#but like. now what. did anything good happen outside of that ceo getting what he deserves

[frmisnow]

MERLOT !

summary. nothing scarier then confronting past memories and being vulnerable!

notes. well! tbh i find it rly fascinating what events from their childhood make ppl act the way they do in relationships so i thought it would be intresting to dive into oc a lil further! hope y'all enjoy ˚⋆.✧˚

warnings /includes. ( 1.8 k / angst, fluff) comforting! 'let me take care of u'! ceo! jungkook x non specified! reader, hints at domestic abuse and daddy issues, angst, rly bad ex :/ , comfort!

the plane was once again quiet.

he doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't talk. you knew this would happen, you change people for the worse, that's what your father used to say. he became violent, blamed it on you and your 'reckless' behavior.

that's what happened to your ex as well; you used to like the innocence he asserted to you. embraced it, bathed in it because you finally felt like you learnt how to earn love. changed yourself for love.

but it was never enough, everything you offered at some point wasn't fulfilling to him. he changed too, not for good.

you don't want to ruin jungkook.

jungkook rarely even looked at you, didn't talk to you either besides business. and you are so scared that you had already worn onto him, that he was beginning to change as well.

not long after the plane landed, you're outside, wandering aimlessly through the city streets. the cold night air bites at your skin, but it doesn’t help to clear your mind.

you want to drown it out, drown him out. and it hurt because that was exactly what prompted you to meet him in the first place, you had wanted to drown your ex out. now the circle repeated itself.

why did life have to be so fucking unfair?

you push open the wooden door, it felt way to heavy, it was just a random bar you spotted while walking.

greeted an older bartender, ordered an whiskey. you happened to take a look at the bottle label: it was one of the ones jungkook had on his display. you were sure that your own life was actively playing a cruel joke on you.

but the pain is stubborn it doesn't go away with just a sip, clinges onto you, harder. you take another sip, bigger, it's another attempt — it was no use.

you want to go back to milan, at exactly 1:37am, walking around with him. but sadly, time doesn't cooperate so you motion for another drink, that's really all that you could do.

"drinking are we?" you hear a voice just as you settle the empty second glass on the table and you freeze momentarly. you don't have to turn around to see who it was, you knew the sharp and disapproving tone.

and suddenly the pain gets replaced with deep disgusting fear. earlier you had thought that you would rather feel anything else then the strong ache but you had been wrong. the misary had been better then this new emotion.

you give him the silence treatment, don't turn around, don't talk. in reality you were way to scared to look back in the first place.

"you're just like your father"

his words shouldn't get to you because deep down you knew he was wrong. you were nothing like the man he compared you to, could never be like him. but it still got to you, it stung.

it reopened wounds that you had worked tightly on wrapping and you frantically try to work on closing them again as he spat out more of his anger. the more he spoke, the more did your vision blurry and it made it impossible to tie them back properly.

he reaches his hand forward to touch your shoulder and you scream, tears coating your face. you think it would be a sight that would push him away, he hated seeing you a true mess, it wasn't the clean version he liked of you. yet he trys again, a smirk on his face.

you burry yourself behind the bartender's counter as the security drags him away, tears continue streaming down your face as you dial jungkooks number.

you don't remember what you tell him, you don't even quite understand yourself through the sobs but you do remember jungkook asking you if you were safe right now, that you should stay right there and that he'd be there in ten.

he makes it in seven.

jungkook holds your hand tightly while he leads you to his car, it was pouring. you wondered how he managed to be so fast without getting into an accident. he doesn't start the engine instead continues holding both of your hands calmly as you cry, doesn't ask any questions either.

he gives you a few more minutes, kisses your palms, tells you to breathe, tells you you're safe. you lean back against the seat, feeling the car’s warmth gradually ease the chill from your bones while he starts driving.

eventually, you make it to his house. you hadn't been able to fully register it back when you were drunk, but it was big, expensive, maybe a bit depressing with it's minimalist structure.

jungkook doesn't pressure you to talk inside too, wraps you in a fluffy blanket, prepares tea with a concentration that was admirable like he was perfecting it just for you as you watch him from your designated spot on the coach.

he sits beside you and brings your legs across his lap, handing you the warm cup full of tea. he watches you carefully as you blow on it gently before taking a tentative sip while he rubs your ankle comfortingly.

you take another sip from the tea, it's something cherry-flavored, burning hot. you rest your head against the familar coach, looking at him. you don't want to talk, don't want to disrupt the peace you felt right now, with the things your ex had done and said.

words full of anger and spite have no space and no use near jungkook, not now, not today.

he brings his hands to cup the back of your neck softly, "i can run you a hot bath, get you some clothes"

you close your eyes momentarly at his touch and your vocie cracks, "i'm sorry" you're sorry that you couldn't get over yourself and tell him what happened, sorry that the words of the man who hurt you so much still have so much effect over you, sorry that you hurted jungkook by ignoring him for the past few days.

jungkook shakes his head, "no, don’t apologize. you don't have to tell me what happened if you're not ready,” he pauses, “but i was really scared. when you called. i just-"

jungkook takes a deep breath. he runs his fingers over your shoulders before speaking again, “i just want you to be happy. just want you to be safe.”

you take a pause because those were beautiful words. but that's the thing with words, somebody says something beautiful, you want to remember but then you slowly start to forget. you wanted jungkook to tell you that everyday, so you'd never.

"i want you to be happy too," i'm just sure you wouldn't be happy with me. is the part you leave out, not wanting to ruin the moment.

his eyes soften as he watches over you, fingers brushing over your features, "i want to take care of you"

after you're finished with your tea, he guides you to the bathroom gently. helps you get out of your clothes, places light kisses on your back, makes sure the water is just warm enough.

he kisses the spot right below your ear while he begins slowly shampooing your hair, “do you want to talk about it now?” he asks quietly.

it's hard to get your tongue to speak but you feel jungkooks reassuring hands, it's the same hand which pull the words out gently. so you tell him about your ex, tell him about how he used to like you, tell him what he said, how he tried to touch you.

tell him about your father. not everything because some memories your brain simply locked for your own safety.

and he listens, doesn't interrupt a single time, kissing your shoulders as you talk about your childhood. "you deserve to be loved," jungkook says, so sincerely, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

the precious words sink into the sea of your heart, calm down the strom, fill you with inner warmth.

"i'm scared," you look down at your hands in the water, "i don't want to become him, i don't want to hurt you."

"you're not him and will never be," he says softly, as if he's stating a simple fact, "you're strong, kind and you care, so much more then anybody would"

there’s no hesitation in his gaze, no flicker of uncertainty — only a steady conviction that makes you want to believe him.

“you’ve been hurt, so much more than anyone should have to bear,” jungkook continues, his hands sliding down to hold yours under the water. “but that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to repeat the past. it doesn’t mean you’re destined to hurt anyone.”

his gaze wanders of to your intertwined hands shortly until he looks back at you, "you have the power to chose differently, to be better. and you already have chosen."

"and you deserve somebody who cares for you, loves you, cherishes you, i want to be that person for you."

you're still scared. the possibilties of you hurting somebody as precious as jungkook were deeply engraved into your mind but you ignore them, nodding slowly to brush them away. to be selfish for once. "i want to be that for you too"

jungkook smiles in response, wiping away the water droplets from your face, “let’s finish up so we can get you into bed, pretty.”

he helps you stand up, envelopes you in a towel, asks you if you can sit down for him so he can dry your hair. tenderly makes sure to not leave out a single wet strand until every bit of water was gone.

all that can be heard was the rain that was now a lot softer then it was a few hours ago, tapping against the window. you can smell jungkooks scent on the clothes he gave you earlier, you could feel his arms around you, the expensive sheets quality below.

he shifts slightly, his lips pressing little kisses over your jawline and cheeks, asking muffled, "what do you want?" as he continues his services, "i'll give you everything"

you think about it for a few seconds, "a kitten"

growing up, you couldn't afford to have a cat in your house due to the violence. there was no way that such a fragile little animal would've been safe in that enviornment. but you had always loved kittys.

he hums as you turn to look at his face, intertwining your hands together, "that's cute, we can name her cheonsa, you know what that means?"

you shake your head lightly, mouthing a 'what?'

"something that reminds me of you, i won't tell you"

the room is filled with comfortable silence for a few minutes while you listen to him breathe, "we should go back to milan, no business" “then we’ll go back to milan,” he whispers against your skin. “and we’ll come back home to a kitten. do you want that?”

🍓 tag list — @chansloverr , @marimarvelfan , @bxcndd , @1-in-abillion , @ahgasegotarmy116 , @copycat-namjesus , @malkaimoon , @geminiml95 , @taiwan0618 , @jungkookfics , @rrosiitas , @stuti2904 , @spiderlilyserendipity , @m00njinnie , @ririkookiemonster , @emptynessclub

[obsessedwrhys]

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ AMERICAS SWEET-TARDs

ᯓ★ Homelander is forced to babysit you, the troublemaker of The Seven. Deadpool!reader does not like cooperating, dark humour, goofy stuff, typical cursing, gore, story is set on season 4. Reader is gn (uses they/them pronouns)!!

ᯓ★

How you found yourself in Vought's office is hard to explain. One thing you were bursting into the building of Amazon and the second you're here. You sat on the sofa, looking around as you whistled a tune to save yourself from the boredom.

"Why the fuck am I involved with this?" Your eyes perked up at the distant voices from outside the door.

"I'll explain when we're there"

Oh?

Being the nosy person you are, you got up and pressed the side of your ear against the door to get a better hearing of the conversation.

"Your plan won't come together if you don't settle the pieces in place, and this is your plan so you need to work with me here"

Suddenly it's quiet...

Did they leave?

Before you could react, the door opens and you ended up falling flat on your face. You tilt your head up to see it's Sister Sage and Homelander looking down at you. You chuckle.

"Sooo... you both look angry... did I do something?"

Hearing your question, Sister Sage scoffs at you.

"Did you?? You broke into Amazon's headquarters because they messed up your order. You even threatened to kill their CEO. Do you know how bad that is for the image?"

"I refuse to refer to a person named Jeff Bezo a CEO" You said when you got on your feet while dusting off your knees.

"Besides, I don't have an image. I'm pretty sure that I don't even have a face!!" Hearing your words, Sister Sage can't help but roll her eyes at you.

"Nonono seriously, I do not have a face. All this underneath the mask? It's like smashed up birthday cakes in there—"

"Okay I get it!!" She glares at you... then turning her attention to Homelander who's been listening attentively with his hands behind his back.

"You're babysitting Deadpool" She commanded like an order and he turns to look at her with his brows slightly raised.

"Me?" He said, clearly from his face he looks like he's about to be ticked off.

"Yes, I don't know what is it about them that makes it so hard for me to predict their moves" Just as she said that, she turns to look at you. You bat your eyes at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"Not to mention you're making a shit tons of problems for me to deal with here. You even had Lily be sent for therapy!!" She points at you and you held both your hands up in defeat by the mention of your agent.

"Hey now... All I did was cut off my arm and mailed it to Elon Musk. How else was I gonna give him the middle finger?" Your defense being enough to have her let out a sigh as she looks away.

"I don't care, just don't let them do anything stupid while I go help Firecracker with her script" She said to him and you both watches as she leaves. Once she's gone, he turns to look at you, a displeased expression on his face.

To your surprise, he was really actually TOTALLY doing what she's asking him to. You never saw him take orders like that before, let alone from a WOMAN.

"What was that?!" You exclaimed, both arms thrown towards the hallway where Sister Sage is seen to be walking down.

"What happened to Misogyny?! You're really just gonna let that happen???" You looked at him but he just rolls his eyes at you.

"Shut up. She's done more than you've ever did compared to your years here" He walks past you and ends up sitting down on the sofa. You don't say anything while you watch him go.

You're aware that your inability to die makes him bored of you but you didn't think he'd find you this boring.

Honestly it kinda hurts...

Because now you're gonna have to do more crazy shit to piss him off.

You cleared your throat as you forced up a smile.

"You know what, great talk. I'm gonna go be a good citizen now—"

"You step one foot out of this room and I'll lazer off two of your fucking legs"

"..."

With no idea how to respond to the threat. You stood at the door, looking down at your legs then back up at him... before taking a wide step out of the room.

He let's out an annoyed groan.

"Look I don't see why all of a sudden, you two, give the slightest shit about what I do. Has it ever occurred to you that this is my coping mechanism after YOU SLAUGHTERED NOIR—"

"Oh for christ sake, cry me a fucking river"

"You sure you really want that? 'Cause trust me I can cry the entire Nile river in this very room— and I can't promise you it'll be water" He looks at you and you look back at him, your body still standing a few feet away from the room.

"You done whining?" He asks, his expression showing not even the least of interest in your act. You let out an offended sound.

"Am I done whining?! Do you even know me?? That's LITERALLY all I do!!"

Clearly feeling hurt, you began to storm off. From the distant you could hear Homelander let out an exhausted sigh but you could care less right now.

Man if only you could go back to the first day where you two met.

Oh how traumatised he looked when he saw you cut your ears off in an attempt to escape Stillwell's welcoming speech.

Once you made it to the ground floor, you kicked the entrance door open with your chest slightly puffed out.

Who the hell does Ms. Know-It-All thinks she is to have any authority over you? You're the original member of The Seven for fuck sake.

"Holy shit it's Deadpool!!" A fan, seemingly a teenager points at you and you turned towards their group with your most charming smile.

"Hey now, try not to cream your pants... if you've even reached that stage yet..." Without even letting a second pass, the group stands around you as the one at the front takes out their phone for a selfie.

"Say Chimichangas!!" You said, holding up peace signs.

"Chimichangas!!"

⊹FLASH⊹

Once the picture is taken, the fans are quick to check the results while you scratched the itch on your butt. Once satisfied, they gave you their thanks before walking away.

At the same time you could hear the sound of Homelander approaching you from behind. You let out an annoyed groan before turning to face him but before you could even react, he grabs you roughly by the jaw.

"Years of your shit and you still won't learn your fucking place. If I say something. You do it. Understand?" He glares at you, his teeth gritted as his lips formed his signature psychotic grin.

You stare back and you could feel from his grip that you were being slightly lifted off the ground.

"Well excuse me, my liege. I must have missed the memo about being your personal slave. Is it too late to withdraw my contract?" He stares at you... before letting go of you while looking away out of despise.

"You're a cancer on this earth" He said as he's busy wiping his glove clean on his chest. You simply laugh at his remark.

"AH HAHaa hoo... well... you can always count on me to pop up unannounced" You shoot him a wink and decided to walk away, not really caring much of the consequences if you did.

Seeing you walk away like he's nothing, Homelander clenches his jaw out of irritation.

"You're always testing my patience (Y/N)" He said and you instantly stopped walking when you hear him addressing you by your real name.

"Uuugggh seriously? You ran out of tricks so now you're using my government name? You've gone old, John" You fold your arms as you turned to face him.

Noticing the angry look on his face, you are almost not surprised with what happens next.

⌁ZZZZ⌁

You look down, realising you've been lasered in half. Sounds of people nearby screaming was like background noise for you because you were too focused watching your upper half slide off your lower half... then eventually falling to the ground. You grunt from how annoying the situation has become.

"Ah great... now I'm half the person I used to be..." You partially joked as Homelander picked you effortlessly off the ground before taking you back into the Vought Tower.

"Can you at least tell me why you're taking away my rights as a republican?" You asked with your upper half being carried over his shoulder.

"You don't matter enough to know" He says.

After shooting several finger guns at the horrified employees passing by, you made it back to the office where all of your problems began. You yelp when Homelander just threw your body parts on the sofa, you turn to face him after your efforts to have yourself sit up straight.

"Jeez, you're about as exciting as a stale piece of bread" You said and he takes the sofa in front of you. For a couple of seconds he doesn't say anything but watch you with a stoic expression.

You interrupt the silence with a cough.

Then it's silent again.

.....

Okay this is too boring.

"Could you laser me again for entertainment—? Since you're such a buzz kill it can't be hard" You asked but he stays quiet, not saying anything to add fuel to your fire of words.

Once you realise what he's doing, you let out a long groan.

"Where's my Katana? I might as well just kill myse—"

"How are you not worried about all of this?" He interrupts you and your body freezes in place just as you're about to reach for your weapons.

"How is it that everyone's going through a fucking crisis and you're just... jacking off and watching Netflix series like somebody's drunk unc" He stares at you, slight glimpse of envy shown in his eyes. You scoff out of disbelief before laughing and wheezing uncontrollably.

"Well, unlike some people— UHMUHMyouUHMUHM , I happen to know how to unwind and have fun. Maybe you should try it sometime. Might loosen that stick up your ass" You shoot him a smile and you could feel your powers growing back the bottom half of your body.

He snarls at you.

"I'm the Homelander. I'm the strongest being ever. I don't have time to unwind"

"I don't know man what kind of strongest being brags about being the strongest?" You said with your back pressed against the cushion of the sofa, your hand just casually toying with your dagger.

"DON'T YOU—"

Just as he stands up to shout at you with his eyes now glowing red, the door to the office opens and you both turn to see it's Sister Sage. She looks at you, somewhat an unsurprised reaction to your torn off body parts.

"Great, at least you're not off running to harass another important client of ours"

"Are we done?" Homelander stands near her, clearly fed up with the time he's spent with you so far.

You groan but this time purposely making it known to everyone in the room.

"Great, now there's two people pinning against me. You know... it wouldn't hurt to tell me what your plan is. Maybe I can help!" You said, putting up your most charming smile.

Sister Sage stares at you... more like judging you but then she had a look of epiphany.

"Actually... hearing you say that... you could be useful... if we can get you to start a hate campaign towards the Starlighters. This could make my part with Firecracker so much easier. And besides! Incels LOVE you. You've practically obtained the based persona. You're the perfect mascot" She said, her eyes sparkling as she's clearly brainstorming now.

Homelander stands there, a plastic grin on his face while he has both his fists placed on his hips.

"What?" He says, his eery grin still on his face. You laugh as you crossed your... baby legs?

"You hear that Johnny? People LOOOVEEE me..." You bragged which instantly ticked him off

"Listen up, you walking STD. The ONLY thing that people love about you is your annoying, obnoxious, unfunny fuck of thinking you're gods gift to comedy"

"Well I did make that comedy christmas movie with Maeve. Rest in peace that poor soul, it's like I can still hear her in my nightmares" You said while pretending to wipe away a tear. He rolls his eyes at you and Sister Sage watches in almost amusement.

Her slight smile making Homelander whip his attention to her immediately.

"Are you fucking enjoying this right now?" He glares and she quickly covers it up with a serious look.

"I'll go prepare the venue" She simply said before walking away. You laugh as you notice Homelander still having that angry look on his face when watching Sister Sage walk away.

"Do you need a snickers little kid? You're not you when you're hunrgy"

⌁ZZZZ⌁

....

"You just had to push my fucking buttons" He said, the red glow in his eyes dimming after lasering a hole through your head. He stares at your corpse that was still for a moment before you flipped him off with both hands.

He rolls his eyes with a defeated sigh before walking out the office.

[The Next Day]

"GOOD MORNING AMERICA!! IT IS ME!! YOUR FAVOURITE SUPERHEROOOOO!!" The crowd goes wild as you make your appearance on stage. Your mic in hand and the other waving at the crowd.

Homelander who's also present at the campaign, watches from the backstage with a stoic expression.

"Now now now! I have been gathered here to talk about the Starlighters! Huh! Yeah?!" You began to shoot finger guns at the crowd when they started booing at the mention of the Starlighters.

"I know!! Terrible people!! Boooo!! Tomato tomato" You chuckled as you walk across the stage.

"I mean how could you cancel the one and only Homelander? He literally has the personality of a wet sock. Dude already has his own demons to battle!! As a matter of fact, what kind of person goes after a father?! It's not our fault your daddy left you Starlight!!" The crowd cheers at your words.

You turn to give Homelander a thumbs up but he just looks at you with an unimpressed look.

The moment your turn of the campaign was over and it was time for Firecracker to do her thing, you happily skipped on your feet to your next destination... but you were soon stopped when you saw Homelander standing in your way. Though it didn't seem to affect at all.

"You should stop frowning if you don't want your face to look like a nut sack" You pat him on the shoulder before walking past him. With your back turned to him, he couldn't help but touch his forehead a bit... then hurrying to catch up to you.

"Where are you going now?"

"Somewhere full of fun that's for sure" You turn the corner and walked a few more before making to your favourite shop.

You stand in front of it while he stands beside you, his expression unreadable.

"A... pet shop?" He was confused but you didn't bother to answer his confusion and decided to just head on in.

He shakes his head out of frustration before entering the place. He's completely frozen in place when he sees you already surrounding yourself with dogs. You laugh almost maniacally as you enjoyed the way the dogs were licking you so joyfully. That was until you notice the way Homelander is staring at you, scorned by your behaviour.

"What? You upset not even dogs love you? God I'm pretty sure not even flies want to come near you" You joked but his attention on you is pulled away when a dog began gnawing at his glove.

He scowls as he decides to move his hand out of the way but the dog ends up jumping on him to try to chew on the glove as if thinking it's a chew toy.

"Nonono— shoo! Go!" He said while sound of your laughter can be heard in the background.

Oh boy...

[The Next Next Day]

How you scored yourself an invite to the Met Gala was unbelievable. But since you were going, Homelander was left with no choice but to accompany you. As you'd expected it, he showed up in his suit. He really doesn't care about this stupid gathering when he has better things to do.

Better things than supervising your ass.

"Make waaaay for your majesty!!" You said loud enough to make your grand entrance known. Cameras all panning towards you in order to take pictures of your outfit.

You were definitely still wearing your iconic red suit but you had worn a sarape over it. As well as a sombrero and the fake moustache to finish the look. And don't forget the guitar now!! Literally nobody knows why you always do shit like this. The theme is literally 'The Garden Of Time'.

"BOOO!!! FUCK YOU DEADPOOL!! YOU'RE A MENACE TO SOCIETY!!" A starlighter said amongst the rest of the protestors. They must have shown up when they heard news of you and Homelander's appearance. You laughed as you waved your hand dismissively at them.

"Oh, come on, don't be so grumpy. I didn't ask to be born this awesome" You said when walking past their group with Homelander following behind you, both hands placed behind his back like he's your bodyguard.

[The Next Next Next Day]

Of course you'd get yourself arrested for doing some crazy shit during the after party. You whine to yourself as you were chained up in the cell. After all you're no regular prisoner but a supe, so they had to treat you like a monster.

Suddenly two armed guards approached your cell, you stared at the cold faces on their faces before inspecting your restraints.

"You know, I always wanted to try bondage, but I didn't think it would be with such an unenthusiastic audience" You said and soon one of them opened the cell to release you from your imprisonment.

You let out a satisfied grunt as you rubbed both of your sore wrists. Just as the two guards left, Homelander came into view. With the annoyed look on his face, you had expected him to at least be happy to see you.

"Why the long face?" You asked when exiting your cell.

"You caused a raid at the after party. What word of do not cause trouble do you not understand?"

"Ahh you people confuse me. Oh Deadpool please rile up the Starlighters! No Deadpool don't punch the Starlighter for spilling your drink on you! Pick a side goddamn it!" You said changing your voice each time when imitating a person.

Homelander rolls his eyes at your attitude.

"I can't wait for this to be over with" Homelander murmured and began walking away. You didn't wait for a second to pass before chasing after him.

"Hey now! I'm literally your only friend left! Maeve got blown into Christmas dust, Noir became jello, The Deep... eh... he's still pretty balls deep inside an octopus, A-Train is busy being in his redemption arc. And Starlight? To be honest I never considered her apart of our friend group" You whispered the last part as though you were gossiping, which you were in the case.

"Lucky me" Homelander said in the most monotone voice it was hard not to miss the absent of emotions in his eyes.

"You're welcome bestie!! #2 bestie though because I've just became friends with Espresso lady last night" You said and quickly took your stuff back from the officer to show the picture of you and Sabrina Carpenter on your phone.

"Ugh..." Clearly not interested, Homelander left you behind but you could care less as you ended up bragging it to the poor police officer just trying to do his job.

[The Next Next Next Next Next Day]

Of course you're a supe so 99% of your job is to have fun while the 1% of your job is saving lives. You laughed as you fought with the group of thieves inside the crowded casino. A feet away stood, you guessed it, Homelander watching with his arms crossed. It looked more like he wanted this to be over with than be concerned for the safety of the civilians.

"Man this place looks great! How did I never knew of this part of the city?" You said looking around the interior design after effortlessly dodging the man's knife which you simply twisted in his hands to stab it right through his chest.

"Can you get away? I'm trying to win here" An old granny spoke when pushing the dead corspe off the gambling machine.

"Oooo... what's this?" Your eyes went wide in awe as you watched her repetitively tap on the button. Years of your life and you never thought of such a divine invention.

"FUCK YOU!!" A thief jumped off a table and onto your back, his knife in hand as he continously stabbed you on the chest.

"Why is it always the bad guys with the lousy gambling habits? Seriously, I could be playing poker right now, and instead, I'm stuck here whooping your asses" You whipped out your gun and shot the man in the face, his grip on you loosening as he falls to the ground.

Clearly knowing they have no chance in winning, they quickly ran but you simply shot each of them from the back until the very last one. With the dead bodies splattered across the casino floor, you spin your pistol around to blow the hot smoke from it.

"They don't call me Deadpool for nothing. Get it? Cause' Dead... pooool" You laughed when motioning at the pool of dead bodies on the ground that some of the bystanders watching and hiding were scared of what to do at the moment.

They also don't call you the insane member of The Seven for nothing.

[The Next Next Next Next Next Next Day]

You yawned with your back pressed on the sofa while Homelander was pretty much glaring daggers down at you. That's because you decided to make yourself feel homey in his room. With how good the leather felt— how could you not?

"Hey Ryan!" You waved at Ryan who awkwardly stops at the mention of his name.

"Hey..." He waves back at you with a nervous smile before hurrying up the stairs.

Even with Homelander pretty much wanting to kill you right now, you still had the mood to stretch all over his sofa. You grunt at the bliss of the feeling. The feeling of relaxation.

"Maaaan! I haven't gotten to rest for the past few days. Makes me wish I was born a rock"

"Why are you even in my room?" He asks, his voice so piercing.

"Eh... Ever head of a sleepover? Don't you wanna put on face masks together and do each other's nails? We ARE besties aren't we? #2 bestie though since Espresso lady—"

"Enough! GET OUT!!" Suddenly he lifts you up and threw you out the window. Ignoring the sounds of screaming and car alarm blaring, he sat down on the sofa with his eyes closed.

Finally... some peace...

[The Next Next Next Next Next Next Next Last Day]

With the responsibility of needing to follow you around to make sure you didn't intervene with Sister Sage's plan, he was starting to lose his sanity, or what's left of it. He sits in his chair with the rest of the members. Apparently you had called for a meeting and you had to specify that it was an important one. About what? Nobody knows.

"Where is Deadpool?" Firecracker asked since everyone had been waiting for almost an hour now. But just as she said that, you arrived, multiple puppies in your arms.

"Hellooooo! Thank you for waiting for me!! I had to drop by the pet shop to adopt these little devils" You said as you handed one to each of them.

"Ooh puppies!" Black Noir said happily when accepting one from you.

"Can you hurry up?" Sister Sage spoke up with the puppy in her hand playfully biting her fingers.

"Yeah yeah don't rush me, don't you know how to respect your elders?" You stood at the center in front of them. Before starting you made sure to clear your throat very thoroughly. All expected you to be serious about what you had to say but suddenly you balled your fists together with your effort of making puppy dog eyes.

"Pleasepleaseplease let me have my freedom back!! I swear I'll be good!!" You begged and Homelander practically stared at you while not giving much care of the puppy gnawing at his glove.

"You know you wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't been constantly breaking all the ties we have with other companies!! Do you know how helpful it could have been if you didn't pull that stunt at the met gala's after party?" Sister Sage said, expressing her frustration towards you but you waved her off dismissively.

"Okay but seriously guys, I appreciate the whole 'let's babysit Deadpool since they're a walking disaster' routine, but it's getting a bit old. I mean, come on, I've been doing the whole vigilante thing for a while now and nobody ever had a problem with it! I was even the host for MTV 2020!!"

"Which they banned you after because you exposed every celebrity there!"

"Not my fault that Ryan Reynolds had a thing for me"

You sighed.

"I'm starting to think you hate me Sage"

"Oh wow I wonder why"

"Nonono it's because I'm so smart that you can't even predict my next moves!!"

"Or maybe, you make the dumbest decisions that even I can't predict them!!"

"Oh please! I'm the Picasso of poor decisions! It's an art form! The only thing predictable is my ability to be unpredictably unpredictable"

Suddenly all attention turned to Homelander the second he let out an annoyed sound.

"... you know what? Fine. Go do your own thing. Bother someone else who gives a shit" He said waving you off and you jumped happily in the air. At the same time, Sister Sage looked at him in disbelief.

"You know they're gonna get in the way of our plans right?"

"Do you wanna babysit them?" He asks which made her stay quiet and simply lean back into her chair.

All of them watched as you happily skipped your way out of the meeting room. As expected, for the next few days you created more problems for everyone to deal with, first you created a line of Deadpool-themed lingerie which the manufacturing had to be shut down because the company you worked with were selling it using fake products, it was so bad that it had influencers calling you out for it.

Then there was the thing where you hired a bunch of hackers to loop baby shark on every TV in America. That nearly got you arrested but Vought being Vought, they managed to bail you out. If it didn't get worse, you also went ahead spraying neon red on the Statue of Liberty and for some reason replaced all billboards with ads featuring a fake upcoming movie called "Deadpool: The Musical".

During those same days, you were away most of the time so when you came back to Vought to find Homelander in his wrecked up room. You decided to sit down beside him on the floor. Everything was destroyed, even the TV screen was smashed but yet it was still playing. You could care less on why he did it. All you cared about was your hungry stomach right now.

"Chimichangas?" You said, offering him one. He looks at you with a blank expression... before taking one and eating it himself.

Eventually you two enjoyed the food peacefully while you leaned your head on his shoulder, a smile on your face and a scowl on his.

[nateezfics]

WITH SUGAR

♔ PAIRING — san x reader

♔ GENRE — smut, sugar daddy au, ceo au, sugar daddy!san, ceo!san, aged up!san, fem!reader, dom!san, sub!reader

♔ WARNINGS — smut, public sex (in an office/workplace), oral (f receiving), use of pet names (sweetheart/good girl), daddy/sir kink, sexual language

♔ WORD COUNT — 1.9k

♔ SUMMARY — “you have the sweetest taste. i’m addicted to it.”

your heels clacked rhythmically on the marble floor. the sound was hallow and echoed against the walls as you made your way through the hall. your vision was focused straight ahead, the few people that were around mere silhouettes in your periphery. you were steadfast, drawing closer to the all too familiar double doors you walked in and out of every day.

your grip tightened around the warm cup of coffee when you were only a few strides away from the double doors. you straightened your posture and inhaled. this was all routine. you did this every morning — deliver your boss’ coffee to him. just one of your many tasks as his secretary. you stopped just outside the doors and looked over the coffee cup, recounting in your head his exact order. he was very particular about how his coffee was prepared, and every morning you always felt a little nervous that something might be wrong or out of place. he was a man who knew what a liked and what he didn’t, and you were always eager to please.

your knuckles tapped against one of the doors to alert the man on the other side of your presence before you allowed yourself in. you were met with the usual sight of his grand office, with him dutifully working away at his desk in the center. as you approached, his head lifted to acknowledge you. on the outside you were every bit the collected secretary, but on the inside your heart was skipping at the sight of a small smile breaking across his face.

“ah, ms. y/l/n, you’ve arrived right on time.” san’s polite welcome made you smile as you neared his desk. he watched you as you placed his coffee in front of him, and smiled up at you with a nod. “as reliable as ever, ms. y/l/n.”

“of course, sir,” you responded gratefully. you took a few steps back to put some appropriate space between yourself and his desk before linking your hands behind your back. “is there anything else i can do for you, mr. choi?”

he reached for his coffee as he shook his head. “no, you’re good to go. i’ll send for you as needed, of course.” you nodded once just as he brought the cup to his lips, turning towards the doorway to make your exit. you were only a few strides away before your name was called.

“ms. y/l/n, how exactly did you order my coffee this morning?” you turned to see him eyeing his coffee with furrowed brows.

your heart fluttered. “i ordered it as i always do, sir. i even made sure to ask for extra sugar, just the way you like.”

san frowned at his cup of coffee as he placed it on his desk. he pushed it further away from him like it disgusted him to even look at it. “it wasn’t nearly sweet enough. much too bitter for my liking. certainly someone forgot the extra sugar.”

“perhaps i can revisit the cafe, and get you a new coffee —”

he waved dismissively. “don’t worry about it.” he sighed and stood from his chair. he stepped around the desk, drawing closer to you while you remained in place. with every step closer, the air inside the office changed. you weren’t sure when or why it had happened, but a switch had been flipped. the man before you morphed from your boss to something way less professional, something you typically only saw after office hours.

your breath caught in your throat when his hands grazed your sides, his fingers running along the dip of your waist. you were overwhelmed by his proximity and the scent of his cologne. you met his gaze which had grown much darker now, much more dangerous. you opened your mouth to speak, but he quieted you with a thumb to your lips.

“i think i have a much better idea to make up for the lack of sugar,” san said, voice low and sultry. he smirked, and you felt butterflies erupt in the pit of your stomach. “bend over my desk, and take off your panties.”

your face was hot from his words. “wait, are you sure —”

“yes, now do as i say, sweetheart.”

sweetheart. when he called you that, you always did as you were told. your dynamic with him went beyond that of a ceo and his secretary. he showered you with riches, and you gave him your body. it was a win-win situation for you, though you never imagined he’d ever attempt to explore this part of your relationship in his own office during hours. your front met the edge of his desk, and after pushing away some of the paperwork, you leaned forward until you were pressed flat over it.

“panties. off.” his voice was firm. you hiked your dress up over your hips, exposing yourself to his view. you pulled at the lace fabric of your panties, slipping them down your thighs until they fell on their own to the floor around your ankles. you kicked them to side, and now you were fully bare for the man just behind you. you heard his shoes against the floor as he closed the distance between you.

you sighed when his clothed erection pressed into you. you moaned at the hardness of him, skin erupting in goosebumps when his hands palmed your ass.

“that’s a good girl,” he praised, and though you couldn’t see it, he smirked at the sight of you beneath him, bent over his desk. “now, stay just like this for me. you can keep quiet, can’t you?”

before you could answer, two of his fingers rubbed at your clit. you bit your lip hard, and nodded at him. you feared that if you tried to speak, moans would spill out. you remained mostly silent while his fingers toyed with your sex, but nothing could’ve prepared you for what he did next.

san was on his knees, your pussy right in his face. he was so quick you almost didn’t even register that he’d moved until you felt the press of his tongue against your clit. his tongue licked a long stripe over your folds, collecting your wetness. he groaned just as your back arched.

“san!” his name escaped your lips at the jolt of pleasure. just the mere press of his tongue against you had you arching over his desk. his hands gripped your thighs tightly.

san pulled his tongue away from you at the sound of his own name. “i’m sorry, what was that, sweetheart?”

you realized your mistake. “daddy,” you amended. you felt him kiss your sex and mewled at the contact.

“that’s better. now,” san sucked on your clit, “be quiet. wouldn’t want the others in the office to hear me make a mess of you, would we?”

you responded with a simple nod, though you weren’t sure he could even see it from his place on the floor. you relaxed over the desk just as he resumed his feasting, face pressing into the cool, wooden surface. you felt immensely exposed like this, dress hiked up your body and lower half bare, san beneath you with his face full of your cunt. from this angle, anyone could’ve walked in and had a direct view of the debauchery unfolding here. the doors were not locked, and as ceo, san was certainly a popular man amongst the office. the threat of being caught didn’t seem to bother him, and to be honest, you felt excitement when you should’ve felt nervous. there wasn’t much room to think of anything other than his tongue and the pleasure it provided.

san’s tongue lapped at your cunt like it was the most delectable meal he’d ever tasted, like it was some sweet treat he’d been craving. he inhaled your scent and savored the flavor of you. there was something intoxicating about your pussy, something so addicting. san definitely had a sweet tooth, and you were the perfect indulgence. he found himself unable to pull away, not even caring for the need to breathe. he sucked on your clit and released it with a pop! “you have the sweetest taste. i’m addicted to it.”

you couldn’t respond, not when it was taking everything in your power not to dissolve into a moaning mess on his desk. you lifted your head to gaze outside the large window, watching the concrete jungle outside. the city was bustling and busy as usual, all the people within the buildings nearby unaware of the sin happening within this office. you hoped the city view would offer some sort of a distraction, but san’s tongue plunging into your hole took up every single one of your senses and flooded them with pleasure. you covered your mouth with your hand when a moan came dangerously close to slipping out.

“you’re sweeter than sugar, sweetheart. and i’d be happy to let my teeth rot if it meant i could have you on my tongue forever.” san’s words were whispered against your sex like a reverent promise. his lips moved over you while his spoke, only pushing you closer to the edge. “doing so good for me, so so good.”

his praise offered some encouragement as you began to grow insane from the pleasure. you were biting your hand now just to keep quiet. you needed to cum soon or else you’d end up disobeying him. your hips began to move, grinding your sex against his face in desperation.

san laughed, grip on your thighs tightening to keep your hips still. “is my sweetheart desperate to cum, huh?” when you didn’t respond verbally, he patted your thigh. “use your words, sweetheart.”

you exhaled shakily, releasing your hand from your mouth. “yes, daddy. i need to cum so bad…”

he hummed, using his thumbs to spread your pussy open. you were absolutely soaked, slick glistening over your folds. he almost came in his pants from the sight. “okay, sweetheart. cum for me like the good little girl you are.”

he fucked you with his tongue until stars exploded in your vision. you came on his tongue in a rush, pleasure surging through your veins. you shook over his desk, crumbling under the weight of the euphoria. san lapped and sucked until you began to come down from the high. you felt him trail kisses on your thighs before he got up from his knees.

san pulled your dress down to cover you. “you did so well for me.” his gaze shifted to the long forgotten cup of coffee sitting on his desk not too far from you. “and you were better than any sweetener.”

with his help, you lifted from his desk to stand. your legs were wobbly in your post orgasm state, and you wished you hadn’t decided to wear heels. your eyes found san’s before dropping to his still hardened cock. “daddy, what about you?”

san chuckled as he looked down. he was throbbing in his pants, cock feeling more than a little neglected. “we’ll worry about that later, sweetheart. i need you to go back to work now.”

you watched him reach down to retrieve your panties. heat rose to your cheeks. when you reached to take them, he jerked them just out of your grasp. you looked at him with confusion.

he smirked, stuffing the panties into his suit pocket. “i didn’t say you’d be getting these back. we are far from finished, sweetheart.” he leaned forward to graze his lips across your ear. “i will see you again after hours like usual. now, go back to work, ms. y/l/n.”

AUTHOR’S NOTES — this has taken me so long to upload simply because i kept erasing it all and rewriting it :’)

i am slowly but surely getting closer to finishing this spoiled series! it started out as a 3k follower milestone celebration, but now i’ve recently reached 6k followers. to say i’m thankful would be an understatement. the support is mind-blowing, i am beyond surprised at how much my blog has flourished over the years. thank you for every follow, every reblog, every fic rec mention, and for every nice comment left on my fics or in my askbox. it means a lot to me, though i may not always take the time to say it. thank you, thank you, thank you!!

please, if you enjoyed this, make sure to reblog it and leave some feedback!! 💞

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ALL FICS ARE THE ORIGINAL IDEAS AND WRITTEN WORKS OF NATEEZFICS. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. REPOSTING WITHOUT CONSENT FROM THE AUTHOR NATEEZFICS IS PROHIBITED!

[yongility]

NEO TV # ROCKABYE (taeyong x reader) 1/?.

genre: single dad au, ceo au, fluff, slightly angst, smut.

warnings: adult language, death mentions, idk there’s not a lot of warning for this one.

word count: 7k

a/n: if you want to be in the taglist, just lemme know;) enjoy!

During his childhood, Taeyong always dreamed a thousand times about what adult life would bring him. His mind was always filled with those dreams that led him to his future. Would he become a firefighter? One of his earliest wishes formed when he was barely five years old; or would he perhaps become an idol in the Korean industry? He had wished too much to become one after seeing a performance on some TV channel. What if he became a police officer? Or a secret agent? Movies of that genre had always excited him, and he was sure he could become someone who would care for and protect the city if he set his mind to it.

However, reality hit him when he turned sixteen. As an only child, he would have to take over his father's business responsibilities once he retired. So no matter how much he dreamed or how much he wanted to be as an adult, because he would end up in an office, surrounded by papers to sign, with meetings to attend and deals to close.

And that's where he was now, at twenty-six years old, in the office that once belonged to his father and that was now filled with what he once wanted to escape. Still, he was grateful that his father had taught him enough to become the great businessman he is now. His father, who had been a great man, who had taught him incredible things about life, who had shaped him for any situation, who expected him to always give his best... but he never prepared him for what came to his ears that particular winter morning. Those words that left him frozen in the middle of his office. The words his brain couldn't process and that hit him like a bucket of cold water.

"Mr. Lee, we need you to come urgently to Seoul General Hospital, your daughter needs you."

Daughter... Daughter... Daughter...

What was that person talking about on the other end of the line? Was it some kind of joke? No, he didn't think anyone was twisted enough to joke about something like that.

But had he heard correctly?

"Mr. Lee, are you still on the line?"

A simple murmur came from his throat, still deeply pondering what those words from that person meant.

"We're very sorry about what happened to Miss Shin, however, we require your presence as soon as possible to fill out the necessary forms so that your daughter can leave the hospital with you."

Daughter... HIS daughter...

Taeyong's hands began to sweat profusely, his head began to spin, and his stomach began to feel nauseous. His office wasn't even as large as it used to be a few minutes ago. Now, it was getting smaller and smaller. Why did he suddenly start feeling hot? Wasn't it supposed to be snowing outside?

Was he about to faint? No, not now Taeyong. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Daughter.

"Mr. Lee?"

Again, that voice called him, like a drill to his ears. Taeyong took a gulp of air and snapped out of his deep trance. He wiped his hands on his suit pants and swallowed hard.

"I... um... I'll be right there."

You'll go? But you don't even have a daughter, Lee Taeyong… Ms. Shin? Who the hell was Shin?

But he had to go, a girl was waiting for him somewhere in that hospital, and before anything else, he had to clarify this situation. He had to go and clarify everything.

Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be in this situation. What would he do with his life if everything turned out to be true? What would he do being a father?

Oh, Lee Taeyong, you have many things ahead of you. Good luck with that.

______________________________________________

"Before entering the operating room, and knowing the possible scenarios that could occur during the process, that was Miss Shin's will. We were not aware that you were unaware of the situation, however..."

Taeyong's body went into autopilot, with the words reaching his ears and the crying coming from the baby lying in his arms, he didn't know what to think and what to do. Next to him, a window was there, and from there, you could notice the snow falling gently and the wind moving the leaves of the trees slightly.

He cautiously looked at the tiny piece of human lying irritated on his arms. Why wouldn't she be quiet? Was she hungry? Was her diaper dirty? What would he know! He had never had a baby in his care and didn't even know the basic care they required. Him, a father? Never, never crossed his mind.

What was he supposed to do?

"... realizing the situation presented, we'll have to extend a few more days, we'll need a blood test to determine if you're really the father of this girl."

Taeyong's attention shifted from the little one and completely turned to the social worker in front of him.

"We understand that the situation may be very confusing and unexpected for you, but you were the only person Miss Shin gave us information about, ensuring that you are the father. Blood test results usually take from a week to ten days to be ready, so until we know the relationship between you and the baby, she'll have to stay in maternal care, still, we need you to show up here at least once a day. The little one needs warmth, in this case, fatherly warmth to feel calm, if the results find compatibility, we'll arrange all the necessary paperwork for you to take her home without any problem. If it turns out that there's no compatibility, the little one will be transferred to an orphanage where we'll make sure to find her a good family," the woman finished with a small smile.

Taeyong's confusion was still there, everything was spinning in his head, but he was at peace that the little one was now simply asleep. He didn't understand what was happening, but now, seeing the baby, something grew inside him. She looked so small, so fragile... so peaceful. Did she mention something about an orphanage? How could something so small be thrown into something as difficult as that? Confused by his thoughts and memories, the face of Shin Jein came to mind, and he remembered the short moment he would have shared with her some time ago and what, possibly, had resulted in what was now in his arms. So yes, there was even a small chance that they shared a part of DNA, but was he ready to take such a big responsibility into his hands? Would he have to rearrange a room just for her? Money wasn't a problem. How would he change her diaper? How many bottles should she take? Maybe he should hire a nanny. God, so many things were running through his head, and he didn't even know if he was her father or not. What he did know was that if the results were positive, he would pull up his pants, take responsibility and give the little girl the best he could. In the end, that's what his father had taught him; to take responsibility for his actions and face them like the man he was, and he would, even when he knew he wasn't even half prepared to do it.

"Are you okay with everything I've told you, Mr. Lee?" the social worker glanced at him and then at the baby. He brought his index finger cautiously to the baby's soft cheeks and then to her tiny hands, who, in a clever reflex, wrapped her hand around his finger. A lump formed in Taeyong's throat, and his eyes welled up. What would he do?

"Yes," his voice trembled so he cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, I agree."

The worker gave him an empathetic smile and nodded in understanding, jotting down a few things on her tablet and then sighing.

"I have to go prepare some papers for the first phase of the process, which would be the blood test. In a moment, I'll send a nurse to take samples from both of you and to help you with the baby if necessary. You can stay here for as long as you want, and when you leave, the nurses will take care of her," she said before leaving the room and leaving Taeyong alone in the middle of the room with a weight in his arms. Carefully, he moved to a small chair next to a window. He sighed heavily and looked at the baby, and then he couldn't hold back any longer and a sob escaped from him.

He had thousands of emotions running from the tips of his toes to his head. He was confused, he was sensitive, he was frustrated. His face soon filled with tears, and the room with his sobs. Luckily, the little one seemed so immersed in her sleep that she wasn't even affected by the noises of her potential father.

Daughter... Father...

How much weight those words carried. How much it meant. Could he be a good father? He never lacked love at home, sure, sometimes his father could be tough on him, but it was part of growing up and part of understanding what life was. He could say he had a good example when it came to fatherhood, now, could he put it into practice?

To be honest, he was afraid. Afraid of many things. He was an older man, why the hell should he be afraid? He feared not being enough, he feared making mistakes and that the little one in his arms would pay for them. What if he didn't fully learn what being a father entailed? He was on his own, he didn't have a wife, he didn't have a girlfriend to help him with it. His friends... what would his friends know about taking care of babies? And his parents, damn, he had to let his parents know about the situation. In the end, they were the only close people who had some experience in this new world for him.

His routine would change. Would he have to adapt his office to a space dedicated to her? Would he have to leave her in a nursery to attend his work? Or hire a nanny to take care of her in his apartment? He couldn't go out as he used to, and if his sleep schedule was messed up now, it would be even more so. How long would it take for a baby to fall asleep?

But what if... what if the results were negative? Would he just leave, forget what happened, and let luck take care of the little one and find her a suitable family? Would he be able to do that?

He didn't know. Damn it! He had no fucking idea what he would do. Just a few hours ago, he was simply Lee Taeyong, the CEO of Lee Company. Someone single, with no commitments other than his job. And now what? Would Lee Taeyong be a single father?

His head began to ache, and he didn't know if it was from all the thoughts in it or from how much he had cried that he was sure he couldn't shed another tear.

He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing softly and slowly, with no intention of waking up from the peaceful sleep the baby was in. After a few minutes of being in that state, the sound of the door opening made him unconsciously open his eyes, finding a young nurse entering the room.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Lee," a delicate voice called him. "I'm Nurse (Y/N), I'll be the one taking the blood tests, and I'll be the one in charge of the baby," she announced softly and with a small smile.

Taeyong only managed to nod, and with his free hand (the one not holding the baby), he wiped his face, erasing any trace of tears. No words came out of his mouth because he really wasn't thinking straight. His thoughts and thousands of scenarios were haunting his head, and this made it impossible for him to concentrate, even in the slightest.

"Of course," was all he managed to say.

(Y/N) smiled again slightly and approached them with a couple of things in her hands. She sat in the chair next to the boy, and on a small table, she perfectly arranged everything and addressed him.

"All right, I need to take a small blood sample from the baby," she said, taking one of the small needles and turning slightly toward them. "I'll need you to hold her tight, please," she asked kindly.

Taeyong's eyes widened when he saw the needle and then he looked at the baby, and instinctively, he pulled her closer to his chest in an attempt to protect her, so (Y/N) let out a tender laugh, and he saw her with a furrowed brow. What was she laughing about?

"It'll be quick, I promise," she assured confidently.

"Will it hurt her?" he asked, almost obvious.

"It'll only be for a moment. It won't take long, and besides, if you're there for her, it'll be easy to calm her down," she commented, taking the baby's tiny hand and resting it on the large hand of her - potential - father, who, in a reflex, held her firmly. (Y/N) carefully brought the needle to the baby's index finger and without hesitation, pricked it, causing a few drops of blood to fall in the necessary place. The baby, in an instinct, woke up from her peaceful sleep, and a loud cry echoed throughout the room, automatically causing Taeyong to cuddle her more against his chest.

Something that did not go unnoticed by the eyes of the nurse, who just smiled tenderly at the boy's actions towards the little baby. She knew the situation, and it was one that worried her now that she saw the man's behavior. Internally, she wished that the results would be good because it seemed, at first glance, that Lee Taeyong wished the same.

"Now I have to do the same with you," she murmured after having arranged the next necessary equipment and disinfected what would be necessary. "May I?" she asked, stretching her arms toward the baby, and Taeyong looked at her with doubtful eyes, brought the girl closer to his chest, and stopped rocking her after her crying stopped. "I'll just put her in the crib next to you. I need you to stretch out your arm so I can take the blood test, and I don't think it's possible to do it while you're holding your daugh... the baby," she corrected. "As soon as we finish, if you want, you can pick her up again or let her rest in the crib," she said calmly.

Taeyong let out a small breath and nodded slowly, passing the little baby to the nurse's (Y/N) arms, who took her delicately and left her with great care in the crib next to him. Rocking her gently and making the baby close her eyes.

Without much to say, (Y/N) proceeded to take her utensils, and Taeyong rolled up his sleeve, allowing his arm to be exposed for the nurse to do her job, who placed the needle assertively in a vein, causing the boy to give a tiny jump in his place, and then the needle filled with the necessary blood for the test.

"Thank you," she murmured, taking her things and briefly leaving the room. Taeyong held a cotton ball with alcohol on the recent wound and stood in the middle of the room, processing the sudden events of his crazy day, and after a few minutes, the girl came back into the room to find, surprisingly, Taeyong in the same place without the girl in his arms.

"If you want, you can go out for a moment to get some fresh air," (Y/N) spoke kindly. "I know you need it, she's sleeping right now, and I can stay here to take care of her. After all, I'm the nurse in charge. You can go out for a moment, get a coffee, or maybe something to eat. I assure you she'll be here waiting for you to come back, but I think you need to clear your mind a little."

And she was right.

Taeyong's eyes went to the crib and the little figure inside it, he sighed and nodded slightly. "Th-thank you," he murmured, clearing his throat a bit. "I suppose a bit of fresh air would do me good."

She smiled, and he walked slowly to the door of the room, giving one last look to the nurse and to his daugh-... the baby in the crib. He straightened his posture, and as he walked, he undid the knot of his tie, going directly to the entrance of the hospital where, once there, he took his phone out of his pants pocket and dialed a few numbers, bringing the device to his ear and again, taking a breath.

One ring... two rings... three rings...

Please pick up...

"Sweetheart?" a female voice was heard on the other end of the line, and this simply caused another knot to form in the boy's throat.

"Mom, there's something I need to tell you."

______________________________________________

On the fourth day after receiving the news that seemed to turn Lee Taeyong's world upside down, he found himself again in that small hospital room, sitting by the same window where he had been on the first day after meeting the little one. This time, the baby was not resting in his arms; now, she was in the small crib beside him, emitting little snores that showed how much she enjoyed her sleep. Taeyong smiled to himself.

It had only been four long days since then, and every time he saw the little one, he could feel something, something telling him that he should take her and take her home, be a father to her and fill her with as much love as he could.

But the fear lingered; he didn't want to get ahead of himself, and he didn't want to get attached to her, even though it was impossible not to. He feared he wouldn't be a good father, and in the worst-case scenario, he feared negative results. He couldn't and didn't want to imagine what would become of the little girl if she were sent to an orphanage.

Would he to want to adopt her to ensure she lacked nothing? Or should he give a chance to a couple who could take care of her?

Four days and he still didn't know what to do.

So, he shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the wild thoughts, and focused his gaze on his phone, which was playing a video on YouTube. Taeyong watched the screen intently, his brow slightly furrowed and a smirk on his face. So, with all his attention on the screen, he didn't notice the entrance of a certain nurse who had been his company - and in a way, his support - during the past few days. She carried some instruments and a coffee in her hands, which she left on the small table next to Taeyong, who seemed unaware of her presence. This surprised her.

Cautiously, she peered at the boy's screen and couldn't help but let out a slight laugh when she noticed what had kept Lee Taeyong so concentrated, which now, with the noise caused by (Y/N), distracted him and made him look at her confused.

"What are you watching?" she asked curiously.

Taeyong shrunk in his chair and quickly pocketed his phone, then scratched his neck sheepishly.

"It-it’s nothing," he murmured.

"Were you watching a tutorial on how to change a baby's diaper?" she teased with a playful smile.

"Maybe," he mumbled, feeling his cheeks turn crimson.

"How cute," she whispered, but despite that, he could hear her perfectly. "I can help if you want," she offered, extending the coffee she had previously brought in her hands. Taeyong gladly accepted it and looked at her with bright eyes.

"Really?" he asked quickly.

"Of course, if it's important to you, I can help," (Y/N) expressed, peeking into the crib and seeing a peaceful baby smiling in her dreams, melting her heart completely.

(Y/N) had seen hundreds of babies come and go in this hospital; after all, it was part of her job as a pediatric nurse. She had heard hundreds of stories about each family's background and had cared for and treated several little ones. But there was something about that little one that moved her heart. Of course, there were other babies who melted her heart with the slightest thing they did, but the baby in front of her particularly did so even more. She didn't know if her story had touched her more, she didn't know if her potential father had anything to do with that feeling. She really didn't know, but she wholeheartedly wished that both Taeyong and the baby would have what they deserved.

"Thank you very much," Taeyong's hoarse voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "It means a lot to me, everything you've done these past few days... I... I'm very grateful for it," he said sincerely, and she smiled at him.

"It's nothing, really," she replied. "When it's time to change her diaper, I'll give you a class on how to do it, after that, you won't have to resort to a YouTube channel, I assure you," she spoke teasingly, to which Taeyong chuckled softly.

"God, this is embarrassing," he covered his face with his hands so that (Y/N) wouldn't notice how red he was getting. Did he look silly doing that? What a shame.

Suddenly, a few babblings made both of their gazes fall on the crib, and with delicacy, (Y/N) and Taeyong approached the crib, watching the little one slowly opening her eyes until they were fully open, and she continued babbling, perhaps hoping to be picked up by the arms she had become so accustomed to and which provided her with the right warmth for her body.

What a pain it would be if he didn't turn out to be the father. A voice filled the nurse's head after seeing Taeyong, carrying the little one in his arms and gently rocking her while murmuring a few words to her in a low voice.

"Wow, little one, you woke up very pretty today," (Y/N) spoke, and that voice caught the baby's attention. As best as she could, the baby smiled slightly, causing Taeyong to smile even more. "If I'm honest... she and you have the same eyes," she murmured, approaching their bodies.

She made mistake. How could she say that?

"Do... do you think so?" he asked hopefully.

Sometimes you should keep your mouth shut.

She swallowed slowly and looked at the little one, then at Taeyong, and then nodded.

"Indeed... your eyes are very unique, Mr. Lee," (Y/N) replied. "I mean, your eyes are big, they look like the cartoons my nephews watch in the afternoons. Hers are very similar, her eyes are big, and the color is very alike. Both of you have very beautiful eyes," she whispered the latter, but despite wanting to say it just for herself, it ended up in Taeyong's ears, who looked at (Y/N) with a sparkle in his eyes and then at the little one in his arms.

"Well, I suppose you're right, she has very beautiful eyes," he smiled tenderly and gently rested his forehead on the baby's head. "I hope you're right," he murmured.

______________________________________________

"Then you have to fold these two ends, and... there you go, the diaper will be as it should. Did you understand?" (Y/N) finished explaining while carefully placing the baby's diaper.

"Wow, you make it look so easy," Taeyong commented, surprised. "Easier than that YouTube video."

(Y/N) chuckled lightly and then looked at the guy.

"Would you like to dress her up?" she questioned, pointing to the set of clothes next to the baby. Taeyong, without hesitation, nodded and went to the little one. Taking each piece carefully and putting it on the girl even more cautiously, who was awake and moving her eyes around, possibly trying to find a silhouette.

(Y/N) watched the scene in front of her eyes with tenderness and couldn't help but smile. What was it that caught her attention because of them? What was it that made them particles to be absorbed every time she set her eyes on them? The little baby began to whimper softly, causing Taeyong to quicken his pace but still being careful to finish putting on her clothes.

Clothes he had bought himself with the help of his mother.

He took the little one in his arms and rocked her between them murmuring soft words to calm her down. It felt like such a familiar, personal moment... that (Y/N) almost felt like she shouldn't be there, as if she shouldn't allow herself to see that scene. The baby seemed to have gotten used to the warmth of the boy, and as soon as his voice was present in the room, it was enough to calm her whimpers.

How could they have connected so quickly in just four days?

But one thing Taeyong had been sure of was that since the moment the baby's little hand wrapped around his index finger on day one... the little one had won his heart. He hadn't admired a being so much until she did that tiny action; an action that made him question his entire life.

"Should I give her a name already?" Taeyong asked out of the blue, causing (Y/N) to slowly shake her head and look at him with a puzzled expression on her face. "I mean, it's been almost five days since she was born, and I keep calling her baby, or little one... I guess she should have a name," he commented, lightly booping the baby's nose. "But giving her a name also means I'm tying myself to her. I... the results aren't ready yet and if..."

"It would be nice for her to finally have a name," the nurse responded, nodding. "But if you think you should wait..." she approached him. "I heard the results will be ready soon, maybe you'll have them tomorrow, just don't tell Mrs. Kwan that I told you because she'll get me in trouble," she joked. "I'm sure this little one can wait one more day, right, cutie?" (Y/N) addressed the baby in her arms, and she reacted with a babble that melted them in that same place.

For the first time in the four days of sharing moments with the kind nurse, Taeyong took the attention off the baby in his arms and put it completely on the girl beside him. Who smiled while giving some affection to the baby with a huge smile on her face. But what a beautiful smile she had, how had he not noticed it after spending so much time with her? Was he so immersed with the little one that he hadn't even noticed her company? Things sure do change so drastically, if it weren't for the fact that he was now responsible for a little girl, he would have asked for her phone number after the second day. Surely the Taeyong of a week ago would have done that... would things be like this from now on?

He swallowed slowly and looked back at the little girl, who yawned slightly and brought one of her hands to her face. Taeyong smiled and nodded a few times.

"Yes, I'll wait until then."

______________________________________________

“So are you telling me that you've been missing all week because you've been taking care of a baby who could be your daughter?" his friend looked at him expectantly, what kind of madness has he gotten into now? "Taeyong, it's been years since you've had a relationship with someone, what makes you think you're a father to that baby?"

"Formally, Doyoung," Taeyong corrected as he massaged his temple. "I haven't been in a formal relationship for a while, still, I went on dates occasionally," he explained, taking off his glasses and leaning back in his desk chair.

"Have you ever heard of protection, Lee Taeyong?" his friend asked curiously. Taeyong's nostrils flared, and he let out a big sigh. "So, if the results are positive, what will you do? Will you take the little girl to your house?"

Taeyong nodded; "after all, I would be the father."

"And her family? Do you know anything about them?" the long-eyed guy asked cautiously.

"No. When they explained the situation with Jein to me, they told me she hadn't left any information about family and only left mine. I don't know her family. Our thing wasn't formal, we went out a couple of times, but we decided to stop seeing each other because we weren't in the place we wanted at the time. After that, I heard nothing from her... until five days ago."

"And what a surprise she left you!" his friend exclaimed, getting up from his seat and pacing back and forth with his hands on his waist.

"Doyoung," Taeyong lightly scolded. Sometimes he wasn't the most tactful person.

"Why didn't you call me five days ago, Taeyong? I could have accompanied you, did you go through all this alone?"

"Not completely alone, Mom was there sometimes and..." he paused momentarily when (Y/N)'s face appeared in his thoughts, smiling mischievously he continued: "the nurses have also been a great support, besides, what do you know about kids?" he reprimanded.

"What do you know about kids?" Kim curiously replied, raising one of his eyebrows.

"At least, for your information, I already know how to change a diaper," he proudly replied, then fell silent for a few seconds and changed his demeanor. "But seriously Doyoung, I appreciate your concern for me, but things have been like this, all that's left is to wait for the results to come in and everything will be determined. All I need is support, not for you to come and question me a thousand times when I don't even have the answer to half of them," he spoke as he got up from his seat and walked towards his friend, standing in front of him.

Doyoung looked at him with slight pity and lowered his gaze before giving him a few light taps on his shoulder and nodding slightly.

"I'm sorry, man. It's just that you worry me. In the last five days, I knew nothing about you because you weren't answering your calls and your secretary said you wouldn't receive visitors and that you had canceled all your meetings. I can't say I understand what you're going through, but it's a very drastic change and after hearing it, I don't want you to... I don't want you to be affected by the results. From what you're telling me and how you're saying it, Taeyong, you're very invested, and if those results are negative, I know you'll be devastated."

The brunette looked him straight in the eyes and avoided letting a few tears escape when he felt a lump in his throat. He clenched his fist on his friend's forearm, who was still leaning on his shoulder, and pressed his lips together. Why was he suddenly so vulnerable? How could he have changed in just less than a week?

"I know, Dodo... I don't want it either," he said in a low voice. "But that little one deserves something beautiful, and I'll make sure to give it to her, regardless of whether I'm her father or not."

"How would you do that?" his friend questioned.

"I don't know... I really don't know," he finished saying so that both fell into a deep silence right there, in the middle of the large office.

Taeyong was restless, (Y/N) had mentioned that the possible results would be in today, it was almost five in the afternoon, and he hadn't received a single call from the maternity care ward. Would he have to wait a few more days? He hoped not and trusted the nurse with charming eyes, if she had said that maybe he would receive the news today, then today he would receive it.

On the other hand, he felt good about sharing his situation with his best friend. Who has accompanied him during the most remote moments of his childhood until today, and knew that despite how tough or serious Doyoung could sometimes be... his friend only sought the best for Taeyong and no matter what happened, even if a baby suddenly appeared in their lives, he would always support him.

Even if he didn't show it as explicitly as other people.

But Taeyong knew him and he knew him like the back of his hand, and knew that behind those sarcastic sentences, there was a concerned and caring guy. He couldn't wait for him and the little one in the hospital to meet.

And then the sound of a phone inside the office broke the deep silence, Taeyong and Doyoung looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing, and the latter nodded his head towards the older man's desk, who hurriedly ran towards it. Awkwardly, Taeyong picked up the phone and answered the call with a trembling voice.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Lee? What a pleasure to find you! This is Mrs. Kwan, the social worker from the maternity ward," he could hear the voice on the other end of the line. Taeyong's eyes widened, and he nodded repeatedly, as if the other person could see him. Doyoung caught his friend's reaction and ran towards him, standing by his side and pressing his ear against the free side of the phone to listen. Taeyong looked at him strangely and lightly pushed him with his shoulder. His friend didn't take long to react and also pushed him lightly before nodding his head encouraging him to answer the call and putting his ear back on the phone's receiver with a curious expression on his face.

"Oh, Mrs. Kwan, what a pleasure to hear from you, what has happened?" he asked pretending not to understand the situation.

"Just don't tell Mrs. Kwan that I've told you this, she'll get me in trouble if you do," (Y/N)'s voice echoed in his head.

"I hope I'm not calling at an inconvenient time, but I wanted to let you know that the results have arrived at the clinic, and we require your presence to be able to read them," Taeyong's face lit up, and between him and Doyoung, they smiled, the latter once again gave him a little push on his shoulder for him to continue the conversation being held online.

"Oh yes... yes yes yes. Of course, I...," the words couldn't come out correctly from his mouth. "I'll come as soon as possible," he said after clearing his throat slightly. "Thank you for calling, Mrs. Kwan, see you in a few moments," he finished saying to end the call, where he stood still with the phone in his hands while Doyoung hopped around in his place.

"Hyung, the results are done," he said, patting him on the back, however, his friend didn't react. "Taeyong? Aren't we going?" he called him again without an immediate response.

Thousands of things and scenarios ran through Taeyong's mind. He was about to know the truth, one that could be completely satisfying or... completely catastrophic. Five days ago, the news of possibly being a father had hit him like a bucket of ice water, he questioned his entire existence, and fear had paralyzed him, yet, as the days went by and he saw that small face so peaceful and so tender when he arrived at the hospital, he had wished that it was all true, regardless of the weight it would have.

What if the results weren't compatible? He would then have to give up and say goodbye to the little person who had been lifting him with spirits every morning for the last five days. He would have to turn around as he watched the little one being taken somewhere waiting for someone to take care of her. How long did children wait before even a couple could adopt them? Months? Years? He couldn't let her go through that, he simply couldn't. He had to be the one to take responsibility, he was sure of that.

"Taeyong!" his friend's voice and a shake from him made him look into his eyes as he took a deep breath. Taeyong bit his lip and left the phone on the desk, straightened his suit, and slowly walked towards the exit.

"Let's go, Doyoung."

______________________________________________

Both boys walked quickly through the hospital corridors, avoiding bumping into anyone along the way. Doyoung was like a confused puppy as he simply followed Taeyong from behind.

"Yong, where is the maternity ward?"

"To the right," the older replied, turning to one side and entering a room where they could see nurses walking back and forth. Taeyong abruptly stopped to search for the social worker with his eyes. He moved his head at different angles until he could finally spot her at the end of the room. He gave Doyoung a couple of pats on the chest and quickly walked towards her, with his friend once again following him. "Mrs. Kwan," he called out, causing her to turn around and give him a warm smile while holding a few papers in her hand.

"Mr. Lee! Thank you for responding to the call so quickly," she exclaimed enthusiastically. "The results arrived this morning, but we had to sort out some things here, so it was difficult to call you earlier," she commented.

Taeyong nodded and moved anxiously in his place. He tried to dry his hands on his pants, which were starting to sweat, and moved his leg impatiently, watching as Mrs. Kwan carefully read the documents in her hand.

"And... well?" Taeyong blurted out with curiosity.

"Oh yes, of course. After reading the results and evaluating other criteria, it remains to say that there is nothing..." she paused briefly to read, and this only caused Taeyong to stop breathing and clench his jaw, while Doyoung opened his eyes expectantly. "... nothing preventing you from taking the little one home," she continued. "The results showed the compatibility percentages we were looking for, and we are aware that you are in an economic position that allows you to provide for her primary needs. In addition, after the observations that both I and the hospital psychologist have been making regarding your individual behavior and with the baby, we believe that you have the ability to take care of the little one."

"So... so I... can... I mean, I'll be able to..."

"Yes, Mr. Lee, you can take her with you."

Taeyong felt the air return to his body and the tension dissipate in a snap. Had he heard correctly? He looked at the social worker, then at his friend, who was looking at him with a grin from ear to ear, and then he felt his eyes welling up and his heart fluttering. He threw himself at his friend, who hugged him in place, and Taeyong let out a small sob while feeling his friend's pats on his back.

"Doyoung..." he murmured.

"I know, Taeyong, I know," he replied without letting him finish. "You can go home with her."

The social worker cleared her throat slightly, causing Taeyong to separate from his friend and wipe away his few tears, then look at her.

"I am very pleased to give you this news, Mr. Lee. We were aware of the connection you had formed with the little one, and we are sure that she will receive nothing but love and a good life. We personally took care of expediting the document process, and all you have to do now is sign some papers so that you can finally take her home. The only thing we request after this is that you are in the conditions to do so, so... does your car have a baby seat?" she asked curiously.

Doyoung and Taeyong looked at each other and then left the place as if on cloud nine, leaving the social worker alone, perplexed and not understanding what had just happened.

"Oh, newbies," Mrs. Kwan sighed as she turned around to continue her duties.

______________________________________________

In the baby products aisle, Taeyong and Doyoung were lost. Well, actually, it was Doyoung who was lost, after all, Taeyong had come before accompanied by his mother, so he could feel at least – a little – familiar with what was in front of him. So he cautiously looked at each of the baby seats on the shelves, with one hand on his hip and the other on his chin as he tried to figure out which one was the best.

"Doyoung, what are you doing?" asked the dark-haired one without turning to look at him, but feeling him move back and forth, while Doyoung was examining the baby diaper packages, holding three packages in his hands as best he could.

Which one would be better for his niece? Super absorbent or super comfortable?

He looked at each package again and murmured... the boy on the super absorbent diaper package looks very happy.

"Doyoung?" he requested his attention again, and when he came out of his deep concentration on diapers, the aforementioned one jumped in surprise and the packages fell from his hands, causing Taeyong to finally turn to look at him. "What the hell were you doing?"

"I was seeing which diapers I should buy for my niece," murmured Doyoung as he picked up the mess from the floor.

"You don't even know which ones she uses... wait... what?" asked Taeyong surprised as he turned to face him.

"My niece, Tae," replied Doyoung obviously. "Now... am I going to be the godfather? Because let me tell you that among Jaehyun, Johnny, or me, I think I'm the most suitable to be her godfather. Look, I'm the one accompanying you to buy diapers," Doyoung concluded, finally choosing the super absorbent ones.

"But we haven't even come for that," the older one said with a furrowed brow, then the younger one looked at him curiously and held his gaze firmly. "But, okay Dodo, you'll be the godfather, now, if it's not too much trouble, help me with this."

His friend did a slight dance of celebration in his place and as best as he could, he placed the package of diapers between his arm and his rib to hold it, and then helped Taeyong carry the baby seat box and began to walk towards the cashier.

"What are you carrying?"

Doyoung looked at him obviously and huffed.

"The first gift for my niece from me, so... can we go now?"

______________________________________________

Back at the hospital, with the car in the parking lot and a baby seat perfectly placed in the back of it; Taeyong was finishing filling out a form with trembling hands, his friend impatiently tapping his leg, and once he filled out what was necessary, he thanked the social worker profusely, left the waiting room, and headed to the room that now felt so familiar to him, with his heart in his hand and a smile on his face.

And of course, with Doyoung behind him carrying his pack of diapers.

They stopped in front of the room door, and Taeyong closed his eyes for a few seconds, taking a deep breath and gathering the necessary strength because once that door opened... his life would change forever, and it would be for the better. He shook his hands in an attempt to dispel his nervousness and carefully took the handle, which he opened, finding (Y/N) on the other side holding a small diaper bag and with a smile that touched him even more.

"I heard about the results," the nurse said as she approached him and handed him the bag, still smiling. "Congratulations, Mr. Lee” she said sincerely, and Taeyong nodded, feeling his chest squeezed by the different emotions he felt at that precise moment. He believed he had never felt that way in his life. He watched as (Y/N) moved a bit and searched for something inside the pocket of her uniform, from which, delicately, she took out a piece of paper and discreetly handed it to him. "I shouldn't be doing this for many reasons, mainly because it's unprofessional on my part," she confessed, while Taeyong, confused, took the paper between his fingers and noticed a couple of numbers written on it next to a: nurse (Y/N). "But if you don't tell Mrs. Kwan, I won't get in trouble," she laughed lightly. "I hope you don't need it, but if you ever need help, I want you to know that you can contact me, I know all of this is new for you and her. She's an angel, I'd like to help you if you ever need it," (Y/N)'s cheeks blushed slightly, and Taeyong looked at her with tenderness, feeling fortunate to have surrounded himself with supportive people.

"I really appreciate it, it means a lot to me, for real," he smiled kindly. "And, (Y/N)? "he spoke to get her attention. "Don't call me 'Mr.Lee' yes, I'm a dad now, but I'm not much older than you, besides, you won't be the nurse anymore, formality isn't necessary," he explained.

(Y/N) chuckled softly and nodded enthusiastically, approached the crib of the little one to hold her in her arms and appreciate her once again. She caressed her delicate hair and looked at her fondly. She leaned in a little closer to her and whispered, "Good luck in your new life, beautiful. See you soon," she said goodbye lightly, she sighed and turned around to hand the little one over to her now – official – father, who took her in his arms, exchanging a couple of playful glances with the nurse and ended up looking at his daughter.

His daughter. It felt good to be able to say it.

He admired her as the little one let out small snores in her deep sleep. Doyoung watched everything from a considerable distance, with a lump in his throat as he proudly observed his best friend and hugged the pack of diapers to his chest seeking some warmth. Taeyong stroked his daughter's cheek with his index finger and bit his lower lip to prevent himself from crying right there. He carefully pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes, letting her scent reach his nostrils. From now on, would that be the aroma that filled his apartment?

"It's time to go home, Sun Hee," he whispered, and that's when he knew there would be nothing else he would rather be doing at that precise moment and place.

taglist is open, lemme know if you want to be tagged in the next part;) hope u like it.

[tinystepsforward]

i've still been keeping tabs on what's happening at automattic. a couple of things i've observed:

toni schneider (who is a man btw), the interim ceo, has been quite open with staff in ways that mean they generally seem relieved to have him leading the company for now. i've heard people speak optimistically about him from all parts of the spectrum (by which i mean: staff who are trans tumblr users right through to staff who are "anti-woke" or whatever and were absolutely intolerable to work with as a trans person), which seems like... a good sign? maybe.

this relative transparency includes things like weekly updates from an executive level, as well as openly saying that he did have to directly speak to matt and encourage him to, you know, stop posting.

matt is back to his usual milquetoast blogging, and replied to someone on mastodon about the AI issue saying he'd comment on it when he's back in may, so whatever toni said to him seems to have worked for him keeping out of it for now.

people have no idea what it's gonna look like when matt's back.

the best case scenario is that schneider manages to create a significant enough boost in morale and productivity that "it'd be nice if we just kept him" becomes a sentiment that isn't held just by the rank and file. i don't know how likely that is, but there's a sense of cautious hope and of making the most of this reprieve from matt's increasingly erratic decisions no matter what.

the tumblr staff statement was approved by schneider and hr, so i am also hopeful they won't face repercussions. what they said might seem pretty mild from the outside, or carefully worded, but it's pretty clear to me and to most people who've worked at companies like this that it's a pretty bold one.

i'll quote a friend:

keep reminding the more histrionic elements out there that: 1. there really are trans people, INCLUDING TRANS WOMEN, in the fight here. 2. we don't have nearly the power they seem to think we do. 3. we're fighting anyway. was the statement we wrote enough? fuck no. does it fix everything? fuck no. but we literally called out the CEO, and got the greenlight for it from the interim CEO. i don't know where this will end, but that's not nothing.

i'm not sure automattic deserves the immense honor of having this many of its brave, dedicated trans staff put effort into trying to make it better. but it has them, and it would be wise to do its best to keep them. so many of us — even me, even now — believe in the ideals that drew us to the work automattic does, and hope that it can return to them. we will see!

other things i want to say:

the wellbeing of my friends on staff is my priority. i am interested primarily in their safety, and won't pressure them to give me goss. the ways i've spoken publicly are already pretty scary to people who might worry about retaliation against them just for being known to be my friend.

this is a regular personal blog. i'll keep updating if there's shit to update about, but i also don't work at automattic any more (thank fuck, again), have a life, and am not interested in declaring matt my specific nemesis or otherwise acting purely out of spite.

some of youse really deeply do not understand companies, the internet, generative ai, or pretty much anything else i've said. that's okay — big tech in particular is fucked up on purpose bc it benefits those in power to have it be incomprehensible! but maybe it's not a great position from which to get mad at me specifically or at staff for idk not personally assassinating matt.

got tired of blocking transphobes so i've turned anons off. i'll probably flick them back on eventually.

[jedi-enthusiast]

Rewatching Death Note right now and, while I think that "fandom" shouldn't be brought into current events and that fandomizing politics is ridiculous and tends to bring about a lot of brain dead takes, the recent killing of that one CEO and how everyone immediately condoned it and started going all apeshit drooling over "vigilante justice" really reminded me of the Light Was Right to Commit Mass Murder™️ takes I saw a while back.

The point of Death Note was that Light's vigilante justice was WRONG and that it's not right for someone to make themselves judge, jury, and executioner---that murder, even the murder of bad people, isn't excusable and that condoning the murder of "undesirables" or "the bad people" will eventually lead to condoning the murders of marginalized people and people who haven't done anything wrong. Death Note quite literally is a commentary on that sort of "righteous judgement" people advocate for irl which, unfortunately, a lot of people seem to have missed.

Honestly, I don't feel sad that that CEO died, and I'm not saying that everyone in the world needs to be sobbing and upset and empathetic about what happened to him---he caused a shit ton of harm to a shit ton of people, him being murdered doesn't change the fact that he was a shit person who did shitty things. However, we shouldn't be condoning the murder or cheering the killer on or advocating for more people to go out killing the "bad" people, because how long until that definition of "bad" starts expanding?

Homophobes think that gay and trans people are "bad." Racists and xenophobes think that POC are "bad." Sexists think that women, especially women that act outside of their "role" and "place," are "bad." Antisemites think that Jews are "bad." Ableists think that disabled people and neurodivergents are "bad." What happens when they start passing "righteous judgement" of their own?

What happens when "pedophile" turns into "gay/trans people existing in the vicinity of children?" What happens when "murderer" turns into "anyone who gets an abortion?" What happens when "actual rapist" turns into "any POC that a white woman said raped her" (she's lying)? What happens when "evil rich CEO" turns into "that upper middle class family down the street?"

No matter what, when people name themselves judge, jury, and executioner and use the sort of "vigilante justice" that so many of y'all are praising, innocent and marginalized people are going to get caught in the crossfire---not to mention that random killings, even of "bad people," isn't justice at all.

And wanna know what's another pill these advocates for vigilante justice have a hard time swallowing?

That their "vigilante justice" won't change anything.

Killing a CEO is easier than voting in people who will pass bills to help lower income people have affordable healthcare and/or stop the bills that already exist from being removed. It doesn't matter that the CEO will just be replaced with another jackass just like him.

Burning the government down is easier than putting people in office who will fight back against injustice and bring about equality, politicians who actually care about the people. It doesn't matter that destroying the government will likely just lead to more injustice and bring more harm upon marginalized groups.

Enacting violence against "undesirables" is easier than working with communities and those around you to actually bring about change in the world.

So how about y'all stop jacking off to your "righteous justice" hero fantasies and actually start putting in some elbow grease to bring some good about? I guarantee you that, if everyone started doing that instead of posturing online (while not actually doing anything), the world would be a much better place.

[teaberrii]

Chapter Fourteen: Childe

Alhaitham has the looks and the smarts. He will also be the stand-in CEO for his grandfather's company for a year.

But, he's been mysteriously cursed to turn into a cat every night since his eighteenth birthday… until he meets you, an employee at his grandfather's company, who rescues him as a cat and changes him back with one kiss.

Alhaitham/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on AO3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Childe has never been so scared, confused, and frustrated.

He’d already escaped the security guard once. But he knows he’ll eventually get caught. Having no idea where he’s going, Childe races down an empty hallway, wondering what nightmare he’s living in. He’s heard of animal transformations, but don’t those only exist in fairytales and cheesy romantic comedies? They don’t happen in real life. They don’t happen out of nowhere.

“Your father got a promotion.”

Childe had stepped outside after finally answering the call from his mother. He hadn’t mentioned that he would be attending the Awards Night as it wasn’t him who won anything anyway. Even if he did, it probably wouldn’t matter.

“...And?” Childe asked.

“So, we’re moving back to Snezhnaya.”

It was because of his father's job that Childe moved away from Snezhnaya, his hometown when he was younger. His mother had always wanted to move back as it was where she grew up. So now that they were finally moving back… perhaps it would make things a little easier on him.

“Well, it looks like you got what you wanted.”

“...Won’t you come with us?” his mother asked.

“Why would I do that? My job is here.”

“You can get another one. It wouldn't be hard. Your father has connections—”

“No.”

His mother sighed. “It would be in a different industry, but you will still be writing and—”

"The answer will always be no." 

The silence was loud, a little too loud. 

“...I only want what’s best for you, Childe. I may not know much about the entertainment industry, but I know that it's extremely competitive. There are also so many things that are out of your control. Don’t you know it’s not about how good your work is but who you know?”

The last thing Childe wanted was to argue with his mother… in public.

“...I know that friend of yours won an award for what? Best screenwriter?” she continued.

Childe narrowed his eyes. “Yes, she did.”

“Do you really think it was because of her work?”

“What are you getting at?”

“She got it because of her connections. Maybe she even did something dirty behind—”

“She wouldn’t do that,” Childe snapped.

“How do you know?”

Childe clenched his fists. “I’ve known her for almost ten years.” Then, he took a sharp breath. “You can criticize me, but I won’t let you talk shit about my friends.”

“You’re still naive. When will you grow up?”

The last of his patience had finally snapped.

“That’s what I should be asking you. When will you grow out of your narrow mindset?” He sighed loudly. “You and Dad can go back to Snezhnaya. Don’t bother calling me anymore. I don’t need parents like you.”

Whatever his mother said fell on deaf ears as Childe felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest. It didn’t take him long to drop his phone and fall to his knees. What was going on? Was he having a heart attack? His breathing turned erratic, and his body was shaking. Washroom. He needed to find a washroom. Though, maybe what he really needed was a doctor.

Childe doesn't know what to do when he sees you around the corner. Should he run up to you and try to tell you what happened? Should he run away for fear of suddenly turning back… without his clothes? He will turn back. Right?

“...Childe?” you ask.

Wait a minute. How do you know it’s him? Do you know what the heck is going on?

Childe steps forward just as you crouch and extend your hand. But then Alhaitham appears, and Childe stops. You somehow know it's him, and that's crazy enough. He doesn't need Alhaitham to know about his ridiculous situation.

“...Is it really him?” Alhaitham asks.

Whoa. Hang on a minute. Does that mean what Childe thinks it means?

“He reacted when I said his name,” you say, looking at Alhaitham. Then, you turn back. “Childe, if it’s you, could you come here?”

Childe slowly walks toward you, his head low and tail between his legs.

“...Oh, my God,” you say quietly as he sits in front of you.

Alhaitham crouches down. “...This is progress.” You and Alhaitham look at each other. “I have a feeling we’re getting closer to an answer.”

You pick Childe up and say, "You'll be fine. I promise."

Then, you hear footsteps rushing toward you. “Oh, you found the cat!”

You look over your shoulder and see the security guard and Alhaitham’s secretary. As you and Alhaitham stand, he says, “We’ll handle it from here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t tell me the two of you are going to adopt it.” You instantly recognize Ayato’s voice. He comes up beside the security guard. Just past him, you see Tighnari and Thoma approaching you. Alhaitham gives him a look, and he chuckles. “I’m just joking.”

“We still haven’t found the missing man,” Alhaitham’s secretary says.

You and Alhaitham glance at each other. Then, you say, “That’s okay. He called me.”

“He did?” Tighnari asks. “How?”

“...Something happened at home,” you say. “So, he went back.”

Once Alhaitham’s secretary and the security guard leave, Ayato says, “Well, this sure was a night full of surprises, isn’t it?”

“You sound way too casual,” Thoma says.

“How did a cat get in here, though?” Tighnari says, walking up to Childe in your arms. Tighnari gently pets Childe, and you almost smile at the deadpan look on Childe’s face.

Childe turns away, and Alhaitham clears his throat. “Let me hold him,” he says.

He doesn’t wait for an answer and tries taking Childe away from you. In truth, Alhaitham doesn’t want you holding anyone but him. However, Childe sinks his claws into your arm, refusing to be away from you.

“It doesn’t seem like he wants to,” Thoma says.

“He has no choice,” Alhaitham says sternly, and he forces Childe to let go.

Childe meows loudly in protest as Alhaitham takes him away. So, in retaliation, Childe swipes at Alhaitham's face. He misses but makes a visible scratch on his expensive suit.

Alhaitham frowns at the ginger, and Childe smiles at him.

Then, Ayato looks at Childe. “What are you going to do with him?”

That's a good question. What are you going to do with Childe? You know he must be terrified and confused. 

“...Should we take him back?” you ask. Then, you lean slightly closer to Alhaitham and quietly say, “I’m a little scared to leave him alone.”

“I know the feeling.” Alhaitham looks at the group. “We’ll take him back.”

Tighnari slightly tilts his head. “But… it’s just a stray cat, isn’t it?"

Childe meows angrily, just as you say, “I, uh, I don’t think this cat will take no for an answer.”

◆◆◆

You and Alhaitham are so focused on what happened to Childe that you don't notice you leave together. By the time you arrive at the apartment, Alhaitham is still holding Childe.

“He can stay with me,” Alhaitham says. Childe meows in protest, and Alhaitham glares at him. “Or, you can go home.”

Childe looks at you.

“Alhaitham will take good care of you,” you reassure.

Oh, I doubt it, honey bunny, is what Childe would have said if he could. But, as he can't, he only meows in annoyance.

Turns out it doesn't make that much of a difference, as you end up staying at Alhaitham's place for a bit that night. Childe is on the counter, quietly judging Alhaitham's decor until Childe overhears Alhaitham talking about a curse with you in the living room.

"...Soulmates?" you ask. "I don't believe in those either, but with everything that's been going on, it wouldn't be crazy to say they exist." You look at Childe, who's sitting in front of you now. "This is scary, though. Why does it seem like it can happen to anyone? There has to be a trigger."

Alhaitham also looks at Childe. "Our next step is to find out how it happened."

Suddenly, Childe jumps in your direction, but Alhaitham catches him instead. The two frown at each other.

“Whatever issue you have, you can talk with me,” Alhaitham says. “I'm the person who knows your situation best. Not her.”

Childe meows and you can almost imagine him saying, "You just don't want her to hug me, Mr. CEO." Regardless, Childe stands on his hind legs and puts his paws on Alhaitham's collarbone as if demanding an answer to what the heck is going on. And, well, you don't blame him.

“We don’t know why this happened to you either,” you say. “We’ll explain everything when you turn back.”

Suddenly, you hear someone’s phone ring. You look at Alhaitham, who shakes his head. Well, it’s not your phone, so—

Childe jumps onto the floor and runs to his phone that's ringing on Alhaitham's coffee table. You'd got it back from Tighnari, saying you'll give it to Childe when you swing by his house later in the evening. Childe uses his paw to point to the phone, so you give it a glance and see that it's Lumine. Childe meows, and you take that as a sign to pick it up.

“Hey, Lumine.”

“Sis?” A small pause. “Why do you have Childe’s phone?”

You glance at him, and Childe shakes his head. You imagine he wants as few people to know about his… fluffy problem as possible. Or at least until he better understands what's going on.

“Do you need something?” you ask.

“Oh, um, well, it’s nothing. He just never texted me back.”

You slightly narrow your eyes. Then, you lower your voice a tad. "Is… something going on between you and Childe?" Out of the corner of your eye, you see Alhaitham pick up Childe, probably to prevent him from doing anything reckless.

"No. Of course not!" A small pause. "But, um, hypothetically… and I'm just saying, what if! So, don’t get any weird ideas!”

“What is it?” you deadpan.

“What if… something were to happen? Like… hypothetically speaking.”

Lumine… and Childe? You've never given it much thought, as Childe is like family. But that's when you were younger. People change. Relationships change. All of you are adults now, so perhaps you shouldn't be surprised that a childhood friendship might turn romantic.

“Are you asking for my opinion?” you ask.

Lumine isn’t sure what she’s really asking you about. Permission to date Childe? Eh… maybe not that far.

“Let’s talk about this later,” you say, looking away. “Can I call you back in an hour or so?”

“...Alright.”

After ending the call with Lumine, you walk toward Childe, sitting on the counter. His tail swishes side to side when you stand in front of him.

“You’re not trying something funny with my sister, are you?” you ask, narrowing your eyes.

Childe rolls onto his back with his tummy facing up. You sigh as he looks at you with wide, innocent eyes. You can already imagine his response: “Who, me? And Lulu? Well…”

You turn to Alhaitham. “I’m going to turn in for the night. Are you sure you’re okay with babysitting him?”

Childe meows in protest, but you still don't turn back. Finally, Alhaitham walks up to you and kisses your head. "Yes." If he's being honest, the real reason is that he doesn't want Childe to stay with you.

You look over your shoulder and see Childe yawning. Hopefully, he won’t give Alhaitham a difficult time.

◆◆◆

You’ve just finished a shower and sat down with a hot cup of tea when you’re back on the phone with your sister in your apartment. After briefly talking about the Awards Show, the topic finally comes to Childe.

“Do you like him?” you ask bluntly.

“You really get straight to the point, don’t you?”

“Did you want me to beat around the bush?”

“...I guess not.” Then, quietly, “But, I don’t have an answer. I mean… he’s fun. I like him, but I’m a little scared.”

“Hey,” you say softly. “You don’t have to have everything figured out. As long as he’s not toying with you and you aren’t toying with him.”

“Maybe I’m thinking too much. It’s not like anything’s happened yet.”

“Well, maybe it’s because you sense it’s going in that direction, and you want to be prepared.”

Lumine smiles slightly. “Are you a mind-reader now?”

You chuckle. “I try.” Then, in a serious tone, “But, let things happen naturally. Don't let anyone force you to do something you don't want to do."

Lumine knows. But what does she want with Childe? A relationship? Friendship? What if... things don't work out? Will that mean she would be left with nothing? At least, if they never cross the line, they can always be good friends. 

"...Doesn't he flirt with everyone, though?"

“Childe’s friendly,” you say. “But he wouldn’t treat someone he’s interested in the same as everyone else.”

“...Really?”

“He’s more cunning than you think.”

“Has he ever made a move on you? Even when we were younger?”

If he did, you’d never noticed. You’d always just brushed it off.

"Actually… don't answer that," Lumine says quietly. "I guess he would answer a text from someone he's interested in, though, right?"

“Childe’s a bit… busy right now,” you say. As much as you want to tell Lumine what happened, it will sound ridiculous. You can already imagine her telling you you’re just trying to make her feel better. Besides, Childe also doesn’t want her to know. Not now, at least. “His mother called him earlier.”

When Lumine doesn’t answer you, you say her name, and she says, “Ah, sorry. I just remembered that he asked me something strange.”

“What did he say?”

“He once asked me who I thought was more important. Myself… or family.”

You raise a brow. It's not like Childe to ask such serious, mind-provoking questions. Then, as if reading your thoughts, Lumine says, "Yeah, I thought it was weird, too... Do you think something's happening at home?"

That's definitely possible. You know he doesn't have a great relationship with his family. But you don't know how bad it is. Ever since the day he saw him cry because of a fight with his family, he kept you out of the loop, telling you not to worry about it. So that's the last time you asked him and the first and last time you saw him cry.

“Even if something happened, I doubt he’d tell us about it,” you say.

“Good point.”

◆◆◆

It’s almost dawn when Childe suddenly turns back. It just so happens that Alhaitham is awake. He comes out of the kitchen with water and stops upon seeing Childe wrapping one of his clothes around his bottom half.

“Maybe it was a good idea that I didn’t stay with her,” Childe jokes, looking at Alhaitham. “Wouldn’t want to scare her off with a body as good as this.”

“You really need to think before you speak,” Alhaitham deadpans.

As Childe grabs the rest of his clothes on the adjacent couch, he says, "You're awfully calm about all of this."

Alhaitham quietly sips his water. He knows what Childe is getting at. Are you also a cat? Perhaps he didn't say it out loud because of how ridiculous it sounds. So, to answer Childe's unspoken question, Alhaitham says, "It's a long story."

“...She knew who I was. Is that how you two got together? She found out about your secret?"

“She’s the one who turned me back," Alhaitham says, "earlier than expected, that is.”

"Did this all happen recently? When did this curse begin for you?"

"When I was eighteen. Until I met her, I couldn't turn myself back early."

“What started it?”

“I don’t know.” Then, Alhaitham looks at Childe. “That’s one of the things I want to ask you. What were you doing before you changed?”

“I was on the phone with my mom.”

“...If you don’t mind my asking, what were you talking about?”

Childe stiffens. “Is that important?”

Alhaitham doesn’t have an answer. Right now, though, it's obvious that Childe doesn't want to talk about it. Yet, Alhaitham has his answer. From Childe's reaction, that conversation was probably important. 

If Childe was really just casually talking with his mother, then his transformation would be out of the blue, something that Alhaitham refuses to believe. Perhaps it's Alhaitham's stubbornness, but he firmly believes there's a reason behind their transformations.

“...You said that she was the one who broke your curse," Childe says. "Does that mean she can change me back, too?”

Alhaitham doesn't want to believe that. If you can, that would mean Alhaitham isn't special. That would mean… you aren't his soulmate. He may not believe in them, but the idea of you and him being something like star-crossed lovers sits well with him. Anyway, that aside, haven't you and Childe known each other for a while? If you really could change him back, why would the curse randomly begin now? Unless something has changed between you and Childe.

Childe leans back. “She may be your cure, but I doubt she’s mine.” Alhaitham looks at him. “I’ve known her for almost a decade. My curse started just now. The timing’s kind of weird, don’t you think?”

Well, at least they’re on the same page.

Childe smiles at him. “Don’t worry. Mr. CEO. She’s all yours.”

“You’re taking this awfully well.”

“Were you expecting me to freak out?” Childe shrugs. “I guess you’re lucky I couldn’t talk when I was a cat then.” Then, a sigh. “So… what else do you know about this ridiculous curse?”

“I believe the trigger and cure are different for everyone,” Alhaitham says. “Let’s assume your trigger is the conversation with your mother. Mine started unknowingly. Ayato’s… with a kiss.”

Childe’s eyes widen. “Ayato?”

"The cure for your and Ayato's curse has yet to be found. But… she is, once again, the only link between all of us."

“Well, ain’t she a special one.” When Childe catches the look on Alhaitham’s face, he clears his throat. “Uh, what does she have to do with Ayato?”

Hopefully, you have nothing to do with Ayato.

“She looks like the woman who gave him the curse."

“...Well, damn. Maybe she should just be our cute, little cat lady who looks after all of us.” When Alhaitham gives him another look, Childe quickly says, “Think before you speak. Gotcha.”

Of course, Alhaitham wants to find out answers about this curse. But now he's even in more of a rush as he wants to prove you're his cute little cat lady. Not anyone else's.

Chapter Fifteen

End notes: I've been dropping little hints about the curse in recent chapters XD. Maybe you guys will figure it out before the characters do.

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @seirenspinel @lxry-chxn @sakiimeo @ash-in-lavender @ceylestia @forsh4dow @deathkat657 @kalpie @elernity @sentieence @chichibleeps @sunsethw4 @hjjks @tanspostsblog @nqctre @just-simping-over-genshin @uchihaeirin @vynbin @ayanokomu @dksfl920 @alatus1808 @itztaki @thetwinkims @imkaaayy @angeilix @starlighttotheleft @letthewindlead

[zecretsanta]

ZEcret Santa Fic

To: @oobi-oobi

  From: @classycorgiposts

Prompt: The cast of 999 keeping up with each other after the events of the game

Me: First text to make sure I have everyone’s number. 

Clover Field: Got it!

Light Field: Received

Junpei Temyouji: No issues here

Ichiro: Here

  Lotus shot Seven a withering look from the seat next to him. “I *know* I have yours, idiot.”

  “Yeah yeah, my bad.” He rolled his eyes.

  Me: Good. Is everyone doing ok? Big lug and I are at the airport waiting on the flight now

Clover: lmao 

Clover: All good here! Light and I will be getting back home soon

Lotus: Got it. Stay safe, and like that Alice woman said, if anything weird at all happens, get in touch

Junpei: Ok mom

Lotus: I’m serious

Junpei: allright, I got it 

  ——————————————-

The moment Hazuki stepped off the plane and saw her daughters, it was like a valve opened and the turbulent emotions she’d been experiencing since the Nonary Game came pouring out, breaking her cool demeanor she’d put on for the others. Seven watched as she burst into tears and ran across the lobby, pushing her way through the crowd towards her daughters, who barreled into her arms, sobbing with joy in return.  

  Standing off to the side so as not to interrupt the moment, Seven pulled out his phone. 

  Seven: Back in Japan. Hazuki’s girls met us here- all good

  Responses came within moments. 

  Light F.: Wonderful news.

Clover F.: SEND PICS

Junpei T.: Awesome, good to hear 

Clover F.: I SAID SEND PICS 

  ——————————————-

  Sitting on the couch in his apartment’s living room, Junpei’s leg bounced up and down nervously as he watched a TV special on the news about the arrest of Cradle Pharmaceuticals CEO and the liquidation of the company. His apartment felt emptier than it had before. 

  Me: You guys see the news?

Snake: Listening to the report as we speak. 

Seven: Took longer than it should have for this to have gone public. Cradle run hospitals here in Japan have been in disarray, they’re almost certainly gonna shut down.

  Since his return home, he’d felt restless and anxious. A nervous energy coursed through him at all times with no outlet. Kanny and Aoi were gone, and all the others he could talk to about the Nonary Game were far away.

  Junpei: Any leads on them yet?

Seven: I already told you I’d let you know as soon I found something, calm down kid

Seven: I’m doing the best I can, but without some kind of lead to follow, it’s near impossible. Akane and Aoi completely took themselves off the map

  Sighing, Junpei continued watching the news. He needed to do something. Anything.

  ——————————————-

Running his hands along the desk in his study, Light felt the sounds and vibrations of the small army of groundskeepers working on maintaining the gardens and forest outside their family’s manor.

  “So what’s going on?” Lotus’s voice came over the phone. “It’s unusual for you to need help,”

  “So you say. I apologize again for the sudden call, but it’s our mother. Put frankly…she’s become tyrannical.” Light sighed. “She’s kept a close eye on us both since my accident as a child of course, but since we’ve returned home, Clover and I haven’t had a moment’s peace. We’re hardly ever allowed to leave the house, and her paranoia over something happening to us again grows day by day. The kicker is that we’re even particularly close emotionally.”

  “Hmm. Let me talk to her.” Lotus declared after a moment’s thought. “Mother to mother.”

———————————————

  “Your mom did what!?” Junpei said in disbelief. Sitting up in bed, he’d been awakened by a sudden call from Clover, groggily listening as she angrily vented on the phone. 

  “Yeah, bodyguards! How insane is that!? My brother tried talking to my mom as his soon a bunch about letting us be even a *bit* independent, but nothing worked, and there was no way she was gonna listen to me. But then Lotus tried to talk to her and she went completely ballistic, ranting about ‘dangerous strangers’ and us just being stupid kids!”

  A sudden notification while she was ranting caused Junpei’s head to swim.

  “Holy shit…I just got a huge amount of money sent to my bank account!

  “What?” Clover gasped. “You think…it’s them? It’s gotta be, right?”

  Junpei’s mind raced. “Hang on- I’ve got an idea.”

———————————————

Seven stood in his office with Junpei on speaker, in front of a cork board with countless photos, cut outs of internet articles, and maps connected by bits of string. It might’ve been cliche, but damn if it didn’t help with seeing the big picture from pieces of a case. 

  “You getting close to their estate?” He asked. 

  “Yeah, almost there. You know, I was really confident about this at first, but I’ve been getting nervous the closer I get. My palms are all sweaty.”

  Junpei was on his way to the Field estate in a car he’d bought with the large amount of money that had been mysteriously deposited into his bank account from an unknown source. 

  “Man, I still feel weird about helpin’ with this too…” Seven mumbled halfheartedly. “But their mom’s basically holdin’ them hostage.”

  “Right.” Junpei’s voice hardened. “

  “If they manage to slip out and follow the route we planned, that is. 

  “They will.” Junpei’s voice grew confident. “They’ve got this.”

———————————————

Sprinting through the carefully tended forest in the pitch black of night, leading her brother and Junpei by the hand, Clover still couldn’t help but laugh with elation. The confused shouts of the bodyguards tearing apart the estate they’d managed to give the slip after days of careful planning with Junpei, Lotus, and Seven were incredibly satisfying. 

  She left behind a cutting note for their mother, so at least she’d know why they left, and that it was extremely of their own accord this time. The money Junpei had randomly received was a lead- one that Lotus and Seven could follow to the Kurashiki siblings. They’d meet with Junpei, hitch a flight to Japan to reunite, and then…Clover didn’t know. But it was a future full of possibility. 

  “Clover, I hear a vehicle.” Light said. “Is that him?”

  A moment later, Clover heard the sound of tires. Just as they exited the dense forest behind their estate on a remote back road, a sedan screeched up the back road, and disheveled Junpei threw open the doors. “Holy shit, it actually worked- you got out.”

  “Let’s talk later!” Helping Light into the back seat, Clover hopped into the passenger seat, quickly hugged Junpei, then threw on her seat belt. 

  “We can catch up shortly.” Light said, hardly out of breath. “For now, we should make ourselves scarce.”

  “On it!” Junpei stepped down on the accelerator, and they were off. “I’m still getting used to this car, so sorry if the ride’s bumpy! I haven’t had to drive in a while!”

“I’m sure it can’t be any worse then Clover’s driving back in Nevada.” Light said wryly, a bittersweet expression on his face as they got further and further from home. Junpei may have brought up the plan for them to run away, but Light had been the one who heavily endorsed it and planned it out. It had been a necceasry evil, for him and Clover both. 

“Rude!” Clover grinned. The adrenaline of escaping from the prison of her home still coursing through her, Clover stuck her head out the window and laughed, the wind blowing on her and the trees passing by in a blur.

A future of freedom, of searching for the truth with the only people she trusted, was in sight.

[astranva]

i need more hcs for pe!reader and her baby sister. i can only her as being the most popular girl in her class. does she want to follow in big sister's footsteps? is she another nepo baby on the rise?

“and then i told her to stop because…hello? rude!” maddie rolled her eyes.

pe!reader nodded, “good thing you did. somebody had to do it,” she replied, sitting behind her half-sister as she braided her hair into a fishtail.

“thank you,” maddie nodded, “dad thinks i should’ve let ms. rowland handle it.”

“did she do anything about it?”

“nothing, y/n! it was so annoying.”

“then good thing you stood up for your friend, mads,” she said as she added a hair tie to the end of the braid before grabbing her phone and taking a picture so maddie could see.

maddie smiled as she looked at the picture, “it looks so pretty.”

pe!reader leaned, kissing her cheek, “come on now, i want to cook dinner before riv wakes up.”

it was just the three of them at the farmhouse for the day, with maddie being dropped off by marshall—pe!reader’s stepdad—earlier so they could spend some sister time together.

chris was away at a meeting, and decided to spend some time outside so that he could give them some private time together, even though he always itched to join because: a) he had grown even more attached to home after river was born, b) he was just as much of a baby as river when it came to his wife, and c) he loved spending time with maddie.

“are you excited for the championship?” pe!reader asked her sister as they settled in the kitchen, with pe!reader getting to cooking and maddid just sitting on the chair to watch her.

she nodded, “as much as i can be. i’m nervous about this one.”

“you’ve been training so hard, it’ll pay off. it always does with you, miss gold,” pe!reader smiled.

maddie smiled sheepishly, “i just really want to join the championship in belgium,” she sighed, “it’ll be so good for my career.”

pe!reader couldn’t not smile and get emotional any time her 13-year-old sister talked about her career. at an early age, she knew that she wanted to achieve so much as a professional swimmer and build her own sportswear brand when she was older, because being a ceo like her sister was something that she knew she wanted since she was even younger.

“you’ll make it. i just know it,” pe!reader said, “i’m a mother now. my gut feeling is stronger than ever.”

maddie giggled.

“and even if you don’t get it, then what happens? you’ll learn from any mistakes, you’ll work your ass off then you’ll try again. it’s only a matter of time.”

maddie sighed, nodding, knowing that if there was one person who always assured her and put a stop to her stressful thoughts, it was her sister and chris; both were people she trusted to talk to and feel okay after because they were understanding and know what to say and do to ease her worries.

“you’re right.”

[siriannatan]

Empires Business Group Chapter3

On Monday fWhip had to call in sick. He was already feeling the rut coming when Scott left his apartment. He was glad he was sensible enough to go shopping after Scott left. And for the first time in weeks did it himself. Well, he did have some things he didn't trust anyone to buy on his mental list.

On Sunday he could barely stand having any clothes on and found himself more than once loitering outside the guest bedroom Scott had stayed in but never coming in.

In the evening it fully hit him and he no longer had a reason to not go in. Well… actually he didn't even realise when he walked in and lay on the bed, face in the pillows barely smelling of Scott. He whined as he forced himself to leave and lock the door. It'd be far too awkward once he was back in the office and fully in control of himself.

On Monday he called the office to inform them he had to take emergency time off. They grumbled but he was CEOs precious grandson so it was granted.

He tried to sleep most of the day but again failed and spent a lot of it sitting outside the guest bedroom. Feeling pathetic. 

On Tuesday he got a package. Didn't have to sign it or anything, the building employees just left it outside his door and rang the doorbell to let him know. With a whine fWhip forced himself out the guest bed. He'd have to burn those sheets now. Pulled on a robe and went to check. Had to be important if they bothered him with it now.

On his entry door mat was a plain package. Not even a box. Just something wrapped in brown paper with twine holding it together. But it wasn what stopped him in his tracks.

It smelled like Scott. Intensively so. With a growl he grabbed it and slammed the door shut. After locking it he carefully opened the package. Inside was one of Scott's blazers. And a note.

‘Thank you for Friday, archives are waiting’ it simply said but it only confused fWhip further. “I'm in no state for this,” fWhip grimaced as he fought the urge to smell the blazer. 

Scott likely guessed what stat fWhip was currently in. Though it was his fault, he might have triggered it sooner but it was coming soon anyway. And send this to ease his conscience.

“Ugh… Scott…” fWhip whined as he gave into the urge and buried his face in the fabric. It smelled so much better than the sheets. Did Scott take off his blockers for him? Not a good thought.

The worst of it passed by Thursday but upon family insistence fWhip stayed home until Monday.

On Monday he resolved to act like nothing happened. Everyone knew he was an alpha. Everyone knew these things happened. It should be okay?

Well, apparently some people didn't get the memo that ruts and heats are normal. And there were some stares as fWhip with his usual cheerfulness brought Scott his coffee and apologised for taking a sudden time off.

“It's nothing, just go back to the archive, when you're done with last month start on this month,” Scott said with unamused glare.

“Got it boss,” fWhip nodded and marched to his desk.

As soon as Scott left for some meeting some people approached to ask how he was doing.

“I'm fine, these things happen,” and it was completely true.

“Are you sure? Boss was all weird and snappier than usual and kept glancing at your desk. Didn't ask anyone to make his coffee,” one person said and fWhip suddenly had this urge to punch him.

“I'm sure he was just annoyed I wasn't here,” fWhip rolled his eyes and some people nodded.

“Yeah, but Jerry from car marketing said he saw you two leave together on Friday, in the boss' car,” the same person said smugly. Everyone held their breath. Ohh, so the rumours already started?

“Well, if you bothered to ask before spreading rumours,” everyone but fWhip froze suddenly  Scott's voice. “You'd know we simply went to high school together. It had nothing to do with work. You never went out with people from school to catch up?” He asked with a cold grin.

The guy tried to mumble some excuse.

“And why does everyone seem to think me not being here means they suddenly can take a break? Back to work,” he glared over the whole group and returned to his desk without as much as looking at fWhip.

Was Scott in trouble because of the rumours? fWhip wondered as he carefully checked if every file was where it was supposed to be. No way. Grandfather would talk with fWhip first.

Rest of the day was pretty normal aside from Scott leaving faster. Almost as if he was avoiding fWhip. But there was no way. Nothing else was really off.

The moment he entered the family's apartment building. Why did they all have to live in the same building until they were married? He was called to meet with his father.

So maybe there was an issue.

“Hello father,” fWhip announced Ashe entered his grandfather's office. Old man was looking over some paperwork. “You wanted to see me?”

“Have a seat,” his father pointed to one of the chairs. With a sigh fWhip did. “How's work?” He asked.

“Good,” fWhip shrugged. “Can we cut to why you actually called me here?”

Grandfather sighed. “You really do have the same temper I had at your age. Why did you go for drinks with director Major?”

So grandfather did mind that. “We went to highschool together, I haven't had any contact with anyone since graduation so I thought it'd be nice to chat and catch up,” fWhip huffed. So his private life was suddenly under scrutiny now? “Is it against company rules to spend time with coworkers in our private time?” 

His grandfather chuckled. “You brought him home.”

“I had no clue what to do when he got drunk, so I lent him my guest room. Nothing has happened,” fWhip was starting to get annoyed. If Jimmy brought someone home no one would mind no matter the reason.

“He sent you a package…”

“It’s private,” fWhip cut him short. “Has nothing to do with work or the company. Does being the future CEO mean I can't have friends?” He asked. It was often his father and he clashed like this. Most times over boys.

“You can, but did any friend before get you to wear scent blockers?” 

“Isn't it simply polite to wear them at work?” fWhip countered. “Could you please stop meddling in my private life? I'm more than capable of separating it from work.”

“I just want you to be careful.”

“Why are you so bothered we spend some time together? I don't even have his number, old man, there's nothing to be careful about,” fWhip stood up and did admittedly raise his voice. 

“He did trigger your…”

“It was close anyway! And it has started sooner before without any omega around me!” at this point fWhip was yelling. “Just leave him and my private life alone or I'm telling grandfather!” He yelled before leaving the office. He made sure to slam as many doors as possible on his way out.

Annoying old man meddling and worrying over nothing. He and Scott were just cordial. Nothing else. Going out for drinks and one accidental sleepover meant nothing.

He didn't make it home. Now his grandfather wanted to see him. Grand.

“Are you going to try and police my personal time as well?” fWhip was too angry to even bother with being polite.

“No. What you or director Major do in your free time is none of my concern. I just wanted to tell you your father’s place in the board of directors has been suspended. I do not appreciate anyone threatening my employees behind my back, family or not,” grandfather shook his head. “Personally, as your grandfather I'm happy you made a friend, even if he is currently your boss.”

fWhip sighed. At least grandfather is reasonable. To a degree. “We're not really friends, we just went out for drinks to gossip about people from highschool,” he sighed.

“For now, but know that no one's allowed to meddle in your free time and who you spend it with. If they do try to, let me know, I'll get them in their place.

fWhip nodded along. “I'll be going then,” he sighed, rubbing his neck. New patches were more comfortable but he still wasn't used to them.

“One more thing,” grandfather stopped him. “Do be careful with your neck,” he said sternly.

fWhip nodded again and left. At least this time he could make it home for a long, hot bath. If he suddenly picked up bath salts scented like pine then he did. It had nothing to do with Scott's scent being a mix of that, something vaguely reminding him of raspberries and what fWhip would describe as winter morning.

Next day at work fWhip acted as normal. Scott seemed to act normal as well. Yelled, ordered everyone, fWhip included around. Called at least half of the team on the big project idiots. Scott still seemed to avoid him outside work.

At least until Friday. When after work it was fWhip's turn to be cornered against his car. “What did you do?”

“What would I do?” fWhip asked, genuinely confused.

“Your father got suspended as a board member shortly after he threatened me with demotion for being too close with you. What did you do?”

“Nothing. I had no clue about it until grandfather told me on Monday after work… Okay, how about we talk somewhere else before Jeff catches us again?” fWhip offered, fully aware how it might look from a distance. “We can drive separately, I'll give you the address and promise it's nowhere super fancy,” he added, hoping Scott agreed. He really wanted to explain it all.

“Fine,” Scott sighed and stepped back.

So fWhip gave him the address for his favourite place to get away from his family. A small coffee shop with an amazing selection of cakes. And smoothies.

“Really?” Scott asked with an amused chuckle. “Coffee smoothies and cake?”

“We all sometimes need a break from family,” fWhip shrugged and walked in first. “Order whatever you like, it's on me,” he grinned as Scott froze seeing the selection of cakes available even at this hour.

“Don't I still owe you for the drinks?” He asked while perusing the selection.

“It was me who asked you to come for that, no? So don't worry about it,” fWhip waved it off and started to order. Tea for them both and raspberry cheesecake for him and chocolate cake for Scott.

Apparently Scott's been craving chocolate for some time. Well, it was a good flavour in cakes.

“So? What problem does your family have with me?” Scott asked once they were seated in a secluded corner.

“Grandfather likes you,my father hates you. I think he thinks you're trying to seduce me or something. Or he's planning to marry me to someone who'd help him control me once I'm the CEO since grandfather already said he's skipping right to me,” fWhip let it all out. Maybe he should have gotten a smoothie.

Scott looked at him for a moment before laughing. “That's the dumbest thing I heard all week,” he said

“I know, so now if anyone tries to meddle in my private life I have permission to rat them out to grandfather,” fWhip agreed and chuckled along. “It's so dumb, the whole thing. Who makes so much noise about sleepovers and some scent blocking patches?”

“Your father? Umm, you weren't kidding, this place has some good cake.”

fWhip couldn't help but smile. Damn Scott was pretty. “Grandfather once told me he'd leave the company to you if I wasn't an alpha, maybe that too is why dad hates you,” fWhip wondered. It was no secret in their part of the family grandfather liked Scott.

“Did he? I don't really recall meeting him more than a few times since I started working here,” Scott looked genuinely surprised. fWhip liked it better when he smiled. “You don't mind him saying that?”

“Must have made a really good impression. And I totally agree you'd do great as CEO,” fWhip shrugged. He really wanted to hold hands with Scott. “Umm, feel free to turn me down and never talk to me outside work but… Once my training period is over and grandfather puts me in some high management position until he retires… Would you go on a few dates with me?”

Scott stared at him with wide eyes. Forkful of cake halfway to his mouth stopped. “Why? Why me? I bet you know better marriage material omegas.” He asked , setting the fork down.

“I really don't and… as soon as this trial is over they'll start trying to get me engaged. Probably with someone younger than me, hoping they can control me just for them to be disappointed I don't even want to sleep in the same house as they,” fWhip slumped against the back of the seat. “I'd rather marry someone I like even if just for appearances, we don't have to like,” he rambled on just to be stopped by Scott's finger on his lips. 

“How about we count today as the first one?” He offered, completely shocking fWhip. “We're not telling anyone, not even your grandfather. No more meeting on Fridays, we have the whole weekend for that,” Scott listed very acceptable conditions.

“You drive really hard bargain,” fWhip chuckled as he eyed Scott's hand resting on the table. “I accept your conditions,” he agreed and at the same time placed his hand over Scott's.

“Can I have a kiss now?” Scott asked with a smirk. fWhip was happy to oblige. Even if they kept it short and chaste.

“My heat’s coming at the end of next week,” Scott said once they separated.

“Would you like some blankets?” fWhip offered, it was a bit early for them to share their cycles just yet.

“I would love some,” Scott nodded with a smile. “Did my blazer help?” He asked, leaning back. Likely for revenge.

“I was already barely leaving that guest bedroom when it arrived,” fWhip admitted, sure he was blushing like an idiot.

“Good, I'll need your number too.”

After exchanging numbers they finished their tea and cake while gossiping about the department and fWhip's family. And maybe exchanged a couple more chaste kisses.

[waffluous]

ini/jo1 wips that will never come to fruition

"yikes": band + mafia au. sho. but also dxteen ini jo1 and me:i are all there

“Listen. My main concern is why the actual fuck are you getting involved with Jaminico?”

Jaminico is a lavish bar spot for the upper echelons of society, but as everyone and their dog knows, it's the world's worst front for the major mafia businesses futzing around in Japan. And, as everyone and their dog also knows, the mafia is not good news for- anyone, really. Unless your interests happen to include “trying to get a gunshot to the back of your head and have it passed off as a suicide”, in which you should absolutely do whatever the hell you want before the inevitable happens.

It seems as if Suzuku is amongst these ranks, and you noisily exhale into your phone mic to emphasise your feelings about this information.

"ku": mafia au. masaya. also taji is there

It's only when you're under your thick doona that you realise that you've totally forgotten about your sketchbook, which is most definitely still at the park.

Oh well. Surely no one's taken it.

"h": not an au. either sho or masaya

no cool excerpt all just bland worldbuilding

"lol": soulmate au. masaya. also ini

Unfortunately, you were so dumbfounded by your uncomfortably bright string, now looking like a high budget ribbon ensemble, that you couldn't really appreciate this. This evidently applied to basically everyone in the room, with the outliers just goggling you in undisguised shock. Your apparent soulmate, or black hair guy as you had dubbed him in your mind, was also part of this demographic - completely lost for words whilst staring at you.

Yikes. This was… really fucking awkward.

"jumps are": school delinquent au. masaya. twice j line makes a cameo

A bright eyed guy stepped in, hair bleached a uniform blonde, colourful bag haphazardly slung on his back, the 3 top buttons of his school shirt undone, mildly shredded pants collecting around his worn Nike Jordans, and an impressively neutral complexion on his face.

It was honestly quite commendable that he was that unfazed under all the whispers and stares of your classmates. Maybe he was a new kid?

Whatever. You went back to staring down the sparrows bouncing and prancing on the swaying trees outside until the discordant screech of a budget school chair being pulled out alerted you to the arrival of someone next to you. Which was surprising, considering no one sat there, ever, thanks to the unfortunate reputation of your absent seatmate.

This person was not deterred, for a multicoloured bag was unceremoniously plonked on the desk. Grey school pants particularly beat up around the knee area entered your vision. You looked up.

It was blondie.

"im going to be so fr rn": ceo au. masaya yudai. maki gets to enjoy the tomfoolery.

“I hope you're not overworking yourself or anything,” Masaya said in that kind honest tone of his. How he managed to do that in a line of work where he most likely was a professional liar was beyond comprehension. “Would you like to go get a drink with me?”

“Oh, don't worry, I'm-” You cut yourself off when your brain registered that last question. “Fine. Yes. Fine.” Kyosuke did not mention that his friends (?) were extending pleasantries beyond business…?

“What’s this?” Speak of the devil – Yudai slid in, pristine leather briefcase in hand, and smiled at Masaya. “And you're not inviting me?"

“Thanks for offering, but I don't really want anything right now,” you hastily told them. “Hopefully you guys have fun though!”

"god is real and he is in this doc": genderbent au. maki masaya yudai. taji and fengfan are there too

A group of some of the prettiest girls you had ever seen in your life walked by, and with each step they took, you could feel your heart seeping out into the floorboards beneath you. Dripping through, vanishing into the depths of the foundations, any other sentences in the same vein – that was you right then.

Oh my God.

Oh. My. God.

It was almost as if some otherworldly being was laughing in your face when one of the girls smoothly turned her head and met eyes with you, before you very awkwardly looked away.

…Was it too early to have another freak out? No. No, it absolutely wasn't.

[eyitzme]

ᵗᵒ ᵃᵛᵒⁱᵈ ᶜᵉʳᵗᵃⁱⁿ ᵈᵒᵒᵐ ;; ˢᵈʳᵃ²

Summary: The K-pop company Utsuroshima doesn't know what to do with their remaining trainees, Mikado Sannoji, Hajime Makunouchi, Emma Magorobi, Iroha Nijiue, and Nikei Yomiuri. In the end, it's been decided to debut them into a new idol group called Void. Typically, K-pop groups don't have members with different accents, different body types, different heights… Oh, and don't even get started on how it consists of three boys and two girls. Although, in all fairness, the members in Void are the best Utsuroshima has. Utsuroshima's CEO Utsuro and Void's manager Akane Taira don't have other trainees lined up and ready to debut or anything. And, hey, maybe Void will be successful. If they ended up being the final five, they have to be good, right? Even if they're not good, they won't be too bad—hopefully. Word Count: 1,224 Warning: SDRA2 SpoilersA/N: I feel like advertising this here because I should probably post more fics here. However, since this is a longfic, I'm not gonna post the whole thing here due to the way Tumblr works making the idea of posting longfics not the best one. The chapters posted here are the prologue and the first chapter, and you'll know when it switched to the first chapter by the POV switch. If you're interested in reading more, the links to where you can read it will be provided at the end! And don't forget your daily clicks!

Sometimes, Yuki Maeda listened to K-pop. It wasn't often; it didn't entertain him that much. When he did, there weren't a lot of idols or even songs he would say he liked. Really, all of them were okay, but he just wasn't a huge fan of it. He was an ordinary person, so his music taste was completely average, and K-pop, well... It wasn't that average.

He still sometimes listened to it. There was no reason other than because he wanted to listen to something. It kept him busy and focused on something that wasn't all the cats running around outside their apartment. Seriously, he couldn't leave the apartment building without seeing at least five. He actually didn't mind them, but he knew some of his neighbours were allergic to cats. Their landlord was made aware of the problem but wasn't doing anything about it. He knew something had to be done soon, though.

Yuki couldn't hear any of the cats' meows in his bedroom, but he was still listening to K-pop right now. He didn't know anything about all the groups there were, so he picked a popular song. Like always, it wasn't bad, but he couldn't see himself being a huge fan of it or the artist. There wasn't anything about it to grab his attention. Well, in all fairness, he wasn't too sure what would. He was ordinary, so whatever would get an ordinary guy's attention would be how an idol group went for him.

His mom screamed his name. It wasn't the first time that happened. She had a fear of cats, and when the cats sometimes entered the apartment building, she needed his help to get the cats out. He stopped the song and went out to find the cat that sneaked into his apartment building.

There, he saw no cat in their apartment. There was supposed to be a cat, but there wasn't. Not today. Today was special. Today wasn't so ordinary.

Yuki knew the second he saw why his mom screamed his name, he wouldn't be so ordinary either.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

Utsuro knew they were a lost cause. They didn't look like each other, they didn't have complimenting personalities, and it was debatable to say they had enough training. It was hopeless to think they could make it anywhere, let alone make it big. It wasn't like he had a choice, though. Utsuroshima needed someone. They were the best they had.

The five sat in his office. He didn't want to know their names. Utsuro liked keeping things simple. That was why his office's walls and floor were grey, the wallpaper was only a few shades darker than the floor, his desk was brown, his chair was brown, and his desk was empty. There was no other furniture, but five chairs were brought in for them. The less, the better. Having them here wasn't simple, and knowing their names would be too much.

Akane Taira stood beside him, waiting for him to say something. Utsuroshima was her idea, but he actually started it, making him the CEO. She was the assistant, helping him try to get the company more popular. It wasn't. The only thing they could do now was send them into the K-pop industry.

He could imagine what people would say if they saw them. It would make sense to debut a boy group, since three of the five were boys, but Akane wanted to include the girls. How many idol groups were there with two genders in the same group? None that made it big enough to save their company from bankruptcy. Their looks would also be used against them, with having someone tall with lots of muscles with someone so short and skinny. There was a blonde girl who might have the visuals to make it and some boy who looked like he hadn't left his room in over a month. He didn't have to mention the boy who always wore a mask that covered one side of his face.

Four of the five were looking at him with expectant eyes. The masked one wasn't. His exposed face always looked emotionless, but his mask had shifted to a comfortable face. He might as well say something to end this sooner rather than later. "You five are going to be in an idol group together," Utsuro said. "We'll call you Void. There's practice tomorrow. You're dismissed."

Immediately, the hopeful look in their eyes vanished to disappointment or confusion, except for the masked one, his face remaining the same. Utsuro could feel Akane's eyes on him like she wondered if that was all he was going to say. It was.

After some silence, the boy with the black bangs asked, "Are you not going to say anything else?"

"No."

Akane covered her mouth from the other five and whispered, "You're supposed to say—"

"I know what I'm supposed to say," Utsuro said in a voice not anywhere near a whisper, "but I'm not going to. If K-pop groups have to have a meaning behind their name, you will have a void of success. You're going to fail, and Utsuroshima will go bankrupt. It's best if you leave now, but if you want to stay, you have dance practice tomorrow at 6:00 A.M."

"Maybe you could at least assign the positions," tried Akane. "Leader, rapper—"

Utsuro pointed at the masked one. "You're the leader, Mask Face."

Akane hands clasped, unclasped, and clasped together. "His name is Mikado..."

"I don't care. No one will. Anyway, Mask Face, you're the leader. You can figure out the rest of the positions yourselves if you want to use them." Before anyone could get another word out, Utsuro left his office.

He waited for the sounds of shoes rushing to catch up to him. He heard them soon enough, and Akane's voice came too. "Master Utsuro, I think you should've been a little kinder to them. They're just kids who want to achieve their dream—"

"They're not 'just kids.'"

"But they're young and want to be idols. I think you should be a little kinder to them. Iroha just turned 20, and since they're born in the same year, they can't even fit the requirement of age to audition for most companies anymore, so we should at least give them a chance here."

"We are, and we're also giving them a chance to leave before everything gets ruined. Do you genuinely think Void could become a well-known idol group people like?"

Her silence was all the answers he needed.

"Be realistic," Utsuro continued. "If you want to be kind, don't lie to them. The chances of them becoming famous are very slim. The meanest thing you could do to them is give them false hope."

Again, she didn't reply. Utsuro was fine with that. Akane could be very naive at times, and he had to be the one to remind her that kindness wasn't something that could easily be done. If the five that were there—he would just call them Mask Boy, Buff Boy, Pale Boy, Short Girl, and Blonde Girl—used their brains and left, it would be good for them. Otherwise, if they turned out to lack the brains they needed for this, Void would carry on. At least it could be a bit entertaining while it lasted.

If you liked this, you can read it on Wattpad or AO3! Please read the warnings, though, mentioned in the tags on AO3 and in the blurb on Wattpad. If you would rather read more on Tumblr, just ask me for the next part. I won't constantly be updating this on Tumblr though, so it's up to you to keep asking for new parts. Still, if you got this far, thank you for reading! Love you!

[elazul-sasayaki]

I look over the invitation ticket one more time to make sure I have the right place. I'm not much of a party person, and the venue is fancy enough that I feel inadequate even in my best clothes, but I did make a promise I would at least attend. A friend of mine had apparently been invited to this "event" but had fallen ill and was unable to attend. Both he and the invitation had neglected to mention what exactly this event was, though with the manor standing in front of me, I have the social skills to recognize that asking would probably be something of a faux pas. The only clue as to what was supposed to be happening here was a photo of a chubby hybrid catwolf listed as the guest of honor. Admittedly he was easy on the eyes, but he was probably there as a speaker or maybe he was a CEO or philanthropist celebrating some big accomplishment.

I flash the doorman my ticket and he notes down the number printed on it before opening the door and gesturing me forward. The large chandelier lit ballroom is filled to capacity with all kinds of people casually milling about the place, seemingly without a care in the world, most of them appear upper class, decorated with fancy designer dresses and suits and loaded down with flashy jewelry, but I am surprised to see a number of more modestly dressed folk like myself wandering aimlessly around.

Looking around the place for what is supposed to be happening, I spot a line of people going past a table off in the distance, and make my way over there to try and at least look like I fit in. When I get closer, I find there is more activity here than I expected and get pushed out of the way a couple times by others looking to join in on whatever is happening. I fall in line, more on instinct than anything and quietly observe the room as I slowly shuffle forward.

The house is just as fancy on the inside as it is the outside, expensive looking furniture is sat neatly in its place and the occasional painting or other piece of wall art breaks up the blank spaces nicely. Clearly whomever was hosting this affair was well off enough that its cost was of little real consequence to them. How my friend managed to get a ticket to an upscale event like this is beyond me.

The line has slowly but surely been moving forward as I've been admiring the decor, and I lean around the people ahead of me to get a look at where we are going. What I see doesn't make sense at first, and it's only after a few minutes of staring that I start to comprehend what's happening.

The line passes along a table stocked with all manner of food, carved fruit displays, pasta dishes, slabs of meat, and plenty of rich desserts, it all looks mouth wateringly good and as people walk along it, they pile their plates high with the catering. When they reach the end of the table however, most of that food is being emptied into an amorphous blue blob that I realize with a start is a person! A catwolf specifically, the very same one from the ticket in fact, or at least he looks like he might have been the same one some time ago. Now he looks like a caricature of the plump hybrid the ticket depicted, bloated to preposterous proportions with a sign looped around his pudgy neck that reads "Will eat for food."

Whatever the guests don't eat as they make their way down the table is crammed into his mouth, and now that I'm closer, I can see him struggle to chew through all the goodies being pressed into his open maw. I pick up a plate as I reach the far end of the table and start piling up goodies onto it as the line makes its way down the table. Looking back, I can see only a handful of others in line behind me, it looks like everyone else has already fed the guest of honor, so I figure the most appropriate thing to do would be to treat him to dessert.

As the line ahead of me shrinks, I can only stare in awe at the catwolf, at first I thought the image of him from the ticket might have been old, but with the amount of food he is devouring, it looks very possible that the photo might have been taken only a few days prior. His shirt strains at the seams, little diamonds of blue fur showing between the buttons, and his thick arms dangle uselessly at his sides, looking like overstuffed sausage casings with how tightly they are packed into his sleeves. I can hear his stomach gurgling and churning as it processes the mass of food within, interrupted occasionally by his wheezing or gulping. He has a dim, vacant stare on his face, his eyes tearing up slightly as the person ahead of me forces a slice of pie into the half open maw of the blimp like hybrid, and then all too soon, it's my turn.

I look down at my plate, stacked high with sweets I don't remember grabbing and then back to the catwolf. He stares back at me with a pleading expression on his face, or at least as much of one as he can manage with pudgy cheeks stuffed with food like a chipmunk. I can't tell if he's pleading for mercy or pleading for more, and I hesitate, just long enough for his stomach to gurgle loudly.

I put a paw on his massive belly and gently stroke the outside, feeling it swell and shrink with each painfully full breath. He swallows more of the food he's chewing and I reach over to my plate and pass a brownie between his lips on instinct. It surprises me, that I do so without even thinking, but at the same time, it feels so right, like feeding him is what I was meant to do. Time blurs as I alternate between rubbing his churning gut and passing him more desserts, and before I know it, I'm reaching over to an empty plate.

I blink suddenly looking over at my now bare platter and then back at the doughy catwolf who is panting and groaning with fullness. It can't have been more than a few minutes, but it feels as though I had been feeding him for days. Wordlessly I step out of line and let the next person in line casually walk forward and cram a slice of beef into the immobile blue blob as they chat with another person in line, almost as if they don't even recognize what they are doing. I pull out my ticket and stare at the heavyset catwolf depicted on it, then back to the boulder sized one at the end of the table. They are unmistakably the same person, but it seems impossible that he could have gotten so fat, so quickly. Reading the invitation over, it only announces him as "Elaz" the guest of honor for this party, there's no mention of why he is the guest of honor, nor is there anything about why everyone seems to be stuffing him to the bursting point.

I look up from the ticket and watch the last person in line pour their drink into Elaz before dispersing into the crowd. Whatever reason everyone had for wanting to turn him into a food balloon doesn't seem to warrant coming back for a second round. The crowd has already started to spread out to the rest of the mansion leaving Elaz alone at the head of the table. I can't help but stare in fascination as he makes a final gulp, condemning the last of his feeding to his colossal gut. Before I even realize what I'm doing, I've already walked right up to him again and put my paws on his bulging belly. He looks at me with those vacant eyes and I can't tell if he is relieved or disappointed that I'm not forcing more food into his mouth. I gently run my paws across his bloated stomach, feeling it shift and burble as the mass of food within churns noisily. Anywhere I put a paw on him, it just seems to keep sinking deeper, first through thick fur and then through plush fat. He seems to appreciate the gesture at least, since his arms are unable to reach with how tightly they are bound by his shirt. The rubbing eventually coaxes out a few small, overstuffed burps, causing the blubbery blue ball of catwolf belly to wobble slightly.

He doesn't speak, but his panting and groaning gets ever so slightly softer, so I can tell I've given him at least some relief from the pressure. I grab a napkin from the table and lightly dab at his face to wipe away the crumbs of food that did not quite make it to his mouth before removing the sign from around his neck and laying it on the table.

Elaz shifts slightly in his chair and I can hear the aged wood creak before it snaps, sending him tumbling to the ground with a meaty slap and an uncomfortable sounding belch. His shirt, strained to the breaking point, rips a seam along the side, and soft catwolf flab oozes out through the newfound weakness.

It takes several minutes, but I am able to help haul him to his knees and eventually his feet, the entire ordeal made more difficult by his colossal weight as much as it was by his thick flabby exterior. My paws sink at least an inch into anything I grab, and it's nearly impossible to get good leverage on him when anything I can push on flows out of the way like a water balloon. When I am able to get him to his feet, I carefully guide him towards a couch lined up against a nearby wall. He can barely walk, only able to make a slow, ponderous waddle when he leans most of his weight on me, nearly burying me in warm, soft blubber. Eventually he does make it to the couch, and I have to hold onto both of his paws to ease him onto the couch so that doing so resembles sitting more than it does crashing into it.

Even as softly as I am able to sit him down, the motion jostles another belch from Elaz, and the tear in his shirt rips another few inches, but he is finally comfortable, or at least as comfortable as he can get under the circumstances. His flabby frame bulges out in every direction, and there's barely enough room left on the couch for me, but I'm able to make it work. As exhausting as getting him across the room was for me, I can only imagine how exhausting it was for him. With Elaz finally seated, I set to work rubbing his belly, receiving pleased gurgles and groans from him as he digests his massive meal. The gentle, rhythmic motion seems to help settle his stomach, and the angry growling of minutes ago is replaced by the occasional low burble. All my kneading and massaging does not erase the consequences of the catwolfs gluttony, but it does, at least, appear to make them bearable. Elaz is putty in my paws, his dim expression much more relieved than when he was, quite literally, stuffed to tears at the table.

With his tummy seemingly satisfied, I take one paw off it to lightly scratch behind his ears and under his meaty chin while my other paw absentmindedly traces patterns in his belly fur. Something about him being stuffed to the gills like that makes me want to reward him for it, I lean into my scratching and rubbing, and get pleasant sounding grunts in response.

A gurgle from his belly suddenly snaps me out of my trance, and I look around to see most of the partygoers have left. I check my watch to find it's been hours since I arrived and am surprised to realize how tired I am when I yawn. I look over to see Elaz staring at the table with that same conflicted look on his face as before, caught between wanting more and feeling like he could burst at any moment.

I get up off the couch and survey the table as I approach, spotting a now mostly melted tub of icecream that would make for a suitable offering. Cool, soft, and calorie rich, perfect for the hybrid who doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word, "enough".

I bring the tub back to the couch and sit down next to Elaz again, he opens his mouth to say something, but I press the corner of the tub to his lips and slowly tip it forwards. He starts to gulp down the thick liquid, slowly at first, but soon his greed starts to overtake his reasoning and he starts to take bigger and bigger swallows of rich dairy dessert. In only a couple of minutes, he has emptied the tub and has to take shallow breaths to recover from the ordeal. As I'm setting the empty tub on the ground, he takes a deeper breath than before and nearly shreds what little remains of his top. The rip in his shirt goes even farther this time, letting more catwolf blubber spill out, pinning me to the side of the couch so hard I have the wind knocked out of me. The two of us groan at the same time, Elaz in relief and I in pain.

After I blink the stars from my vision, I find myself half buried underneath Elaz, squashed between his frame and the frame of the couch. Trying to stand up proves futile, I'm simply too exhausted to heft the mound of fluffy blue belly out of the way, and with Elaz starting to nod off, there's no way he will be able to help me escape either. "Ah well", I think to myself, "might as well make the best of the situation and get comfortable. I've got the softest weighted blanket around, and there's nowhere I'd rather be."

Hhhhhh... Yes, yes please, this is a beautiful expansion on my silly idea, I absolutely love it and could almost feel it as I read along.

Thank you so very much for writing this, I can't think of anything else to say to express how giddy it made me feel to read it. ~w~

[uniqueoneinca]

Saturday

I had yesterday off and I am so glad that I did. I didn't want to work anymore last week. I really do not like the place I work and it affects me all of the time and not in a good way. It's very mentally challenging in dealing with my boss. She doesn't know how to deal with people correctly. She's the CEO and does exactly what she wants. She will eventually get in trouble for how she runs our part of the company. I write my notes down on what happens. Since she wrote me up a while ago, she hasn't been as bad, but she pokes at me and just tries to find something wrong with what I do as well as asks me tons of questions that she should know.

Went to the city to get a physical for the life insurance I am trying to get for myself. I have NY Life, but if I die, my husband gets a whopping $20,000. I pay $50 per month and have for like four years now. I have around $450 cash value. I will be learning all about insurance since I am going to get my license to sell it, but I don't know a lot about it right now.

I stopped and bought a big purse after I got food to take home following my physical I had done. I think I will like it. I have generally big purses, but the one I had at the time wasn't very big and I have to dig and find things in it. Hopefully I like this one better. I am a purse and shoe freak. I have tons of them and always want more. I haven't bought anything for a long time though because of this stupid inflation that is hurting the USA and has since Biden was put into office.

I was reading some posts off of Reddit on politics and that place is full of democrats, like bad! You cannot talk to a Democrat and give your opinion on how you feel to them. They can just be evil. They attack you if you do not share their opinion. It's amazing that people can be that way.

So, I am worried about the state of our country if Kamala Harris becomes president. Biden did an awful job and she is just like him. She flip-flops on what she says and people just buy into it. It will be worse than Biden actually. Trump can be blunt and has said some things that people don't like, but he did a great job as president while he was in office. We had a hell of a lot better economy, that is for sure. I personally like the guy. He is straight up blunt, just like I am. A lot of people can't handle that. People at times, look at me strange when I am talking, because I am blunt, but I also get a lot of respect for it as well. Everyone is just so offended now. It's like people are a bunch of pussies in life. Grow some balls and speak up. That is a major problem how no one wants to speak up on things. Anyway, I am looking at the policies that Kamala is saying and it's only going to hurt the country in the end. You have to look at the whole story, not just the so called "good things" that are in it. I'm definitely going to look into the long term capital gains taxes. That will affect everyone and people don't even think about that stuff.

On another note, my husband is drinking tonight. He's been drinking about every other night. He bugs the fucking shit out of me when I have to deal with him while drinking. He is loud, can get verbally mean, interrupts, is forgetful and he does not shut his fucking mouth. He'll just talk and talk and talk. He has also been a dick while sober on how he responds to me when I talk to him for the past month or so. He doesn't like questions, he says I am too literal, he doesn't like that I don't want to try the food he makes and so on and so on. I've come to the point that I don't even want to talk at all. Thankfully he is outside on the phone. He's calling people he used to work with and is catching up. I tell him to call people and talk to him so I don't have to deal with him.

Well, will write later on. I'll see what happens tonight and how I deal with him. I shouldn't be this bugged by my husband, but I am.

[a-halfblood-named-coin]

Long Rant Post

Today I am using this hell site for one of its many purposes: vomiting real feelings into the void so that I might be free of them. If anyone WANTS to hear about the, in my opinion, intense bullying of my middle aged, cancer survivor mother at her work place, then please! Stay for my rage and anger.

First, my mom. My mother prides herself on many things, but mostly her honesty. She wears her emotions on her sleeves and will always be 100% honest with people. She doesn't hide anything, she's an open book and always willing to discuss. This is something you would know about her after only speaking to her for a couple minutes, it is a core part of her personality. That is what makes this so frustrating. ANYONE could tell you that my mother never lies, never says anything less that what she feels and would never mislead people. And yet, people who have worked with her for almost 10 years area CONSTANTLY accusing her of all of that and more.

Now, background. This is a small company, like in total about 11 employees including my mother and the CEO. It was started by people that my mother had a close working relationship with over 20 years ago at a different company, they know her and her work pretty damn well. I mean, fuck it, her most recent letter of recommendation was WRITTEN BY THE FUCKING CEO. For most of the time here, my mother has worked a help desk of sorts with one other person, fucking Jerry. Jerry, is a dick. Plain and simple. For literal years, he was on thin ice with the company and almost fired because he would disappear on "walks" or stay in the bathroom for hours at a time. Not to mention, rude to customers, dismissive of their issues and his general douch baggery. I mean, customers have even said they hate talking with him, and hope he isn't the one who answers the phone. The only reason they didn't fire him was because of his knowledge in programming and similar computer mumbo jumbo. Him and my mother never got along, but it was never important.

Then a lot of stuff happens at once.

ONE: I didn't just mention my mothers cancer fight for sympathy points, its fucking relevant. My mother, after 2 months of intense vertigo and walking problems, is diagnosed with a brain tumor. This is, OBVIOUSLY, fucking devastating for our whole family. I remember breaking down sobbing in our garden when she told me, I thought my mother was going to die. Thank fuck it wasn't IN her actual brain, and it could be removed (it did leave her with permanent numbness in her face though, poor thing ). So obviously, that kind of diagnoses requires appointments upon appointments, especially since she had to have daily radiation treatments for months to get rid of the excess cancer cells. She reports this all to her job, and they tell her to take whatever time she needs. It is an extreme circumstance they won't hold against her, like any decent fucking person would. I mean, my mother felt SO BAD taking the time she needed, she did everything in her power to keep her work performance up. I'm telling you, she showed up to a three day conference for work only DAYS after brain surgery on a walker because she wanted to show that she was making an effort. Then the pandemic hits and all the staff start working from home, all they do is sit on computers and phones anyway?

TWO: then, about 1 year ago, maybe a little less, Jerry gets promoted to a fucking position that didn't previously exist (they also hire another help desk employee). Again, Jerry only still has a job for his tech knowledge, NOT because he's good at running a help center??? Who thought he would do a good job at managing people or a help desk in general? The big wigs give this long annoying explanation why they did it, without even considering outside applicants or internal ones mind you, but that doesn't matter. It seems to be connected to the company getting some big money investors and the current big wigs attempts to grow the business. My mother is rightfully upset, she has run several help centers at other businesses, has a great relationship with customers and would have loved to be considered for the promotion. But whatever right? The other bosses of the help desk previously were mostly hands off, just making sure big extreme issues got fixed quickly.

But Jerry's different, he's a fucking micromanager.

He schedules a daily meeting at 8AM, which means that any customer with an urgent issue won't get a response for at least 30 minutes as the entire team is involved in a meeting.

Forces my mother (and only my mother, again there is only TWO FUCKING EMPLOYEES UNDER THIS MAN) to report when she goes to lunch, when she comes back and so on.

Makes them write fucking essays on concepts and present them like a fucking college class and has them complete extra training.

Then complains they don't close enough problems? Oh, I'm sorry, maybe its due to all this extra work your assigning that's NOT IN MY JOB DESCRIPTION.

But don't get it twisted, he is TARGETING my mom. He makes this whole fucking stink about her scheduled hours, which have been like that since she fucking joined the company. Claiming there is nothing for her to be doing that early in the morning (is 7am early???) even though customers are NOW complaining that they don't get answers forever (because they're in other time zones). He complains about how long she spends on issues, aka she doesn't rush them and handles the customer with respect and grace. Questions every single one of her timesheets that she puts through, implies she's stealing company time?? He is literally threatening to fire her because she was 30 minutes late, he calls her argumentative and combative in every breath.

And here's what pisses me off the most, he put her on some kind of fucking probation for all the sick time she took...

I'm sorry?? You mean that sick time she took to FIGHT CANCER???? YOU MEAN THE SICK TIME SHE TOOK THAT YOU TOLD HER TO TAKE???? THE SICK TIME YOU SAID SHE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT??

Okay fuck, maybe it all wasn't directly related to cancer treatment I can acknowledge that, but it was all genuine sick time or personal emergency? Like when she's up all night in pain and needs some extra sleep, when my fucking sister was in the hospital in surgery, or when my brother needs special exams due to an undiagnosed neurological condition. They are treating her like some fucking criminal for having an awful year, forcing her to take docks in pay or sacrifice vacation time to "pay back" the sick time she took. Is that not fucked up? To tell someone to prioritize their health and then threaten to fire them due to that very same sick time? Like, I won't say they have to do that, but I will say they should stick to their fucking word. This women has put her all into this company, often for no extra pay, for 8 years. Then when she's struggling, when her family is experiencing some of the hardest issues we've had in years, you start to threaten her? What happened to fucking loyalty, respect and morality? No one in the company takes her problems seriously, (There's not even an HR department) and are all sitting by and letting fucking Jerry bully her out of her position. I could sit here and come up with reasons why I think everything is going to shit, (the new investors, Jerry's inferiority complex, the fact that she's the only women around/only person with more than one child, ageism, sexism, etc.) but honestly it doesn't matter.

My mother doesn't deserve this, has done NOTHING less than her absolute best in every situation. Again, I'm not saying the company has to accept it, but the least you can do is reign in the fucking dictator that is actively harassing a women in your workplace. There are ways to critique and change a persons work habits without harassing them, without reducing them to tears on phone calls on a regular basis.

I don't wish ill on anyone, but I won't shed a single fucking tear when Jerry, and all those old white men above him die. I might just take a shot.

[translations-dark-matter]

Living as an Extra in an Omegaverse novel

Chapter 51

"CEO?"

He called out to Shin Tae-oh as he noticed his unfocused gaze.

"Ah, what did you say?"

Shin Tae-oh lifted his head, and their eyes met. His focus still wasn't sharp. He had a tendency to be unpredictable, but he rarely got so lost in his thoughts like this.

"I'm talking about the venue for today's party. Seongha did the interior design."

He remembered seeing the photos when he was researching about it after receiving the invitation. He wanted to bring up this topic to schedule another meeting with Seongha and also casually mention today's charity party.

"Ah, Seongha."

Shin Tae-oh muttered Seongha's name a few times while Se-hyeon carefully observed his face. Was Tae-oh still...?

Until now, Shin Tae-oh had been consistently ignoring Yoo Jin-ha. But after receiving the surprise gift, he seemed shaken.

It seemed like the feelings of liking Yoo Jin-ha had resurfaced in Shin Tae-oh. If that was the case, the affectionate demeanour he had shown me all this time would probably disappear.

As I pressed the buttons in the elevator, I cautiously placed my hand over my heart, which was pounding in response to the thought that had just crossed my mind. What was this?

"Anyway, it wasn't genuine to begin with."

Shin Tae-oh had shown two instances of showing interested reactions towards me. The first time was when he claimed to have fallen for me due to my hit performance, displaying quite an emotional response. The second time seemed to have no specific reason; his behaviour just seemed slightly different. But I didn't seriously consider it as genuine.

Moreover, I believed that my own wavering feelings were simply a natural occurrence that happened while being around Shin Tae-oh.

Come to think of it, I didn't hand over the gift Yoo Jin-ha gave me to Shin Tae-oh. I placed it aside without showing it to him. I wonder if he opened it and looked inside?

I'm not sure if he bought the same thing, but the gift from Yoo Jin-ha was a fountain pen. Despite mainly using my phone and tablet, I found it enjoyable to write with a fountain pen from time to time. The grip and writing experience were good.

"I should do something in return."

As I pondered on what to do, I noticed something in Shin Tae-oh's reflection in the elevator doors.

Se-hyeon's gaze was fixed on that spot, and Shin Tae-oh noticed it and adjusted his tie.

"Not bad."

It was the gift Se-hyeon had given him at the department store. Shin Tae-oh's expression softened slightly as he ran his hand over the tie. It seemed like he was reminiscing about the memory of buying the tie.

Until just now, he was lost in his own thoughts, appearing absent-minded. But now, he seemed to be back in the present, his emotions fluctuating.

Why are my emotions so turbulent like this?

Se-hyeon simply averted his gaze.

***

"Have a great time."

He bid farewell to Shin Tae-oh at the entrance. The attendant accompanying him stopped here. Unless there was something special, he wouldn't enter the party venue.

"You can come in with me if you want."

"It's alright. I'll wait here."

Se-hyeon replied, choosing to wait outside.

There was a separate waiting room arranged for the attendants. Se-hyeon intended to stay there and only sneak in to observe when the grand party was in full swing.

"I shouldn't get caught up with Ha Jin-seong like I did last time when I said I would get a closer look."

This time, he planned to secretly watch from the sidelines, hiding among the crowd.

"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to contact me."

"Sure."

Se-hyeon emphasized once again to Shin Tae-oh that he wouldn't be accompanying him, and Shin Tae-oh turned away, seemingly helpless.

Se-hyeon frowned as he watched until Shin Tae-oh was no longer in sight.

"You don't look well."

Shin Tae-oh's expression as he turned away appeared paler than usual.

"His lips are pale, and his breathing doesn't sound good... Is he feeling unwell?"

Se-hyeon realized belatedly that Shin Tae-oh didn't look good due to the subdued atmosphere compared to usual.

Se-hyeon, who was about to head to the waiting room, paused and looked at the spot where Shin Tae-oh had been. Even though he wasn't there now, it felt like his pheromones lingered in the air...

***

"Why are you alone?"

In response to Ha Jin-seong's question, Shin Tae-oh handed the donation amount he had written down to the staff member who was waiting. That was the format for today's party. They would take the paper placed in the center of the table and write down their donation amount. Then they could give it to any staff member they saw around. They could do it once or multiple times.

"Why are you two together then?"

As Shin Tae-oh tucked the fountain pen into his pocket, he retorted with a hint of annoyance.

"Us?"

Ha Jin-seong smiled as he looked at the person sitting next to him, Ha Min-hyuk.

"We get along well these days."

"It would be awkward if the other younger sibling heard. What was his name? Bear, I think."

[TL note: Coz Jin-woong looks like a bear.]

Ha Jin-woong was not a bear, but Shin Tae-oh interpreted it differently.

"You're so kind, taking care of my brother. So where's the secretary?"

Ha Jin-seong got straight to the point. The fact that Shin Tae-oh was present meant that Se-hyeon was likely nearby, but he couldn't see him.

"Now I'm getting curious."

As Shin Tae-oh spoke, Ha Jin-seong, who was taking out the donation paper, met his gaze.

"Do you really like him?"

At first, Shin Tae-oh thought it was a scheme to bring Se-hyeon along because he happened to be next to him. But as he observed Ha Jin-seong, he got the impression that he was quite serious.

Is he genuinely interested in Se-hyeon himself?

In response to Shin Tae-oh's question, Ha Jin-seong looked at Ha Min-hyuk, who was standing up, and replied.

"I don't know how I ended up next to you, but I like him."

With Ha Jin-seong's answer, Shin Tae-oh's attention towards Se-hyeon went beyond a casual interest, paying attention to every little reaction from him.

"What can you gain from Se-hyeon?"

"What?"

"I can't understand, that's why."

Shin Tae-oh wondered if Se-hyeon was someone Ha Jin-seong could assign such significance to, even though Se-hyeon was more than just a secretary to Shin Tae-oh.

Ha Jin-seong looked at Shin Tae-oh, who wanted to see his true intentions, and chuckled softly.

"People...," Ha Jin-seong began, his words flowing at a pace neither fast nor slow.

In the silence that enveloped the table after Ha Min-hyuk disappeared, only the two of them remaining, Ha Jin-seong continued, "For someone who has seen and understood them, their heartbeats."

Ha Jin-seong's words resonated with Shin Tae-oh, who thought of Se-hyeon. Now that being together with him felt as natural as breathing, Ha Jin-seong found himself wanting to bring Se-hyeon along more and more.

Now that Shin Tae-oh had already melted into Se-hyeon.

As thoughts of Se-hyeon crossed his mind, Ha Jin-seong's heart raced. The blood rushed through his body at an accelerated pace, causing his fingertips to tremble.

Feeling his body heating up, Ha Jin-seong couldn't bear it any longer and yearned to see Se-hyeon.

"In that case, there's nothing I wouldn't do for that person. When they touch my heart, who cares about a different younger brother?"

Ha Jin-seong's laughter seemed contagious as Shin Tae-oh's lips curved up softly.

"That's what I mean," Shin Tae-oh said.

"If you're curious, ask Se-hyeon."

Ha Jin-seong got up from his seat.

"As always, spill it out this time too. You know, we're born to live alone in this world."

Ha Jin-seong lightly patted Shin Tae-oh's shoulder, showing a friend-like reaction for the first time, and soon made his way slowly into the party venue.

"I miss him when I talk about him."

Thirsty for Se-hyeon, Shin Tae-oh grabbed a visible bottle of champagne and started drinking.

***

"At this point, I think I can sneak in for a moment."

Se-hyeon, who had been wandering around the waiting room and various places, turned his steps towards the party venue.

"It's probably... the day that became an irreparable rift between Ha Jin-seong and Ha Min-hyuk."

It was a day when Ha Min-hyuk accidentally discovered that Ha Jin-seong doesn't emit pheromones.

"Ha Min-hyuk must have seen me spraying perfume in the restroom."

Since Ha Min-hyuk discovered his secret, Ha Jin-seong's feelings escalated from mere jealousy and dislike to outright hatred. It was as if he wanted to kill Ha Min-hyuk, erase any evidence, and hide his flaws.

From that moment on, Ha Jin-seong went to great lengths beyond his previous tormenting methods to bring Ha Min-hyuk down. He didn't hesitate to employ dirty tactics that would tarnish the owner's name.

All for the sole purpose of destroying Ha Min-hyuk.

"I'll observe until just before that."

The moment Ha Jin-seong turns serious is off-limits even from this side. However, until then, it might be quite a spectacle to behold.

"They'll probably growl at each other with Yoo Jin-ha caught in between. And our Taenyang is the original opportunist..."

Do you happen to know? Could Tae-oh’s heart have been swayed towards Yoo Jin-ha again because of the gift from last time?

Se-hyeon, who had found Jin-ha, who was undoubtedly separately invited by Ha Min-hyuk, hid his face behind someone else and looked for a suitable place to observe. As he turned his head to find a good vantage point...

"Shin Tae-oh."

The moment Se-hyeon saw Shin Tae-oh, who appeared to be in an unusual state, he didn't hesitate and ran towards him. He had always watched over Shin Tae-oh, observing everything about him beyond his role as a secretary. Therefore, he immediately sensed that something was different this time.

"Boss."

As he approached Shin Tae-oh, he knelt down on one knee. He looked at Shin Tae-oh's face, with sweat-drenched hair, and then glanced at his cheek. As he covertly touched the sweat flowing down his cheek with the back of his hand, he flinched.

"It's hot."

His skin was radiating heat.

Se-hyeon placed his hand on Shin Tae-oh's stooped shoulder. The pheromones emanating from him were as unusual as the simmering heat. The pheromones that were currently emanating from him were still faint, but Se-hyeon didn't know when they might explode.

As soon as Se-hyeon noticed Shin Tae-oh's condition, he looked around his surroundings. After identifying the location of the exit, he called out to Shin Tae-oh.

"Boss, it's me, your secretary."

Shin Tae-oh turned his head at Se-hyeon's low voice. It was just that his face had become slightly flushed, but even that small change felt overwhelming to Se-hyeon, causing his heart to race.

Shin Tae-oh's lips parted, revealing a breath filled with heat, and his wet, red tongue became visible.

"I'm thirsty."

Thirsty... You're saying you're thirsty. Your mouth is wet right now.

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