#did you know this is my fave exchange in the entire show?

[cutemothman]

The X-Files

3.04 "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"

[liliannadelaphinehartifelt]

Alastor - [ DEVOTION Pt. 6 ]

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Blame my obsession with K-dramas for how dramatic this last angsty part is. Also, to be clear, I do know some of you head-cannon Alastor as a ‘charismatic psychopath’ because of the way he acts in the show but personally I see him as more of a ‘dynamic sociopath’ while he was alive. I’m telling you this because I know authors tend to depict their faves so out of character just to progress the plot of their stories without any logical reasoning behind it. I am not that type of writer and therefore I don’t think my perception of (Human) Alastor is strange. Anyways, enough from me. Let’s get back to our regularly scheduled broadcast shall we?

WARNINGS: [ MDNI ] + [ MENTIONS & DESCRIPTIONS OF BLOOD / HORROR ] + [ PREGNANCY TROPE…it’ll be over soon I swear…] + [ IMPLICATIONS OF A MISCARRIAGE ] + [ DESCRIPTIONS OF A DEAD BODY ] + [ HEAVY ANGST ]

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On a cozy November evening, the Garden District of New Orleans bloomed with life. Its magnificent houses and mansions stood tall in the late-day sun, and the woeful winter breeze passing through the dazzling neighborhood rustled the greenery lining each home.

Many of the Jazz City’s locals regarded the area as an affluent attraction for outsiders to gawk and marvel at, while those who resided there took pride in its beauty.

You considered yourself fortunate to be a part of such a gleaming community, living a subtle life of luxury due to Alastor's wild success, but not entirely involved with other well-kept wives of similar influential figures.

Socializing had never been your forte; though it was required of you in mannerable situations, the constant exchange of loose friendships with strangers never entirely appealed to you.

Although, being married to a renowned public figure with an image to uphold puts you in compliance with the aversion.

Parties, local events, and even headlining musical performances became your routine social appearance.

Alastor was immensely proud to have you on his arm, charming the masses with your soft approach, swooning the newspapers with your angelic appearance and kind public gestures.

You did your best to make a lovely impression on anyone you encountered, wordlessly adhering to Alastor’s commanding ego and polishing the rough edges of his public image with practiced selflessness.

Few knew you personally, and even fewer saw you as a socialite.

Sure, you'd been polite to anyone who passed on the street, made small talk with neighbors, did charity work for those who thought to ask, and even donated effort towards Rosies spontaneous book club meetings every other weekend -though they were thinly veiled gossip sessions she'd orchestrate with fellow homemakers.

There wasn't a single person you could call a 'friend' who wasn't already close to your husband…

How Rosie had managed to crowd her stunning home with so many familiar yet strange faces, claiming to be precisely that -your friend- baffled you in more ways than one.

Yes, these people were acquaintances and admirers to some degree, but your friends?…

You had none besides Alastor, willing to remain by his side in matrimony just as you had from the moment you met him, reluctant to make any other connections since your shared childhood.

It didn’t help that Alastor developed a habit of scaring away new acquaintances behind your back and even resorted to violent acts of service to keep other suitors at bay before your shared vows.

As a result, the happy faces you saw now felt fabricated; every congratulatory remark didn't resonate with your heart, and the more people that arrived to celebrate you and Alastor, the more lost you felt.

They didn't know you.

No one knew you, but they adored your husband and, in turn, fawned over you.

Liars.

Everyone spouted half-truths, mirroring the ones Alastor had been telling you for months, and your heart grew heavier with each one told.

You could manage seeing him falsify his real identity to the public, to unsuspecting strangers, and to posh parasites.

You could handle being put on a pedestal, seen as the perfect wife, and expected to echo his ideal perception.

Lying to others was child's play, a game you two had grown to love, but Alastor developing the need to lie to you wasn't a tolerable offense.

The party began smoothly; guests swooped in with delightful gifts, either handmade or recently bought from the showcases of New Orleans's finest shops; gentle swing music wafted through the air of Rosie’s lavish two-story home that sat only a block away from your own.

She'd gone to the extreme for the whole ordeal: live music, tantalizing food laid out on tables in the parlor, decorations befitting a small ball neatly adorning the house exterior, and the creme de le creme of Louisiana's socialites filling the guest list.

Alastor uttered nothing but praise for his dearest friend's efforts, thanking her for the collaborative success with a broad smile and chaste kiss.

You followed his gratitude with a gracious nod, content with sitting at your designated table now lined with small gifts from an array of affluent attendees.

"My, Rosie, you've outdone yourself again! You even got Anthony and that grump Husk to show face," Alastor chuckled, eyeing the chattering crowd carefully until his gaze landed on the two opposing men.

Rosie hummed triumphantly, champagne flutes in one hand as the other flicked off an imaginary offense, "Oh, come now, Alastor, you know I'd do my best for the occasion! Everyone in town begged to be here. Not every day they get to meet radio's biggest star and his wife!"

She flashed a genuine grin at you, noting the slight glare on your face as you returned it, but said nothing.

Her attention reverted to the man beside her, who continued observing the crowd, sharing passing remarks with Rosie when a person of interest appeared.

You oversaw their exchange, deliberately soft-spoken the whole evening, often having to avert your focus to converse with a couple who'd come to give their gift and admiration.

Still, the minute the guests left to join the party again, you'd zero in on them.

Alastor felt your eyes on him, burning holes into the back of his head despite you sitting down to rest as the party moved along.

He refused to acknowledge your staring, patiently waiting for you to call for his attention rather than assume you needed it.

After ten minutes of idle chit-chat, he was obliged to give it to you, as Rosie excused herself for the time being.

You said nothing as he peered down at you over his shoulder, amber eyes glinting gold under the lowering sunlight pouring in from the opened bay windows behind you, lips curled into a familiar smile that you considered returning for a moment.

It was hard for you to deny how magnificent Alastor looked in the thrall of pride, dressed in a Burgundy suit with cream accents, hair neatly styled to hide his natural brown curls from the eye of others, and his skin glimmering under natural light.

He was beautiful, deceptively desirable even in your eyes filled with one-sided hurt, and you wished to let go and stand by his side with the utmost confidence in him just as you'd done so many times before.

It would be so easy to forget his transgressions then, to fully enjoy the celebration of your children's oncoming arrival together, but as he elegantly turned on his heel to approach you, splinters of suspicion pricked through your forgiving nature.

You wouldn't t let him charm his way out of this.

Enough was enough.

Alastor watched as your expression grew hard, hidden from the festive crowd by his lean frame as he knelt at eye level with you.

To those around you, the gesture came off as romantic, an endearing sight of a husband tending to his pregnant wife, and not the unspoken detachment of trust between a loyal lover and her predatory protector.

Alastor reached for one of your hands, subtly tugging it from resting on your stomach to resting in his palm.

A sickeningly sweet smile plastered his face as he placed a ginger kiss on your gloved knuckles.

His eyes never left yours as he enacted the loving gesture, swirling with unabashed mischief as you dug your nails into his skin, and the slight pain beckoned him to hum with delight.

You were angry and even enraged with him, but you showed it subtly and practiced, and if he were an ordinary man, Alastor would've considered feeling guilty for it.

But your husband was far from average, far from the definition of guilt, and you wouldn't have him any other way because, despite all his faults and evils, you loved him.

You loved him, felt loyal to him, would do anything for him, yet he lied.

He carried on belittling your trust to mere innocence.

Resentment radiated off you in waves, barely drowned out by the party's happenings but settling on Alastor's shoulders with force.

"Is there something troubling you, my dear?" he asks lowly, eyes steady on you as your smile tightens.

"You." is the only word that leaves your lips, laced with lethal rage in the softest tone, and the contrast elicits a rare frown from him.

He lets your response linger, tangling with laughter and music but remaining in his consciousness as he rises to his feet.

A specific anger curls in Alastor's chest, one he seldomly felt for himself, but the look on your face as he rose to his full height above you made it potent.

Something was different; that sweet girl he'd grown to cherish now looked tainted, and now he knew it was his fault.

"Darling…" he began to formulate an inquiry, faltering in his well-tailored demeanor to conjure a suitable remedy for your anger, but his excuses weren't quick enough.

You carefully stood to your feet, forcing a smile before raising on your tip toes to kiss his cheek, smoothing a hand over his suit until it rested where his heart was.

Your lips neared his ear, whispering spiteful words that didn't match the loving aura you showcased to the onlooking guests.

"You, my love, are a heartless lying bastard. Keeping secrets from me, your wife, of all people? Is that what your devotion to me means? Not trusting the woman who loves you? The mother of your children? If it is, then you can burn in hell with satan himself..'

The strain of smiling through your pain began to take its toll.

Tears welled in your eyes as each hurtful word fell on his ears, but you refused to cause a scene at such a lovely event and resorted to walking away from him as swiftly as you could manage.

Alastor was left to stand alone, his jaw clenched and his control wavering as he heard your heels click further away.

A few guests tried to gain your attention, but you quickly and respectfully declined their engagements, barely making it out of their view as tears streamed down your face, but by fate's grace, you found solace in Rosie's kitchen.

All of the cooks, maids, and waiters were absent.

Everyone was upstairs enjoying the festivities, celebrating you and Alastor's happiest time, but here you were.

Alone.

Beside yourself and utterly alone.

You tried to sob quietly, choking back frustrated screams while pacing, but the look on Alastor's face after you'd confronted him about lying brought more tears.

You'd never seen him hurt, taken aback, guilty like that.

He'd always been so perfect in your eyes, composed and deliberate about his presence.

Now, you'd ruined that image, and at what cost?

Would he come clean now or shut you out even more?

Was your anger worth any of it? Was his lying worth it?

Your heart was a mess, desperate to connect with his, but reluctant to it all at once.

“….”

Maybe father was right…

The sound of quick footsteps approaching the kitchen didn't register to you, drowned about by your excessive crying, but another presence was made evident as two gentle arms wrapped you in a hug.

"Oh, honey, come here…" Rosie cooed into your hair, frowning as your cries became hysterical, muffled by the frilly fabric of her dress.

"H-he's been lying to me, Rosie! Alastor…..a-and everyone else in this decrepit city has been playing me like a fool!"

You shuddered violently, trying to breathe correctly despite a filled stomach and a rush of anger taking its toll.

Rosie hushed you gently, letting you cry in her arms until your breaths came steadily.

She ushered you to sit somewhere comfortable as she gathered a few items to help your nerves settle.

"He lied to me," you repeat tiredly, watching as she throws together a pot of tea, using herbs you know all too well.

A sprig of Lavender, sprinkle of cinnamon, bits of rosemary, and a few drops of honey. Finally, a dash of lemon for taste.

This a simple but potent recipe for a calming and effective cup of tea.

Rosie sighs, debating what to say as she lets the mixture steep in a porcelain cup of hot water.

You weren't wrong; Alastor was hiding things from you, and though she hated to see you so distraught because of his hidden deeds, the possibility of hurting you with the truth weighed on her.

Betray, her closest friend's trust, tell his wife the haunting truth and pray she still loves him after hearing it.

Or, keep up the charade he'd so carefully created to protect you, risk driving you mad with resentment, and contribute to the cycle of pain you felt?

Rosie had difficulty choosing which path to follow but soon made her decision as you spoke again.

"Rosie…tell me the truth. Is he…is he seeing another woman? Planning to leave me? To leave us?.." you glance at your stomach, fearful of her answer and terrified your assumptions might be right.

Oddly silent, she doesn't answer your questions immediately and finishes preparing your fresh cup of hot tea, "Rosie, please! Whatever Alastor is hiding from me, I need to know. I…I'm his wife, and I have the right to at least know what's being kept from me. What is he doing out so late all the time? Why can’t I leave the house without him anymore? And for goodness sake, why does he insist I don’t read the paper?!”

The blonde freezes where she stands, whipping her whole body around to stare at you intently, and you stop yourself from rambling seeing her serious so suddenly.

"Al isn't being unfaithful, dear. That I can tell you for certain.."

"Then what in god's name is he-"

Rosie drew closer to you, dawning an all-too-sweet smile you'd learned to dread.

That happy expression was practiced, used only to console your fears or quell any questions you had.

She'd gotten so well at fronting the mask that you nearly began to believe anything she said when it was on, but now you knew better.

You knew that smile meant more lying, and in that moment, you lost the will to trust anyone in Alastors' close circle.

Even Rosie.

"I think it's time you go home and rest, dear. All this stress and crying isn't good for the babies," the blonde moved you gently, helping you stand and walk the expanse of her kitchen, up the stairs, and down corridors until the ongoing party reached your ears again.

That entire trek back upstairs felt meaningless, a distant woeful memory you existed in just to be flung back into reality by Rosie's voice, "I'll go get Al and have him take you-"

Your head snapped up at the mention of the one man who'd caused so much sorrow, tongue poised to speak harshly about him, but your penchant for politeness tempered it.

"That won't be necessary, Rosie. I'll get home just fine on my own."

She balled, clutching the string of pearls around her neck, "Oh goodness no, dear! This may be uptown, but it is still no safe place to walk about all alone. And dare I say, Alastor’s just wouldn't have it-"

"Rosie. I don't wish to see or be near him!.." you hissed as quietly as possible, lips pursed and eyes glaring daggers into her crowded parlor room.

Despite her better judgment, Rosie let the matter go, frowning as she made a heady suggestion.

"Why don't I have a close friend walk you home then? Just in case. There is a murder running 'round, and we can't have you getting hurt or caught up."

There it was again…

We…

You knew she was referring to anyone but you. Alastor, Angelique, her.

Everyone but you seemed to have a significant stake or curious investment in your unborn children's well-being.

The eerie overprotectiveness always made you weary, but at this point, you found it alarming, to say the least.

However, Rosie was right to a point.

There'd been a murder -or several- running a muck in Louisiana’s deep south.

Specifically, New Orleans.

Although the gruesome crimes were frequent, morbidly committed, and consistently reported on by papers and radio shows alike…

No one, not even the expert authorities, seemed to pinpoint a suspect or apparent killer among the public.

All that they knew was the killer's intangible motives, their style, their choice of victims -but nothing substantial enough to apprehend them.

You couldn't care less about a possibility of the Bayou Butcher coming for your head.

Your anger towards Alastor proceeded your worries for personal safety.

Rosie didn't wait for you to come to reason with her observation, already scurrying into the parlor to find your husband and tell him of your wishes to leave.

It irritates you how fragile she, Alastor, and everyone else he knows treated you.

It was as if you couldn't fend for yourself, as if he was the only one capable of cognitive thought in your marriage, and to some degree, the realizations stung your pride.

Traces of anger grew in your heart towards him minute by minute, something you never dreamt of feeling for him, but dreams can quickly turn into nightmares as your father would say…

This moment was that turning point. You could feel the shift as you turned away from the packed parlor, ignoring those who gave greetings as you stalked toward the front door.

Some asked if you needed assistance, and others watched in confusion as you slipped out the door and let it slam shut behind you.

Not many people were on the front porch and lawn, and those who were let you pass through without saying a word.

You presumed they were just waiting for the moment to gossip again, whether it be about you or someone else.

The need to care wasn't one you had, taking brisk steps down the sidewalk under a setting sun as rare chilled breezes sweep the southern heat from your face.

It was convenient that Rosie only lived a block and a half away from you, and Alastor’s shared estate.

The semi-long walk gave you time to think, time to enjoy the scenery around you and get away from the suffocating expectations put on you simply by being the Radio Star's perfect wife.

You scoffed at the thought, trying not to get angry again as your steps took you around a familiar corner, but the negative feeling quickly lessened when you felt a gentle rap of kicks in your stomach.

The twins gave a subtle tussle, sensing their mother's distress, and to some degree, you believed they were trying to cheer you up.

Their tiny gestures worked, putting a smile on your solemn expression and keeping it there to your destination.

You shuffled up the steps to your home, tired, feet sore, and ready to cry again as the large structure reminded you of the man you'd left to endure the company of his admirers.

His.

Not yours.

That had always been the difference.

With a sigh, you unlocked the front double doors, shutting them swiftly as street lamps began to light up and locking the ornate wood panels right after.

It was a habit Alastor insisted on and one you didn't intend to break tonight.

He'd have to come through the back door, and as small as the hassle would be, you still found it a suitable enough sign of discontent from you to him.

With nothing but sleep on your mind, you trudged up the staircase, pulling your gloves off and preemptively pulling pins from your styled hair.

By the time you reached the bedroom, your hair flowed loosely down your back, and your dress zipper was pulled down (by some miracle, you managed to do it on your own).

You tossed the pins on your vanity, jewelry, gloves, and clutch purse, following suit.

Your shoes regained their spot in the closet, your clothes were thrown into the bathroom hamper, and your nightrobe was thrown over your arm as a replacement.

You were ready for bed after one hot shower, a face care routine, and a hair brushing session.

Alastor still isn't home yet…

The clock had struck midnight thirty minutes ago, and he'd yet to show his face.

You half expected him to, but after years of seeing him angry on very few occasions, you highly doubted he'd return without cooling himself down first.

He tended to go hunting as an alternative…which left you alone for hours on end.

Sadness and guilt crept into you as the argument replayed in your mind.

The emptiness of your shared bed did not help your aching heart, and the heavy silence of the house made it worse.

You may have gone too far.

Maybe he wasn't hiding anything, and I overreacted?

Maybe I was wrong to doubt him, to worry and fret over something trivial.

Your thoughts spiraled again, tears filling your eyes as regret got the best of you.

"What have I done…?" you mumbled in earnest, glancing around the room, wishing to apologize to Alastor or at least explain yourself in a better tone.

Sleeping without him felt foreign, unreal, and even like a self-inflicted punishment.

You saw no benefit to it, and you were consumed with worry.

I can’t do this…

With your mind racing but your body ready to rest, you decided that taking one of Angelique's tonics would soothe you enough to relax.

You left the room on a mission, carefully treading downstairs and into the kitchen, and with haste, you found the cabinet holding the container of vials she’d gifted to you every month.

You opened it swiftly, hoping to find what you needed, but the box was empty.

"Oh, for the love of!-" you hissed angrily, shoving the box away with a grimace, but the sour expression didn't last long as you remembered where to find extra tonics.

Angelique was an insightful woman, cautious enough to give you extra in case something like this happened.

Fortunately, Alastor insisted on putting the additional vials somewhere else so as not to mistake them for regular tonics.

You'd agreed to his idea, allowing him to keep them safely locked in the basement, but now you needed them.

Leaving the moonlit kitchen, you drifted into the second hallway, walking straight ahead to the basement door.

Its key hung on a hook to the left, a small silver trinket Alastor kept a tight watch on, and you tended not to mess with it.

That went for the basement as well.

It was his area of the house you stayed away from not only out of personal reluctance but also out of explicit instructions from him.

His reasons for your avoidance ranged from "Trust me, It's too dangerous for you, darling.." to "Just as you have the library as a safe haven, I have the basement as mine…"

You hadn’t thought to question him, having no reason to, but for once, you disregarded his wishes to grant your own.

He'd never know you went down there only to retrieve medicine. What harm could one peek do?

You plucked the key from its hook, unlocking the creaky black walnut door before reaching into the dark abyss for the lamp switch.

Your fingers found it on the left wall, flicking the switch to bring a warm golden light into the damp room.

The steps croaked under your slow footsteps, holding firm under your nearly doubled weight until you stepped onto the cold wooden flooring.

Alastor kept the space oddly clean; a chair sat in one corner, his hunting gear was neatly arranged on one of two long oak tables, and the walls held other hunting equipment.

You noticed most of the hanging instruments were carving aids, something your own father used to cut and properly clean his own game after he went hunting during your childhood.

Seeing the array of butcher knives and other tools did not frighten you; they were familiar and expected from your husband's choice of hobbies.

Nothing caught your attention at first, usual kickbacks and things tucked away in corners and a hefty radio set on the second table, but little stood out.

You treaded carefully though, peering curiously at different items as you searched for the spare box of tonics, but they were nowhere to be found at first glance.

You figured to look deeper, rummaging through cabinets and under the table, mindful of your swollen belly as you bent down or reached above.

The longer you searched, the more anxious you felt.

Somewhat afraid of being in the basement alone, and a little scared Alastor would find you down there, though he explicitly asked you not to be.

"I have to hurry.." you mumbled, eyes frantically searching the space again as the last cabinet you searched held nothing important to you.

A particular corner of the room caught your gaze. Right behind the armchair was a stack of boxes of different sizes.

You drew closer to them, spotting the extra medicine box on top, gently grabbing it from the pile, but you couldn't look away from the most enormous box sitting right at your feet.

It was huge and made of sturdy metal, unlike the rest, and you were sure a whole person could fit in it if they tried.

How odd…

You'd never seen it before but the box felt sorely out of place, among other things.

You couldn't peel your attention away from it, some invisible force urging you to look inside, and despite your better judgment, you gave into the desire.

Setting the medicine box down on the chair, you moved the other cases off the larger one, clearing it off before cautiously kneeling to open it.

There was no lock, only four bolt latches, which you found easy enough to undo, but the real task was lifting the heavy lid up high enough to see inside.

You managed it with a few determined huffs escaping your lips, letting the heavy lid hit the stone wall before taking a look inside.

You immediately wish you hadn't..…

"Oh God…" you whispered in utter shock and horror at the sight in front of you, feeling undeniably sick from it, mind racing to make up a rational reason for the vulgar sight.

But what rational reason on Earth could justify your beloved husband hiding a literal mutilated body in the basement.

Your heart sank seeing the poor souls' faces sunken in with dread, drowning in their blood, maned at various points as if an animal had mauled them.

Body parts were missing, skin had been flayed, and you almost couldn't tell if the person had any recognizable features left.

It was horrible…a brain-altering nightmare come to life before your very eyes, and it made you sick.

You began to cry, unconsciously sobbing hysterically as the dead body lifelessly peered back at you, terrified of it… slightly afraid of the man you presumed caused the damming scene.

With a sense of urgency, you reached to shut the lid, flinching as loose blood splattered onto you from the impact of the box closing, and the chill of red liquid dripping down your skin was enough to make you scream in pure disgust.

It was a guttural, frantic cry you'd only expressed in recent nightmares, but a deserved one.

Your body began to shake in peril, the gruesome image engraved into your mind as you scrambled to get to stand, but you weren't as composed as before and stumbled backwards haphazardly as a result.

Everything moved faster than you thought; your body had abandoned control, leaving you to fall without warning.

The room spun as your head collided with a table's edge, a dull pain erupting in your skull on impact, and your consciousness wholly disrupted.

The blinding pain of falling to the hard floor didn't register to you as panicked tears seeped down your face, screams you couldn't hear left your lips, and blood began to pool from your head and between your legs.

Shock, terror, helplessness, fear, and panic were all you could feel.

Intense pain in your stomach and head amplified the emotions but became distant sensations as your vision blurred and faded.

The very last words you remember speaking was a cry for help, a desperate plea for everything you'd seen to be a mistaken dream, a cry for anyone -no- your husband to save you from the terrible ordeal.

A plea for him to appear and tell you it's not true, that the body in the bolted box wasn't his doing, but your hope of him hearing you -anyone hearing you- dwindled rapidly as your concussion took hold.

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Rosie found Alastor quickly enough, merely having to spot his neatly styled curls drifting in the wind as he stood out on a balcony alone.

A drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

He blew smoke into the murky winter air, eyes dark and narrowed as he stared at the evening sky.

It was rare to see him frowning.

Alastor Hartifelt, of all people, not smiling?

Rosie nearly couldn't believe it the closer she drew to him.

He was…upset.

Irritated.

His smile was thoroughly washed away by your harsh words and prods for the truth.

You'd managed to take his cheer in one fail swoop, leaving him alone to think, and he couldn't blame you.

You, his ever-so-loving wife, his confidant, and his soon-to-be motherly doting doe, were rightfully at odds with him.

He'd hurt you, the very reason he'd began lying in the first place was to avoid doing so, but it'd happened anyway.

A genuinely ironic turn of events, in his opinion.

Alastor glared at the rising moon, cursing whatever higher power meddled dared to meddle in his life of all people, but his inner ranting was cut short as the sound of Rosie clearing her throat hit his ears.

The radio host spun on his heel to face her, fronting a slight smile to hide the agitation he felt at the moment, "Done socializing already, dear Rosie?"

He strived to sound polite and unbothered, but the edge in his tone showed through despite his best efforts.

Rosie paid no mind to his touchy attitude, knowing where it stemmed from.

She came to stand by his side, nodding in response to his question, "I didn't have much time to. I was with your lovely wife…trying to calm her nerves."

Alastor's frown returned at the mention of you, a thin line on his lips and a glint of guilt in his gaze.

"How is she?" he asks quietly, and Rosie's cheery expression falters hearing it.

"She insisted on returning home… by herself. Incredibly distraught on her way out.." She admits.

His chest tightened, heart sinking instantly picturing you at home alone, "Why didn't she-"

Rosie clicked her tongue dismissively, interrupting his line of questioning, "Al, she was severely distraught. Please let her be. I only know a fraction of what went on between you two, but it's obvious to her that you're hiding something. Not to intrude on your marriage, darling, but you must make a choice before something irreversible happens to it…to Y/n."

The blonde couldn't hide her somberness, staring at her long-time friend with a sense of earnest sincerity as she continued, "I shouldn't be the one to tell you this….but if you really do care for the girl, love her like you say you do, then you'll tell her the truth. You'll tell her, and she'll still be by your side…."

Alastor lowered his head, and for the first time in his adult life, he felt perplexed, stuck at impasss of foreign emotions.

He cared for you; some might call it love, and he'd been aware of it since childhood.

You'd told him all your secrets, good or bad, and trusted him.

You trusted him enough to reveal the mental abuse your father had put you through during childhood.

Trusted him enough to tell him how badly you wished you'd died instead of your mother to make your father somewhat happy again.

Alastor even knew of the times you'd been left completely alone as a child for weeks on end, how your father's neglect made you feel less than, and the permanent effect it had on you.

Your desire to fill a void, be loved without being shoved off, and be seen as more than a convenient soft-hearted person for someone to trifle with.

He knew every little thing about you, and it was because you had faith in his loyalty.

He found it easy to divulge his thoughts to you in the same manner, but allowing his secrets out into the open made him uneasy, even if you'd proven trustworthy from the beginning.

Then there was the matter of killing for you.

Alastor had done it so many times without your knowledge…

Stalking down men who stared at you too long for his liking, carving up anyone who spoke ill of you, happily taking the life of those who spoke down on your relationship.

Most of his murderous tendencies were purely driven by his obsession with you, a twisted kind of possessiveness he couldn't let go of, and one that made it easy for him to spill blood for you in the blink of an eye.

He did it to keep you safe…and that’d only be possible with him and no one else.

What stopped him from telling you how far he’d gone to do so, showing you that unnatural side of him only his victims saw, could only be described as fear.

Fear of losing you.

Fear of stripping the warmth from your heart.

Fear of losing the one thing, the one person who'd loved him despite all his flaws.

Fear of never truly smiling, never feeling a genuine emotion again because you -your presence in his life- allowed him to do just that.

Alastor hated to call it what it was, but as he was evading your attempts to understand, lying straight to your face and hoping you'd dilute your intuition was a way cowards way out of telling you the whole truth.

His pride dimmed, a frustrated grunt rumbling his chest as he glared at the drink in his hand.

Rosie sighed, flashing him a soft smile of pure reassurance, "Go to her, Al. Put a stop to her worries and relieve yourself of the burden. If not for your marriage, then for her sanity. She is too lovely of a girl to be treated so faithlessly."

He tongues his cheek at her words, a bitter burn of smoke and whiskey on it as he swallows thickly before nodding in agreement, "Seems I have no choice."

"You best head off. It's getting rather late, and I'm sure she misses you dearly, Al."

Alastor took one last drag of his cigarette, dropping it in his half-full bourbon glass before letting Rosie take it from him as he straightened his suit.

"I'll bid you good night then. You have my gratitude, Rosie, and the party was a splendid success, if I may add." His tone was back to normal, engaging, and mildly charismatic. Rosie smiled wide at his improving mood, accepting his thanks before shooting him off with a quick peck on his cheek.

“Au revoir monsieur!…”

“Au revoir mademoiselle..”

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

Alastor made it home without trouble, humming a snappy tune to distract himself from the evening's progressing events.

However, as he reached the back door of your shared home, his shadows twinged with alertness.

His hand froze over the gold doorknob, a certain heaviness settling in his chest as the specters frantically twisted against the back porch walls.

Something is wrong. Can't hear Y/n. Can't hear their heartbeats. Can't feel them-

Alastor stiffened as his shadows enlarged, fueled by the panic he was resisting, "Find her!" he bellowed the order out on instinct, and the leering spirits dove into action as he barreled into the darkened home.

"Y/n!?" he yelled for you, head whipping in every direction as he searched the first floor, stomping up the stairs next to search the second floor but coming up empty.

He stood in your shared bedroom, remaining calm as he tried to figure out where you could be.

All your belongings were here, and you had readied for bed from the looks of your tampered vanity, but nothing else gave him a clue about your whereabouts.

That was until his shadows called to him; a certain bellow of wailing sounded from the lower part of the house, and one Alastor didn't like the sound of.

A warning.

A frenzied one at that.

Found her…hurry.

Without a second thought, Alastor bounded back downstairs, following the whips of his shadow self as it traveled through the halls, only to stop in front of a doorway he dreaded.

The basement. Its door was wide open, the lamp light eerily aglow as his shadows whirled past the steps to engulf the room.

“Y/n?!…” Alastor called for you again as he crept down the creaky wood steps, voice stiffer than he intended it to be, but its edge paled compared to the large lump forming in his throat when his eyes spotted you.

Splayed out on the floor, on your side, lying limp and motionless.

A small puddle of blood was forming near your head, another was quickly growing in between your legs, and splatters of it covered your face, hands, and nightgown.

For the second time in his life, Alastor felt true terror, bewildered by the sight of his darling wife in distress and paralyzed by the powerful possibility it was his fault.

He’d only felt this fearful once before, afraid his father would end his mother’s life right in front of him after a hefty night of drinking, but even then, he found the courage to act.

Merely killing his father out of pure rage-filled instinct, but now…how he would remedy your suffering alluded him completely.

She's barely breathing… Their heartbeats-

"That's quite enough from you!" Alastor roared in utter frustration, moving without thinking, willing himself to do anything but panic.

He worked as quickly as his mind would allow, trying not to break down as he knelt beside your still body, "Y/n…darling…wake up… please…" he begged quietly.

Being as cautious as ever, he cradled you close, praying to whatever cruel god there was that you'd respond or at least open your eyes while he carried you out of the haunting basement.

Your body twitched at the sound of a familiar voice, feeling lighter as solid arms lifted you from the cold floor and whisked you from the damp room.

The sound of a rapid heartbeat thundered in your ear as waves of coherence fought to establish itself in you, but the severity of your wounds made it a struggle to function.

You settled for listening to the heartbeat, the voice accompanying it a vague background noise but a comforting one.

Your vision wasn't any better, only allowing you to see a murky image of a man, one you knew well but couldn't determine was real or not in the moment.

“Al..astor?..”you whispered in awe, smiling sadly as he looked down at you, clearly worried.

“Stay with me, darling… Keep breathing, please…”

Alastor felt you shiver violently in his arms hearing him speak, racing up the stairs as cautiously as possible to avoid hurting you more, barging into your shared bedroom seconds later.

He laid you down on the bed, disregarding the blood and dirt staining the sheets as he tried to assess your injuries. "Fuck…fuck…fuck!" he rambled angrily, breaths coming quick, and his mind in a rare frenzy as a result.

Your eyes refused to stay open, an apparent wound was on the side of your head, and the impact of your fall had indeed done something to warrant your lower half bleeding.

He needed to stop the bleeding from both areas, keep you awake, and determine the twin's state all at once.

Alastor knew this but struggled to pull himself together, only able to grasp at one of your hands with both of his to ground himself as a frustrated smile adorned his face.

Pull it together, or she and your children die.

It's all my fault… it's all my fault…

She'll die if you don't act…

It's all my fucking fault…I-

She needs help! Wallowing in your depraved guilt won't change that!

His shadows chittered, reasoning with their host despite the panic they felt seeping off of him.

Alastor screwed his eyes shut, an anguished growl leaving his chest as he tried to think of a solution and push away his panicked state.

You remained still, on the verge of passing out again, trying to hold onto reality a little longer, squeezing your savior's hand back as a weak tether to it.

Alastor froze, feeling your gesture, head lifting swiftly as you attempted to speak, "It h-hurts.." you muttered painfully, acknowledging a new ache you'd only felt a few weeks prior.

Intense shocks of strain spread in your abdomen, noticeable contractions that felt different than previous ones, but as much as you wanted to articulate the agony they caused, you couldn't find the strength to.

You screamed instead, gripping Alastor’s hand hard as the constant pains grew more robust, making your cries grow louder.

The terror in your screeches struck him hard, an almost unnatural sound he'd never imagined coming from you, but your following words gave the sounds plausible clarity.

"Th-they're c-coming!" you choked between labored breaths, feeling dizzy as your blood loss took its toll, but the growing urge to push trumped your need to pass out.

Alastor came to his senses upon hearing your warning.

Fully aware that he couldn't handle this situation alone, he did the only thing that made sense to him.

Ask for help. Something he hated to do but saw no alternative for.

"Go get Rosie. Make it quick. Find my mother next and get her here as well…" he commanded his shadows quietly, heart still racing as he took solace in comforting you.

The bed dipped as he sat down, free hand cradling your head as the other raised yours to his lips.

He planted a kiss on your knuckles; brows furrowed as the feeling of your fingers gripping his slightly lessened, an indication of culminated exhaustion and blood loss.

"Stay with me, ma chere. Just a while longer, alright? Everything…everything’s going to be fine…" Alastor muttered soothing words into your ear, a ploy to keep you and himself calm, and to some extent, it worked.

You hung onto his every word, confused and alarmed by him but clinging to the safety his presence brought.

You couldn't forget what you saw in the basement, the horrid image still stuck in the back of your mind as you cried in agony and writhed in desperation for help.

You couldn't believe that Alastor, your perfect husband, the man watching over you now so fervently, had done something so horrible to another person.

You had many questions, fears, and even more confusion than before.

Nevertheless, your dire position now completely overshadowed the underlying nightmare that was your marriage.

Your children.

That's the only thing you could clearly envision, enduring the heartache, suffering through the genuine threat to your life, all for their sake.

Confronting Alastor could wait.

Surviving the night and bringing healthy twins into this world couldn't.

xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx

I'm putting the reader through a lot...but you all will survive... Maybe. Also, the song choices for this one kind of hit just right. ;)

TAGS ❤️: @rapturenyx @michi-keinz @shealizxx @nissrinina @destinyisastar @bubblegumheartsy @sailorsmouth @aestheticgals-blog @rameisa @ellesette

[ BONUS CONTENT + ]

This edit is so fitting, I fear... Credits to creator ❤️

[marley-manson]

M*A*S*H for the fandom ask

Thank you! 💖

Favorite character:

Hawkeye!!! My guy! I have written so many odes to him so I'll refrain here, but man. Big fave.

Least Favorite character:

Potter. Sorry, he's a sweet loveable old traditional man and that absolutely sucks ass for the political messaging, which is my second favourite aspect of mash after the homoeroticism.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

Hawk/Trap

Hawk/Frank

Hawk/BJ

Hawk/omc

aaaand Hawk/Charles I guess

Character I find most attractive:

Margie probably

Character I would marry:

Honestly, none of them. All the women with speaking roles are either military volunteers or have established lives and obligations in a war torn country.

Character I would be best friends with:

The random tertiary characters who don't do anything obnoxious and are just kinda there. Kellye, Igor, various unnamed nurses. I don't want to be friends with someone who could be a sitcom character.

a random thought:

I love how long running episodic tv eventually gets like, a fanfic esque vibe, where the writers are writing fully established characters in a fully established setting and incorporating fully established details into their ideas. I find it very satisfying and enjoyable. There's an exchange in Peace on Us, it's a random little offhand line, totally nothing, but basically Charles tells Hawkeye to stop complaining because he has the most points since he's been there longest, so he'll be going home before any of them anyway. And Hawkeye's response is basically, yeah I've been here so long that I have every right to complain.

And I love that in order to write that exchange some writer had to remember that Hawkeye's canonically been there the longest so logically he would have more points than Charles and BJ.

Like I said, absolutely irrelevant detail, there's hundreds just like it, but it's just a good tiny example of something I like about older tv. It's not about consistency either since Mash is bad with continuity lol, it's just about knowing that the writers are building on a world that exists with or without them, I guess.

An unpopular opinion:

Is there one I haven't already talked about at length? Today I will say:

Hawkeye doesn't have a character arc. He doesn't get more worn down, he doesn't lose his resilience. He has ups and downs throughout from season 1 to 11 and he has a breakdown at the end, not a tangible decline. The seventh episode of the whole show was about Hawkeye and Trapper being extremely burned out, there's no down to go from there. The entire show is one big down for Hawkeye. The change is solely tone, and Hawkeye's the only one this really affects because he's the only character there from start to finish, aside from Margaret who did have an arc.

Hawkeye's biggest breakdowns pre GFA are, imo, Dr Pierce and Mr Hyde, and The Late Captain Pierce, both episodes in the first half of the show, and at the very least anything in later seasons like eg Depressing News is equal rather than worse. If anything it could be argued that he gets a little more of a handle on himself and the situation in the later seasons thanks to being there so long. He certainly has enough of a handle on himself to emotionally support the hell out of everyone else for very little support in return lol, and there are moments when he gives others cautionary advice based on his own hard-earned experience, like when he warns Winchester about insomnia in Dr Winchester Mr Hyde.

Like, basically in the early seasons Hawkeye was miserable in dark comedy, in the later seasons he's miserable in character drama with a side of comedy subplots. There's no devolution there.

my canon OTP:

None. The most a canon romance is to me is neutral.

Non-canon OTP:

Hawkeye/Trapper

most badass character:

Klinger. And I love how the show frames him sometimes along those lines - like Margaret and Hawkeye's "isn't there one man among you?" / "The job's open" exchange when they're being held at gunpoint, followed by Klinger showing up in a dress and disarming dude with his stole in White Gold.

pairing I am not a fan of:

Hawkeye/Mulcahy I'll say. I don't dislike it on principle or anything, I'm happy for the fans and its surge in popularity, but I can't say I'm a fan, because I just can't really suspend my disbelief when it comes to Mulcahy fucking - gay fucking even - without like, having an immense religious crisis. And I don't particularly care to read about a priest having a religious crisis, so idk, doesn't work for me any way I slice it.

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):

Yeah Klinger's a good choice for this, when he became company clerk, when the show has him flip flop on whether he loves the army because all his friends are in it (I can fanwank it away but if I have to do that it means the show fucked up), when they make him the guy who makes stupid mistakes... all a downgrade.

favourite friendship:

Hawk + Margaret. I love them because they're very odd-couple, they would never be friends outside this circumstance and only became friends within the circumstance after years of enmity and change from Margaret. I don't think they'd remain close after the war, and that's part of what I like about their friendship. It feels real, but temporary and very much a friendship of convenience, because Margaret's the only person around Hawkeye can really have certain kinds of emotional talks with.

character I want to adopt or be adopted by:

n/a

ask meme

[wouldntyou-liketoknow]

Oh btw! Right back at ya - 2, 9 & 13 for There Are Some Cons to Being and Archeologist…, A Couple Nights Later…, and It Might as Well Happen! Life is Already So (Old) God(s)damn Weird! (aka my personal faves of yours 😊😊)

~ @sammys-magical-au 💖

Thank you so much, Sammy! It's been FOREVER since I got an ask about characters or stories! (I'm pretty sure this is only the third creative-focused ask I've gotten this year. 🥲)

___

There Are Some Cons to Being an Archeologist…

2 — What scene did you first put down?

The start of recent-flashback-scenes; where Penn and Illinois were chatting in their hotel room, the day before they set out to explore the underground cave. I didn't come up with the opening scene of LevianthanPat circling the jeep and tapping at its windows until a few days after I started writing the story.

Since half of the story is made up of those recent flashbacks, I decided that I wanted to start it off with present events to keep readers curious.

9 — Were there any alternative versions of this fic?

Sort of? Y'know the middle of the plot, where Penn and Illinois find a certain chamber in the underground cave? They examine it, Penn gets some weird vibes, and the two of them decide to leave...only for Illinois' nemesis of a boulder to crash in?

Originally, I had planned to write the duo actually leaving the chamber, only to encounter the boulder further along and find themselves in an entire slapstick chase sequence until they were eventually driven back to that one chamber and the boulder finally broke the petrified mass at the center.

However, while I was writing, the story got much, much longer than I'd anticipated, so I had to make some cuts to the plot here and there.

13 — What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

Well, writing rituals are a bit all over the place for me. Half of the time I do enjoy having some background noise, but other times I need it quiet in order to focus.

The time I spent on this story was the latter. However, I think “Seven Devils” by Florence and The Machines would be a somewhat fitting song for certain themes later in the story. (Due to LevianthanPat being involved, lol.)

___

A Couple Nights Later…

2 — What scene did you first put down?

The scene where Murdock, Caliban, and Azalea stopped to visit Sparky's and Ness was the one to wait their table. Mainly because I'd been holding onto the exchange of technical puns between Ness and Cal for SO DAMN LONG and was just so eager to finally get it out, lol

9 — Were there any alternative versions of this fic?

I think one initial idea was for the story to not involve Murdock, but I decided to bring him in because...well, I want to write about him more and more often as I continue developing The Pentas Family's lore/stories.

Along with that, another thing that didn't make the cut was for Illinois to be much more active in convincing Penn to talk with Caliban and Azalea. As in, Illinois basically pushing Penn over to the other table, or just approaching the other table to introduce himself and explain what Penn told him about his estranged cousins.

Obviously, I didn't go with that, because I really wanted to show how Illinois can respect boundaries. Although you've gotta admit, he does kinda give off the vibes of a headstrong friend who might up and drag his buddies into something they're avoiding/procrastinating on.

13 — What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

Didn't actually listen to any music during the writing process. But, if I had to pick a song to be playing in the background, I think I'd go with “bury a friend” by Billie Eilish. (Yes, I know, I'm so old-fashioned, har-har.) Especially for the scene where Penn realizes that he recognizes Caliban and Azalea...as well as how he can see them subtly recognizing him as well...

___

It Might as Well Happen! Life is Already So (Old) God(s)damn Weird!

2 — What scene did you first put down?

This was one of the stories that I just wrote from start-to-finish. (Which, in hindsight, might be why I ended up in a time-crunch and pretty much just wrote from noon to nighttime in order to post it on time for your birthday 😅)

Still trying to go back to my old tricks of just jumping around and getting the big/important scenes out first so I can be inspired to write stuff around them, thus filling up the story a bit faster.

9 — Were there any alternative versions of this fic?

Nope, not really. I was honestly kinda surprised at myself; I usually have a bunch of ideas and end up needing to just settle with one for a single story (unless, of course, I can find a way to convert the extra ideas into scenes and have them lead into one another nicely enough).

13 — What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

Lol, like you said before, I mentioned “Mx. Sinister” in fic for a reason. I was already planning on having Cruz play his violin in a scene or two, but I didn't want to just say that he was playing. I wanted to reference a real song so readers could imagine the music. Plus, I'd looked it up on YouTube, and it seems like there aren't any violin covers of “Mx. Sinister”; really, all I found were piano covers.

(A little extra trivia here: IDKHOW is one of my favorite bands...but there's this up-and-coming singer on YouTube who I discovered by random chance, and I honestly like his cover of “Mx. Sinister” more than the original. His name is Clem Turner, and I highly recommend checking out his channel and all his other covers! He has the voice of an angel!)

___

[querte07]

WhateverIFeelLiketober

The prompts me and @fanstasticbook worked on over October!

...Yeah i know this is super late shhhhhh

Goofy Goober OC by Fanstasticbook

...The yuri,,,

We exchanged our monthly PFPs for a prompt, I also played around in CSP because I did the free trial and all

Machine

Spiky goober

Four if Fanstasticbook was the CEO of everything (btw every friday we drew agt 4 as the prompt)

They will not happen, but I think sharklings are cool...

Some goober pumpkin OCs from a while back, they're some of my faves

Also they're child n' mother respectively just for those curious about the OCs (I am talking to basically nobody nobody is following me on here)

Spooder, from same set of OCs as the previous day

Decided I wanted to be awesome for day 10 so I just did

These designs are some Fanstasticbook came up with btw not me lol

Umbrellas in character design.

Need I say more?

Yummy borger !!

Another goober enters the ring, this one being related to @crossthesplatside (whenever we finally get to posting more about the projects 💀)

Once upon a time I designed different looks for different names the Zoologist from Terraria has available and this one is basically my favorite

B̴̛͚̭͕̩̳̮͈̮̲̙͓̤̱̞͎́̉̊̔͋̈́̓͌̕͘e̶̦͈̭̝̪̞̻̘̰̽̅p̷̼͈͍̰̞̔̄̾̑̈́͒̉̕̕͠i̶̡̱͉̣͕͇͈̳̼̓̐̔̔̑̈́ͅs̶̻̜̻̥̪͔̹̺̥͓̲͂̈́̒̅̀̐.̴̨̛̯͕͆͛̊̈̎̈́̈́͛̕̚ͅ

It's probably really hard to read but!! Made a dualie type based on pez dispensers

Also 'Spoolies was short for something and I forgot what it originally was entirely...

Ghostie designs :>

Just came up with these after looking into some short folklore on them and such, some are just more original ideas

Old octoling OC that's also relevant to a future project eventually, we'll see when I finally have something to show off for that

Book designed her originally btw

Crossover drawings are always a lot of fun, so here's Genny from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia in Marie's outfit!

My favorite moment from the Splatoon Movie was when Agent 4 said "I'm gonna goober" and goobered all over the place

Once again Cross and B-Side are related to @crossthesplatside for whenever we work on it more. Gotta love how the creative mind jumps away from projects right when you finally start making them public!!

Redesign of an old witch OC of mine

Didn't turn out great but I messed around with an ASCII TV-head face

Once again related to posts for days 8 and 9, something might eventually come from this project. A webcomic maybe.

EXTREME YURI ATTACK!!! AGENT24AGENT24AGENT24 GRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Drummer for Fanstasticbook's custom splatband!

Bad endings💔

...A little too intense for comfort, Sunny. Might wanna just work on completing Kettles.

Candle half based on the design of Paraffin in Terraria's Split mod

Corrupted lamia kinda Terraria related. Bit horrific so I'm sorry if it's unsettling to anyone.

Goober interaction (Marie stole the lollipop from Cal I can't believe she's done this)

Final day will be in a separate post 'cause I reached the 30 image attachment limit...

[colorisbyshe]

Other report:

got in line super early, spent the entire time talking to a trans girl in a goth outfit and a lesbian in full yankees gear. everyone was super nice

we all exchanged favorite sites to pirate shit 😭 also music recs

met a fellow amaarae fan and bree runway fan

started in third row, saw a gap got to second, got shoved by someone INTO the barricade and then couldn’t back up so stayed at barricade

mentioned before but someone was singing in like FULL opera voice directly into my ear and i got them to stop cause multiple people were pissed off 😭 everyone was singing song this person stood out in a bad way like this isn’t some dumb “oh so singing along is bad?” thing. sometimes it is, most of the time it isn’t

everyone was soooo good at hypin her up! hyped up the opener’s dancers too. like everyone was ALL IN all the time!! a dancer did a split and the entire place screamed AYYYYYY

tinashe is so fucking cool like… instead of pausing the show for her outfit changes, she’d just place one of her more instrumental songs and let her dancers do a routine on their own and would be back on stage 2 minutes later

ended with two incredible mashups… you know music is alive again when mashups are back on the table

will say she only did like a minute of my fave song and i couldn’t record but i don’t even care that just meant i wasn’t touching my phone at all and jsut took it in

CROWD A- (great hype, some shoving, lots of people kept going to the bathroom a lot which you just… cant do much at barricade?? like there just wasn’t room)

Tinashe A+

Sound system A++ (pussy busting bass)

Set A+ (great interactive use)

my confidence in concerts is RESTORED

[mehwaight]

YUMI OH MY GOODNESS I AM SCREAMING THIS IS SO DAMN GOOD

(i just looked over what i wrote in my reblog i am so sorry i do not think my thoughts are in tact but yeah....... turmoil below the cut <3)

i inhaled this in one sitting and i am so glad i did because damn, this is something that should be read without anything else in the world being considered - "good little boy" makes you forget anything else exists actually. there is just so much that pulls you in, INSTANTLY

there are so many memorable parts oh my goodness - really i kept on scrolling back and forth because the number of times i either whisper-cursed or gasped or straight up went "oh HELL YEAH" is a little wild. i was hooked onto every single word and still cannot get enough.

please find a screenshot of my phone gallery attached to this *email* (igdfgfg sorry i had to lol but yes i was going A BIT INSANE - especially the banter had me wild also omg how steadily they actually progressed to making love and the CONFESSION AAAAA)

not gonna lie the confession had me tearing up because it was so... pure??? so real????? so emotionally charged and just to think that all of this energy... love.... affection from years and years that has been showing itself via this relationship of ROASTING...

i swear the last time i had read a masterpiece like this was when i read much ado about nothing - and this has me addicted. good little boy is exemplar for how dialogue should be written and how aspects of character should be highlighted and how they should grow and how connections should change.

also omg i think you might have just totally pulled me into royalty au... i am not too familiar with the genre myself, so this was like a kind of new venture for me, and really yumi thank you so much for it. you write the history, the lore so beautifully, and i feel fully immersed in this world. and i have to say separately - the imagery, the descriptions, the way this reads like it is a movie, like it is happening in real life - I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

this might be random but i also love how you generally captured the aesthetic via the outfits descriptions and the activities and the way of speaking!!!!!!!! i do not know how to describe it but it made me feel so immersed <33

time for me to drop some faves up in here that had me losing it (oh but before i do that i also adore how each character had a background of their own!! each person felt real, felt like they had their own inner world, and the interactions were so wonderful!!!!!)

i screeched at these (also love yeo omg) ^^

first off the first one... about wooyo being a kind of protector when things came down to it, my heart straight up fluttered too. there is something so deeply touching about having a person who you have this kind of "hate" (well it is love in denial lol) relationship with being the one who steps in and helps you ;~; don't mind me as i go cry and hug my phone. and the second one... omg that is literally the most seonghwa threat i have read and the delivery is s-tier PLEASE I CACKLED

respectfully, i malfunctioned so hard i needed to stare at the ceiling for a bit there and remember how to breathe.

THIS EXCHANGE FULLY TOOK ME OUT IT MIGHT BE ONE OF MY FAVOURITES IT MADE THE BRAIN GO BRRRRRRRRRR THERE IS THIS INSANE INTIMACY IN IT AND LIGHTHEARTEDNESS I- THE BALANCE THE BALANCE, PEOPLE

and this may or may not be a moment where i just kicked the air and went full chaos mode because hell.... the beauty of the passage. i- i really have no words. also... the entire confession sequence and the way in which the intimacy just changes.... wow.... breath-taking. really. the detail with the necklace had me gone, the mention of a proposal made me want to celebrate... everything is thought through, everything came together to make this LEGENDARY WORK.

right apologies for this being very very chaotic as far as reblogs go but yeah... i am just.... lol oops i wrote an essay didn't i

(+ why tf i did not write about the smut yet hold up it actually had me crawling up walls and howling and tap dancing on the ceiling... dkfjghsdkfjgsdfk don't mind me fully short-circuiting at the hickey MISS MA'AM THAT IS ILLEGAL AND UNHOLY AND I LOVED IT; THE TENSION WAS SO STRONG I COULD BITE INTO IT; side mention - i loved the fact that you made both characters switches, that just works so well for the overall dynamic, and for how depending on feeling (and how aware of how in love they are lol) what they do in the bedroom (or on table but hEEEeeeeeYYYY *punches wall in feral*) changes. man i am...... YyYYyyyeeeeaAaaaaHHh i SHALL be Thinking aBouT THIS FOR A WHILEEEEE bless your brain and your artistry)

i love this

i love you

brb tattooing it on my skull and on my brain + printing copies so i can plaster this fic on my walls and stare at it for eternity.

thank you so so so much for this <33333333

also hear me out i think i it is practically fated but like... this is the last gif i had liked:

totally am not O_O right now totally not

anyways i am just stunned, in love, will reread this, and am so in awe of every detail and the progression in this masterpiece. bless you for crafting this beauty, for sharing it with the world. i love love love it AAAAAAA

<3

Good Lil Boy

prince!wooyoung x princess!reader

enemies to lovers au

genres: tiny bit of fluff, loads of angst, smut- both hard and soft (mdi!) swearing, wooyoung being wooyoung (a tease), wooyoung driving you clinically and romantically insane, etc etc

word count: 23k

synopsis: you and wooyoung may be best friends but you are also each other's worst enemies, leaving no chance to humiliate and tease the other. when you meet at prince yunho's kingdom for a 3 months retreat, things take an unexpected turn as you start to place very personal bets and find yourselves unable to keep your hands off each other, something you'd regret later as you fail to keep boundaries.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Unfortunately, that is how it is,” Seonghwa was resting his face on one hand, elbow propped on the table as he scanned you, a smirk growing on his face. “Can’t say I hate what’s happening. Ought to put you in your place, Princess.”

You looked at Hongjoong for help, “He’s not fucking serious, is he?”

“Ought to teach you how to speak to elders too,” Seonghwa muttered and Hongjoong laughed.

“I’m sorry, Princess. That’s how it is. It’s only three months, what could go wrong?”

That was the conversation you recalled when you reached the castle in Utopia, the face you were dreading right in front of you as you got out of your carriage.

“This place is already one prince too crowded,” you looked at Prince Wooyoung, his smirk growing by the second. “Here to learn how to live up to your title, eh?”

“I’d say that to you,” Prince Wooyoung bowed dramatically. “This place ought to teach a princess how to make good use of her mouth.”

“Like you’d know,” you sneered at him as you waited for Hongjoong and Seonghwa to stop giving orders to the rest of your companions so they could join you and take you inside, away from that brat.

“I’d say I know very well- how to make good use of my mouth,” he winked at you and you put your hands over your ears, grimacing as you called for the two to hurry up. Prince Wooyoung scoffed in victory before going inside with his companions who greeted you with bows. 

Just a week ago, you had received the news from your father- Utopia’s royal family had invited princes and princesses from across the continent, holding an event, something like a holiday retreat for everyone. The details of it you would receive upon arriving but you had heard it was going to be fun and games, and you would have believed them, would have enjoyed your stay except-

Except for the fact that Wooyoung was here.

You didn’t hate Wooyoung, no. You abhorred him, his sassiness, his brattiness, his very existence, just like he hated yours. And it wasn’t due to a petty reason (though that was debatable as well). As children, since your parents were close, you two had spent most of your prepubescent years together. You had even been friends. But everything had changed once you two were grown enough to be aware that you were a boy and a girl.

And it was both your fault and his. 

You did not like recalling the dark times, as you so dramatically liked to put. Some would say it wasn’t even a reason big enough to hate each other, but you argued that it was. He had humiliated you in front of Prince Yunho, whose castle in Utopia you were now in. You, in return, had humiliated him in front of Princess Yuju of Neverland, whom he had always had a crush on. You called yourself even but he decided to fight with you, the result of which was now obvious to everyone who knew you.

Prince Yunho greeted you both as you entered the castle, inquiring of your parents’ health. You shared a hug, telling him how much they missed him and looked forward to meeting him in three months’ time, when all this would be over.

“Are you sure your parents are the only ones who missed him?” Wooyoung muttered and you flipped your middle finger at him, Yunho laughing at you two as he told Wooyoung to behave while he was around you. You left before he could start recalling the dark times, putting an arm in Seonghwa’s as he escorted you to the guest chambers.

“You should have told me that brat was going to be here,” you slumped on the couch, Seonghwa and Hongjoong snickering, “You both just love to see me miserable, don’t you?”

“Come on,” Hongjoong said, “If we’d told you, you would have never agreed to come.”

“Exactly,” you gave him a side-eye, “This is treachery. I ought to get you both beheaded.”

Seonghwa ignored your remarks like he usually did as he handed you a glass of water, “Cool down. It would do you good to tolerate his existence while you’re here. Who knows? Maybe you two will become friends again.”

“Yeah, who knows, Seonghwa,” you sipped the water. “Maybe he would fall to his knees and apologise. Maybe the world will end. Who knows?”

“Why is she so dramatic?” Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong for help who was almost half asleep.

“The important question, my dear friend,” Hongjoong began, “Is why do we serve this spoilt Princess-”

“I’m spoiled? You clearly haven’t met Wooyoung.”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong decided you were right later that evening when Wooyoung was flirting with the other princesses from around the continent while sending knowing smirks in your direction, which you tried to ignore but then he did what you feared- a princess you recognised was from the south came and asked you, “Did you really burn your hair off once while trying to impress Prince Yunho? All of it?”

However, the duo were also impressed by your patience and your will to not bend under Wooyoung, to meet fire with fire, as you replied, “Oh no, honey. That was Prince Wooyoung- you see how half his hair is another colour? That’s because they can never be the same colour again. Ask him, go on.”

The Princess, who was no more than 13, gasped, believing what you said right away as she made her way back to Wooyoung and seconds later, you heard a howl of laughter and you sipped on your wine in victory. Hongjoong patted you on the back, “I have to admit, that was a good one.”

“Do not encourage her,” Seonghwa warned but he, too, was smiling. “Here he comes.”

Prince Wooyoung plopped himself beside you, shaking his head as he grinned, “That was a good one. They refuse to believe I haven’t dyed my hair.”

“You should have been more clever with your lies,” you smiled sweetly at him, “I do wonder what you were thinking when you decided this was a good look on you.”

“Oh, the ladies love it,” Wooyoung flicked his half-tied hair, “So. I hear it’s about time you get married. Should I find you a good suitor here?”

Oh no.

“You’re my age,” you smirked at him, “Maybe I should announce you’re mine. Let’s see if you get the same company of ladies around you then.”

Wooyoung cooed, “Can’t resist calling me yours?”

You leaned forward, your noses almost brushing, “My tongue’s still bitter thanks to the aftertaste.”

Wooyoung made a face as you sat back in your position, “Three months here, Princess. Get ready for hell.”

He blew a kiss your way before he went back, making all the ladies that were watching go wild and you glared at Seonghwa and Hongjoong, “Give me a good enough reason not to murder him right now.”

“Your own execution?”

“I said a good enough reason,” you turned to look at Wooyoung who was now back to sitting in the middle of a crowd of ladies, “Execution sounds tempting.”

—----------------

The next day, all the young royals settled themselves in the Great Hall for breakfast where you spotted Prince San- an old friend of yours. You waved at him from a distance and wowed internally at how different he looked- he had definitely matured a lot. Prince Yunho stood up after everyone was done with breakfast, clinking his glass to get everyone's attention.

"It's so good to have most of you here, after years," he began, meeting eyes with the princes and princesses from across the continent, "It was my father's idea that I host this retreat for all of us, a way to catch up with everyone and reminisce over old memories, and who knows? Maybe some of us will go back engaged," he threw a wink in one direction. "Anyways, you all are free to roam around, but I had a little something in mind-"

He then laid out his plan- Mondays for horse riding, Tuesdays for board games, Wednesdays for outdoor games, Thursdays for history lessons, Fridays for balls and parties and Saturdays and Sundays would be free unless something came up. You liked that- you weren't bound to stay the whole three months (though Yunho assured anyone who wanted to could stay here forever) but you decided it was a relief from your life back home, where everyday had started to feel bland as you followed a mechanical routine. Everyone was just as excited as you, if not more. 

You got up after Yunho excused himself, approaching San and sharing a hug, "You've changed, Prince."

"I hope it's a good change. You're prettier than ever," San smiled. 

"Thank you," you smiled back. "Good to see you, Jongho," you addressed his Right Hand, who was also a friend of yours.

"It's been long, Princess," he bowed. "I see Yeosang- let's go greet them. Have you met them yet?"

Yeosang being Wooyoung's Right Hand- you shook your head, following him as Yeosang greeted you three.

"Ah, Princess, I'm glad you're here. Finally someone I can badmouth Wooyoung with."

You grinned, "This is why I like you, Yeosang."

"Now, now," Wooyoung approached you. "Already teaming up against me?"

"What do you mean? We've been a team ever since I can remember," Yeosang dramatically said, earning a laugh from everyone else and a slap from him.

"All my best friends are here," Yunho and his Right Hand, Mingi approached the group with Seonghwa and Hongjoong, "There's a lot of catching up to do. What do you say, drinks tonight, my room."

Everyone agreed, "Only if someone stops Mingi from crying when he gets drunk."

"I don't cry when I'm drunk!" Mingi laughed at Jongho.

"You definitely do, Mingi, I can attest to that," Yunho laughed.

Yunho was right.

Mingi did cry when drunk.

However, that was the least of your problems right now, because what threatened you was Wooyoung, who was an extreme flirt when drunk.

"Like sober Wooyoung wasn't enough," you put your feet on his shoulder to push him away harshly as he tried approaching you, almost crawling. "Now I have to deal with a horny Wooyoung."

It had all been normal- after dinner, you all met in Yunho's room after the rest of the people excused themselves for the night. Some were having drinks with their own groups, and your group of friends was as old as you so nobody batted an eye at your easy interactions.

You all caught up with each other, Wooyoung and you occasionally shooting a snide remark to the other, and the boys made you both sit in opposite corners, having a laugh over how you two still fought so much that it was probably love.

"That's not love," you spat.

"Yeah, we hate each other's guts," Wooyoung, for once, was on your side.

"You keep saying that," San teased, "I just know these three months are going to change something between you two indefinitely."

"Eternal hate sounds appealing, what say you, Wooyoung?"

"Very," he grinned at you.

"Gosh, is nobody gonna comment on his hair though?" You met eyes with everyone, "He looks like a half fried biscuit."

Everyone roared with laughter and Wooyoung gaped at you, "Nice try, Princess. Obviously trying to get attention off the fact that you have this weird haircut now- do you know it makes your face look fat?"

You unconsciously tugged at your bangs while the rest of the boys looked at each other, an echo of "I didn't even notice" and "me neither" going around the room.

"Please, have you looked in the mirror? And what's with the ponytail? You think you look hot?"

"I don't know, Princess," Wooyoung turned towards you. "Do I look hot?"

"Oh, someone get me a drink before I throw up all over the rug," you mumbled, Yeosang laughing as he passed you a drink and you downed it, glaring at Wooyoung who still looked amused. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face, Prince. Someone might think you actually find me funny."

"I do," he said, "find you amusing. Such a mouth you have on you. God…" he downed his own drink. "I missed this."

You started smiling- you missed this too. You may hate Wooyoung's guts but he was still your oldest friend. Everyone cheered, clinking their glasses together, going back to teasing each other over anything and everything-

Until everyone became drunk.

"Get him off me, Yeosang," you almost cried. "He's being weird."

"You two need this, you know," Yeosang only watched as Wooyoung attempted to crawl on top of you just to spite you. "We ought to put you two in the same dungeon for these three months."

"There's so much sexual tension between them, it's not even funny," San commented.

"Oh, shut up!" You and Wooyoung shouted at him together and he raised his hands but his smug face said he had proven his point. You got up, going to hide between Seonghwa and Hongjoong.

"Princess!" Wooyoung cried out as he got up, swerving dangerously as he ran his eyes around the room, searching for- "You!"

He almost tripped on one of Yunho's sprawled limbs as he made his way in front of you, "Everyone! Do you all know it's time for our little princess to find a suitor!"

Everyone including, to your dismay, Seonghwa and Hongjoong raised their glasses and cheered for you and you slumped even further down the couch. Wooyoung met eyes with you, "So… Who in this room would you give a chance, Princess?"

You rolled your eyes, "You think you undeserving shits have a chance?" Everyone booed at you, making you laugh. "No, I'm serious. Who do you think I'd even consider? I have known you guys since we were toddlers, take that into consideration too."

Wooyoung went behind San, rubbing his shoulders. "This lad has grown up well. How about him?"

You looked at Wooyoung in warning, who sported the most smug expression. San was thankfully too drunk to notice what was happening. "Can you stop this and sit down before I make you?"

"Make me? You can't make me do anything, Princess."

You took the challenge, walking to him slowly and he mimicked your actions until you both were face to face. "Look at you. You're just begging for it, Wooyoung. Begging for me to put you in your place."

Wooyoung put his fingers under your chin and you tried to ignore the way his eyes were dark as he looked at you with heavy-lidded eyes and the shiver his touch sent down your spine. "Do I have to get on my knees for you to do it?"

You heard the faint oohs from your friends who were conscious enough to listen in. You smirked, "You think about that image a lot? You, on your knees, in front of me?"

"God, no," Wooyoung scoffed, patting your cheek lightly, "Don't flatter yourself, Princess."

"Alright, before you two kiss in front of me," Hongjoong got up, clapping. "Everyone, bed, now."

Wooyoung and you immediately pretended to throw up as you two drew away and you followed Hongjoong and Seonghwa to your chamber, collapsing on the bed and passing out before you could recall the events of tonight.

—--------------------

You were sipping your margarita, relaxing on a chair in the shade with some of the people who weren’t interested in horse-riding itself, or who, like you, were currently inconvenienced due to an injury- yours being a still healing ankle. You figured you could join in the horse-riding lessons in a week or two, though you weren’t sure you would be learning much- you kind of sucked at it no matter who taught you. You just couldn’t deal with horses.

But seeing Wooyoung zoom past the audience with a smug look on his face as he rode possibly the most beautiful stallion present, in a rather graceful manner, you weren’t sure you wanted Wooyoung to see you struggle with horse-riding. After all, he was always waiting for a chance to spot your weakness and make a joke out of it.

“You look like you’re wishing he’d fall off and die,” Princess Yuju- one of your oldest friends- laughed as she slumped down next to you with a drink of her own, patting the sweat off her forehead with a kerchief. 

“Is it that obvious?” You muttered and she shook her head in amusement. “Okay, as appealing as that thought is, I was just wishing I could join, but you know how hesitant I am with horses.”

“I haven’t done this in a while so I have to admit, I was feeling nervous but Seonghwa… he’s a good teacher.”

You raised a brow as you noticed her smiling as she mentioned his name. “You still have a crush on him? I thought that was just a passing thing.”

“I thought too,” she sighed dreamily. “He’s just… such a gentleman.”

You put a hand over your mouth as you laughed, briefly recalling the events of last night. “You know what? Maybe you should see him drunk. He’s very talkative when drunk.”

“He shouldn’t see me drunk,” Yuju muttered and you giggled- she had a habit of getting physically affectionate when drunk, though she had a good level of tolerance. “And… here comes your favourite person.”

You didn’t know who she meant but the last person you were expecting was Wooyoung who was wiping his forehead with a towel and threw it in your direction as he got closer. With no time to dodge it, it landed on your face and you cursed under your breath, throwing it away.

“What’s your problem?”

“You have something on your face,” he said as he settled down in front of Yuju who was trying not to laugh.

“What?” You asked, patting your cheeks.

“Ugliness,” Wooyoung said and turned to Yuju. “How are you doing? You’re prettier than I last saw you.”

“And you’re still as shameless,” Yuju patted your back as you gaped at Wooyoung because how dare he? “I don’t get why you two won’t get along after all these years. It’s like you’re both doing it on purpose.”

“We get along well, don’t we?” Wooyoung asked and you nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh, we do,” you looked at Yuju. “As well as water and fire.”

Yuju made an unimpressed face and spotted Seonghwa stepping off from his own horse. Just like yours, Wooyoung’s eyes also followed her gaze and you both shared a knowing smile. Yuju straightened and glanced at you both. “I’m going to leave you two… to bond.”

“To bond,” you muttered sourly as she left and Wooyoung scoffed. 

“So,” he crossed his legs. “How are your parents doing?”

“Are we actually doing this?” You scoffed but when his straight face didn’t change, you shrugged. “They’re fine. What about yours?”

“Fine, for the most part,” he looked towards the field where a few people were still riding. “Mom misses you. She keeps complaining about how you haven’t visited in a while.”

You smiled at that- as strange as your relationship was with Wooyoung, your relationship with his mother was even stranger. It had started as you getting in trouble with her for sneaking in her room because you loved the intricate necklace she always wore- you had been too scared to ask her directly. However, somehow when his mother, instead of scolding you when she found you trying to hide under a table, sneaked under it herself and shared stories of her own childhood, the two of you found yourselves in a bond that resembled something like a friend, or something like a mother-daughter relationship without all its complexities. 

You sometimes wondered if Wooyoung got his adventurous spirit from his mother. 

“I wanted to, last summer, but we had that issue with Halaland going on at that time,” you sighed. “I really wished things had sorted out earlier.”

“Aw, missed me?” He cockily rested his face in his hands. “You can admit it, you know.”

You frowned. “What’s your deal lately? You’ve never acted so… clingy.”

“With each passing year, I level up,” he said and you laughed at that- it was true. He was levelling up each year, not just in his personality and behaviour with you, but-

You couldn’t help but notice how sharp his facial structure had gotten since the last time you saw him- a year ago when he had visited your Kingdom of Eden to sort some things out. Wooyoung caught you staring. “Look at you. Shamelessly checking me out.”

“Do they give you nothing to eat anymore?” You ignored his comment. “You look frail.”

“Don’t tell me you’re worried-”

“Good for me, would make it easier for me to push you to your death-”

“It’s called maintaining myself,” Wooyoung got up and flexed his arm muscles and you blanched, the approaching figure of San shaking with laughter at you two. 

“Leave her alone,” San smacked Wooyoung’s neck. “He’s just trying to impress the ladies- he thinks he looks hot like this. What do you think?”

“Easier to kill,” you muttered.

“He’s gotten stronger, actually, haven’t you, Woo?” San examined his friend from head to toe. “Wanna arm wrestle and see who wins this time?”

“And that’s my cue to leave,” you laughed, knowing you weren’t ready for Wooyoung’s high-pitched screaming that followed every time he lost to someone in anything. Yunho caught your eye and he motioned for you to join him and Hongjoong. 

“I see you two are getting along,” Hongjoong scoffed. “How’s your ankle?”

“I think I’ll skip next week too,” you rotated your ankle and winced when it stung. “Why do you both look so serious anyway?”

“Yunho’s just worried if everyone’s having a good time, and you and Wooyoung always make sure he’s in a constant state of worry,” Hongjoong shook his head in disappointment and Yunho laughed.

“No, it’s not that,” Yunho shook his hands. “He’s right about me being worried though. Are you having a good time?”

“Minus Wooyoung, of course I am,” you smiled. “I haven’t felt like this in a long time, and I’m sure we all needed a break. So you-” you patted Yunho’s arm. “Stop worrying and have a good time too. You can relax with us- we’re all friends here.”

“I also wanted to tell you something,” Yunho took a deep breath. “Princess Haeun of Halaland is arriving tonight.”

You didn’t hide your sour expressions. “I thought she wasn’t going to make it?”

“Seems like she is,” Yunho glanced at Hongjoong. “Will you be alright?”

“Of course I will be,” you answered. “Our issue with Halaland won’t influence my behaviour with the Princess, but you do remember we used to be friends before she started pretending we’re strangers, right?”

“Yeah, I’m not on the best terms with her either,” Yunho nodded. “I don’t know why she suddenly decided to come. I thought she would decline for sure since I was the one who sent the invitations.”

“She’s probably got something up her sleeve,” Hongjoong considered. “Let’s not let her get to us, though, shall we?”

But the moment the Princess entered the Great Hall and paused to search the crowd and stopped when she met your eyes, you knew the sinking of your heart was something you couldn’t ignore. She smirked and resumed walking, Yunho dutifully leaving the table to greet her and you turned towards the rest.

“You all saw that, right?” You looked at Yeosang and Jongho who were in front of you. Yeosang nodded.

“Maybe she’s just happy to see you,” Jongho teased.

“You’re thinking too much,” Wooyoung chipped in, stealing the last chicken nugget from your plate and you gasped as he put it in his mouth. “That’s just how she always looks like.”

“First of all, how dare you steal my nugget? And no, she doesn’t. She specifically met my eyes and gave me an evil smile. You’re blind if you didn’t see that.”

“You call that an evil smile?” Wooyoung laughed, looking around him. “Has anyone ever seen her smile?”

“You-”

“Shh,” Yunho slid in his place next to you, waving a dismissive hand. “You all attract too much attention. I’ll send you home if you keep acting like this.”

“Tell me you saw her evil-smirk at me,” you asked and Yunho looked around the table to make sure no one but your group of friends was listening.

“I think I did,” he finally gave in. “She’s weird. She specifically asked how you were doing- she doesn’t care enough to ask about you as soon as she arrives.”

“See?” You turned to Wooyoung, having proven your point, who fell silent. “She’s gonna have a bigger problem with me now. Especially after the events of last year.” 

“Just ignore her, you’ll be fine,” Wooyoung finally said, downing his drink. 

“It’s hard to ignore someone who has a habit of getting disrespectful with others,” you muttered, sighing deeply. Wooyoung and the others were no strangers to your rocky relationship with the Princess of Halaland. Others would dismiss it as something similar to your relation with Wooyoung, but he was your friend. He held no malicious intentions towards you, no matter how harsh he could be with his jokes. 

“Just come to me if she tries something, okay?” Wooyoung locked eyes with you. “I know exactly how to shut her up.”

You looked at Wooyoung, surprised, while your group of friends hooted loudly at that.

And there it was. Wooyoung was always the first one to protect you. No matter how much you hated his guts, at times like this your heart fluttered, so you simply nodded and told the boys to shut up, unable to meet Wooyoung’s gaze for the rest of the night.

—------------------------

You wondered who had the brilliant idea of assigning your seat diagonally across Princess Haeun in the history class because so far, so not good.

“I think we can all agree that Eden has a history of dirty politics,” Haeun began, glancing casually at you while you rested your chin in your hand, rolling your eyes at her. “Considering how only a decade ago, Eden almost called war on the Allied Kingdoms, shouldn’t it be clear that Eden does not really deserve a seat at the Peace Council?”

“Uh, I think that wasn’t Eden-” San began but was cut when Haeun continued.

“The Peace Council’s foundation is threatened by Eden’s presence in the council, in my humble opinion- no offence to the Princess,” Haeun pasted her trademark smirk over her face and you glanced across the room- quite a few youngsters looked doubtful by her confidence- or maybe your lack thereof. “I think the members of the Peace Council should be the kingdoms who condemn war, not condone it.”

“That’s, uh… an interesting stance you have there,” Jongho, who was voted to be the unbiased fact-checker/host for the day, said. “Anyone who would like to present an opposing argument?”

“I think,” you began, raising your hand and continuing when Jongho gave you the heads-up. “I think that Princess Haeun facts are biassed. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinions but I think the fact that the Allied Kingdoms were scheming to stop the trade from our shared seas… that calls for a threat or two, doesn’t it?”

“And as the oldest members of the Peace Council,” San was smirking, “Shouldn’t they have been resolving this issue ‘peacefully’ rather than this hostile approach which would clearly threaten the well-being of the residents of Eden?”

“What well-being, pray tell, would be threatened if the route was temporarily closed due to conflict? I’m sure Eden is capable enough to flourish trades with its neighbouring kingdoms rather than relying on the ones far away.”

“Conflict of the Allied Kingdoms and Halaland with Neverland, with whom we have maintained trade for as long as the kingdoms have existed,” You looked at Yuju. “Remind me again how our kingdoms would have been affected had the route been closed?”

“I think we’re all sensible enough to figure that out, aren’t we?” Yuju smirked. “Between the time to contact all kingdoms and begin trade, the damage… not only to Eden but to Neverland as well. I think it’s okay when it’s someone else.”

“Besides,” Wooyoung’s voice filled the room and you turned to look at his rather relaxed figure as he rubbed his nose, looking uninterested. “It’s rich coming from you when you sided with the Allied Kingdoms when things looked bleak for Eden. As the members of the ‘Peace’ Council, shouldn’t you have been, I don’t know, trying to do something for peace instead of something that would have surely instigated war?”

The look on Haeun’s face made you want to get up and kiss Wooyoung even if the thought somewhat repelled you. You turned to Jongho who was also trying to hide his satisfaction. “That’s right. As members of the Peace Council, I think whatever decisions made should have a peaceful outcome. If old dealings are disturbed, that would surely put anyone in a tight spot. Eden could have been less hostile, but the Allied Kingdoms and Halaland didn’t give them much of a choice in the first place.”

“Which is why no one really deserves the seat at the Peace Council,” Yunho concluded. “No one’s a saint. I think we should stop with the history lessons here and plan the ball for tomorrow, what do you say?”

The room burst into a chorus of cheers and you watched Haeun sulk in her seat while one of her friends tried to comfort her and shot nasty looks at you. You almost flipped the finger at them but you got distracted when Wooyoung took the empty seat behind you.

“You almost lost your composure back there, Princess.”

“Glad you decided to contribute with your valuable opinion,” you muttered.

“Know why?” He leaned forward, tucking your hair back. “I would like to be the only one who can rile you up. That’s why I’ll make sure I put Haeun in her place.”

You smacked Wooyoung’s hand away. “What sort of twisted logic is that? As much as I appreciate you trying to show Haeun her place, I think I can handle her. In fact, I think I should team up with her this time- she looks like she could kill you, not me.”

Wooyoung glanced at Haeun who indeed looked quite angry at Wooyoung. Perhaps, because they were neighbouring kingdoms, Haeun had expected Wooyoung to take her side but she couldn’t have been more wrong- Wooyoung had only one reason to side with you, and that was to have the upper hand. As if to prove that, he tilted his head. “Can’t handle me?”

“Sorry, no,” you made a disgusted face but then spotted San getting chummy with a shy girl in the corner- perhaps the princess of one of the kingdoms of the Allied. “Would you look at that?”

Wooyoung turned and chuckled when he saw the sight. “I guess he’s looking for a dance partner for tomorrow.”

“You got one?”

“Not yet,” he glanced at you. “And you?”

“I forgot that was a thing, honestly,” you sighed. “I don’t think anyone would be interested in me other than as a last option.”

“Now why would you think that?” Wooyoung tsk-ed. “You don’t lack anything- you’re pretty, you’re intelligent, you’ve got the dirtiest mouth, you can put a man in a chokehold-”

“That’s exactly why,” you grinned, ignoring the rush you got when you heard the first two compliments. “I think everyone’s scared of me, especially since I’m always surrounded by one of you idiots.”

“Well, Princess of Eden, you’re my first choice. Will you go to the dance with me?”

“No way in hell,” you countered, watching Wooyoung give in and burst out laughing. “Who placed the bets?”

“Those idiots,” Wooyoung pointed at Mingi and Yeosang- Yeosang seemed to have won as he pocketed some cash from a sulking Mingi. “I do love how quick you are. That makes you more attractive than you actually are, which isn’t much-”

“And that’s your cue to shut up. Wanna make another bet?”

“I’m all ears,” he leaned forward. 

“Haeun is going to say yes when you ask her to the ball,” you smirked.

Wooyoung raised a brow. “What makes you think I’d ask her in the first place?” 

“Because she keeps looking at you like she’d like to fuck you up- and not in a bad way,” You winked at him. “And… because she’d do anything to make me jealous.”

“Yeah, because everyone thinks we’re a thing,” Wooyoung nodded in understanding, shaking his head. 

“Doesn’t help when you’re… like this,” you said pointedly, glancing at the rest of the room who were all busy planning for tomorrow, leaving only the two of you interested in each other. “So?”

“So, I’d like to make another bet,” Wooyoung leaned forward, only the desk separating you two. “I know I’ll lose this one, but if Haeun makes the first move on me… you’ll be my date for the ball next weekend.”

“Ew, why would I agree to that?” You frowned. “And why would you want to take me?”

“I don’t like Haeun, you know I don’t. I won’t make the first move, but if she tries anything funny with me, I get to take you next weekend. And if she doesn’t, you have the choice of rejecting me.”

“Sometimes I wonder what you’ve stuffed in your skull to come up with things like that, but okay. I’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t make the first move-”

“Hey, no cheating!” Wooyoung practically shouted, getting up. “It’s time to seduce her. I need to lose the first bet to take you to the dance next weekend after all.”

You weren’t sure if you were regretting agreeing or ever coming up with the first bet, but whatever it was, you were more confused about the way Wooyoung had looked at you right before leaving.

—--------------------

You were wondering what disgusted you more- the sight of Haeun fluttering her lashes at Wooyoung as she danced with him, putting on the fakest smile you’d seen on a human, and pretending to act surprised at times– or, the sight of Wooyoung who had his hands on Haeun’s waists, who was whispering things in her ears, who looked pleased whenever he made her laugh. You really couldn’t decide.

“People are going to think you’re jealous,” Yunho poked your back and you cursed as you twisted in surprise. 

“I thought it was obvious that I am disgusted?”

“You keep telling yourself that, hon’,” Yunho shook his head. “Dance with me?”

You shrugged but accepted, getting up and straightening your midnight blue gown, glad you weren’t in a puffy peach dress like Haeun was- it was kind of making her look washed out. You took Yunho’s hand and he led you to the dance floor, the two of you taking up your positions and comfortably falling in a rhythm while you both observed the surroundings.

“You have eyes on you,” you said. “Who’s the lady in the black gown? Look at her when we turn.”

“Ah,” Yunho smirked and you raised a brow. “That’s the one I’m trying to impress tonight.”

“I think you’re doing a good job then,” you approved, smiling. “Do try not to smile like an idiot or she’ll catch on.”

“What, so I should play hard-to-get like you do?” Yunho looked at you.

“When have I ever played hard-to-get?”

“Isn’t that what you have been doing for so long now?” Yunho sighed. “I think you’re not even aware.”

“You’re not making any sense-”

“Wooyoung.”

You made a guttural sound at that. “Whatever gave you that idea?”

“Tell me what you think about him.”

“I don’t think about him, he disgusts me,” you muttered. Yunho winced.

“Try again. You’re too harsh, Princess.”

“Yunho,” you rolled your eyes. “Are you going to pretend you haven't known me since we were children? That you don’t know how Wooyoung and I have been since ages ago?”

“You used to be inseparable, you still kinda are,” he was grinning and you resisted the urge to kick his leg. “Problem is, you’re a bit too confused. Maybe you more than him. He seems to have figured it out-”

“Shut up,” you groaned. “You’re just trying to confuse me. Who placed bets this time?”

“No one,” Yunho stopped as the music ended and really looked at you. “It must be fun to act like you hate each other, but if you decide to drop the act… there are plenty of empty rooms in the west chamber where you two could-”

“And that’s my cue to get some air and wonder why I ever agreed to dance with you,” you curtsied him as the dance ended and he laughed, calling, ‘I know I’m right about this!’ as you steered yourself to the end of the ballroom to grab a drink. You encountered a few guests on the way who greeted you and made small talk, and by the time you had downed that drink, you were anxious to get some air. 

You decided to find the balcony at the other end of the room- the one that would probably have no audience at this time. As you reached the door, you spotted none other than Wooyoung and Haeun through the window, Haeun explaining something to Wooyoung while he nodded nonchalantly. You wondered what they were talking about but you noticed Yuju waving at you from the side and you decided you’d rather busy yourself with the girls than to think of what Yunho said which would surely haunt you at night-

And haunt it did when you had finally been free of the endless greetings and the mini-meeting with Hongjoong and Seonghwa to decide the schedule for the weekend and prepared to go to bed. It was way past midnight and you had just finished dressing into your black nightgown, pulling a wrap over it and taking your cup of chamomile tea to the window to drink in peace but found yourself plagued with thoughts of a certain someone.

As if the devils had planned your fate for the night themselves, you found Wooyoung looking up at you from the garden where he was alone. You almost hid out of instinct but he had seen you so you just waved awkwardly. He looked around and motioned for you to come down, but you shook your head, showing him your cup of tea- he was no stranger to your night habits. But then he motioned that he was coming to you, and you considered declining but then nodded, though, after he left, you wondered if you had the capacity to get into a vocal-battle with Wooyoung at this hour.

You opened the door and let him in, sighing when you took in his figure- he still hadn’t changed and was dressed in a three-piece, the buttons now undone and exposing quite a lot. You cleared your throat. “If you’re here to mock me or something, you can leave right now.”

“I’m here for the tea,” he sounded tired.

“Long night?” You asked as you shut the door and motioned for him to take a seat while you mixed the tea for him. “You looked like you were having fun.”

Wooyoung glanced at you, slumping further down the couch. “I did have fun when Haeun was not pretending to be someone else other than who she is. I mean- why pretend?”

“That’s what girls do when they aim to seduce someone,” you fluttered your lashes at him. “Like this?”

He let out a low laugh. “She’s actually not such a bad person when she’s being normal.”

“Oh, so you like her then?” You handed him the tea. 

“Not any more than I did earlier,” he said and you frowned in confusion. “Oh, and I won the bet, by the way.”

You made an impressed face. “She made the first move?”

He frowned in confusion. “You didn’t see her?”

“Was I supposed to witness that? Because that’s disgusting- oh.”

Wooyoung sipped the tea. “I should feel elated that I won the bet, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel good to be used. She spotted you near the balcony and that’s when she tried to kiss me. She thought I wouldn’t notice but I spotted you before her.”

“Just so we’re clear, I was only there to get some air but as soon as I saw the two of you, I backed away. It looked like you were having a… private conversation.”

“You should have joined,” Wooyoung shifted to turn towards you. “All she talked about was you.”

“Really?” You smirked, turning towards him too, not a lot of distance between you two. “All good things, I hope.”

Wooyoung chuckled, sipping again. “You looked good tonight, but I’ll be sending you a dress for next weekend. It’s going to be a masquerade ball- I know Yunho loves that shit. We’ll match.”

“Look at you,” you shook your head. “Your eyes always light up when you’re planning my demise. And I have plenty of dresses.”

“I know exactly what I want to see you in,” he let his eyes travel across your body and you suddenly felt conscious. 

“Are you drunk?” You frowned. “You’re babbling.”

“But you’re blushing,” Wooyoung was smirking shamelessly. “I wonder why.”

“That’s from the second hand embarrassment I’m getting from you,” you countered, cursing yourself internally. “Stop being a creep.”

“You know you love me,” he clicked his cup of tea with yours before drinking. You made an unimpressed face. 

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to give you this earlier-” he finished in his pocket, producing a small box.

“Wow, are you proposing to me?” You teased. “I thought you hated me.”

“I don’t hate you, I-” he paused, shaking his head and opening the box to reveal a necklace with a teardrop turquoise shining in the middle. “Mom sent this for you.”

“You better finish that sentence, Wooyoung, I dare you to,” you muttered as you took the necklace from him and examined it. “Wow. This is beautiful.”

“My mom has always had a good eye for things,” he looked proud. “I just wonder why she wastes it on getting things for you-”

“I’ll thank her myself,” you interrupted, getting up and going to the mirror next to the fireplace, unlocking the necklace and wearing it on your neck- or trying to but you couldn’t find the clasp so you just settled at examining how it looked, but-

“Let me,” Wooyoung muttered- you hadn’t even heard him come behind you. You felt the brush of his fingers on the back of your neck and you suppressed the shiver it would have sent down your spine. “There,” he said, his hands back on your shoulders as he looked at your reflection in the mirror. “Perfect.”

You weren’t looking at the necklace anymore- you were watching him slide his hands down your arms. “You look like something’s bothering you.”

He glanced at you from the mirror. “Something is.”

He didn’t say what, but you felt him take another step towards you so your back was flush against his body. This time, you didn’t stop the shudder, especially when he held your hands in his and rested his cheek against your head. “Like what you see?”

You couldn’t think- sure, this was a very Wooyoung thing to do. But this time, the two of you were alone, there were no bets in question- as far as you knew- and you hadn’t really been arguing like you had been pretty much the entire week. “What are you doing?”

You hated how it almost came as a whisper but he didn’t seem to care. He let the tip of his nose trail down your temple, squeezing your hands as his lips trailed down your neck, making you push your head back to give him more access, and then-

Then he kissed what had to be your sweet spot- you moaned more in surprise than in pleasure because how could he know when it was his first time? The sound seemed to have pleased him though, because he started nibbling at the spot, his arms wrapping around you, your hands still in his. He made a sound too as he shifted, his hair falling on your slightly exposed chest. You couldn’t help but watch the entire thing which perhaps made your nerves more heightened, your legs weakening with each passing second, and just when you were about to lose your footing, he drew back and helped you stand up, examining what he had done.

“Nice,” he licked his lips. “Goes well with the necklace. Now you can show them both off proudly.”

You gaped at him, the spot quickly turning a deeper shade of purple. Taking a deep breath, you mustered the deadliest glare. “Jung Wooyoung, you absolute-”

“Come on,” he shook his head, having grabbed your wrist that was in the air to punch his chest. With his other hand tucked under your chin, he ran his thumb on your lower lip and drew closer to whisper in your ear. “You liked every second of it.”

With a final kiss to your cheek, he drew back with the cockiest smile you had ever seen him wear, and waved goodbye as he left the room, leaving you standing in the middle of it and trying to control the overwhelming sensations that ripped through your body in his absence. You finally made it to the couch, slumping down, because-

Just what had he done? 

And why did you like it so much?

—---------------------

You weren’t sure if Wooyung was avoiding you but things were pretty, abnormally peaceful, which was saying something. Perhaps he knew you were out to murder him the first chance you got, but the weekend passed by rather peacefully and you even had a girls only sleepover where you gossiped all night, sharing stories and pampering each other.

And that was when, in the middle of massaging your shoulder, Yuju had noticed the telltale fade of Wooyoung’s mark.

“Now what is that-” she had begun but you shut her up, promising to explain it later and then avoiding her for the next two days until it was Tuesday and you finally met your group of friends in the evening for board games, where both Yuju and Wooyoung were present.

You paused in the middle of the room, Seonghwa and Hongjoong beside you. “Can we go home now?”

The duo turned to look at you once, ignoring you as they joined the rest, making you take a deep breath and walk to Yuju who wasn’t sitting too far from Wooyoung.

“I knew you couldn’t avoid me forever,” Yuju looked a bit too pleased to see you. “Wooyoung and I were just chatting. He said he missed you.”

“I missed you too,” you called to him, deciding at that moment that there was no way in hell you were letting Wooyoung get the better of you, and that retribution would come. He turned and acknowledged you with a nod, his glance going to where the mark would have been, carefully concealed now. “In fact, my hands have been itching since that night of the ball.”

“Ah, I feel shy,” Wooyoung hid behind San and Yuju laughed sarcastically. “What do you aim to do? Do not try to make a move on me-”

“Your mind ought to be cleansed,” San slapped Wooyoung’s neck and you laughed. 

“Hold up- the night of the ball?” Yuju raised a brow. “What’s going on between you two?”

“Nothing-”

“Something-”

“Jung Wooyoung,” you warned, turning to Yuju. “You know how he is. He’s trying to turn me clinically insane.”

“I’m clinically insane… for you too,” Wooyoung threw a wink and the three of you gasped. 

“San, please take him away from me before I grab something sharp and end this once and for all,” you begged and San chuckled, practically dragging him across the room and you felt like you could finally breathe, though, now that he was in front of you, you both kept exchanging death glares and talking in your own sign language. 

While Yunho explained the rules of the first game and you saw Wooyoung watching you instead of listening to Yunho, you flipped your finger at him and he blew a kiss at you, which probably the entire room saw. You stifled a groan and heard a disgusted sigh-

“Get a room, you two.”

You turned to the source- Haeun, who was sitting near you. You rolled your eyes, not bothering to respond but when she muttered something to her friends and they all laughed at you, you turned to her, ignoring Yuju who tried to stop you.

“Get a room, you said, huh?” You asked in a low voice, glancing at Yunho who was explaining something to the youngsters, and then at Wooyoung who had his eyes on you. “Too bad you couldn’t get one that night.”

Haeun’s friends collectively gasped at that and she actually looked offended. “What would you know about that?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” you shrugged. “I guess Wooyoung was bored enough to come find me. You know we hate each other’s guts. What does that say for you?”

Haeun scoffed. “I’m not interested in him. Go ahead- he’s all yours.”

“Oh, she says she’s not interested in him,” you turned to Yuju. “Does she want me to wipe that horrible image of her fluttering her lashes at Wooyoung during their dance? Because that would need some help-”

“You-”

“Ladies,” Yunho warned with a smile- only you knew that smile meant he’d had enough, though to the others he still looked calm. “The games are starting. Are we good?”

You straightened and nodded and Haeun did the same. Yunho distributed the cards and you played with your respective groups- yours against Haeun’s. The plan was to play in groups of 6 and compete with each other until 2 remained.

Haeun looked confident, but if there was one thing you were good at, it was at catching lies. You had always been observant enough to notice that one particular thing they did when they lied, which gave them away.

And you knew Haeun would always scratch somewhere on her skin before lying. The game of bluff was easier, especially with Yuju and Eunha by your side who were better at card games than you, so your team took on a winning streak.

A few hours later, only your team and Wooyoung’s team remained and you sat across from each other. You looked at Yunho and Jongho. “This team has all the luck, it seems.”

“I think we should announce our defeat here,” Eunha joked. Yunho’s luck wasn’t something that anyone took lightly.

“Come on,” he laughed. “We have 3 rounds. Anything could happen- and you two are good at this. I don’t know why you teamed up with y/n though, she kind of sucks at games…”

“Not this one,” you challenged. “Don’t tell them why.”

“I guess you’re feeling cocky today,” Wooyoung locked eyes with you. “Maybe we should have met in private before coming to the games. I’m not sure how confident you would have been then.”

“I’m not sure you would have made it here then,” you scoffed. “And neither would I have. I’d be busy cleaning up the murder scene.”

“Oh please, you two,” Jongho shook his head. “So stupid. Let’s start.”

The thing about Wooyoung was, you knew him inside out. He had taught you all the games that you knew today, so you knew how he played as well. You only needed to feel Wooyoung out- you were pretty sure that you would make it.

Halfway through the game, Wooyoung couldn’t believe his ears as you called out every bluff of not only him but Yunho as well. Jongho was a little hard to crack. “I’m your mentor, you can’t do this to me!”

You downed another drink that Hongjoong passed you, who loved seeing Wooyoung miserable. “Kill him, y/n.”

“Got it,” you laughed, glancing at the audience around you. Yunho scolded a sulky Wooyoung and told him to man up for the second round, where they could turn the tables if they won, otherwise it was going to be a clean victory for you.

You relaxed, observing your opponents. Your strategy for the this round was to target Wooyoung. After all, you had revenge to take. You dealt the cards and you let them pass twice before noticing Wooyoung picking at his earlobe. You stifled a smile and watched him place two cards on the table.

“Two nines,” he declared and looked at you.

“That’s a bluff,” you told him.

“Are you sure about that?” He leaned forward, smirking. And there it was- his defence mechanism.

“I’m calling it.”

Yuju tapped your arm to make you think again but you ignored her. You looked at Yunho. “Go ahead and check.”

Yunho laughed in defeat before he announced the cards, and while the rest cheered, Wooyoung and you found yourself in a staring contest. He couldn’t help but smile- he liked when you were in your element.

“How can you always tell when I’m lying?” He finally asked when everyone started to scatter.

“You have this very obvious thing you do when you lie. Not going to tell you,” you said.

“Well, you won,” Wooyoung clapped. “What do you want?”

He was talking about the bet you had placed earlier- fulfilling a wish if you won. You grinned, “I’ll save it for later.”

“Oh?” He raised a brow. “Got some plans, I see.”

“Yeah,” you leaned forward. “I have a few, yes.”

“Well, at least you’ll stop avoiding me then?” He asked casually and you shrugged.

“Who said I was avoiding you?”

“Come on,” he scoffed, getting up and motioning at the table with the snacks. “You missed horse riding yesterday.”

“My ankle is still healing,” you told him. “I wanted to sleep in.”

“And you didn’t come to have dinner with us on Sunday.”

“I had to answer letters from home- wait, why am I even giving an explanation?” You took a bite of a chocolate chip cookie. “What makes you think I’d want to see you on purpose? My whole life has been navigating around ways to avoid you-”

Wooyoung scoffed. “I distinctly remember you watching me do that to you in the mirror,” he pointed towards where the fading bruise had been concealed with makeup. “You didn’t push me back. I wonder why.”

“Maybe because I was having a hard time processing exactly what you were trying to do,” you tugged at the necklace he had put on you subconsciously. 

“Want me to test your processing speed again?” Wooyoung grinned and you gaped at him.

“You know, that’s enough cockiness. I bet you’d be whimpering if I did that to you.”

“Ah, you think too highly of yourself, but I’m open if you want to test that theory-”

You laughed in disbelief. “What’s got you so horny these days, Wooyoung? Haven’t had a good fuck for a while?”

Wooyoung poked his tongue in his cheek- a sure sign that now he was turned on, and somehow, after realising just what you had said, you felt your ears heat up. “No. No I haven’t. And you look like you haven’t either.”

“I’m good,” you muttered. “Now get your head out of the gutter.”

“Well,” he drew closer, glancing around. Everyone seemed to be busy so he stood behind you just like he had that night and you found yourself frozen in your spot. He leaned forwards, one arm going around your waist and keeping you flush to himself while the other picked a chocolate from the table that he popped in his mouth. Your flush got deeper when you realised that the hard thing poking at your back wasn’t his flashy metallic belt. He whispered in your ear, “I know you’re holding yourself back, Princess. I know exactly what you want to do to me. I’m just telling you that you can. I’d like to be ruined by you.”

With that, he drew back and you almost lost your footing as you gathered yourself, unable to meet his eyes because yes, you hadn’t been the best at hiding the scandalous, borderline unholy flashes that crossed your mind whenever Wooyoung did something or acted some way. It took you a while to realise that only Wooyoung was capable of riling you up to the extent that you’d want to show him his place in that way. 

But right now, you were more pissed because how could he do that to you when everyone was right here? You glared at him but he only winked at you, waving goodbye and turning-

“Oh, no, you’re not,” you grabbed his arm. “You’re coming with me.”

“Oh, my,” Wooyoung grinned. “If anyone sees us, what are they going to think?”

“Like I give two shits about that,” you dragged him out of the room, praying no one would question your absence, though people would surely notice the absence of Wooyoung since he was, well, noisy to put it nicely. “This is the west chamber, right?”

“Yeah,” Wooyoung was now walking beside you, his arm still in your hand. “Why?”

“Yunho mentioned there were empty rooms here, with some torturing instruments,” you muttered and he laughed out loud. “Perhaps I should test them to see if they’re still functioning.”

“Nice idea. I’m thinking spiked cuffs, neck collars-”

You tried the door of the first room but it was locked. The second was unlocked and you stopped, realising if you stepped in, you couldn’t back out-

“Having second thoughts already?”

“You are driving me insane,” you groaned, pulling him in and locking the door. You took a few deep breaths and looked around the room- pretty plain but you dragged a chair and made him sit so you could stand and point your finger at him.

“Stop looking so amused. Tell me what exactly is your problem. How dare you do that to me?” You watched Wooyoung’s smile fall. “Do you want me to tell Hongjoong? Because he’s gonna kill you if he learns you’re playing with me-”

“Who said I’m playing?” His voice was serious. “I just like to see you all riled up like that-”

“Oh?” You put your hands on your hips as you stared at his bulge. “You like to see me riled up? Does that turn you on, Wooyoung? Maybe I should give Haeun some pointers-”

You shut up when Wooyoung casually put his hand on top of his bulge and gave it a rub, licking his lips as he looked at you. You shook your head, stepping towards him, ignoring the red alert in your brain that told you none of this made sense, but there was one thing about you- you didn’t believe in eye for an eye, you believed in doing worse in retribution.

And Wooyoung had no right making you feel that way. So you put your hand under his chin, making him look up at you. “Look at you. Practically on your knees for me, aren’t you?”

“Not yet, Princess,” he shook his head. “You’ll be on your knees before me.”

“You wanna bet on that, pretty boy?” You cocked your head, running your thumb over his lips and when they parted, you slid it in and watched him suck it. He could still taste the chocolate you had just been eating. You took it out, trailing it down his chin and down the neck, putting your hand around his neck and examining how it looked, squeezing it a little to make his mouth part for air. “My hands make a nice enough necklace, I think.”

“Are you going to give me something that’d go along with it?” His voice was husky.

“Do you want me to?” You asked, testing his patience and you saw his eyes glaze. He gave you a subtle nod and you drew closer until your noses were brushing, giving his neck a little squeeze as you trailed your lips to his ears and whispered-

“Then beg for it.”

Wooyoung groaned, grabbing your free hand and keeping you in your place. You let your lips trail down his neck for good measure before drawing away and seeing the desperation in his eyes. You scoffed. “You’ve got the look right. You just need to say it out loud, Prince.”

“You know I could make you beg for that right now, don’t you?” He asked and you shrugged. “I’m only letting you do this because I want you to.”

“Oh? Submissive tonight, are we?” You laughed, cupping his face and kissing right next to his lips. “There’s your reward.”

There was a moment of pause where you both contemplated just what had happened before Wooyoung finally lost it and decided to have his way with you- he got up quicker than you could process and had your face in his hands and was kissing you like a man deprived of air and you were quicker to respond by parting your mouth and letting his tongue in for a heated kiss, your hands fisting his collar for support. You moaned loudly in the kiss and he swallowed it, not giving you a moment to breathe as he led you to the wall so he could lean down and angle his face better in the kiss.

If you began to wonder what you were feeling, you could only explain it as something inside you breaking free, some wall that had been there falling down- something like that. Your brain was mush, your heart feeling things you had never felt before, but what you felt most was the unmistakable desire coursing through you. You broke the kiss and gasped for air as he rested his forehead against yours, repeatedly pecking your lips while you caught your breath.

“You’re… insane,” you breathed and he chuckled deeply, brushing his nose with yours and making you bite your lips as you resisted doing something stupid- but maybe… maybe now you could. 

After all, you two couldn’t simply go back from here so while you were at it… you could enjoy it.

And see him suffer, the voice in your head said. You smirked, fisting his shirt and pushing him away, shaking your head as you pushed him back until he sat down on the bed and you got on top of him. He was about to hold your leg and position it to his preference but you muttered a ‘nuh-uh’, instead making him spread his legs so you could press your knee lightly on his bulge and as he moaned, you kissed him for a few moments, one hand supporting you on top of him while the other slowly crept behind his neck and tugged at his long hair when you broke the kiss.

You examined how he looked in that moment- lids heavy, lips parted and wanting more, throat bobbing- you scoffed and grabbed his tied hair, fisting it so you could angle him as you finally started kissing his neck and found the sweet spot when you felt his bulge twitch under your knee’s pressure. You started licking and nibbling there without holding back- he needed to feel more than what he had made you feel, so you made sure you made him groan multiple times as you planted the mark. Somewhere between it, his hand had travelled to your waist and was squeezing your hips- you tried to ignore it but your core was throbbing very painfully now. 

You finished your work and admired it, making Wooyoung laugh in disbelief. “All this for revenge?”

“What can I say?” You smacked your lips. “You gave me something to look forward to.”

Wooyoung bit his lip out of habit and considered the fact that you were still pressing your knee where he wanted to. Before he could do something about it, though, you drew away, brushing your clothes. 

“We’re done here,” you told him and he stifled his groan- he liked what game you were playing with him and he was not going to be the one to admit defeat first. 

“For now?” He dared ask.

You licked your lips as you scanned him ever so slowly and nodded. “That’s on you. This- what happened tonight? That’s on you too. Don’t get any ideas, and remember-” you pointed your finger at him but then decided against it, lowering it. “Remember- this means nothing.”

You weren’t sure if the look that passed Wooyoung was hurt or regret but he needed to realise that if he had started this game with you, he was going to be the one who'd decide his fate. “This means nothing… unless I want it to mean something, right?”

You didn’t answer that, but it looked like he had understood, so you told him not to follow you before leaving the room and going straight to your own, going to the sink and washing your face with cold water and gripping the sink as you looked at your reflection in the mirror.

Oh, how you had wanted to let him do things to you, but…

But Wooyoung understood. He had taken the first step, dissolving the unmistakable sexual tension between you two that had been there for years now. He had risked it all, and your response had been unexpected but now that he thought about it, it was something you’d do, and deep down, he knew it. He knew that you hated losing. If he had simply kissed you and confessed that he was interested in you, you would never have responded because of the strange love-hate relationship you two had for years now.

Friends, you called yourselves. Were you friends? Yes, but did friends do this type of stuff? Probably not, he laughed to himself as he recalled when something had possessed him to mark you. He just couldn’t resist it when you wore the necklace that he had chosen for you. Yes, it was from his mother, but he was always the one who picked the gifts for you. Would you have worn it if you knew?

As he lay down to sleep, he was plagued with such questions for most of the night and he wondered if he could stop things here or take the next step and find himself falling in dangerous, perhaps unwelcomed territories.

—--------------------

It looked like Wooyoung was taking his sweet time deciding just what he wanted. You didn’t avoid him anymore. In fact, you two were pretty normal around each other now, occasionally arguing like always, sometimes teaming up to bully one of your friends- just the usual. You were bullying San right now because he seemed to have a few loose memory screws.

“Forget world history, San, you don’t even remember your own life history,” you laughed. “You really don’t remember that time you held a whole debate about butts being what- one?”

“I think he insisted on two,” Wooyoung laughed. “Honestly, I kind of agree.”

“No, we’re not doing this,” Yunho shook his head aggressively. “Look at this-” he raised his hands in the air and you choked on laughter. “One buttcheek and the other- there are two buttcheeks but they belong to one butt-”

“It’s not that deep!” You laughed. “We’ve done this before, so let’s shut up now- there are people watching, and for goodness’ sake, Wooyoung, grab Yunho’s hands- he’s making weird gestures.”

Wooyoung pulled Yunho’s hands down, all of you laughing. You noticed the girl Yunho was interested in watching him from the other end of the room and you kicked his leg from under the table. “Still not asked her to the dance tomorrow?”

Yunho’s eyes went wide in realisation. “I was so busy planning the thing that I forgot I had to attend too!”

San shook his head in disappointment and Wooyoung urged him to go and ask someone out. Yunho looked at the rest of you. “Who are you going with?”

“Yuju,” San said and you raised your brows- that was news. “No, it’s nothing like that,” he laughed. “We just waited too long to ask who we actually wanted to, so we plan to catch their attention tomorrow night.”

“Ah, what interesting lives you’re living,” you sighed dramatically. 

“Who are you going with anyway?” Yunho asked.

“Lost a bet and now I have to accompany him tomorrow.”

San laughed but Yunho seemed to have caught on. “I see… He doesn’t seem too sad about it.”

“Of course he doesn’t,” you challenged. “Any chance to torment me, he happily takes.”

“Eh, come on,” Wooyoung poked your thigh. “It’s not that bad.”

“You tell yourself that,” you said dismissively. “You better not send me a sack tonight.”

“You’d look pretty in a sack though,” Wooyoung said quite seriously.

“Ew,” San got up. “Stop flirting with her every chance you get, Wooyoung.”

“I’m going to ask her,” Yunho got up. “Wish me luck!”

You watched the duo scatter and you glared at Wooyoung. “I’m serious. Don’t send something stupid.”

“I won’t. I’ve got this brilliant, most seductive red dress that I just have to see you in-”

“I’ll tear it to pieces if I think it’s too much,” you promised and he laughed, getting up and purposefully squeezed your shoulder before exiting the room. You froze for a second but then noticed Haeun eyeing you and mouthed an aggressive ‘what?’ before turning to find the girls.

That night, you found a box in your room with a note attached to it. You ignored the note and opened the box, revealing a red, flowy dress and you wowed when you took it to the mirror and saw how good it looked on you. If Wooyoung had chosen it for you personally, he really did have a good eye. You called a maid and wore the dress to see if it needed any alterations, but it was a surprisingly perfect fit save for the shoulders which could be fixed with a stitch.

“Wherever did you find someone who knows exactly what would look good on you?” The maid sighed dreamily. 

“I think he just got lucky,” you laughed.

“I think he knew exactly what he was doing,” she winked at you, finishing the stitching and taking her leave. You sat down with a glass of water and noticed the attached note and considered burning it but then curiosity took the better of you and you opened it-

“The only reason I got this for you is so that I can take it off for you tomorrow night.”

You bit your lip to stifle your smile as you looked up in disbelief, cursing yourself internally at the way your stomach did a flip after reading that. You even considered getting rid of the dress, but it would be such a shame-

And truly, when you wore it and got ready, hair tied messily in a bun with loose tendrils framing the mask on your face, red painted on your lips, you had to admit- Wooyoung had you wrapped around his fingers. He was messing with your mind- no wonder you got so dolled up for him.

So the only thing you could do tonight was to not let him get the better of you. When he knocked on your door, you composed yourself and opened it but all composure broke when he grinned shamelessly.

“You look like a hyena when you smile like that,” you commented, about to step out but he held your wrist and got you both inside so quickly that before you knew it, he had pinned you against the door. 

“You have no idea how crazy you’re making me right now,” he whispered against your ear and you kicked his shin lightly, making him wince as you stepped away.

“Enough of that. We have a ball to attend,” you went to the mirror to look at yourself for the last time. “Wear your mask.”

“I couldn’t tie it properly, so I was hoping you could pin it for me,” he dragged a seat in front of you and sat on it, handing you the mask. You rolled your eyes but grabbed a few pins from the mantle before coming back to assess the situation.

“You should get a haircut,” you said, running your hands through his hair as you tied it in a half pony, letting the bangs from the front loose. 

“First thing when I get home,” he said and you nodded, fixing his mask and asking him if it fit well before tying it and then pinning it with his hair. You were almost done when you noticed him smiling at your reflection in the mirror.

“What?”

“I’m getting… deja vu,” he said and you slapped the back of his neck but he grabbed your wrist and made you face him.

“Wanna do something about this?” He pointed at the still fading bruise on his neck- the one you gave him. 

“What, did you not go around parading it for the past 3 days?” You asked and he scoffed.

“If you want me to exhibit it, then sure,” he nodded. “I could tell people that you gave it to me.”

“Oh, honey,” you grabbed Wooyoung’s chin in your hand and made him look up at you, leaning forward a bit. “No one’s gonna believe that.”

You felt his throat bob as he licked his lips and swallowed and you watched him for a moment too long before making him tilt his head and then you did the unthinkable- you pressed your lips against the faded bruise so now it had the mark of your red lipstick instead.

“That’s better, yeah?” You scoffed before exiting the room, grinning when you heard him shout ‘You’re crazy!’ from the room before he followed you, your grin widening when you saw he hadn’t erased that and that it was going to be visible for the rest of the night.

You entered the ballroom and greeted anyone who recognised you both through the masks, most of them shooting Wooyoung funny looks because of the kiss mark on his neck. Anyone who asked, Wooyoung joked about Yeosang being the one who did it which earned a good laugh. A few moments later, you found your spots at the dance floor where the dances were going to be held before everyone would start partying after the King and Queen would leave.

The first dance was as normal as dancing with Wooyoung could get- occasional teasing comments, you purposely stepping on his toes, him wincing louder than he should, and then you switched partners for the rest of the dances, rotating until the last song where you’d dance a slow one with your actual partner. You got to dance with Seonghwa who had quite a few things to say about your choice of dress but you shut him up when you told him it was from Wooyoung.

“Wooyoung?” He gaped at you. “Why would he?”

“Why would he,” you wondered as well, and then you switched to dance with Yeosang.

“I’m hearing a really sick rumour about me and Wooyoung,” he said as soon as you began dancing and you failed to stifle your smile. “I hope you’ve got nothing to do with the origin of that rumour.”

“Of course not,” you smiled innocently. “That’s Wooyoung’s doing. Shall we murder him together?”

“Let’s,” he agreed, and then you chatted about your plans for your group hangout tomorrow, deciding the menu.

During the next dance with the Prince of Halaland- Haeun’s younger brother Haneul, he introduced himself, you asked him if he was still good friends with Yunho and learned that that was why he was here.

“I know things with my sister are a bit… rocky, but I hope you don’t mind her,” he apologised on her behalf and your heart softened.

“Oh, not at all,” you told him. “We used to be friends, after all, Haeun and I. I know what she feels right now but I’m not going to entertain her until she comes to her senses.”

“At least one of you is being wise about this-”

“I do tease her on purpose sometimes, though,” you winked and he laughed, saying that as friends, you could do that whenever you were going through a rough patch. Finally, you switched for the last dance and found yourself in a grumpy Wooyoung’s arms.

“You were getting really chummy back there,” he commented.

“Are you jealous?” You asked and he nodded enthusiastically, making you laugh. “Well, you don’t own me.”

“Ah,” he sighed. “I wish I did.”

You narrowed your eyes at him through the mask. “You know, I would really like to know what’s going on in your head. What was with that note?”

“Did you keep it safe?” He smiled cheek to cheek.

“I burned it.”

He shook his head. “What are we gonna do about that fiery temper of yours? Well, to make things simpler, Princess, this dress you’re wearing is not helping at all with my newfound desire to… fuck you.”

“Newfound?” You scoffed. “Are you sure that’s new? Because if I begin to think back, I think you’ve always had one screw loose when it concerns me.”

“Hmm… food for thought,” he agreed. “Shall I then entail the things I’d like to do to you tonight?”

“Go ahead, do your worst,” you decided to play along.

“Well,” he twirled you and brought you back in his arms as you rocked to the slow melody just like everyone else. “When this is over, I’m gonna take you to your room and wipe that bloody lipstick off your lips with my own. And then…” he licked his lips and you found his hold on your waist tightening so you curled the hair on the nape of his neck. “Then I’m going to take this dress off and mark you wherever I please.”

“Oh,” you said nonchalantly. “And then?”

“And then,” he shook his head in amusement. “Then I’m going to find out if your pussy is as filthy as your mouth.”

This time the gasp that left was every bit real. “Jung Wooyoung!”

“You asked for it,” he whispered in your ear. “Tonight, I’m going to have my way with you, Princess. I’m going to be the one in control. Tomorrow, though… I could let you do whatever you please to me.”

“I never said I wanted any of this, did I?” You asked.

“You don’t need to,” he brought you closer. “Your body responding to me is indication enough.”

You bit your lips as you felt arousal pool through you and just like that, the final dance was over and the partners bowed to each other. Wooyoung said that he would find you later and dispersed in the crowd and you made your way to the drinks because there was no way you could do this without being a little high.

The rest of the night went by chatting with your friends and eating and laughing, a blur until you spotted Wooyoung waving at you from the door and calling you to join him. 

“It’s past midnight, but it doesn’t look like this party is gonna end anytime soon,” he said. “So how about you and I… take our leave?”

“What do you really plan to do?” You poked his chest and Wooyoung raised a brow.

“Are you… drunk?”

“Maybe a little,” you sighed. “I can’t do this if I’m sober.”

“Oh, that says a lot about you,” Wooyoung scoffed. “I know you’re not drunk, just a little tipsy. And now I know you want to do this as much as I do. And if you think you can’t do it when sober…” he leaned in, “That means I must have quite an effect on you.”

“Right, maybe, and partly wrong,” you confirmed, taking his arm and pretending he was escorting you to your room like a decent human to anyone who was passing by. “I don’t know why you’re doing this, but hold that thought- I think I like where we’re going. No strings attached though. Three months here, Wooyoung. Then we’re just like we were before, is that a deal?”

“Hmm… that’s a deal. But I must place a bet on that,” Wooyoung opened the door of your room and you stepped inside, watching him shut the door and then take off his mask. “You’ll be begging me to stay when it’s time to go back.”

“Oh, how highly you think of yourself. Shouldn’t it be the other way round?” You smirked and he drew closer, pulling the string of your mask so it fell in his hands and he discarded it with his own. You unclasped the fancy hook of his coat and started unbuttoning it. “I think… I think you’re gonna actually fall for me before our time here is over.”

Wooyoung made an impressed face. “Make me fall for you then. Try your best.”

“Wow, I thought you were not going to be submissive tonight- you really can’t make up your mind, can you-”

Wooyoung cupped your face in his hands, scanning it ever so slowly and you mouthed ‘what?’. He only shook his head, tucking your hair behind your ear. 

“I don’t understand how we got here, but I really like what I see right now, y/n.”

The only sound present was the cackling of the fireplace and the sound of your breaths mingling as he drew a bit closer, joining his forehead with you. “If it’s too much, if you want to stop, tell me to stop, okay? Because I don’t think I can hold back once you give me the heads-up.”

You sighed. “I’m going to pretend that I’m drunk and I’m letting you do this, okay?” 

You didn’t wait for his response but made the first move, capturing his lips in a kiss and he eagerly responded, your lips fitting with each other like it was supposed to have happened that way. You shrugged his coat off, leaving him in his black button up shirt and took a step forward so he could hold you against him because you wanted to feel every bit of him as much as he wanted to. He drew apart, picking you up effortlessly and you laughed a bit as he placed you on the table and hastily put your stray hair away from your face as he kissed you again.

You wrapped your legs around his waist and pulled him closer, not feeling much through all the layers your dress had. Wooyoung seemed to have recognised the problem and let one hand travel to your back to figure out what to do while he put his tongue in your mouth and you exchanged heated, wet kisses, the lewd sound of it filling the room because you both knew you were enjoying that way too much. You pushed him back and muttered, “The fucking dress you chose, Wooyoung.”

He laughed, peeking back and finding the hidden zip, glancing at you once before sliding it down and down. You held on to his neck as you rose up a little so he could drag it down, leaving you in-

“Wow,” he breathed, admiring the black lace undergarments that you wore on purpose tonight.

“Like what you see?” You dragged your heels up his leg. “You, shirt off, now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he winked, unbuttoning his shirt and putting his toned chest on display, about to take it off but you told him to leave it, bringing him back where he belonged- in your arms, legs wrapped around his waist and this time he bent you down as he kissed so passionately that you moaned loudly and tugged at his hair.

“Enough of that,” he muttered, “I’ve got other plans. Shall we take this to bed?”

“I think this is more… exciting,” you tilted your head, kissing the mark on his neck that you had left. “I think I should do this everyday so everyone knows who you belong to.”

“Oh?” He caressed your cheek. “I think everyone believes that’s Yeosang-”

“Shh…” you kissed his neck again, making him chuckle. “So. You’ve successfully managed to wipe off my lipstick and take my dress off. What’s next?”

“Let’s see…” he ran his hands down your shoulders, tracing your waist next and you let him run his hands everywhere on your body as if he was memorising it himself, engraving your curves in his mind. He began at the same spot on your neck, biting it, his hands going to your waist and sliding to hook your panties in his thumbs that he pulled up to make you moan. He let you guide his face wherever you wanted him, let you guide him down so he could plant another hickey on your chest, and then he was trailing kisses down your waist and you stifled your groans until he reached dangerously down and you gasped.

“I’m going to ruin you tonight, you hear me?” He promised and you nodded as he went up to kiss you again while his fingers found their way under your panties and slid along your wet folds once, twice and then thrice- but he was not letting you breathe as he kissed you as well. Your legs were weak and apart now, one hand on his shoulder for support while the other moved around helplessly. 

“What’s got you so wet for me, Princess?” he muttered as he broke the kiss and trailed his lips to your ears, nibbling at them. “Want me so bad? Huh?”

“Shut up,” you muttered and he stopped right there.

“Beg for it, and maybe I’ll give you what you want.”

“Wooyoung-”

“I said, beg for it.”

You shut your eyes in defeat, feeling his finger still hovering over your painfully throbbing clit. “Please, Wooyoung, please. Do whatever you want.”

“Now that’s a good girl,” he chuckled, kissing your lips and then straightening, pinning your neck to the table with one hand while he finger fucked you and your mouth parted for air as you locked eyes with him- his gaze alone was making you breathless but the way he watched you while he slid his finger inside and out of you? It was mad.

“So fucking tight,” he slid another finger and you writhed under him as best as you could when he had you pinned down. “Never been fucked, have you?”

“I have,” you managed to say, “But…”

“Not like this, huh?” His voice was deep and he squeezed your neck a little when he found out exactly how to bring you to your high- his thumb rubbing your clit as his fingers teased your insides. He watched you carefully and just when it looked like you couldn’t take it anymore, he took his fingers out, examining them before making you look at him as he licked them clean and you, surprisingly enough, found it arousing enough to shiver entirely.

“Mmm, you taste better than I expected,” he commented, sliding your panties off in a second and admiring your swollen area. “So ready for me, aren’t you?”

“Please, just do something,” you whined shamelessly and he chuckled, spreading your legs apart as much as you could and blowing on your clit, making you gasp out loud, later horrified by the sound that came out of you as he laughed. “You’re gonna regret this-”

“Tomorrow, Princess,” he promised. “Tonight, it’s my turn,” he said, diving right in and planting a kiss on your clit, making you want to clench your thighs but his grip on your legs was too strong for that, so you told him to wait and got up a little.

“I want… to watch you,” you admitted. “Grab me a cushion.”

“Wow, okay, easy there,” he teased though his hard-on revealed just how much that turned him on. He made sure you were comfortable and then kissed you on your mouth until you tasted yourself on him before he got on his knees for you, just like you had wanted to, and began to kiss your inner thighs, trailing his lips to your core and practically making out with it before he started with his tongue sliding inside you, feeding on your moans as he ate you out. You tugged at his hair and when his nose brushed your clit, you almost screamed.

“Just… just like that,” you told him and he purposely brushed his nose against your clit again before continuing to lick your arousal like he wouldn’t get to ever again, his grip on your legs tightening so much you were sure they would leave a mark of their own. He found his pace, tongue sliding once inside you and then up your folds, caught you shivering and repeated that until you were moaning so loudly anyone passing by could hear. The knot in your stomach built and tightened at an uncontrollable pace and you pulled Wooyoung even closer to you which was when he sucked your clit and you reached the climax, shuddering violently as he finished his ministrations, leaving you feeling like you were on cloud nine and could never find your way back.

“I never thought…” he began, wiping his mouth, “that this could be so fulfilling.”

You didn’t respond, simply tried to catch your breath and get your brain to work again. Wooyoung started trailing kisses until he reached your face and made you look at him. “I was good, wasn’t I?”

“You… are such a slut,” you managed to say and he laughed out loud, kissing you once. 

“You love that and you know it,” he patted your cheek, picking you up and taking you to your bed, going through your wardrobe and picking out a green nightgown. You tossed your bra away and he raised a brow- he hadn’t seen that yet.

“Like what you see, huh?” You said tiredly. “Come here.”

He tossed the gown on the bed and you made him lie down, sliding his pants down while he looked confused. You simply said, “You look like you need it too. Now be a good little boy and let me do this.”

He chuckled and you pressed his hard bulge, earning a moan instantly which made you smile. You slid his boxers down, revealing his hard length and suddenly, you were sure you could go for a much intense second round but you held yourself back- not tonight. Not now. So you rubbed your hands up and down his length, making his eyes roll back with pleasure and you kissed the tip of it, licking down a stripe and then jerking him off, his breathy moans filling the silence of the room. You made him watch you please him until he came all over himself. 

“I’m a good girl, alright?” You smirked as you grabbed your discarded panty and wiped his cum off of his stomach, making him groan and laugh. “I clean up well.”

“You’re too much,” he shook his head. “You… you���re too much for me.”

“Please, you have seen nothing yet,” you promised, getting on top of him and kissing him deeply, making his length rest between your parted folds and you dared to grind once, the both of you moaning. “You… have seen nothing yet, Wooyoung.”

With a final kiss, you wore your nightgown and he grabbed his boxers, about to get up but you grabbed his arm. “You can sleep here, you know.”

“I don’t think I can hold myself back if I do,” he shook his head, getting up and wearing the rest of his clothes. “Maybe next time… I might.”

You smiled at that and he kissed your forehead before telling you to get some sleep, but you lay lovestruck all night.

—----------------------------

“That’s it. I’m going home. Pack your stuff, Hongjoong and Seonghwa-”

Wooyoung laughed at that and you glared at him. He raised his hands in surrender. “What? I’m only offering to help!”

“He’s mocking me, don’t you see?” You turned to your Right Hand and Advisor. “He purposefully announces that I am avoiding horse-riding, mentioning nothing of my injury so everyone would think I’m scared of horses- which I am, a little, also thanks to this brat!”

“Oh, come on, are you still sour about that one time? We were 13!”

You were 13, visiting Wooyoung. That was probably the summer your relationship started changing from inseparable friends to frenemies, mostly because Wooyoung was always pranking you and teasing you about something. He had played a prank with a horse, making you believe the horse had gone rogue and you almost thought you would die. He got a beating from his mother after that incident but that didn’t stop him from being a smug ass and joking about it every now and then.

You were a bit traumatised after that and it always took you a while to get used to horses before you’d feel comfortable again. But this time, you really had your ankle injury as an excuse to avoid riding, though now your ankle was fully healed and it was about time you went back…

“I’ll take my time getting comfortable with the horses. I don’t trust him. I’m not taking up his offer, please translate it to him because he seems to not be understanding anything I’ve said so far.”

Seonghwa groaned loudly. “You both still act like you’re 13. Wooyoung, please stop being a jerk about this. And y/n… stop overreacting. If anyone else had offered you the same thing, you would have accepted.”

“Yes, I would have, but this is Wooyoung!” You pointed at him and even Hongjoong started laughing along with Wooyoung. “I cannot trust him!”

“Really?” Wooyoung raised a brow. “You don’t trust me with this, but you trust me enough to do other things-”

“Shut up,” you glared at him, looking at Seonghwa. “What can I do to get him off my back?”

“I’ll join, okay?” Seonghwa got up. “If Wooyoung tries anything funny I’ll stop him.”

“Does it have to be him?” You groaned.

“Honestly, you two need to work out your differences- you’re both adults now,” Hongjoong began and you almost cried. Your own court was ganging up on you. “I don’t get you two. One moment you’re trying to kill each other and the next…”

You met Wooyoung’s eyes and he passed you a flirty gaze before winking, and you stifled a smile. Hongjoong seemed to have caught that- “See! I don’t know what’s wrong with you two. What do you say, Seonghwa? They look chummy enough to do this together, let’s leave them be.”

“Wait, what did I do?” You laughed but Hongjoong and Seonghwa weren’t having any of it.

“They’re kids, both of them. You, Princess, are going to be riding a horse by yourself by the end of this session, otherwise I’ll make you do my paperwork for a week.”

You passed Seonghwa a death glare before asking Wooyoung to lead the way, ignoring how the two snickered behind your back. Wooyoung was clearly enjoying it but he promised to be serious.

And surprisingly, he was serious. He made you feel out the horse, made you get comfortable with it until you could pet it, and then he made you walk it with you. You were squirming most of the time but started to feel comfortable after about half an hour, which was when he helped you up. You winced a little as you settled in front of him on the horse.

“What’s wrong? Ankle still hurts?” He asked.

“Just wrong footing, it’s okay,” you told him and he patted your thigh.

“You should be more careful, y/n. How did you get it injured in the first place?”

“Aw, are you worried?” You turned and scratched his chin, making him shut his eyes in annoyance. “Yeah, well, I fell from the stairs.”

“So clumsy,” he shook his head. “You should take good care of your body, okay?”

You shrugged, holding the reins and he put his hands on yours, ready to ride. He rested his chin on your shoulder, whispering, “What do you say I give you a foot massage tonight?”

“That won’t be necessary, thank you very much,” you answered politely and he laughed, kissing your neck before drawing back and you gasped-

“Not in public!”

“Come on, I do that to everyone, no one cares,” he simply said and you shrugged- that was true.

“Do you do that to everyone too?” You asked as you rode at a slow pace.

“What?” Wooyoung’s teasing tone was an indication that he understood exactly what you meant.

“Whatever you’ve been doing with me lately,” you swallowed. “Do you mess around?”

“Nope,” he promised. “Only you.”

You felt butterflies in your stomach, stifling your smile. “Better be only me while we’re… together?”

“Together,” he squeezed your hands before tightening the reins so the horse increased its pace. “How are you feeling?”

“What?” You asked after a moment.

“About the horse. Are you okay?”

You realised you’d been too busy feeling Wooyoung’s body against you, his hands on yours, his words and breath in your ear, his face against your side that you’d totally forgotten about the horse and your little fears about messing up.

“I- I’m okay, surprisingly.”

“I knew I’d make a good distraction,” Wooyoung said proudly.

“You do actually,” you laughed. “I don’t think I’m distracted enough though.”

“Oh?” Wooyoung drew closer so the rocking of the horse made you fall in a rhythmic movement with his body. “How about now?”

“I think… I’d need aftercare,” you teased and he chuckled deeply.

“Do you flirt like this with anyone?”

“Only you,” you said and he shook his head, speechless for once.

As promised, once you were all done with the horse-riding and you were following the others to dinner, falling behind as you looked around for Yuju, Wooyoung grabbed your arm and put a finger on his lips to tell you to stay quiet, taking you around the corridors until he tried one of the doors and found a small storage room, taking you in and shutting the door, immediately cupping your face and kissing you as if it was his last time. Your knees went weak in shock and you held on to him as you kissed him back, snaking your arms around his neck.

“God, I missed your mouth,” he pecked your lips. “I missed you.”

You hmm-ed against his neck, making him exhale deeply. You pecked his neck and then caressed his face. “I’ve been aching for you, Wooyoung.”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he laughed in defeat. “What do you want me to do?”

You kissed him in answer and his hands went to slide under your blouse, holding your bare waist as you explored each other’s mouths, not even bothering to stay quiet. His thumbs hooked in the waistband of your panties and you gasped in his mouth, shaking your head.

“Not now- we’ll be late for dinner. Everyone will notice.”

“Tonight then?” He asked.

“I’m sleeping with Yuju tonight. Tomorrow night?”

“I have to go to town tomorrow night with Yunho,” he said and you groaned. “I’ll find you, though. Tomorrow.”

You nodded, kissing him one last time before exiting first and making up the excuse of trying to find Yuju when your friends asked why you were late. Wooyoung arrived a few moments later and you ate dinner without meeting eyes, the remnants of desire still getting the better of you both.

That night, Yuju came over to your room and you both caught up on your lives now that you two finally had time alone. You two were eating chocolates on the bed as you talked about the flings back home, politics, family, and everything. She was one of your oldest friends so it always felt extremely comfortable with her. You were both bare with each other.

“So,” you shifted so you were lying down on your stomach like Yuju. “Any progress with Seonghwa?”

“No, but…” she smiled and hid her face and you poked her arm.

“But what? Why are you shy all of a sudden?”

“I don’t think I’m into Seonghwa anymore,” Yuju admitted, putting her hands on her cheeks.

“And my plan to get Seonghwa hitched fails yet again,” you sighed. “You look like you have more to tell.”

“Make a guess, y/n.”

You paused, your past conversations replaying in your head and you gasped. “You! You hooked up with San, didn’t you!”

Yuju laughed and you wowed in disbelief, asking what exactly happened. She sighed happily. “We were pursuing other people, teaming up to make them jealous. But during the ball, we never left each other’s side. We were too busy with each other, and before we knew it, the ball ended. He came to drop me to my room, and somehow… We ended up making out-”

“Ew! That’s cute but disgusting.”

“We were drunk,” Yuju laughed, slapping your arm. “But he… oh my god, y/n, I’ve never been kissed better. You need to get San to kiss you once because he-”

“Yuju, shut up!” You groaned. 

“And then we sat on the floor all night talking and making out. We passed out I don’t know when, but we woke up in each other’s arms then, pretty sober. I guess we couldn’t go back from there…”

“So you two are now an actual thing?” You asked and Yuju shrugged. 

“Maybe. We haven’t put a name to it but he asked me out on a date this weekend so I guess… we might be?”

“Wow, you’re living the life, huh?” You smiled. You were happy for them, though this was the most unexpected outcome. “You guys actually make a cute couple, but I’ll need a few days to process this-”

“I know,” she laughed. “It really was unexpected for us too. Anyways, enough about me. Tell me who you’re seeing these days because you’ve been glowing lately.”

“Really?” You frowned. “I’m not seeing anyone.”

“Lies,” she sang. “You reek of love.”

You made a face but couldn’t stifle your smile and Yuju repeatedly poked you on your stomach until you gave in. “Okay, okay. Wooyoung and I may have, uh…” you tried to find a word but couldn’t. “We, uh… we’re not dating, hell no. But we-”

“You hooked up with Wooyoung!” Yuju’s scream, you were pretty sure, could be heard for miles. You tried to shut her up but she was dancing around the room.

“I fucking knew it!” She laughed in disbelief. “I knew there was no way you weren’t fucking each other. You’d be blind if you haven’t noticed how Wooyoung looks at you-”

“He’s a pervert, of course he looks at me like that-”

“No, you don’t see, y/n,” Yuju shook her head knowingly. “I know it when a man is in love, and I know that you both would rather die than admit you’re in love, but everyone knows it, you hear me? Everyone sees it.”

“No they don’t,” you frowned.

“Yes, they’re all pretty sure you have something going on.”

“That’s old news though,” you said. “People always thought there was something between me and Wooyoung even when there was nothing but pure hate.”

“But how do you feel about him now?” Yuju wiggled her brows.

You sighed deeply, sitting and drawing your knees to your chest. “I don’t know, actually. We’re only taking advantage of each other, it’s nothing like that, but… I’ve never felt so… alive, Yuju. He brings out a different person in me- one that even I don’t know existed.”

“Oh?” Yuju raised her brows. “Tell me more.”

“Well,” you thought about it. “He just… makes me feel more confident in myself. I don’t know if he’s pretending to or if it’s real but he makes me feel like a fucking queen which is funny because in public we miss no chance to humiliate each other, but when we’re alone… even when we’re not hooking up which is pretty recent by the way, he just always says or does something that makes me confused.”

“It sounds like you didn’t really get that part right. It doesn’t sound like you’re actually taking advantage of each other.”

“We’re only hooking up while we’re here, because we’re both lonely.”

“Yeah, whatever helps you both sleep at night,” Yuju dismissed. “So the hickey was from him, right?”

You passed her a side-eye before nodding. “I was so confused when he did that to me. He made me watch it. Like we were having a cute platonic moment and suddenly he does something like that and expects me to be the same? And then he’s driving me insane so I decided to get revenge, and one thing led to another and somehow, we’re here.”

“Damn,” Yuju breathed. “You’ll figure it out soon, I hope, but I don’t think you can go back from that.”

“I know, that’s what’s eating me up,” you admitted. “I don’t think I can go back from this, but…” you took a deep breath. “It’s only the beginning. I’ll think about that later.”

“Yeah, because right now you two are horny and are pretending to not be in love as you satisfy each other. What a great idea, especially when you two are always at each other’s throats!” Yuju laughed. “Must call for some wild sex-”

“Shut up,” you laughed, “Wait till you get it done with San. I can’t wait until he finds out what a hoe you can be.”

Yuju winked at you. “He’s not such a saint himself.”

“Really?” You frowned. “He acts like a ball of cloud so I don’t know…”

“He’s a monster-”

“Okay, that’s your cue to shut up,” you put your hands over your ears. “I want to keep my clean image of San intact, thank you very much.”

—-------------------------

You were dreaming.

The tension from your shoulders was relaxing, and all your worries were fading away, being kissed away, small pecks across whatever skin was exposed through your camisole. You were sleeping on clouds so you shifted, smiling to yourself, and the hands running across your arms were warm-

You gasped as you opened your eyes, getting up and getting your eyes to adjust to the darkness as you looked at the body beside you-

“I’m sorry, did I scare you?” Wooyoung’s low voice asked, putting a worried hand over your shoulder. “I’m sorry-”

“No, it’s okay,” you told him, putting your hair away from your face. “Fuck, I thought I was dreaming. When- how did you get here?”

“I may have stolen some keys…”

You started laughing at that after a moment and it looked like that made Wooyoung relax too. He pulled you closer in a hug, cradling your body. “I’m sorry that I scared you. I was only going to sleep next to you so I was giving you a few goodnight kisses. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

This. Moments like this when you wondered if it would actually be so bad if you and Wooyoung got together. And this wasn’t the first time- even when you were friends- or frenemies, as everyone called you, you had these moments a lot, which was how you were able to tolerate Wooyoung. Yes, he was a menace, but he was also the most caring, loving person you knew.

You wrapped your arms around his waist. “It’s okay, Woo. You should have woken me up, I was waiting for you.”

“Really?” He looked at you, only the full moon illuminating the room. “You waited for me?”

“You told me to, dumbass,” you slapped his chest. “What time is it anyway?”

“Around 2,” he told you and you nodded, shifting in his lap. “You wanna go back to sleep?”

Your stomach did a somersault. “Why waste the night sleeping?”

Wooyoung tilted his head as he looked down at you, one arm under you. He brought his hand to caress your face, looking at you with an indecipherable look in his eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” You asked- there was clearly something eating him up but he shook his head before joining his lips with yours in the most slowest, sensual kiss you had ever received. He made you lie down on the bed as he continued to kiss you, slow and steady, one hand still caressing your face while the other traced your body. You found yourself lost in that pleasure- you never knew only kissing like this could make you feel so… bare. He broke apart, peppering kisses all over your face and making you giggle, then pecking your lips multiple times, never looking away from your eyes.

“Wooyoung,” you breathed. “You’re being… different.”

“Do you not like it?” He asked, waiting for your response and you frowned at how he wasn’t even teasing you about it.

“I like it,” you admitted. “Please continue.”

He smiled and got back to kissing you, trailing his lips down your neck and planting kisses there as well. You made a decision then- to not question Wooyoung. To let him be rough with you when he wanted, to let him be this soft with you even though it was making it feel like you two weren’t simply just hooking up for the heck of it, but-

Making love. That’s what it was right now, as Wooyoung took off your camisole, leaving your upper body bare. He gently ran his hands over your waist, up to your chest, palming your breasts before going down on one and kissing it, and then the other, playing with you until you moaned out loud enough to his liking. You pushed him away to take off his shirt as well, running your own hands down his chest, tracing his sculpted muscles before kissing him again and then your tongues were exploring each other’s mouth as things picked up a pace and you tugged at his hair a bit roughly, making him groan into the kiss.

“I love it when you do that to me,” he whispered in your ear, nibbling at your earlobe before trailing kisses down your neck, licking and sucking on his way down to your waist, uneven moans escaping your mouth which just seemed to please him further. He pushed the sheets away, taking off your panties and slowly ran his hands up and down your thighs, making you writhe under his touch. 

“You’re so beautiful, y/n,” he breathed against your left thigh, trailing kisses up until he reached your core and you gasped when he planted a kiss on your swollen clit before licking a stripe up your wet folds, scoffing at how wet you were just from kissing alone. “Do I make you feel so good? That you’re soaked like this?”

You bit your lips at the sudden change in his tone and he didn’t wait for your answer as he started playing with your clit using his thumb, his tongue diving right in and you let out a strangled breath, struggling to keep your thighs apart for him but then ditching the idea when he got rougher, sliding a finger in you and you clenched your eyes shut at the overwhelming sensation of the combination. He was soon sliding a second finger, glancing at you to make sure you were okay, diving deeper.

“So tight for me, aren’t you?” He got closer to your face, grabbing your chin. “You still haven’t answered my question, sweetheart.”

“What… question?” You asked, momentarily pausing when he shifted his fingers in you and started going at a slower pace, also slowing your approaching high.

“How do I make you feel?” He asked again, running his thumb over your lips and pressing against your clit with his thumb.

“So… good,” you breathed, overthrown by the action. “Please, I’m close-”

“Then tell me exactly how I make you feel,” he asked in a low voice.

“You’re driving me insane,” you told him, “But I bet you can see that too.”

He smiled in satisfaction, kissing you deeply as he started rubbing your clit in circles, the feeling of that and his fingers pumping in and out of you finally making you reach your climax and you moaned in the kiss as you squirmed, wearing out the high. He drew apart, examining the mess you had made on his hands and shaking his head at it before he licked them clean and then-

Then put his fingers in your mouth. “How do you like that? Do you like tasting yourself on me?”

You sucked them clean and breathed. “You’re really loving this, aren’t you?”

“Oh, I’m nowhere near done yet,” he promised and that quickly, a new wave of arousal spread through your body. You brought him down with you and shifted positions, getting on top of him and then slowing down pace-

If he had confused you, so could you. So you forgot everything and started kissing him gently, slowly, like he had. You found him motionless for a few moments, only kissing you back before he brought his hands to your waist, slowly caressing the skin as he let you kiss him for however long you liked.

You pulled at his lower lip before drawing back, kissing every place you liked- his forehead, the mole under his eye, the tip of his nose, his Adam's apple- that earned a groan and you started to grind on him, feeling his very hard bulge through his pants. 

“What would you like to do tonight?” You asked him as you rode him at a steady pace. “Tell me how you want me tonight, Wooyoung. I’ll let you do anything.”

“Anything?” He asked, running his hands across your shoulders.

“Anything,” you nodded, pecking his chin. “Do you want to feel yourself inside me?”

Wooyoung shut his eyes at that, smiling like an idiot. “I didn’t think that’s how you’d approach that topic.”

“It’s about time, though,” you unbuckled his pants. “So? Want me to ride you?”

“I don’t know if we can-”

“I mean… I’m on contraceptives. I could let you… fuck me raw.”

“Oh god,” he groaned, getting up and capturing your mouth in a heated kiss, drawing apart. “Can I?”

You nodded, helping him take off his pants and underwear in one motion, his hard length free now. You shifted so he could take care of it and he understood, getting on top of you and positioning himself at your entrance, the feeling of his cock rubbing against your folds already making you feel a rush inside yourself. You threw your head back and groaned as he entered slowly, making sure you were okay, caressing your skin as he fully entered you, experimentally moving inside you-

“Gosh, you’re so fucking tight, y/n,” he groaned with you. “This good?”

“Yeah,” you breathed, “Let me get on top of you.”

“As you wish,” he shifted your positions and you felt fuller, grinning at the sensation. Wooyoung ran his hands up and down your thighs, squeezing them as you started riding him, his eyes watching you rock against him, loving the way you bounced on top of him, your moans mingling as you found your pace. He sat up a little, putting his arms around you as if he could bring you closer, kissing you again and you couldn’t get enough of the feeling- skin on skin, nothing keeping you apart. 

“I love this so much,” you breathed, your legs keeping him tucked close as you rocked slowly. “I love this so fucking much, Wooyoung.”

“Me too,” he admitted. “I’ve never felt so good, you’re…” he kissed you. “Incredible.”

You wanted to tell him more. You wanted to tell him to stop. You wanted to tell him that you always wanted to feel like this, that you wished this would never end, but you also wanted to tell him to stop saying he never felt like this, that you were incredible, because you couldn’t take it. He seemed to have understood that, though.

“What’s holding us back, y/n?” he dared ask.

“I don’t know,” you buried your face in the crook of his neck. “Just… right now, just ruin me and then hold me in your arms for the rest of the night. Can you do that?”

He kissed you in answer, shifting again so he was back to being on top of you, steadily pumping in and out of you as you kissed, as he wiped the tears that left your eyes. Your kisses got sloppier as you both approached your highs, moans louder, hands wilder as they explored each other, and when you finally reached your climax together-

It was epic. There was no feeling to describe it- the feeling of his body quivering on top of you, arching against each other, his moans and yours ringing in the air, every nerve in your body reaching a euphoric high as warmth filled you- you thought you could die from pleasure, that’s how intense it was. He rocked in you unsteadily as you both finished before falling on top of you and you held him close, breathless.

There was no need for words, not anymore. You shifted so you were half on top of him when he pulled out, drawing the covers on top of you both. You drew his hair away from his face, kissing his forehead and pecking one of his eyelids before joining his forehead with yours. He caressed your face ever so lovingly, kissing you once before drawing apart and continuing to caress your cheekbone.

The two of you, in each other’s arms, watched each other, sure affirmations passed in the way you caressed each other’s skin or kissed until you fell asleep.

—-------------------------

Something seemed to have changed between the two of you ever since that night, and you weren’t sure if it was for the better or worse.

Wooyoung was still, well, Wooyoung. He got worse at times with teasing you in public or making fun of you until you cursed him out loud in front of everyone, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. 

It was what you two did in private that was different.

He passed up no opportunity to get you alone and kiss you, at least, or indulge you in some dry humping. Those stolen moments, though, were nothing compared to what was going on at night time.

At first, he had been a bit distant, but then you, during one of your makeout sessions, joked about how he was so gentle that night that you wondered if someone had possessed him. You told him that you had heard a rumour that even San could be a monster in bed-

“That’s who you suggested, wasn’t it?” You recalled and Wooyoung’s gaze got hard. “I distinctly remember you telling me San would make a good suitor. Maybe I should consider-”

He obviously had no idea that you were joking and San was now with your best friend, but you wondered if it was only jealousy when he fucked you like no tomorrow, on the floor. He was rough, he was filthy, and he made you come more times in a span of an hour then you could count, making you almost cry by the end of it, but when he rocked inside of your oversensitive walls to approach your almost-there climax, he had the audacity to choke you when you came, making it more intense than it had to be as you finally cried through it.

He breathed harshly in your ear. “You’re mine. You hear me?”

“I’m yours,” you answered, squeezing his arm.

“Say it louder.”

“I’m yours,” you said with surety and he finally came inside you, collapsing beside you. 

Moments like those made you wonder where you two stood. You decided to ask him if he ever called you ‘his’ again, but he didn’t. Not again. You two kissed, fucked roughly, sometimes lovingly, but he never called you his again.

And with each passing day, that made the hole in your heart bigger.

Had you started something you couldn’t handle? Did you take him easy because he was Wooyoung, the friend you loved and hated at the same time? Did you think you wouldn’t fall for him if you were mean to him? 

Because you were falling for him-

No. You had fallen for him long ago. Maybe before you two ever kissed. 

But it was Wooyoung. You never knew what was going through his head, so you resorted to being mean to him. If your feelings were one-sided, he would never let you live it down. Perhaps you realised that ages ago and put this wall between you as your defence mechanism. He had you wrapped around his fingers all along, yet you never noticed until it was too late-

Until you experienced what it would be like to be loved by Wooyoung- if you could call what he did ‘love’- he would find your eyes from across the room and share a smile, have your back whenever Haeun or someone else bullied you (mostly because he claimed only he was allowed to bully you), look at you with an intensity that made you fold in yourself, kissed you like he needed it, held you as if you could break, as if he never wanted to let you go, and worshipped your body as he made love to you. 

You realised then, that if things stayed the same and you two parted just like this, you’d never be able to move on. You needed to let him know some way, but you also needed to find out what he felt, because it was mostly his fault for making you feel so confused. If he had simply only come to fuck you and leave, you would have understood. You would have known his only goal was to satiate his somewhat questionable desires so you’d do the same. You’d perhaps hate him more by the end of it, but since he was almost acting like he was actually your boyfriend now? He needed to be responsible for it.

Two months were nearing their end just like that. You looked up at the sky and sighed- you had chosen this spot on the roof to get some air as you sorted your thoughts out. There was another secret passageway that you accessed to get to the roof- one that Yunho told you of years ago. You had asked him a few days ago if going to the roof was still safe, which was how you found yourself here tonight, the cool breeze relaxing you as you stretched-

You heard footsteps behind you and you turned, breaking into a smile. “Think of the devil.”

“I thought you’d be here,” Yunho said, sitting beside you on the bench. “Thinking about me?”

“I was wondering when you’d come find me here,” you admitted. “It’s been a while since we caught up, right?”

“Yeah, I really don’t get time to breathe these days,” he admitted, laughing. “My idea to call everyone here was good but I didn’t know it’d be this tiring.”

“Well, let’s hope you get to be the guest next summer instead of the host,” you smiled. “It’s really fun here though. Are you enjoying it?”

“Oh, I am,” he nodded enthusiastically. “There is a lot going on here.”

“Sure is,” you scoffed, knowing he was referring to the latest news. “You were right about someone going back engaged. Just never thought it’d be San of all the people.”

“Yeah,” he whistled. “I hope their parents are as enthusiastic about this idea as they are.”

“I hope so too. I hope it’s not just something they’re feeling in… the moment. Yuju’s not the type though, and neither is San.”

“What about you? Found a suitor yet?” He wiggled his brows. 

“Is that what we came here for? To find partners? You should have said in your letter ‘Matchmaking Service’ then- and what about you?”

Yunho grinned at what you said. “Me? I’m still a loner.”

“That’s what I’m asking, you idiot. Why are you still a loner? I thought she was interested in you?”

“She wasn’t serious about this. I don’t do flings,” he admitted and you felt a pang in your chest but also felt sorry for him.

“What’s her name? I’m going to kill her for breaking your heart first thing tomorrow-”

“No,” he laughed loudly. “I’m good. No hearts broken here. You, though, look like you just broke up without getting in a relationship.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “What do you know?”

“Nothing,” he shook his head innocently.

“Come on, spill. You can’t lie to me, Yunho, you know that.”

Yunho considered for a moment. “I don’t know much. All I know is Wooyoung drunk-cried and kept calling your name.”

“Wait, Wooyoung got drunk? That’s more surprising than him crying.”

“I know,” he sighed. “You know he’s always in his senses when he’s drunk, right? He only pretends to be drunk to tease you. But this time, it was just him and me. He actually got drunk. He didn’t say anything else so I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but he was a mess, y/n.”

Your heart sank as you processed what he had said. Why would Wooyoung be a mess? Was it just because he wanted to be with you because he was drunk, or…

“Are you going to tell me anything? Because I know for a fact something happened between you two before Wooyoung became a drunken mess.”

“Really? How?”

“You two are not the best actors,” he said and you pursed your lips in shame. “Maybe no one else has noticed but honestly? Not subtle at all.”

You scoffed at that. “That’s on Wooyoung. He’s shameless.”

“You look pretty lovestruck when you think he’s not watching,” Yunho said and you sighed.

“Okay, yeah. We’re… having a fling, if you can call it that-”

“Damn, not what I expected.”

“Yeah, whatever. Problem is… I may have caught feelings for him. And now I’m realising I’ve had feelings for him from way before.”

“You could have asked me, I would have confirmed it for you,” Yunho laughed. “You’ve always looked at Wooyoung differently, y/n, whether you admit it or not-”

“That’s because he’s a menace-”

“And he also treats you differently than the rest of us- or any of us, for that matter,” Yunho added and you shut up. “You’re both too hotheaded, egotistic to ever admit you could genuinely like each other. But… I think now’s a good time.”

“Well, I’m not the one who’s doing that,” you raised your hands in surrender. “And you can tell Wooyoung that he can stop being a drunken mess, man up and talk to me about it. Don’t tell him I said that.”

“I’ll convey the message,” Yunho nodded. “I hope everything sorts out. It’s be weird if you two got awkward after this.”

“Yeah,” you sighed again. “It’d be strange.”

“Because,” Yunho began, “You two always looked like you could kill each other one second and make out the next. Now it’s different because you look like you could do both of those at the same time.”

You laughed at that. “I really could. I should make up my mind, huh?”

Two days later, Wooyoung was in your room, roaming around and moving everything from its place subtly to annoy you as you finished writing and signing some important documents from back home. You signed the last one and took a deep breath, arranging everything before looking at Wooyoung from where you were sitting, currently poking at the fire.

“You seem to be tired.”

“I’m not,” Wooyoung turned to you. “What makes you think so?”

“You’re not talking,” you pointed out and he gaped at you more in surprise that you could notice that.

“Not tired,” he repeated, “just thinking about some stuff.”

“What stuff?”

“You know,” he tossed the poker away, “to keep myself from fucking you right on this table with all these ‘important documents’ under you. Maybe I could sign on your body too. Seal it with a stamp, eh?”

It was more Wooyoung’s dark gaze than his words that made you bite your lips and look away. “Shut up.”

“No, really,” he was smiling as he came closer. “I could do that right now too.”

It was amazing how quickly you became aroused when he said stuff like this. 

One moment you were sitting, and the next?

You were on that very table where he had done something like this for the first time. Your legs were wrapped around his waist, keeping him locked to your body as you put your arms around his neck, his hands holding your neck and angling you better as you exchanged open mouthed kisses, not caring how much sound you were making because the sound of your wet kisses made you both crazy.

“Oh god,” you moaned into his mouth. “You’re so good to me, baby.”

“You like when I do this?” He asked, kissing your neck just like he had the first time and you gasped, clenching his hair in your fist as he marked you, making you squirm underneath him. He broke apart to admire his work, smiling proudly and you slapped his arm.

“Stop looking at me like that,” you said.

“Like what?”

“Just… shut up and kiss me,” you started unbuttoning his shirt and he obeyed, kissing you, letting you take off his shirt and run your hands all over his toned body, let you put a hand in his pants and palm his cock as your kisses got more heated and deeper, let you take off his pants which was when he broke apart to slide the dress off of you as well, laughing as you undressed in a hurry until nothing but air kept you apart.

You spread your arms and he buried his nose in the crook of your neck, nuzzling the space sweetly as you both rocked back and forth. 

Another moment that should not have happened.

You urged him up, trailing your lips across his face and asked him to get inside you. He scoffed in amusement, “No prep?”

“I don’t need it,” you scoffed back and he shook his head when he noticed how soaked you were. He rubbed the head of his cock over your clit and wet folds a few times, making you almost break apart before sinking inside you slowly, deeply, settling and letting you both delve in the sensation. You resorted to kissing his neck in the meanwhile and he started moving inside you slowly, surely, like he had done so many times now.

You sighed in pleasure, throwing your head back and Wooyoung gently laid you on the table, surprising you when he held your legs and put them on top of his shoulders- a new position that made his cock feel way deeper inside you, the sensation of his movements also heightened. He noticed your parted mouth and he moved experimentally, making you both gasp.

“Gosh, you’re so tight. You like this?” He asked and you nodded, letting him hold your legs by the calf as he banged relentlessly into you as if challenging you to moan louder with each thrust, and you could do nothing but deliver, your climax approaching quicker than it had in any of your previous sessions. 

“I’m- so close, Wooyoung, please,” you managed to say, trying to hold on to something on the table but finding nothing. 

“Yeah?” He breathed. “I’m gonna make you see stars tonight, baby.”

That was a promise he fulfilled as he thrust deeper into you and you came all over him, breaking apart right there. Wooyoung chuckled deeply at the sight, pulling out of you.

“I’m not done with you, yet,” he told you and a faint smile crept on your lips as you asked him to take you to bed. He picked you up effortlessly and then you were on your bed and catching your breaths, him caressing your face as he kissed you deeply.

“Tell me something tonight, y/n,” he breathed against your ears after trailing kisses down that path. “Would you have done this with anyone else?”

“Done what?” You asked, genuinely confused.

“This,” he looked at you and you tucked his hair back, tracing his jawline. “I want to know if it could have been anyone else instead of me.”

Moments like these.

“And… why would you want to know that?”

You could see that he was holding back, shrugging it off with a smile. “I just do.”

“Well,” you shifted in his arms. “No one else is such a fucking menace and no one drives me crazy like you do, so I guess… probably not?”

“Gosh, I’m gonna miss this mouth of yours so much,” Wooyoung kissed you once and caressed your face. “I have to go back soon, baby.”

“How soon?” You managed to ask.

“I don’t know yet, but I know we’re short on time,” he kissed your cheek. “I want to make the most of the time we have.”

You were pretty sure he had heard the sound of your heart break- or at least caught the look in your eyes. You nodded and he paused in the middle of caressing your hair.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you said after a moment, smiling and shifting in his arms. “Let’s just make the most of the time we have, yeah?”

He nodded though he wasn’t smiling anymore. “How do you want me tonight?”

An open invitation. You smiled sadly as you took the leap of risk. 

“I want you to hug me. I want you to kiss me like there’s no tomorrow. I want you to make love to me, not fuck me like you just did. Then I want to hold you as we sleep, and wake up with you.”

Wooyoung’s heart sank. “You know, I would have done that anyway.”

“You know, you’re really bad at keeping boundaries, Wooyoung,” you started, the rage you’d been subsiding for a while now finally brimming out. “From the moment we started whatever this is… I don’t know-” you broke off and Wooyoung held your hands as an attempt to make you face him.

“Finish saying that,” he practically ordered and you glared at him.

“I just want to know where we stand, Wooyoung. Are we ending this tonight? Are we going to be just friends the next time we meet and pretend nothing happened here? Can you forget what happened here?”

“If you want me to forget, I will,” his jaw clenched though he seemed calm. 

“And if I don’t?” You dared ask and he met eyes with you, a thousand words unspoken between you two. He moved to join his forehead with you and the way your heart fluttered was unlike any moment you had shared so far.

“I don’t know what to do with you, y/n. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Oh, god,” you drew away and hid your face in your hands as you processed that. “Just tell me how you want this to end.”

“I don’t want us to break up,” his voice was low. “I… tell me what you want. I’ll be okay.”

“I’ve told you so many times,” you cried, finally looking at him, “in so many ways. I’m still afraid you’ll make fun of me if I show you what I really want.”

“God, no. I would never make fun of something like that, so tell me how you feel about me, please. I’m begging you, and I really hope we’re on the same page here, y/n, because I don’t know how I’ll move on if we aren’t.”

“You’re stupid,” you laughed between crying, making him laugh as well. “You’re a menace and you don’t let me breathe, but you’re also my best friend and you know me like no one else does. I don’t know how long I’ve loved you like this, but it’s long enough that I got so confused, and then you pulled this stunt and now we’re here and I’m a mess because if you don’t love me like I do… I don’t think I can move on.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Wooyoung laughed, kissing your knuckles. “I’m only like this when I’m with you. You know that, right?”

You nodded and he continued. “You’re my oldest friend and I’ve loved you for so long now. I took such a risk pulling this stunt but when you… when you kissed me back that night? You looked like you wanted to hurt me. What could I make of that? I let you have your way with me, and I kept falling deeper in love with you. I love it when you call me yours. I love it when you tell me there’s no one else who could make you feel this way, but had I known these were your confessions of love, I would have dropped to my knees right there.”

You laughed at that. “You’re so… oh god, I can’t look at you right now,” you drew away and hid your face in the blankets but Wooyoung wasn’t having any of it- he got on top of you, littering kisses everywhere on your back until you had to stop him because it tickled.

“Look at me,” his voice was deep and he crawled up to you, pinning your wrists to the side as he made you meet eyes with him. “You’re beautiful in every way- even this dirty mouth of yours,” he pecked your lips and you grinned. “You’ve always had me wrapped around your fingers, do you know that? I’m always waiting for you. I don’t know how long I’ve felt like this but I’ve wanted nothing more than to be with you. I love you so much, y/n-” he kissed you deeply and you met his energy back as if you could tell him that yes- you felt exactly the same. 

He let go of your wrists only to hold you to himself as he kissed you passionately, and now that your feelings were out in the open you couldn’t believe how different it felt. He craned one arm under you and held the back of your neck, the other repeatedly caressing your face as you basically devoured each other, and you made his cock slide between your folds so you could grind on him as you kissed, moaning into it and he didn’t let you breathe once. He swallowed every strangled gasp and groan that left you as he grinded back on you.

With much effort, you pulled him away only to look at him pleadingly and he understood, sliding his cock inside you and groaning loudly, peppering kisses all over your face before he hugged you.

“Gosh, I love you so much,” he tried moving but you kept your arms wrapped tightly around him, locking your legs around him.

“Please, stay like this for a moment,” you breathed, kissing his cheek. “I love this feeling. Tell me you love me again.”

“You’re going to end me,” he nuzzled your face with his nose. “I love you to death.” Your walls twitched at that and he groaned in your ears. “You like it when I tell you how much I love you?”

“Yes,” you sighed. “Oh, gosh, yes.”

“You’re mine,” he said and your walls twitched again and he couldn’t take it anymore- he thrusted inside you deep and hard, making you bite his shoulder to keep from screaming. “You hear me? You’re mine to love and mine to fuck.”

“I’m all yours,” you rocked against him. “I love you. I love you so much that it’s breaking me apart.”

Wooyoung nodded, kissing you again as he increased his pace, his thrusts wild but his kisses gentle, murmuring about how much he loved this repeatedly in your ears and when he groaned in the crook of your neck as he thrusted hard, you finally came with an unexpected rush, him joining seconds later but he kept thrusting to it as if he could mark it in your walls, deep, that he was yours and you were his.

You caught your breaths as you lay in each other’s arms and you cleared your throat. “You know, if you hadn’t been such a fucking idiot, we could have figured this out way earlier and I would not have felt like shit this whole time-”

“Shh…” he pecked your nose. “I don’t regret doing it this way. It was fun, no?”

“I’m pretty sure I would have rejected you if you asked nicely,” you wondered, nodding. “So I guess I should be thankful that you’re a menace?”

“You love it,” he grinned and you smiled, watching his breathing relax and his eyes shut.

“You better be coming to see me next month in my home with a proposal ring, Wooyoung. I’m not having you any other way.”

Wooyoung opened his eyes at that. “You sure?”

“You’re still not sure?!” You groaned. “Get out of my bed, Jung Wooyoung-”

“I’m only playing,” he laughed hysterically as you tried kicking him away. “Are we always going to be like this?”

“Isn’t this who we are?” You smiled. “No point changing now, right? Besides… I quite like you when you’re being annoying as hell.”

Wooyoung got on top of you and kissed you deeply, sliding his tongue in you and though you were tired, you found yourself making out with him again. He drew back, playing with the rock of your necklace.

“I quite like this filthy mouth of yours too. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Oh my god, mom’s gonna be so happy when she learns we finally gave in to each other.”

You frowned. “Did she already know?”

“Kind of. She made me buy this necklace for you and asked me to man up and confess. I had a better idea instead-”

The gasp that left you was unreal and you grabbed the nearest object- pillow- and smacked him hard, his high pitched laugh ringing in the air.

“Jung Wooyoung, you absolute brat!”

[thee-achilles]

🦩.|very powerful (& my fav) synastry aspects/overlays.

in honor of that valentine’s day season ig.

y’all act like i know shit about synastry. 🙄😒 y’all acted right 😈 here’s some of my fave powerful synastry aspects. 🙄

anyways this is an excuse to show my hand fixation 💪😒 a literal “odd flex, but okay.” i <3 hands.

let’s get this show on the road 😈

MOON-JUNO SYNASTRY

“LET’S GET MARARRRRRIIIIEEEEDDDD” that one tiktok. you know. the one.

i see no one speak on this. it’s SO PALPABLE. my first love’s moon was conjunct my juno. it makes you love and want to marry the person even if the other aspects create a rocky relationship. you want to take care of them and a part of them wants to take care of you. if other aspects are agreeable, this makes a wonderful long-term aspect.

juno is the asteroid that rules marriage and the moon rules our emotions, femininity, attachments, and nurturing, so it makes sense that with moon-juno synastry would make the moon person super attached to the juno person and vice versa.

the juno person knows that the moon person wants to or does take care of them well. the juno person makes the moon person mushy and want to take care of them even if they’re usually not the type to do so.

juno is the ideal partner and with your emotions, the moon, agreeing with that partner, it’s mostly perfect if other synastry aspects agree.

NORTH NODE CONJ NORTH NODE SYNASTRY

need i say more? it feels like you two feel like you were destined to meet. i have north node conj north node with someone i know and before we met, our parents talked about us to each other before we even saw each other. then, when we saw each other for the first time, i could tell we got the same feeling of “oh! i know you’re that person.” before we even EXCHANGED a word with one another.

you also have a similar path in life which means you get to help each other learn and grow. it’s giving long term if other aspects say yuh like ariana.

MOON IN THE 1ST HOUSE

god save the queen! sorry. anyways, this one screams wedding bells. y’all communicate telepathically. it’s like: 💆 “bro this bitch mad annoying don’t you think?” “bro i literally was JUST about to tell you that shit” 💆

also when you nurture each other, you feel nurtured through and through. it doesn’t leave you like “man, i really wish they did dadada-” NO 🤰 it leaves you frolicking in fields. 🧎 when will it be my time. y’all manifest this for me. IF YOU LOVED ME- 🙄😿

you can read each other so easily and can predict the most outta them. y’all are each other’s personal diary. it’s giving “hugging a pillow to your chest and talking about your secrets at a sleep over” type personal. also they understand your body.. if you catch my drift. 😏 i’m talking about body language, stupid 🙄😾

JUPITER-VENUS ASPECTS

**inhale, exhale**

COME ON, BRO.

i don’t see these aspects being talked about a lot 😿 which is why i’m here 😈 to talk about them 😻💁‍♀️

it’s just basic astrology at this point. jupiter is the planet of optimism and expansion. venus is the planet of love and beauty. when you’re with each other, you feel loved and feel beautiful. it’s like there’s this entire dome of energy around you two. constant smiles, playful bickering, little nitpicking (like pulling fluff off of their sweater nitpicking... so i guess knitpicking-), and LAUGHTER. this aspect gives me eugene and rapunzel vibes 🙄.

the “husband” and the “wife” planet is what basic astrology calls these two. shouldn’t the two spouse planets be together? wouldn’t they work in harmony? bring out abundance and joy together? i rest my case. 🧳👩‍⚖️‼️❣️

MERCURY-SUN/MOON ASPECTS

y’all.

my mercury dom self lives, dies, and breathes for these.

the moon aspects make words of affirmation a love language, and synastry with moon-mercury aspects LOVE to hear the other person talk. and then they’re like “you’re so smart :)) i would’ve never thought of that!!” LIKE????? OMG????

got my heart goin pi-ah pa-ah ❤️❣️‼️‼️‼️‼️🫂🫂

also i feel like sun and mercury aspects talk ALL the time?? like they just have so much to talk about and love sharing knowledge with each other. and it’s the kind where you’re like “you know that one thing where..” and the other person is like “YES!!” and you start laughing?? it’s absolutely amazing and i love it.

VENUS-PLUTO ASPECTS

🧍uh..

**crowd screams and runs away**

UGH. okay. whatever. i’m just not like other girls 😒

lemme crack this egg. venus-pluto aspects aren’t easy shit. they put you THROUGH it. drag you by your hair and humble you. BUT IF YOU BREAK UP WITH THE PERSON YOU GOT THIS SYNASTRY WITH... whew. it’s insane. what you realize after, the blessings you receive, the lessons you learn.. it’s like taking the rose-colored glasses off. you’re a changed person. it teaches you what you want/don’t want in love and reveals to you what you need in a relationship.

i know it’s a tough aspect, but in order to love better we gotta learn some lessons, right? it helps to prepare for the one we won’t want to make those mistakes with. it can be more helpful than you think.

not only that, but it’s filled with passion and intensity. it could be my plutonic venus speaking, but 😏 i like a little bit of that 😋 just a drizzle 🤏😁 i want them to be just a bit obsessed with me 😻❤️ i deserve it i think 🙄😒‼️

moving on.

JUPITER IN 2H/8H.

I AM SLAMMING MY TABLE.

me 💁‍♀️ and 😼 benjamin 😁 franco 👍 stay 🛏at 🅰️ the 🎩 banco 💰 getting 👩‍⚖️ checks ✅ like 😈 nike 💪 everywhere 🌎 that ❣️ i 🧍 go 🫂 if 🤨 you 🙏 ain’t ❌ getting 🏆 no 🙅‍♀️ pesos 🪙 qué 😨 estás 😩 haciendo⁉️ stack 🚸 it 😻 up 🆙 like 😒 legos 🧱 quiero🧴 dinero 👩‍💻

love jlo.

truly, she said it best: “yo quiero dinero.” SO DO I‼️‼️ this aspect gives you insane amounts of luxury when you’re with this person. you could be better at the lotto with them, feel abundant, or just your energy is higher to bring in abundance.

but this aspect isn’t all about money though 😒

you could realize new things about yourself or feel more comfortable to try new things with this person. self-discovery never stops. AND it’s enjoyable⁉️ sold. it’s just you two don’t feel like you’ll get judged around each other either because you’re ALWAYS encouraging each other to try new things. jelly tbh 😒

ANY 9H PLACEMENTS

yummylicious. learning with each other and enjoying it if positively aspected :)) it’s gorgeous to have and i feel like it doesn’t get hyped up enough!

you learn things you didn’t know anything about when with each other. you two could be a vastly different, too, but somehow.. it works.

teaching each other things gently and wholesomely. love love this overlay <33.

MOON SEXTILE/TRINE MOON

telling y’all right now.

MOON CONJUNCT MOON IS A SCAM 🤬🤬 y’all will literally understand how each other feels, but like?? idk y’all won’t know how to properly nurture each other. conjunctions are also a subtly harsh aspect, y’all. remember that.

so, in turn, i offer this 🤲:

it’s almost an immediate comfort and attraction, y’all. you guys understand each other SO WELL it’s insane. you guys will know how to nurture each other in the best way. i feel like you will bring out the best of each other emotionally and know how to love the other when they’re feeling down. you guys have your own way of expressing things, but you understand each other’s form of expression. THAT’S what makes it so beautiful.

this is a 10/10 aspect tbh. cherish this. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

JUPITER-JUNO ASPECTS

this is so cute to me.

jupiter and juno are married, right?? so... why should i explain this.. 🤨‼️

an amazingly abundant and COMMITTED partnership. learning together, being abundant, luck in this relationship, feeling lucky to be with the person..

that ☹️ should 🧍 be 🤝 me 😩 energy.

you guys have a sweet energy around each other. you may pick on each other like an old married couple, but it’s sweet and very humorous. i see you two laughing a lot and one person being charmed by the other. or this could go both ways!! :))

people can see how committed you are to each other and may even want to protect your partnership from malo. they see the value you two have for each other and they love that! this just seems so healthy to me omg.

ANYTHING TOUCHING THE IC.

and finally, this bad boy. :))

good or bad, this is extremely powerful. there is a familiar vibe to this person, and whatever it is touching your or their IC, that’s what it is. you just get that part of the person.

this could be bad if like malefic aspects are here. it could cause you to crack yourself open and see why you are the way you are.

this is amazing in friendships especially. i have this with a few of my buds on here!! <33 the banter is easy and familiar and fun. it’s so lovely omg.

if positively aspected, could mean your/their family loves them/you. :)) that’s so cute 😭😭

thank you guys so much for reading. it means the world to me. i’ve been working on this post for a few months so i could better my knowledge on synastry aspects and overlays. i hope you enjoyed!!

til next time, lovelies!! <33

©thee-achilles 2022

[neon-junkie]

Please Take Me Home - Part.1

Summary: Best friends since childhood - you and Eddie Munson are inseparable! A right pair, friends to the very end.

That is, until Eddie begins chatting with a stranger at a house party, and in your drunken state, your jealousy gets the better of you.

And your feelings.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x f!Reader

Tags: Best friends to lovers, Drinking, House party, Drunken confessions, Jealousy, Angst, Vomitting, Arguments.

Word count: 2.7k

[Part 2 - not posted yet]

Notes: I just love best friends to lovers, like not realising you have feelings for your bestie until something angsty happens. Ahhh!!!!

Loosely inspired by 'Please take me home' by blink-182, my fave band :>

"Which one?" you ask as you flick between two tops, pressing them against your torso in an attempt to mimic how they would look on your body.

"Either," Eddie shrugs. Ugh, no help. This is why you don't ask a man for fashion advice!

With a groan, you turn away to look at your reflection in the mirror, deciding for yourself. Back and forth, you flick between the two shirts, and eventually decide fuck it, and settle on one.

You hook the losing shirt back on your rail, and begin shimmying out of your current clothes, completely unfazed by Eddie who is sitting on your bed. He's seen you in your underwear countless times, as you've seen him in his - you're best friends, why would you be fazed about a little skin showing?

Best friends. Ever since you and your single father moved into a trailer in Forest Hills, back when your adult teeth were still coming through, and when scraped and bruised knees were somewhat of an accessory on you.

Eddie was timid back then, shy and nervous, with his short, almost buzzed hair, and curious doe eyes. You were the one to bridge the gap, offering to teach him how to ride your bike, back when he couldn't afford one of his own. His uncle has done everything in how power to provide for Eddie, even more so when he left his old job and started working at the Plant.

Middle school came and went, followed by High school, only Eddie wasn't fortunate enough to get out when you did. You're both 21 now, old enough to drink and party, and perhaps, one day, graduate.

Well, you graduated years ago, and the idea of college is still on your mind. Maybe one day, when you can afford it, but as of right now, your career in your local arcade is progressing, seeing as you're Assistant Manager.

Eddie loves calling you by your title whenever he pops by.

Speaking of Eddie, he's currently sprawled out on your bed, gawking at the stipple ceiling as you finish putting your outfit together. Your hair and makeup were done long ago, and you were praying on Eddie's fashion advice when he arrived, only it seems he's left your prayers unanswered.

"You okay, Eds?" you question as you take a seat beside him to pull on your leather boots.

"I'm just... not entirely excited for this house party, you know?" Eddie says with a soft shrug.

Ah, yes, the house party that you specifically were invited to. One of your co-workers is hosting, and has urged you to invite as many people as possible. "I wanna trash my new place," he explained when he verbally handed you the invite.

Eddie Munson alone is more than enough for the task, but you decided to invite a few of your own friends, and Eddie's band, seeing as they never leave that grubby garage of theirs, forever held up with sharp music, and sweat from hours of jamming. Fuck, they really stink.

"It'll be fine, you've met my co-workers many times before," you explain as you double-knot your laces. As you stand, you give your toes a wiggle, testing the tightness of your shoes before offering Eddie your hand. "Come on, we still need to pick some booze up."

"Ughhh," Eddie groans as he allows you to pull him up from your bed, his fingers automatically entwining with yours as you pull him out of your room, and through your trailer.

Your father exchanges goodbyes with you, along with a laugh, "call me if you get too drunk, and need picking up."

"We will do," Eddie replies, and sends him a salute before following you out of the trailer door.

Your co-worker's place is a twenty-minute walk from yours, and on the way, you pass a shabby corner shop. Perfect. Neither of you are driving, meaning you can get as fucked up as you please!

Eddie perks up on the walk; the crisp, late Summer air must be doing wonders for him, even more so when he has his first beer in hand. Your co-worker's place comes into your line of sight, and there's already people lingering around outside. The music can be heard thumping through the cheap walls, and you need not knock, welcoming yourself in without any issues.

Greetings are made, not just work your co-worker, but with many others that both you and Eddie recognise. Before you know it, the party is in full swing, and you find yourself tied to a game of beer pong with one of your co-workers frat friends.

Yeah, a frat boy. Who would have thought that such a man would be willing to mingle with a freak like you? Perhaps they aren't so bad, after all.

Either way, you're kicking his ass, not that he seems to mind. "Nice to have a lady in charge," he laughs before downing another one of his beers, followed by crushing the plastic cup in his grasp and tossing it to the floor, as if that was such a difficult task.

You shoot back another sly comment, earning a laugh from the crowd - but no laugh from Eddie.

Speaking of Eddie, where the fuck is he?

He had excused himself minutes ago to "go and piss," as he phrased it, but you're pretty certain Eddie doesn't take this long in the restroom. Whatever. He's a free man, and you're a free woman with a single cause - a cause to get shitfaced.

Beer pong soon finishes, and victory is yours! Chad, as he introduces himself, congratulates you after finishing his beers, making yet another comment about how nice it is to have a woman put him in his place. "Especially in those boots, woah!" Chad exclaims as he notices your chunky leather shoes.

"I take it you're not used to socialising with us freaks, huh?" you laugh, sipping on your drink with ease.

"Hey! I support everybody," Chad cheers. "Freaks and sluts, the lot of you! Everybody is welcome in my house!"

Okay. He's quite the character. Even if this isn't literally his house.

It's nice to have a frat boy on your side, as weird as it feels. You swiftly get hooked into a conversation with him, leaning against the kitchen counter, half-watching another game of beer pong between Eddie's band, and some of your co-worker's friends.

Speaking of Eddie, where the fuck is he? It's been... what? Half an hour since he vanished?

Fearing the worst, you excuse yourself from Chad, muttering something about needing a piss. Your co-worker's house isn't very large, and within minutes you find Eddie, lingering out the back on the porch.

However, he has company.

"Eds!" you gasp as you finally find him, only to lock eyes with his new-found friend.

Eddie casts you a salute, and to your surprise, he seems somewhat irritated by your presence. His new friend is another freak like you, covered head to toe in leather, lace, and fishnets, with heavy makeup, and hair so wild that it can never be tamed.

Oh.

Okay, you see what's going on here.

"I thought you'd fallen into the toilet," you excuse, giving a reason behind your sudden intrusion.

Intrusion. Fuck. That doesn't sound right. He's your best friend, why the fuck would you Intrude on him? You two don't keep secrets, you're both open books, only now you fear that, perhaps, there's a new chapter brewing that he isn't too keen on you seeing.

"I did, but this Princess pulled me out," Eddie explains as he gestures to the stranger, earning a soft laugh from her. "This is Raven," he introduces, before exchanging your name with the stranger.

Raven, ugh. What a stereotypical goth. You've only just met the woman, but for some reason, you hate her.

Maybe it's because her style is far better than yours, or because her dark eyeliner is complimented with a separate layer of gold eyeliner, creating a contrast against her dark skin. Shit, maybe it's because she's pretty. Really fucking pretty.

Too fucking pretty.

"Nice to meet you," you cast her an awkward salute, and she dares to sweetly wave at you, followed by complimenting your shirt.

The shirt that you weren't sure you should wear tonight. "At least someone here has good taste," you sarcastically comment, casting daggers at Eddie.

Raven chuckles at your joke, and okay, maybe you do understand why Eddie is sending her those puppy dog eyes and cheesy smile. You know, the one he usually makes at you.

It seems you've been replaced.

"I'll uh- leave you two to it," you shrug, not wanting to feel any more unwelcome than you already are. Or, well, than you've convinced yourself. Sure, they could just be mingling, two outcasts who currently don't feel like diving head-first into the party.

Or they could be flirting.

Yeah, the second option seems more likely.

Eddie is the type to flirt without realising it. You've had countless people assume you two are a couple, seeing as he speaks to you in such a way. Sweetheart, Darling, Babe, Honey - all pet names, but to you, they're just nicknames.

Just nicknames.

Just friends.

Best friends.

Before either can reply, you duck back into the house, and nudge your way into the heart of the party. Your eyes scan the perimeter; Chad is talking to a small handful of similar looking guys (his frat pals?), your co-worker is sitting on the couch with a few mutual friends, and Eddie's band members have taken up the dining room table.

Prefect.

You go over to your backpack, stored by the front door, and pull out the bottle of sambuca that you brought earlier. It's cheap, and lukewarm, but give yourself a few shots, and the taste will no longer matter.

You grab a cup of punch on the way over, and make your presence well known as you settle down with your friends. Your friends. Not just Eddie's, despite the fact that he introduced you to them. They welcome you with open arms, but also disgust, seeing as you're carrying poison in your grasp.

"May I entice you gentlemen into a drinking game?" you suggest as you take your seat.

Glances are shared between them, and despite their disgust, they agree. "On the condition that we can wash the taste down," Gareth agrees, not wanting the lingering taste of anise in his mouth. Nor do the others.

Perfect.

You've pulled.

You're in luck.

The man of your dreams is on your lips. He's smooth, pale, gorgeous, and accompanying you through this sea of regret and bad decisions.

After rinsing your mouth out with lukewarm water, and wiping your lips with toilet paper, the man of your dreams goes flush! as your latest batch of sick swirls and disappears in the toilet.

Fuck.

How did it come to this? The decor of your co-worker's bathroom spins and swirls, but sets into place as you focus on the sink, sitting down on the bathroom floor. Finally, you no longer feel your guts sprinting up your throat, and for a split second, you feel nothing but peace.

Until there's a knock at the door.

As your eyes move, your surroundings take a second to flow with it, lagging before finally coming into focus. Ugh, someone's pounding at the door, probably desperate for their turn with your man.

Heavy boots meet the tile floor as you push yourself up, clutching onto the chilling walls as you slowly walk over. "Hang on," you groan, before finally introducing your sweaty palm to the doorknob. You unlock the bathroom door, and swing the door open, expecting someone to dash past you and spew in the toilet, unbothered by your presence.

Only, they don't.

"Are you alright?" Eddie questions, his body leaning against the door frame.

Oh, yeah, you almost forgot he existed. Eddie Munson, your best friend of a million years, the man who has seen you through everything, only to drop you for some pretty goth girl that he's met at this house party.

Yeah, beeeest fuckkingggg friiendsssss!

"Baby, I'm stellar," you say with a laugh. "Fucking bitchin', or whatever the phrase is," you groan, and push yourself out of the bathroom, your boots coming into contact with the shabby hallway carpet.

"I heard you chucking your guts up," Eddie states as he fishes his arm around your waist, and pulls your arm over his shoulders. You do nothing but stand there, undecided on your next destination in the party, or target, depending on what you're up for.

Your drunken mind speaks for you, enraged with jealousy. You don't have feelings for your best friend, you totally don't! But it would have been nice for him to, at least, consider you an option before making a move on that stranger. "You heard me over your girlfriend?" you laugh.

"Girlfriend?" Eddie repeats with disgust. "Are you talking about Raven? We've only been hanging out. Not in the mood to party hard, like you," Eddie grumbles, seeming rather appalled by your words, but he makes no effort to remove you from his grasp.

"Oh, so she's a quirky social outcast like you, huh?" you say with a laugh.

Eddie sternly mutters your name, and shrugs your arm from around his shoulder, taking back the helping hand that he offered moments ago. "What's got into you, huh?" Eddie grumbles, his brows furrowing.

You've only seen that expression once before, but there was kindness laced within it. Back in Middle School, you made the foolish decision of chasing after a boy that was only stringing you along, and Eddie was there to lovingly tell you off after he warned you about the mess you were about to put yourself in.

And now, it seems you're in another mess, only there is no loving gaze laced within Eddie's expression.

"Alcohol," you mindlessly shrug, and let out a soft laugh, attempting to lighten the situation.

Eddie huffs, "I see what's going on here," he mutters. His eyes flick to the stairs, mentally calculating how he's going to assist you down them, before focusing back on you. "Come on, I'm taking you home," Eddie practically orders.

To make things worse, you stir the pot even more. You peer over your shoulder, and let out a laugh as you reply, "huh? Oh, you're talking to me? I thought Raven was behind me!"

Eddie is visibly seeing red, his fists bunching up at his side. "I'm not dealing with this," he abruptly huffs. "Either you let me take you home now, or you can... shit!"

"What is it?" you grumble, and reach out to hold onto the wall, keeping your unstable body upright.

Subconsciously, Eddie begins drumming his foot against the floor. His hands cross over his chest, and he refuses to meet your gaze. "I was going to tell you to make your own way home, but I can't do that to my best friend, alright?"

His eyes meet yours, and only now do you feel bad for riling him up. Shit. Best friend. He's your best friend in the whole wide world, and you've got worked up over a girl that he met only hours ago.

"Best friend," you scoff. Your feet begin moving for you, and before you realise, you're slowly making your way down the stairs. Best friend.

Best. Friend.

"I'm staying for a little longer," you explain on your slow decline, not looking over your shoulder at Eddie, who is watching you from the top of the stairs. "Go back to your girlfriend," you scoff, biting the bullet once more.

Your feet meet the bottom of the stairs, and under your breath, you mumble, "it's not like I was ever an option," before making your way back into the heat of the party.

Eddie, who, for once in his life, is relatively sober at a house party, heard your drunken mutter. His fists clench tighter, and without a second thought, he makes his way into the bathroom. Silence. A moment alone. A minute with his thoughts. That's all he needs right now, some time to consider if your drunken rambling is just that - drunken rambling - or a confession slipping through your lips.

[zablife]

@brummiereader Another amazing chapter, Brummie! I apologize I've only just gotten around to leaving my thoughts, but as usual I had so much I wanted to convey...

Starting the chapter with a universal truth, Tommy is a slut 🤣 We all seem to know it except our sweet summer child who seems to think: 1-it was possible he was unaware she was listening (despite banging on the wall?!?) and 2-he loved the woman he was with. Smh

"Poor little rich girl, they would surely call you" Oops, I think I already did in my chapter 1 comments, but let the record show, I deeply regret it now that I understand her predicament. However, you have to admit she's so formidable in her attitude one forgets how vulnerable she is underneath the bravado. I had to laugh as Charlie steps aside, unwilling to challenge her when she rages at Tommy!

The scene that follows is a master class in comedy btw! The dialogue and timing are so witty, I couldn't stop giggling 🤭 The entire exchange about it being cold was *chef's kiss* But my fave thing about it is the way the scene ends with grannie's melodramatic thought hanging in the air like a soap opera voiceover.

Side note: Grannie has a past 😱 At least we know she understands the attraction to Tommy tho. Ahhh, and so does Frances!! "I'm starting to believe they're enjoying it"

The romantic undertones of their ballet outing took me by surprise ngl. I was positively giddy at Tommy's thoughtful gesture. Tho I loved how you held the tension/flirtation in the little power plays with her being late and arguing over directions. The look over crinkling the bag of sweets (I died!) And the heartfelt goodnight was everything I wanted him to say before about Cal 🥹

For a minute I believed Tommy was leaving the office to do something to Cal! (That's for a later time I'm sure) I should have known he wouldn't allow Y/n to face her father's funeral alone. What a lovely, heartfelt ending to this chapter! But what will happen when Cal hears Tommy was at her side? I'm a little scared to find out 😬

MASTERLIST PREVIOUS PART

Uptown Girl (Part Three)

Summary: After an eventful morning of bickering between you and Tommy over a misunderstanding on his part. He attempts to make amends in his own way by inviting you out for the evening. But as growing feelings start to arise between the two of you, so does Tommy's frustration for your continued defensive stance about your fiance's violent tendencies towards you.

Warnings: Language, fluff, angst, mentions of domestic violence

Word Count: 5286

Authors Note: The song played during the performance is called "Pas De Deux" by Tchaikovsky. A famous song you may have heard from the renowned ballet "The Nutcracker".

He can't come. No. Absolutely not! Why did he even agree to it? What was he up to? your nagging brain bugged you with a deluge of questions about Tommy's unexpected acceptance of invitation to your engagement ball as you tossed in your bed, kicking the white linen covers tangled around your legs with a huff. Had he caught on to your plan? Was he going to...sabotage it? your eyes flew open as you bolted up, your head quickly snapping to the wall behind you and the squatter that dwelled in the room next to yours.

That bastard, your burning eyes narrowed in on the empty ivory wall, accusing him of a multitude of misgivings your tired weary brain had concocted up. Now it was you, who was lacking in sleep.

For just as you had refused the blue-eyed trespasser little rest with your impromptu morning wake-up calls. Tommy had been quick to return the favor, when during the late hours of last night, he had invited a guest to his room. Keeping you up with her incessant moaning, begging and whatever other ungodly noises he had coaxed from her.

He did it on purpose, you convinced your frazzled brain as you glared at the wall and the scuff marks from your furious banging that seemed to only have spurred on his loud antics. But as Arrow Houses' bustling life entered your ears, dulling out your frantic thoughts, your body slumped down to sit at the end of the bed in a heap. The anger you had felt for the entirety of the night as you plotted your next retaliation, rapidly seeping from you as a sudden wave of exhaustion settled above your shoulders, weighing them down with further despair as you watched the fluttering shadows of the large oak tree outside your bedroom window dance across your paneled flooring.

How many more years would you keep this act up for? That you could battle through anything, with only witty comebacks to hide behind? You could feel your facade slipping day by day. And in the quieter moments of your life where you found yourself alone with your thoughts, you would remove your mask and find the vulnerable girl scared of not only the future, but the next hour staring intently back at you.

The lack luster you felt for the life you had been born into, had started to feel as foreign as the many Latin books your governess would have you learn in your dreary years of schooling. Mr Shelby's presence only making your feelings ever the more poignant

For as much as his appearance into your life had conjured up a fury enough to match that of Grannie's short temper, he had also brought excitement. And after the previous nights' relentless noise, jealously. Jealousy for the sounds of pleasure you yourself had never experienced. For the love you assumed they shared.

Is this what you were destined for, a life of service to your awaiting husband? Seen not heard, like an unwanted child? Forever chained to his wealth, but penniless? Violently rutted into like an animal at his will? you thought to yourself as your absent stare, welled with tears blinked through your soft sobs. Suddenly it seemed easier to wear the mask after all. Rather that than face your potential future and the tormenting hope you still held out for that the deeds to Arrow House would return in your favor.

Poor little rich girl, they would surely call you when everything came to light, when the scandal broke and the gossiping began. And with your lack of funds to give yourself a life of meaning. Those words couldn't be truer.

"On the left. No, to the left, Curly. Bleeding Christ man!" you heard the raspy voice from outside your room as you rubbed the tears from your eyes, when a loud thud to your door had you racing for its glossy brass handle.

" What...what on earth have you done to my wall?" you frowned upon seeing two men outside your bedroom with a stack of boxes between them and a large dent in your once immaculately painted hallway.

" Moving this junk to the attic" the tallest with a peak cap and a burning cigarette between his lips spoke as he picked up the hefty box in his arms.

So you were the posh girl that Tommy had been burning his ears with every bloody day after work. Same girl he wouldn't stop ranting and raving about until last orders at the Garrison, he thought to himself as he squinted at you through the fumes of tobacco drifting between you both. Infatuation for a pretty face, and a stubborn enough will to match his own, more like.

" Not junk, Charlie. Get a pretty price down market for this" the other eagerly replied as he pulled out a pair of ladies' hair rollers and a bundle of weathered ballet programs.

"Shut up, Curly" his friend replied, notioning with his head to the end of the hallway, when you stopped him and began rummaging through the contents in his hands.

" Junk! JUNK!" You shouted, grabbing the dusty box of your mother's belongings from his arms as his brow furrowed at your erratic reaction, now frantically pulling all the remaining boxes into your safeguard.

" Who told you to..." you stopped yourself, as your hand came to your sweaty forehead and an agape smile of both disbelief and annoyance appeared on your reddening face as the only culprit capable came to mind. "Him right?! The squatter?!" You pointed to Tommy's door as your hardened stare flew to the two men staring back at the unlikely image of a woman that had spent most of her life learning her P's and Q's, waving her finger around maniacally like a mad woman with wild frazzled hair.

" That's it. That, is, it!" you shouted as you stormed the few feet to his bedroom door, your marching arms making a strong enough point to your two bystanders just how furious you were.

" Better warn Tom, Charlie" Curly leaned quietly into him as he watched you begin to pound on the door with angry fist's

" Nout we can do for him now. Best leave 'em to it" he replied, pinching his cigarette between his fingers from his lips as he turned down to the stairs. "Curly!" he called after his giddy friend as your once perfectly primed patience lost its ability to wait any longer, and you threw open his door.

" Fucking hell, here she comes" Tommy mumbled, turning his head to see you charging towards him with a face like thunder.

" Get up. Get up!" you screeched at him and the stranger sleeping beside him as he reached to light a cigarette before you pulled the covers from his body without any caution as to exactly how much clothing he was wearing.

With a gasp of shock from you, and a horrified scream from the woman beside him, you quickly span around with blushing cheeks from the image of Birmingham's most notorious gangster as naked as the day he was born. Oh dear. You may have taken it a little too far this time.

"What the fuck! Crazy bitch!" the stranger who had spent the night with him bellowed aloud as she leaped from the bed, scrambling for her clothes.

" I'm ever so..." you began to apologise to the woman who shut you up in one quick scornful glare, waiting by Tommy with her hand out as your curious eyes darted subtly to the side to see the exchange of money for her services. So you had been wrong. They were not lovers. At least, not in the sense you thought, your mind quizzed you as to who exactly had been servicing who last night with the sounds of her moans of ecstasy still ringing in your ears.

" Learn to knock" the woman spat, pushing past your shoulder with a thud as she sauntered from the room.

" Mr Shelby..." you said at the sound of the door closing when Tommy stopped you from not only giving him his daily telling off, but from your flushed face from turning around.

" Unless you want another look, sweetheart. I'd stay put until I put some clothes on" Tommy said with a smirk, practically seeing your rolling eyes of irritation from the back of your head.

" I do not" your heated cheeks huffed impatiently as you let the weight of your annoyance sit on your hip cocked to one side. Something Tommy had no shame in enjoying the view of as he pulled up his trousers, purposely taking his time to button them up to get a better look at your nightie draped over the curves of your waist.

"Are you decent?" "Yes" he mumbled through the cigarette now clasped between his lips as he ignited the orange glow, pulling his eyes away from the plump bum in front of him.

Spinning around, ready to give him a piece of your mind, and if he wasn't careful, a blow to his perfectly chiseled jaw. You came face to face with not a fully clothed man, but one only partially dressed.

Decent, you huffed to yourself in annoyance at his inability to dress correctly in front of company, as your lingering eyes that seemed to have garnered a brain of their own lately, glanced over his strong form and the various inked tattoos across his torso.

"Y/N?" Tommy broke the brief silence with a grin, blowing out a cloud of smoke as his own eyes raked over your less than modest clothing. Sheer enough to see the beckoning shadow of your...

" Do you possess anything other than a pair of trousers, Mr Shelby? A shirt perhaps?" You frowned, scrambling away from your heated thoughts about the half naked man in front of you.

" It's summer, Y/N. And hot " Tommy replied nonchalantly as he stubbed his cigarette out on the metal knob of the bed frame, earning him another scornful glare.

" Hm, really? I thought you looked rather cold" you smirked, looking down at his suited trousers as Tommy cocked a brow, and audibly loud scoff at your snarky remark that he was not as endowed as his enormously large ego simultaneously left his lips.

" I think you're the one that's cold, love" Tommy nodded down at the thin fabric loosely shielding your modesty. The open window and summer morning breeze drifting through, resulting in an embarrassing pointy display. Or that's what you told yourself, and not the result of your eyes falling upon the sizable manhood you had just insulted.

" Go on then. Tell me what I've done now, ey?" Tommy asked, perching himself up against the bedroom dresser as he watched you stomp towards him with a knitted blanket now guarding your revealing sleep wear, and a ferocious frown to match it. A frown he had begun to find a small, endearing charm for. His very own personalised greeting you welcomed him each morning with as you barged into either his office or bedroom.

" You may have commandeered my office, Mr Shelby. Crammed it full of your ghastly sense of decor. Taken over half of my house. But nothing, nothing gives you the right to move those boxes" your lip quivered with fury at the thought of your mother's memory being banished to the attic in the house she had died in, when ill health prematurely took her from you.

" Boxes, love. Nothing to get your knickers in a twist over. If you were wearing any that was, his intrusive thoughts about what lay beyond your night gown entered his brain as he cleared his throat. "They were collecting dust. Damp with water "

" Boxes to you, Mr Shelby" you replied, hiding the pang of guilt now sitting in your stomach for the care he had shown for them and not that of your own, having been so caught up in your life's recent events to notice your mother's possessions slowly spoiling.

" Y/N" he grabbed hold of your arm, realising they held more meaning than what you was willing to let on as you tried to escape him from seeing your rapidly mounting embarrassment, and misplaced emotions." They were sitting in water, love" he marched after you as you shrugged off his hand. " Had them moved to the attic until the leak was fixed" he called out, following behind your plodding steps down the stairs as your Grannie watched in the foyer, waiting for the morning tea you had arranged with her to finalise the last details of you father's funeral set to take place the following day.

" Not talking to me now, eh?"

" No I'm not" you turned around, abruptly coming to a sudden stop. " I wouldn't even have to entertain the thought of talking to you if you would just leave my house and stop being so stubborn!" You bellowed, using the occasion to push him to vacate your home.

" I'm stubborn?" Tommy scoffed pointing at himself as your Grannie watched the half clothed conflict with widening eyes, steadying her racing imagination with her cane firmly adhered to the marble flooring.

Oh dear lord, he had corrupted your innocent nobility. A backstreet criminal! Grannie's brain whirled dramatically in horror at history repeating itself. Her own history, that was. Filled with unsavory secrets she had done her upmost to not see the light of day until she herself was firmly six feet under to avoid the scandal it would create among high society.

" Darling, you're the one having the tantrum" he said following after your stomping feet as you continued your decent down the stairs, ignoring his remarks before you launched something at his head, and the last of your taught lady like manners along with it.

" Annie" you said coming to a stop in front of one of the youngest maids under your employment as Tommy loomed beside you, the unfinished argument and continued half-assed silent treatment only grating on him further. " Please tell the cook to prepare chicken for lunch" you smiled to her as you turned to leave, only to walk into the blue-eyed barrier right behind you.

" Mutton, Annie" Tommy corrected your dinner orders as you stood mere inches from his muscular, sweaty frame. So close, you could see the follicles of the graying tuft of hair on his firm chest and that of him armpits as he waved his arm about.

" Excuse me, but no. No we won't be having "mutton" "you did your upmost to mirror his deep brummie lilt, replicating the heavy grovel of his accent with as much flare as you could as Tommy's arching brow looked down at you.

" Chicken, Annie. Please" you span back around, only for Tommy to interrupt your dinner suggestion a second time as the young worker and your Gran watched your bickering recommence with darting eyes.

" Shut up! Shut up!" Annie blurted out with scrunched eyes when her hand flew to her mouth as her outburst caught up with her frazzled thinking

" Annie" you gasped in surprise, when both a giggle from you and a low chuckle for the trespasser behind you followed. Mutually finding amusement in the usually composed maids' sudden scolding of you both as your Grannies hand flew to her chest in horror for the disorder of things you two had created in such a small amount of time.

" Oh god. Please don't fire me, or...or shoot my knee caps off" the young maid panicked as Frances rushed to bring things back to a status quo, ushering the jittery member of staff away before an ambulance was called for your Gran, who was now frantically fanning the dizzying distress on her face.

" I'll ask the cook to prepare both chicken and mutton. Can you both agree on that? " Frances looked between you both with raised brows as a mother would her unruly offspring, trying to keep the peace in her chaotic home free from the constant bickering of two strong-headed children.

" Fine" you both said in unison before going your separate ways, having been reprimanded by your housekeeper. Both of your abilities to rile the other up in an exceptional amount of time, simmering for a brief moment for the rest of the household to take a well-earned breather from your back and forth demands.

" Frances, dear" your Grannie beckoned your loyal housekeeper quietly to her."Tell me" she said, holding onto her arm with her frail hands as she leaned in. " How long has it been since war was declared?" she queried, pressed to puzzle through what she feared was truly behind both of your dramatic disdain for the other. For nothing could get past Grannie's keen eye, and knack for discovering the truth.

" Ever since Mr Shelby shot Miss Y/N's piano, Mam. I'm starting to believe they're enjoying it" Frances sighed as your Gran nodded her head in agreement, fearing you had inherited the same taste in men she herself found her younger years in a pickle with after a dally with a man from Digbeth she'd sneak out to see every night.

" It seems so, Frances. It seems so..."

" Get changed" Tommy ordered you as he swung your bedroom door open later that day, rummaging through your wardrobe, then throwing one of your many evening dresses into your lap as you read quietly in the corner by a small lamp.

" I will not" You scoffed as your eyes darted up to see him motioning with his hand to do as you were told as if it was the norm between you both to just barge through someone's bedroom

" Come on. Chop, chop" he said, cupping the domes of his palms around the flame at the end of his cigarette.

What did he want to do, watch? Not that you would do anything he says, you huffed with your brows raised as you returned to your book, neither questioning nor entertaining what exactly it was you had to change for.

Well, you hadn't told him to leave. That was a start. Did you want him to stay and watch? Tommy's mischievous eyes perked up as a playful smirk etched on the corner of his plump lips.

" Y/N" he said, snapping the book close between your fingers with a grin. Gaining your attention and a knitted frown firmly sat on your brow.

" What do you want?" You pouted, placing your book to the side as he loomed next to you. Awfully close next to you. A red cheek inducing closeness that your eye level met with not his insufferable cocky face but, halfway down his body to his buckled belt.

" Think of it as my way of saying I was...wrong" he said, removing two neatly pressed pieces of paper from within his jacket." This time" he pointed to you before your triumphant smile grew any bigger as he handed them to you.

Since your blazing row earlier that morning, Tommy had made a point to understand what exactly had you so riled up over a few boxes. So, after making a beeline for the attic, and to the items in question that had you barge into his room. He quickly came to the sudden realisation of what caused your unexpected emotional outburst when he pulled out a bundle of aged ballet tickets crayoned with hearts and flowers in your younger self's name and that of the former lady of Arrow House. The keepsakes of precious memories spent together buried within many trinkets and cherished belongings. Your mother's belongings. Shit.

" Ballet?" You looked up at him with a quizzical brow. " Didn't think you the type"

"No. But you are. How longs it been since you last went to Royal Theater, eh?"

"Many... many years" you said absently turning them in your hand as a yearning to relive your childhood years panged in your tightening chest and the olive branch of peace he had offered you

" And if I decline what will you do? Shoot me?" You quirked a brow as Tommy's lips tightened together with a smirk.

" I've shot people for a lot less, love" he said shoving his spare hand in his pocket as he took a drag from his cigarette with a smile.

"Be ready in an hour" he turned to leave, not giving you any further opportunities to decline his offer. " And if you behave yourself, I might even treat you to a packet of sweets " he called out before shutting the door as you looked down at the tickets in your hand, the inner child in you excitedly biting your bottom lip as a wave of gratefulness for his thoughtful gesture warmed your heart. Not that you would tell him of course, you smiled to yourself as you mischievously planned to delay your readiness by thirty minutes. Just so things were clear, that you were still furiously irritated by his presence. Wasn't you?

After a short drive into town and a bickering match over the quickest route to the theater. You managed to take your seats in the renowned function room without killing each other, with a brown paper bag of lemon drops in your hand promised to you by Tommy on route if you would just give his ears a rest for five minutes.

" 'ere" he beckoned his hand out for one of the boiled treats he had already helped himself to half of as you shoved them into his awaiting hand, succumbing to the fact that he had infact, brought them for himself.

As the lights dimmed, you shot your unwelcome houseguest a stern look of disapproval at his rummaging hands noisily wading through the small packet of sweets. His rolling eyes taking one last lemon treat before folding them into his suit jacket. Since when did he start listening to your bossy demands?

As Tommy quietly sat back in the comfort of his crimson chair, you couldn't have been further off the edge of yours as your hands rested on the balcony edge, watching each pirouette in front of your eyes as the lulling tune of Pas De Deux's strumming harp prickled your skin with each delightful note.

Mesmerised by the graceful dance, a sudden wave of your childhood memories came hurtling towards you, taking you aback with the emotional rippling tides of times spent that came with them.

As you stayed silently captured by the elegant twirling in front of you, Tommy's eyes flicked back and forth towards your glistening stare as you gasped at the male leader throwing the ballerina into the air, then capturing her in his arms before spinning her in his hand.

And there it came, rushing towards him. His own sudden gentle wave in the sea of peaceful music of violins vibrating through his chest and quickening heart, captivating him as it did during your very first encounter. Holding his full and undivided attention as he sat silently in the shadow of the candelabras casting their orange glow around the beauty before him.

The most annoying, most irritating, strong-willed stubborn woman he'd ever laid eyes upon. The same woman he had tried his upmost to ignore the yearning her beauty had coaxed from him every waking hour. You. Insufferable you.

" I want to thank you, Mr Shelby" you said after returning from the evening of graceful dancing, unaware of Tommy's heavy breath following your every move. The two hours he had spent watching you as your gaze stayed distracted by the nimble-footed dancers whilst he took advantage of the peaceful moment of silence between you both to take in the delicate details of your beauty. The soft feather-like batting of your fluttering lashes, the way your skin puckered with a dusting of goosebumps as the drums boomed throughout the theater, your wetted lips glistening in the light of the soft glow of the candles surrounding you.

Fuck. What was happening to him? You were the biggest pain in the ass he'd ever encountered. Wars with rivaling gangsters were a breeze compared to the daily headache you gave him, he thought to himself as he slowly trekked up the stairs behind you, lingering out his goodbyes for the evening.

" For what?" He questioned you as he came to a stop with you outside your adjoining rooms, yearning to see the peacefulness you had let him glimpse at earlier in the evening that took his breath away.

" For tonight. For letting me forget everything" you replied as you darted your eyes to and from his piercing stare boring into you.

"It was my pleasure" his gravely voice tapered off as you waited on him with a small frown at his sudden lack of snarky remarks. "Y/N, I..." Tommy softly added as your doe eyes and plush lips beckoned his rising hand closer before you turned your head away, unaware of his approaching touch that had already swiftly found its way back home to his side with a sigh.

" I should get some rest. My father's funeral is tomorrow at nine" you said, brushing an escaping lock of hair from your neatly pinned tresses as you watched the knot of frustration bob up and down in his neck.

" Right" he cleared his throat as he stepped back, suddenly feeling like a shy schoolboy with a one-sided crush. Was it one-sided?

" Thankfully, it will only be a small ceremony. Just close family. Me, my gran and brother. My father seemed to have burned all bridges with everyone else he knew. Not that I blame them" you exhaled with a small laugh, babbling through your nervousness and the shift away from the constant arguing you had both become accustomed to, absent from your date. Date. Was it a date?

" Your fiance won't be accompanying you? Tommy questioned with a furrowed brow as he watched your hand clasp around the polished door handle as you shook your head.

" He has business to attend to" you replied, as his confusion about your defense of Cal's priorities began to grate on him until he could no longer withhold his opinion on exactly what he thought of Earl Astor and his heavy hand.

" Doesn't sound like the actions of a man about to marry the love of his life" Tommy scoffed as you swallowed back the reality of your loveless circumstances and how true his words were.

" It's complicated. He's complicated" you did it again, without thought. Was you trying to keep up the act, or were you trying to find reasoning for why you gave him so much say in your life?

" He's certainly something" Tommy said as he looked to your bruised wrist, your weighted bracelet having unveiled the blotchy marks as you rested your hand on the knob of the door.

" It's not what you think. You wouldn't understand" you said, quickly covering the blackening marks of violence stained on your soft skin.

" I think I understand perfectly, love" Tommy's brow raised, as he watched your irritation for the truth he was laying bare simmer under your tightening jaw." There's no difference in class when it comes to a man that lays his hand on a woman. The only question I have is why, Y/N? Why does a woman so bloody strong headed, so..." Tommy stopped himself with a sigh at your furrowing brow and scrunched nose in response to his less than flattering remark as his patience grew thin for your acceptance of fate. "so...smart" he said, as his eyes drifted to your blushing cheeks and batting eyes looking up at him. " Let a man like that bastard ruin her beauty and spirit?" he finished, holding your gaze as a silence settled above you both. Tommy's compliments and truthful words of reality embedding themselves into your spinning thoughts.

" Because I have no choice, Mr Shelby " you said, stiffening your bottom lip, stifling both your mounting emotions and threatening tears from escaping.

How could he possibly understand the plights of a woman's life? The pressure engraved into you from early childhood to find a husband and bare his children before you turned into a barren spinster. To be locked away in embarrassment in the darkest room of your family's home, for the future you didn't provide to further their finances and noble name.

Withstand, endure. And if you were lucky, flee from the life you were born in to until that darkened dusty room took it for you.

" Goodnight Mr Shelby" you flatly bid your goodbyes as you opened your bedroom door. Holding onto your sobs until the click of the handle safely shut you away from his watchful eye and you was able to release the sorrow you felt for your almost inescapable future.

" Goodnight"

When the following morning came around, Tommy sat quietly in his Watery Lane office, mulling over the previous night's events and your parting words as he stared absently out the weathered glassed window, listening to the bustling life of Small Heath awake. As the hand of his gold pocket watch struck nine, Tommy rose from his leather seat, striding over to his hat and jacket.

" Tommy, Johnny wants to know where to dump the latest shipment" Arthur sniffed as he pushed the door open with a folder of papers under his arm. "Tom?" He said as he watched his brother adjust his peaked cap on his head, checking the hour of his watch for a second time.

"Sort it out. I've somewhere to be" Tommy replied, as he tucked his gold trinket back Into to the safety of his waistcoat.

" Where?" Arthur called out with a huff, dropping the files of papers onto the mounting stack on Tommy's desk that had yet to be signed.

"Somewhere important"

Stood by the open grave of your father, with your grandmother and brother opposite you and the freshly dug hole. The priest waited with sighing breath at the sorrowful lack of attendees at the service he was set to give.

" Shall we begin?" he looked up to the only three remaining family members before opening his book of prayers.

" Dearly beloved, we gather here today to..." His voice trailed off into silence as your blinking eyes filled with tears looked down at the coffin of your father feet from you when the distinct smell of burnt tobacco and sharp notes of whisky filled your senses, the warmth of his arm pressing into yours as he settled his position next to you.

" We lay our servants' body to rest. That he can..." The priest continued as you turned to look up at the smartly dressed man beside you.

" You came, why?" You quietly sobbed as tears trickled down the curves of your cheeks, a fleeting frown of surprise creasing the soft flesh between your brow at his unexpected appearance.

" To pay my respects" Tommy replied as he looked down at you, and the small smile of gratitude whispering back to him silent thank yous.

" Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..." The priest prayed as your father's coffin was slowly lowered into the ground, and your grandmother's weeping for her only child broke through the silence of the graveyard as your brother held her frail body steady against his own.

As the thud of the coffin hit the bottom of its final resting place, a sudden sob of pain escaped your throat as you stood afar from the comforting arms of your grandmother and brother. That was until your own subtle gesture of comfort was felt when the calloused pads of someone's hand brushed soothingly along your knuckles. The same hand of the man that had shown you more sympathy, more care and attentiveness than you had ever received from your supposed future partner in life.

Mr Shelby. Tommy.

NEXT PART coming soon!

Tag list: @weaponizedvirtue @un-interneted (unable to tag) @mama-ivy @kmc1989 @leighla3

@emotionalcadaver @mamawiggers1980 @sweetcheesecakesblog @cljordan-imperium @peakyswritings

@tiedyedghoulette @mostly-marvel-musings

[tomhardyspinkyfinger]

Freddie Gets Caught

Masterlist

Summary: Freddie promises to be loyal, but lying always tops loyalty in Freddie's world.

Warnings: PURE SMUT. literal filth. Cursing and super kinky sex all around you've been warned.

A/N: yeah i really just had this idea and needed to write it. freddie needs to be put in his place and so here is this one shot. no one look at me im so ashamed. its hot tho i wont lie lmao. also hardly edited I wrote this so quick it was like flowing out

Word count: 1885

some people I think would like this: @hecatemoon87 @solomons-finest-rum @darklydeliciousdesires @potter-solomons (also known as some of my fave pages)

I had been seeing this guy Freddie for a few weeks now.

Well, fucking. I've been fucking this guy Freddie for a few weeks.

And god did he fuck.

He all but begged me for a shag when I first met him at the bar I worked at. I declined time and time again, but he kept showing up every night. I had to give props to him for his resilience but I didn't have sex with just anyone.

So I set guidelines.

1. I don't do one night stands, we don't have to date, but there will be a mutually pleasurable relationship.

2. During this brief relationship, the only people we fuck is each other.

Two very simple guidelines, if we fuck, we fuck exclusively.

"Freddie, do you understand?" I had asked him, pulling away from his firm kiss.

"Yeah yeah yeah, c'mon take this off." Freddie rushed out, pushing the straps of my dress down and pushing me against the wall of the dark alley.

That exchange was simple enough, he agreed to my terms and I gave him what we both wanted, a proper fuck.

Freddie was a possessive man in all aspects of our relationship, if by any rare chance we were out in public together his hand remained on my ass practically the entire time, and I can't say I didn't love it.

What I didn't love, was how aggressively possessive he could be. I couldn't look at another bloke without him blowing up on me, so we usually stayed at my flat to fuck to avoid his anger flare ups. But that time alone seemed to flare Freddie's emotions towards me.

He'd call, begging to come to my flat and fuck me senseless. I just couldn't find the space in my heart to deny him. And thus, our romantic relationship began.

It wasn't healthy in any aspect, he would do a line, shout at me, I'd hit him, he'd fuck me twice as hard.

Not healthy at all. But god was it fucking sexy.

It would always end pleasantly though, a hug a kiss and a back massage usually. He'd plea with me to forgive him and I always did.

Forgiving Freddie was usually pretty easy, until I caught him, which brings us to where I am now, staring at Freddie kissing a beautiful blonde woman outside of a hair salon she had just exited. Before I could second guess myself I walked up to the happy couple with a smile on my face.

"Excuse me, do you happen to have the time?" I questioned her. If I could've taken a photo of Freddie's face in that moment I would've. He paled instantly, his eyes widening while the pretty blonde smiled back at me.

"Of course love, its half past two." She spoke looking down at her watch. I spotted the beautiful diamond ring and I could feel more anger growing if possible.

"Thank you, your ring is absolutely gorgeous by the way." I said, still not looking at Freddie and smiling at the woman. She placed her hand on Freddie's chest and let out a chuckle.

"My Freddie knows how to spoil me!" She said, rubbing his chest, flashing her ring. I tied up the conversation and walked down the street, heading towards my flat. I heard Freddie telling the woman to go on home without him because he had work to attend to. At this I picked up the pace, arriving to my flat that wasn't very far away. I heard his steps running behind me, most likely delayed so he could make sure his wife was gone. I unlocked my door quickly, swinging it open and rushing in, attempting to slam it behind me.

Freddie slammed into the door just in time and shoved it open, clearly out of breath.

"Sweetheart, listen-"

"Get the fuck out, Freddie." I growled, moving to my bedroom and tossing my purse on my dresser. He grabbed me and turned me around, distress clear on his face.

"What can I do to make you forgive me? I'll do anything." He said, desperation clear in his voice.

Anything?

"Get on your knees." I spoke, crossing my arms. He released me, confusion clear on his face.

"What?"

"You heard me, do it or get out." I said. I watched as he slowly lowered himself to his knees, looking up at me.

"Beg for my forgiveness Freddie." Freddie let out a huff and paused for a moment, really debating if he was going to do this.

"Please forgive me my love, I should have told you about Jackie. I was going to break it off with her, honest."

Yeah, sure.

I pondered for a moment.

"Take your clothes off and lay on the bed." I commanded. He let out another breath and stood, beginning to do what I asked. When he completed the task. I climbed on top of him, straddling his boxer-covered cock that was pushing into my panty covered core, given I was just wearing a summer dress.

I began to kiss up his chest to his neck, nibbling the spot I knew he loved. His eyes closed and he let out a shaky moan. I quietly reached into the nightstand to the right of me and pulled out the cuffs he had used on me in numerous situations. I pushed his hands above his head with my non-occupied hand and cuffed them quickly.

His eyes snapped open and met mine. I smirked.

"What is this? Trying to take charge are we?" Freddie asked, a sly smirk gracing his features.

"You don't get to be smug now Freddie. Just you wait." I said, pushing myself down his body so I was now leaning over his growing member. I pulled his boxers down and placed him in my mouth suddenly.

"Oh fuck, that's right sweetheart, right there." Freddie moaned out. I continued pleasuring him exactly how I liked. Until a knock sounded out on my front door. Freddie halted his movements and held his breath momentarily. I slid off the bed and stood, smiling at his frustrated expression.

"Excuse the interruption darling, I told my friend Kelly she could borrow my camera for her holiday this weekend. I'll only be a moment." I began to walk towards the bedroom door when Freddie called out.

"Do not fucking leave me here, do you fucking hear me?" He all but yelled, anger growing.

"Oh sweet Freddie, if only you were in any position to be making demands. If I'm honest I've heard quite enough from you today." Freddie watched as I reached up under my dress, pulling my soaked panties down and off. I walked up to his tied up frame and pushed the balled up panties into his mouth.

"That's much better, isn't it?" He glared at me but his cock twitched.

"Oh Freddie, you like this don't you darling?" I teased, touching his tip with my finger. He exhaled loudly from his nose and I smiled wider. I left the room, shutting the door.

I welcomed Kelly in, handing her the camera and starting a small chat.

Well, a small chat that turned into a thirty minute conversation about her upcoming holiday. I was practically squirming at the idea of Freddie tied up on my bed, anxiously awaiting my return. The conversation shifted towards me with Kelly asking,

"How's that bloke you've been seeing? Freddie?" I smiled a wicked smile.

"He's married." Kelly gasped.

"What the hell are you smiling about? Let me have a go at this bloke!" She yelled, anger clear on her face.

"Oh no don't worry, he's in the room right there cuffed to the bed with my panties in his mouth, he'll have learned his lesson by the end of the day." I spoke, knowing Freddie could hear. Kelly's jaw dropped and she laughed.

"You dirty girl! I would say you're yanking my chain, but I know you better than that. I'll be out of your hair then, but that doesn't mean you get to spare me any details!" Kelly said, heading towards the door.

"Of course not, have a great holiday!" With short and sweet goodbyes, I reentered the bedroom, where Freddie laid with his face almost as red as the tip of his cock.

"Miss me?" The glare Freddie gave sent a chill down my spine, but as of now I was in charge, and the repercussions wouldn't be a problem yet. I noticed my panties stayed in his mouth, which widen my smirk. He very easily could have spit them out if he wanted to.

I stripped off the remaining clothes I had on slowly, letting him take in my body before mounting him again. I reached into my nightstand again, retrieving a condom and rolling it on his still rock hard cock. His breathing was heavy again, and watched as I slowly eased myself down on him.

I rocked my hips back and forth and let out a moan. I placed both hands on his chest and rocked faster, smiling at how hard his knuckles were clenched in the cuffs. I rode him until we were both close, but came to a stop suddenly. Freddie let out a loud groan. I pulled my panties out of his mouth.

"Beg me to let you come, Freddie." I said, holding still with him inside of me.

"When I'm out of these cuffs, you're going to fucking get it babe." Freddie growled out, trying to move his hips. I gently smacked his face, halting his movements.

"That's not what I wanted to hear baby boy." He closed his eyes and groaned, knowing he needed to give me what I want.

"Please, please, let me come." Freddie all but whined out.

Music to my ears.

I began rocking my hips back and forth quickly, both of our moans filling the room.

"Let go Freddie." I commanded, feeling my impending orgasm. We both came together, loud moans falling from both of our mouths. I collapsed on his chest, exhausted from the event.

I reached up and uncuffed him before rolling off of him and onto my side of the bed. He put an arm around me and grabbed a cig from the nightstand, lighting up and taking a puff. He placed it in-between my lips and let me inhale before speaking.

"I deserve much worse than what you did love, I'm sorry for lying." I exhaled the smoke from my lungs.

"It doesn't matter Freddie, I would've kept fucking you regardless." I said.

What? Don't judge, I already said our relationship was unhealthy.

"Let's just go to bed Freddie, I'm beat." He nodded and I snuggled closer into him, falling asleep almost instantly

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I awoke late into the night, feeling the warmth of Freddie's arms around my legs, his face pushed into my pussy, licking away hungrily. I moaned, overjoyed with this late night wake up call. I went to put my hands in his hair and hold him in place, but my wrists were stopped by cold metal. Freddie kissed his way up my body and out from under the blankets, looking at me with a smirk.

"I couldn't just let you get away with all of that, love."

Fuck.

[peaceoutofthepieces]

9 for my fave lesbians✌️

they really are my absolute fave lesbians i’m sorry this took a while but it was really lovely to write so i hope it ended up okay 🙈

9. the hug that feels like home

Darcy slumped into her seat next to Tara and let her bag fall onto the floor. Tara had already turned to her with her usual open, sunny smile, and with barely any hesitation, she swooped in with a quick kiss. It drew a smile out of Darcy, unpreventable and predictable, but not entirely as easy as usual. She knew it showed, because with one real look at her face, Tara was frowning in faint concern. 

Darcy urged her smile wider. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Tara replied, bumping their shoulders together. “You okay?”

“Yeah!” Darcy replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. “Yeah, I’m good. Happy to see you, aren’t I?” she teased.

She knew Tara wouldn’t be so easily convinced or dismissed, but the classroom was filling up, and Elle’s gaze had followed her to her seat after she didn’t quite get the usual pep into her passing greeting. But she knew she didn’t have to convince Tara of anything. Tara knew her better than anyone else and would understand perfectly what the issue was likely to be without any words exchanged between them. 

She’d know that, mainly, Darcy wasn’t currently in the mood to talk about it. 

Tara did, indeed, only hum contemplatively back, playfully narrowing her eyes even while she snuck her hand into Darcy’s atop Darcy’s lap and gave a comforting squeeze. Darcy tangled her fingers with Tara’s and allowed herself, briefly, to lean into the familiar warmth of Tara’s side as the form room filled up. She met Elle’s eyes, too, sometime amidst the roll call, and gave what she hoped was a reassuring grin. Elle smiled softly, warmly back, and some more of the irritated knots in Darcy’s chest loosened. 

But this couldn’t last—Tara, or Elle, wouldn’t be with her in every class, and her mood took an almost immediate dip after the brief reprieve of form. It wasn’t that she didn’t have other friends in other classes, but it was that those other friends were just friends. Not friends. Not people who would see past her one meager smile and care enough to ask what was up; or that she would answer, even if they did. 

And she’d had more, before. When her being a lesbian was just a quirky character trait that wasn’t affecting anyone else. When they could keep her, somewhat, in a box they approved of. Like her parents frequently attempted—and continuously failed—to do. 

By the time lunch rolled around, her irritation had drawn on a headache that furthered her irritation in a vicious cycle. It was a testament to how bad she must have looked, when even Elle arrived at their table and stopped before sitting down. She tilted her head at Darcy while carefully pulling out her seat and laying her bag on the table. “Are you okay?”

“Mmhm,” Darcy mumbled, picking up a Monster Munch and twirling it between her fingers. She raised it a few inches, then dropped it back in the bag with a grimace. “Horrendous headache. Currently extremely glad we haven’t got music today.”

Elle cringed sympathetically. “Ugh, the worst. Do you want some painkillers? I think I’ve got a few in my bag.”

She began rifling through, and before Darcy could wave a dismissal, Tara was settling down at her side. “What do you need painkillers for?”

“It’s just a headache,” Darcy assured. “I don’t need any, it’s alright.”

“You sure?” Elle asked, pausing her search. 

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. A nap will be the best and only real cure.”

Tara made a sad sound on her behalf, and Darcy felt her stomach twist as fingers suddenly weaved in her hair, smoothing gently along her scalp. She breathed out an almost inaudible sigh as Tara drew her head down onto her shoulder and pet carefully through her hair. “There, there,” Tara teased while Darcy closed her eyes, although it was too soft to really be joking. “Just don’t actually fall asleep on me, okay? Lunch isn’t long enough.”

“For a ten-to-fifteen minute nap it is,” Darcy tried, snuggling into Tara’s neck as Tara humphed. 

“Come on. Do I need to feed you?”

“Ugh, please don’t,” Elle interrupted. When Darcy peeled her eyes open to look at her, she was grinning. “This is already too much sickening sweetness for me. I swear, I can’t escape it now with Nick and Charlie too.”

Darcy raised a brow at her, though she knew she wouldn’t have the usual energy for this conversation. Their presence had given her a little boost, though, and they would likely notice more if she didn’t take this opportunity as well. So she put on her best tone of exaggerated innocence and said, “Well, you know what they say. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Elle gave her the usual, highly-unimpressed look, and Darcy’s smile was no longer forced as she sank into the normality of it. 

Then a girl giggled in passing, pulling a face at Tara and Darcy before mumbling to her friend. “Ew, as if. They think everyone’s like them, don’t they?”

Darcy felt Tara tense up under her, and her headache spiked and turned her vision red as she sat up straight. “I’m sorry, what makes you think we’d want you?”

The girl froze, meeting Darcy’s gaze with a wide-eyed look, clearly not expecting the address. She looked nervously at her friend, who shifted awkwardly beside her, then back to Darcy, unsure. 

Darcy raised her brows. “Yeah, I’m talking to you. Go on, then. What makes you think we’d want you to be part of our exclusive club, hm?”

“Darcy,” Tara mumbled quietly, her hand tangling in the side of Darcy’s blazer. Under the table. Darcy knew that she’d already drawn attention. That the racket of the cafeteria had died down to curious, excited whispers; that glances were being flicked at them less and less conspicuously. 

It only flared Darcy’s irritation higher, a sort of righteous anger that usually never outweighed her own comfort and confidence in herself. She really was tired. Tired of needing to be confident, of wondering how angry she should really be—of doubting the point of either. She was tired of everyone else feeling like they were due an opinion on her life rather than dealing with their own. 

The girl shot her friend another look. Darcy wasn’t quite sure what year they were in—if they were slightly older or slightly younger or roughly the same. God, they were so entitled, and she didn’t even know their names. 

“What?” Darcy demanded, when the two continued to stand there, silent. “Nothing to say now that you can’t pretend we don’t hear you? Or have you just realised you didn’t even know what we were talking about in the first place and your little comment made no sense to begin with?”

Finally the girl straightens her shoulders, tilting her chin up. “You know, I didn’t care you were gay or whatever, but like, you’ve just gotten really rude.”

Darcy barely held back an incredulous, hysterical burst of laughter. “Are you joking?” She looked to Tara and Elle. “Really, is she being serious right now?”

Darcy could see her annoyance reflected in Elle’s eyes, their gazes locked in understanding. Tara was looking at her searchingly. Her anger was only visible in the minute working of her jaw, of the tight clench of her hand still curled in Darcy’s blazer. 

Tara looked up at the girls and leveled them with her most unimpressed stare, complete with one cocked brow and a tilted head. “Was that all?”

The girls stared at them for another moment before walking away. Darcy let out a harsh breath as Tara’s hand raised to settle gently on her shoulder. 

“God, it’s like they really can’t hear themselves speak,” Elle sighed. “You’d think they’d be fed up by now.”

“People like that never get tired of themselves. Think of Harry,” Tara pointed out. She gave Darcy’s shoulder a slight squeeze and lowered her voice. “Are you okay?” 

“Fine,” Darcy said, too sharp. Her adrenaline hadn’t entirely died down, and the ache taking over her skull had gotten worse. “I think I just need—I’ll be back in a bit.”

Before either of them could question her, she was on her feet and heading out of the cafeteria. She didn’t know where exactly she planned on going; her feet carried her in the direction of her and Tara’s music room before she decided against it, knowing it would likely be the first place Tara checked if she came looking. There weren’t all that many places Darcy could go where Tara wouldn’t find her relatively quickly, anyway, but if she could give herself a few more minutes, maybe it would be enough to fix her mood. 

But she only made it outside and settled herself on the ground with her back to the wall for a moment before Tara was sitting next to her. Darcy had her arms wrapped around her legs and her head buried in her knees, willing some of the pain down with deep breaths, and couldn’t see her. But she had no doubt who it was. There was only ever one person it would be. 

Tara sat next to her quietly, close enough for Darcy to feel her presence, but not actually touching. The message was clear—she wouldn’t push Darcy to talk, and she would give her space, but she was here. She wouldn’t leave Darcy alone. 

It made Darcy feel worse even while bringing her comfort. 

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. 

Tara sounded genuinely confused when she responded, “What for?”

“I shouldn’t have bothered saying anything. It just gave everyone something else to whisper about and of course it didn’t help anything, anyway.”

There was a short silence; a hesitation. “You don’t usually let that sort of thing bother you, but you’ve been down all day. What’s wrong?”

Darcy didn’t—couldn’t—answer. She offered up a shrug, which became more of an awkward, full-body jostle in her position. 

“Darcy,” Tara said softly. She shifted closer. Darcy felt a light grip on her left arm. “Come on, you can talk to me.”

“It’s not even about anything,” Darcy protested, though she took a breath and raised her head. She tilted it back against the wall to look at Tara, who was twisted slightly sideways to better see Darcy. 

“It’s got to be something. You don’t get like this for no reason.” Tara shifted around even further so that she could directly face Darcy, though still remained at her side. She stretched her free hand over so she was holding onto both of Darcy’s arms. “Did your parents say something?”

Darcy glanced aside, which was probably already answer enough, if Tara’s quiet sigh was anything to go by. “Nothing new.”

“But it’s upset you more than usual,” Tara deduced. 

There wasn’t any denying that, at this stage, so Darcy didn’t bother. She pulled her lips between her teeth a few times thoughtfully. “It’s just—it’s everywhere, now.”

Tara caressed her arms softly. “What’s everywhere?”

“All this…disappointment.”

Tara blinked. She sat back slightly. “Who do you think disappointed in you?”

“Well, my parents, for one, obviously,” Darcy started off, ducking her head with a sniff. “Apparently the entire school population. I don’t get it. They never—I’ve been out, this whole time, and they didn’t treat me like this before. I could—I’d come here, and not care, and be myself. And it wouldn’t be anything like it is at home. And I’d have you, and we’d…God.” She looked back up at Tara, who was watching her with such sincere sympathy that her guilt grew. The pressure pricking at her eyes was no longer just from a headache. “They always told me I make things so difficult, and it always just pissed me off, but that’s exactly what I have done to you.”

Tara’s face fell further. “Darcy—”

Darcy barged on. “Now I just keep thinking…maybe they’re right. Maybe if I was different then it would be better, and it wouldn’t be like—”

“Darcy,” Tara cut her off, reaching up to cup her cheeks and look at her directly. When she was sure Darcy’s mouth had snapped firmly shut, she leaned in and pressed a light kiss to it. Her thumbs stroked the skin under Darcy’s eyes, and the gentle, rhythmic motion eased some of the pounding in her skull. Tara leaned her head against Darcy’s and kept looking at her, even though this left their eyes flicking back and forth because they were too close to settle on both at once. “If you were different, you wouldn’t be you,” Tara said, softly; simply. “And I wouldn’t love you like I do.”

Perhaps it should have been too simple to cause such a drastic response, but all the lingering tension drained out of Darcy. Warmth was spreading through her, and she could already feel a smile tugging at her lips. 

She couldn’t help it. “You’re a poet and you don’t even know it.”

She expected Tara’s unimpressed look leveled at her, but received an unbearably fond smile instead. “There you are.”

Darcy laughed, a small bubble of joy that popped almost as soon as it escaped her, but a spark of laughter nonetheless. It made Tara smile wider as she stroked over Darcy’s cheeks once more, then tugged her into her arms. Darcy sank into her now with absolutely no resistance. It was the most pleasant place she could have imagined ending up, if she was being honest. She began sort of wishing she had headed to their special room; it would have only been another special memory added. 

But as Tara tangled her fingers in her hair and pressed a kiss to her temple, holding her tighter, Darcy knew it had little to do with the room. It hadn’t ever really been the school that made her feel safe, and the house she lived in with her parents was just that. Tara was home. Here, right in Tara’s hold, was where she found shelter and comfort and the space to be herself. To be one half of them. 

“You’re allowed to be annoyed and upset and fed up sometimes too, you know,” Tara told her. “I can suck it up for both of us when you need me to.”

Darcy huffed another amused sound and tucked her arms tighter around Tara’s back. “It does really suck, sometimes.”

“I know.” Tara adjusted the hug so Darcy was nestled more closely against her, arms overlapping at each other’s backs and head over heart. “But I think it’ll get better.”

hug prompts

[olderthannetfic]

Ah, I do see your points, anon. I'm not going to post all your asks publicly because if you really feel that unsafe, it's probably best not to have a bigass chunk of your text for people to analyze and try to guess your identity from. I think one of the best points you made is about how close to home it hits when the non-fave is not only your fave but is similar to you in some way like demographic. You're not wrong for having those emotions. I do wonder if they make it hard to see how some other people feel similarly embattled on other axes.

TBH, I think one of the big problems here is that the large aggregate patterns you're talking about are racist, but most individual fics and fans are not really the problem. It's hard to know how to talk about this or who to tell to "fix" it when we're looking at free, hobbyist art.

A lot of people's tastes are certainly formed by shitty society, but once they're formed, they don't change fast if at all. Asking someone to rewrite their libido is a big ask, yet tumblr does it all the time as though it's as simple as snapping your fingers.

This leaves me with the sense that a lot of tumblr is... like... the political lesbians of porn fic or something: desire is not real, only choosing based on logic and politics. Or maybe people are so asexual that they just don't understand the lizard brain's "YES!" at some porn things and complete indifference to others?

I don't think it's great if great swaths of people feel like bottom!Nicky is super hot and top!Nicky fundamentally isn't, but I also don't think they can necessarily just turn it off like flipping a switch.

(If someone reading this doesn't like their current tastes and wants to attempt to alter them, I do think it's possible. What you should do is line up a large slate of media that prominently features characters of the ethnicity or whatever that you don't find hot/interesting. These should be leads whose emotional development drives the plot and is supposed to be central to the audience's enjoyment of the media. Watch/read/etc. this media all the time. All. The. Time. Try out many pieces because you won't like every character or every show, and we're looking for genuine enjoyment, not the fandom equivalent of a pity fuck. Spend enough time on this, and your unconscious sense of who's hot and interesting will eventually shift somewhat. This is a project you should expect to take a few years.)

But I digress.

The one tweet thing is a very toxic pattern. If TOG fandom is doing that, guys, please try to be more conscious of holding the actors of color to a higher standard (or the women or whomever). I know this often comes from a place of paying more attention to our own and wanting to set a good standard, but the effect is that minorities can't fuck up ever while white dudes get infinite passes.

Okay, on to the fic thing... Gotta say, my instant reaction to that description is "Ooh!"--as it would be for the same scenario with the characters reversed. (Ships who start out trying to kill each other are my favorite! x1000 if they're resurrecting style immortals and they literally do.) I can see how it would feel like slamming into a brick wall if you aren't kinky in just the right way and you didn't know it was coming though.

Part of why I react so strongly to a lot of discourse that runs along these lines is that I am a naturally extremely kinky person. It's not so much about what I do (which as a deeply lazy person in a long distance relationship is essentially nothing), but it's absolutely how I'm wired.

And I can tell you that my quotidian experience in fandom is sharing something I don't even realize is a big deal only to have someone I like, respect, and trust react in horror and tell me that it's triggering and awful and should not be allowed in fandom spaces because it makes "people" unsafe. It's such an instant, kneejerk reaction they don't even realize I was sharing it because it spoke to the very core of me. Lesson learned, friend. Lesson learned.

That sounds a bit off topic, I know, but bear with me: The point of that anecdote is that it's pretty common for me to get people trying to raise my awareness of things I have already thought deeply about while denying my essential humanity and not even realizing. As a kinky person who likes to make my fave the top (and generally a conflicted sadist), this constant request to explain and justify is exhausting.

I doubt most of the top!Joe fans have this precise problem simply because people who make their fave the top are much less common in fandom than people who make their fave the bottom, but I see a similar pattern with fans who are just fundamentally wired for rape fantasies (one of the most common fantasies that exists) vs. fans who just don't get rape fantasies at all. Or substitute your BDSM/kinky/messed up fantasy trope of choice. Covertly radical feminist attitudes towards kink and power are on the rise in fandom, and as a naturally kinky person, boy do I notice it!

I know that it feels like crucial activism to share these insights about why the ratio of top!Joe is hurtful, and the pain you feel is real. But it's also the case that it's a big ask to want people to listen. (Not me. Obviously, I routinely choose to engage with discourse. I mean overall.) The reason for that is that you're only seeing a fraction of what they do or who they are, and you don't know how many previous people they've listened to how many previous times. It's a very different situation from someone whose job is making some major TV series or movie or something. That person does, in my opinion, owe you some amount of listening.

Now, I'm not saying no top Joe fan was ever a jerk. I'll bet they were. There's a tendency to be rude and to publicly air your schadenfreude when you feel like everyone has been yelling at you. What I am saying is that a lot of the problem here boils down to conflicting needs, and that means there isn't a good solution. It's a situation where people are genuinely hurt, but I don't necessarily agree that other people have harmed them.

I like that you did an actual count of the explicit fics, btw. It's good to look at the real numbers. I see too little of that in these situations. My off the cuff reaction is that 2/3 to 1/3 is not a bad ratio at all compared to many fandoms, but yeah, it definitely shows a strong trend, and that can be painful. (I have a fandom where I think there's maybe like 1 bottom so-and-so fic in the entire zine era fandom. One. It's pretty extreme.)

I guess my thinking here overall is: What is the practical solution? What are we hoping to gain? What is reasonable to ask of people?

And it can't be "Well, if they would just listen..." That's just a sneaky way of saying "If you haven't done it my way, it's because you haven't listened to me yet."

So the question I would ask of people is this:

What does a non-racist fic where Joe tops look like?

What does a non-racist sex pollen, dubcon, or even noncon fic where Joe tops look like?

And if you say the latter is impossible... well... sadists exist everywhere in the world. So do doms. So do people who prefer to top in a purely physical sense. People with rape fantasies where they're the rapist exist (people who are not actually rapists, I mean). None of this is restricted to any one group. We can't categorically say fic like that about Joe is coming from a place of racism without denying the fundamental humanity of kinky MENA people who'd want to make Joe like themselves or like their ideal partner. (Yes, I agree this won't be the majority of fic writers writing top!Joe, but this is a place to start for figuring out what the better version would look like.)

IDK, maybe you're that kinkster yourself, but your asks gave me the vibe that you don't really get the drive towards those darker kinds of fics and what might be motivating it besides stereotypes and shittiness.

If we can answer these kinds of questions, we can better critique the way people write what they write without telling them all of their taste is bad and they should just stop writing. Even if we think the latter is true, it isn't going to get us anywhere. Figuring out how to make Joe more multidimensional in the fic they already want to write or finding very specific wording that should be avoided might actually work.

Beyond that, the actions I think are productive would be running prompt fests, exchanges, or other events for bottom!Joe or for top!Joe where he's the main character and the fics are required to be from his POV. Themed collections and recs lists are great. (I've seen a bit of this going around in TOG fandom in the past, and that's an excellent approach! Keep it up!) Positive actions tend to work better here. Make more of what you want. Promote what you want to see.

I don't mean this in some fluffy magical thinking way: you aren't going to change that ratio radically just by the power of positivity. But I've seen this kind of thing play out in many, many fandoms, and going after the people who write what you don't like, even in a well-intentioned effort to educate and even in a polite, kind way doesn't do much. A few people feel guilty. A few feel defensive. A lot ignore you. The overall fic doesn't change. It's not a good use of your limited time and energy.

I'm off to look up that fic to see what I think of it in practice, but I'm going to post this before tumblr manages to eat it.

[drabbles-mc]

Send a character ask game: Taza & Nestor

Ooo let's do this!

Taza Romero-

First impression: When I first started watching Mayans, I didn't really have any strong feelings about Taza one way or the other. I liked the chill energy and vibe that he gave off, but he wasn't a character that I initially felt very drawn towards.

Impression now: I wanna shake the man by his shoulders in the hopes it will knock some sense loose in his head. 😂 So much could've been avoided or at least handled differently if he just talked about what was going on! However that being said, I do really enjoy his character and I'm curious to see what they're going to do with his storyline next.

Favorite moment: Early seasons quips with Bish will always have a special place in my heart. And the little exchange with him and Creeper will always be a top-ranking moment for me 😂

Idea for a story: I have a request for him sitting in my inbox right now that I'm hoping to get started on today that I'm very excited about! Being able to build his character out a little more and give him a current (and less-heartbreaking) love story is something I'm super thrilled about getting into.

Unpopular opinion: I don't think it's necessarily unpopular but I think the fact that Taza didn't rock Bishop's entire shit at some point during s4 was a crime. I wanna see the man throw hands at the ex-president idc 😂

Favorite relationship: Early seasons I can easily say that he and Bish were my favorite. But I did also love the complicated relationship between him and Laura as well.

Favorite headcanon: It's come to my attention that never in the show is it ever actually stated that Taza lives on a ranch. But the actor who plays him does and that's just bled over into the characterization of the character for a lot of people in the fandom (myself included) and I really love that for us.

Nestor Oceteva-

First impression: Believe it or not, I was pretty indifferent about Nestor at first. I wasn't overly drawn to his character because he was so entwined with Galindo and I've disliked Miguel from the jump lmao. When I first got into the show, I definitely thought he was very attractive, and that scene where he and Bishop fight and smile afterwards definitely made me 👀 But he wasn't really on my radar at first.

Impression now: I love him, your honor. He's my character now, sorry Elgin. But real talk, the arc that he's had so far for someone who is such a minor character is really interesting to me.

Favorite moment: What isn't my favorite moment? 😂 I do really love the exchange with him and Marcus (I think it's in s2?) after they save Marcus from Hobart. A very close runner-up is the scene in s3 where Nestor has the gun to Marcus's head in the car because Gino's acting in that scene is just soooo chef's kiss. But the sweet moment between the two of them wins out for me

Idea for a story: I wish I could let y'all lose inside my head so you could take the plot ideas you like and write them because I never know if I'm going to get around to them all 😂 I have a few different AU's bouncing around in my head where Nestor has a younger sister and godddd I love the potential in the dynamic so much

Unpopular opinion: If Nestor never sees Miguel again it will still be too soon. That man never gave a fuck about Nestor and I'm glad Nestor dumped his ass 😂 (Miguel really is my enemy #1 in the show I love to hate him so I'm biased lmao)

Favorite relationship: Nestor and Marcus. I love the growth of that dynamic and I think that Marcus could be the mentor that Nestor has always needed.

Favorite headcanon: Bruh anything family-based for Nestor is an absolute fave of mine. I love thinking about what his relationship with his brother was like (and by extension Miguel as well). I love the idea of him with a younger sister. I love thinking about how complicated his relationship with his parents might be. UGh the family drama thoughts I'm obsessed

Send me a character and let's discuss!

[elizabeth-mitchells]

prime numbers for fic ask

omg thank you so much!!!

2. Will you participate in any fandom exchanges or fic challenges, etc? 

maybe! if there's one i like and i happen to have time at the time then i'd love to!

3. Do you anticipate writing for a new fandom this year? Which one?

answered!

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

answered!

7. Will you change anything about the way you interact with other writers?

hm maybe read more!! to be fair i wish i could i just don't have the time 😔 i wish i could do more, interact more with my faves, message them, or join groups, but i'm shy and a coward so there's that ghsjdfhgj

11. Would you like to try any new fanfic genres or tropes this year?

answered!

13. Aside from fanfic, are there any other fan works you’d like to try creating? Fanart, or fanvids, gifsets, or podfic? 

hm i dont think so? i don't have the talent for any of that hgsjdfhgjf i've always wanted to try making gifs but 1. i think my laptop would die in the process and 2. i can perfectly see myself losing my entire life obsessing with it and i should probably not do that 😭

17. Do you typically answer all comments/reviews individually? Do you plan to change the way you interact with your readers this year?

yes i try to answer most comments!! i love to show my appreciation for comments because they seriously mean the world to me, and personally, as a reader, i've always felt encouraged by a reply to read more and leave more comments and just interact more you know? if anything i'd like to try and be more um idk maybe more creative replying to comments? more casual? not just "thank you for reading <3" but hopefully really discuss the fic and hang out and have convos in the comments!

19. Would you consider non-fandom writing events, like NaNoWriMo or writing contests? 

definitely! i did a few writing contests last year and hopefully i'll do even more this year!

23. Would you like to go on a writing retreat?

yeah i think so! i've never considered it so i'm not sure but kind of sounds like a dream!

[beelsnack]

Bad Influence - Beelsnack's 666 Follower Special!!

(Technically I'm over 666 - shoutout to the porn bots)

But seriously, holy shit, there's a lot of you. Thank you all so much for liking my stuff, and for interacting with me and sending me good vibes and all of that. I hope I can keep giving you guys quality work!!

And yes, I am a nerd and I consider 666 a milestone for a blog for a bunch of demons. No, I'm not sorry.

-----

Lucifer: He couldn’t help but wonder when the change had set in.

When the human first arrived in the Devildom, they had been humble and meek. If anyone complimented them, they deflected it with the mastery and resignation of someone who had been doing it for far longer than they should have. And if someone thanked them? You would think their entire world was dissolving around them.

But now?

He extended a gloved hand towards them as they descended the stairs. Tonight was one of the rare nights where they had the opportunity to be alone without one of his brothers tagging along, and they had been planning this date for nearly a week now. They slipped their hand in his without any of the hesitation they would have shown at first. They knew they deserved his reverence.

“You look radiant as always, my dear,” he curled his fingers around theirs as they reached the bottom step, bringing the backs of their knuckles to his lips. “Surely there is no star in the sky that could outshine you.”

They laughed - his theatrics always did amuse them. “You do have amazing taste, after all.”

He chuckled as well, guiding the two of them to the front door. “Of course. Do you think the Avatar of Pride would associate with anyone less than the best?”

“Definitely not,” the wind that came through the door when they opened it blew their hair away from their face, and Lucifer couldn’t help but preen at the fact that he had helped that quivering little animal grow into the proud swan that stood before him.

“Speaking of the best, where are we going for dinner?”

“Don’t worry, my dear,” he laughed as they made their way out into the night. “You deserve the world, and the world you shall get.”

“Unless ‘the world’ means a steak dinner, I’m not interested.”

Mammon: “Come on, don’t leave me hangin’ out here!”

The curtain covering the entrance to the changing room rustled, and Mammon heard a faint “Fine, fine, just give me a sec!” before it finally opened and out stepped the human.

Mammon always thought they looked good no matter what they were wearing, even if it was one of his old t-shirts and a pair of shorts. Actually, especially if it was one of his old t-shirts and a pair of shorts. But seeing them decked out in his fashion brand - one he had both designed and modeled - was definitely making him feel some type of way.

He let out a low whistle when they stopped in front of the chair he had seated himself in. The results of his own shopping spree were tucked haphazardly into a colorful assortment of bags at his feet, but the human had taken a bit longer than he did picking out their stuff. And damn, was he glad they did, because otherwise he wouldn’t get the chance to see them modeling his clothes.

It was a private fashion show, just for him.

The outfit itself was pretty simple. A black fitted tee beneath a cropped leather jacket, a pair of faded dark-blue skinny jeans, and a pair of black sneaks with a gold stripe going up the side. But the thing that brought the whole outfit together was the long necklace with a topaz pendent resting against their breastbone.

“Well?” they asked, giving him a spin before striking a pose before him. “What do you think?”

For a moment, he couldn’t speak. The human wearing his clothes...it was the next best thing to them walking around with “I Belong To Mammon” tattooed on their forehead.

“I, uh...I guess you...um,” he swallowed thickly. “Ya look alright, I guess.”

“That’s tsundere for ‘you look hot,’ right?” they grinned before spinning around to look in the mirror. “Man, this is a whole look! I have to have it!”

If this had been a few months ago, the human would have waffled back and forth about whether or not to buy anything. It didn’t matter how much they wanted something, it was almost like they just couldn’t do anything nice for themselves. There was being frugal, and then there was deprivation. Now, though, was completely different.

“I wonder if I should get some shades to go with?” they mumbled, looking themselves over in the mirror. “I think that would really pull it together, don’t you?”

“Just don’t go for the Ray Bans, it’s a fucking scam.”

Leviathan: "Come on, come on, come on…"

Very rarely was Levi the one watching someone else play games, unless it was a stream. And as mind-blowingly awesome it would be to watch the human stream one of his current faves, he definitely didn't want other people seeing how adorable they looked when they were focused.

They had come to him with absolute determination in their eyes, begging him to help them out. There were a limited amount of UR armor sets in the event, and they needed to get their hands on one. And, well, what kind of friend would he be if he didn't help them out?

(The fact that he already scored the armor is irrelevant.)

So, here they were, camped out in the pillow nest that they often made for themselves when gaming in his room, laser focused on the screen with Levi giving them guidance. The event level was brutal, but they were in the final hours, so it was crunch time.

"Okay, this boss is easy once you know the attack pattern. Four regular slashes, a jab, then you've got about five seconds to get behind a pillar before it uses the AOE."

"Gotcha."

Even then, it was a long battle, and they had used up most of their healing potions by the time the monster let out an anguished roar and disintegrated into a pile of bones. The human held their breath as they moved towards it to gather their loot.

"Yes!!"

They practically leaped out of the pillow nest in triumph. There, right on the top of the loot list in shimmering gold font, and the UR armor that they had been coveting.

"I got it! I got it!" they cheered. "Levi, I finally got it!"

"Hell yeah you did!" the two of them shared a crisp high five as the results of the campaign loaded on the screen. It was updating in real time, so they could watch as the final moments of the event ticked away.

Levi knew what they were looking for. Early on in the dungeon, another player had done them real dirty, sniping them from a few levels above and then taunting them over VC about how they would never get the armor now. So of course that only inspired the human to work harder, and here they were.

3...2...1

Event over. Quickly, the human scrolled up to the beginning of the list, checking the names of all the players who scored the armor.

Levi sat next to them, chewing his lip. What was that person's tag again? He didn't remember.

Suddenly, the human let out a snort that turned into a full-on giggle fit.

"They didn't get it!" they cackled like a hyena. "Serves them right, the jackass!"

Levi was pretty sure it wasn't a good idea to laugh at the misfortune of others. But, he knew better than anyone that spite was a hell of a motivator. When they had first gotten themselves isekai’d into the Devildom, they had let demons walk all over them, Levi had personally witnessed a lower-level demon shove them out of the way to get a sandwich they had been reaching for, and the human just stood there and let them take it. But they had grown to be a little more selfish, and if they wanted something, they were taking it.

And maybe, just maybe, seeing them like that turned him on just a little bit.

Satan: "You want to come and say that to my face?"

Satan stood there in stunned silence as the human spun on their heel to look the demons right in the eyes. They had their back to him, so Satan couldn't see the look on their face, but whatever it was made the two lesser demons flinch.

"Hey, come on, Human, we were just joking."

"Yeah, no need to get all worked up."

They scoffed, and Satan knew them well enough to know that they were rolling their eyes. "Is that right? So you don't think I'm a...what was it? A fleshy meat sack who thinks they can get what they want by sleeping with the strongest demons in the Devildom?"

Another flinch. Satan chuckled to himself.. Did those morons really think they wouldn't hear them? Humans might not have super-heightened senses but they weren't deaf.

A small crowd had begun gathering around them, waiting to see what would happen. It wasn't every day one of the human exchange students squared up to a demon.

"You've got some nerve," the human drew themself up to their full height - which, admittedly, was laughable compared to most demons - and crossed their arms. "What do you think Lord Diavolo would do to demons who messed with his exchange students?"

"I believe there's a special spot in the Royal Torture Chambers for such demons," Satan came to stand next to them, and the other demons downright cowered. "If I recall correctly, there's an Iron Maiden down there."

"Ooh, cool!"

"Alright, we get it!" One of the demons cried, throwing their hands up defensively. "We're sorry!"

Satan opened his mouth to spit a curse at them, but the human beat him to it. "I've got Lord Diavolo on speed dial, so start running."

The two demons turned tail and booked it down the hallway, nearly crashing into Beelzebub as he turned the corner with a sandwich hanging out of his mouth. He stood frozen for a moment before he swallowed and turned to Satan and the human.

"Were those two bothering you guys?"

Satan cast a sideways look at the human before a wicked grin spread across his face.

"They took care of it."

Asmodeus: "Well, someone's feeling bold tonight."

The door had barely shut behind the two of them before the human was pressing Asmo against it, mouthing at his neck as their hands traveled down the front of his silk blouse. He shuddered gleefully as their breath ghosted against his ear lobe.

"I can't help it," they murmured, fingers skirting just beneath the hem of his shirt. "You looked so good out there."

"I look good all the time, darling," he hummed, reaching up to grab a fistful of hair to gently pry them away from his neck.

"You looked especially good," they huffed as he let go of their hair. "Dancing like that, I could barely wait until we got home."

"Aw, sweetheart, you should have come to join me." Asmo rolled his hips in an echo of the dancing he had been doing at the club, delighting when he felt them shiver against him. "We could have put on a show that would have captivated the whole Devildom."

"I don't think the staff would appreciate it."

"They would be too busy watching to care," Asmo giggled, diving down to capture their lips in a quick and dirty kiss. "Although I can't say I'm not thrilled to be getting a private show."

Beelzebub: “Man, this place has the best barbecue!”

Dinner dates were a pretty common thing for the two of them. Over the course of the human’s stay in the Devildom, the two of them had figured out which restaurants would put up with Beel’s appetite and which would visibly freeze when the Avatar of Gluttony entered the establishment. The Hellfire Barbecue was one of the good places, probably because Beel made sure to tip really well, and one time personally went into the kitchen to tip the chef. Or, well, he tried, anyway. He ended up giving the money to the human and told them to give it to the chef because he knew if he went in there he would devour everything. But the sentiment was still there.

Beel smiled down at the human as they wiped the barbecue sauce off of their face. “You finished all of it this time.”

“Huh?” they glanced at their plate. “Oh. Yeah, I guess I did.”

“You usually don’t.”

“I was really hungry, I guess.” they grinned sheepishly.

Beel distinctly remembered the human telling him that they always tried to save some food for later. Whether it was being resourceful or because they had a weird sense of shame around eating too much, Beel didn’t know, but he had never pressed in case it was a sensitive issue. But, seeing them indulge themselves and looking genuinely full and satisfied made him happy. And was probably his main motivation for taking them out to dinner so often.

Well, that and getting his own food.

“I like watching you eat.” Beel said, waving to the owner as he passed by.

“You...like watching me eat.” the human repeated, looking somewhat confused.

“You look so happy when you eat good food,” Beel smiled. “I like seeing you happy.”

Belphegor: Oh, how the tables have tabled.

“Come on, I don’t feel like dealing with Lucifer’s lectures today.” Belphie grumbled, tugging half-heartedly on the human’s arm that was flung around his waist. “We should get up soon.”

For all of his complaining, Belphie didn’t move. If anything, he snuggled down deeper into the bed. He loved when the human agreed to have a sleepover in the attic with him. They got uninterrupted cuddle and nap time, since nobody dared to come up to the attic except Beel. And Beel was almost always welcome to join the cuddle puddle.

“Five more minutes…” the human mumbled sleepily, burying their face into Belphie’s neck. The soft, contented sigh they let out tickled, and he squirmed a little.

“Aren’t you usually the one waking me up?” Belphie nuzzled his nose against their hair.

“But it’s comfy here,” they whined. “I don’t want to get up.”

“You just don’t want to do the presentation in class today.”

“Your point?”

Belphie laughed. “Can’t say I disagree.”

“I did all the hard work anyway,” they shrugged. “We’ll make Mammon give the report.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

The two of them settled back down into the nest of pillows. The human had almost drifted back to sleep when Belphie brought his nose down to theirs to nuzzle them together.

“You’re cute when you’re sleepy.”

“You’re cute when you shut up and let me sleep.”