#chorus an adventure musical

[dokonskit]

Some more concept art.)

Ещё несколько концепт-арта.)

[tellmemoretellmemorepodcast]

Obsessions EP85: The Little Mermaid (2023)

This is a page dedicated to documenting the various theatre news, performances and the like that Lia and Odiesia mention in the “Obsessions” segment of the show. Listen to this episode here. You can also find our fave songs playlist here.

Lia

KPOP on Broadway Cast Recording

Once Upon a One More Time clips

Halle Bailey’s debut single ‘Angel’

Odiesia

Chorus: The Game is FINALLY OUT! (first mentioned on the Camp Rock 2 episode)

[pedgito]

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑 & 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | Dave York x reader

↝ masterlist | requests? | ao3 | update blog | fic rec | ko-fi

summary | Dave's one last contract to tie up before the holidays proves to be more difficult than he expected.

author's note | my adventures in trying to write pwp have failed me again. i made this gifset and here we are. so you get whatever this crazy is. thank you to my womb sister @chaotic-mystery for beta'ing.

content warning | 18+ MDNI, divorced!dave, suburban murder daddy but make it festive, is this a holiday fic?, uhh..there's some bodily fluid usage in here for purposes, knife kink if ya squint, choking, restraints, blood tw, rough unprotected piv, fingering, oral (m &f receiving), one (1) pussy slap, pain kink off the charts, manipulation is the best form of flattery, omitting some tags for spoilers.

word count — 5.4k

Coffee and a chocolate croissant was not how he started a contract.

It was a strict five-step order. Observe, plan, attack, dispose, collect.

Never more, never less. He got in and dirtied his hands, washed away the evidence, and sent the proof to his employer, an unsteady but well-paying job. He was killing people after all.

High profile clients, exes, criminals, he stopped separating them after a while.

But goddammit, you’d charmed him. 

Bewitched him. Body and soul.

Well, that and you caught him at a bad time.

The original plan was to grab his morning coffee and follow your path to work, find an opportunity and take care of business, leave. However, he’s thrown off when you’re already in line at the shop he picks, one out of the million lining the city streets.

It was you and him, a silent standoff amongst the low jingle of christmas music.

The cheery chorus of the Jingle Bell Rock drowning out his thoughts as he lines up behind you, hearing your coffee and breakfast order before the following words slip out, his ears perking:

“This is for mine—and his,” You nod blindly over your shoulder, “and pocket the rest as a tip.”

It was a fifty, his brow furrowing at the action as he begins to speak but is quickly interrupted by your name being called as your coffee was slid over the counter and you flee toward the cup, leaving he and the cashier in silence, who seemed more than delighted at the idea of extra money for the holidays.

He orders quietly, his voice subdued as he insists on paying for his own food, ignorant to your side gaze as you roll your eyes in annoyance and wait as he approaches with more silence, slipping his coffee into a cardboard sleeve as you grab for plastic silverware. 

“Well, happy holidays to you,” You remark with a snide tone, laced and tied in a bow of kindness, “you’re a sweets guy?” Dave looks down at his croissant then, realizing they had handed him the wrong pastry, cursing under his breath.

He seemed frazzled, disrupted, but was masking it with annoyance and frustration.

“Fifty is a little generous, don’t you think?”

“It was a kind gesture,” You continue, “—Christmas around the corner and all.”

Dave sips gingerly at the coffee to taste, praying that it was the one thing they did get right, staring down at the chocolate croissant with disdain, but hunger on the rise.

He’s expecting you to leave already, having a rough idea of your schedule as you would normally head to work within the next—Dave glances at his watch casually—half hour, but instead, you sit.

Fuck—he casually busies himself as he pulls his phone from his pocket, scrolling mindlessly as the coffee shop fills and empties, eventually admitting something similar to defeat as he heads toward the door.

A man of constant routine and you’ve gone and fucked up his day, sitting casually as you picked at your own pastry, giving him a full once over, head to toe, as he heads toward the door—a suit that told a thousand words, and a man with nowhere to go, watching him carefully in the corner as he flitted through this phone.

Either he was being a creep or he was just shy.

And, for your sake, you hoped it was the latter.

“Sit with me,” You insist, his mouth opening immediately in rejection, but you smile and tilt your head to the side, pushing the opposite seat out with your heeled shoe, “hey—don’t act like you have anywhere to go, I just watched you stare at your phone for fifteen minutes.”

Your eyes land expectantly on the seat as Dave deliberates, eventually relenting as he sits. You were his task for the day, he didn’t have anywhere to go where you weren’t.

He doesn’t like this, he doesn’t like this feeling. 

Things had derailed, but somehow, this seemed like it could help him, in the end.

You start with your name, introducing yourself. He offers the same, just a first name. Not a last. In your mind, you shrug. You could work with a first name.

“Well, Dave—are you going to eat that chocolate croissant?” You ask, watching the untouched pastry sit unwanted on the table, “Because if not, I will gladly—”

He pushes it aside, leaning back in his chair as he looks out the window, watching the troves of people pass on their way to work, kids running alongside their parents as they walk to school—a brief glimpse of what could still be, had Carol not been so greedy in the divorce.

He got the girls on weekends, every other week. It wasn’t ideal, but it was all he had. If he wanted to count, he had five more days until he saw their faces again. Often, it was the only thing holding him together. That, and routine.

Your voice disrupts his thoughts again, his eyes ripping up to your smiling face as you pull at the croissant and take a bite, “Holiday’s are fickle, aren’t they?”

Dave raises his brow in question. The fuck does that mean?

“Fickle—you know—”

“I know what that word means,” Dave interrupts, “What are you trying to say?”

Always on edge, this guy. You laugh softly, rubbing your tongue along your bottom lip.

“Some years it feels festive—like real Christmas, you know?” It was redundant, your finger circling the lid of your cup, “Other times it feels like something most people can’t wait to get it over with—like they’d rather be dead than celebrating.”

“That’s dark,” Dave remarks, “considering you were just attempting to spread some holiday cheer by paying for my breakfast–”

“Which you refused, scrooge,” Your eyebrow cocks in challenge, “Where do you work?”

Invasive? Definitely. But, with the suit—it seemed like a plausible question.

Dave lies through his teeth, despite his freeland work as a contract killer.

His job consisted of a name on a piece of paper and a promised dollar amount in his bank account after—no good or bad, it didn’t matter. 

People were unlucky and unfortunate, he chose not to be.

If he was going to do the killing, he was damn well going to be compensated for it. 

He didn’t know who wanted you dead, or why—but you’re grating, unjarring approachableness was throwing a wrench in his plans. If he wasn’t so careful he’d slide the knife through your throat here at the table, just to end this conversation.

You nod your head at his excuse for work, moving beyond a topic he clearly didn’t want to talk about, “Go on, your turn—or have you already read me like a book?”

Fine, he’ll bite. Though, he already knows what you’re going to say. He returns the question about work, mouthing the response in his head like a speech.

“I’m a librarian, a little further in the city, but I like the coffee here.”

The last part was a lie—you frequented one place nearly every day, why you decided to switch up today was unbeknownst to Dave, hence why he was sitting here engaging in such a grating, unproductive conversation. 

You know you’re keeping him, he does too. 

It slowly turns into a stare down, eating away at the croissant he’d passed over, waiting for him to admit defeat and run off, eventually, he does.

“As riveting as this conversation was,” Dave comments, “I’ve got work—it was nice…talking to you.”

The hesitance makes you smirk, subdued behind another kind smile as he leaves, watching his cautious walk back to his car, only a measured amount of time before he would see you again.

–

It has never taken this long. A week, maybe two. But, even that was pushing it. 

His employer had contacted him twice for updates, more on edge as time passed and he can’t seem to avoid you, even as he tracks you from a distance, unaware of his looming presence, you seem to find him in the unlikeliest of places.

Next, it was a gas station—you don’t approach him there, but you offer that same kind smile.

Then, the grocery store, conversing with him over fruits like he was an old friend and Dave is only unsettled by the conversation after you leave, not realizing how easily you had vexed him until he’s got a handful of fruit in his cart alongside his weekly groceries. 

It happens again. And once more. He liked difficult meals—intricate ingredients that were far beyond your skill level. The conversation was always a careful dance of politeness, but Dave softened with every conversation, as much as he could, at least.

You could spot a jaded man from miles away.

He doesn't understand why he can’t just kill you outright—easily detach from the situation and move on, but there was something to you that he couldn’t put his finger on. It was almost alluring, and it made him wonder. It made him curious.

Dave was never curious—he wasn’t paid to be.

He’s resigned to following through that Friday, though. The weekend before Christmas.

Fortunately, you seem to have the same late night craving for takeout—a quaint Chinese takeout place down the block from your apartment. 

It had to be a coincidence, right? 

“I swear,” You jest through a laugh as you stuff your hands into pockets of your puffer coat, “it feels like you’re stalking me.”

“Could say the same,” Dave retorts, a toothpick tucked between his teeth as he waits for his food.

You both wait quietly, exchanging the occasional glance before the tension snaps, curiosity getting the better of you and your enjoyment of making Dave squirm.

“Do you live far?” A careful, precise question. Dave answers it vaguely.

“A ways,” He says nonchalantly, “why?”

“Are you busy tonight?” Other than his obvious task of ordering dinner that he was undoubtedly going to eat in his car as he staked out your apartment, finding the willpower to finish the job.

“A little,” Always so concise, you roll your eyes lightheartedly.

“Come have dinner at my place,” You tell him, an open-invitation, an opportunity served up perfectly, eyeing the incoming weather outside with a high chance of a white Christmas, “—wait out the storm a bit?”

You weren’t pushing. It only took a little coaxing.

“Come on,” You tease, “are you scared of me?”

It’s a striking dichotomy he thinks, knowing he murders for a living.

There’s a ding at the front register as the owner slides over two bags of food tucked away in plastic and styrofoam, calling out the order numbers simultaneously as you both reach for them.

“I don’t bite,” You shrug, “—not really.” 

You flash a triumphant smile as Dave admits defeat.

–

He said he’d meet you there.

You half-expected him to ditch you, but now he was sitting adjacent to you on the couch, chewing methodically at a piece of broccoli alongside the slow murmur of the television, under your curious gaze.

It’s ridiculous, a job that should have taken him a week—a few days, even—had prolonged itself to a month. The constant and vivid imaginative ways he would kill you plague him even now, wondering if strangling you against the couch would be enough to suffice. 

No, that felt too personal.

He’d come back, he’d wait. He would do it while you were sleeping. Quiet, quick.

You strip off a layer of clothing as the heat from your apartment creeped up your neck, a generous amount of skin on display as you slung your sweater over the back of the couch, breasts pressing together as you place your takeout on the cushion separating you and Dave.

“You don’t do this often, do you?” You ask around a bite, stabbing your fork into your food.

Dave couldn’t make sense of your siren-like qualities, the intensity in your eyes with every glance his way, the ease at which you can seduce him into conversation. You were youthful, full of life, and for once in his career he’s found himself hesitating. Asking questions. 

Why you?

“You ask a lot of questions,” Dave notes, a softer tone to his voice, almost as if he was finally warming up to you. There was a constant air of skepticism around you, rightfully so, but he seems to have let it slip, a misjudgment, “don’t you?”

You giggle softly at your impending question, “Are you a whiskey guy? You seem like a whiskey guy.” You’re off the couch quickly, heading toward your open kitchen to fetch an unopened bottle of whiskey from the cabinet, grabbing two glasses on the way back.

“I’ll be honest,” You start lightly, a melodic tone to your voice as you place the glasses on the table and pour a generous amount into both—normally Dave would excuse the offer, but with the bottle sealed and no reason to think otherwise, he drinks, “you make me nervous.”

Dave offers a quiet chortle of disbelief, your vixen-esque qualities supplying the opposite effect.

“I mean, the coincidence of us meeting at the coffee shop,” You begin, “and, sure, I did think that it was strange how often we’ve run into each other, but it almost feels like—”

“Don’t tell me you believe in fate,” Dave interjects, sipping at the rim of the glass.

“Well, how else do you explain that?” You ask, tucking your feet underneath you as you mirror his actions, food set aside. Dave finds himself watching the way your jeans hug your thighs and sit snug against your curves, following the path up your chest and the low cut top that pressed them together, caught red-handed as his eyes draw to yours.

“Sorry,” He quickly excuses, brow furrowing as he turns away in subtle embarrassment, burying his face into the glass of whiskey, “I’m—fate isn’t real. It’s just a coincidence, probably.”

Probably. Surely.

There’s a soft glint of suspicion in your eye, slowly maneuvering forward as Dave’s fist clenches against his slacks—always in a ridiculous fucking suit that you were now determined to get him out of. You’d kill for it, actually. 

“Are you married?” You ask, resting your hand into your open palm as you prop it against the back of the couch, “That—that seems invasive…you don’t have to answer that. I just, if you are—she won’t be mad that you’re here, will she?”

Dave squints, not realizing he’s down the entire glass of whiskey until his next sip comes up empty. He sets the glass aside and answers truthfully, a breakthrough, you think.

“Divorced.”

“Ah,” You sigh, “such a tragedy.”

He wasn’t willing to dig into the details of his tumultuous relationship, regardless of how long it has been, nor was he oblivious to your actions, the finite movements that have pulled you closer and in turn, has centered his body toward you in a subconscious effort to make room.

He didn't often have female hits, but they weren’t non-existent. Dave was a man of constant self-control and restraint, aware of your growing proximity and the fact that his Smith and Wesson was tucked away carefully in the back of his coat, hidden from plain sight but all it would take is a touch—or the switchblade tucked away in his sock, easily concealable and unsuspecting.

He has two avenues—kill you now, deal with the mess. 

Or, he allows it. 

It—your obvious advancements, the slow but salacious blink of your eyes as his eyes drag toward your lips.

Your fingers wrap around the knot of his tie, pulling it gently, loosening it. His neck stretches to the side as your fingers claw up and around, dipping beyond his shirt collar in silence, despite the intense eye contact you held.

It was almost like you were challenging him. He feels it.

You get bold, rising on your knees as the other hand slips between the fabric of his coat and cream button-up and Dave counteracts the movement with a sudden adjustment, pulling the coat off smoothly and slipping it over the back of the couch as you climb into his lap, an evident smirk on your face as you press your ass against his thighs, your cunt pressed against the seam of his zipper and his cock, feeling the solid press of him there—men were all the same.

Dave’s body betrays him, his head tilting back as your fingers move through his hair and back down his freshly shaven face, pointer finger tracing the curve of his lips, a persistent and hardened expression on his face, void of emotion.

“If I asked you to fuck me, would you?” He feels the tug at his tie, your lips millimeters from his own as you stare down at him, “You like to fuck, don’t you?”

A hard distinction. Screw it, he thinks. Detachment, it was easier that way. 

Dave nods, under your spell and the faint courage of whiskey. 

–

He’s never allowed himself this deep into a job,

Undressing himself over you as you scramble naked onto the bed beneath him, ignoring how this wasn’t just a step, but a leap—a fucking mile over the boundaries he’s set within himself, but then you’re rising to lick up the underside of his cock where it glistened with precum, dripping down the side as it bops against your tongue, his hand wrapping into your hair as a warning. 

Your eyes flutter shot as you nod, under his full control as you allow him to fuck himself into your mouth, his knees buckling as he knelt on the bed. His other hand comes up to curve against your chin, cradling your head as he nudged himself against the back of your throat until you were sputtering, drool leaking from your mouth as he pulled away for a brief moment.

Hesitation, you see it.

“Stay with me,” You plead, the words slurred against the shaft of his cock as you wrap your hand around the rest of him that wouldn’t fit, “don’t—don’t think. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Meaningless, more so than he can even imagine. A means to an end.

You could go about this differently—you didn’t always jump toward sex. 

But, Dave was attractive. Unfairly attractive, strong features that left an impression on you and a flutter between your legs—he was hard to break down, but it wasn’t impossible.

Besides, you were breaking your own rules too. 

And you were sure he'd bruised your throat by now, eyes tearing up as he held you there, nose brushing against his groin as he watched you—a mix of astonishment and resentment, laughing airly as he yanks you away.

“It feels good,” You assure him with a teary-eyed smile, “doesn’t it?”

You kiss along his upper thighs, leaning down to mouth against his balls, rolling the tight skin against your tongue, greedy for more as your fingers claw up his thighs, chest, until they’re wrapping around his broad shoulders and pulling him down and over you, the wide expanse of his palms squeezing at your hips, soft skin melding underneath his fingertips.

He buries his face into your chest, licking at your skin to taste, a mix of salt and sweet and something so intoxicating that he finds himself following through with this.

“Turn around,” He demands, “get on your knees.”

You turn swiftly, his hands following the path of your spine as his hand curls around the back of your skull and presses you firmly into the mattress, twisting his fingers around your bicep and pulling your arms behind your back, crossing, reaching for his discarded tie at his feet.

You panic at the inclination of being immobilized, but his voice is unsettling soothing.

“I thought you wanted me to fuck you,” Dave counters, “practically fucking begged for it.”

He huffs out a noise of displeasement, sliping the fabric around your wrist and tying it in place, hearing you snicker against the fabric as you peer up at him from your side glance.

“You can do better than that–,” You begin, but the tug is rough, gasping as it pulls your arms straight and tight against your back, “that’s—fuck—”

Your panic is quickly soothed by pleasure, his hands gripping your ass as he pushes it up, level with his mouth as he licks between your folds, admiring the slick that drips down the seam of your pussy, rubbing his thumb down to your clit as he circles it teasingly before pressing a finger inside of you, your gasp swallowed up by the sheets. 

“Barely fuckin’ know me and you’re begging for it like that?” Dave teases, “C’mon, sweetheart.”

Pulling his fingers back to admire the creamy white ribbon that connected your body to his, rubbing his slick covered fingers over your pussy once more with a deafening slap.

“Tell me to stop and I’ll stop,” Dave informs, “but I’m going to fuck you like you asked, alright?”

He didn’t have to be nice, or considerate, even. 

Besides, that pain swiftly drifted into gratification as he pushes the head of his cock between your folds before he’s pressing inside of you, a growl radiating from his chest as he sets a brutal pace, his thighs slapping against your skin loudly, fingers digging into your ass and destined to leave marks, cries of helpless delectation into your sheets.

And you could feel it, how badly he needed this too.

Eyes drifted close, the rhythmic pump of his hips, despite their intensity, is almost lulling. It never happened this way, a brief moment of disconnection as you allow your body to feel. It was never this good. Half-assed fucks from lackluster men who undoubtedly deserve what was coming for them—and it didn’t always happen like this, often it only took a sip of alcohol or an entrancing look their way, so easily entrapped in your web.

Dave, however, was a different beast entirely. 

His movements stop after a while, face contorted in a mix of staves of desire and curiousness, pinching up at the spot above his nose and between his brows.

“Don’t—don’t stop,” You tell him, subtly adjusting your shoulders against the discomfort, but he doesn’t move, still staring over your shoulder, “Are you fucking d—”

“Beg for it,” He interjects.

You snort out a soft laugh and shake your head, but then he’s swiftly pulling out and wrapping his hand around the knot at your wrist and pulling you upright, leaving you completely in his hold as your back falls against his chest, dangling over the edge of the bed as he stood behind you, his opposite hand wrapping around your throat and pushing up, tilting your head upright to look at him.

You see the brief moment of hesitation in his gaze, thinking he could wrap his hands around your throat and do away with you now, but his lips part and his thumb presses against the side of your jaw, pulling a gasp from your throat, “Beg,” He seethes.

Then the pressure comes, a gentle squeeze that forces air out of your throat, stuttering out a quiet, “P-Pl—please,” His hand shakes against the pressure as your eyes roll back, “fuck—fuck me, please.”

He fists his cock and slides back inside of you with one fluid movement, helpless to his grip as keeps teetering on the edge of consciousness, his breathing increasingly more distressed as his hips begin to stutter in rhythm behind you.

He was getting off on the idea of your life in his hands like this—Dave could do it like this, even you know that. A man who craved power, this was no different.

You moan weakly against the hand on your throat, face contorting in a petulant way that catches his gaze as your eyes peek open, bottom lip quivering as his grip on the tie at your wrist pulls, a spark of pain shooting up your spine.

“H—hurts,” You admit to him, though it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle, he seemed to have a soft spot in that deranged brain of his, for you, “s’tight, hurts so bad.”

Dave breathes harshly through his nose, debating, examining the sincerity on your features for a while, eyes fluttering closed as your mouth opens in a faint cry, before he finally relents.

You fall forward at the release, arms stretching over your head as you fall, the ache in your shoulders dissipating at the relief as you roll onto your back, his face slack as he follows your movements, cock sitting proudly against his stomach as you reach for his hand, a delicate pull as he follows your guide, a sated smile on your face.

“Like this,” Your voice is soothing, dragging a hand down his chest until you can wrap your hand around his cock, wordlessly he spreads himself above you as you guide the head of his cock through your arousal before he’s inside of you again, entranced as you examine his features.

He fucks you with the same intensity, but this is more personal. Your hands curl around his where they’re pressed into the mattress, legs interlocked over his hips as you breath into his mouth, exchanging a cacophony of noises and meaningless expletives before he’s pulling out without warning, large palm pressed against your thigh to keep your legs spread as he fists his cock, wrapped tight as he came against you stomach in thick spurts, the warmth pooling against your skin as his lips parted in a newfound relaxation.

You drag your finger through the fluid, swirling it against your fingertip as he watches your movement with careful eyes, pressing your finger against his chest as you dot once, twice, a small arch to create the illusion of a smiling face before you’re crossing through it lazily.

“You forgot about me,” You pout, dragging our finger up to his chin as he tilts it upwards before you’re pinching it between your grip, “what about me?”

He hadn’t, but you weren’t allowing him the leeway to argue.

Dave willingly allows the force of your movements, slowly dragging up his face and into his hair as he buries his mouth against your cunt, his tongue swirling against your clit with a careful precious as he stares you down, countered by your own gaze, propping yourself off the bed on your palm.

He licks into you, tongue dipping inside your stretched hole tasting of something sweet and entirely you, mixed with himself, an intoxicating flavor as his hands wrap around your thighs, nose burying against your sensitive clit as he growls, a reverberation that has you shaking under his grip before he’s tilting his head up to suck at bundle of nerves, nearly arching off the bed at the sensation as your orgasm hits you all at once, rather than a rolling wave.

His gaze doesn’t falter once, even as you fall slack against the bed.

He should do it now—guard down, defenses non-existent, but then you’re pulling him up and against your chest, maneuvering in a delicate dance until he’s cuddling you from behind, without a word of acknowledgment.

Eventually your breathing settles, wordless and calm. And despite the nagging voice in the back of his head, he finds himself succumbing to exhaustion too. 

–

When he wakes, you’re still asleep. 

The sun had set, casting the room in a faded blue, the blanket of snow outside casting a faint glow—he still had time, finish the job while you were sleeping, admit his colossal fuck-up and move on. He moves slowly, careful as he leans off the edge of the bed to grab for his knife buried away in his shoe.

“Where the fuck is it?” He mumbles to himself, nearly scrambling off the bed as he considers going for his gun, but the knife pressed into his throat has him on high alert, turning as the blade slices into his neck—just a knick, but he counters the movement, attempting to pin you underneath him.

“You’re awake,” You announce with a grin, face contorting in frustration until you can fit the knife at his ribs, fighting his grip until he’s settled underneath you, arms pinned under your knees, “so—no contingency plan? That’s a rookie move, even for you.”

“Who gave you my name?” Dave, blunt as always—he cuts right through the bullshit.

You frown slightly, hoping he’d play along for a moment.

“C’mon, Dave,” You jest, his breath catching as you apply pressure to the junction where you held the knife, one sudden movement and it would pierce his lung, “who do you think?”

“Who?” He bites, realizing his helplessness in the situation.

“The same person who gave you mine,” You answer after a long pause, tapping your finger against the center of his chest, “but—listen, I don’t have to kill you. I don’t.”

“That’s not how this works, sweetheart,” Dave informs, not lost on you.

You make a sound of discontent, shrugging your shoulders. 

“I have a proposition for you,” You chirp, “Well—more like an ultimatum. Because, if you don’t agree…I’ll just kill you right now, let you drown in your own blood as your lung collapses.”

Dave scowls, listening to you continue, “Can I trust you if I let you go?”

“No,” Dave answers quickly, whatever spell you’ve cast over him is now broken, the illusion gone, “Just do it, actually.”

It feels like a test—and you would, but you can’t.

He voices the same.

“You need me, don’t you?” He asks, genuinely curious. 

Contingency plans, they were tricky.

“I hoped the sex would be enough to convince you.”

Dave smirks at that, surprisingly. 

“You could have killed me already, but you haven’t,” You remind him, “I gave you plenty of chances and you didn’t—why?”

“The timing wasn’t–”

“You’re lying,” He feels the sting of an open wound as you slice the tip of the knife over his skin like a papercut, “Be honest with me—please?”

There’s an unnatural twitch to your head as it tilts, “Please?”

“I don’t know,” Dave answers with a sigh, “Guess I didn’t see you as much of a threat, that I could take my time.”

You raise your eyebrows as you breathe out a laugh, “I’m going to let you up,” You inform him, but slide the knife to his neck, “—under one condition.”

“I could just—”

“I have your gun,” You admit, “Emptied it—and there’s nothing in this apartment you can harm me with. It’s not even mine. And you can try to take this from me, or even kill me with your bare hands, but I think you’ve gone a little rusty, in my opinion.”

Dave offers a look of confusion.

“I really do admire your work, you know. All of us, in the network. We’ve heard about you—no one..no one knows who you are but, I just…had a feeling. Your work is clean, precise. You’re methodical.”

“And you’re fucking crazy,” He retorts, twisting his wrist in discomfort as you clamber off of him, knife outheld as he rises with you, “this method’ll get you killed, if that’s your style.”

“M’not dead, yet,” You shrug, “Besides, I don’t make a habit of…that.”

The sex, he knows that’s what you mean. He can’t say he does either.

“Somebody wants both of us dead,” You remind him, “doesn’t that concern you?”

You turn the knife in your grip and offer it to him, handle first. 

“You’re a better tracker than me, I need that. And I’m a terrible fucking shot.”

Dave grins slightly at the compliment as he reaches for underwear, feeling unnaturally vulnerable as you stood toe to toe with him, rising up with a newfound curiosity. 

“Open your mouth,” He directs, a glint of intrigue in his eyes, “stick your tongue out.”

Without a thought, you do. He grabs your chin, squeezing your jaw until your lips parted and your tongue slipped out, dragging the blade along the center of your tongue and leaving the thick, crimson liquid to bubble to the surface as he dragged it along the surface. You giggled softly to yourself as you lunge forward, teasing him with a lick that barely graces the surface of his lips.

He grips your neck, squeezing tightly.

“Obedience,” He warns, “If you want me to help you, I need it.”

You relent, swallowing against his grip as you nod.

“Let me hear it,” He grits through his teeth.

“Ye—yes,” You oblige, full-certainty, “Obedience, got it.”

He has a terrible feeling about it, but in an eerily comforting way, he trusted you.

[jobeisbae]

jobe bellingham x mom!reader

summary: jobe bellingham and his wife navigate the joyful chaos of daily life with their two-year-old twins, balancing professional commitments and parenting with love and teamwork. From morning wake-ups to bedtime routines, every moment is filled with love, laughter, and a touch of exhaustion.

warnings: none

The day began early, as it always did with two-year-olds. You were awakened by the soft, insistent cries of one of the twins over the baby monitor. Jobe stirred beside you, already reaching for his phone to check the time.

“I’ll get them,” he murmured, planting a quick kiss on your forehead before slipping out of bed.

You stretched, listening to the familiar sounds of Jobe soothing one of the twins, while the other soon joined in the chorus. Smiling, you got up and made your way to the nursery, where Jobe was already changing diapers.

“Good morning, my little loves,” you cooed, lifting your daughter out of her crib. Her giggles were music to your ears, a perfect start to the day.

Jobe handed you a freshly changed son, and you both headed downstairs, twins in tow. Breakfast was a team effort—Jobe prepared the twins’ oatmeal and fruit while you made coffee and toast for yourselves.

With everyone seated around the kitchen table, you and Jobe took turns feeding the twins and stealing bites of your own breakfast. Laughter and tiny messes filled the room, setting a cheerful tone for the day ahead.

After breakfast, Jobe headed out for training, promising to be back by lunchtime. You spent the morning engaging the twins with playtime, storybooks, and a bit of creative chaos. They were particularly fond of building block towers only to knock them down with squeals of delight.

Around mid-morning, you managed to fit in some work, responding to emails and planning content while the twins napped. The house was blissfully quiet for an hour, allowing you to focus.

Jobe returned home just as the twins woke up, their sleepy faces lighting up at the sight of him. “Daddy’s home!” you announced, watching them toddle over to him with outstretched arms.

Lunchtime was another family affair, with sandwiches, fruit, and lots of chatter. Jobe shared stories from his training session while you updated him on the twins’ morning adventures.

After lunch, you both took the twins to the park, enjoying the fresh air and watching them explore the playground. Jobe pushed them on the swings while you captured the precious moments on your phone, memories to cherish forever.

Back home, it was nap time for the twins again. This gave you and Jobe a rare moment of peace. You cuddled on the couch, catching up on a favorite show or simply enjoying each other’s company in comfortable silence.

Once the twins woke up, it was time for more play and a bit of screen time with their favorite educational shows. You prepped dinner while Jobe kept them entertained, the house filled with the sounds of playful giggles and the occasional sibling squabble.

Dinner was a lively event, with the twins eagerly trying new foods and sharing their delight with every bite. You and Jobe took turns eating and managing the occasional spill, the routine now a well-practiced dance of parenthood.

After dinner, it was bath time. The twins loved splashing in the tub, and you and Jobe relished the chance to make it a fun, bonding experience. With the twins clean and wrapped in fluffy towels, you headed to their room for storytime.

Jobe read their favorite book while you tucked them in, the soothing rhythm of his voice lulling them into drowsiness. You both kissed them goodnight, watching as they drifted off to sleep.

With the twins finally asleep, you and Jobe retreated to the living room. You shared a quiet, intimate dinner, reflecting on the day and planning for the next. The exhaustion of the day melted away in the comfort of each other’s presence.

“Another successful day,” Jobe said, pulling you close as you settled on the couch.

“Couldn’t do it without you,” you replied, resting your head on his shoulder.

After some much-needed relaxation, you both headed to bed, ready to recharge for another day of joyful chaos with your little ones. As you drifted off to sleep, you felt content, knowing that together, you and Jobe were creating a loving, happy home for your family.

[fullsandwichmiracle]

Welcome to Amsterdam | Part one: Festival

Paring: Joost Klein x female!reader 

Description: Performing at a festival with your friend and meeting a blond man who was also performing at the festival.

Warnings: None really, mostly background. 

Word count: 2,5K+

You are packing for a trip to the Netherlands, having been invited by a friend to join her on stage. You've been making music for about three years, but this will be your first festival in another country. The plan is to stay at your friend's house in Amsterdam, close to the festival venue. Excitement and nervousness blend as you double-check your equipment and personal items, ensuring you haven't forgotten anything important.

As you finish packing for the week, you hear a notification on your phone. It's a message from your friend.

Sara: How's everything going and don't forget to bring your laptop so we can make some music.

You: Thanks, I almost forgot. I'm going to the airport soon. I will update you before I fly off. 

Nice, see you soon then! <3

After packing your laptop Sara reminded you of, you then scanned the apartment to make sure you didn't miss anything else. Once satisfied, you dragged your suitcases to the elevator and ordered an Uber to take you to the airport. You couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement and anticipation for the adventure ahead.

Upon arrival at the airport, you quickly grabbed a cart to help with your luggage and headed to the check-in counter. Despite having a lot of luggage ,clothes for the week, a stage outfit, some clubbing outfits, and swimwear, everything went smoothly. You felt prepared for anything the week might throw at you. The buzz of the airport and the chatter of travelers around you only heightened your excitement.

After passing through security, you found a bar and sat down to enjoy a much-needed airport beer, savoring the moment and the anticipation of the journey ahead. As you sipped your drink, you checked your phone to confirm your gate and departure time, knowing your plane would be leaving in 30 minutes. You felt a mixture of excitement and calm, ready to take on whatever this trip had in store.

I'm at the airport now. Everything went smoothly and it looks like the plane is leaving as planned. 

Great. Meet you there. 

You finished your beer and headed to the gate as boarding began. Finding your seat, you settled in, ready for the flight to Amsterdam. The anticipation of the upcoming festival kept your spirits high.

The trip was quick, but you managed to squeeze in a short nap, feeling refreshed as you neared your destination.

As you exited the airport, you saw Sara waiting for you with a big smile and a welcoming hug. The excitement of seeing her and starting this adventure together made you feel even more energized for the week ahead.

"Hiiii Y/N! So nice to see you irl” 

“Hello Sara! Nice to finally meet you too.”

You both hugged before she helped you load all the luggage into her car.

The festival was three days long, and you were scheduled to play on the second day, Friday. Today was Wednesday, and you and Sara decided to take it easy, resting from your flight and gearing up for the first day of the festival. You spent the day indoors, working on a new song together. Having collaborated over the phone before, it felt natural to create music side by side. 

By the time you decided to call it quits for the day, it was close to midnight. You had completed a chorus, rough lyrics, and a basic beat. Though it wasn’t a finished song, you were both surprised and pleased with how quickly you managed to put it together.

After saying goodnight, you went to bed, excited for the first day of the festival.

Sara burst into your room, yelling, "Are you ready to rumble?" She jumped on top of you, playfully hitting you with a pillow, laughter echoing through the room.

Despite only knowing each other online until now, you and Sara had developed a strong bond, feeling more like lifelong friends than just virtual ones.

You both got dressed, looking forward to a day packed with activities. You opted for a see-through top over a black bikini, paired with a long jean skirt. Meanwhile, Sara dressed in a black bikini and oversized basketball shorts. 

You wrap yourself in the flag of your country and head out the door, ready to represent your nation proudly at the festival. The vibrant colors of the flag flutter in the breeze, catching the attention of passersby as you make your way towards the festival. 

Arriving at the festival grounds, Sara handed you two wristbands—one for guests and another for your performance tomorrow. You quickly put them on, feeling the excitement build as you headed inside. Despite the early hour, the atmosphere was already alive with bustling crowds and vibrant music echoing through the air. The anticipation of what the day held in store added an electric buzz to the scene.

You began the day by heading to the food carts with Sara to grab something to eat, both realizing in your excitement that breakfast had been forgotten. The enticing aroma of freshly cooked food and the wide variety of options made choosing difficult, but eventually, you both settled on delicious fresh sandwiches.

Walking around with your newly acquired food, you headed towards one of the stages to enjoy the music.

As the day flew by, both of you grew increasingly exhausted. Opting to head home early, you agreed not to expend all your energy, knowing you had a performance scheduled for tomorrow.

When you arrived home, both of you changed into more comfortable clothes and snuggled up on the couch. With a movie playing in the background, you resumed working on the song you started the previous day. The day filled with music had left you both inspired, eager to continue creating together. 

It was well past midnight when you finally finished the song. Though it wasn't quite ready for release, both of you agreed to play it at your set tomorrow. After practicing it once more, you headed back to bed, both of you in need of some sleep.

This day, you woke up to Sara playing one of your songs at full volume as she marched through your room, singing along enthusiastically.

"Todays the day," Sara declared as she plopped down next to you in bed, creating a dip from the new weight. 

She was always so joyful, her energy filling the room and rousing you from sleep, even though you were tired from the previous day. 

Today, you chose a laid-back ensemble: a pink hoodie adorned with your stage name, paired with shorts concealed beneath. Sara sported a similar outfit as the day before, switching her black bikini for a pink one to complement your attire. 

With your stage outfit packed in a bag, you headed back to the festival, entering through a special artist entrance. Finding Sara's trailer, you unloaded all your belongings before venturing out into the festival area.

You watched several performances before making your way back to the trailer to prepare for your own stage appearance. On the way, you and Sara sang along to songs you'd heard earlier, dancing with excitement coursing through your veins. Caught up in the moment, you spun around and accidentally bumped into someone.

"OMG, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," you apologized, turning to face a tall, blond man with piercing blue eyes, dressed in a white tank top and black baggy jeans.

Noticing how close you were, you quickly backed up, apologizing once more.

The man chuckled. "It's fine. You seemed lost in another world."

He extended his hand towards you. "I'm Joost. And you are Y/S/N?"

You shook his hand. "That's my stage name. My real name is Y/N."

You found yourself lost in a trance staring into his eyes, until Sara stretched out her hand to greet Joost, breaking the spell.

"Hi, I'm Sara. Nice to meet you, Joost," she said with a friendly smile, shaking his hand. "But we have to get going; we're on stage in an hour." She glanced at you, her eyes full of excitement and determination for the performance ahead. She grabbed your hand and swiftly pulled you away from Joost, eager to focus on the upcoming performance. You exchanged a quick glance with Sara. 

"He was so hot," you exclaimed as soon as you stepped into the trailer, flopping down on the couch beside Sara, who chuckled knowingly. "You know, you stared into his eyes for like a whole minute," she added, making you feel a mix of embarrassment and amusement. Sara grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying your reaction. 

You got ready, changing into your stage outfit: a fluffy pink tank top paired with a matching bucket hat and a short jean skirt featuring your stage name on the back. Sara opted for the same bucket hat and a pink jersey dress adorned with her name. After doing your makeup, you both took a shot to calm your nerves before making your way to the stage.

Ten minutes before you were set to go on stage, you peeked out from behind the stage curtain at the already large crowd that had gathered, feeling a rush of excitement and nervous anticipation. The energy of the audience was palpable, adding to your eagerness to perform but also to your nerves.

One of Sara's songs began playing, and she stepped out onto the stage to cheers from the crowd. It was a song you had collaborated on with her, and as your part approached, you dashed onto the stage, eliciting an ecstatic response from the audience. Performing outside your own country, you weren't sure how the crowd would react, but their enthusiastic response fueled your excitement and calmed your nerves.

As you finished the first song, Sara screamed into the mic, "Helloooo, Netherlands! I'm Sara, and this is my amazing friend, Y/S/N!" The crowd erupted into cheers once again. "Do you guys wanna hear a new unreleased song?" Sara continued, prompting another wave of screams from the crowd. "I hope you like it!" she added before the beat kicked in.

You both ran around, energetically jumping on the stage while singing along to the new unreleased song, the crowd joining in on the chorus as it repeated. As the song reached its finale, you both sat down at the edge of the stage, singing the last part while gazing out over the crowd. While scanning the audience, you noticed Joost standing in the VIP section, attentively watching your performance. A rush of adrenaline mixed with a sense of accomplishment swept over you as you locked eyes with him, adding an unexpected thrill to the moment.

The next song was one of yours, featuring more introspective lyrics and a mellower beat. You and Sara swayed along with the music, seated at the edge of the stage, singing in harmony. The crowd joined in, swaying and singing along throughout the entire song. Throughout the song, you kept glancing over at Joost, who was also swaying and singing along with the music.  

As you finished the song, you blew a kiss into the crowd. Rising from your seats, you and Sara prepared for the next song, its upbeat tempo filling the air once more. The rest of the set proceeded smoothly, and every now and then, you stole glances to see if Joost was still watching. 

As the set drew to a close, you and Sara thanked everyone for joining, blowing kisses and waving to the cheering crowd before stepping off stage, feeling a mix of exhilaration and gratitude for the unforgettable experience. 

Heading back to your trailer, you spotted Joost in the distance, slowly making his way towards you. A smile spread across your face as you anticipated what he might say about the performance.

"You guys were amazing!" he exclaimed as he reached where you were standing next to your trailer.

"Thank you," you and Sara said in unison, smiling gratefully at Joost's compliment.

"I'm going to perform on the big stage in like an hour if you wanna watch," he said before heading into his trailer. 

You and Sara headed into your trailer, quickly chugging some water and sitting down to catch your breath. You relaxed in the trailer until Joost's set was about to begin in five minutes. Both of you jumped up and hurried to the big stage and into the VIP section still in your stage clothes.

The crowd was double the size of yours, and the atmosphere buzzed with excitement as people chanted Joost's name in anticipation of his imminent appearance on stage. You and Sara found yourselves caught up in the electric energy pulsating through the air.

Joost burst onto the stage, running and jumping as the beat of one of his songs filled the air. He greeted the crowd with infectious enthusiasm before diving into his set. His energy was palpable as he danced and jumped to the rhythm, and the crowd mirrored his excitement. You and Sara joined in, singing along and dancing to his music, thoroughly enjoying the experience. His stage presence was mesmerizing, drawing everyone into his performance.

As his set ended, the crowd erupted into cheers as Joost exited the stage. Once he had left, you and Sara hurried out from the VIP section, eager to catch Joost and express how much you enjoyed his performance.

Unable to find him amidst the crowd, you and Sara decided to head back to your trailer to freshen up. Squeezing onto the couch together, you snuggled close while watching some TikTok's from the festival on your phone.

You heard a knock on the door, and Sara yelled, "It's open!" not wanting to get up. The door creaked open slowly, and Joost walked into the trailer, finding you and Sara cuddled up together.

"How cute," he remarked as he squeezed onto the edge of the couch. "I saw you during my set. What did you guys think?"

"It was amazing, the crowd loved you," you said, sitting up to make space for Joost on the couch. Sara joined in, "Yeah, you were incredible," as she also shifted to a sitting position. The three of you settled comfortably, the trailer now buzzing with a relaxed yet excited energy as you recounted your favorite moments from his set. Joost's smile widened with each compliment, and he shared some behind-the-scenes stories that had you and Sara laughing.

"I'm going to an after-party with some other performers. Do you guys want to join?" he asked casually, placing his hand on your thigh, making your body shiver.

"Yes, sounds so fun," Sara answered quickly, and you nodded along, feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation.

Joost gave your thigh a gentle squeeze before standing up and handing you a piece of paper with an address and time on it. "Great, see you guys soon," he said with a smile as he headed out the door.

Once he was gone, Sara turned to you with a wide grin. "This is going to be epic," she said, her excitement palpable. You couldn't help but agree, your mind already racing with the possibilities of the night ahead.

Packing up everything and throwing on your hoodie over your stage outfit, you and Sara exited the trailer and headed home to get ready for the after-party.

Once you arrived home, you jumped into the shower to freshen up. Back in your room, you rummaged through your suitcases to find your prettiest pair of underwear, hoping you might get lucky. Sitting down on your bed, you pondered over what to wear, excitement bubbling up inside you.

You decided to stick with the same skirt from the stage since it made you feel empowered and pretty, pairing it with a pink top that showed off plenty of cleavage. You walked out to the living room where Sara sat on her phone, wearing a loose black dress. She turned around and whistled. "Damn, somebody's getting laid tonight!" You laughed, and the both of you headed out, excited for the night ahead.

To be continued…. 

Part two

[mistydeyes]

smth abt your recent 141 post gave me a thought.

somebody need to get these boys into a club, flashing lights, music and dancing, fun drinks and flashy y2k reader who’s lowkey an absolute party animal?? or an ex party animal, teehee anyways,,

imagine how fun it’d be dragging johnny onto the dance floor, drunkenly screaming that “this is my FAVORITE song!!”

i just see fics of them at bars and i just need to see them up in a club😫😫

thank you so much for requesting! i LOVE drunken club energy so much (something about going to a club and drinking a weak rum and coke on a thirsty thursday really does it for me). this totally fit the vibe of a previous request so please enjoy a little cameo of the best 2000s aesthetic character, Storm!

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summary: The 141 decides to allow you to pick the place for some drinks while on leave. You take the opportunity to get absolutely hammered and sing your heart out to some 2000s hits.

pairing: Taskforce 141 x reader (codename: Storm)

warnings: swearing

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"I thought they said we were going for drinks," Gaz shouted to Ghost over the loud 2000s dance music that blared on the dance floor. Gaz had found his way back to Price and Ghost after you had dragged him to the beats of Low by Flo Rida. After the chorus, you and your low-rise jeans and Harley Davis tiny top had disappeared with Soap in hand. He figured you would emerge eventually as he took a large gulp of his beer that appeared to be hot pink underneath the neon lights. "I am never letting Storm pick again," Ghost said and Gaz strained to hear him. But by the look of how drunk he was getting over the sugary drinks, it was clear Ghost was trying to make the most out of the experience.

"Here they come," Price yelled, almost as if he was delivering a warning, as you emerged from the crowd. Sweat coated your face and perfectly complicated the loose glitter from your makeup and the mingling crowd. Soap followed close behind, somehow losing his shirt after the three-minute song. "What happened out there?" Simon couldn't help but ask as you and Soap chugged the remainder of your dirty shirleys. "Met some Scousers," Soap breathlessly answered, "shirt went with 'em." The group laughed loudly as Soap fanned his sweating torso. "How'd you find this place, Storm?" Gaz asked, leaning forward closer to the group. "Went here a lot in sixth form and the summer before enlisting," you answered. You remembered the long nights and the hoarse voices you left with. You also remembered the paracetamol and glass of water affectionately left on your bedside table.

You continued to exchange wild stories about your drunken adventures including the time you threw up in someone's designer Juicy Couture bag. "And you still party like a teenager," Price couldn't help but tease as you threw your head back in laughter. "Don't see you complaining about all the compliments you've been getting, Captain," you quipped back. Almost on schedule, a young woman passed by the Captain and sent an air kiss his way with her glossed lips. You held your drink in the air and shared a toast with the group as you celebrated the woman's flirtations. Before Price could respond back, you could hear the beginning of your favorite early 2000s hits.

You jumped up, sloshing the drinks on the small metallic table. "Oh my god," you screamed, "this is my favorite song!" Unfortunately for Price and Soap, they were the nearest to you and your hands immediately began tugging them to the dance floor. Your sneakers squeaked against the floor as Soap relented but Price remained firmly in place. "I'm too old for this," Price said as he shook his head in dismay. "Whatever," you rolled your eyes, letting him fall back onto the plush couch, "but the next time there's a Britney song, I better see your boonie hat on the floor."

[u6is]

"cause i dont wanna be in love with another, even in another life ... " 𓇢𓆸

— kylian mbappé x reader: fluff

The sound of a vinyl record crackling to life filled the cozy living room, the unmistakable tune of a classic rock ballad floating through the air. The sun had just begun to set outside, casting a warm, golden glow through the windows and onto the well-worn couch where you sat, nestled under a hand-knit blanket.

"You've got to love the sound of this old thing," Kylian said, his voice carrying the same smoothness as the music he had just put on. He adjusted the volume knob with a gentle twist of his wrist, the sleeves of his sweater riding up to reveal tanned forearms dotted with the occasional freckle.

Your golden retriever, perked up his ears at the sound, his tail thumping a steady beat against the floor. He was an eternal optimist, always ready to jump into whatever adventure the day had to offer. As the music grew louder, your dog trotted over to the record player, his eyes curious as he tried to figure out where the soulful melody was coming from.

Kylian chuckled, leaning down to give your dog a scratch behind the ears. "You like it too, huh?"

The golden retriever's tail wagged more fervently, his eyes never leaving the spinning record. It was a dance of curiosity and contentment that never failed to amuse you. You watched as Kylian's fingers danced over the record, flipping it to reveal its label – a band you hadn't heard of, but he swore was a hidden gem. The needle dropped onto the fresh groove with a soft hiss, and the room was once again filled with a melody that seemed to resonate deep within your soul.

"Come here, dansons !," Kylian said, holding out his hand with a mischievous smile. Despite the weariness from the day's activities, you couldn't resist. You took his hand, feeling the warmth and strength in his grasp as he pulled you to your feet. The dog looked at you both, his tail still wagging, but he remained by the record player, seemingly content to bask in the music's warmth.

Kylian's arms wrapped around you, his hands resting lightly on your waist as he led you in a slow dance across the hardwood floor. The song's rhythm was nostalgic, a blend of old-school charm and a beat that felt timeless. You rested your head on his shoulder, inhaling the faint scent of his cologne mixed with the scent of fresh grass from his afternoon run. His chest rose and fell with the rhythm of the music, a steady and comforting presence that made you feel like you could conquer the world.

As the chorus kicked in, Kylian twirled you around, the fabric of your dress swirling around your legs. You laughed, the sound mixing with the melody to create a harmony that filled the room. The dog's tail wagging grew more vigorous, thumping the floor like a drum accompanying the love song. The light from the setting sun painted a picture of contentment on the wall – the two of you dancing, the dog watching with a look of pure happiness.

The music grew softer, the tempo slowing as the song reached its crescendo. Kylian's embrace tightened, pulling you closer as you swayed to the beat. His breath was warm against your neck, sending shivers down your spine. You closed your eyes, lost in the moment, feeling the vibrations of the music and the steady thump of his heart in sync with yours. The world outside with all its chaos and responsibilities melted away, leaving just the two of you and the timeless tune that seemed to speak directly to your souls.

[morgana-larkin]

Ok so I saw a post from @dashbag-art about a guitar in Melissa’s classroom and asked for a fic in which Mel serenades her lover, so here it is! Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

On another note: I’ve got like 4 fics I’m working on right now, 3 of them are prompts and the other is Mine Part 8. Stay on the lookout! Oh and Y/M/N means your middle name. 😊

At The Beginning

Warnings: just a lot of fluff

Words: 1,002 (short but sweet)

Melissa knows how much you love music, from singing in the car to singing and dancing in bars, your life revolves around music. Which is why she knows the perfect way to pop the question.

Melissa takes a deep breath as she paces yet again, in her classroom. She plans to ask you as soon as you come to get her from her classroom like always. The trio and Barb know of her plan and she made them swear to keep it from you unless they want a bat to the head. Janine took both of their classes to the gym after lunch when she saw how nervous Melissa was.

“Melissa dear, you’re sweating.” Barb says, a minute after the bell rings.

“I’m just really nervous.” Melissa says as she walks a little bit closer to her friend.

“I know dear, but it’ll be great. You’ve been practicing so much for the past couple weeks and you know she’s gonna say yes no matter what.” Barb tells her, trying to comfort her.

“I know, I just want to show her how much I love her and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Even if you do, she won’t care. She’ll love the thought alone.”

“I think the kids will love the project next week.” Barb and Melissa both turn when they hear you talk to Janine.

“Here she comes, good luck.” Barb says before leaving.

Melissa takes a deep breath as she grabs her guitar. She watches you walk in by yourself and your face changes to confusion when you see Melissa holding her guitar. Melissa starts playing the guitar and looks at you as she starts singing.

“We were strangers, starting out on a journey. Never dreaming what we’d have to go through. Now here we are, I’m suddenly standing, at the beginning with you.”

Melissa starts singing the song and you immediately start smiling. Melissa continues singing.

“No one told me, I was going to find you. Unexpected, what you did to my heart. When I lost hope, you were there to remind me. This is the start. And life is a road that I wanna keep going. Love is a river that I wanna keep flowing. Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey. I’ll be there when the world stops turning, I’ll be there when the storm is through. In the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you.” Melissa continues singing and you can’t help but walk closer to her and put your stuff on a nearby desk.

“We were strangers on a crazy adventure. Never dreaming how our dreams would come true. Now here we stand, unafraid of the future. At the beginning with you.” Melissa continues playing the guitar and looks at you with a smile. “Wanna sing the chorus with me?” She asks you and you nod.

“Life is a road that I wanna keep going, love is a river that I wanna keep flowing. Life is a road now and forever, wonderful journey. I’ll be there when the world stops turning. I’ll be there when the storm is through. In the end I wanna be standing, at the beginning with you.” You both sang and you look at her with a wide bright smile.

“Knew there was somebody, somewhere. A new love in the dark. Now I know my dream will live on, I’ve been waiting so long, nothing’s gonna tear us apart! And life is a road that I wanna keep going, love is a river I wanna keep flowing, life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey. I’ll be there when the world stops turning, I’ll be there when the storm is through. In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning…” Melissa sings and does one last strum on the guitar. “With you.” She ends and a tear slides down your cheek and you have a huge smile on your face. Melissa quickly puts the guitar down safely and turns to look at you. “Remember how we met here? You got introduced as my new aide 5 years ago.” She says and you nod your head. “I had no idea that would be the most important meeting of my life.” She continues and then she reaches in her pocket to pull something out and then gets down on one knee. You gasp and put a hand over your mouth. “Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?” She asks you and you launch yourself at her and hug her.

“YES! OF COURSE I WILL!” You shout and she hugs you back with a huge smile on her face. “Wait…” you say as you pull back. “I thought you didn’t want to get married. You wanted more of a common law relationship.” You ask her.

“I thought I did too, but lately I’ve been thinking of marrying you.” She simply says and she puts the ring on your finger. You look at it with a smile and then you look at her and kiss her. You both then hear clapping and cheering and you both look and see Janine, Jacob, Gregory, Barb, Ava and Mr Johnson there.

“I told you she’d say yes dear.” Barb says.

“Well how can I say no when my fiancée serenades me with a song?” You say and put an arm around her neck and look at her with a smile.

“I can’t wait to make you a Schemmenti.” Melissa tells you and kisses you.

“Oh, get a room!” Ava yells, then flips her hair and leaves.

You then hear Janine and Jacob squeal. “I can’t wait! Can we help plan the wedding!” Jacob asks you both.

“Only help, but we make all the final decisions.” Melissa tells them sternly and they both nod.

You then look at Melissa again and lean your forehead on hers. “At the beginning, with you.” You sing softly and Melissa can’t remember the last time she’s been this happy.

Taglist: @esposadejoyhuerta

@imaginesmultifandoms

@idonothingalldays-blog

@sexysapphicshopowner

@dvrkhcld

@lilfartbox1

@ricejucie

@unicorniusfallapatorius

@a-queen-and-her-throne

@sleep-deprived-athlete

@og-kxsh-420

@sasheemo

@midnight-lestrange

Let me know if you want to be added!

[regicidal-defenestration]

No-one else is doing it like Doctor Who and the Pirates

Sixth Doctor, spoken: One can almost say that I am the very model of a Gallifreyan buccaneer.

(jaunty music begins)

Evelyn, spoken: Oh no, you are going to sing!

Sixth Doctor, spoken: Well, yes I am!

Sixth Doctor, singing:

I... am the very model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer.

I've information on all things a Gallifreyan holds most dear.

I've linked into the Matrix through its exitonic circuitry,

I understand dimensional and relative chronometry.

I'm very well acquainted too with matters of the Capitol,

I'll give you verse and chapter on Panopticonian protocol,

I've been into the Death Zone and I've played the Game of Rassilon--

(Rassilon? Assilon, Bassilon-- ah ha!)

With pestilential monsters that I got a lot of hassle from!

Chorus: With pestilential monsters that he got a lot of hassle from! With pestilential monsters that he got a lot of hassle from! With pestilential monsters that he got a lot of hassle hassle from!

Sixth Doctor:

I understand each language and I speak every vernacular.

I'll conjugate each verb obscure, decline each line irregular.

In short in every matter that a Gallifreyan holds most dear,

I am the very model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer.

Chorus: In short in every matter that a Gallifreyan holds most dear, he is the very model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer.

Sixth Doctor:

I've tackled shady Castellans with devious behavior.

I've sparred with Time Lord chancellors like Thalia, Goth, or Flavia.

In fact on some occasions I've held office Presidentally,

'though maybe I won't mention I was ousted out eventually.

I know just how it feels to be a wanted man and on the run,

but wouldn't leave the carefree buccaneering life for anyone.

Though sometimes my adventures seem absurdly operatical--

(Operatical? Hatical... patical-- ah ha!)

With ups and down and twists and turns and incidents piratical.

Chorus: With ups and down and twists and turns and incidents piratical! With ups and down and twists and turns and incidents piratical! With ups and down and twists and turns and incidents piratic-ratical!

Sixth Doctor:

I've sailed the seven seas of Earth and all the oceans of the Moon,

my trusty true Type-40 is my Gallifreyan picaroon.

But is this really what the average Galifreyan holds most dear?

I wonder what they think about this Gallifreyan Buccaneer.

Chorus: But is this really what the average Galifreyan holds most dear? We wonder what they think about this Gallifreyan Buccaneer.

Sixth Doctor:

But....

I've defeated evil robots such as Daleks, Quarks, and Cybermen.

I've overthrown dictators from Tobias Vaughn to Mavic Chen.

I've rescued helpless maidens from the devestating Viking hordes.

Vanquished Autons.... Axons... Daemons... Krotons.... Monoids, Vampires, Voords.

I've liberated planets and delivered them from total war.

Saved Earth, Manussa, Dulkis, Skonnos, Earth, Tigella, Earth once more.

In short I know I am the truest Rassilonian legate

(Legate? Decate...Hecate...Hecate? Mm. Not sure if that's canonical... Ah ha, I have it!)

And so to Time Lords all I say remember me to Gallifrey!

Chorus: A sentiment we all agree, remember him to Gallifrey! A sentiment we all agree, remember him to Gallifrey! A sentiment we all agree, remember him to Galli-Gallifrey!

Sixth Doctor:

I'm not content to just observe, I am a bold adventurer.

Though other Time Lords mock this Gallifreyan interventioner.

I know in every matter that a Time Lord really should hold dear

I am the very model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer!

Chorus: We know in every matter that a Time Lord really should hold dear, he is the very model of a Gallifreyan Buccaneer!

[vivi-the-goblin]

One thing they don't tell you about becoming a youtuber is how it effects the background music of everything. Because I know the music. People love songs like Adventure Meme, Inspired, and Your Call for outros. Zefrank's ad reel music is Backbay Lounge, and this D&D video's gone wacky so we'll throw in some Glee Club Polka. This commercial didn't dish out for thier own recording of Brandenburg No4, and this indie game is using Kings of Tara, Lord of the Land, etc. Ah, spicing it up with Ascending the Vale today Runesmith? Cool, I know this ad read is under 48 seconds because that's when the chorus kicks in. Because it's all Kevin MacLeod. Because he has thousands of tracks for free with attribution, or the full commercial license for like $20. And has been doing it that way for many years. Like now you also get a lot of undertale/deltarune, but take a glance through his catalog and you'll find most songs you've heard in a background of a youtube vid. And you can either fight with copyright claims all the time, shell out a bunch for music licenses, or use his stuff like everyone else.

[maddy-k-reads-all-day]

Okay... so I'm pretty sure the "Play My Way" song is canon considering its an official Amanda 2 song and it's listed in the games credits.

So I'm also gonna consider the two animations the song is based on as canon, too. Bear with me.

If we consider all 3 videos canon then things get really interesting.

Timeline wise, I think all three videos take place before the first game.

The first where everything in the Hide and Seek tape goes smoothly where it's just a storyboard happens before Amanda and Wooly got trapped. I think this may have been a pilot to the animated series. It feels like it sets up what Amanda The Adventurer was supposed to be like. Amanda and Wooly are super friendly with each other, plus Wooly is missing his ears just like the games original pilot.

The second version might be sometime after they got trapped. Supposedly Amanda didn't originally remember her life as Rebecca in the first game right? I think this might be where she started to notice something off. When they replay the Hide and Seek tape, Amanda clearly gets the feeling they've done this before. I'm so sure about Wooly here tho.

Now let's talk about the song on its own, ignoring the timeline and just acknowledging that the characters find this tape familiar.

By the third time (the song), Amanda clearly notices that they've done this before and freaks out. And I think here if Wooly didn't notice something off before, he does when his part comes when he's repeating the lines from the animatics he sounds really unsure? "Right, you're the best... you must play this a lot." Like there's a weird sense of unease in his voice when he says this.

The chorus to me feels really interesting because I feel like we're getting Amanda's true feelings about this situation.

"Now watch us play our part. Now watch us dance and sing. Don't want to fall apart like kids who never seem to scream."

I love the puppet-like vibes these lyrics give off.

After this it seems like the tape resets cuz it's suddenly Amanda's turn again. And Wooly seems like he's really frustrated that he's not getting his turn. But Woolys verse is the most interesting to me.

"Now watch us play our part. Now watch us dance and sing. Don't let it break your heart just play along and-" He gets cut off.

This almost sounds equally passive aggressive as Amanda's chorus. There seems to be an equal amount of resentment. But the "just play along" part seems very fitting for Wooly. One thing I think about Wooly is he seems very avoidant of things that upset him. And it got me wondering if the reason he's always trying to redirect things isn't because it's some "job" of his, instead he simply doesn't like it. He doesn't like tragic stories he doesn't like talking about death or people you trust hurting you. But a lot of these things seem like things that Hameln intentionally wanted in the show so I'm really starting to belive that Wooly himself is the one who doesn't want to talk about it.

Another thing I find weird is how adamant Wooly was about wanting a turn and then how the moment Amanda was gone, he started to panic. As his verse continues after Amanda's chorus, he sounds more and more upset. I can't wait till the animation for this comes out because I really wanna know what Wooly was talking about when he says, " I don't wanna go in there." Omg. Didn't Amanda say that once?

Now, when he finds the "cat under the box," this time it's Mr. Fox? And then Amanda sings about killing someone. I don't think it's Wooly because, continuity wise, that doesn't make sense. We found out that killing Wooly does nothing he just comes back. So Amanda wouldn't try it twice, right? So I think it's Mr. Fox before the first game. Maybe Mr. Fox was a character similar to the opossum? Idk why Amanda would kill Mr. Fox unless if he was in their way. Actually, I know it isn't Wooly because Wooly is still alive at the end of the song- (imagine the music video comes out and makes me look like a fool)

I also wonder what Amanda's "it's you" is supposed to mean. Maybe Kate was the one watching this tape?

Anyway, these are my observations and theories. They are kinda messy and subject to change, but what do you think?

[dokonskit]

Is this a zombie Persephone concept?😅 Spooky...

Это концепт зомби-Персефоны?😅 Крипово...

[iibonniee]

All Eyes on Her

Pairing: Minhyuk x Reader x Hyungwon x Kihyun

Genre: Smut

Warnings: foursome, oral (fem and male receiving), unprotected sex, double penetration, facial, masturbation, cum eating

Rating: R

Word Count: 7.2k

Summary: There was only so many ways to piss off her roommates. Going out without their knowledge was the top of that list

Masterlist | Tags: @beautifulworldandmore @kyunnielove @iamkyunie @doveslittlekpoparchive @dessianna1

(huge shoutout to @spacequokka for the proof reading and hype!)

The city was ablaze with Halloween spirit; twinkling orange lights adorned every lamppost while smiling pumpkins stared down from each window. The usual humdrum of the city had morphed into a chorus of high-pitched laughter and teasing catcalls, echoing against the walls of the high-rises.

Amidst the crowd of excited buzz and anticipation, individuals wander with faces hidden behind masks, from classic vampires to slutty nurses, each strutting their raunchiest and most creative costumes. There was an electrifying tang of mischief and lust in the air, the boundaries of common decency momentarily put at bay with the scapegoat of horror-themed revelry.

Skimpy witches revealing a little too much ‘hocus pocus,’ flirtatious vampires showcasing more than just their canines, and provocatively dressed devils smirking at their sinful antics sauntered down the bustling streets, their laughter rising into the chilled air. While the cityscape was a treat, the people were the spectacle under the Halloween moon.

A palpable excitement fizzled through the crowd as they flocked towards the city’s center, where grand parades, Halloween parties, and bars offering dangerously potent ‘witches brew’ awaited them. The chilling thrill of Halloween quickly ignited into a fiery celebration, prophesizing a night of reckless abandon and racy encounters.

As the night fell, the city became the perfect playground for these supernatural imposters, ready to indulge in their darkest fantasies. The ‘trick or treat’ didn’t concern candies anymore, and the only spell that mattered was the intoxicating stimulant of the night - wild, wicked, and wonderfully suggestive.

As if on cue, the city’s heartbeat quickened, mirroring the palpable pulse that thrummed through the mingle of Halloween revelers. Y/N, lost in the sea of provocative costumes and devilish laughter, somehow managed to weave through the boisterous crowd. Three of her friends, who had decided to venture into the night together, barely noticed her sneaking past—such was the intoxicating allure of the Halloween spectacle.

Y/N took a hasty gulp from the mysterious concoction in her hand, the ominous label of ‘witches brew’ at the bar only fueling her adventurous spirit. Its potent ingredients quickly washed over her, a familiar haze clouding her vision. The alcohol warmed her veins, the heady sensation making her limbs feel heavy yet oddly cheerful. At the same time, the crowd around her swayed like an intoxicating dance of shadows.

Pumped up on the adrenaline and the dangerously potent brew, she felt bold and invincible. She was just another face hidden behind a risqué costume, seduced by the promise of reckless abandonment. Embracing the night’s madness, she let herself be swept up in the waves of laughter and playful catcalls.

Her world was spinning, the city lights blurring to form endless streams of orange and black. The pounding music from nearby parties became a pulsating rhythm in her chest, the enticing beat luring her further into the night’s embrace. The roommates, the rules, the norm – everything that caged her was forgotten, lost in the hedonistic pursuit of a Halloween adventure. Y/N was perfectly adrift in the Halloween ocean, ready to plunge into whatever wickedly delightful encounters the night had in store for her.

Suddenly, the buzz of her phone broke through the symphony of raucous laughter and pulsating music. Fumbling in her small purse, Y/N retrieved her disobedient phone, squinting at the sudden bright light. The screen displayed a flurry of messages, quickly piling up from her roommates, who had noticed her absence.

“Y/N? Are you okay?”

“You’re not at the apartment!”

“Weren’t you feeling unwell? Where did you go?”

Their messages were tinged with worry and mild reprimand; they hadn’t expected her to ignore their advice and dive into the wild tangle of Halloween nightlife. At any other time, a pang of guilt might have washed over her. But tonight, under the spell of intoxication, cloaked in the stringency of her risque costume, Y/N felt free, audaciously untamed.

With a dismissive laugh, she typed a quick, vague reply: “I’m out; don’t worry. Just embracing the night.” Before the incoming reply could pull her to reality, she silenced her phone and shoved it back into her purse.

Reality and its naggings could wait; tonight was all about stepping into a world of fantastic desires. Drowned in the seductive whispers of the festival, she allowed herself to be adrift in the giddy ocean of celebration. 

Her roommates, their well-intentioned rules, and worrying had no place here. As she moved deeper into the city’s pulsating heart, Y/N felt an exciting sense of freedom. She was alone - lost yet freed, intoxicated yet in control. Redefining the limits, she plunged further into the intoxicating fervor, ready for whatever wickedly delightful encounters the night had in store.

Y/N drank in the freedom. She was free from Kihyun’s alert gaze, constantly scrutinizing those who dared enter her personal space. There were no towering presences of Hoseok and Hyunwoo, ready to scare off any potential troublemakers, no Minhyuk lingering around her ‘just in case.’ Minhyuk, Kihyun, and Hyunwon, who had decided on a quieter night in, were far from the raucous festivities of the city center. 

Meanwhile, Hyunwoo, Hoseok, Jooheon, and Changkyun were lost in their own adventures, leaving Y/N to navigate through the irresistible maze of the night, undisturbed and unhindered.

For Y/N, this was uncharted territory - exciting, intoxicating, and filled with an array of wicked possibilities. The Halloween spirits danced around her, caressing her senses and painting her vision with a tantalizing kaleidoscope of adventures. Echoed chuckles, flirtatious banter, and enticing rhythms led her deeper into the city’s pulsating heart, where the intoxicating fervor of Halloween was brewing at its peak.

Unrestrained and unhindered, she was lulled by the siren call of the city’s enchanting revelry. Her senses were filled with the intoxicating allure of the night, promising a treasure trove of wickedly delightful experiences beneath the Halloween moon.

The unplanned glamour of the night, free from the watchful eyes of her roommates, offered Y/N a wild freedom. With each heartbeat matching the risque rhythm of the Halloween sway, she was ready to hitch a ride on the Halloween roller-coaster and let it take her wherever it wandered.

The club was inviting, a beckoning call for anyone who dared to enter. The line was long, a promise of fun if the wait would be granted. Her eyes followed the crowd of drunken and giggling bystanders laughing at anything and everything. Halloween always felt like a night to let loose.

As Y/N stepped into the disorienting embrace of the club, she found her way to the bar, ordering drinks that fizzled and popped in neon hues, mirroring the hedonistic surge running through her veins. She allowed herself to get lost in the pulsating music and the intoxicating drink in hand, her worries slowly dissolving in the pounds of the bass. 

Suddenly, amidst the crowd, she noticed a figure moving towards her. The male was dressed as a Kingpin, with a playful smirk and an inviting gaze; he made his way through the crowd. He perched onto the stool beside her, his overwhelmingly charismatic charm barely concealed. He began to flirt, his words a mix of praises and playful banter, aiming to enthrall and captivate. 

Her intoxication amplified the already intense charm radiating from him. Her defenses lowered and her guard down. And just like that, a potentially dangerous scenario was painted; Y/N’s actions were guided by the impulsive rush of alcohol, the stranger’s intentions hidden under the playful banter, and the unforgettable night carrying on its unpredictable stride.

“And what are you supposed to be?” He finally asked the burning question. His smirk never left his face as she realized the alcohol had taken over him. “You have been driving me crazy.”

“Well, tonight, I’m nobody. Just here to enjoy the night,” Y/N slurred, her voice full of alcohol-induced delight. The man chuckled, introducing himself as Jungkook with a voice as smooth as the whiskey she held in her hand.

Jungkook, moving even closer to her, whispered playfully, matching her audacious tone, “Then nobody, you sure know how to attract attention.”

Caught in Jungkook’s entrapping charisma, Y/N was further intoxicatingly entertained by his flirtatious banter. The room was spinning, the colors merging into one, and the sounds became a distant echo. She was, however, rudely brought back to reality by a distinct, familiar voice slicing through the music.

“Y/N, have you lost your mind?!” Kihyun rushed towards them and, with a swiftness that misrepresented his anger, placed himself between her and Jungkook. The fury evident in his voice and expressions was enough to bring the room’s spinning carousel to a jarring halt. As he forced her to stand, he physically distanced her from Jungkook, the lingering intoxication started wearing off, replaced by the chilling realization of her actions. Despite the immeasurable confusion, one fact was clear: the night was far from over, and it wouldn’t be easily forgotten.

“Kihyun?” She gasped suddenly, aware of her roommate’s presence. The more time that had passed, the more she realized that Kihyun had turned his attention to Jungkook. 

“Isn’t she a piece of work?” Jungkook muttered to Kihyun, utterly unfazed by the tension. His words, intended to provoke, met their target. Kihyun’s glare intensified, his body stiffening as he towered over Jungkook.

“Y/N isn’t here for your amusement, Jungkook,” Kihyun retorted, the sharp tone of his voice owning the immediate space around them. “So I suggest you fuck off.”

Despite the rising conflict, Jungkook merely smirked, goading him further. “Oh, she seemed pretty amused just now, didn’t she?”

Those words threw Kihyun over the edge. “She’s had enough for the evening, Jungkook. This is your only warning. We both know your track record here so station your charm somewhere else before I forget about my respect for this place.” threatened Kihyun, his voice dangerously low.

Caught between the tension of the two, Y/N was jolted to sobriety, the remnants of her euphoria fizzling out, replaced by the harsh reality and an all too familiar sense of worry. The flare in Kihyun’s eyes made her realize this wasn’t simply about an overprotective friend; this was about something much more tangled, their past colliding with the present all at once.

“Kihyun…” She tried, only to be shot down once she noticed how his glaring eyes snapped back to her. Once she realized that he wasn’t going to calm down, she sucked in her breath, wishing that the alcohol that was mixed in her veins didn’t wear off as quickly as it did.

Ignoring her meek attempt to interject, Kihyun fixed his glare back on Jungkook. “This isn’t a joke, Jungkook. You are crossing a line here,” he hissed, making his irate state clear to everyone in their immediate vicinity. “Keep trying stupid shit, and I promise you, you won’t like what comes after.”

Unfazed, Jungkook laughed, “Seems like somebody needs to chill a little, hey Y/N?”

Before Y/N could even open her mouth to respond, Jungkook, sensing the opportunity to further provoke Kihyun, chimed in again, “You better keep her close, Kihyun. Or she might just end up in my bed next time.” With that, he chuckled, the sound echoing loudly in the otherwise noisy room. “Can’t let a beautiful thing like her out of your sight.”

Kihyun’s glare turned into a furious stare, and without another word, he shoved Jungkook back. The force surprised those nearby, and a hush fell upon their immediate surroundings. “She is not an object to be won,” Kihyun growled menacingly. “So I suggest you watch your tongue.”

Turning back towards Y/N, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the exit, leaving a smirking Jungkook and stunned spectators behind. The drive back home was tense, with Kihyun’s anger still palpable. 

He picked up his phone and dialed their housemates, recounting the night’s incidents in a heated tone. Throughout it all, Y/N sat quietly in the passenger seat, sipping her water and coming to terms with the night’s unsettling revelations.

As Kihyun began retelling the happenings of the night, his knuckles turned white, gripping the steering wheel with such intensity it bellowed of his still simmering rage. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down as he tried to tell the story.

“She was in a bar on the other side of fucking town. Jungkook was there being a fucking pest and snuggling up to her as if he knew… Y/N you should know all the shit he’s done.” his voice trailed off, replaced by a bitterness Y/N could taste even from her spot in the passenger seat.

With every grumbled sentiment and colorful adjective, Kihyun painted Jungkook as the embodiment of disrespect and insolence. His rant was punctuated occasionally by his grip tightening on the wheel, each outburst coinciding with a particularly vehement part of his tirade.

Y/N could only sit silently, absorbing his anger and the weight of his words. Despite the anger directed towards Jungkook, part of her couldn’t help but feel the sinking sensation that she was also to blame. As the car moved steadily along the deserted roads, the silence stretching between them threatened to unveil the underlying issues she was trying to avoid.

Once they arrived at the apartment, its comfort was replaced with an atmosphere of stark disappointment. Waiting for them, Minhyuk and Hyungwon looked up, their faces filled with concern and evident disapproval. She shivered at their piercing gaze, shying away and trying to make herself look small as Kihyun told the two the story of what happened once more.

“Jungkook acted like he’d won a prize, treating Y/N as an item,” Kihyun informed them, his words laced with biting contempt as a tearing anger shook his voice. Turning his frustrated gaze on her, he didn’t hold back. “You played along. You laughed at his indecent jokes, making him believe you enjoyed his attention. It was crude, Y/N, and you seemed to revel in it,” he accused, the hurt evident in his tightened voice. “Tell me, what was that?”

Y/N felt a wave of guilt crash over her as she caught Minhyuk and Hyungwon’s piercing stares - they held the same disappointment that Kihyun had vocalized. She took a deep breath, opening her mouth but quickly shutting it once she realized all she would spill out was utter lies.

“If you want to behave like a whore, getting passed around as if it’s a game, we can ensure that it becomes your reality.” Kihyun declared, his tone filled with an unexpected, unsettling fury.

Against the attack of bitter accusations, something unexpected stirred within Y/N. It was not the guilt or the shame that was meant to follow such a degrading tirade - instead, it was a thrilling heat. His words, cruel and harsh as they were, sparked an intensity within her, a reaction she was struggling to understand, much less control. As Kihyun’s bitterness continued to pour, Y/N felt the bizarre feeling twist, churning into a strange form of excitement. His anger and dominance somehow translated into an unlikely stimulus, opening the door to a place within herself she had never explored before. 

Sensing the change in herself, Y/N found an odd sense of power, soaking in the scorching onslaught of accusations, transforming them into fuel for her unexpected defiance. Gathering her courage, she responded to Kihyun’s hostility with a cheeky retort that completely derailed him.

“Is that a threat…or a promise, Kihyun?” she bit back, a hint of rebellion dancing in her eyes.

The bold question hung heavy in the silent room, thick with growing tension. Kihyun’s eyes widened at the unanticipated challenge, soon replaced by a dangerous glint. He tilted his head, studying Y/N’s transformed demeanor. This was a side of her he had never seen, and despite the initial shock, the intrigued in him woke up with a start. An unsettling thrill slowly replaced his initial anger, and a surge of desire began to cloud his judgment. 

Y/N’s snide retort might have ignited another wave of anger. Still, this time, it was mixed with a spark of unexpected exhilaration that was impossible to ignore. The air between them crackled with an unspoken challenge, a brewing storm that promised a level of intensity neither had experienced before.

“Okay then, let’s see how long you’ll last playing this game,” Kihyun drawled darkly, his voice promising dangerous games. 

As Kihyun commanded Y/N to step towards him with a finger, his intimidating aura took over the room. There was a silence as she walked over, her gaze steady, accepting his challenge. Stopping before him, he wordlessly turned her around so her back was against his chest. He slowly brought his hands up to her body, his touch causing her to instinctively hold her breath. His hands lingered at her waist for a moment before sliding upwards at a dangerously slow pace. 

Her eyes involuntarily flicked towards Minhyuk and Hyungwon. Seeing their intense gazes upon her fueled an unusual thrill, a sense of being wanted. Kihyun wrapped one arm around her waist, and the other began to explore, his fingers drawing lazy circles on her exposed skin. The room was filled with an electrifying tension as the three men watched Y/N, her expression reflected in their eyes. 

Y/N could feel the heat of Kihyun’s breath against her neck and the hardness of his body against her back. It was a power play, and she decided to call his bluff. Biting her lip, she leaned her head back on Kihyun’s shoulder, meeting his eyes with a challenging gaze. She was playing with fire, but it was a game she was willing to partake in. The anticipation, mixed with the exhilarating thrill of the unknown, had set the room ablaze, rapidly igniting a spark that promised of a rough encounter. 

“Look at them,” Kihyun’s command was a whisper against her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. Obediently, she turned her gaze towards Minhyuk and Hyungwon, who had been quiet spectators until now, their expressions a mixture of anticipation and desire. “They look so hungry, don’t they?”

Kihyun’s arm snaked around to her front, his hand beginning to explore her upper body. His touch was electrifying, sending an adrenaline rush through her veins, her body tingling in response. As his hand found her breasts, Y/N couldn’t help but let out a soft moan, her body instinctively arching into his touch. He smirked at her reaction, his ego stoked by her enjoyment of his touch. 

“You love being the center of attention, don’t you?” he asked, a teasing edge to his words. His hand continued to deftly manipulate her breasts, and her breath hitched, an undeniable wave of pleasure washing over her. As Kihyun’s skillful touch continued to stir her pleasure, Y/N’s mind surrendered to the overwhelming sensations, forgetting everything else at that moment.

“Just say the word Y/N, and tonight we will break you.” Kihyun’s words were a dangerous promise, a challenge that sent the room into a heart-stopping silence. The power dynamic had shifted, the game reaching a new, intense level. Shared glances between the men and Y/N exchanged mutually understood messages; Tonight would not be easily forgotten. 

Kihyun’s lingering touch and tempting words sent an intoxicating thrill through her, a promise of untamed pleasure hanging heavy in the air. She cast a glance toward Minhyuk and Hyungwon, meeting their greedy gazes. The twin flames of desire flickered in their eyes, igniting a fever within her that she hadn’t known was dormant. Their intense scrutiny was intoxicating, stoking the blaze within her even more.

“Do it,” she agreed, her voice barely a whisper, yet holding a firm resolve. Her trembling response only fueled their anticipation further, every muscle in their bodies tightening in anticipation of what was to follow.

“On your knees, Y/N,” Kihyun commanded, his voice as compelling as the predatory glint in his eyes. A wicked smirk pulled at the corners of Kihyun’s lips. Conveying a silent command, he gestured towards the floor. The smirk on his face was a stark acknowledgment of the havoc his words were wreaking, coupled with the genuine understanding that tonight, they’d dwell in a world where they would embrace their most primal desires. “Tonight, you are ours. You did consent to that, no?”

All three of them watched as she nodded her head almost too eagerly. 

As if spellbound, she carefully lowered herself onto her knees. The harsh reality of the cool, hard floor beneath her did nothing to dampen the electric energy surging in the room. Minhyuk and Hyungwon now circled around her like predators, their eyes shining with an insatiable hunger.

Minhyuk was the first to crouch down before her. His fingers traced a gentle path across her face, his tender touch contrasting starkly with the wicked gleam in his eyes. His hand curled into her hair, the sudden firm grip causing her to gasp. The sweet smile he had been wearing morphed into a wicked grin that promised sinful delights. “Who would you like to choke on first, darling?” His voice held an ominous edge, setting her heart pounding.

“Remember, Y/N, this is your punishment,” Hyungwon chimed in from her other side, his voice burnished smooth like whiskey. His reminder echoed ominously around the room, a reminder of her indiscretion. His comment hung in the air, heightening the sense of control and dominance they collectively held over her.

A moment of suspense hung in the air as she glanced from one face to the other, her eyes flickering with evident desire. Considering the inescapable thrill of the situation, Y/N finally decided, her gaze landing on Minhyuk. The choice was apparent in her answer, said in barely more than a whisper, yet it echoed deafeningly in the silent room. 

“Minhyuk,” she finally spoke, watching as his wicked grin turned into a victorious smirk. 

Minhyuk’s victorious smirk transformed into a look of unmasked desire, his nimble fingers working to rid himself of the confining fabric of his pants. His impressive length was now on full display, the sight making Y/N’s breath hitch in her throat. The intoxicating mix of trepidation and excited anticipation sent shivers down her spine.

Just at the edge of her periphery, she witnessed Kihyun and Hyungwon seating themselves comfortably. There was a predatory glint in their eyes as they prepared to be spectators to the sinful show that was about to unfold, their heated gazes soaking her in anticipation. Their dangerous looks only served to fan the flames of her desire, the weird sensation of being watched expanding the inner tumult of pleasure.

Minhyuk stepped closer, his length brushing against her lips, the sinful sight igniting an unquenchable fire within him. A moment’s hesitation was all it took before she opened to accept him, wrapping her warm mouth around him. The room was charged with electrifying energy, the sensation of her mouth coupled with the tantalizing sight of Y/N on her knees, pushing them all towards a precipice of exciting danger.

The moment Minhyuk made contact, her lips gracefully glided across his length; the wet warmth of her mouth contrasted with the cool air around them. His self-restraint wavered on the edge as she leisurely explored him, testing his patience with her tantalizingly slow pace. Low groans echoed in the room as she assuredly consumed him, each movement of her head sending waves of pleasure coursing through his body. His hands glided through her hair, occasionally tightening their grips, eliciting a suppressed whimper from her, which only served to drive him further toward the brink of self-control. 

Hyungwon and Kihyun, absorbed by the spectacle before them, their eyes never strayed from the sight. Their hands moved in rhythm with Y/N’s head, each stroke perfectly mirroring her pace, fueling their own pleasure. The sight of her submission, combined with the sinful sounds echoing around them, only heightened their arousal. 

Hyungwon’s low moan, almost a growl, gave voice to their shared pleasure, “Such a filthy sight... You’re swallowing him whole, aren’t you, Y/N?”

Kihyun chimed in with a barely suppressed moan, his hand strokes hastening, “So eager to please. Don’t take it easy on her Minhyuk. Don’t forget what she did tonight. If she was sucking my cock right now, she’d be choking on it. Begging for some mercy.”

As the room was filled with a symphony of soft groans and heavy breaths, Minhyuk, caught up in the heady sensation, smirked down at Y/N, his fingers tangled in her hair as he began to set a relentless pace. The sudden change from her leisurely rhythm made her choke slightly, her gag reflex pushing against him, only serving to ratchet up his pleasure. 

“That’s it,” he muttered gruffly as he thrust himself into her mouth, the debauched sounds of his pleasure punctuating his words. 

Running his fingers mercilessly through her hair, the grip tightened with every movement, forcing her to take him deeper. His hips jolted forward, each forceful push revealing an aggressive side that contrasted with his initial tenderness. His lust-filled eyes bore into hers, pushing her beyond the limits of her endurance.

Meanwhile, Kihyun and Hyungwon were driven wild by the sight in front of them. Their hands stroked themselves faster, each sound from their lips only serving to encourage Minhyuk further. Overcome with the decadent sight and the symphony of heavy breaths.

Hyungwon couldn’t help letting out a few words meant to provoke the situation further: “Can she take it? Minhyuk, don’t you think you’re being too kind to her?”

Echoing Hyungwon’s sentiments, Kihyun added, biting back a groan, “Absolutely, don’t forget she needs to be taught a lesson. Treat her like the whore she’s been tonight.”

Their words filled the room, the thrill coursing through them as they watched Y/N’s resolve being tested under Minhyuk’s forceful pace.

In response to Hyungwon and Kihyun’s provocations, Minhyuk’s smirk deepened. His predatory gaze met Y/N’s eyes, noting a flicker of uncertainty mixed with arousal, which only spurred him on. 

He tightened his grip on her hair, tugging her closer to him, “She can take it, can’t you, darling? Show them.” he muttered, the roughness of his voice contrasting with the one she had initially known. ���I bet you fucking like this.”

With a sudden surge of force, Minhyuk drove himself deeper into her mouth, his rhythmic thrusts growing more persistent, setting a punishing pace that left her gasping and choking. Each guttural groan he released seemed to echo in the room, amplifying the tangible tension and anticipation amongst them all.

“She’s doing so well, isn’t she?” Minhyuk taunted, his voice dark and laced with raw arousal, not missing the way both Kihyun and Hyungwon’s hands moved faster in response.

The sight before them was driving them both to the edge, their self-induced pleasure heightened by the sinful scene being played out before them. Unable to resist, Kihyun added fuel to the fire with his provocative words, “See how well she takes you, Minhyuk? Remember, she’s ours tonight.”

Hyungwon, feeding off the growing intensity, growled, “Make her choke, Minhyuk. Show her what happens when she misbehaves.”

Their husky commands were a stark reminder of the intense night that was still to unfold, their words echoing ominously in the room, winding the heat and anticipation to an unbearable pitch. Minhyuk, lost in the sensations coursing through him, only smirked in response, disciplining their shared toy in the way they all craved.

Just as Minhyuk was wavering on the edge, on the verge of surrendering to the pleasure, he abruptly pulled back, leaving Y/N bereft and confused. His eyes danced with mirth at the stunned, disappointed expression on her face and the way her lips parted in protest. 

“Not so fast, darling,” he murmured lowly, a chuckle threading through his voice. “Did you think I would reward your indiscretions that easily?”

He guided her up, his hand firm on her arm, leading her to the plush couch. He ran a single finger down her cheek, a single chuckle leaving his lips when she scowled up at him. Pushing her gently onto the comfortable cushions, he took a step back, grinning at her frustrated pout, “Sit down and make yourself comfortable.”

Once she was comfortably arranged on the plush couch, Hyungwon moved into position, his gaze scorching as he appraised her. With a devilish smirk playing on his lips, he settled in between her trembling thighs, his warm breath bathing her in anticipation.

Teasingly slow, he moved his hands up her legs, his thumbs tracing sinful patterns on her sensitive inner thighs. He could feel his pulse quicken as he trailed kisses along the crease of her thigh, deciding to tease her a little longer. His tongue flicked out to taste her, a sigh escaping his lips at the intoxicating flavor.

A soft whimper left her lips as she involuntarily clenched her fingers on the edge of the couch. This simple reaction spurred him on, his tongue delving deeper, exploring the folds of her sweet warmth. Hyungwon taunted her with his skilled tongue, flicking her sensitive bud before lapping at her juices that soaked his mouth. The gasps and moans echoing in the room only amplified the erotic charge of their encounter.

His hands found the soft curve of her hips, thumbing at her flesh as a silent plea for her to open wider, to offer more. Listening to his quiet command, he deepened his efforts with his tongue, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her body, turning her pleas into a mix of husky moans and soft gasps. Hyungwon continued his attentive servicing, driven by the taste of her on his tongue and the sweet symphony of her moans filling the room.

As Hyungwon serviced her eagerly, Y/N met Kihyun’s gaze from across the room. A smirk adorned his face, one hand leisurely pumping his thick length as he watched. He hummed in appreciation, his actions shamelessly open and teasing.

“Look at you,” he moaned in delight, his voice husky with desire. “So fucking beautiful when you’re spread out, being devoured.”

Minhyuk, unable to resist any longer, moved closer to join in on the teasing. His fingers danced up Y/N’s trembling thigh, adding more sensation to the blazing pleasure that Hyungwon was evoking.

“I bet she tastes so good, Hyungwon,” he murmured, his eyes locked onto the erotic sight, a sinful grin tugging at his lips. Hyungwon gave no verbal reply, only flicking his gaze briefly to meet Minhyuk’s, the grin on his lips echoing Minhyuk’s words. He continued his relentless torment, his tongue expertly teasing and tasting. “I’m jealous.”

This bold display, coupled with the sound of Kihyun’s self-pleasure and Minhyuk’s teasing touch, sent Y/N spiraling towards a precipice of pleasure. Her noises turned to fervent pleas as various hands, mouths, and words drove her toward an explosive climax.

When Y/N was close to reaching her peak, Hyungwon suddenly pulled away. A surprised moan slipped from Y/N’s lips, her eyes fluttering open to meet his gaze. His smirk grew wider at her confused and needy expression.

“Oh, darling,” Minhyuk crooned, his voice thick with amusement. “Did you really think we’d let you get off that easily? After what you did to us tonight?”

Hyungwon chuckled, resisting the urge to dive back in and finish her off. Instead, his fingers lightly traced over her now overly sensitive folds. “It’s not that we don’t enjoy your reactions,” he murmured, his voice dipping to a seductive growl. “We just think... you’ve been a little naughty tonight.”

Her soft gasp of protest when he barely touched her clit with his thumb told him she was teetering on the edge. “And naughty girls,” he added, smirking at her frustrated twitch, “don’t always get what they want.”

Hyungwon pulled back from the intoxicating girl beneath him, his lips gleaming wickedly. With a knowing smirk, he moved from his previous position to glance back at Kihyun and Minhyuk, who were intently observing the spectacle. Their heated gazes met approvingly, their silent exchange speaking volumes.

Kihyun finally broke the deafening silence, his command echoing against the room’s walls, “Hyungwon lay down.”

Hyungwon, taking Minhyuk’s place, swiftly lay down on the plush rug, his gaze never leaving Y/N as he made himself comfortable. He watched in fascination as Minhyuk moved behind her, pressing his body flush against her, his hands running illicit trails up her trembling thighs. He tilted his head, whispering something in her ear that made her blush scarlet.

From his standing position, Kihyun merely watched the scene unfold, a shameless, unhurried hand pumping himself. He chuckled lowly, his gaze catching Y/N’s. He moved to stand in front of her, eyes glinting with anticipation, his body ready to be served by her beckoning lips. The intensity of the situation only seemed to amplify as they all knew the tantalizing night was far from over.

“Can’t forget about me now, can we?” he purred, directing his length into her welcoming mouth. 

The large room amplified their sounds; the orchestrated symphony of their shared pleasure no longer whispered secrets but public declarations. The unmistakable sound of wet skin slapping against skin, coupled with their fervent gasps and moans, created a heady, ensnaring atmosphere of pleasure — a testament to their relentless pursuit of passion and desire. 

“All filled up now, are we darling?” Minhyuk cooed into her ear, his words laced with sin as he relentlessly pushed into her ass. His hips snapped forward, driving into her with a rhythm that only heightened the pleasure coursing through them all. 

Hyungwon’s eyes rolled back in pleasure as a guttural moan left his lips, “So tight...” he managed to rasp out, echoing Minhyuk’s sentiments but lost in his own world of pleasure. His hands gripped her hips tightly, matching Minhyuk’s thrusts, their timing as exquisite as their pleasure. “Fuck.”

Encased between these men, Y/N was lost, her cries muffled by Kihyun’s length, her own pleasure reaching soaring heights as her body was filled in ways no one else could. The distinct sensations within her — Hyungwon’s unwavering length, Minhyuk’s relentless tempo, and Kihyun’s sinful claim — had her perched on the edge, her climax coming closer with every pulse and thrust.

Their greedy moans echoed throughout the room, the rawness of their passion, the intensity of their desire, and the intimacy of their shared pleasure amplified tenfold as together they headed towards a dizzying peak, lost in a world of sinful delight.

As the sinful scene unfolded, the distinct sound of the front door clicking open echoed through the lavish apartment. Hyungwon, Minhyuk, and Kihyun barely missed a beat at their interruption. Managing to keep their involvement steady with Y/N, their intense gazes flickered towards the entrance as the new arrivals took in the impassioned tableau laid out before them.

Changkyun, Hoseok, Hyunwoo, and Jooheon stood at the threshold, eyes wide and mouths hanging agape at the sight that greeted them. The normality of their evening seemed trivial compared to the carnal spectacle unfolding in their shared living room.

“God, can’t you three keep it in your pants for one night?” Jooheon finally exclaimed, a teasing grin spreading across his face, misrepresenting his exasperated tone. Changkyun gave a low whistle, his eyes roaming Y/N’s body with gleaming admiration. At the same time, Hoseok and Hyunwoo simply shrugged as they opted for silent observation.

The undisguised staring from their additional audience had the color creeping onto Y/N’s cheeks. Still, it didn’t slow down the rhythm of the three men currently using her to satisfy their pleasure.

Kihyun, however, couldn’t let the comment pass unchallenged. He lifted his head from where he was currently engrossed with Y/N, glaring at their bandmates.

“Shut up, Jooheon, or get out,” he warned, sharp and impassive, his pleasure temporarily pushed aside by impulsive irritation. “That goes for you three. If you don’t care to watch, fuck off. I mean it.”

“No, no,” Changkyun quickly interjected, raising his hands in surrender as he smirked. “Please, continue. It’s quite the show.” 

The three new arrivals took the liberty to make themselves comfortable around the room, finding seats with the perfect vantage point to enjoy the continued proceedings. Their presence added another dynamic to the sinfully charged room, their eyes feasting on Y/N, who was the center of pleasure and desire.

Having made their point, the hard trio immediately resumed their activities with renewed gusto: Hyungwon maintaining his steady rhythm, his hips snapping upwards to meet Y/N’s downward motion, Minhyuk plunging into her from behind, matching his pace hypnotically, and Kihyun sliding back into her mouth, his thrusts becoming more insistent.

The room, yet filled with moans of pleasure and the undeniable sound of skin meeting skin, now also held the hushed whispers of the newcomers as they watched what unfolded before them. The sight of Y/N being endlessly pleasured by their bandmates had each of them growing hard and anxious, jeans suddenly too tight. Each took their arousal into their own hands, steadying their breaths as they pumped their lengths in sync with the rhythm echoing in the room.

“Couldn’t have imagined such a sight,” Jooheon murmured lowly, his hand working his length as his gaze was fixed on the writhing figure of Y/N, sandwiched between the three men. “Fuck, you three are so lucky. We’ve all been wanting to take a turn at you, Y/N, but it seems like you’re already in good hands.”

“I agree with that.” Changkyun hummed in response, similar thoughts running rampant in his mind. His eyes danced across the spectacle, each sight more sinful, more erotic than the last. His hand slid over his arousal, a low groan slipping past his lips as he watched the trio and Y/N lose themselves to pleasure.

Both Hoseok and Hyunwoo seemed to be unaffected by their commentary, choosing to focus solely on the live show before them. Hyunwoo’s hand moved over himself, a quiet grunt echoing in his throat, his mind imagining it was his hands, his mouth, causing the tantalizing moans and cries to slip past Y/N’s lips. Beside him, Hoseok groaned at the sight, his lip caught between his teeth.

Amid the orchestra of moans and hip thrusts, the newcomers’ hushed whispers and the rhythmic slick sounds of their self-pleasure added another layer of carnality, making the atmosphere thick with unchecked desire. As the room echoed with the sounds of pleasure and need, the tension heightened, leaving everyone on the brink, waiting for the climax of this sinfully delightful scenario.

“God, Y/N,” Hoseok managed, his voice laced with raw desire as he watched her sandwiched between the three men, “you’ve never looked so gorgeous. Can’t wait to paint that gorgeous face.”

Hyunwoo merely hummed in agreement, his focused gaze on Y/N, his hand moving faster over his hard length, shifting in his seat as he attempted to deal with the pooling desire in his lower abdomen. His restraint barely hanging by a thread, amplified by the sight of Y/N writhing in irrevocable pleasure under their joint gaze.

Their added voices, heated gazes, and unrestrained yearning doubled the layer of carnality, the atmosphere thick with unchecked desire. From the rhythmic thrusting against Y/N to the shared collective pleasure among them, the heightened tension appeared to be reaching its apex, everyone teetering on the brink, waiting for the climax of this sinfully delightful scenario.

Succumbing to the intense buildup, Hyungwon, Minhyuk, and Kihyun simultaneously reached their peak. Each man removed himself just enough to release inside her, their combined climax filling Y/N to the brink.

Kihyun, in his last throes of pleasure, came in her mouth with a long groan. He held her head steady, encouraging her to take and swallow every drop of him.

Stepping forth, they each aimed toward Y/N’s face. Their releases splattered across her lips, cheeks, and exposed neck, completing the salacious imagery of their joint desire. Shuddering breaths echoed throughout the room amongst muttered praises and shared satisfied grins. The scene before them served as the climactic finale to their unanimously enjoyed, sinfully tantalizing event.

“Fuck.” Hyungwon’s voice came out as a gravelly groan, the primal sound resonating through the room. Both his and Minhyuks eyes bore into the lewd spectacle before them, Y/N’s trembling body, their cum leaking from her and streaking her thighs. His lips pulled into a self-satisfied grin, the white droplets a stark contrast to her flushed skin painted an explicit portrait of their shared pleasure.

“She took it like a champ,” Changkyun voiced from beside him, arching a brow, his own climax held in check as he watched the scene with a determined gaze.

Hoseok’s chuckling response was muffled as his attention was solely focused on marking her skin with his climax. The sight of her drenched and filled with their desire fueled him towards his own explosive finale. And with a grunt of completion, he emptied himself over her form, the sight of his release pooling in the hollow of her collarbone a gratifying sight.

They savored the aftermath, the residual tremors of their climaxes still echoing in the room. This would be a memory to revisit, a testament to their shared desire, a sinfully delightful scenario etched indelibly into their minds.

“We need to do that again. Next time, we should all fuck her.” Jooheon’s words hung heavy in the room, his gaze avidly fixed on the shiny trails of his climax sluicing down her face. His quirked lips and the gleam in his eyes revealed the extent of his satiation and unspoken promise of future escapades.

“Absolutely,” Changkyun voiced his agreement from the side, eyes hooded and voice laced with seductive gravel that hinted at a hunger yet to be fully satiated. His hands already wandering with suggestive intent, confirming his eagerness to plan the next round with Y/N. “Next time should be now, though. I’m just suggesting. It’s not fair they have all the fun...”

That was the cue they all needed, their corresponding murmurs of agreement echoing in the room, punctuated by shared grins and lingering glances cast toward Y/N. Promises and illicit whispers about future pleasurable promises hung in the air, awaiting a complete promise. 

Despite the exposed desire on display, they were all bound by the shared sensation and undeniable chemistry, fueled further by their shared need. As they pored over the shared memories of this lustful wonder, the thrilling prospects of the next event began to mark another chapter of their intoxicating shared desire.

“Can’t I rest?” Y/N’s words whispered through ragged breaths, struck a chord of amusement amongst them. At her question, a scatter of chuckles colored the heavy silence, their carnal satisfaction mirrored in the full smiles curving their lips.

“Rest is for the weak,” Hyunwoo distinctly teased, his hearty laughter bouncing off the room’s walls in sharp contrast to the lewd canvas they’d just painted.

“You forget, Y/N — we’re just getting started,” Minhyuk added with a suggestive wink in her direction, driving the point home. A mischievous grin stretched on his face, and his words steered towards the pleasure-filled adventures they had yet to step foot on. “You’re in for a long night. They don’t even know the stunt you pulled yet.”

[otakween]

Digimon Adventure 02 - Christmas Fantasy (Music CD)

An 02-specific Christmas album that came out in the year 2000, how fun. I wish more anime had their own Christmas albums, I think that's pretty rare. Well, the 2000s were kinda a renaissance era for random character songs I think. (Take me back!)

This album is pretty short and sweet but has some real gems in it! I'll definitely be adding it to my "Weeb Christmas" playlist lol.

Minna no Christmas (Everyone's Christmas)

Video with English subs

A super generic Christmas song sung by the Butter-Fly dude (Wada Koji)! I believe this was used as bgm at one point? Anyway, it's charming enough. I wish it was more of a digimon song though. This could have come from any anime.

It's always interesting to see the more western version of Christmas being celebrated in Japan. Since this is a show for kid's we get the version with Santa and presents rather than the romantic one seen in anime with older characters.

In the beginning of the song he mentions hanging stockings "by the window" instead of a fireplace which makes sense for apartment dwellers. I think that's the only less traditional thing I noticed.

Jingle Bells (Sung by Takeru and Iori)

Video with English subs

Hell yeah, now this is what I'm talking about! We get a Takeru-Iori duet which feels like a rare treat. On top of that there's a little interlude where they talk about what Christmas presents they should buy their digimon. Adorable!

They mention buying Patamon a haramaki (belly warmer)...Frontier reference? This came out a few years before that series though...

This one is really fun to sing along to lol

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Sung by digimon)

Video with English subs

Woah, I wasn't expecting the English lol. They did a good job except they said "mistle too" instead of "mistle toe" hehe.

I've never heard this song in Japanese before. They changed the lyrics to reveal that Santa = Papa which I think kinda goes against the point of the original song lol. (The kid's not supposed to know that!)

They call the 02 digimon "Jogress Shinkers" which I believe is a pun on "shinka (evolution)" and "singer." Looks weird in an English context, but it's kinda cute.

Silent Night (Sung by Hikari and Miyako)

Video with English subs

Damn, I forgot how religious Silent Night is. Well, it's still pretty. This one had no extra digimon nuggets in it, they just sang the song. It was interesting to hear the Japanese version of it.

Wish someone would do fan animations for these songs. Everyone looks so cute in their Santa outfits.

Daisuke and Ken's Shopping Carol

ASDFGHJKL omg, I got my wish! This one DOES have a fan animation and it's amazing! (Please watch!)

This is the best day of my life lol. This one was amazing. The banter, the goofy chorus, Ken and Daisuke calling each other "baby" (?) A must listen. (Especially if you're a shipper).

Ken mentions buying a present for Osamu at the end (and Wormmon) 😭

Angel's Prayer (sung by AiM)

Video with English subs

I remember this song from the show (insert song). It's technically sung by Mimi's voice actor, but not in character. It has generic nonsense lyrics about dreams coming true and being reborn as an angel. You know, just stuff that was thrown in to sound magical.

I'm not the biggest fan of this one, but I think it was smart to place it at the end of the album. It feels like this is the ending theme and Minna no Christmas is the opening, nice little bookends.

[gretavangroupie]

Valor - (Chapter 1)

Pairing: Jake x Reader, Daniel x Reader

Word Count: 17.1k

Warnings: Cursin', Smokin', Drinkin', Allusions to Drug Use. Angst: Struggle and Poverty, Emotional Manipulation, Cheating, Abandonment, Jealousy, Mentions of Violence, Mentions of Weapons, Mentions of Death, Allusions to Suicide, Allusions to Shady Activities. Smut: Kissing, Allusions to Sex.

Valor Playlist: Apple Music | Spotify

A new project in collaboration with my talented co-writer @gretavanmoon.

HER POV

You could hardly see out the back window, your entire life piled up to the roof of the car. You were thankful on days like today, that you had a car big enough to fit it all. Your every worldly possession, reduced down to a handful of boxes and trash bags, now occupying your backseat. You shifted into reverse and turned your body to look out the back window of your old ‘73 Scout. Your eyes peeked through the visible sliver of the rear window, but not before catching sight of the dress you were slated to wear just 3 months from now. That, however, was the reason you were packed into this car in the first place. 

‘Go ahead and try to leave. You’ll be back when you realize I’m as good as it gets for you.’ his words still echoing through your head as if they were being played through a loudspeaker. ‘You need me. You have nothing without me. You’ll never make it on your own.’ And that’s exactly what he wanted you to believe. He’d told you that so often you wondered if it was himself he was trying to convince instead of you. 

You were set to marry Peter the second week of July. The plans were made, invitations sent. But as you stopped by his office to deliver his plate lunch, what you’d walked in on was not the scene of a man ready to be greeted by his soon to be wife. No, it was a very different scene, straight from one of those Playboy magazines you could buy at the Quik-Stop on Douglas.

You can still hear the sound of the ceramic plate shattering against the terrazzo floors. The gasp of air that left the lips of his new bookkeeper, sprawled out across his desk. You can remember the way the peas scattered across the floor in every direction and the way they felt smashing under your shoes as you fled his office. 

You waited for him to come home that night. Your things were already packed away in bags and boxes by the time he finally meandered through the front door of the apartment. Then came the excuses. The begging and pleading that quickly turned vicious and accusatory. The ‘maybe if you put out more, I wouldn’t have had to look elsewhere’ lines, that you knew to be a load of shit. You knew Peter wasn’t one to shy away from clearing his conscience at someone else's expense. Your mind was made up before he ever came home. You knew you couldn’t stay here, not with him. Not after this. 

You aren’t sure why you brought the dress with you. You could have easily left it at your mothers, letting it hang in her guest room closet to collect dust and rot until the end of time. But you didn’t, you knew that bringing it would give you that reminder of why you were leaving. So with fifteen dollars of gas in the tank, and your Bruce Springsteen 8-track, you and your things began the trek towards Atlanta, ready to start again. Ready to live a life uninhibited. Ready to find an adventure. 

—

The chorus of ‘State Trooper’ played through the fuzzy car speakers as you popped a cinnamon hard candy into your mouth. Your eyes caught sight of the welcome sign as you crossed the Iowa-Missouri border in a blur. It had been quite a few years since you’d been back to Missouri. Actually, you hadn’t visited since your family moved in the third grade. It was an abrupt move, your parents pulling you from school midway through the year with little to no explanation. You were placed in the back of your parents' Taurus and the life that you had known flashed by in a matter of the five minutes it took to make your way from one side of town to the other. You liked Iowa though. You made friends there, had a life and were active in school extracurriculars. It’s where you met Peter, and fell in love, though now that part didn’t exactly fit the narrative of your happy story. 

As the song began to fade out into the next track, you heard it. The metallic grinding beneath the hood. The hell is that? You spun the volume knob down to zero, listening again for the noise, wondering if maybe you had just run over something on the freeway. As you passed mile marker 22 you heard it again, louder. Whatever it was had your heart pounding in your chest. You didn’t know the first thing about cars, definitely not enough to fix anything. Then it became more frequent. Persistent. Something was really wrong. 

In a panic you pulled off the road into the overgrown grass of the shoulder, pulling out your roadmap and unfolding it across the steering wheel. You tried to get a sense of your surroundings, knowing you’d crossed the border not too long ago. You pinpoint your location in search of the next town you’d come across in what you knew to be a collection of nearly abandoned mining towns. A bead of sweat collected on your forehead, the wind dying down as the sun began to set. The impending darkness adds another factor of stress to an already stressful situation. As your finger traced a line up the interstate, you saw the familiar name. The place just on your mind mere minutes ago. You don’t remember too much about Joslyn, but what you do remember of it, is that there was an auto repair shop, and you were in desperate need if you were going to make it to Atlanta. With an estimated thirty miles to Joslyn from your current spot, you started your car back up, and pulled back out onto the road, praying you would make it there without doing anymore damage. 

The metallic noise seemed to stay consistent, but with every mile that passed you knew the dollar signs were adding up. Of course you took the money stashed away for the wedding, he didn’t get to keep that. Why should he? Consider it severance. However, car repairs was not how you wanted to spend that money. You planned to use it for a deposit and first month's rent on an apartment, hoping it would be enough to tide you over until you found a job. 

You knew you had plenty of useful skills, you were near the top of your class in school. You planned to work with Peter at the accounting firm after you married, and you hoped you’d be able to find a similar position in your new city. You were snapped from your daydreams as you saw the sign welcoming you to Joslyn, however, the old decrepit sign, about twenty years past needing to be replaced, sent a cold chill down your spine. The way it barely hung on to the wooden stakes made you feel anything but welcome, and your instincts told you to turn back. As you limped your car further into town, you realized that the vibrant city you left all those years ago had been in steady decline ever since. Homes abandoned and pillaged, with broken windows and spray painted siding. Cars sat deteriorating in driveways that were barely visibly under the overgrown grass and trees. You had no sense of ‘home’ despite this being the town you were born in. You barely recognized it, until you saw Louie’s. 

Knowing you would find answers there, you pulled into an empty parking space, almost afraid to pull the key from the ignition, wondering if it would turn on again when you got back inside. You grabbed your fringed purse from the passenger seat, and pushed your sunglasses to the top of your head as you jumped down from the driver's seat. The gravel crunched beneath your feet as you walked towards the front door of the diner, seeing a few older patrons lining the bartop and scattered through a few booths through the large windows. 

The bell rang as you pulled the door open, alerting everyone of your presence. Ten heads turned to look at you all at once, and suddenly you felt like a spectacle as you stood there in your halter top and waist hugging jeans. 

“Take a seat anywhere ya’d like, hun.” a lady in a pink apron called out from across the room. Her voice was gruff and far deeper than it should be for a lady, you thought. You made your way towards an empty bar stool, leaving a space between you and an older man in a newsboy cap, sliding his fork through a piece of cherry pie. You gave him a curt smile as you settled on the stool and placed your bag on the counter. It smelled good, and you felt a small rumble in your stomach as you watched plates being sent to the window. If you’d had more time you’d probably enjoy a late lunch, but you didn’t, so you couldn’t.

The same woman approached you, handing you a laminated menu and gesturing a coffee cup towards you in silent question. You nodded your head and smiled, placing the menu down on the counter. 

“What’ll ya have, sugar…” she asked, pouring coffee into your mug from the yellow stained carafe. 

“Oh, I’m great with just the coffee for now, thank you.” you responded, seeing her eyes rake over you with curiosity. 

“Just passin’ through?” she asks, placing the carafe back on the counter. 

“Sort of. I’m on my way to Georgia, but I think I need a mechanic to look at my car. Started knocking when I hit the border. This was the first town I thought might have one.” you answer. 

The lady’s eyes flash over to the man next to you. He looks over at you and looks back at her giving her a slight nod. “Yeah we got one.” he says, twisting his stool to face you. “You’ll have to try and get it down to Ace’s, well Jake’s now I reckon. But he should be able to get ya fixed up.” 

“Would you be able to give me directions?” you ask, digging into your purse in search of a pen. You grab a paper napkin from the dispenser, and click the end of your pen on the countertop as he nods his head. 

“Yeah, so you’re gonna take a left out of the lot here, go down ‘bout 2 miles ‘er so, you’ll see a Church of the Nazarene and take that left there. Go up that hill ‘bouta ‘nother mile and you’ll see a dirt road on your right. His shops’ at the end of the drive there. Can tell him Bubba sent ‘cha, and he’ll help out a pretty lady I’m sure of it.”

You quickly scribble down his directions, and toss the napkin and pen into your bag. “Thank you. I–I really should be going, It’ll be dark soon and I–”

“Should finish your cup there at least.” the lady says, leaning onto the counter. “You sure you’re not from ‘round here, honey? You look awful familiar.”

“Not exactly.” you say, cutting the conversation short. You place a few dollars on the counter and grab your bag, “Thank you. For the directions. I appreciate it.” you say, watching the man tip his hat to you as you make your way out of the diner and back to your car. Jumping into the front seat you send up a quick prayer that she’ll start and as you twist the key you hear the engine roar to life. 

With the napkin sitting on your leg, you pulled out of the parking space heading further into town. The clock on the dash read 4:43, and you hoped you’d catch them before they closed up for the night. You saw the church he spoke of up in the distance, what was probably once a pristine white building, was now showing wear and tear with no one to fix it up. You took the left, the metallic clicking beneath the hood growing louder as you pressed forward on the gas pedal to climb the hill. With the windows down the sound was deafening, the cool breeze blowing through the window alleviated the sweat forming on your neck. In the dissipating sunlight you saw the orange dirt road and hesitantly turned to travel down its short path. A multitude of old abandoned cars littered the premises, and you wondered if that was a good sign or a bad one. You slowed your speed to a crawl, the clicking from your engine announcing your presence as you pulled closer towards the building. 

Your headlights lit up the front of the building, an old gray sheet metal building, flash rust covering most of the sign that read ‘Ace’s Garage’. Two men in old rotted patio chairs stood slowly as you put the car in park. You shut off the engine and took a deep breath as you jumped out onto the dusty dirt road.  

“Hi, I’m sorry, am I too late? I know it’s close to closing.” you murmured, stepping around to the front of the car. They both just stood there in their faded blue coveralls that looked like they hadn’t had a washing in some time. The taller man had his unzipped and the sleeves tied around his waist. A dirty white t-shirt beneath concealed what seemed to be a plethora of ink adorning his body. Neither of them jumped to respond to you, and your eyes searched theirs for any sort of answer as the shorter man begrudgingly flicked his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out with his dirty boot. “Closed at 4:30.” he says.

“Shut up Jake. No. We heard you coming ‘bout a mile away.” the other, taller man said with a curt smile. His dark disheveled curls were tied up in a messy bun that hadn’t been touched since he put it there this morning. Wisps of hair surrounded his head in a halo of sweaty dark strands. “Doesn’t sound too good. Sounds like you’ve got something going on under the hood.”

“It just started doing it about an hour or so ago. Right after I crossed the border. Never heard it before, and I have a long trip ahead of me so I figured I should probably get it checked out.” you reply, twisting your hands around the strap of your purse. 

“Could be a number of things…” he pauses, stepping over towards your car. He places a grease covered hand on the hood of your baby blue Scout and turns to look at you. “These Scouts are pretty good little cars, but they are notorious for having engine issues. Afraid to say you might be a victim of that. Though, maybe it’s just a bad wheel bearing.”

“Nah.” the other man, who you now know as Jake, says suddenly, stepping forward slowly with his arms crossed across his chest. He doesn’t say much, just places his hand under the hood and opens the latch. He steps up on the front bumper, and takes a look into the engine compartment, resting his tattoo covered hands on either side of the frame. After a few quiet minutes he steps down, and closes the hood staring at the taller man. “Collapsed lifter, but that’s the least of her issues. Camshaft is fucked.”

“When did you say it started doing this?” the curly haired man asks. 

“About an hour ago. I know it’s bad but, what’s that mean?” you ask nervously.

“Means you better call your husband to come pick you up.” Jake said, looking out towards the field in the distance.

“Husband?” you question, seeing his eyes travel to the diamond on your left finger. You quickly flip it around and look back to him. “Oh, I’m not married. I don’t have a husband. I don’t live here. I was just passing through.”

“Shit place to get stranded.” he quips, turning on his heel and making his way towards the door of the car. He spits towards the ground as he pulls the door open and climbs inside.

“Stranded?” you blurt out, catching the eyes of the taller man. 

“Daniel, get her out of the fuckin’ way.” Jake says calmly, leaning his head out the window as he starts your car.

He grabs your arm and ushers you out of the way as Jake pulls your car forward into the empty bay beneath the buzzing fluorescent lights. He nods, motioning for you to follow him towards the garage, the air dusty as your tires kicked up dirt. The car shuts off and he jumps out, his boots making a loud thud as they land on the dirty concrete floors. As you follow Daniel into the garage he stops, placing his hands on his hips as he watches Jake lift the hood once more. This time, he grabs a ladder and a work light, hanging it from the inside of the hood. You look around at the garage, noticing the side you occupied was slightly more messy than the bay on the opposite side. Tools scattered about but in a way that you could tell they were exactly where they were supposed to be.

As you turned further you noticed a tan cover hanging loosely over a car parked between the two bays, you didn’t pay much mind to it, as your brain was bouncing from object to object. Your eyes caught Jake’s as he peered up from the engine compartment, quickly flicking them back down as he examined the condition of your motor. You let out a sigh and leaned backwards, resting your weight on the covered car. Daniel snapped his head in your direction seeing you before looking over at Jake. He quickly turned back to you, and pulled your arm to stand up again. “Probably don’t want to lean on that one. Here, let’s go find you somewhere to sit.” he said, walking you further into the garage. You looked over to Jake again, seeing him concentrated on his task, a single strand of brown hair hanging long in his face. 

You followed Daniel as he led you to a plaid nylon folding chair, similar to the ones they arose from earlier. The once white fabric was now a dingy, dirty gray, stained with oil and grease. He offered you a sorrowful smile as he gestured for you to sit. “Thanks.” you squeaked, checking your wristwatch for the time. 

Daniel walked back over towards the car, peering in as Jake inspected the damage. You watched his back muscles flex as he placed his hands on the open hood, his white t-shirt pulling tightly against his back. You could see the shadow of a dark image through the white cotton of his shirt, a large tattoo must be under there and you couldn’t help but wonder what it was. It was almost as if he could feel your eyes on him as he turned around to meet your gaze as he continued talking to Jake. Jake turned around too, catching your sight and you knew that the news they were about to deliver was probably not what you wanted to hear. 

Jake unhooked the work light, and closed the hood, stepping down off the ladder and wiping his hands on his coveralls. He used the back of his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow as he looked over towards you again. They both began walking over towards you, stopping short as they reached you. You stood to meet them, watching as Jake shoved his hands in his pockets.

He was the first to speak, “I can fix it, but I will have to order the parts. Don’t see too many of these come ‘round here.”

“Oh, so it’s an easy fix? Good, maybe I won’t be here too long.” you said cheerfully.

“No. I didn’t say that.” he bites back. “I said, I can fix it.”

You furrow your brow at his harshness and turn to Daniel. 

He rolls his eyes and looks at you, “What he is trying to say is that you need some major work done. We don’t have the parts we need– he needs, to be able to do it, so he will have to order them. Only problem is that the delivery truck only runs on the 15th of the month.”

You look down at your watch seeing the tiny ‘2’ in the window. “And today is the second…”

“Right.” he says, kicking his shoe against the floor. 

“I can call and order the parts tomorrow when the supplier opens, can give you a proper estimate then, but I’m gonna warn you that this ain’t no cheap fix.” Jake says, flicking his eyes up to yours. There is a smudge of grease on his cheek that catches the light. Your eyes travel down his face seeing a scattering of tattoos that decorate the side of his neck, disappearing down into the zipped coveralls. 

“I have the money.” you sigh, fiddling with the strings on your purse. 

Jake nods his head, “Right, well, see you tomorrow.” he says, turning to head towards a set of stairs at the side of the garage. 

“Jake. The fuck…” Daniel shouts, causing Jake to stop and turn around. 

“What.” he answers, slowly walking back towards you. 

“What do you mean, what? You’re gonna have to drive her down to Wanda’s.” he says, “I can’t take her on the bike.”

“No.” he says, far too quickly.

“Jake, what else is she supposed to do?” he says, throwing his hands into the air. 

“Dunno. Figure it out I guess.” he scoffs, trying to retreat again, before Daniel grabs his arm. 

“It’s Wanda’s or here. Make your choice.” Daniel growls.

“Why do you care?” Jake barks back.

“How about you quit being a prick for a minute? You’re going to take this nice, paying customer down to the Motel, so that tomorrow she can come back and pay for those parts, and you can fix her car, hm?” he seethes into his ear. 

Jake rips his arm from his grip, and walks over to the dirty, stained wall, snatching a set of keys from a hook. “Fine. Let’s go.”

You scurry over to your car, attempting to grab the few things you’ll need for a few nights stay at a motel, before quickly jumping down and looking around for Jake. You hear an engine roar to life outside the shop, seeing Danny pointing towards an old, Green Ford truck. His headlights flash on, practically blinding you as you start to walk towards them, turning to thank Daniel for his kindness as you run off towards your ride. 

—

The ride to the motel was silent for the most part, the sound of the static coming across the radio the only noise filling the cab of the truck. You sat shotgun while Jake rested his wrist on the steering wheel of the old Ford, the sullied fingertips of his opposite hand rubbing across his unkempt mustache as he slowly made his way back through town. 

“You can ask me.” He finally spoke, his eyes dashing quickly back and forth from the rear view mirror and the road. 

You cleared your throat, suddenly surprised he spoke. “Ask you what?”

“Where you know me from. I can tell you wanna ask.” He answered, his voice only a tiny bit louder than the rumbling engine. 

Damn, he was right. He did look familiar to you, and so did Daniel. But your mind was so frenzied with the anticipation of finding out what was wrong with your car, and then the news that the damage was far worse than you thought, that you pushed the thought far from your mind. 

“I mean, you do kind of seem…”

“…familiar? Yeah. I remember you.” He mumbled, his eyes still never traveling your way. “You went to St. James Elementary, right?”

“Yes…”

“So did we. Probably why you recognize us.” Jake turned the wheel a hard right, forgoing a blinker as he flicked his eyes to the rear view again. 

Ah, that makes sense. You had started the first grade here many years ago, and made it to the third before your parents ripped you away and set off toward Iowa. But the more you thought about it, the more you remembered them. Both of them. But that was over twenty years ago, how the hell did he remember you now?

“Shit, that’s right.” You glanced to the floor, trying like hell to stretch your mind back to the tiny hallways lined with lockers, and the playground out back where many of your earliest memories were made. “I remember now, you were what, a year older than me?”

“Yeah. Danny’s a few years behind me.” Jake reached in his front pocket and pulled out his half-empty pack of Lucky Strikes, patting the box on the heel of his hand before he pushed the lighter into the dash, waiting for it to heat. 

“So wait, you were the one that climbed to the top of that old Sycamore that day at recess…couldn’t get back down when the bell rang so you jumped down and broke your arm…” your memory probably didn’t serve you all the way right, but you couldn’t have made up the tall-tale. 

The lighter finally popped free, and Jake raised his left knee to steer the truck while he grabbed the handle, shielding the wind to light the butt of his cigarette. You watched as he inhaled, then cranked the window the rest of the way down to let the smoke filter through. 

“I didn’t climb all the way up. Just halfway. And I didn’t jump, I fell.” He tapped his cigarette in the tray of the dash, not caring one bit that the residual ashes fell into the floorboard. You watched them flutter down before fizzling out completely.

You laughed at the memory, finding it hard to believe that you’d found yourself here again, remembering things about your childhood that you hadn’t even come close to thinking about in years. 

“It wasn’t funny.” Jake said stoically, puffing the cigarette again. 

“Sorry. No, it wasn’t. But, I remember being glad you didn’t get hurt worse than you did.” You replied, hoping to warm up his ice-cold composure. 

“This is you.” He mumbled as he pulled into the lot of the old motel, the truck lurching forward as he put it into park. You popped the door open and slid out of the old bench seat, slamming the door behind you as you rounded the side of the truck to grab your suitcase from the bed. Jake didn’t get out of the truck or offer to help you with your bags, but after his less-than-happy attempt at making cordial conversation, you didn’t expect anything less. 

You perked back up to the open passenger window, seeing that Jake’s eyes were still darting from side to side out the windows. Why was he so paranoid? 

“Thank you for the ride, I really appreciate it. You’ll let me know when the parts get ordered, and I can give you the cash?” You asked, really not knowing any other way to go about this. 

He nodded his head, biting his cheeks in. 

“Okay, let me go check in, and I’ll come back and tell you my room number so you can phone me.” You said, walking toward the check-in office. 

“I’ll just call and ask for your room.” He muttered, throwing the gear shift into reverse. 

“But, you never even asked me my–”

“I remember your name, Y/N.” He spat, spinning his head around to check his surroundings before he whipped the truck from the parking spot, kicking up dust as he flew back down the road. 

——

Upon entering the check-in office, your eyes had to do little to adjust, as there were barely any lights on at all. The stench of the room itself was like must and rotting wood, with just a hint of Borax and lemon-scented cleaner. You glanced to the large counter that spanned the room, leaving your suitcase behind while you approached it. After a minute or two of waiting, you let your palm gently tap on the bell that sat on the desk, ‘Ring for Service’ written on an old note underneath it. 

“Hi, hello. Could I get a single room for the next week, please?” You asked the gruff woman that finally limped her way from the back room. 

“HUH?” She all but yelled, squinting her eyes as she held her hand up to her ear. She must be hard of hearing. 

You cleared your throat to speak a bit louder. “I’d like a room for the next seven nights, please.” You spoke loudly, mouthing the words clearly as you watched her read your lips. 

“Only room I got’s a double efficiency.” She barked, grabbing a pen as she lifted the glasses that hung from a chain around her neck to rest on her nose. You snarled your nose up in confusion, remembering that you only saw another one or two cars in the lot. 

“I don’t need something that large, it’s just me, if you want to put me in something smalle–”

“Double efficiency.” She said, writing down some number into her oversized ledger book. “It’s $35 a night. I take cash upfront for the whole stay. Fresh linens every other day.”

“Thirty-five a night? Ma’am, isn’t that a bit high?” Your voice was raised on its own now, out of pure surprise at the price. 

“Either that or you ride down to the new Ramada an hour and a half South, and seein’ as how Jake brought you here, it’s lookin’ like the double efficiency for yeh.” 

You seethed as she scribbled the math into her book, her jaws gnawing together as she chewed on nothing. “Two forty-five rate plus sixty-seven tax gives us…” she tapped away loudly at her printing calculator. “Three hundred twelve for the week.”

You felt like throwing up. That took a good chunk from the cash you brought along, but thankfully didn’t drain you completely. Luckily, the money you’d saved up for the wedding was well above what you’d need to survive on, so it didn’t hurt too badly as you begrudgingly counted out the bills from your wallet. 

“Write your name and date here, signature here.” She pointed in her book for you to sign next to room number 7. She smiled a large grin as you laid out the bills for her, her mouth showing no more than a few teeth. As she gave you her best fake smile, you noticed her right eye was almost completely glossed over with a blue sheen. “Need a receipt?”

“No, thank you.” You chirped, wanting to get the hell away from this eerie woman and into your double efficiency as quickly as possible. 

“I’ll bring fresh linens day after. No guests. Here’s your key, don’t lose it, I only got the one. Shower takes a good five minutes to heat, and don’t be smokin’ none of that grass in the room. Stinks up the place.” She said at a high volume while she wagged her finger toward your face. 

You raised your eyebrows at the irony of the smell of the place, nodding her way as you grabbed the key from the countertop. She turned away, taking your wad of cash with her back to the room she came from. “Name’s Wanda if you need anything.”

It was getting to be dark outside now, the dull streetlights barely illuminating the sidewalk enough for you to see the room numbers on the front of the doors as you passed. 

“Five…six…seven.” You whispered to yourself as you dropped the heavy suitcase beside you to fish the key from your pocket. As you slid the key into the slot and twisted the old knob, you were immediately met with the same stench as you were in the lobby. Old and grimey. 

You brought your bag inside and quickly turned to lock the door behind you, sliding the hanging chain into place. You inspected the room, seeing the two beds with old brown comforters laid across them, a nightstand in between, and a single TV on the chest of drawers in the corner. It’ll do. The bathroom wasn’t much better, and it looked as though the calcium and lime deposits on the shower head could kill a man. 

You sighed a deep sigh as you listened to your stomach rumble, your decision to forgo a late lunch at the diner earlier now seeming like a bad idea. The apple you had stashed away in your bag would have to suffice. 

After unpacking a little bit of your clothing from your suitcase and hanging a few things in the closet, you decided to turn on the television and tuck in early for the night. You twisted the knob, watching as the light on the screen came to life, the high-pitched squeal of the staticy screen making your skin crawl. You adjusted the antenna, trying your best to get a better picture of what looked to be the evening news, but it was no use. But, some sound was better than no sound. 

You slipped your top and jeans off and folded them neatly over the bed, planning on wearing them again tomorrow to save on any kind of laundry you’d end up needing to do. An old t-shirt from an old high-school boyfriend would have to be your choice of pajamas for the night. You flicked off the light, and climbed into the starchy sheets, the pillow feeling rock hard under your head. You shook your head as you looked at the ceiling, wondering how in the hell you got yourself into this mess. 

This was supposed to be an adventure. A period of regrowth. A time to just live, find yourself again. Maybe join up with a new tribe of people, try new things, see where the wind would blow you…

But no. You’re here in your old hometown in a sticky motel, with a broken-down car, and no dinner. On the first day of your escape. You crossed your arms across your chest, allowing yourself a second to pout. For a split second, you contemplated going back to Iowa, back to your mother’s, back to the comforts of home, but you’d never return to Peter. Not in a million years, the scumbag. 

You twisted up your nose as your legs rubbed across the hard mattress and scratchy sheets, wondering who the hell the last people to sleep here were, or worse, if Wanda had actually even washed them when they left. 

—

The sound of three quick knocks on your door awoke you from what must have been a light sleep, the noise making your heart immediately pound. You hopped up, snaking across the floor quietly and peeking out of the peephole. You half expected to see a murderer standing at the door, but then, why would they have knocked? 

Must be Wanda. 

No, she doesn’t care about anyone but herself, apparently. 

You squinted your eye to see a ruffle of dark curls in the pale light, standing and swaying back and forth while he waited for you to open the door. 

“Daniel?” You whispered, pulling the door open wide enough that the chain lock pulled taut. “What are you doing?” You pulled the chain free, opening the door all the way. 

His eyes popped out of his head as he took in a quick breath, the look on his face completely surprised, and a little embarrassed. 

“Hey, um…I’m sorry, I…” he muttered, pulling his arm behind his head. 

“No, it’s fine, you just surprised me, that’s all. Is everything…” you pause, noticing he wasn’t shying away from his awkward stance. You suddenly felt the breeze blow across your almost completely uncovered lower-half. 

“Shit!” You yelped, pulling your t-shirt down as far as it would go over your legs. You bounced back into the room, pulling the comforter from the bed to cover yourself. “I’m sorry, I completely didn’t even…”

“No no, I’m sorry.” Danny admitted from the open doorway. “I just came to…”

You wrapped the linen around yourself, a complete cocoon now as you waddled like a mummy back over to him with a shy smile on your face. 

He laughed, his bright white teeth a contrast to the dark complexion of his skin. You felt the pit of your stomach fall at the sight. 

“I just came to see if you wanted to grab a late dinner with me, seeing as how you can’t drive to get anything, and there’s no such thing as room service in a place like this.” He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“Oh, no, Daniel, that’s awful sweet of you to offer. But, I had an apple, so I’m…all set…” you admitted, the pit of hunger in your stomach getting bigger as the minutes ticked on. 

He furrowed his brow. “You can…call me Danny, if you want. We aren’t complete strangers.”

You felt your eyes sparkle at him. Stop it, Y/N. 

You swallowed. “Okay, Danny…”

“An apple? That’s all you’ve had all day?”

“Yeah. And well, a few sips of coffee earlier…” you admitted, waving him off. “Truly, I’m just fine.”

He stood and stared at you a few seconds longer, his eyes slipping past you and into the empty room behind you. The light of the static-snowed screen reflected off his features, accentuating his face, his jawline, his lips…the tattoos that crawled up his neck…

“Okay, well. I’ll see you around then?” He stated more than asked, before turning on his heels and disappearing down the sidewalk. 

Shit. You were starving. And bored. And not sleepy anymore. And, after letting your eyes wander a little too long on him…you felt…

“Danny!” You called back, seeing him turn with anticipation. “Let me put some pants on?”

He grinned again, and began making his way back toward your door as you popped back inside to re-dress yourself. You quickly pulled your jeans and halter on, and took a second to fluff your hair without him seeing. You grabbed a light jacket and pulled it over your arms, and made sure to slip your room key into your purse before throwing it over your shoulder. 

You stepped back outside the door, catching Danny leaning against the wall smoking. “That was quick.” He said, blowing smoke into the air. You noticed it smelled different than what Jake smoked, it was sweeter and not as rancid. 

“Did you walk here?” You asked him as you locked the door, noticing that there were no new vehicles in the parking lot. 

“Hell no.” He chuckled. “I brought Ruby.”

“Who?”

As you rounded the edge of the building, you saw what he was referring to. An early model motorcycle, a little rusted and definitely dirty, but you could see the red paint peeking out from underneath the dust. 

You watched as he lifted his leg and straddled the seat, pulling his weight over to kick the stand up. He turned the key and revved the engine, walking it forward just a bit as you watched. He motioned with his head for you to hop on, of which you quickly denied. 

“No no, I’ll walk, it’s fine.” You muttered, the engine drowning out the sound of your voice. You backed away, crossing your arms nervously. No way you were going to hop on the back of a motorcycle with a man you hardly knew. In the dark in a strange town, much less. 

“Ah come on, it’ll take you twenty minutes to walk there.” He yelled over the purring, again tilting his head back for you to climb in behind him. He slowly pulled the tie from his hair, letting his elbow-length waves fall before re-gathering it, and twisting at his neck again. He gave you another side smile, raising his eyebrows as he playfully revved the engine again. 

Fuck it. 

You bashfully stepped forward, hiking your leg up over the seat to fit right in behind him, the seat forcing you to press against his back a little more closely than you were comfortable with. And to make things even more awkward, you weren’t sure what to do with your hands. You let them drop to your thighs as he walked the bike forward a little again, turning it before he caught pavement and took off down the road without warning. 

You squealed loudly, your unfamiliarity with riding on the back of a motorcycle startling you completely. Without hesitation and in fear of falling off, your hands wrapped around Danny’s torso, and your feet fell in behind his on the racks. 

“Oh shit!” You yelled as he took off down the road, your arms gripping him tighter as you tried to get your balance. You were positive if you let go for even the tiniest second, you were going to eat rocks. 

“You alright back there?” He asked, turning his head slightly. 

“No, not really! I feel like I’m gonna fall!” You admitted, the wind whipping your hair in all directions. 

“You won’t fall, I won’t let you.” His left hand came down to grasp your fists gathered across his chest, and slowly pushed them downward toward his stomach, instantly making you feel leveled out, and a ton more balanced. He patted your hands there, telling you to leave them. 

Then his hand found your thigh, running his hand along the outside seam of your jeans from your knee to right below your asscheek. What the fuck? Before you could slap the hell out of him, he gripped up under your leg, jerking your forward on the seat to press your chest hard against his back. 

Instantly more centered. 

“Is that better? Still feel like you’re gonna fall?” He asked through the wind. 

You gulped, the rush of the past 13 seconds making your head spin. But he was right, you no longer felt like you were going to topple over. 

“No, yes…it’s better…” you choked out as he began to pick up speed. 

“Good. Hang on.” He ordered, speeding up significantly as you barreled down the dusty pavement. And hang on you did. The wind across your face was literally taking your breath away, and making your eyes water. You blinked away the tears as you focused, truly getting your bearings and relaxing your body against Danny’s to get a feel for the bike beneath you. You took a breath and let your body fall into his back a bit more, the motions of his flexing back muscles pressed up against you as he lifted his foot to switch gears. 

What the hell are you doing? What is happening?

After a whirlwind two or three minutes, you were slowing down and pulling into the parking lot of Louie’s, the same diner you had stopped into earlier for directions. Danny slowed the bike to a crawl and walked it forward before lowering the kickstand. You instinctively pulled your feet to the ground too, only the tips of your toes reaching the dirt below them. 

“Don’t tell me that was your first motorcycle ride…” he said as he leaned his body weight to one side, standing all the way up on solid ground. You followed his action, letting your shaky legs hop off the bike with the help of Danny’s strong hand. 

“Yeah, uh. It was.” You tried to sound nonchalant, like it was no big deal, while on the inside, your body was screaming with nervous adrenaline. You patted your hands over your hair to calm your flyaways, trying your best to keep your cool girl composure. 

“No shit? Well, if I’d have known that I wouldn’t have taken off so quick. You felt like a natural once you got your balance…” he flitted his eyes your way as you began to make your way to the door. 

You gave him a shy smile back. “Are they um. Are they still open? It’s getting late…” you glanced at your watch, finding it to be 9:20pm. 

Danny swung the glass door open, frowning as you walked inside before him. “Oh, yeah. They’re open ‘til midnight. And it’s pork chop night, I never miss pork chop night.”

You walked inside the now neon-lit diner, finding many of the same shady-looking characters as you had seen earlier in the day. You nodded toward the man who gave you the directions to Jake’s, of which he returned with a curt smile. 

“Bubba!” Danny exclaimed, forcefully throwing two hands to the back of the man’s shoulders, startling him from his coffee. “Save any pork chops for me?”

“They’s a few back there, I’m sure. Ain’t too many people in today.” He answered, turning back to his coffee. “Geraldine! Danny’s here for his special!” The man yelled across the bar, moving sideways to see if he could see in through the opening in the wall to the kitchen. 

Just then the same woman in the pink apron waltzed through the double-swinging saloon doors, putting on a giant smile as soon as she saw you and Danny. She made her way around the bar, taking Danny’s face between her hands and squeezing his cheeks. “Evenin’, honey.” Her gruff voice said as she swatted his face. 

“Evenin’, Geraldine.” He answered, obviously this was a woman he respected. She turned and found her place again behind the bar, reaching into her apron pocket for her pen and order pad. You and Danny walked to a booth in the middle of the restaurant, and you moved to sit down before he stopped you. 

“Hmm-mm, let me sit there. Wanna see the door.” He said, grabbing your shoulders to scoot you sideways to the opposite booth. 

“Okay…what for?” You questioned. 

“I recognize this one from earlier today, hardly touched her coffee. You make it to Ace’s, honey?” Geraldine interrupted without making eye contact with you as she scribbled something down on her order pad. 

Danny cleared his throat and looked to you, raising his eyebrows. 

“Oh! Me! Yes ma’am, I barely made it, but uh. Got it there before it could die on me. They’re going to fix it right up.” You answered, feeling silly for having to practically yell your business across the diner to answer her. You watched the man you now knew as Bubba turn in his stool, holding the same flat smile as he did when you first came inside. 

“The normal, Danny?” Geraldine asked. 

“Yes please, thanks.” He replied, poking his wrapped silverware onto the tabletop. 

“And for the lady?” She went on. 

You looked down to see no menu in front of you, so you decided to go with your gut. “Um, I’ll have what he’s having?” Your tone was questioning. 

Geraldine smiled. “Pork chop in gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, and peas, sweetie.”

“Oh, perfect. All but the peas, please.” You replied, watching as Geraldine nodded and made her way back into the kitchen. 

“Why don’t you like peas? They’re good for you.” Danny said, stretching his arm across the back of the booth behind him. You swallowed hard, recalling the memory of the peas rolling across the floor of Peter’s office. The smell of them smashed against your shoes, still fresh in your mind, and easily makes your stomach turn just from the thought. 

“Never been a fan.” You answered, resting your chin in your hand. 

Danny pursed his lips together, leaning in now across the table toward you. You watched as a tiny strand of hair fell in front of his eye, his tongue stuck to the back of his teeth as he inhaled. “I would’ve eaten your peas, Y/N. Tsk tsk.” 

You looked at him in amused confusion, unsure of what his angle really was. After being around him only a grand total of maybe an hour the entire day, you gathered that you could hardly tell if he was joking or serious at any given time. But his overall demeanor was kind, and playful, and he had invited you here tonight, so you intended on learning him better. 

Just while you were here, of course. 

Suddenly two steaming black coffees were placed in front of you, the aroma bringing your senses back to life again. “Cream, sweetie?” Geraldine asked, placing a tiny metal pitcher full of the milky liquid in front of you and turning away before you could answer. 

You poured the cream in, stirring it together until it was mixed, and you blew on it before you took a slow sip, Danny watching your every move intently. 

“Something I can help you with?” You asked him, commenting on his unwelcome stare. 

He snarled his top lip as he shook his head and readjusted in his seat. You took a second to look at him, hoping to maybe intimidate him right back. His dark waves still balled up at his neck, the loose strands falling as curls in front of his face and behind his ears. His tightened jaw and cocked eyebrow letting you know he was still sizing you up. His old black Ford Motors t-shirt stretched tightly across his buff chest and arms, the worn holes around the collar letting you know it was well-loved and worn-in. 

“So. Elementary school. You were there…” he finally spoke up, lighting another sweet-smelling smoke. 

“St. James, yeah. I think you were a couple of years behind me.” You answered, sipping your coffee. 

“Mhmm.” He hummed, taking a puff. “You left in the middle of the year.” 

“How do you remember that?” You asked, realizing he would have only been in the first grade when you left. 

“Because suddenly we didn’t have enough people to have even teams for kickball. You left and we were a man short. Had to ask Willie Addams to play and he couldn’t run for shit. Had the coordination of a fuckin’ baby giraffe.” 

You giggled at him, almost spitting out your coffee. “Ok, how do you remember that?” You pressed. “You were like 6.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Jake says I have the memory of an elephant, whatever the fuck that means. Anyway, enough talk about zoo animals. Where were you really headed, Y/N? Before you got stuck here with us…” He leaned again, and you noticed his eyes began anxiously darting around, just like Jake’s had done earlier. 

You purposely waited for him to make eye contact with you again, finding it rude that he was looking everywhere but at your face after asking you a question. When he finally did, you answered. 

“I was heading to Atlanta. From Salvation, Iowa.” You replied honestly. “Why?”

“People don’t normally just casually cruise back through their hometown unless they’re looking for something.” He said dryly, taking a sip of his coffee. The white ceramic mug looked tiny in his giant inked hand. 

“Well I’m not people. I wasn’t looking for anything, I just—”

“So you were running.” He raised his eyebrows again, knowing he had struck some type of gold from the obviously surprised look on your face. 

You stayed silent for a beat. He laughed through his nose. 

“I wasn’t running, I was…just, getting away. It’s different.” You tried to dismiss his prying questions, wanting nothing more than for Geraldine to bring you a heaping pile of mashed potatoes so you wouldn’t have to go on about your wasted adventure with a man you hardly knew from Adam. 

“But you left home for a reason, right?” He went on. “If people plan to move, they usually bring along more than a couple suitcases and their old wedding dress, Y/N. You’re telling me you left your makeup vanity and trunk and sofa at home?” 

Fuck. You didn’t wanna talk about this. 

When you stayed silent again, he laughed in satisfaction. “You were running.”

You leaned in close. “Look, if you want to know every detail of my life, you’re gonna have to do a little more than invite me to dinner, Daniel.” You spat. 

“What if I already planned to do a little more?” He inferred, sitting back against the booth and running his hand along his slicked-back hair. 

You choked back. “That’s an awfully forward thing to say to someone you just met.”

“I didn’t just meet you. I knew you in the first grade. And I know I was upset when you weren’t there to play kickball any more.” His eyes began scanning the windows again, jumping back and forth as he spoke. Your heart began racing at his words. 

“Why do you care, Danny? About what I’m doing here?” You asked, truly wanting to know. 

He shrugged, taking another draw of his smoke. “You seem like a fun little challenge. I like challenges. Mysteries. Cracking codes…”

You scoffed. “Well, you sure as hell ain’t cracking anything of mine.”

“Yeah? We’ll see about that one.” The side of his lips curled up as you caught onto his flirtation.  Danny let his smoke hang between his lips as he rubbed his hands together, his fingernails still dirty from the workday. 

You were simultaneously turned off and turned on by his strange way of coming on to you; you knew that was what he was doing, but in some odd way, it was charming. You felt safe with him, even if his way of flirting was nothing like anything you’d ever seen before. 

In the nick of time, Geraldine brought your plates over, setting them in front of you with harsh thuds. “Alright one sans peas, one extra peas. Refill of coffee, and I’ll be back in a bit to check on ya.” 

“Thank you, ma’am.” Danny muttered. 

You held his deep gaze as you unrolled your silverware from the tight napkin, and dug directly in to the mashed potatoes without hesitation. He licked his tongue across his teeth as he followed your motions. The two of you ate in silence, and you let yourself enjoy the hot meal in front of you, wondering if Danny would let you forgo the motorcycle ride, and just walk home. 

After a basically wordless and slightly awkward meal, Danny sat and watched as you finished off your coffee, still pushing a pea around the plate with the end of his fork. 

“Good pork chops, right?” He finally asked. 

“Might be the best ones I’ve ever had.” You replied honestly. But you had been so hungry, you might’ve thought shoe leather sounded appetizing had you waited any longer. That apple was long gone. 

“I wouldn’t steer you wrong.” He growled, another sly smile creeping to his face. He stretched his neck, the thin lines of the spider web tattoo bulging over his artery. “What are your plans for the night?”  

You placed your napkin and silverware on top of the empty plate, pushing it back a bit to fold your arms across the table. “Sleep.” 

“Well that doesn’t sound like any fun.” He laughed, and if you didn’t know him any better, you would’ve thought he really didn’t believe you. 

“What? That’s really all I’m doing…what else would I do?” You asked sternly. “I don’t know anyone, I don’t have a car, this podunk town doesn’t have much to offer, Danny.”

He sighed as he put his elbows on the table, the sleeves of the tight shirt pulling against his biceps. You took a second to glance at his arms, tanned and bronze from the sun. The black-lined and barely-colored tattoos that covered his arms instantly piqued your interest, but you couldn’t let him know you were looking. In your three-second glance, you noticed the set of dice on the inside of his wrist, some type of messy writing along the inside of his forearm, and a tiger’s face peeking out from under the short sleeve of his shirt. And that was only the few your mind comprehended. 

“You’re right. Ain’t much here. But it can be a good time if you know what you’re looking for.” He raised his eyebrow in question. 

You shook your head. “Not me, thanks. I’d rather not have my face hanging on missing posters around town next week.”

“Why would you say that?” He was taken back. 

“Because you haven’t stopped darting your eyes to the door and out the windows since we got here. Your body language is forcibly relaxed, you’re a little on edge, and I think you’re kind of paranoid. I don’t know why, but you don’t seem like you feel safe in your own town, Danny.” 

He huffed an exasperated laugh. “Of course I feel safe here, why would I live here if I didn’t?” He said defensively. 

“How did you know what room I was in?” You asked, craning your neck sideways. “Jake left before I checked in today. Did you ask Wanda so you could keep tabs on me?”

You clicked your tongue as his eyes bulged from his head at your words. “That’s what I thought. Oh, and you have a switchblade knife stuffed in your boot.”

“How do you know that?” He muttered. 

“Saw it when your pants hiked up when you got off the motorcycle.” You pushed the plate a little further back on the table, and grabbed your purse to make your way to the cash register. You pulled a few crumpled dollars from your wallet and tossed them onto the table. You stood and came to the edge of the booth, leaning down close to Danny’s face to whisper. “If I didn’t know any better, it’d seem that you’re the one who’s running, Danny.”

You gave him a displeased look and turned, snaking your way through the empty tables to pay Geraldine for your suppers. “Thank you, sweetie. Y’all have a good rest of your evenin…” Geraldine said as the cash register dinged closed. You gave Bubba another nod before making your way to the door. You glanced back to Danny, who was still sitting stunned in the wooden booth. 

“You takin’ me back to the motel, or what?”

——

This time, finding your balance on the motorcycle was easy, like you’d been doing it for a hundred years. Danny hadn’t said a word since you left the diner, only offering Bubba and Geraldine a quiet “goodnight”. You pressed your front against Danny’s back, leaning into him as you wrapped your hands around his lower abdomen and sturdied your feet behind his. You let the shyness from earlier drift away, feeling more confident now that you’d spoken your piece to Danny. 

As he picked up speed down the busted pavement, you let your mind wander a bit. 

Ha, he thought he had you pegged. Thought you were another dumb female he could trick into his bed. Pshh. Asking you your plans for the night… please. Though going back to your room alone sounded less than exciting now that your stomach was full. And you were more awake than ever…and he had kind of offered…

No. No way. You didn’t know Danny. 

‘It can be a good time if you know what you’re looking for…’

No. Horrible idea. Sleep. 

Shower, and sleep. 

Just as you made your mind up, you felt Danny’s hand run along the outside of your leg again. What is he doing? He wasn’t cautious, he was confident. Like the motion was the most natural thing he’d ever done. You could feel the heat from his hand radiating through the denim of your jeans, and though his touch was unwelcome, you let it happen. Why were you letting it happen?

He didn’t need to pull you forward into him like he had earlier, you were already pressed against him as far as you could get. You watched as his shoulder flexed as his arm reached back and down to your leg, his fingers gliding lightly over your thigh while he steered with his other hand. Shit, the heat of his touch…

You let your chest press into him just a little closer, and the contact made your nipples instantly stand at attention. Your choice to not wear a bra tonight was silently working against you. But damn, you couldn’t deny…this man was attractive. Very attractive. And you already couldn’t deny the physical chemistry between you, his hand so nonchalantly petting your thigh while his other gripped the handlebar. 

You felt him take a deep breath, his grip tightening on your leg muscle. You realized your other hand had been resting gently on his stomach, holding on tightly as he navigated the bumpy streets. In an act of pure confidence, you let your thumb drift a few inches down, and loop into the hem of his jeans, your other fingers gripping onto his leather belt. With your motion, his hand tightened again, his thumb swiping back and forth as he let his hand drift further back. 

Your mind was frenzied, suddenly your stomach felt tightly wound with an unknown and unwarranted anticipation. Danny removed his hand from your thigh, and kicked his right foot a couple times to shift the bike down. He gripped the bars and turned, and suddenly you were in front of your motel room door. Damn, you hadn’t even noticed you were here already. 

He pulled the kickstand down as he shut off the bike, and you quickly pulled your hand from the way-too-intimate place near his groin. He stood and stepped off the bike, and you followed behind. You cleared your throat as you resituated your purse on your shoulder, suddenly feeling exposed. You pulled your jacket over your chest, and reached into your bag to find the room key. 

“Thanks for the ride.” You purred. 

“Thanks for dinner, I was supposed to pay, you know. I invited you out…”

“No, no. It’s my pleasure, seeing as how you thought of me, and all.” You answered, making your way to unlock the old doorknob. You felt Danny follow behind, walking you to the door. He had shoved his hands in his pockets, and his closed-off demeanor returned, quite the opposite of the confidence he dripped on the bike. 

You unlocked the door and pushed it open, flicking on the light inside. Danny stood in the threshold as you dispensed your purse on the table. 

“You were right. I did ask Wanda what room you were in. And before you get freaked out, it wasn’t because I was trying to keep tabs on you. Not in the way you’re thinking, at least.” He said, glancing side to side down either way of the sidewalk before he stepped inside the room just a little. “Y/N, look. You’re right. This town can be dangerous. It ain’t a five-star city. There is a lot that goes on behind closed doors here. So yes, I wanted to know where you were because—”

“You want to keep an eye on me. I get it. I owe you and Jake money, still.” You quipped, unsure of how to feel about that. 

He nodded slowly, leaning his shoulder on the doorframe as he crossed his flexed arms. “Well, yes, but…It’s more for your well-being, Y/N. That’s all. There are some…shady creatures here.” He mumbled, stepping a little further inside. 

You slowly sat down on the bed, feeling the stiff mattress squeak beneath you. His steps were heavy as he came further inside, slowly, his eye contact making you feel like you were going to forget how to breathe. You leaned back on your arms, the gritty brown comforter rough under your fingertips. “Are you one of those…shady creatures?” You asked, barely above a whisper as you found him standing almost directly between your legs. 

He lifted his almost completely-inked hand and pushed away a tiny strand of hair that had fallen across your forehead, brushing it back to join the rest of your hair. Your heart rate picked up at his subtle touch, his calloused and dirty fingertips just barely grazing the side of your face. “Guess it depends on who you ask…” his words were slow, his bottom lip biting slowly into his mouth as he spoke. 

Your breath caught in your throat, and you instantly felt the same chemistry as earlier begin to ravage your body again. He was towering over you so close, your legs pressed apart by the outsides of his. His knees touched the edge of the bed, and you could tell his hands were arguing with his brain about touching you again. Somewhere. Anywhere. 

He pushed your hair back again, drifting his hand down your cheek and finally to your chin, his thumb and pointer working as a team to slowly crane your neck up to look him in the eyes. Your hands were begging you to rake your nails up underneath his tight t-shirt, just to get a feel of what was beneath it. But you didn’t. 

“You’re different, aren’t you, Y/N?” He finally whispered. 

“Mmm, what do you mean?” 

He furrowed his brow as he lightly squeezed your chin between his fingers, his eyes studying every detail of your face. 

“I dunno…you just have something about you. Can’t quite put my finger on it yet.” He bit his lip again. You felt a ragged breath escape your lungs, and you hoped to god your body language wasn’t reflecting how you felt right now. 

“But, I intend on figuring you out.” His thumb drifted up a bit, barely ghosting over your bottom lip. It took everything in you to not pull it into your mouth, reach your tongue out and taste him, but you stopped yourself. Can’t go there tonight, as much as you really wanted to. 

Against every coherent thought, your knees pressed in toward each other, searching for some type of relief, causing Danny’s body to move in a bit closer to you. A low laugh left his chest as he continued to brush his thumb over your lip, pressing a little harder when you made him fall into you. “A fuckin’ gem, aren’t you?” 

You swallowed, unsure how to answer. Or how to think, for that matter. This gorgeous man standing between your legs in your hotel room, you barely know him at all…but already you felt like you could grip the soft cotton of his t-shirt and yank him down into the bed beside you, and have your way with him until the sun came up. Because, what do you have to lose?

“Will have a ride for you tomorrow. Get some sleep.” He muttered, his eyelids hooded over his deep brown eyes as he peered down to you. You watched his Adams apple jerk as he swallowed, regaining the same composure you were begging yourself to find. He stepped back and turned to exit through the still-open door. “Lock this behind me.”

And before you could gather even the simplest thought, he was gone. 

—

You stood naked in front of the scratched and lopsided hanging mirror in the bathroom, waiting the long five minutes for the shower to heat, just as Wanda had said. Your skin was still flushed from the close intensity from Danny just a few short minutes ago, and your heart rate was just now slowing from the interaction. 

Shit. You aren’t supposed to feel these things…you just left Peter. You were on the search to enrich your life, go wild, not add drama and danger to it…

But, you had set out in search of an adventure, could this be it? Could this strange, gritty, already confusing mechanic be your ticket to letting loose? You’d never had those young years to explore yourself and sow your oats; Peter was one of your very first serious boyfriends ever, and one of only a handful of partners you’d had before that. Half of your mind was terrified from Danny’s words of warning, and the other half of you said fuck it, chase it. Why not? What do you honestly have to lose at this point? 

You stepped into the now steaming shower and began to suds up the plain white bar of soap that was wrapped up on the countertop. You let the hot streams of water calm your muscles and your nerves as you ran over the events of your crazy day. 

‘Will have a ride for you tomorrow…’ 

What did that mean? You chalked it up to he would probably be picking you up again in the morning to go back to the garage to give a down payment, or something. Either way, you’d wake up to a new day, and you were already hoping it’d be just as eventful as today. 

——

The growling sound of an engine outside the motel startled you from your daydream as you watched the picture on the television blur and scatter back and forth. A glance at your watch told you it was 10am exactly, and you walked to the peephole to see who had pulled up. 

It wasn’t the person you expected to see. You unlocked the door and swung it open, the still misty morning air chilling your face. 

“Jake, morning. What are you—”

“You ready to sign your quote? I’m ordering the parts today.” He interrupted as he slammed his truck door shut. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just let me grab my bag.” You stepped back inside, slightly confused; you fully expected to see Danny pull up on his motorcycle to whisk you away again. 

You stepped outside and locked the door behind you, and you and Jake both hopped up into the truck. Jake was silent again, and you were coming to realize he didn’t speak unless it was completely necessary, or unless spoken to. He was a man of few words, but you gathered that he probably wasn’t being outwardly rude, just was his nature to be quiet. You hoped, at least. 

He reached down and cranked his window, the air blowing his freshly-showered scent around in the cab of the truck. The scent of Brut after-shave tingled in your nose; you’d know that smell anywhere. It made you look his way, seeing that his skin was actually visible now that he wasn’t covered in grease and dirt. His hand gripped the tree, shifting it to third as his speed leveled out on the road. 

His hands were completely covered in tattoos just like Danny’s were, and they crawled up his wrist and forearm, all the way to his shoulder and into his neck. His cutoff t-shirt exposed his chest and side, also covered in a swirling piece of art that was laced with deep reds and blues. There were hundreds of them. And you were willing to bargain that each and every one had a story. 

His ever-present cigarette hung between his lips as he stayed focused on the road, his shoulder length locks whipping around in the wind. You hadn’t seen him like this yet…clean, natural, and normal. His demeanor was the same as it was yesterday, straightforward and no-nonsense. 

“That’s yours, if you want it.” He gestured between you on the bench seat, pointing to a large biscuit wrapped up in wax paper. “I couldn’t eat two.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you. Thanks.” You began to unwrap it and tear off little pieces, bringing them shyly to your mouth. “Didn't poison it, did you?” 

He huffed what you think was a laugh through his nose. “No. If you died I’d have to steal the part money from your purse, and I don’t want to do that.” Was that his attempt at a joke?

You giggled, again unsure how to take him. 

“Where’s Danny? I figured he’d be the one scooping me up after last night.” You asked, taking another bite of biscuit. 

His head shot your way, his eyes narrowed. “Last night?”

“Yeah, he picked me up on his bike, we got some food at Louie’s. Said he’d be back today.” Now that you thought about it, he never actually said he would be the one picking you up, just that there would be a ride for you here today. 

“Ah, so he took you on a date.” Jake muttered, his voice low again over the radio. 

“No, it wasn’t a date. He just invited me to eat with him. Knew I shouldn’t walk through town to get food by myself. He was being thoughtful.” You suddenly felt defensive of Danny. 

“Thoughtful. So, a date.” Jake responded, blowing smoke out the window before flicking the cigarette onto the road. 

“So what if it was?” You decided to play along. “What would it matter?” 

He shook his head with a mock laugh. “Danny is a nice guy, but he doesn’t take women on dates. That I can assure you.” 

You felt offended. “So, what, just a one night stand kind of guy?” 

Jake let a one-syllable laugh fall from his lips as he raised his eyebrows, shifting back down to make the tight turn up the hill to the shop. “Guess you could say that.” 

Why was he always so vague? 

Just as you were nearing the shop, Jake reached his arm across the bench seat and across your lap, leaning almost all the way onto you to crank the window all the way down. He rolled the handle quickly, his bicep muscle flexing hard right in front of your eyes. 

“Oh, sorry, I could have done that–” you sputtered. 

“It’s a son of a bitch to roll, requires a little bit of elbow grease.” He said before throwing the truck in park and shutting off the engine. “I’ve got your paperwork ready, all you have to do is sign for the total and put half down. Rest will be due when it’s fixed.”

He was halfway out of the truck and still talking, so you clambered your way out, too, to make sure you caught the tail end of what he was saying. The two of you walked into the shop, vehicles already pulled into the bay with the hoods popped. Loud music was coming from an old radio on a high shelf, an old Johnny Cash song bouncing off the walls. 

“Daniel, can you please turn that fucking shit down? Jesus Christ!” Jake yelled. 

You watched as Danny’s curls emerged out from underneath an old Cadillac, his feet pushing him out as he laid on a creeper. He gave you a quick tiny smile when you made upside-down eye contact. 

“When you open the shop on time and get in here when you’re fuckin’ supposed to, maybe I’ll consider your goddamn propositions, Jake. I mean shit, we live here.” He rolled all the way out and stood from the creeper, watching as Jake slowly ascended the old metal stairs on the side of the building. “I’ve been the only one here since fuckin’ 7:00. Why the fuck would I turn my music down if I’m the only one getting my fuckin’ hands dirty?” Danny spat. 

You looked up onto the lofted area of the shop, watching as Jake topped the steps and walked across, flipping Danny the bird from above before looking to you and switching his middle finger to his pointer, signaling for you to ‘come here’, and follow him up the stairs. 

You hopped into action, making your way to the staircase to follow Jake to the top. When you got up there, you looked around to find this was the office area. Tons and tons of old papers stacked away in messy piles, collecting dust and dirt. Boxes that held forgotten parts, shelves filled to the brim with old 3-ring binders, dusty photos on the wall, and in the center of it all, an old wooden desk with a chair that had seen better days. You watched as Jake pulled the string hanging from a single fluorescent light, plopping into the chair as the light buzzed to life. 

He pulled on a pair of thin wired readers, peering down to a ledger that looked similar to the one Wanda took your room reservation in. He was fingering through a parts manual and double checking his work on a calculator, so you took a second to look at a few of the black and white photos hanging framed on the wall. 

One, a larger photo, hung right in the middle of the rest. It was a man in a white tank top, dirty as can be, a pair of old slacks pulled up to his belly button. He was leaned with his back against an old black Chevelle, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He wasn’t smiling, just standing stoically with his arms crossed across his chest. He looked strikingly exactly like Jake, except the photo must have been taken when the man was a bit older than Jake is now. 

“Jake, this man looks just like you…is he—”

“Was. My father, yes.” He said, voice flat. 

“Handsome…” you muttered. “Was this his shop before it was yours?” 

He nodded, still looking to his ledger. “Yeah. Ace.”

You pulled your eyes from the photo, walking slowly back to the desk. “Ace…Ace’s garage. How long has he…been gone?” You wanted to put the words right back into your mouth as soon as they left it. It wasn’t any of your business. 

“He died the day before my eighteenth birthday. You wanna come sign here?” Jake said, extending a pen out for you. 

Damn, Jake. That’s heavy. 

You walked over to take a look at the estimate, seeing that the price was actually not as much as you thought it would be. “So half now, half when it’s done?” You reiterated, signing your name across the slip of paper. 

“Yep.” He responded shortly. 

You reached into your purse and pulled out the white envelope of your cash, counting it out in hundreds and fifties. As you slowly counted out loud, you took special care to run your fingers over the stiff new bills, making sure none stuck together. In the middle of them all was an old fifty dollar bill, a giant red “X” drawn across the President’s face. 

“Someone didn’t like Grant, I guess.” You laughed, trying to break the awkward silence as he watched you count. 

When you were finally finished, you gathered the bills up and handed them to Jake in a nice neat stack. “Thanks.” He said, taking the cash and stuffing it in a till box before shoving it in a safe. 

“Thank you. Hey, think I could use your restroom really quickly?” You asked, feeling like your bladder was about to burst with shitty motel room coffee. 

He threw his glasses down onto the table and pulled the light off, giving you a funny look before leading you back toward the stairs again. “Only bathroom here is mine and Danny’s, probably ain’t the cleanest.” He said as he quickly jumped down the steps. 

“It’s no problem.” You answered. How bad could it be?

He led you underneath the loft and through a door, into a dark hallway with multiple doors. “Last one on the left.” Jake hit the wall with his palm before walking back into the bay. 

This must be the part they live in. As you passed by the other doors, one was closed, and the other was cracked open to reveal what looked to be a messy bedroom. A mattress on the floor covered in disheveled blankets, liquor bottles on the makeshift nightstand, and clothes strewn about. 

When you finally reached the bathroom door, what you found inside was nothing short of disgusting. Although he had warned you…

One light bulb hanging from the ceiling, the sink full of hair and stained black from the grease off their hands, a completely black toothpaste tube that didn’t have a lid, flattened toothbrushes that were missing half of their bristles…

The list went on as you looked around in utter disgust. Men are so gross.  You were positive the place had never been cleaned. 

You swallowed and held your breath as you opened the broken toilet lid, finding it less-than-desirable with a ring in the bowl. You shuddered at what you were about to do, but if you didn’t pee right now you were going to have to resort to the woods out back. Would probably be cleaner out there, actually…but at least there is toilet paper. 

You tried not to think too hard about it as you quickly relieved yourself, using a small piece of toilet paper to touch the lever handle to flush. 

“Ew ew ew ew.” You mumbled, deciding to not even wash your hands at the risk of dirtying them further. But even if you had, your drying options were toilet paper or their stained to hell bath towels hanging over the rod.

You were entirely grossed out, and decided to get back out to the bay as soon as you could. You flicked the light switch and reentered the hallway, noticing that the closed door across the way was opening at the same time. 

To your surprise, a woman emerged from the room, slowly closing the door behind her. She had to be about ten years your senior, at least. 

“Hey, Sug.” She murmured, rubbing sleep from her eyes. When she turned to face you, you noticed what she was wearing. 

Danny’s black Ford Motors t-shirt he had on last night. 

Your stomach dropped, suddenly it hit you exactly why he wasn’t the one picking you up this morning. 

You gave her a tight smile and a simple “Good morning” as her keys jingled in her hand. Her makeup was definitely left over from last night, and she was carrying a pair of red high heels. 

“I haven’t seen you ‘round here before…” she said, her voice still raspy with sleep. 

“Oh, I’m…I’m a customer. They’re fixing my car. Just was…using the restroom.” You explained. 

“Oh honey, no one’s ever just a customer…” She winked, before leading the two of you back out into the bay. 

Whose room did she just come from?

—

JAKE POV

Fuck this god damn piece of shit Chevrolet. 

Two weeks you’ve been working on this fuckin’ truck, and in those two weeks you had gotten barely anything accomplished with rebuilding the motor. And now you had another to do on top of it.

Isn’t it supposed to be Fords that have engine trouble? American muscle my ass. They’re all shit. 

You stepped up onto the step ladder and peered back down into the belly of your newest arch-nemesis, cursing at its guts with every turn of your wrench. You look down to the floor spitting before turning your attention back under the hood.

Come on Ace. What is wrong with this son of a bitch? Help me out…

You glanced over to Danny, watching as he walked outside to empty his stomach again after the late night he’d had. Out all night drinking with his latest piece, stumbling back into the shop at 3am. Then he was back up at 7? You weren’t sure where he got his stamina…maybe he just didn’t sleep at all. 

As you compiled the list of parts you’d need for Y/N’s engine last night, Danny swung by your office to tell you he was leaving, only to peer over your shoulder and see her name at the top of the Quote sheet.

“She’s a fuckin’ smokeshow…” 

“Can you please try not to sleep with this one? She seems like a decent human being… You don’t have to sleep with all of them you know.” you’d joked. 

“Jesus, Jake. I’m not that bad of a person. Cut me some slack. Just cause you haven’t gotten laid in few months doesn’t mean you have to shit on me…”

You’d pushed up from your chair and slammed your hands into his shoulders, pushing him back against the wall behind you, but his height was no match for you. 

“Fuck you, Daniel. Just…listen to me. I saw her making eyes at you…Don’t fuck this up for us.” you said. 

“Did you really?” You’d watched as his gears began to turn. “What was her room number?”

“I don’t fuckin’ know, Danny. You’re not going to her motel. Just leave her be.” You tried your best to warn him nicely. “Like you told me, she’s a paying customer. We need her to pay us…”

He sighed when he realized. “Shit. You’re right, damnit. Okay, okay. I won’t go.”

But, from the conversation you had with Y/N on the ride in this morning, you realized the fucker lied to you. He went anyway and she was clearly all about it. 

You wanted to warn her. You tried to tell her that Danny was a one night stand type, that he didn’t wine and dine like the regular guy would, but apparently she didn’t listen, either.  

As a bolt finally popped loose, it fell into the engine, tipping you over the edge of insanity.

Fuck! This! Truck!

You jumped off of the ladder and went over to the fridge under the loft, grabbing a cold Budweiser from the dirty shelf. You held the neck of the amber bottle on the edge of your toolbox, smashing your fist down on the lid, effectively popping it off. You tilted it back, letting the cold beverage run down your throat as you swallowed. Nothing like a breakfast beer. 

Just then, you heard the shop door close and two sets of footsteps making their way out. All you could do was watch as the perfect storm brewed right in front of your eyes. How the fuck was he gonna explain this one... Y/N, Danny, and whoever his woman of the night was, all waltzing into the middle of the bay at the exact same time. As you caught sight of the woman you let out a scoff. 

Fuck, Danny. 

Tanya. The woman that lived in that house down on Robertson, hardly any personality at all, great tits, and apparently she was a panther in bed. Or so you’d heard. She was nice enough, and Danny always ended up bringing her around every couple of months. You didn’t dislike her, but you sure as hell didn’t want to be her friend, either. You didn’t trust her as far as you could throw her, and last you heard, she was involved with some folks you didn’t need to be associating with. 

You paused with your beer in hand, sticking the other in your pocket as you watched the scene unfold. Your fingers twirled around a lug nut as your eyes followed Tanya, walking directly up to Daniel, wrapping her long skinny arms around his neck, and pulling him in for one last long, and especially involved, goodbye kiss. This wasn’t her typical goodbye, and you knew she was marking her territory in front of Y/N. Which is why you laughed, knowing that she wouldn’t hear from Daniel for at least a month. However, it wasn’t lost on you, the tense nature of Daniel’s body as she kissed him. His eyes open wide and looking across the bay towards Y/N.

Your eyes drifted directly to Y/N, watching as her face fell into utter disbelief. Her jaw fell slack for a second before she clamped it shut again, obviously feeling something unexpected from the sight in front of her. Whatever little daydream she had dreamed up between the two of them had all just come crashing down.

You noticed she suddenly felt out of place, bringing her embarrassed eyes to meet yours in question. You smirked, raising an eyebrow as you sipped your beer as smugly as you could. You shrugged your shoulders and raised your beer bottle in the air towards her as you watched her face flame red.

Hate to say I told ya so, baby. 

—

HER POV

You have got to get out of here. 

But where the hell are you gonna go?

You let your feet carry you out the bay garage door out into the heat of the day, wanting to be anywhere but inside that damn building right now. Why did it matter? Why did you care?

The moment you and Danny shared last night was anything but fantastic, but it was still there. It was intimate, though he had done nothing but skim his fingertips across your face. 

You didn’t care. It’s no big deal. 

But why did he look at you while he kissed her? And why was Jake so amused by it?

You stomped across the dirt parking lot to your Scout, flinging the door open to dig around and find anything that could offer up a distraction. You unzipped a suitcase, finding all of your clothing still neatly folded and tucked away. Underneath a pair of old ratted bell bottoms, you pulled out your ticket to diversion from Danny for the rest of the day: Maya Angelou’s complete collection of poems. 

Perfect. 

The book was worn around the edges, you had read it so much as a kid. You practically had every poem memorized. 

After replacing your folded clothing neatly back in the suitcase, you decided you had to make your way back inside at some point…you knew they had a full workday ahead, and it would be rude to ask for a ride back to the motel at this point. 

You slammed the door shut, shielding your eyes from the bright sun directly above. The shadowy silhouette of Tanya was walking toward you as you walked toward the building, still barefoot and wobbly as she crept across the dirt and gravel toward the road. You swallowed hard, knowing an interaction was unavoidable at this point. 

“Catch ya around, sweetcheeks.” She said as your paths crossed. She let her body come close to yours, her shoulder bumping into your chest as she stumbled. “And just so ya know, the tall, dark, and handsome one?” She pointed her finger tip into her own chest. “Mine. Got it, Iowa?”

You snarled your nose up to her at her display; you could still smell the liquor on her breath from last night. Her eyes were hazed and obviously still high on whatever it was she was doing the night before. 

“No worries on my end.” You said blankly, wanting to get the hell away from her while simultaneously wanting to punch her in the face for assuming you wanted Danny. 

You kept walking past her back into the shop, walking on the other side of the truck Jake was working on to stay as far away from Danny as you could. You didn’t want to risk him noticing that you even cared. 

You sat down in one of the ratty, dirty lawn chairs alongside the wall where Jake was working, getting as comfortable as you could before opening your book. You wanted to get lost in the words, letting them bring you back down to earth in a way only poetry could. 

You glanced to Danny as he stepped up on the wall of shelves on his side of the bay, reaching high above his head to turn the knob on his radio up to a higher volume. He hopped down, a giant cheesing smile across his face as ‘Fortunate Son’ blared from the speaker. Jake slowly raised his head from under the hood of the truck, shaking it from side to side as he stared Danny down. You realized then that’s why Danny put his stereo up so high, so that Jake physically couldn’t reach it. 

You flipped the pages of your book for the next half hour or so, letting Maya’s words take you to another planet entirely. You listened to the sounds of their socket wrenches and power tools as they worked away, providing a surprisingly relaxing background sound. 

“Whatcha reading?” Jake’s voice was barely audible over the loud noises around you. You closed the book cover, holding your fingers between the pages to keep your spot. 

“Maya Angelou’s poems. Kinda corny, I know. But–”

“The caged bird sings with fearful trill

of the things unknown but longed for still

and his tune is heard on the distant hill

for the caged bird sings of freedom.”

Your jaw fell open as Jake finished reciting Maya’s most famous poem to a tee, not faltering over any word and pausing at the most perfect times for the poem to hold its structure. 

He hadn’t pulled his focus away from what he was doing until he realized you didn’t respond, then grinned a smile so big it made your heart stop. 

“How did you…? You know Ms. Angelou?”

“My mom loved her. Read me her poems as a kid before I could even walk. I don’t remember the sound of my mom’s voice, but those words stuck with me.” He said, only glancing up to you every few words as he kept focused. 

You were floored. This was not something you expected from Jake, let alone for him to open up about his explanation as to why he knew of her work. You felt a warmth in your stomach…maybe there was something sweet under his tough exterior after all. 

After a bit, the shop telephone started ringing. You looked to both of the guys as they worked, realizing neither of them even noticed it was ringing. Maybe the phone doesn’t work? A couple minutes later, it started again, ringing and ringing off the hook for so long the shrillness started to irritate your ears. 

“Do you want me to go get that, or what?” You asked. Jake scoffed an exasperated sigh, hopping backwards off his step stool as he pulled his red towel from his back pocket of his coveralls. He wiped his hands as best he could as he rushed up the steps to answer it. 

You glanced to Danny, watching as he leaned over the hood of the car he was working on, wiping the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm. You hadn’t made eye contact or spoken since Tanya left a while ago, and you had to admit, it pissed you off a little. After last night’s…moment… he at least owed you something, right? 

Once he noticed Jake was all the way upstairs, he confidently walked over your way, twirling his own towel in his hands. “You gonna let me buy you lunch today?” He asked. 

“Why should I do that?” You answered blankly, not looking up from your book. 

“Because I’m hungry, I know you’re hungry, and you bought dinner. It’s only fair.” He was so matter of fact. 

“Are you not meeting back up with Miss Red High Heels for lunch today?” Shit. Your attitude ended up getting the better of you. 

“Who, Tanya?” He asked, pointing his thumb behind him. “Fuck, no. She’s just–”

“A good lay?” You inquired, pulling your eyes up to him finally, flicking your eyelashes in the most sarcastic way you could. 

He let his arms fall to his sides in defeat. “Listen, Y/N. Just let me take you to lunch, please? I promise I’ll be the perfect gentleman.” He finished the end of his sentence with a smirk and a wink, instantly making your insides swirl. What the hell is he doing to you?

“Alright, I guess. But only because I’m hungry, not because I want to hang out with you.” You gave him a side smile as you agreed. 

You watched as he leaned his elbows down on the side panel of the truck Jake was working on, resting his chin in his hand. 

“Mmm, I bet you do want to hang out with me though, especially if you let me a little further into your motel room after…”

“We gotta close up.” Suddenly Jake was bounding down the stairs, his steps heavy as he barrelled toward you and Danny. “Close it up, let’s go.” He slammed the hood of the truck down as soon as Danny had backed off of it enough. 

You stood from your chair in surprise. “Why, what’s wrong?”

You watched as Danny shoved his towel into his pocket, his expression immediately turning into alarm. 

“Fuck, was it Teddy on the phone?” He asked Jake as he ran around, closing the lid on his tool box and wheeling it under the loft. 

“Yeah, it was fuckin’ Teddy. Hurry up.” Jake hastily walked to the bay door, pulling on the long chain to lower the large garage doors down to the ground with a slam. 

“What’s going on? Who is Teddy?” You asked in a panic as they ran around you like chickens with their heads cut off. 

Danny closed all the doors on the vehicles in the bay, and threw a large black tarp over the motorcycle he had propped up on a block. They tossed all the rogue tools into the appropriate boxes, shutting the lids as they did so. 

What the fuck is going on?!

Anxiety began to creep into your chest as you watched them rush around in a panic. 

After a few minutes of fury, they met in the middle of the bay, in a fit of panted exhaustion and sweaty skin. They stood with their hands on their hips, looking around the shop. Jake pulled his Lucky Strikes from his pocket, nervously lighting one up with a zippo he pulled from his pocket. 

“Fuck!” He muttered as the smoke left his lungs. “Did we miss anything?” He asked Danny rhetorically. 

“No, how long do we have? Do they want a game?”

“Yeah, they want a fuckin’ game. They’ll be here at sunset. Shit.” Jake answered, both of their eyes still darting around in shifted motions. 

Finally, at the same time, their eyes landed on you standing before them in complete and utter shock. 

“Have her help you set up, then take her back to my bedroom. Lock the door.” Jake finally commanded Danny. 

“No, are you fuckin’ stupid? I’m taking her back to the motel, she’ll be safe there.” Danny argued. 

“No, god damnit! She’s staying here where we can keep an eye on her, the last thing we need is fucking free collateral, Danny. She stays here and hides.”

“Hides?! Wait, what the fuck–” your heart began pounding. 

“If she’s here, they’ll know we’re hiding something, Jake! They aren’t stupid! If she’s back at the motel at least she’s far enough away—” Danny was raising his voice to Jake now in opposition, their chests almost touching as they spat in each other’s faces. 

“Daniel, are you fuckin’ mental? You know Wanda isn’t trustworthy anymore. And Tanya was just here! You know Bubba found out who she’s been hanging around. And she saw Y/N! You think it’s a coincidence that two hours later, we get a call from Teddy?! Are you fuckin’ stupid?” Jake slammed a screwdriver across the floor, letting it bounce and glide across the concrete until it hit the wall. He stepped away from Danny, walking toward the back of the bay to continue what he was doing. 

“I told you to stay away from that fucking crowd, and what did you do? Bring one of them back with you to fuck into the mattress all night.” Jake yelled, and you watched as Danny lurched his way toward him. 

But before Danny could make it, Jake turned and held his elbow out, catching Danny’s body across the chest. “Don’t fucking come up on me like that Daniel, I swear to god. Go set up the fucking table, or get the fuck out of my shop. Take your pick.” Jake spat into his face. 

Danny begrudgingly backed away, his hands balled into fists. “I’m not leaving you here alone.” 

Jake’s demeanor instantly softened. “You better fucking not.” He mumbled, licking his lips. Jake motioned with his eyes for Danny to retreat to the back, just like he had asked. 

Danny breezed past you as he walked, catching your arm and pulling you along as he did so. 

“Come on, need your help.” He muttered. 

You ripped your arm from his grasp, flinging it away with as much force as you could muster. 

“Danny! Tell me what the hell is going on or I am leaving!” You yelled in his face, purely enraged that they were leaving you 100% out of the picture, while deciding what to do with you. 

He sighed, eyes darting around again. “I promise you, I will explain everything soon. And I promise, I will take you on that lunch date.” His hand came up and brushed your elbow, while the other pulled your hair away from your face. His touch was so gentle, while he had just been seconds away from a brawl with Jake. His eyes bored deep into yours, somehow soft while yours were filled with fear. 

“We’re gonna keep you safe. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, you hear me?” He was gripping hard at your shoulders now, talking like he was hyping himself up instead of you. “I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?”

“Danny… I–I don’t even know you…” you mumbled, your fight or flight beginning to kick in as the sounds of Jake banging loud things together in the bay echoed off the walls. 

“Yeah you do, you know me. You knew me a long time ago.” His eyes shot to Jake again, still loudly throwing tools into containers. Suddenly his face was close to yours, his grip on your arms now almost an embrace. 

“I’m not a bad guy, Y/N. I swear I’m not. I’m just…” he winced as he searched for the words. “Listen, I like you, and even though you’ve only been around a day or two, you’ve been the only thing on my mind since the minute you pulled up at the shop, okay? You...you make me nervous. And people don’t make me nervous.” He licked his lips as his hands gripped the sides of your head. “But right now, I’m asking you to trust me. If not completely, just until tomorrow, okay? Please?” He pleaded. 

Fuck, did you have a choice?

You threw all caution to the wind as your mind fought against every red flag presenting itself. You nodded quickly. “Okay. Okay, shit.” you finally agreed. 

Danny’s expression fell straight to relief as he gripped his large, grease-covered hands over yours, pulling you back to their living quarters in a hurry. 

“Then let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

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[polyphonical]

Let’s! Kirakira Adventure☆ Translation

I might make a lyric video to go along with it!

Niki, Nazuna, Yuuta, Subaru, Mitsuru

Waaah!

Sparkling!

Exciting!

Heart racing!

Searching for

A great adventure

(Uh, Yaaay!)

“From day til night we’re” (Buzz Buzz) 

“On the Japanese Islands,” (Zoom Zoom)

“From the top to the bottom we’re” (Hop Hop)

“Looking for something sparkly!” (Let’s GO!!)

“It’s like an instinct” (Buzz Buzz)

“To be as honest as can be” (Zoom Zoom)

“Our excitement’s through the roof” (Hop Hop)

“We have to go, right?” (Let’s GO!!)

I can barely keep my eyes open, looking bleary

Huh? Wait, it’s Sunday, isn’t it?

Then that means… we can go back to sleep…

Hey, come on…

Thanks to the clear skies, today could be an adventure day right?

To look for our sparkles.

“What’s up?”

“We’re waking up?”

“Yeah!”

“What adventure are we looking for?”

“I want a delicious looking breakfast!”

“Something spicy and tingly for me”

“Sparking!”

“I wanna dash around and find bread to eat!”

“So some kind of special buffet then?”

(Yaay! Let’s do it!)

“Smile smile”

“Smile smile!”

It’s a sign for the most perfect smiles

(Right!)

“Thanks for the meal! Let’s head out”

We’re departing now

“Let’s goo!”

That fresh morning air

The kind that makes you feel full as soon as you breathe in

“It’s the best ☆”

Hmm, you all have sparkling energy already

Activating mine too

Subaru & Mitsuru: Let’s hum

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: Some energetic music

Today’s theme song has us feeling like this

“Ah ah”

“Mic test”

“Yo, check it out”

Subaru & Yuuta: “Everyone, let’s go!”

Yaay! This whole world’s a stage for your heart to dance!

Come join us and play together (Uh, yaay!)

Subaru & Nazuna: The sun’s bright and colorful

Yuuta & Niki & Mitsuru: The sun is

Subaru & Nazuna: Like a spotlight

Yuuta & Niki & Mitsuru: A spotlight

Subaru & Nazuna: Like a dazzling smile

Yuuta & Niki & Mitsuru: Right!

I wanna show more to you

Cheers! Everyone’s sparkles are matching up, yay!

That expression is 100x better, peace!

(Peace!)

You all are one of us now, so 

C’mon, c’mon

Everyone, let’s adventure!

“Take a turn, take a turn”（1・2・3）

What might be a pebble to some could be

“A diamond!”

“Lucky!”

Show me, show me, something that’s like “you”

You’re keeping it a secret? It’s not something to be ashamed of

Because you are

“Sparkling ☆”

“Exactly!”

(A lotta)

“Adventures”

“Adventures”

“Adventures are a part of a life”

(Full of)

“Fulfillment”

“Charging your sparkles is fulfilling"

(Yaaay! Then!)

“Smile smile~”

“Smile smile~”

Subaru & Niki: “Go ahead and”

“Give us one more smile~”

“Hold it steady for the most perfect photoshoot chance”

And, cheese!

“Choriisu!”

There’s a gentle breeze in the afternoon

Around 3 PM is snack time

“Thanks for waiting ♪”

We’re laying down in the grass side by side

Just chatting idly 

Yuuta & Niki: If we were in a song

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: This would be that part in the pre-chorus

Where the insistent chatter pops in

“Ah ah”

“Is that feedback?”

“No, we're harmonizing!”

Niki & Mitsuru: Let's harmonize with everyone else too, let’s go!

Yaaay! My heart’s on a great adventure on this world of a stage!

Let’s all have the most fun together and play (Uh, yaaay!)

Yuuta & Niki: There’s still more to do

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: Like napping

Yuuta & Niki: And looking for treasure

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: Treasure

Yuuta & Niki: We have to meet to do so

Subaru & Nazuna & Mitsuru: So

Let’s meet up

Cheers! Your personality is filled with smiles and cheers!

Let’s refine our peace (Peace!)

If you’re having fun, then I’m glad

Let’s continue (Continue)

‘Cuz life’s an adventure

“I feel like I’m doing a lotta ad libbing today”

Our synergy is always off the charts

“How’re you like usually?”

“The cautious type?”

“I don’t think so, but maaaybe?”

There’s a lot of things you might not know about yourself

“I get it”

“Yeah, I get it too”

“There’s still new things to discover”

I like these kinds of colors too, don’t you?

“It seems like there’s still some things to discover about myself”

What do you think?

Walking back home feels lonely

I’m looking forward to having fun again tomorrow

Let’s make today fun so we think like that later

‘Cuz this adventure song will never stop

“Ah ah”

“Check check”

“I can hear you”

“I can too”

“Let’s go again!”

“Again?”

“Okaaay”

“Everyone ready?”

Niki & Nazuna: “Yeah let’s go!”

Yaaay! This whole world’s a stage for your heart to dance!

Come join us and play together (Uh, yaay!)

Subaru & Mitsuru: The sun’s like a smile

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: The sun is

Subaru & Mitsuru: Like a spotlight

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: From now on

Subaru & Mitsuru: While your wearing a shining expression

Yuuta & Niki & Nazuna: Right!

I wanna show even more to you

Cheers! Everyone loves to sparkle yaaay!

With a really nice face, peace (Peace!)

Having fun with you is the best

Let’s continue (Let’s continue)

On this adventure of life! (Uh, yaaay!)

“From day til night we’re” (Buzz Buzz) 

“On the Japanese Islands,”(Zoom Zoom)

“From the top to the bottom we’re” (Hop Hop)

“Looking for something sparkly!” (Let’s GO!!)

“It’s like an instinct” (Buzz Buzz)

“To be as honest as can be”(Zoom Zoom)

“Our excitement’s through the roof” (Hop Hop)

“We have to go, right?” (Let’s GO!!)

Sparkling adventure ☆

(Yaaay!)