it seemed like a special find. It was nice to find something so beautiful and precious while all this chaos was ensuing around me."

You smiled, happy that he was able to find some semblance of positivity while being forced to witness the wrath of his tribe.

"This is it." You commented, staring into the narrow mouth of the cave.

Hongjoong looked up from the map, expelling a sigh. "This is it. The Cromer is in there."

"Here goes nothing." You took in a deep breath and took a step forward.

"Wait." Hongjoong held his arm out to stop you. "Let me go first."

The fact that he wanted to take the lead and go first made your heart flutter just a bit.

He stepped ahead and entered the cave. You allowed him to do so, steeling yourself for what might await.

Trailing behind Hongjoong, you followed him through the narrow and rocky tunnel. It was just big enough for the both of you to walk through it. However, the farther you got, the less light from the outside was able to reach, making it difficult for you to see.

"It's too dark." Hongjoong murmured, feeling along the walls.

"I think I might be able to help. I can't promise it'll work, but it's worth a shot."

Focusing your energy, you held out your palm and steadied your breathing before casting a dancing lights spell. A glowing orb was created, hovering above your open palm. With some light now illuminating the area, you could see Hongjoong's amazed expression.

"I didn't know you knew how to do that."

"I guess you can say I have a few tricks up my sleeve." You grinned. "I wasn't even sure it would work. I only know a limited amount of spells and they're all pretty mundane."

"Well this one seems useful." He gestured to the light. "Come on. Let's keep going."

You continued to keep the ball of light hovering over your palm as you two made your way through the cave, walking over the uneven terrain below your feet. The further you got into the cavern, the more anxious you became. You'd never battled a dragon before. You'd never battled anything except for that troll the other day, which turned out well, but who's to say the battle with this dragon will go the same way?

"You alright?" Asked Hongjoong.

It was almost as if he could sense your nerves.

"I'm okay. Just a little anxious, I guess. There could be a big battle ahead of us."

"Not if we evade the dragon." He paused, glancing back to see your concerned expression, offering you a small but reassuring smile. "We'll be fine, Y/n."

His words brought you some comfort and helped to ease a little of the dread and anxiety you'd been feeling.

A dim glow up ahead let you and Hongjoong know you'd made it to the dragon's lair.

Emerging from the passageway, you were met with the sight of a vast interior area with gold and treasures galore. Large torches lined the rocky cave walls, giving an orangey glow to its surroundings and filling the air with a smoky, sooty scent.

Hongjoong surveyed the area, giving a jerk of his head to signal that the coast was clear to keep moving, so you did. Staying close by, you and the half-orc started tiptoeing past the giant piles of cold coins, jewelry, and other precious objects.

"Where do you think The Cromer is?" You whispered, keeping your voice low.

"Don't know." Hongjoong looked up at one of the higher levels in the cave, noticing an opening. "Maybe up there?"

You nodded in agreement, prompting him to proceed, moving past one of the piles of treasures. His arm immediately shot out to stop you, his unexpected strength making you grunt when your abdomen collided with his forearm. You opened your mouth to ask what the problem was, but promptly snapped it shut when you saw what had startled Hongjoong.

Lying just a few feet away was a massive black dragon with scales so shiny that they reflected the lights of the torches on the cave walls. The winged creature was curled up, resting on a bed of shiny coins, expelling low snores from its nostrils. Hongjoong held a finger up to his lips, his free hand reaching for yours. The sensation of his hand clasping your own sent a fluttering to your stomach, which you were forced to ignore due to the snoozing threat a few yards away.

Hongjoong started climbing clusters of rocks that led to the higher platform. He kept a firm hold on your hand while he moved up, using his free one to grip the rocky wall and maintain his balance. He huffed, taking one final step to the top where he released your hand.

Hongjoong cautiously tiptoed towards the opening of the elevated cavern with you just behind. Ahead was a much smaller cave filled with more treasure and as you got closer you scanned the pile of precious belongings.

"I don't see any hourglass." You whispered.

"Maybe we have to dig for it. We don't know how long the dragon has been hoarding it."

The both of you began working in tandem, sifting through the pile, pushing aside coins, crowns, and bejeweled items, doing your best to not make a lot of noise in the process.

"What if it's in one of the piles down there?" You jerked a thumb towards where the both of you had just come from.

"We'll know if we don't find what we're looking for up here."

After some more digging, a soft gasp from Hongjoong reached your ears.

"I found it."

Ever so gently, he extracted the bronzy-gold hourglass from the coins and other prized items, holding it up to show he was telling the truth.

"That's The Cromer?"

He nodded.

"We need to be careful with it." You cautioned, remembering what Hongjoong had told you about it.

He nodded once more, rummaging inside his messenger bag to rearrange something before placing The Cromer inside.

"Alright." He sighed, feeling a small sense of relief. "Let's get out of here."

With The Cromer in possession, you and Hongjoong started descending the rocky side of the cliff which you'd climbed up earlier. You kept a tight hold on the side of the raised platform, unable to keep your eyes off the mounds of gold sitting below you on the main floor of the cave. Subconsciously on edge from the startling sight, your grip tightened on the rocks as you took one step at a time back down to the ground.

"This way." Hongjoong gestured, taking your hand and pulling you in the direction of the cave entrance.

You were so focused on getting out, neither of you noticed the absence of the sleeping dragon.

Just as you and your quest partner were about to head that way, a massive, black beast swooped down in front of you.

"Where do you think you're going?" His gravelly voice spoke sharply.

You gasped, stumbling back a bit.

"Hongjoong." You whispered out in a trembling voice.

"Don't worry." The half-orc gave your hand a squeeze before releasing it and withdrawing his sword.

The dragon roared, raising one of his clawed hands and swinging it at Hongjoong who jumped out of the way, grabbing you in the process. This sent both of you tumbling to the ground, landing in the edge of a pile of coins.

The dragon wasted no time in taking another swipe with his razor sharp claws. Hongjoong, with an arm still hooked around your waist, rolled away just as the monster struck the spot you were at.

"You want to take what is mine?" The dragon roared.

At that moment, you and Hongjoong got to your feet and started to run. You fumbled for your bow, sliding it off and loading an arrow into it. There was no time for you to focus on aiming properly as you pointed the weapon in the general direction of the dragon, releasing the arrow which flew through the air, just barely grazing the beast's arm. He growled out at the stinging sensation it caused, lunging forward in retaliation. You and Hongjoong swerved in opposite directions to flee, separating from one another.

The dragon huffed, glancing left and right before deciding to go after you. A scream was ripped from your throat as you ran, pushing your legs as fast as they would go, ducking and dodging, moving around pillars and mounds of hoarded possessions in order to evade any attacks from the dragon. Unable to use your arrows due to the closeness of the dragon, your only option was to run. Any moment of hesitation would get you caught. Rounding one of the many piles of treasures, you found yourself at a dead end. Without thinking, you grabbed onto the rocky wall of the cave and started climbing, sparing a glance over your shoulder to see how close the threat was. Extending a trembling hand, you grabbed hold of a rock only for it to slip out of place and tumble to the ground. A yelp left you as you went sliding down the abrasive rigid side and back to the ground. You didn't get very far before you fell, so the drop was only a few feet, but the jagged rocks really did a number on you. You whimpered, squeezing your eyes shut as you rested against the wall, knowing you were about to meet your demise.

Hongjoong saw you were about to be cornered and knew he had to do something. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he frantically searched the interior of the large cave, his eyes landing on a boulder sitting on a ledge near the opening. If he could get the dragon closer, he might be able to push the rock onto him. Without wasting another moment, he started climbing up the wall towards the large boulder.

"Y/n!" He shouted.

This grabbed your attention and made you open your eyes. On the opposite side of the cave, you spotted Hongjoong standing on a small ledge with his hands on a boulder the size of his body. Your gaze then darted to the approaching threat that glared at you with golden eyes. Mustering your strength, you pushed yourself to your feet, holding your side as you stood, your fingers brushing the glass bottle secured in the holster on your waist.

The smoke bomb potion.

You'd nearly forgotten about it. Unfastening the button, you pulled the bottle from its confines and smashed it on the ground, the glass shattering upon impact as a plume of smoke clouded the air. You took off, bolting past the disoriented dragon who was growling and roaring in agitation as you fled, dashing towards the exit.

"Come on!" Hongjoong shouted from up on the ledge. "Get him over here!"

You gave him a thumbs up, pushing your legs to go faster.

The dragon gave a flap of his wings, growling when it didn't clear the magical smoke that obstructed his view. With a roar that reverberated inside the cave, he shot up into the air, away from the plume of clouds and began flying directly towards you.

Hongjoong used the boulder to hide from the beast's view, his heart aching as he watched you run. He wished he could be down there but he needed to execute his plan.

Your face twisted at the burning in your side which was no doubt covered in scrapes. The only thing keeping you going was the entrance of the cave coming into view. That sight alone gave you the extra push you needed to close the space between yourself and the cave opening.

Once he knew you were safe, Hongjoong pushed the boulder, his orc strength coming in handy for moving such a large object.

The dragon was moving closer. This was it.

Before he could push it over the ledge, he hesitated, something inside of him unable to follow through with his plan. Clenching his jaw, Hongjoong redirected the boulder to the entrance of the cave, pushing it over the ledge before he started making his way back down. Hongjoong's last-minute plan B was to leap in front of the rolling boulder just before it was lodged against the opening of the cave, thus separating you and him from the dragon.

The half-orc made a beeline for the opening, slipping through just seconds before the rock collided with the mouth of the cavern.

"Hongjoong!" You exclaimed in relief, rushing over to him.

He huffed, leaning against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, his heart beating so violently he could hear it in his ears.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He responded breathlessly. "We should go."

You nodded, preparing to cast another dancing lights spell so you could see to leave, but before you could do so, the boulder blocking the opening started to move. Hongjoong instinctively took hold of your arm and began guiding you away. He'd rather feel his way out in the dark than risk facing the dragon again. With a palm pressed to the wall, he started moving forward, keeping you at his side while making his escape.

"Wait!"

You both stopped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. Turning around, you were met with the sight of a dark-haired man with sharp, golden eyes and shiny black scales framing them. His black wings stood proudly behind him and a dragon tail laid on the floor at his feet. Seeing the dragon that had chased you both standing before you in hybrid form was unexpected. What's more, he wasn't trying to attack either of you.

"You could have pushed that boulder onto me and yet you didn't. Why?" His golden gaze was directed at the half-orc beside you.

"I couldn't." Answered Hongjoong. "It didn't seem right."

The dragon stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again. "What are your names?"

"I'm Y/n and this is Hongjoong." You answered.

"Why were you trespassing? What was it you were stealing?"

Hongjoong reached into his bag and pulled out The Cromer.

"An hourglass?" The dragon appeared confused. "Why?"

"We were sent on a quest to retrieve it. It's an ancient and powerful relic that belongs in the hands of a keeper."

"We've no desire to steal any jewels or other possessions." You added.

After a prolonged silence, the dragon nodded knowingly, which took both you and Hongjoong by surprise.

"Very well. You spared my life, so you may keep the hourglass."

"Thank you..." Hongjoong trailed off, not knowing the dragon's name.

"Seonghwa."

"Thank you, Seonghwa."

"I have one condition though." He mentioned.

"What's your condition?" You inquired.

"Living in this cave can be rather lonely. As you can probably imagine, I don't have many guests, unless they're thieves wanting to steal some of my hoard. If you didn't travel too far, would you perhaps be willing to come back sometime?"

"Come back?" You and Hongjoong echoed Seonghwa's words.

"Yes." The dragon had a gentle and almost pleading look in his golden eyes which were now round with something akin to hope.

A brief look was shared with your quest partner to gauge his reaction before you both nodded in agreement to Seonghwa's condition.

"I think we can arrange that." Hongjoong stated.

The round, golden eyes that were full of hope were now sparkling with anticipation.

"Very well. I look forward to your next visit."

After bidding each other goodbye, you and Hongjoong parted ways with Seonghwa, making your way back out of the cave. Once outside, you dropped down on a nearby rock, heaving a drawn-out sigh of exhaustion. Your side still stung from the fall you had earlier.

"Are you alright?" Hongjoong's question gained your attention.

"I got scraped pretty bad when I fell." You responded, reaching into your bag for the first aid items you brought. "I haven't looked at the damage yet."

"Can you heal it like you did with me?"

"I don't really use that magic for scrapes. Besides, it takes a little energy out of me." You tugged your collar out just enough to glance down at the injuries under your shirt. A sharp intake of air was taken in through your teeth at the sight of the discolored scrapes on your ribs and hip.

"Is everything okay? You need me to take care of it?" Hongjoong sounded a bit frantic as he stepped closer to you.

"I think I can bandage it up myself." You grabbed some of the herbs you brought with you, grinding them up in the small bowl, taking some fabric strips and spreading the salve onto it.

You worked to unbutton the bottom buttons of your shirt to reveal some of the scrapes. Hongjoong winced at the sight. He wanted so badly to jump in and bandage your wounds for you, but you insisted you could do it on your own, so he stood by quietly.

You did your best to hold your shirt up and apply the strips of fabric, but the task was proving to be difficult.

"Here." Hongjoong decided to intervene and offer his assistance. "Let me do it."

With a soundless sigh, you surrendered and allowed him to take over, holding your shirt up just below your chest. Hongjoong took one of the strips of fabric with the salve spread along it, placing it on one section of the scrapes that littered your side. You hissed softly when the fabric made contact with the wound.

"Sorry." He murmured. "I'm trying to be careful."

You watched as Hongjoong secured the bandage around you, his fingers gently brushing along your skin every so often, making you suppress a shiver and sending warmth to your cheeks. He worked meticulously, applying the salve you mixed up onto the strips of fabric before delicately wrapping them around your midsection.

"There."

You glanced down at your bandaged body, assessing the work he'd done. "Thanks."

"Will you be good to walk?" Hongjoong asked while standing up and offering his arm.

You grabbed hold and got to your feet. "I think I'll be alright. Now, what do we do with The Cromer?"

"We take it to The Keeper. His location is on the map I was given." Hongjoong pulled out the parchment, unrolling it so you could see. "That structure right there is where he resides." He pointed.

"That's not too far from here. We might be able to make it there today."

"Then we should get going."

With a nod of agreement, the both of you set off for your final destination, traversing through the wooded area surrounding the mountain.

You kept a hold on Hongjoong's forearm as you walked. The stinging in your side had subsided thanks to the salve, but you continued using your quest partner as a support so you wouldn't strain yourself too much.

"The idea to roll that boulder into the cave opening was a smart idea." You told Hongjoong.

"Oh. Thanks." His cheeks were dusted with pink at your praise. "Using that smoke bomb potion was pretty clever too. I hated that I wasn't there to help, but it seems like you had everything under control."

"I did." You nodded with a small smile.

The sound of distant voices reached the ears of you and Hongjoong. Assuming it was other travelers passing through the area, you paid no mind to it and continued on. It wasn't until you caught a glimpse of a small group of men through the trees that something didn't feel right. They were all dressed in black and had bandanas tied around their faces, concealing their noses and mouths. Hongjoong seemed uneasy at the sight as well, his instincts telling him this group was bad news.

"We should go." He whispered to you.

You gave a nod before he tugged you further into the trees. The area you were traveling through had a mix of evergreens and rocks as well as some clustered boulder formations, which gave you a few options for a place to hide.

"In here." Hongjoong guided you inside a small cave he spotted nearby, pulling you further into the darkness where he took a seat on the rocky floor. "We should be safe here."

The both of you were far enough away from the cave opening that the group of potential bandits wouldn't be able to see you if they were to pass by the area—at least, you hoped they wouldn't.

You grunted softly as you lowered yourself to take a seat next to Hongjoong on the ground, trying not to bend your body a certain way to prevent any stinging from the bandaged scrapes.

"Well, looks like we're gonna be staying here for a while."

"That's fine." You sighed out, resting your head against the rocky cave wall. "I'd rather stay here until it's safe than risk running into bandits and having The Cromer stolen."

Hongjoong hummed in agreement.

You closed your eyes for a moment, leaning your head back a bit while soaking up the silence. When you opened your eyes again, you noticed glowing specks on the cave ceiling.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Where?"

"Up."

Hongjoong glanced up, taking in the array of spots that looked like stars. "Woah. Looks like some sort of bioluminescent fungus or something."

"It's so... pretty."

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like it."

You slowly got to your feet, cautiously taking a couple steps forward while navigating the dark, your curiosity getting the best of you.

"I wonder if there's more."

Wanting to stick close by and also keep an eye on you, Hongjoong stood up and followed behind as you moved further into the small cavern, his eyes wandering along the ceiling that slowly started to get more speckled. Up ahead there was more fungi growing on the walls and even between some of the crevices in the rocky floor.

"Woah." You breathed out in awe as the cave was now coated in a pale blue glow that emanated from the bioluminescent fungus.

Turning to Hongjoong with a bright smile that radiated pure exuberance, you let out a laugh of elation. The half-orc could've sworn his heart beat right out of his chest at that moment, his breath hitching softly. You looked so beautiful and so happy—the picture of perfection. The way your eyes glimmered and reflected the glowing clusters as you admired the fungi made Hongjoong feel like he was going to melt into a puddle.

"Y/n?"

Hearing him call out your name so softly made your turn to look at him, the faint blue glow from the fungi highlighting his face beautifully.

"There's something I wanted to tell you."

His tone was serious, though it carried a hint of nervousness, which made you focus all your attention on him.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for volunteering to join me on this quest. I can't imagine what it would've been like for me if I'd gone alone like I originally planned."

"You're welcome. I've actually enjoyed this little journey, despite the battles... and injuries." You chortled.

"Me too." Hongjoong returned your grin. "I wanted to also thank you for being so kind. Rejection is all I've ever known, growing up in a tribe of orcs who looked down on me and belittled me for being only half of what they were. When I met you, you didn't look at me differently. You treated me just like anyone else."

"Well, if I'm being honest, you're not like anyone else."

Hongjoong blinked a couple times, puzzled.

"You're unique. There've been half-orcs pass through my village, some even live there, but none have been as handsome as you."

"You think I'm handsome?" His words were uttered in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I do. And I think people stare because of that. I personally couldn't take my eyes off you when we first met."

Your words were setting Hongjoong's cheeks aflame. He was preparing to confess his feelings to you and here you were doing exactly what he was planning to do.

"Well," He began, gathering his nerves that were slowly fading thanks to your positive words towards him. "as long as we're being honest, I've never seen an elf as ethereal as you."

Now it was your turn to be flustered. Your mouth opened to say something, but you uttered no words and ended up snapping it shut. Hongjoong was amused by that, chuckling as he took a step closer to you. He hoped he was reading things correctly and that this moment was heading where he hoped it was.

Your eyes met his, the natural shimmer on your cheeks catching in the bioluminescent glow from the fungi. The gap between your bodies was slowly closing as each of you moved on your own volition towards one another.

Hongjoong's hand was warm as it cupped your cheek gingerly, his touch leaving faint tingles in its wake. Your breathing was shallow and anticipatory as he inched closer at an agonizingly slow pace.

The tip of his dainty nose brushed against yours, the sensation making your eyelids flutter. Then, finally, his soft lips made contact with yours and you melted instantaneously. Your hands rested on his chest as you leaned into him, though your palms didn't stay there for long and slowly migrated to his shoulders where your arms slid around his neck. In turn, Hongjoong's free hand came to rest on your waist, slowly gliding up your side to feel the shape of your body. A shaky exhale left your nostrils at his gentle caresses. He was being so slow and deliberate as if to commit every dip and curve to memory. His lips moved just as leisurely as his hands, dragging over your own in a passionate kiss that was making your knees weak and your stomach explode with butterflies.

A small hum from you vibrated against Hongjoong's lips as you pressed your face closer to his, deepening the kiss. This caused his hold on you to tighten, the hand that was cupping your cheek moving to the nape of your neck to keep you locked in place. Hongjoong's other hand that was exploring your waist slid around to your lower back, guiding you forward until you were flush against him. The closeness sent a wave of heat throughout your body, another low hum left you. There were so many sensations being experienced you could hardly focus, your mind clouded with thoughts of the man holding you. Heavy exhales, soft hums, and kissing sounds were all that could be heard inside the cave.

After what felt like forever and yet not long enough, Hongjoong parted ways, pulling his lips from yours. His thumb gently dragged along your bottom lip as he licked his own.

"So beautiful." He murmured, his voice hoarse from the heated moment.

You suppressed a shiver, your half-lidded eyes looking into Hongjoong's with pure affection, and an undertone of desire to kiss him again, but there was a quest to complete.

"We should head to The Keeper." He spoke once more.

You nodded at his suggestion, knowing The Cromer needed to be taken somewhere safe as soon as possible.

You and Hongjoong stood at the entrance of a large structure made of gray brick; it wasn't a castle nor a temple, but something in between. With a push on the door, the both of you started making your way inside to meet with The Keeper.

You entered a small room with plinths lining the walls, each one with an item displayed on the top. Striding about the room was an elderly man with a gray beard, his dark robes dragging behind him. His attention was drawn towards the presence of you and Hongjoong.

"What brings two young travelers to my preservatory?" The man's left eye was covered with a patch that had a crescent moon embroidered on it.

"Are you The Keeper?" You asked.

"I am."

"We're here to bring you an ancient artifact." Hongjoong responded, approaching the man.

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the hourglass the both of you had retrieved from the dragon's—Seonghwa's lair.

"The Cromer." The Keeper spoke in awe. "I've been waiting for brave travelers to bring this to me." He carefully took the hourglass from Hongjoong's hands. "You two are the only ones to succeed. Thank you. I can assure you, your hard work will not go unnoticed."

You and Hongjoong watched as The Keeper walked away, muttering, "Follow me." as he shuffled across the marble floors.

The elderly man led you into a separate room with a singular pedestal situated at the far end. He placed The Cromer on the plinth and held his hands out, a pale green glow emitting from them as a glass case materialized around the artifact, sealing it away. You and Hongjoong were in awe at the impressive display of magic.

"Now," The Keeper strode to a chest on a shelf, murmuring some words as it unlocked and opened. "I believe you two have earned this."

A large bag of coins was removed from the wooden box and placed into Hongjoong's awaiting hands, it's weight taking him by surprise.

"The Cromer is now in its rightful place thanks to the two of you."

With the quest now completed, you left the preservatory and began the journey back the way you both came.

Hongjoong couldn't believe it. He did it. He completed his first quest. His tribe would certainly accept him now.

The thought of his tribe made the half-orc pause his train of thought for a moment, his expression falling ever so slightly. This entire time, his plan was to complete the quest and prove to those who made fun of him that he was capable. His eyes turned to you who was gazing up at the trees that towered over the trail. Hongjoong's heart softened at the sight and he began to realize that going back to his tribe didn't sound as appealing as he once thought. After spending time with you, he'd been shown kindness and had experienced acceptance and appreciation, which he wasn't used to, but he really liked it. He liked the way it made him feel warm inside and filled him with happiness. For the first time in his whole life he felt like he was enough—and it was all because of you.

"Don't go back to your tribe."

Your sudden vocalization caught Hongjoong by surprise, especially because it aligned with what he was currently thinking.

"What?"

You turned your head to look at him. "I said don't go back to your tribe. You don't need them. Stay with me instead."

He blinked a couple times.

"You said you were going on this quest to prove yourself to your tribe, but you don't have to prove anything to anyone. Besides, I can't stand the thought of you going back to a group of nasty orcs that treated you so poorly. They were terrible to you and they don't deserve to have you as a part of their group."

A soft smile of amusement slowly spread across Hongjoong's features.

"I have no plans to go back... not anymore." He responded. "Besides, I can't abandon my new girlfriend, can I?"

A small gasp left you, your eyes widening momentarily at the title. "Girlfriend?"

"We kissed, didn't we?"

"Well, yes," Your cheeks warmed as you recalled the memory. "but we never really made it official. You never asked me to be your girlfriend."

"Well, do you?"

Pressing your lips together to hold back a smile, you nodded. "Yes."

Hongjoong grinned at your acceptance.

"Oh. That reminds me, I have something for you." He reached for his bag.

"You do?"

"I couldn't figure out when to give it to you, but now seems like a good time."

You both slowed to a stop as Hongjoong rummaged for a moment before pulling out a messily-folded wad of fabric. He held it up and you watched as it unfurled itself, your breath catching in your throat at the reveal. It was the dress you were looking at in the clothing shop earlier that day.

"I saw you looking at it and I couldn't stop imaging what you'd look like in it." Hongjoong confessed, his pointed ears dusted pink.

You stepped forward and trailed your fingers along the soft fabric.

"I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"I was hoping you'd wear it on a date with me." Hongjoong's words were quiet, almost unsure as he uttered them. It was as if he expected you to say no.

"I would love that." You gleamed, clutching the dress.

The smile that overtook Hongjoong's features was so large it made his eyes crinkle up into crescent shapes.

Your dress was folded and placed back into his bag for safe keeping and your journey home continued, this time with Hongjoong's hand linked with yours.

"So, if I'm staying, does that mean I get to live with you?" He asked with a smirk as the two of you headed down the trail.

"Of course it does. You're stuck with me now."

"Hm. I like the sound of that."

Hongjoong started this journey with one mission in mind and that was to prove his worth to a tribe of orcs that saw him as nothing. Now, he's ended with a girlfriend, newfound confidence, reward money, and a new place to live where he would begin his own happily ever after.

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