#do you know Themes or not sir????? are you a man of culture or not sir????

[charcubed]

the thing is that I have been molded in the fires of Sherlock fandom, and I am a graduate of the school of “showrunners and writers just Say Shit and half the time they are liars, the text is the text and that includes subtext, I can see what a story is doing,” but Mr. Gaiman introduces confusion to even those ancient proverbs because he’s so unbelievably unnecessarily fucking weird and pedantic and deliberately obtuse about literally everything. on levels previously unseen. like while writing a now-explicit queer love story he can try to act like he’s never heard of the concept of subtext in his life as much as he wants, but then the natural follow-up question is “why and to what end are you acting like this on main”

[lemonhemlock]

I do think some hate Criston because they're racists, others because he insulted Rhaenyra, even though his crimes aren't worse than what others have done (DAEMON for example, who is loved so much by tb) and some are a mix, but one part of me thinks it's because he is the character who Rhaenyra did wrong to

He's the one persone that the show let her do something horrible to just because she wanted (young Rhaenyrayou had so much potential), even though the narrative then tries it's hardest to demonize him over and over again, so then what Rhaenyra did isn't so atrocius to the public eyes

Most who point the finger saying it's not that deep, he shouldn't have gotten his feelings hurt, he's an "incel", simply don't understand the world created by Martin, it's theme and culture, because they are pushing their own narrative and agenda, with a modern view, that the show itself pushes

Rhaenyra is never wrong and the one time she did something bad because she's CAN (she can take and do what she wants because she's the heir, she's a Targaryen) the writers then bends themselves in trying to make Criston a "villain", one more hateful than the others put together

The new Joffrey & Ramsey of hotd (I saw more than one person saying this and let me just laugh because what? Lol)

Not to say that is the only act that Rhaenyra does for herself (her relationship with Harwin and having her three sons with him for once, but the narrative never truly show it as a BAD thing she did - and I say bad because it's egotistical and she put in danger her own children etc)

So, Criston hate could come from so many different places, but one place it'll never come? Here, from me, because how can I say no to a man with beautiful brown eyes?

The writers can do what they want, they won't change my opinion of the characters themselves (And they are trying so much to destroy the greens and even the black which lol) and I will still write my Brat compilation of oneshots for the green, because it's their color and theme so cheers ahaha

(I still can't understand how in driftmark, when Rhaenyra said to Alicent "now they see you for what you are" or something like that now I can't exactly remember lol, was that gotcha moment... like... how?)

I hope you're having a great time, aside from the witcher anon jump scares lol

💖

yeah!! the way the writers insist on framing criston like a villain while simultaneously not even giving him particularly villainous things to do is so weird to me. are they stupid?*

i do think his disproportionate amount of haters is a mix. if you think it's reaching, think about what a bane targ stanning is in the asoiaf fandom and how dany worship has turned so many spaces toxic. their mental gymnastics in justifying their delusions is equal to none. and now, unfortunately, for lack of other content, all that dany rage has been employed in the service of rhaenyra (so silly considering they're all fake people but you know)

also, thanks, anon! i am genuinely curious to know how witcher ship antis found their way onto my page. like, what is the thought process there. 😂

i keep repeating this dumb meme, SORRY ✊

EDIT: also. brat compilation of the greens?? yes sir!!!!!!

[teen-heart-throb-mr-hyde]

evil is arbitrary, or, i’m begging you all to be normal about hyde (and queerness)

so like. does anyone else think it’s weird when people conflate hyde’s actual evil with hypotheticals about his gender identity/presentation? here’s a post about that.

cw for discussion of general queerophobia and specifically transmisogny

to contextualize this post going forward, i'm going to lay down this principle: that what we consider evil is totally arbitrary.

"evil" is a concept, and like all concepts, we made it up, both as a society and as individuals. there are some things that basically everyone (individuals and society) can agree and have agreed, across time and culture, are objectively evil, like straight up murder. there are other things, however, that are morally neutral, or even good that have been deemed as "evil/morally wrong" within certain societies (which shape individuals), like queerness.

following so far? excellent.

there are two aspects to what i am reluctant to call hyde's "evil" considering the above, but keep in mind this idea of evil is filtered through two lenses: the individual (jekyll) and the society (victorian england). the two aspects are the canon/textual and the subtextual.

the canon is what we directly see on the page, and what we see on the page amounts mostly to two things: hyde's violence and cruelty towards others. when it comes down to explicit, textual evidence of hyde's evil, those are the examples we can pull from. these are also things that can, pretty objectively by many individuals and society, be considered evil. murder is bad. not really inventing the wheel here.

the subtextual is, obviously, very different. technically, it doesn't exist. the subtextual nature of hyde's "evil" is going to be different for everyone because it's what we think exists underneath the actual canon. based on textual evidence, we build a subtext that explains or expands on themes, characterization, messaging, etc. based on canon evidence in the novella, many people read in a degree of queer subtext, regarding both jekyll/hyde's gender and sexuality. jekyll is some kind of queer and has repressed that due to the heavy stigma and bigotry present during the time, and this emerges in hyde along with his other "base urges." but that doesn't actually exist in the text, it's just one reading that you can have.

hyde does some things in canon that are objectively evil (violence and cruelty) and could have done some things if you read the subtext a certain way that were arbitrarily evil, based on jekyll and the society that molded him (queerness).

so why do modern readers, modern queer readers treat these things as equally evil?

honestly? fucked if i know. but i have some theories.

this problem may be the opposite of the "sir danvers problem," which i've talked about before. while that comes from people woobifying hyde and wanting to remove any ill intent from his canon, objective evil, i think this problem comes from people wanting to put ill intent into his subtextual, arbitrary evil. with this, people lump in hyde's subtextual, arbitrary evil, specifically this reading of queerness, with his canon, objective evil and judge them as equally bad. which is just fucking not true!!!! i don't care how tired you are of people calling hyde a poor little little meow, it's a weird, poorly analyzed take.

if we take that reading of queer subtext, we can understand why jekyll and victorian society would conflate these things as equally evil, but as modern readers we don't have to. and we shouldn't! we should understand the nuance between which of jekyll/hyde's behaviours are actually evil, and which are only treated as evil. to imply that these, (again, because they're based on subtext) hypotheticals of hyde getting it on with other guys, or not adhering to binary standards of masculinity is just as bad as him killing a man in cold blood is gross, plain and simple.

it's especially sinister since i see this most often paired with the idea that hyde is in some way gnc. he's a drag queen, or a cross-dresser, or just more effeminate than jekyll, and that is supposed to make him more evil or just generally more "unpleasant." that's some straight up alfred hitchcock's psycho level transmisogny. if you want to make hyde any of those things, it should to be to question what "evil" means, who or what decides what evil is, and whether or not that is a correct judgement to make. (hint: it's not. gnc men/transfem ppl are not inherently evil. jesus.)

tldr; there's a lot going on. evil is arbitrary. some things are pretty objectively evil and hyde does those in canon, and some things are not and hyde could have done those in subtext. treating them as equally bad is weird. have all the queer readings of the text you want, just maybe interrogate why you're making those readings and how you pair them with the actual text.

[mydisasteracademia]

Honestly, the slight crumbs of worldbuilding are all the more frustrating because of how interesting they are.

Quirkless discrimination: it exists, given how okay the teachers are towards Aldera's bullying of Izuku. Sir Nighteye also thinks Izuku being Quirkless won't make him a good hero, using it as an insult towards him.

The Business Course and Support Course: WHAT DO THEY LEARN? I'd imagine some engineering and management classes/hands on labs in addition to the regular classes. Maybe internships with agencies/compnaies on a manigerial or engineering aspect?

Exactly! What’s the use of worldbuilding if you stay in the same spots the entire time? Keeping it safe is keeping it boring, and honestly that’s the biggest injustice for such an interesting and multifaceted world.

Like, we’ve seen people discriminate against Izuku because he doesn’t have a Quirk (even if the majority were literal children, and kids can be very cruel) - but is that just a him thing? We hardly ever (IF ever) see it elsewhere in BnHA. We hear about it it we don’t recognize its impact outside of being a traumatizing experience for our main. We don’t grasp just how widespread this issue is, and the fact that so many see it as an allegory for real-life disability in an ableist world makes it even more disappointing. We see no aids for those with destructive or harmful quirks, we see nothing for those who’ve lost their Quirks in some way (be it old age or losing it via accident), we see nothing to aid those who ARE disabled - we see none of that. I’m not expecting a Japanese man writing a Japanese-centric story to see it the same way other countries or cultures would, but it would be a genuinely interesting issue to showcase and get people discussing.

And let’s be honest, the other courses at Yuuei essentially don’t exist (save for the designers of the Support Course). What I wouldn’t give to see Business Course students debating the ethics of the hero world, or how to run agencies, or studying to get into law schools with Yuuei’s clout backing them up, or even getting government jobs! I would even take a Business Course kid being disillusioned with how corrupt and greedy the hero world is and having to confide in other students about their anxieties and frustrations. We could’ve had a legitimately interesting arc about 1-A or 1-B kids (or even Shinsou) getting to see other perspectives besides just “heroism is great and nothing is wrong!”

And the Support Course! Where’s the sidekicks, the rescue teams, the spies, or ANYTHING besides weaponsmiths? Where’s the tech kids who got into Yuuei to exercise their abilities in those branches? The hackers? The security experts? All of it would be so interesting to explore but we never see any of it!

I dunno. I really do love BnHA but the insistent refusal to explore any themes besides “let’s throw these inexperienced kids into an adult war” is severely frustrating and disappointing. I know Horikoshi isn’t (and shouldn’t be) expected to talk about everything, but even a little variety would be nice.

[bengiyo]

Step By Step Ep 10 Stray Thoughts

Last week on HR Violations, Jeng made his feelings plain to Pat, and Pat was not prepared for one more emotional blow. Jeng had a complete emotional breakdown in a standpoint bit of acting from Man Trisanu. We spent much of the week unpacking exactly what happened with Pat, and determined that he’s just 25, tired, and overwhelmed. Ae had her baby, and nothing made sense from a practical standpoint. Jeng broke all of us with “It makes sense to me,” and now we’re supposed to just stroll back into this.

I still approve of Jeng doing the responsible thing and keeping his distance from Pat.

I love Chot so much. I am loving this new trend in BL about shows encouraging people to respect the feelings people are expressing, and reminding characters (and viewers) that I takes a lot of courage to express them. It’s still okay to reject people, but treat people kindly. Love Chot making the overall situation plain for Pat and confused viewers.

“It’s been eight years already. I’m used to it,” feels like a subtle commentary on BL itself. Chot has not been able to live his live a openly as he’d like with his boyfriend because the family wouldn’t approve. Coincidentally, that’s the same amount of time we’ve been in the current era of Thai BL. For all the money and interest that’s been poured into BL, lived queer experiences still face daily struggles.

 A carrot cake? Pat, please do better.

I see. The show is going to make me cry about Chot. It’s time to write an essay about Step By Step.

“It’s alright. I own this place.” Sir!!!

My man just trashed his own kitchen to get it in.

Smitten looks good on Pat.

He let me hit so I can follow back on Insta

These two have lost all composure. Hooking up in the company parking lot!

Chot is trying to cover for these two, but they are being unfortunately way too obvious.

I’m having complicated reactions to the homelessness scene. Feels like the show wants to quickly shine a lens on an issue important to the filmmakers, but it feels awkward as hell.

Hey, it looks like the Fjord project went well.

Okay, Pat’s dad is funny. I like his specific beef with Jeng. Still, I kinda hoped he’d ask harder questions like, “How is this supposed to work if you’re still his boss?”

They keep going to this one shot when they go to the bedroom that’s clearly from the closet and using Dutch angles. This feels intentionally designed to make me uneasy.

Oh they're using P' and Nong now.

Ben has a happy trail. Let me pause and collect myself.

WHERE IS THE BABY??

Did they give the hets a camera angle kiss??

Oh nevermind it was meant to cut to Pat and Jeng as a potential future.

Now you know Ae was aiming for Pat with that bouquet. She is messy like that.

Wait, so Jaab is seeing someone else now?? I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get from Jaab and Jen.

Okay, we found the baby.

I like that Beam and Ae didn't touch each other, if I'm reading this right. Glad we can put this to bed.

Oh, I don't like Jeng promoting Pat into his position. That's not good for either of them.

Suddenly, a glow up for Ying?

Whoa, was not expecting this EXTREME GEN X ENERGY from Ying in Pat's corner.

"Haven't I been strong enough?" is a whole mood.

Yet another instance of BL reminding us that they both have dicks.

"I want to be happy with you." Oh, Jeng. I am also lonely in my 30s. I get it. I really do. But, my man, you cannot put this on Pat.

Pat's resignation was inevitable. Jeng, who's normally so controlled, definitely lost all composure this episode.

I'm not jumping directly into the discourse here, but I will say clearly that I am only watching through Gaga. Do not send me comments, asks, or messages about episodes only available legally through WeTV fast track. I don't subscribe to spoiler culture, but please don't be rude.

As for this episode, I feel a bit muddled. I'm going to spend some time thinking about core themes and seeing what this show actually wants to explore.

[tenebrius-excellium]

Hot Take: Avatar The Way Of Water will receive mixed reviews and while it’s beautiful, it won’t work for European audiences.

1. Someone I watched the movie with described it as a “documentary” of the water world and that’s exactly what it is. It’s beautiful. Focus lies on aesthetic descriptions and playful visual experiences. It’s not plot-driven, but that’s not a bad thing! It’s just... different. What someone might call a “good” filler movie.

2. James Cameron’s themes remain highly traditional. While I support that to a degree, it puts them in danger of being outdated. I don’t know, I’ll let myself be surprised by audience reactions. To me, the values feel dusty and out of touch with the current mindsets and priorities of Western society. Cameron wrote a script that was borderline old 13 years ago. A lot has happened in the world since then.

3. The Na’vi culture, so carefully built during the first movie, was eliminated, full of plot holes, and made to fit narrative whims. The kids were loud and careless in the forest. Barely any Na’vi was spoken. The Omaticaya’s way of life was erased and Jake not held accountable for destroying the Metkayina’s too.

4. Stereotypes of outcast existences, culture appropriation and white savior elements were applied again as if it was white man’s earth. What the heck. I don’t think the Maori culture inspiration and the use of sign language were truly done justice. They were creative plot devices. Wonderful to be explored, but not treated as if they were to be taken seriously as parts of real people’s identities in reality. Jake got to play at *another* way of life without risk to himself. He switches tribes and identities at his leisure, adopting their manners as he pleases without realizing the harm he is doing to them. He plows through their hospitality and their resources like a bulldozer. What.

5. The new characters are super cool, the old ones neglected and ooc. Arcs happen at random. They are picked up, then dropped again. The movie is more about existing than about action, which strangely, isn’t a bad thing to me. It’s simply a series of events led mostly by the kids’ wondrous, innocent discoveries. What the events mean and where they lead, remains shrouded in mystery. Somehow, it’s still immensely enjoyable to watch it all unfold!

6. The main point being that this movie is still as painfully White American as can be and that is terrible to watch in the year 2022. As a European, I don’t identify with Jake’s motivations. Like, at all. I doubt any other culture will. This movie pushes American “black vs. white, right vs. wrong” dualistic thinking to a brink where it can exclusively be understood by White Americans with military background. That’s a far too narrow target audience, if you ask me. I felt pretty alienated. To me, Jake was a horrible parent. Addressing fathers as Sir and expecting your kids to give you the respect of a soldier would count as child abuse over here. We are not familiar with military culture, nor do we want to be. Neytiri “Missus Sully” is not meant to be a military wife and she is clearly uncomfortable with it. Also, Europe is not divided in “white” and “different”. We define ourselves (mostly, hopefully - please don’t argue with me on this) by our nationality and whether we are part of the European Union, not by skin color. Avatar The Way Of Water is stuck up, misses the modern world’s heartbeat and is, by all means, not relatable to European multinational coexistence (not to even speak of global cultural diversity). In addition, the movie’s narrative structure is repetitive and not even that well thought out at times.

7. So what do we make of it? This movie is clearly weaker than its predecessor, yet somehow almost equally enjoyable. It relies heavily on the visuals and the atmosphere, while missing out hard on zeitgeist and cultural respect. I like every character’s story, although it rarely seems to lead places. Perhaps it doesn’t have to. Avatar The Way Of Water is a flawed, dreamy, idealistic, aesthetic nature vibe. The reality is much more complex. It was slightly underwhelming, but in a James Cameron kind of way, so it lowkey was to be expected and I’d 7/10 watch it again :)

[thesinglesjukebox]

BILLY JOEL - "TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON"

The theme narrows a little, maybe...

[4.15]

Hannah Jocelyn: The first Melodyne’d word of this song -- P L E A S E -- had me worried. This is the latest in a series of '70s and '80s rockers coming back one last time, normally with Post Malone's producer Andrew Watt at the helm. The results can either be pleasant, like the Rolling Stones' Lady Gaga collaboration "Sweet Sounds of Heaven", or abysmal, like Elton John's horribly edited "Always Love You." But Watt's not here; behind the boards instead is industry songwriter Freddy Wexler, a Billy Joel fanboy who convinced the artist to release music again. If the song sounds a lot like "Piano Man" and "Summer, Highland Falls," repeated listens reveal it's not just a cheap nostalgia grab. It sounds exactly like a new Billy Joel song should in 2024, P L E A S E aside, with a tasteful build and some grandiose but lovely lyrics: “Pride sticks out its tongue/laughs at the portrait that we’ve become/Stuck in a frame, unable to change.” Joel occupies a weird place in pop culture -- not as acclaimed as Dylan or Springsteen, but more thoughtful and introspective than the Eagles or anyone else in his imagined supergroup. With "Turn the Lights Back On," it all makes sense. He invented an archetype now filled by musicians like Adele post-21 or even Hozier: pop songwriters with enough depth to earn them a devout following even if they’re not critics' favorites. The liner notes reveal more connections. Eclectic producer Emile Haynie drops in to provide some additional production, the same way he did on "Hello" almost a decade ago, and the song is mixed by Adele's engineer Tom Elmhirst. It's an effective repositioning of Joel not as a "33-hit-wonder", not as a poet, but as one of the great pop balladeers and craftsmen. And my dad loves it, which is all that really matters. [7]

Alfred Soto: Despite the co-writers and a video whose nostalgia bid is as, ah, shameless as Paul McCartney's last year, "Turn the Lights Back On" sounds like any generic thing that might've appeared on Storm Front or The Bridge. Which is the point. [4]

Aaron Bergstrom: A direct descendant of Elton John's far superior "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore," as underlined by their similar music video treatments. While Joel was able to use cutting-edge AI technology to de-age himself in his video, Sir Elton had to make do with the tools available to him back in 2001, which is to say, Justin Timberlake. (Both AI and Timberlake are now trying to make their own music, with limited success.) [5]

Ian Mathers: Get the fuck outta here with this uncanny valley "AI" CGI shit. I'm not shocked boomers would cling to yet another way to deny they're old as fuck now -- it'll happen to all of us, I'm sure -- but it's still repugnant. Despite Joel being away for years, god knows you still hear the hits, so I'm kind of shocked that his voice seems to have lost most of its distinctive timbre. If you'd played me this blind I don't think I could have told you the singer, although the voice would have felt weirdly familiar. And look, respect to the man's undeniable achievements in his craft (which even haters should admit he takes pretty damn seriously) and especially stardom/mass popularity, but partly given the characterlessness to his performance here, my answer to "did I wait too long, to turn the lights back on?" is... yeah, you kinda did. I don't think the reason I loved the ABBA comeback singles and not this is just because I like ABBA and don't care for Billy Joel; I genuinely think they did a better job on playing off their context than he does here. [5]

TA Inskeep: I'd like to keep them off, please.  [1]

Isabel Cole: Billy Joel was one of the few artists my whole family could agree on during long trips in the car; my first concert was his dual tour with Elton John at Madison Square Garden. So on the one hand, the sheer nostalgic sentiment aroused in me by the thought of Billy going back to songwriting after all these years is real, and powerful. On the other, I know whereof I speak when I say that even assessed by the generous lens of someone who was once a 13-year-old girl glad to name Songs in the Attic as her favorite album, this is mid-level Billy at best. Lyrically, so much of his appeal has always been his willingness to indulge—in shamelessness, in sentiment, in spite, in just being kind of an asshole—but this song is too busy wrestling ponderously with its own existence to have that kind of fun; musically, it’s just “I’ve Loved These Days” but not as good. [4]

Rachel Saywitz: It's good, for a budget store "Piano Man."  [5]

Dave Moore: The best thing I can say for this lugubrious comeback ballad, loosely patterned on vintage Billy Joel and a dollop of "Hey Jude," is that it technically clocks in at under four minutes. The worst thing I can say about it is that I am not yet convinced the vocals aren't BillyJoelAI, though it does sound like him really playing the piano (derogatory). [3]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: God, what a trudge — the type of pianoman mewls I thought every Joel song would be as an uneducated youth. But then I heard "Movin' Out," and what a fuckin' joint! (Fun fact: I think a quick browse of Billy Joel's biggest hits has taught me "Movin' Out" is, uh, the only BJ jam I like. Sorry.) [3]

Katherine St. Asaph: I dislike the term "overproduced" in criticism; it's often a way to sneer at pop without having to say something so gauche. But when you have a swelling string section -- a mercilessly effective cheat code to make a listener moved -- and yet that listener cannot be moved because she can't fucking hear it over everything else in the arrangement, your song is overproduced. When you autotune everything about your singer's voice except the notes that he actually flubbed, your song is -- well, not overproduced exactly, but produced poorly. Can't imagine how I'd feel if I were even a Billy Joel fan! One singular point because I learned something: it's not just the de-aging "AI" (scare quotes), Billy Joel really did look kinda like Harry Styles back then. (Harry Styles would probably love to remake this. It would still be a [1]). [1]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: This absolutely shouldn't work on me. I, of sound mind and body and possessing no strong relationship with the music of Billy Joel, ought not to have any reaction to this at all. It's a Billy Joel song that is once again about the romance between the performer and the audience, hitting all the marks he last hit 30 years ago. If nearly everything else he's done leaves me inert, then this should do the same. Yet something about its twilight glory, the way Joel puts himself through his own paces, moves me nonetheless.  [6]

Brad Shoup: I know I'm not the first person to interpret this as a metaphor for Joel's relationship with the public. For me, he's always been a sort of pop midpoint, and I've never been able to budge him. Everything he's ever done has been... fine: the bangers always fuck up somewhere, the groaners are never that embarrassing. So leaving things off with "The River of Dreams" (my favorite) wouldn't have been a bad way to go. This is confident schlock. The snare smacks like a worn copy of "Bridge Over Troubled Water"; he does a little "Piano Man" twirl before the orchestra goes for broke. I don't think he waited too long; I think this song was within him the whole time, for better or worse. [5]

Nortey Dowuona: I understand the hatred. For us, being smooth and easy on the ears is a crime. To refuse the challenges that push the artform of popular music and music culture, or worse, to fight them tooth and nail, is enough to make you an enemy in our eyes. But I do understand the actual reason to simply play to the middle of the road: to connect with everyone since you have learned, possibly later or earlier, we are a rare and bold breed, despite the infighting, backbiting and slimy behavior I will not detail here. Billy Joel has waited long enough -- he at the height of his popularity was despised and condemned, a figurehead for the stultifying demands of white yuppiedom. Unfortunately he was wrong; the fire was started, and will never stop. We, as a far more revered and loved writer said, made our choice as a species, and it's just a question of how long it takes to play out. Billy once wrote of New York being destroyed and its citizens fleeing like rats to Miami, reminiscing over their glory days. But now in 2024, New York refuses to go away. Our mayor, as Wiki and MIKE said, is a cop, and millions are homeless and starving, struggling to keep afloat and trying not to crumble every time a blank, greasy-faced kid with worn-out clothes playing with a iPhone 14 who could afford to give you $5 shakes his head to ignore you. I understand the hatred. But I can't feel it because the hatred feels pointless, empty, a target for those old timers who have fled the sinking ship and their ancestors who only know to despise the old place from stories and memories. He might've waited too long to turn the lights back once since the wires have rotted and the bulbs are broken, but not because the city is empty. It's full of your fanboys and their grandchildren, who now feel the sour bitterness that drove you to flee and cannot choose any other feeling. It's not too late -- it's never too late. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[rosellerivers19]

My review on Varisudu movie

If you don’t know already I’m Indian and one of the things I like doing being Indian is watching the culture’s movies because oh my god they are fantastic so I was naturally hyped after Varisudu came on prime video it having Vijay sir and was really excited after seeing the first half of the movie because it looked really promising for us New generation kids as it seemed like it would acknowledge the problems with neglect/abuse how it hurt the family and how the siblings could mend their bonds as well as dealing with a peaceful divorce but I was horrified after finishing the movie.

First of the actors were good they did a great job as well as the songs and choreography those are probably the only reasons why you should watch this movie. But the plot theme and moral were horrible

What I dislike about this movie is mainly the family drama it is a really horrible depiction. This movie is trying to have the message that love conquers all and that you should forgive your family no matter what horrible things they’ve done and it’s sickening especially in this day and age where abuse and neglect is being exploited as no okay and this movies is just taking several leaps back from that accomplishment.

When we got the flashback of Vijay and how he left his house because his father undermined his accomplishments and his brother were obviously puppets because of the same or similar treatment from their father I was touched happy almost I thought we’d have a nice movie where we’d see the children accepting that just because your blood related doesn’t mean you have to love them and it’s a choice but noo we have to have a movie where it’s saying that hey I know that I emotionally neglected you and used you for my goals or hey I’m sorry I almost crushed you with a car or tried killing you but deep down I care about you. That is some bullshit right there.

Let’s go through all the problem together shall we

Rajendran kicked his son out for not complying with his ideals neglected his accomplishments and after one single fight let go of him not even thinking argument through or contacting his son in 7 years This man does all this and expects his youngest son to put up with his bs he never even thought of how he might be feeling or maybe that he himself was wrong or overreacted and even after knowing that he was dying he didn’t try rethinking his choices like he claims in the movie. Keep in mind after he allows his wife to host the celebration and Vijay comes home he doesn’t even spare a glance at his son he hasn’t seen in 7 years and goes off to do his other business. And doesn’t even apologize after Vijay returns for him saying that he might be wrong until the very end which in my case is very unacceptable.

Jai cheats on Aarthi slaps her when she confronts him about it, don’t try solving their issues and magically stop their divorce. Now this is just sad Jai cheated on Aarthi with no regrets they were both unhappy with this marriage and doesn’t feel bad when confronted about it. Yes he’ s worried when his daughter gets human trafficked but that’s because he is not a total doichebag. This would’ve been the perfect moments for him to apologize and him and Aarthi have a peaceful divorce but they still stay together knowing they have complications. And this is part Vijay’s fault to like he was fine with the divorce at first knowing that what his brother did was wrong but then his mother says “oh well I’m his mother so I can’t think like that” and wham Bam morals gone ma’am. I mean like really? I get it if you’re a little sentimental but he is completely forgetting his morals there he could’ve just left it at that letting the divorce happen because it was the right thing and his mother would have to learn to accept it because what her son did was wrong and he can’t fix that.

Ruining the characters If you pay attention to details closely like I do then you might’ve seen that in the beginning when Vijay came back to the house and put his stuff in his room Jai leaned on the door way making fun of him saying “Oh you make that big of a speech and come after 7 years for one phone call” then Vijay says “elder brother what big of a mistake did I do except leave this house?Do you know how much I’ve missed you in those seven years” and then Jai begins sympathizing because in reality he doesn’t truly hate his brother he’s also a neglected child who’s been used like a puppet and starts to sympathize saying “Hey don’t take those words to heart I was just saying that in anger we’ve missed you too-“ but before he can finish Vijay laughs and says he didn’t mean any of that but of course he did. No matter who you are it’s not easy living without love and affection and we had no indication throughout the movie that Vijay had developed close bonds while he was away. Vijay didn’t choose to not have love and support he chose to distance himself from a toxic relationship that would affect both his physical health and mental health badly and I respect him for that.

This movie is basically mocking Gen Z saying that they are wrong and making this as a go to guilt trip material for Indian parents to say “Oh see family always comes first” and shit like that. I especially hate the line where Vijay says “My dad will always be my first hero because even if he didn’t help me walk by holding my hand he reached me from afar”. What message is this giving? It’s saying abuse and neglect are okay your siblings assaulting you is okay and staying in a relationship that is clearly not working is okay.

This movie had great potential of catching the eye of the new generation which it clearly wanted to do.Do not watch this movie if you want good ideals or want to teach something to your child because this family drama has the wrong lessons instead watch something like Manam because in the movie Radha and Krishna’s divorce was caused by a misunderstanding and Radha was actually trying to heal their relationship before they died.

[mothytheghost]

Small sun and Rgb story for the au lol

Rgb wandered around the streets. Trying to find the perfect person to take with them and help them finish this one and for all. The story can't keep going. He needed to find someone. He just needs someone to help him. Though finding a hero is a difficult task. Many heroes fell. He couldn't count how many heroes he lost. Because of it, he was in distress. His last hero was a little girl. He forgot what she looked like. But she was in green boots and a large red coat. He lost her. He's still distressed about it. Everything he did was all of his fault. He knew. She wasn't strong enough. She was just a little kid.

Two little boys soon pushed him out of the way. Getting him out of his thoughts as he heard one little boy.

"Out Of The Way!. I wanna see Freddy!.,"

Rgb seemed confused at first. He didn't know who this fellow 'Freddy' was. He was in the United States. The only Freddy he could think about is people named Freddy. Maybe a singer?. He doesn't know much about the culture here. He was so used to finding a hero back where he was normally. He went around the world to find one, since he knew there were other places to be.

As he walked with his cane. There was a long line of people. Full of children cheering and crying. What in dear heavens is going on?. He walked quickly as he looked across the crowd. Seeing loads of people surrounding a giant building with neon lights and palm trees decorated on the outside. With posters of a Bear. a Chicken. A Wolf. And an alligator. Decorated in these pop looks and outfits that burned his vision. Not used to the extreme fashion they had to them.

There was something the kids liked about the Animals. They seem to be mascots. Especially with how crowded it is. He was in awe of the building.

Freddy Fazbears Mega Pizza Plex.

He was interested. He was sure he could find a hero here. It's perfect.

Rgb passed a crowd of people who had tickets and children holding dolls of the characters. Teenagers were snapping glow sticks and putting them on as bracelets and necklaces. Some dressed up with fluffy hair and bows to match the theme. It's packed here. It made him feel a bit overwhelmed. But he had to do his part and find the perfect person.

Before he walked in. A lady with blonde pulled up hair and a grey security outfit halted him.

"You Need tickets sir to pass. You need to go back line! "

Rgb sighed. Holding his cane. He didn't have any change. So he ended up trying to get in. Luckily, he had an idea to wait it out to sneak in.

"miss. Could you tell me why are people are going everywhere over animals?" He looked at her as yellow dripped from his mouth. Watching her as she smiled.

"Freddy Fazbear has been an icon since the eighties. They are animatronics built to perform for kids at birthday parties."

Animatronics?. Rgb has never seen what an animatronic looks like. He remembered back then it's all about films and dancing on stage. But a living animal that is human like. Sounds very off and strange to him.

"What are the Characters here?" Rgb was having many questions. What are they? Where do they come from? Are they real animals or people in costumes?.

"The Robots here are Roxanne Wolf. Goes by Roxy. Montgomery Gator. Monty, Glam-rock Chica, and Glamrock Freddy. We also have extras like DJ Music Man and Sun. But those are backgrounds for other entertainment while Freddy isn't performing." She looked and smiled at him.

"Oh... They're robots. Like..."

Rgb froze. Not expecting robots. He never really liked the idea of futurism. The idea of technology taking over concerns. Yet, people seem to enjoy it. So there couldn't be harm in that. Right?.

The Security woman smiled. "That's correct!" Looking at Rgb proudly. "I like your costume, by the way!" She crossed her arms. Rgb looked confused to her. Does she mean his outfit? There's nothing wrong with it.

"Thank... You?." He tried to make a smile. But it failed as he grew more confused.

The guard looked at him before walking away. "See you around!. " she trailed off as she looked around the line to make sure nothing bad was happening. Everything seemed fine. Just kids jumping around with the dolls of the characters.

Rgb waved shyly at her. She was a kind person. He didn't know why he asked her if she wanted to be a hero. She seems nice. But Rgb decided not to. He has to think best in a hero. Not weak. Not too strong. No errors. He can't keep messing things up like what he did in the past. He has to find a right hero. Someone that is well and is a kind-hearted person. Like what he learned from his past hero. His Hero. Thinking about her made him feel guilty. He can't mess up this time.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

It's now midnight. Rgb has planned to break in. Yes, it sounds stupid. But he's hoping those robots can do something for him. If everyone loves them. They have had the right role.

It took a while for him to get in. He crawled through the vent. This was ridiculous to him. He forgot why he's doing this. For a hero. Of course!.

Rgb crawled out as he made it to a giant room with a long hall. With windows. He looked around quietly as he came to one window. There was a white chicken in a pink outfit. With green triangle earrings. Wild cat prints on her legs. Playing on her guitar. This was a robot. She felt too real to look at. Looking at the room as looked decorated. The only mess there was just pizza boxes everywhere. Like she doesn't clean her room. She wasn't well mannered.

Rgb looked into another as he saw a wolf with long white hair and a tail. She had a red outfit, and she was looking at herself in the mirror. A well clean lady that loved to compliment herself. Telling herself she was the best. Rgb liked this attitude. But looking at a game with a seat and a car wheel. Seemingly a race game. Had a large dent on it with glass shattered everywhere. Seemingly, she's easily angered if she doesn't get what she wants. Rgb didn't want a hero to think they're in the spotlight. He wants someone to treat everyone equally and not focus on themselves.

There was another window.a green alligator with a red mow hawk and star glasses. He looked too strong for his fit. Seeing a lot of dents on the walls and a boxing bag to get his anger out. He seemed too much for a hero.

Then there was Freddy. Sadly, the lights are off. And the curtain is closed. He couldn't see much of his room. It was too dark. And it was difficult to see him. Rgb grew upset. He was going to get Freddy. But it failed on him. Then again. The security lady said there were more. So Rgb carefully took a trip around the Plex. Trying not to get caught by the Security bots, and carefully closed doors behind him.

Walking around as he was walking down a hall with posters. Looking at the ground as he saw a little card.

'Super Star Daycare Pass'

Someone left this. He picked it up and examined the colorful card with a rainbow. He smiled. Looking at the Plex map on the wall to find the Daycare. There it was. Just a few more rooms till he's there. Not too long like going down and up.

It a bit to get here. But here he was. Looking up at a giant statue as he smiled. Hoping this is the right place. He looked down through the window to look at the Daycare. the place was shockingly big. With three structures of the play area and a few tables. He felt shocked. How on earth are people able to create a place like this? It made him feel like a kid again. Though his childhood differs greatly from this. He still had a strange sense of nostalgia.

Looking down as he saw a little jester like animatronic with rays on his head that looked like a sun. Rgb watched the animatronic and examined his actions. He was jumpy and cleaned very well. Collecting papers of children's drawings, and stuck them to the wall happily. Rgb was interested. Watching the animatronic went the other direction. Rgb tried to figure out how to get down there. Seeing a blue slide as he sighed.

"I'm getting a little too old for this..." He whispered to himself. Taking his hat off, and held it to his chest with his cane. Carefully getting inside as he was hoping he got through it.

Thankfully, he did and landed in a colorful ball pit as he got on his knee carefully. Putting his hat back on, and tried to look professional. Getting out of the ball pit as he looked around for the animatronic. Strangely, he didn't see them and thought he lost them on time. Rgb frowned, fixing his hat. Hoping there will be someone else-

"HELLO NEW FRIEND!!!"

The Animatronic happily lifted Rgb up from behind as he screamed. Rgb tried to calm down as the animatronic faced him. He was a sun like animatronic dressed as a jester. His orange rays spun happily as Rgb looked into its white eyes. The animatronic had a happy grin on his face.

"WHY ARE YOU UP THIS LATE ARE WE HAVING A SLEEPOVER!? ,"

The animatronic shouted. Rgb was finally on the ground again. Holding his cane tightly to keep himself balanced. He took a breath. " I have a special request for you!. Rgb smiled.

The Animatronic got close to him as his smiled grew wider. " OH, OH!. ARE WE GOING TO DRAW TOGETHER!? "

Rgb backed up from the robot. Trying to fix himself. "No, not exactly.. " he watched as the Animatronic frowned. Watching as he stood proudly.

"Would you like to be a hero?"

The Animatronic froze. Smiling as it got jumpy again.

"A Hero!?. I Wanna Be A Hero!" The animatronic grew happy. His rays spun as he got up close to the smaller man in-front of him.

Rgb smiled. "Come Along Now!. We Must Hurry!" The Animatronic looked at him happily as he followed the man. Watching as he got a key and used it to unlock a door on a wall. The animatronic was shocked. There was never a door there. How did he do that?.

"After You!."

Rgb said to the sun animatronic. As the robot gave him a big hug as he happily jumped into the light.

This was so fun to write hhshjdkdkdkd

[sun-lit-roses]

The Broca Divide

I’m prepared for anything in this episode: more Goa’uld? A new planet (PLEASE)? Weird 90s feminism? Bring it on! Season 1, Episode 5, here we go!

Ooo we’re referencing back to the pilot. I like that there’s a throughline to at least some of the plots.

‘I pride myself on my deductive reasoning skills.’ Sam looks like she doesn’t know whether to laugh or hit him. The General would definitely like to do the latter 😂

Why’s that guy giving Teal’c the ol’ side eye?

Oh, she’s leaning closer to hitting now.

Although, yeah, I would never get a single planet right if I had to remember a - what? six? digit code for each of them.

Why do I get the feeling SG-3 aren’t the friendliest bunch? Although maybe it’s just a little Air Force-Marines rivalry going on.

‘We’ll watch your back sides.’ ‘It’s my front side I’m worried about.’ Daniel’s been around Jack too much.

Did that guy just shove Sam out of the way?!

Oh good, I wanted to spend the evening squinting at my tv. I’m willing to believe it’s night, turn up the lights.

We’ve got squint vision or green night vision. I do not like these choices.

AH

Are those cavemen?

This is the second time we’ve seen cavemen in this show already. Is that going to become a theme?

Okay, guess we’re still going to explore this world despite the World’s Most Violent Welcome Wagon.

Daniel, that is not what survival of the fittest means at all, your 90s is showing. Now stop trying to prevent Sam from kicking ass. I would like to watch that.

Now there’s ghosts? Well, at least they’re trying to save that woman.

‘The Untouched’ I’m guessing whatever separates these people from the cavemen?

Hey, daylight!

And a whole city. Minoan, it seems. What are they going to do when they run out of Earth cultures?

A disease, maybe, that spreads among them. A bit like rabies, if they go mad.

No Goa’uld today!

Aw, the Nerd Duo is sad.

I’m not sure what harm it would do to spend an hour or so there - shouldn’t they be starting diplomatic relations or something? Are they just planning to spend fifteen minutes per planet and then never go back to any of them? Seems like a waste of resources.

I guess they didn’t run into the Touched on the way back? They had to go back to the Land of Dark to get to the gate, right? Maybe they were still scared away.

YAY! The nerds win! Also, yeah, it probably shouldn’t have taken the President to figure out that it might be nice to get a little more scientific bang for the military buck out of these missions.

Okay, Side-Eye Guy has moved on from side-eyeing to fist throwing. Have you seen Teal’c, sir? Why does this strike you as a good plan?

Teal’c’s not even phased. ‘I would prefer not to hurt this man.’ King of Cool.

Drooling - maybe this is related to rabies? He’s clearly been infected by the Touched somehow.

‘Maybe he was drunk.’ No one else made the Touched connection? Or maybe you just came back from Planet Rage People?

Well, that was dramatic.

Uh oh, Sam’s scratching her neck - she’s infected, too! Probably?

Uh. Okay. Well, that’s not a *violent* reaction exactly. Why is she kissing Jack all of a sudden? And where’d her shirt go? And how did no one notice her in the locker room?

‘I want you.’ ‘Why?’ Poor man, he’s very confused in this moment 😂

‘Not like this.’ Hm, that’s interesting. I mean, he’s been loutish a couple times (’I like women’ and ‘It’s working for me’ - yeah, Jack I’m not forgetting over here.) But mostly he seemed to see her as an annoying scientist.

At least Jack’s head is still clear - to Medical!

A new doctor! Let’s hope she has a better track record than the last ones.

Question. If everyone from the team that went to Planet Rage is coming down with this violent disease, why are the other team members allowed to wander around freely? Shouldn’t they be in observation or quarantine? At least until they figure out how it’s spreading?

How does Daniel not know what’s going on?

Ooo I think Jack might be tipping over to the Dark Side here.

Yep, another one down.

And NOW we have the whole team getting their blood tested. I guess it’s early days and they don’t have a protocol in place for Weird New Planet Disease, but this seems like it should have occurred to someone a little sooner?

Daniel and Teal’c team up, woot!

Oh good, it seems less dark this time!

Aw, that poor girl was infected.

And now Daniel’s been kidnapped by cavemen. They just aren’t having any luck this episode.

Oh no, not the General!

Hey, they have a clue now - heavy sedation. Not ideal, but more than they had! And Jack volunteered to be a test subject 🥺

Well, there go the diplomatic options. Teal’c is perhaps a shade too blunt for this task. But just the right person to knock out a guard and get a blood sample!

Sam got stabbed?! That’s going to be unpleasant when she’s back to normal.

I hope this doctor survives, she’s very cute when she’s excited about Science!

It worked!!

‘I cannot be certain you are recovered, you referred to me as Lucy.’ 😂

Everyone’s back to normal. Wait, why is Sam going, wasn’t she stabbed?

They’re going to cure everybody! Huzzah! I think the Doc mentioned there was something in their diet that promoted antihistamines. Guess eating your veggies just became imperative on this planet.

I am 100% positive that Jack remembers what happened and is just pretending not to because Sam was going to awkward her way through that whole conversation. Braver woman than me - I would have pretended not to remember any of it.

Sam did get stabbed!

Oh, so he did remember and was just waiting to roast her. Rescinding those tact points there.

Although it seemed to make her laugh, so I’ll leave that at a draw in the ‘is he just a massive jerk’ tally.

Rating: 🔘🔘🔘

3/5 Gates I know I said I was prepared for anything, but Rage People Disease was not exactly what I expected. Still, we got a new planet (woohoo!), a quirky disease, giant bulls, a win for the scientists, and Teal’c being an utter delight. Gates deducted for Sam inexplicably molesting her CO unlike everyone else’s reactions.

Also, is everyone taking turns being kidnapped? It was all of them in the pilot, Sam in episodes 3 and 4, and now Daniel. At this rate they should microchip SG-1.

[jamieroxxartist]

👉 * One of my All-Time Favorite Concept Videos. A Brilliant Video and overall concept! I LOVE IT!

You know a couple of years ago this group show I was in, the theme they told me was ‘Celebrity’ which of course I loved. So I painted a bunch of celebrities and my paparazzi cameras (I mean that was the mission and all.) And all the Painting did very well. Everyone seemed to like them a lot and they sold, so mission accomplished and all.

👉 Now I really wanted to Paint a big like giant ‘Stan’ Painting, but my better half, my Wife Dani reeled me back in. She’s smart and usually right about these things.

And she had pointed out a very good question… 'Yes It makes a super-cool statement, but do you think anyone really would dig a big 4 foot x 4 foot Painting of this Crazy, Whack Job guy on their wall? Like enough to write a check for how much you know it’ll have to sell for at that size.’

And then I remembered, even though this was an inclusive event, it was primarily an LGBTQ+ event and that's the crowd that would be at this show, and I remembered the controversy around this track and Sir Elton John digging it or not, I knew that there probably would still be a raw nerve or two in the crowd.

And besides how do you capture the whole messed-up deal in this video into a single canvas image? I mean it could be done, even now I have some ideas … but it would be pretty involved in the time I had.

So I didn’t Paint it (but I wanted too lol), but man this Video really illustrates the whole 'Celebrity dealio / obsession thing’ perfectly to me.

Today in Pop Culture History: May 30, 2000 #Eminem’s second major-label album, #TheMarshallMathersLP, becomes the fastest-selling rap album ever when it sells 1.76 million copies in its debut week.

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marshall_Mathers_LP )

[ramshacklefey]

4. What LGBT+ book influenced you growing up?

Hmm.... this is a tricky one for me, actually. If we're limiting "growing up" to any time under the age of 18, I don't think there was one. Growing up Mormon meant that I was categorically forbidden from reading anything with queer themes or characters, or even with suspected queer themes or characters (legit, I remember Mum telling us that Happy Feet wasn't something we were allowed to watch because the dancing penguin was a metaphor for gay people).

If we expand things a bit, then it would be Jamison Greene's autobiography. Just before I came out as trans, I went looking to see if I could find any books about trans men, and it was hard to find anything.... and then I found his story, and things just kinda clicked for me.

5. Do you read queer nonfiction?

Absolutely! My background in academia led to me reading a lot of queer nonfiction: philosophy and autobiographies mostly, but also as much about queer history as I've managed to get my hands on. I've loved learning about how other queer people think about themselves and our history!

6. Share something from your WIP

Enji brok off his lecture when Usagiyama appeared at the gymnasium door, followed by Hawks. He looked even more bedraggled than usual, wearing old sweatpants and a sleeveless top. His eyes were only half open, and his hair was mashed flat on one side.

"Is this really necessary sir?" he asked petulantly. "I was just getting some good sleep. Beauty rest is important you know." He squinted at Enji for a moment. "Well. May you don't. You should try it sometime."

There was a snort somewhere among the privates. Enji glared in their direction but saw only rows of expressionless faces. Sergeant Togata's lips were tightly pursed, and he looked slightly pained.

"I can't say I have ever tried it," Enjy said scornfully, "But you could clearly do with a bit less of it." Really, the man's vanity was beyond belief.

Togata was suddenly wracked with a fit of coughing. By the looks on the privates' faces, Enji thought he must have scored a point. Hawks bent his head as he moved to stand next to Major Aizawa, clearly put in his place for the moment.

7. Who's your favorite queer character?

Anyone who tries to tell me that Niklaren Goldeye was a cishet man is either a fool or a liar.

8. Rec a sapphic novel!

Absolutely adored The Dark Wife by Sarah Diemer. It's a retelling of the Persephone myth where Hades is a woman, and Persephone goes to seek refuge with her voluntarily in order to escape the overtures of Zeus. (cw for a scene involving rape near the beginning)

9. Free Friday!

I spent nearly 10 years unable to write anything at all because I was terrified of online cancel culture in the early '10s. I really got caught up in feeling like I was supposed to be writing stories that hit on representation for everyone except myself, and I was afraid of the backlash I might get for writing or publishing anything that wasn't up to the standards I thought other people would expect from me.

10. Rec an mlm novel

Kai Ashante Wilson's The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps absolutely rocked me to my core. Absolute recommendation for poetic writing and delightful characters.

[fiapple]

the teacher i mentioned was honestly a gem though. some things i remember include:

he on a few ocassions involved me in debates he was having with other students (one about whether you get chromosomes from both parents- ended in him calling a relative who worked in medicene because the girl who had started the discussion refused to believe you got them from both, which i'd just done a project on, one on the trope of the strong woman in fiction, & one on how/if grades can measure intelligence tmm)

gave me a random ass writing assignment for fun & a copy of a book he wanted me to read to borrow out of nowhere at the end of 7th grade

had to deal with my 8th grade self deciding the themes i wanted to handle in my writing that year were drugs, addiction, cultural standards of attraction, self-destructive behaviour, lgbt+ identity, and hate crimes

had to deal with the fact that my mother gave me the girl with the dragon tattoo series in 8th grade knowing nothing about the series, only for me to then decide that it was what i was going to do my book reports on (he put heavy emphasis on reccomending not to watch the american film without an adult, and the swedish film until i was older)

had to deal with me signing up to an art's program in 8th grade, then having a nervous breakdown & not attending the audition (he was very sweet, and i learned he'd been in a band)

heard someone (who was not cishet) refer to the high school we planned on attending as the gay school (it was the first to have a GSA in our area iirc) and then told him off & gave me a knowing look about it. (looking back i did not intentionally come out but the man had to have known)

survived me handing in petekey fanfiction because one night i was like, yk what, mikey is the one i currently think about the least. i should write something with him in it. and pete is cool. and then by the time is finished i was too tired to write the actual assignment i had due the next day so i just made a few changes and handed it in (i got an a)

gave me a very kind little chat about how i'd improved as a student, only to then near word-for-word repeat it when giving me an award at graduation.

oh one time he took a book from me because i kept reading during a lesson he was giving, and i then proceeded to immediatley pull another one out of my desk.

also he asked me for a writing assignment back one time because he "needed it for a second", only for me to turn my head & find he'd begun reading it to the class as part of the lesson that day. funnily enough even though that story had my name directly in it, people did not realize i'd written it at first.

but yeah like i really do think good teachers deserve the world. sir, i hope you got to write your theatre pieces.

[kissingcullens]

Re-watching Our Flag Means Death Ep. 5: “The Best Revenge is Dressing Well,” and I really appreciate how often this Historical Fiction story makes racism and racists the butt of its humor...   First of all, I think it’s important to note that this episode was written by John Mahone, a Black TV and comedy writer, and it was directed by Fernando Frías (fun fact: the same guy who plays Alfeo de la Vaca!)   It’s SO vital to the genius of OurFlagMeansDeath that the show has Black and other creators of color behind the scenes as well as on camera.  OKAY SO... The entire Frenchie/Oluwande/Abshir subplot?? INSPIRED. BRILLIANT. Hilarious every time. And watching the episode again, I’m noticing more and more the LAYERS in the episode. We’ve got the B-plot with Frenchie and Oluwande (with the help of Abshir) executing a brilliant scheme to con these craven slave-owners for EVERY CENT they possibly can... which is amazing and pitch-perfect. The tense and meaningful references that Frenchie makes to his past are fascinating, and hopefully explored more in Season 2-  Frenchie UNDERSTANDS this world, and has lived either as a servant or a slave among people like this... and this allows him to play the game to his advantage.  He knows exactly how to trick and swindle these people using their racism and vanity and greed against them. And then we have the A-plot of Edward longing to move in these wealthy, fancy circles. The LONGING on Ed’s face when Frenchie mentions fashion and frills?? Obviously there’s the queer yearning of it all, but it’s more multi-faceted than that-- This is the first time we get to see Edward’s childhood. He marvels at a piece of silk from a wealthy estate, and he questions the inequality of the world: “Why can’t WE have things like this?” His mother replies that they must accept their place in the natural order of things: “It’s not up to us, it’s up to God. We’ll never be those kind of people.” And then we have the party. Edward succeeds for a time in “entertaining” the crowd, but he soon finds that he can’t navigate the web of artificial rules and rituals that are all meant to exclude him, and he feels small and humiliated... which is all the more disturbing for him because he shouldn’t CARE what these people think. “Do you know who I am???” --these people would wet themselves and scream for mercy if they were facing BLACKBEARD... but you FEEL how helpless he is there; dressed up in a fancy outfit, alone. He’s entered their world on their terms, and he’s suddenly powerless without his carefully-crafted persona and reputation.   Sidenote: It’s SUCH a resonant writing decision to have Sir Godfrey Thornrose be a “Master Phrenologist.” Phrenology was a vital piece in the creation of White Supremacy bent on “scientifically proving” that white Anglo-Saxons were biologically superior to every other people on earth, and sorting humans into strict categories. Phrenology was extensively used to predict “criminality” and to uphold class divisions and poverty as “natural” and biological... the natural order of things. The "Head Toucher” bit was played for laughs, but it was such an intentional piece of writing towards the themes of the episode. It’s deep!

And the episode brings it all home with a bang, with Edward rejecting this culture and these people as shallow and fickle, and a moment of vulnerability and camaraderie between him and Frenchie; “What did they do to you man??? ...Oh, they’re such DICKS about spoons!”  They win the day by exposing the rotten underbelly of these “fancy” people, causing the party to devolve into violent self-destruction. And it is Frenchie’s “us servants see EVERYTHING” and Abshir’s inside knowledge, that allow Stede to blow the lid off of the whole place in the end. And then the episode ends with Oluwande redistributing the Fancy Fucks’ money to the enslaved people on the ship, and with Abshir and co. sailing off to “sharpen the con.” Again: BRILLIANT. SHOWSTOPPING. INCREDIBLE.

[ladyartemesia]

All I Want For Christmas is You

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Female Reader

Summary: When Park Jimin is unable to escort his precious sister through the gauntlet of corporate holiday galas, he blackmails his best friend Taehyung into being her chaperone. After all, who better to safeguard his headstrong sibling than a man who would never want her for himself? (She and Tae have spent the better part of a decade mutually disliking each other, and that’s putting it mildly.) Yet, even the best laid plans may go awry at Christmas and Kim Taehyung is about to discover that the girl he never wanted has become a temptation he cannot resist...

Genre: Comedy • Fluff  • Smut

Tropes: Brother’s Best Friend (Reader is Jimin’s Sister) • Enemies-to-Lovers

Collab: This work is part of the Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tropes Collab featuring original holiday themed works by @ppersonna • @xjoonchildx  • @underthejoon • @yeojaa​ • @untaemedqueen • and @snackhobi

Word Count: 17K (I know—I am shocked too honestly)

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Warnings: suggestive photographs • mention of accidentally being hit with a baseball • hints of jealousy and possessiveness • light tit slapping • explicit sexual content • m/f oral sex • consensual unprotected sex (shield it before you yield it y’all) • Viola’s mirror kink makes yet another appearance •

Acknowledgements:

To @ppersonna​ (Lindy) @underthejoon​ (Fal) and @xjoonchildx​ (Ana) you guys are my heart. Your support, willingness to read (and re-read) and give honest feedback made this fic special. Your friendship is my daily dose of awesome. Truly, I love you.

To @untaemedqueen​ (D) all of the above applies to you, but I owe you a little something extra for the LITERAL HOURS you spent in the doc with me. This fic would not be here without you. You kept me moving. You inspired me. You were amazing. Thank you so very much. This story is lovingly dedicated to you. 

To @hobi-gif​ for being the most thorough and incredible beta reader and for having all the important girl chats with me. I think you learned more about my past than you wanted... Either way you made this story better and I am profoundly grateful for the hours of time you spent. I have removed all the Hope-No-No words in your honor. 

To @lemonjoonah​ as always, you knew EXACTLY what I needed to tweak to make this story work. (Gotta pass that Lemon Litmus Test or no dice lol.) My lovely soul twin. You’re a bloomin’ rockstar. 

Please Picture This Taehyung:

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Yes. Because you absolutely owe me.”

“Then send me a bill, not your unmanageable harpy of a sister.”

Jimin raised a single unimpressed brow. 

“Kim Taehyung. It was exactly five years ago today that I carried your drunken naked ass two miles in the rain after you set your clothes on fire and sprained your ankle at that Beta Phi party.” He paused dramatically. “Do you remember what you said to me that night? After I deleted several pictures off phones and paid off half the party to keep it out of the papers?”

The man in question shifted uncomfortably.

“That incident is a bit hazy in my memory. I’m not sure I recall—”

“Jiminie—you’re the best and I—I owe… you. I owe you the most, Jiminie. I do—I owe you a favor—one BIG favor—anything you ask… Even though... I actually like being naked. I don’t think we need clothes. We should all be naked. Everyone. Then there would be world peace.”

Taehyung’s jaw dropped. 

“You RECORDED IT?!”

Jimin grinned, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

“Naturally. And I had it all ready to go—just in case you needed extra convincing.” He crossed his arms and fixed his best friend of nearly fifteen years with a triumphant smirk. “I’m calling in that favor today, Taehyung. Now are you a man of your word or not?”

“He did WHAT?!”

Your mother winced. 

“Jimin was... uncomfortable leaving you alone for the holiday season. He normally accompanies you to the galas but this year—”

“This year I was going to go alone and finally build my reputation as an asset to this family!”

Park Soomin sighed as she watched her daughter pace fiercely around the living room of their luxury suite. 

“No one doubts that you’re an asset, but… in light of recent events...”

Rage and embarrassment flared up in your chest before you could stop them. 

“This is about Milo… isn’t it?”

The silence that greeted your statement was confirmation enough. 

“Are you ever going to trust me again?” you whispered. 

“Oh sweetheart... it isn’t you we don’t trust...”

Tears burned at the corner of your eyes, but you ruthlessly blinked them back. 

You would play along with their humiliating schemes. 

For now.

“So which one of Jimin’s Ivy League brat pack did he blackmail into babysitting me? 

For the first time in the entirety of the conversation, your mother looked truly nervous. 

“Kim Taehyung.”

You tripped over your own feet and face-planted into the sofa. 

“Jungkook, I need to look into faking my own death. Nothing too over the top. Just a tasteful disappearance—”

The man in question could barely restrain his grin. 

“You don’t pay me nearly enough to deal with your mother in the event of your tragic demise and miraculous resurrection.”

“I could pay you more.”

“Or,” Jungkook replied with a heavy dose of judgment coloring his tone, “you could put on this ridiculous tie and stop trying to weasel out of it.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I pay you at all,” Taehyung growled, yanking the tie from the younger man’s grasp. “Clearly I’m not the one in charge.”

“Your words, sir, not mine. Now shall we go over the details and itinerary?”

If Jeon Jungkook wasn’t the best executive aide in the city (and one of his closest friends) Tae would have drop-kicked him right then and there.

“Could you at least try to look like you’re not enjoying this?”

“I’m sorry, sir. It was insensitive of me to ignore your suffering in this delicate time. The trauma of escorting a beautiful woman to a series of glorified buffets weighs heavily upon you.”

Taehyung tightened the tie so aggressively, he almost strangled himself.

“Beautiful woman?!” he wheezed. “We’re talking about the girl who showed up to our formal graduation party looking like she just escaped from Azkaban.”

Jungkook bit the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. 

“Tae… how long has it been since you’ve actually seen Ms. Park?” 

“Seen? Maybe three—four years.”

The heir-apparent of Kim Holdings avoided the public end of corporate culture like the plague, preferring to leave the requisite schmoozing to his personable cousin, Kim Seokjin. 

However, he had crossed paths with his adolescent nemesis in... other ways. 

Taehyung was romancing a lovely young socialite who suddenly ghosted him after someone told her that he wanted at least eight naturally-birthed children. 

Soon after, your favorite charity received an anonymous 30,000 dollar donation requesting that you be featured in the dunk tank for an upcoming benefit carnival and then the same anonymous patron paid for at least fifteen little league teams to attend. 

In retaliation, someone petitioned the National Aviary Society (chaired by a very influential senator’s wife that no one ever refused if they wanted their permits to go through) to make Taehyung the MC at their annual awards ceremony—knowing full well he was allergic to birds (not dangerously allergic—just enough to be miserable).  

Taehyung had sniffled and sneezed through approximately one hundred parrots, parakeets, and other assorted fowl until he was ready to commit murder. 

The last several years had been littered with similar incidents of the two of you taking thinly veiled potshots at one another. 

“I can’t imagine she’s changed very much,” Taehyung bit off absently. His mind was abruptly consumed by how he could get revenge for those demonic birds. 

He didn’t notice the smile creeping over Jungkook’s face. 

“No, sir. I’m sure she hasn’t changed at all.”

Taehyung had only ever had the wind knocked out of him once before. 

He was Dionysia High School’s star pitcher for three seasons and during one particularly tense game against JY Prep, Lim Jaebeom whacked a line drive right into his solar plexus. 

That’s how it felt to look up and see you at the top of the stairs. 

In his head, you were still the mischievous imp from his childhood. Every prank he played was directed at the fierce little fiend with braids and braces who’d knocked him and his date into the university fountain while experimenting with her friend’s skateboard. 

But she was gone… and in her place was something far more dangerous. 

A woman. 

Silken fabric wrapped tightly over curves you definitely didn’t have four years ago. That wild hair had been tamed into shining waves and pinned elegantly at the nape of your neck. The wicked slit that traveled all the way up your thigh teased a smooth shapely leg that all but demanded the viewer fantasize about running their hand up the length of it. 

Suddenly it was very clear why Park Jimin wouldn’t let his sister venture into the corporate cesspool alone. 

Because the sight of you could make a man desperate. 

Betrayal—of all things—slowly crept over Taehyung as you descended toward him like some sort of angel floating down from the heavens. 

His mind went blank. Just watching the seductive shift of your hips as you swayed ever closer felt like a violation of his friendship with Jimin. He could feel the judgmental stares of an imaginary Bro-Code Council boring into him from on high. 

“I see you’ve recovered from your memorable tenure as the Aviary Society’s Master of Ceremonies.”

And just like that the brat was back. 

Taehyung breathed a hefty sigh of relief, secretly thrilled to be in familiar territory with you. 

“Naturally I was delighted to help Senator Mitchell’s wife. In fact, Mitchell’s office just fast tracked all my pending permit requests for the new year.” He tilted forward, coming into your space a bit. “I should really send you a thank you card.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you scowled, breezing past him like an indignant queen. 

Tae could practically see the steam pouring out of your ears. 

“Of course not,” he chuckled.

The first gala of the holiday season was an extravagant annual affair hosted by Min Corp., a Seoul based investment firm that commanded billions in assets. This year, the theme of the event was the Joseon Dynasty and the entire ballroom had been gloriously transformed into a stunning celebration of the Min family’s royal heritage. 

Attendees were gifted their own traditional fan, each uniquely crafted by artisans from Damyang. Taehyung’s was all black with bold silver calligraphy while yours was a beautiful bamboo and silk piece decorated with pomegranate trees. 

You had already whacked three people with it by the time dinner was served. 

“It really is a pity these fell out of fashion,” you lamented. “They’re quite useful.”

“You are deranged,” Taehyung mumbled, massaging his temples in exasperation. 

“Nonsense. I only fanned those who deserved it.”

“Harkins?”

“He was staring at my rack for a solid minute.”

Taehyung could hardly blame the man, it was a battle he himself was losing after all, but Harkins was twice your age and married—therefore his ogling was in especially poor taste. 

“Okay... What about Kang?” 

“He was verbally abusing one of the waitstaff.” 

“Alright, fair enough, but why on earth would you go after sweet old Mrs. O’Malley?”

“She was about to grab your ass.”

Taehyung’s mouth dropped open.

“She’s eighty-five!”

“And still kickin’ apparently.” You shook your head in disgust. “As if I’d whack an eighty-five year-old woman for anything less than non-consensual touching.”

“I- I- mean—surely you must be mistaken,” he coughed. 

“Oh, there’s no mistake. That nasty old crone is a serial offender. She likes to play it off as dementia, but she’s as sharp as a tack. Last year she got a whole handful of Jimin. Honestly, I’d call the police on her, but the commissioner is her grandson so I doubt I’d get very far.”

Taehyung turned to the woman in question just in time to see her totter lecherously toward Jung Hoseok, fingers already twitching in anticipation. 

“Is nothing sacred?” he mused hollowly. 

You shrugged. 

“Many people who accumulate as much as our families have start believing that they are entitled to whatever strikes their fancy.” Your eyes met his with a hint of bemusement. “Surely you should be used to this sort of thing by now?”

“Yes, but I was hardly expecting it from little old ladies!”

The remainder of dinner was a terse affair where you pretended he didn’t exist for the entire meal and he in turn pretended that the spunky young heiress seated to his right was the most darling creature to ever walk the earth. By dessert she was ready to get married and you were ready to vomit. 

Afterward, Taehyung found himself quickly converted to your views on fan usefulness as you began strolling through the crowd intent on strengthening your family’s corporate ties. 

“Kim Taehyung,” you ground out through clenched teeth, “how am I supposed to do business if you keep stabbing everyone I speak to!”

“I don’t know what you’re implying. I’m simply not used to carrying one of these. I may have accidentally grazed a few overzealous individuals—”

“My last three conversations have been rudely disrupted by the blunt end of that accused fan.”

Taehyung crossed his arms smugly. 

“And what of it? Jimin sent me along to keep an eye on you and the gentlemen in question were hardly behaving themselves. No one has to put their hand in my back or lean that close to me when they’re talking business.” 

“That’s because no one wants to get that close to you,” you replied sweetly. “You’re gross.” 

A devastating grin slid slowly over his features as he leaned forward to whisper in your ear. 

“I can think of several women who might disagree.”

He just barely caught the hitch in your breath before- 

“Like who? Miss Blushes-and-Giggles from dinner?”

“Jealous?” Taehyung drawled cockily. 

“Only in your dreams, Kim.” Then, with a deliberate flick of your fan, you turned your back to him. “I’m headed for the ladies room. Do yourself a favor and don’t follow me in.”

It was twenty minutes before Taehyung realized that you slipped out the back entrance of the restroom. 

It took another ten for him to locate you on the balcony flirting outrageously with Min Yoongi. 

The young heir of Min Corp. was just leaning closer to whisper sweet nothings in your ear when a black fan slid right in between the two of you. 

“Lovely weather we’re having,” Taehyung observed cheerfully. His eyes bounced between you and Yoongi with barely concealed fury and you let out a miserable groan. 

“Mr. Kim,” Yoongi cleared his throat significantly. “What an… unexpected surprise.”

Frustration clawed at your chest as your overbearing guardian nodded smugly in response. 

It was time to teach him—and Jimin—a lesson. 

“Yoongi,” you sighed, sliding your hand pointedly through the crook of his arm, “I’m not feeling at all well. Would you perhaps… escort me home?”

Taehyung suddenly looked as if he’d swallowed a live octopus. 

Yoongi grinned, clearly thrilled with the prospect of simultaneously spending more time with you and irritating Taehyung. 

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Jimin is gonna kill me,” Taehyung grumbled as he watched Min Yoongi help you into the passenger seat of his Aston Martin. 

An ugly green feeling he refused to identify twisted sharply in his gut when you smiled coyly at the other man. 

“This is ridiculous,” he snarled to no one in particular before yanking his phone out of his pocket. 

Jungkook picked up on the second ring. 

“Sir?”

“I need you to drive to Ms. Park’s apartment and tell me if she goes in alone or if Min Yoongi goes in with her.”

“You want me to what?!” 

“Just do it!” he snapped, downing an entire glass of champagne before signaling his own driver. 

Fifteen minutes later his phone vibrated from the car seat next to him. 

1 New Message from: Jungkook

Her building has four separate entrances. Which one do I watch? 

Taehyung could practically feel the vein pulsing in his forehead as he scrolled through his contacts. 

You picked up on the fourth ring. 

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Oh it’s you… Wait—how did you get this number?”

“Jimin. Obviously. Now please answer the question.”

“Oh a ‘please.’ Who knew you had manners?”

“Answer the question, Park. I’m tired.”

The distinct sound of a zipper unzipping carried through the speaker. 

“I’m at home, of course. Where else would I be? I just got here like a minute ago.”

He had a sudden vision of Min Yoongi helping you out of your dress. His grip on the phone tightened. 

“Are you alone?”

You snorted. 

“I don’t see how that is any of your business.”

Taehyung saw red. 

“I’m coming over.”

There was a loud crash and several colorful words in at least three different languages. 

“Wha- No! I’m trying to go to bed!”

“With who?!”

“With myself, you idiot!”

“Prove it!”

“Fine! I will!”

The line disconnected and Taehyung swore loudly. He was just about to direct the driver to your building when his phone went off again. 

1 New Message from: Park Gremlin 

He almost choked on his tongue. 

You were clearly in the middle of undressing and—in your irritation—probably hadn’t looked too carefully at the picture you sent.  

At first glance it was simply a shot of your empty room (presumably “proof” that you were alone) but you neglected to consider the floor-length mirror hanging in the far corner…

A mirror that showed you angrily holding up your phone with your gown pooled deliciously around your waist and the soft round swells of your breasts strapped into lacy red lingerie. 

You were exquisite. 

A fierce, hot sensation gripped him ruthlessly, and this time there was no mistaking it. 

Desire. 

Your phone lit up on the bed where you tossed it after snapping a photo for your tightly-wound man nanny. 

1 New Message from: Kim Grinch 

I didn’t know you liked Van Gogh. 

Your head tilted in confusion. 

There was a Van Gogh print in your room, but he couldn’t have seen it because it was behind you when-

Oh NO.

You gasped, scrolling back up to confirm what deep down you already knew to be true. 

… You just sent Kim Taehyung a topless mirror selfie. 

Several miles away, smiling smugly in the backseat of his town car, Taehyung was sure he could almost hear you screaming. 

“Good morning, sir. Which would you like first; the bad news or the worse news?”

Taehyung groaned from underneath his covers. 

“Don’t you ever knock? I could have a woman up here.”

“You’ve never brought a woman up here.”

“Is that the bad news?” Taehyung yawned. 

“No,” Jungkook tossed a small stack of newspapers and printed digital articles into his lap, “this is the bad news.”

Pictures of you, Min Yoongi, and even himself were splashed over the front pages of all of them. 

PARK ANGEL TRADES ONE CORPORATE HEIR FOR ANOTHER AT MIN GALA

WHO WILL WIN THE PARK ANGEL’S HEART? KIM TAEHYUNG OR MIN YOONGI? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS

NEW ROMANCE ALERT? PARK ANGEL LEAVES JOSEON BALL WITH MIN SCION 

“The Park Angel?” 

“That’s what the media calls her... The public is rather fascinated with her actually.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Taehyung mumbled. 

“Of course not, sir. It’s a great mystery.”

As usual, Taehyung chose to ignore his aide’s lethal snark and pressed on to the matter at hand. 

“This is a flaming disaster.”

“Oh I don’t know. I really appreciated the picture of you staring on forlornly while she and Yoongi climbed into the Aston Martin. Takes a real gift to capture all that drama in a single frame.”

“Which one was that?!” 

“It’s right under the MAN DOWN: PARK ANGEL LEAVES KIM TAEHYUNG HEARTBROKEN headline.”

Tae ran his hand down over his face in exasperation. 

“I’m surprised my mother hasn’t called.”

“She has. Twice.”

“I don’t suppose that’s the ‘worse news’ is it?”

“No.”

“Of course it isn’t. I’m never that lucky.” He collapsed backwards into his pillows with a beleaguered huff. “Go ahead then. Tell me.”

“Park Jimin is on the line for you right now.”

After a small eternity on the phone with Jimin (assuring him that NO Min Yoongi had not despoiled his precious sister and YES he would definitely do better next time), Taehyung was forced to attend an impromptu brunch with his mother. It took considerable effort, but he was eventually able to convince her that you were neither breaking his heart nor expecting his child. 

By the time he arrived to collect you for this evening’s event, Taehyung was already sick of hearing your name (he’d spoken it no less than three hundred times since Jungkook woke him this morning).

You were in much the same boat as Taehyung, having spent most of the afternoon pacifying Jimin and clearing up your own mother’s romantic delusions regarding the Min and Kim heirs respectively. 

Tonight’s gala was a Victorian Christmas Ball thrown by the National Literary Fund and the entire venue had been transformed into a Charles Dickens fever dream. 

Unlike the Min Gala (whose theme was guarded like a state secret every year) the Literary Fund’s tribute to A Christmas Carol was tradition and you were dressed accordingly in a custom corset gown with gorgeous detailing. 

Every second of effort it took to lace yourself into the monstrosity was worth the look on Taehyung’s face the moment you slipped off your cape. 

“Something wrong, Mr. Kim?”

Taehyung was desperately trying to look literally anywhere but your chest, where said corset was serving up your breasts like a debauched buffet. 

Jimin. Think of Jimin. Think of what Jimin will do to you. Think of how much trouble she’s caused-

He peeked again.

I would pay a million dollars to suck those tits. 

“Nothing at all,” his voice cracked. 

The itinerary for the evening included performances by a local children’s choir, a traditional waltz, and—of course—dinner.

You both managed to get along without snapping at each other during the choral performance, but as two of the largest donors to the Children’s Literacy Initiative, neither of you could escape being drawn into the waltz. 

The energetic socialite who Taehyung flirted with over dinner the previous night eventually lured him onto the floor while you graciously accepted an invitation from a lovely older gentleman who chaired the Fund’s event committee. 

For the first few movements, you were thoroughly enjoying yourself. Mr. Lee was charming, respectful, and still an excellent dancer despite his advanced age. It wasn’t until a familiar sound caught your attention that the lightness in your chest suddenly felt heavy...

Taehyung was laughing. 

You heard him do so many times over the years, and in each instance, the carefree magic of it never failed to make your heart flutter. 

But now he was smiling down at the pretty little heiress and laughing for her… and the flutter in your chest was accompanied by something else. 

Something that felt an awful lot like longing. 

“Does he know you look at him like that?” Mr. Lee asked quietly. 

Your eyes flew guiltily to his, but it was too late. The old man had caught a glimpse of the secret you buried deeply for more than a decade; so deeply, in fact, there were times you almost forgot it yourself...

Almost. 

“No,” you whispered, “he has no idea.” 

Disaster struck at dinner. 

Taehyung quite liked dancing with the lovely Miss Something-or-Other. She was sweet and funny and (unlike with you) he wasn’t constantly torn between agitation and raging inappropriate lust in her presence. 

The cold shoulder you offered him when he took his seat seemed even more frigid than usual and he spent half the meal wondering what he’d done to earn your amplified disdain when suddenly—

Your hand smacked down on his wrist, seizing it in a vise-like grip. 

Taehyung nearly choked on his steak and was about to give you a searing set-down over your spontaneous grabby-ness when he noticed your expression. 

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, leaning forward in concern. 

“I-I need—” 

It looked as if you were in some sort of physical pain and Taehyung was rapidly becoming worried. 

“I need your help,” you finally managed to whimper and the next thing he knew, you were dragging him away from the table and into one of the secluded alcoves near the main entrance hall. 

“Is there anyone around? Can anyone see us?” The look on your face bordered on unhinged. 

“No. There’s no one. Park, are you okay? What’s going on I—”

“I need you to unlace my dress,” you hissed frantically. 

At that moment, a bomb could have gone off and Taehyung wouldn’t have blinked. 

You, however, were completely preoccupied with your own distress and therefore oblivious to his. 

“My earring broke during dinner and fell down there and now it’s stabbing me—”

Your eyes were beginning to tear. Taehyung remained frozen, still trying to figure out whether or not this was a lucid dream. 

“—it’s definitely pierced the skin and there’s a possibility I’m gonna start bleeding through the fabric—”

The mention of blood snapped him out of his daze somewhat. 

“A-Alright. Just turn around—brace yourself on that wall.”

You quickly did as you were told and Taehyung began to tug fruitlessly at the ties cross-crossing your back.

“Why won’t this—”

His fingers fumbled over the knots, desperately trying to loosen them, but they simply wouldn’t budge. 

“I can’t—I can’t get it. Whoever helped you into this thing made sure you weren’t getting out of it.” 

You whined in frustration and the earring shifted a bit in response. 

There was only one other way to fix this (and you would almost rather be in pain). 

“Taehyung I—” you turned to face him again, forcing your eyes shut before reluctantly doing what had to be done “... I need you to reach down the front of my dress and get it.”

He blinked. Twice. 

“I’m sorry—What did you just—”

“Please, Tae,” you whispered desperately, letting your lip tremble in a way he had never been able to resist, “it hurts…”

He gulped. 

His eyes dropped to the matter at hand.

This is fine. Everything’s fine. She’s in pain, right? You’re basically a doctor right now. You’re just going slide your hand in between the most mouthwatering pair of breasts you’ve ever seen and then—

Taehyung’s manic inner monologue was interrupted by the sound of his own moan. He immediately faked a coughing fit to cover it and prayed you hadn’t noticed. 

(You hadn’t. You were actively being stabbed.) 

“I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” he muttered, curling his fingers over the scalloped edge of the bodice. 

You bit your lip, desperately trying to hold back any reaction, but when his knuckle brushed the pebbled tip of your nipple, you gasped. 

Oh.

His hand stuttered, lingering a moment too long over the tight little peak as his gaze suddenly shot up to meet yours. Both of you had been studiously avoiding eye contact, yet now it was as if neither of you could look away. 

Taehyung wet his lips reflexively. 

“It’s too tight,” he whispered, “I need more leverage.” 

Then his arm wrapped over the curve of your lower back and he drew you tightly against him, anchoring your hips just enough to fully slip his hand between your body and the corset. 

You were so warm.

So soft...

“I can feel it,” he grunted, “but I can’t get a good grip on it.” 

His mouth pressed into a tight line as he leaned forward, bringing your back up against the wall. You let out a little squeak and his eyes darted briefly down to your mouth before he spoke again. 

“Hold on to me.”  

You nodded and wordlessly slid your arms around his waist.

If you concentrated hard enough, you could almost pretend that this wasn’t one of the most erotic moments of your life. 

You could almost pretend that it meant nothing. 

Your mind was spinning wildly, wondering what he was thinking, wondering if he noticed how strangely you were breathing or how hard your heart was beating...

“I’ve got it,” he murmured. Shivers shot down your spine at the dark timbre of his voice. 

He was so close. You could feel every word he spoke brushing softly against your skin. 

“On ‘three’ I’m going to pull it out… Are you ready?”

You drew in a final steadying breath. 

“Do it.”

He nodded. 

“One… Two… Three—”

Taehyung yanked his hand back and several things happened at once. 

Your breasts bounced almost entirely out of the corset. 

The decorative clasps on the front of your gown tangled with the buttons on his shirt and when he pulled back, three of them went flying off like stray bullets. 

And finally, the corset didn’t relinquish Taehyung’s hand quite quickly enough and, as a result, you toppled forward and crashed down on top of him, smashing your newly bare breasts to his newly bare chest. 

It could have been ten seconds or ten hours that passed by while the two of you lay there, breathing heavily in a pile of confused arousal when—

“... Is… everything alright here?”

You both looked up to find a thoroughly scandalized member of the waitstaff standing over you. 

Taehyung saw his life flash before his eyes—ending (of course) with Jimin murdering him for this. 

He gulped again. 

“I can explain.” 

It was decided—for the sake of appearances—that you would both leave the venue (immediately) in separate vehicles. 

Taehyung dropped a cool three hundred in crisp bills on the unfortunate waiter in order to help him ‘forget’ whatever he may or may not have seen. 

Neither of you spoke another word to each other in the ten minutes it took to bribe all the appropriate parties, gather your coats, and call for two separate town cars. 

Something had happened when he touched you; a subtle shift in the precarious balance of your relationship that you both felt keenly, but could not possibly begin to define. 

Taehyung barely even remembered climbing into the back of a vehicle. His body was firing on auto-pilot after the sensory overload of the last half hour. It wasn’t until he was nearly home that he realized he was still holding onto your earring. 

His mind began to wander as he examined the troublesome bauble in his palm. It was a striking piece; deceptively complex and unexpectedly beautiful. 

Just like you.

He told himself that the heat pooling low in his belly was anger—that the strange anxiousness to be near you was simply a desire for retribution—that it was merely platonic curiosity that left his hands aching to explore the rest of your curves. 

Lies.

… and pitifully transparent ones at that. 

Still, he clung to them desperately out of self-preservation. 

The gentle hum of his phone suddenly disturbed Taehyung’s silent contemplation. 

1 New Message from: Park Gremlin 

I made it home safely. 

Taehyung’s fingers were typing a reply before he could properly consider the consequence of his actions. 

To: Park Gremlin

I require proof… like last time. 

He nearly threw the phone the moment he sent it, running his hands down over his face in disbelief. 

You’re playing with fire, Kim Taehyung. 

And he was burning up already. He had no business sending you texts like that. Maybe you wouldn’t catch it. Maybe he could just-

The phone went off again and it was embarrassing how quickly he scrambled to open your response. 

His heart stuttered in his chest. His breathing ceased entirely-

And he knew—he knew—there was no coming back from this.

At first glance the photo was nearly identical to the shot you sent him last night. Same room, same angle… 

same mirror.

Yet this time, the reflection was quite different. 

The temptress in the glass wore nothing but that sinfully delicious corset and a pair of silky lace thigh highs, each accented with a green satin bow. 

He wanted to rip them off with his teeth. 

 “Oh Taehyung,” he whispered, as a dark wave primitive longing tore through him, “you are in so much trouble.”

Across town (buried beneath a pile of blankets) you were still struggling to process the boldness of your own actions when his response lit up your screen. 

1 New Message from: Kim Grinch

Green is my favorite color. 

“WHERE IS HE—”

Taehyung awoke to a series of crashes and shouts echoing from the floor below him. 

Jungkook was already seated in the corner of the room reading a newspaper. 

“Good morning, sir,” he said without looking up. “Would you like the bad news or the worse news?”

Suddenly the french doors of his bedroom slammed open and one very irate Park Jimin stormed through. 

“I swear I should have seen this coming. The two of you have always been obsessed with each other, but I never imagined—”

Taehyung’s eyes widened guiltily. He quickly schooled his features into a confused glare. 

“Jimin, I’ve only been awake for fifteen seconds. What the hell are you talking about?!”

Another stack of newspapers hit his lap and this time the pictures were mostly of him with his shirt ripped halfway down his chest. 

KIM HEIR AND PARK ANGEL CAUSE AN OLD-FASHIONED SCANDAL AT VICTORIAN BALL

FORGET MISTLETOE: KIM TAEHYUNG DISCOVERED UNDER THE PARK ANGEL AT CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

NAUGHTY NOEL? PARK ANGEL’S STEAMY AFFAIR WITH CORPORATE PRINCE 

PARK ANGEL TOPS KIM TAEHYUNG’S CHRISTMAS TREE

He winced a bit at that last one. 

“You have ten seconds to explain before I start throwing things.”

Taehyung opened his mouth to do just that, but he was interrupted when his mother marched into the room waving the same articles that Jimin had just thrown at him. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG I raised you better than this! How could you!? That poor girl!”

“Mother!” he squeaked, yanking his blanket up over his chest like a frightened debutante. 

Jungkook began surreptitiously filming the whole debacle from the corner. 

“Indeed,” Jimin added darkly, crossing his arms over his chest, “how could you?”

Taehyung sighed heavily. 

“Is anyone else going to come charging into my bedroom?”

“Just answer me once and for all, is she pregnant?” 

“WHAT?!” 

“NO! Mother! Oh my—”

“Why does your mom think my little sister is pregnant?!”

Taehyung waved his arms wildly in exasperation. 

“My mom thinks everyone is pregnant! You know this!”

Jungkook could no longer contain his hysterical cackling. He very nearly fell off the chair trying to hold it all in. 

“Mr. Jeon,” Taehyung ground out irritably, “if it’s not too much trouble, could you please escort everyone out of my bedroom so I can get dressed!” 

“So you see—I was basically like a doctor,” Taehyung finished emphatically. 

He spent the past twenty minutes explaining to the entire table (which now included both you and your mother) why it was necessary to shove his hand down the front of your dress. 

Park Soomin had shown up at his door looking for answers (and dragging you behind her like a sacrificial lamb) about three minutes after Jimin. 

You had taken one look at Jimin’s murderous expression and insisted that the situation be evaluated over breakfast at the cafe down the street (where there were lots of witnesses). 

Which was how you, Taehyung, Jimin, and both your mothers ended up discussing your cleavage over coffee in a public restaurant. 

Jimin was the first to break. It was a few snorts at first, but he was basically in tears by the end of it, wheezing about how he never doubted Taehyung for a second and holding on to his sides from laughing too hard. 

Taehyung’s gaze met yours for a brief, heated exchange. He conveniently forgot to mention your slightly-less-than-explainable ‘check-in’ texts, but their existence was palpable in the air between you. 

“I think I’ll take a walk,” you muttered, excusing yourself from the complicated atmosphere at the table. 

Taehyung’s eyes lingered on you a tad too long as you wandered away, a fact that wasn’t missed by either of your mothers.

“Just a few more events and you can go back to not seeing her at all,” Jimin chuckled, patting him on the back. 

“Yeah,” Taehyung answered with a tight smile. “That’s… great.”

The cafe had a lovely little balcony area decorated with all sorts of comforting Christmas foliage. It was far more inviting than the awkward conversation and confusing stares you and Taehyung had been trading all morning. 

For the first time in the nearly fifteen years of your relationship (such as it was) you didn’t know where you stood with him… and it bothered you more than you cared to admit. 

Taehyung had always been important to you, whether you wanted him to be or not. He mattered—effortlessly—from the first moment you met him and continued to do so without regard for your sanity. 

Whatever was building between you now would almost certainly bring change… though what kind of change was anyone’s guess. 

It was hard to imagine the years ahead without the strange excitement he always brought to your life, but some things were simply out of your control…

“I never thought I’d see you here.”

A profoundly unpleasant feeling (something similar to falling through the ice on a frozen pond) overtook you. 

“Milo.” Even saying his name felt gross. You sighed. “What is so strange about seeing me here?”

The man in question blushed in a way you once found irresistible. 

“I looked for you everywhere. All your usual places—”

“I avoided them.”

I avoided you. 

Milo nodded. 

“I—I figured.” 

He took a step closer and you instinctively moved back. The hurt in his eyes was unmistakable, but you had long since become immune. 

“What are you doing?” you hissed angrily. “I thought I made myself clear the last time we spoke.”

“Yes, but—” his hand reached out to curl over your forearm and you recoiled, “you didn’t give me a chance to explain—”

“Excuse me.” 

You both turned to see Kim Taehyung with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at Milo like he was a roach that crawled across his dinner plate. 

“Your mother sent me to come find you. She wants to leave.” 

You nodded and moved to pull away, but Milo’s grip tightened on your arm. 

“No—please if you just give me a minute—”

“That is enough,” Taehyung snarled, seizing the other man’s hand and forcibly removing it from your person. He angled his body between the two of you protectively. “I think it’s time for you to go.”

Milo’s eyes narrowed. 

“You’re Kim Taehyung. I read all about you in the papers this morning.” His lips twisted into an ugly sneer as he addressed you. “You really think you’re better off with him if that’s the way he treats you?”

Taehyung tensed menacingly beside you, but you laid a gentle hand on his arm to calm him. 

“None of that is any of your concern.” Your gaze rose to meet his defiantly. “Nothing about me is your concern anymore.”

Milo’s eyes fell to where your palm rested on the other man’s sleeve, noticing the way you both unconsciously leaned toward one another. 

“This isn’t over,” he muttered, storming off. 

After he was gone, you let out a breath you hadn’t known you were holding. 

“Thank you,” you whispered (though you couldn’t resist adding), “I could have handled it myself of course…”

Taehyung laughed. 

“Oh I know. I was at that party where you knocked out Tyler Jung for grabbing your ass.” 

You grinned. 

“I’d forgotten about that.”

“Well I’m sure Tyler hasn’t.” 

(He neglected to mention that he split Tyler’s lip behind the library the next day, just to make sure it was extra memorable for him.) 

“I wish I could forget about Milo.”

“... Are you still in love with him?” 

The words tasted like ash in his mouth. 

“No.” You smiled softly. “I’m not sure I was ever in love with him actually. It’s more—” you sighed, “—embarrassment… wounded pride.”

Taehyung tilted his head curiously and you found yourself continuing. 

“In the beginning, he was very playful and charming—and obviously handsome. He reminded me so much of—”

you. 

You cleared your throat. 

“Anyway… I was quite taken with him at first. I didn’t suspect any ulterior motives.” You shrugged, trying to hold back the unpleasant emotions that always threatened to overrun you in moments like this. “I just thought he liked me.”

Taehyung’s eyes filled with sympathy and understanding as you spoke. It felt oddly natural to open up to him this way. 

“Jimin is very protective of me—with good reason it turns out. He was suspicious of Milo and hired people to do some discreet digging.”

Your hands wrapped around your body for both warmth and comfort. 

“Milo’s family owns several companies, just like ours, but they’re all struggling. His father sent him to me hoping that he would eventually get compromising information… a sex tape or photographs—something of that nature. They intended to blackmail Jimin into doing business with them.”

Taehyung felt his jaw clench painfully. Fury, hot and profound, rolled through him. 

“I should kill him.”

You shook your head, amused in spite of yourself. 

“That’s exactly what Jimin said.”

“He has good instincts.”

“Scum like Milo aren’t worth it,” you chuckled. “He never got what he wanted… but I was still mortified. I felt like such a fool for believing him.”

“No,” Taehyung’s hands slid up to cup your shoulders, “it’s not foolish to believe that someone cared for you.”

It would be so easy to care for you. 

“Besides…” his eyes fell briefly to your lips as he searched for the right words, “I saw the way he looked at you and—even though he’s clearly a terrible person—I believe his feelings may have been genuine.”

You nodded. 

“That’s what he keeps trying to tell me—that he did have bad intentions, but ended up falling for me anyway.” You shook your head. “As If I could believe a word he says.”

The silence between you stretched comfortably. Taehyung sensed you had more to say, so he waited until you were ready to voice it. 

“I think that’s why I’m so sensitive about handling things on my own lately… and just now even. I want to prove to everyone—to myself—that I’m not a liability.”

“Hey,” he whispered, tipping your chin up till your gazes met, “no one thinks you’re a liability. And even if you are capable, no one should have to fight their own battles all the time—especially when they’re emotionally compromised…” His thumb gently brushed away the small tear that escaped down the curve of your cheek. “That’s the benefit of having people who care about you.”

“... Like you?” 

The words left you so softly, you could almost imagine they were still in your head where they likely should have stayed. 

Taehyung’s eyes widened in surprise. His gaze became even more intent and you ceased breathing altogether. After a moment his lips parted as if he was about to speak- 

“What’s going on, guys?”

You both jerked back at the sound of your brother’s voice. He was standing in the entrance to the balcony, gaze darting suspiciously between the two of you. 

Taehyung was a bit dazed, but you were always quicker on your feet. 

“I ran into Milo… Tae was calming me down.”

Jimin’s eyes hardened immediately. 

“Where is he?”

“Long gone,” you mumbled, ambling over to the familiar warmth of his arms. “I just want to go home.” 

The Black and White Ball was one of the most coveted invitations of the holiday season. 

The dress code was quite strict (all black or all white—no exceptions) and it was one of the few events where people actually arrived in limousines. 

Taehyung loathed limousines. He felt absurdly pretentious pulling up to your building in such a gauche ride, but traditions and appearances meant too much in his world to simply disregard them. 

His ensemble for the evening was a beautifully tailored black suit with hand-stitched baroque detailing. Oddly, he found himself wondering what you would think of it... 

“You look like a vampire.”

Taehyung turned at the sound of your voice and was struck, yet again, by how incredibly beautiful you were. 

You had chosen to wear white, donning an exquisite gown with delicate pearl beading and a daring sweetheart neckline that molded perfectly to your frame. 

If he looked like a vampire, you were surely an angel. 

Still…

Angel or not, he couldn’t let that comment pass. 

“I think I’m offended.”

“I can’t imagine why. After all, loads of women are attracted to Nosferatu.”

Taehyung’s eyes narrowed. 

“There are so many sexy vampires in popular culture, but you just had to lump me in with the creepy bald one...”

You shrugged playfully. 

“I wouldn’t want you to think I was going soft.”

A wicked grin danced over your lips as you strolled past him regally—just as you had many times before... 

This time, however, he let his eyes linger a little longer on the view. 

Lord have mercy. 

“Of course not,” he coughed. 

“You’re what?!”

You rolled your eyes.

Tonight had been going rather well. 

The two of you formed a mutual unspoken agreement to pretend that your last encounter on the balcony (and on the phone) had never happened and (despite the heated glances you occasionally traded) the bickering and playful banter characteristic of your relationship had all but returned to normal...

Until Taehyung learned of your participation in the evening’s main event. 

“I told you, I’m part of the date auction this year.”

“Does your brother know about this?!”

“I didn’t see any reason to bother him with it.” You were suddenly preoccupied with your nails. 

“Woman,” Taehyung sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “are you trying to make my life difficult?”

“No, I’m just naturally gifted in that respect.”

You turned and began making your way to the front, but Taehyung was hot on your heels and clearly not ready to let the matter rest. 

“I cannot believe you’re actually going through with this! It’s not 1810, you know. We shouldn’t just auction off women for dates—”

“You’re absolutely right, Tae Tae.” You brushed a condescending pat over his cheek. “Nowadays we auction off the men too.”

Then you sauntered off to join the rest of the participating women—and men—backstage, leaving Taehyung to stew about the entire situation from the crowd. 

“As you know, all proceeds from tonight’s auction go to fight childhood hunger right here in our city. For legal purposes, I must advise all bidders that you are only bidding on the company of the individual in question.”

Taehyung shook his head. “Jimin is probably going to kill me for this.”

“If you place the winning bid, then you and your date will receive two VIP tickets to the Governor's Winter Wonderland Gala which comes with a variety of amenities including; a luxury limousine service, one of the private and famously romantic Winter Wonderland dinner experiences—”

His eyes fluttered shut. “Jimin is definitely gonna kill me for this.” 

“—unlimited free drinks, ten complimentary tickets for each of the grand prize raffles, photos with the Governor and his family, along with many more surprises!”

Taehyung grabbed a champagne flute from a nearby waiter and downed it in one go. 

“And now for our first date of the evening! Mr. Jackson Wang!” 

Jackson went for a cool six grand because no one was brave enough to outbid his girlfriend. 

After him, the beautiful Manoban heiress and her handsome cousin Kim Namjoon went for twelve grand each.

Jung Hoseok started a frenzied bidding war between two young socialites and Mrs. O’Malley. He ended up going to the lovely Ms. Ana Fallon for a staggering twenty thousand dollars. 

Taehyung’s own cousin, Kim Seokjin, paid a jaw-dropping twenty-one thousand dollars for Lin Yuna, the young CEO of Lin Cosmetics. (Taehyung made a mental note to ask him about that later.) 

Then it was your turn. 

“The next lady on our list needs no introduction. The lovely Park Angel has graciously agreed to a date with one lucky bidder tonight! Who will it be? Do I hear ten thousand?”

“Ten thousand.”

Taehyung swung his head toward the first bidder and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Tam Martin, one of your best friends and very gay. 

“Eleven thousand.”

“Twelve thousand.”

“Fifteen.”

“Sixteen thousand dollars.”

“Seventeen thousand.”

“Eighteen.”

Taehyung was having trouble keeping up with all the bidders. His ears were starting to ring again and a strange unpleasant nausea was building in his stomach. 

“Twenty thousand.”

“Twenty-five thousand.”

“Thirty thousand!”

At the sound of the last bidder’s voice, you noticeably paled. Your eyes flew to Taehyung’s and immediately he knew exactly who it was. 

Milo.

Before he could even react to the new information, another voice joined the fray. 

“Forty thousand.”

Min Yoongi smiled smugly from the other side of the room and even had the audacity to throw you a wink. 

You smiled shyly at the young heir’s boldness and Taehyung felt something downright unholy rise up in his chest. 

No. 

Milo was still bidding. 

“Fifty thousand dollars.”

Not her. 

“Sixty,” Yoongi countered.

She’s mine. 

Suddenly Taehyung was on his feet. 

“One hundred thousand dollars!” 

The silence in the backseat of your limousine was deafening. 

Tension charged the air like an electric current as the significance of the last hour weighed heavily between you. 

The spacious luxury vehicle allowed you to sit facing one another. Taehyung’s eyes were focused on his hands, but you were looking at him—letting your mind run wild with speculation. 

And hope. 

Part of you was still there, on the stage, watching him stand up and bid a fortune for the pleasure of your company. 

His gaze was so fierce when he spoke, like an ancient emperor calling out his decree for the people to obey. 

You dreamed about him bidding on you when you signed up for the auction (even before Jimin bullied him into accompanying you). You let yourself imagine him speaking out again and again till the others stepped back—

Yet you never dared hope for it. 

However, the last several days marked an unexpected turning point in your relationship. 

For years, you and he were like magnets with a too-similar charge, but something had shifted irrevocably between you, and somehow your stubborn similarities became opposites that could not resist their attraction. 

Kim Taehyung was one of the wealthiest men in the city…

But he didn’t need to buy your heart. 

It had always been his, even if you didn’t want to admit it. 

He had claimed you tonight—and every single soul in that ballroom knew it. 

The next move was yours and you intended to make it. 

“Mmm,” you hissed a bit, bringing your hand to rest just below your breasts. 

Taehyung’s gaze flew up in concern. 

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, it’s just that scratch from the earring,” your fingers rubbed gingerly at the spot, drawing his focus to it, “it still stings.”

“Oh… I—” he shook his head, “I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“Do you want to see?” 

Taehyung’s eyes rose slowly to yours. 

You watched the subtle rise and fall of his chest as he considered your words. Anticipation vibrated through your blood like notes struck on a piano—

Then he nodded...

And you both were lost. 

Trembling fingers slid the zipper down the side of your gown. The dress itself was a marvel of physics designed to support you without the need for a bra. 

Taehyung drew in an impossibly deep breath as the fabric drifted to your waist, baring the perfect mounds of your breasts to him entirely. 

“Here,” you whispered, pointing to a small red mark just under the curve of your left one. 

He bit back a moan. 

“I—I see. That looks… painful.” His fingers dug into the seat beside him. “Is there anything I can do to help?” 

You nodded. 

“Kiss it better.”

Taehyung felt the air knock out of his lungs like a sucker punch. 

This must have been how Adam felt when Eve offered him the forbidden fruit all those millennia ago. 

He knew he shouldn’t—

but he could never deny you. 

“Of course.”

You watched as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. He looked like a man possessed and you reveled in the power of it. 

It was for you. 

He wanted you. 

Your back arched up the slightest bit, beckoning to him—offering him a taste of what he was so desperately craving. 

Touch me… please. 

Large palms landed on either side of your thighs, bracing him on the seat beneath you. The tip of his nose teased the delicate line of your collar bone and he swore violently under his breath. 

Then his lips were on your skin and your mind went blank. 

“Taehyung—“ you moaned. 

Hot open-mouthed kisses spread over the soft swell of your breast and you gasped— shuddering helplessly as a fierce wave of pleasure tore through you.

Sweet merciful heavens. 

Over the years you imagined a moment like this thousands of times in your head—only to discover now that you had pitifully underestimated both his passion and his skill. 

You had dreamed of a quiet fire—but he had unleashed an inferno. 

The lewd sounds of his mouth nipping and sucking at your tender flesh filled the small space around you as he poured himself into each obscene contact—stopping briefly to flick his tongue over the taunt peak of your nipple. You trembled breathlessly at the sharp snap of sensation, letting your head fall back against the seat as you buried your fingers in his soft curls. 

“T-Tae—”

Finally his mouth fastened over the tiny scratch, and the kiss deepened. You knew what he was doing, what the result of his efforts would be—

He was marking you. 

And you wanted it. 

Oh how you wanted it. 

Suddenly the car took a sharp turn, causing Taehyung to lose his grip on the seat. His arms wrapped around your torso for balance, dragging you fully against him.

“Does it feel better, Angel?” he growled. 

You nodded frantically and he nipped at the underside of your breast. 

“Speak up.”  

“Yes, Taehyung,” you whimpered, “it feels so much better.” 

“Mmmm,” he hummed, brushing his mouth along the sensitive column of your neck. “Who knew you could be such a good girl?”

Then his hand came up to grip your chin, turning it so your lips were almost against his—

“Madame. We’ve arrived.”

The driver’s voice cut over your senses like a shard of ice. 

Taehyung jerked backward and immediately buried his face in his hands. 

Your fingers hastily yanked your dress up and you stumbled out of the car in a daze, letting your feet carry you forward until you collapsed on top of your bed. 

Did we just...

You hadn’t even begun to collect your thoughts when your phone buzzed from inside your purse. 

1 New Message from: Taehyung 🙄🥴🙈

I need to know you made it safely to your room. 

You grinned. 

Greedy boy. 

Back in the limousine, the boy in question was nervously tapping the corner of his phone against his chin as he waited for your reply. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Oh? But you saw me walk in… and I’m already in bed.

Taehyung growled in frustration. 

She would be a tease. 

To: Angel 🤬🥵😅

I tend to worry. Put my mind at ease. 

He shook his head. 

I have officially gone insane. 

The phone buzzed again. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Well… We can’t have that can we… 

Taehyung literally felt the whine tear out of him as he opened the picture. 

Your gorgeous body (the body he’d had his hands and mouth on for one glorious minute) was nestled decadently atop a pile of fluffy blue blankets and wrapped in nothing but a tiny silk robe. 

The neck gaped open just enough to show off the pretty red marks he left on the delectable curve of your breast. 

He groaned, biting down hard on his bottom lip.

To: Angel 🤬🥵😅

That's all I get after I made the pain go away? Good girls send real proof, Angel

The screen lit up again almost immediately. 

1 New Message from: Angel 🤬🥵😅

Guess I’m not such a good girl after all...

Jimin came tearing through the Kim Manor front gate at precisely 7 AM—only to find Jungkook camped out at the entrance with several outdoor space heaters and a giant mug of hot chocolate.

“He told you not to let me in, didn’t he?”

Jungkook took a long satisfying sip of his cocoa. 

“I hope you don’t feel singled out, sir. I’m not allowed to let his mother in either.”

“I need to talk to him.”

“Of course, Mr. Park, let me just pull up his schedule—”

“I need to talk to him now.”

“I’m afraid Mr. Kim is booked solid for the morning.”

Jimin stomped his foot like a petulant child. 

“I know he’s up there.”

Jungkook grinned. 

“You’re welcome to climb the trellis and check. I promise not to stop you if you make it all the way up.”

“COME DOWN HERE AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!” Jimin shouted at the top of his lungs. 

Jungkook took another long pull of his drink. 

“Might I inquire as to the reason for your visit today, sir?”

“The reason for my visit,” Jimin yanked out his phone and angrily began typing into the search bar, “is that your boss paid ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS for my sister at a date auction last night and I want to know what the hell is going on between them!”

The article Jimin pulled up (DEVILISH KIM TAEHYUNG BUYS HIMSELF A $100,000 ANGEL) featured an image of the two of you entering the Black and White Ball. Your head was thrown back in laughter and Taehyung was grinning down at you as if you’d personally hung all the stars in the sky for him. 

A genuine smile crept over Jungkook’s face as he studied the photograph. 

“That’s quite a headline.” He handed Jimin’s phone back. “Have you asked your sister about it?”

“No, I swung by earlier, but she wasn’t home so—” His eyes widened. “Oh my—is she—”

Jimin suddenly took off running for the trellis, and Jungkook scrambled out of his chair to chase him. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG IF MY SISTER IS IN THAT ROOM—”

He was already three feet off the ground when Jungkook yanked him back. 

“I thought you said I could climb the trellis!”

“Yes,” Jungkook wheezed, “but I didn’t think you’d actually do it!” That trellis is a hundred years old! A few more feet and I’d be scraping you off the antique brickwork!”

Jimin scowled and crossed his arms. 

“Are you by any chance open to bribes?”

“Normally yes, but Tae promised to double my Christmas bonus if I didn’t accept them today.”

Jimin continued to eye the trellis speculatively, clearly willing to take his chances. Jungkook sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

“Mr. Park, I promise you… He came home alone last night. In fact, they both returned earlier than usual because your sister had a 7 AM finance meeting.” He paused significantly to glance at his watch. “Which is probably where she is right now.”

“Oh… Well.”

Jungkook bit his lip to hold back a snort and Jimin’s eyes narrowed. 

“He has to come down eventually.”

“One would think.”

The young Park heir glanced toward Taehyung’s window again just in time to see the man in question dart back behind the curtains. 

"I KNOW YOU'RE AWAKE, KIM TAEHYUNG, YOU PHILANDERING SLEAZE BAG!" 

Jimin made another jump for the trellis and this time Jungkook caught him in mid-air. 

“Sir, I’m sure it was just the maid!”

“It’s not the maid! I’d know that raggedy mop of his anywhere!”

Jungkook was out of breath at this point. Park Jimin might be small, but he was fierce. 

“Perhaps it’s best if you took a moment to collect yourself,” he grunted. “There’s a lovely new spa down the street and they sent Taehyung two free deluxe packages.”

Jimin stopped struggling. 

“Oh?”

Five minutes later, Jungkook sighed deeply and fished his phone out of his back pocket. 

“He’s gone, sir.”

“Excellent work, Jungkook. I never doubted you for a second.”

“However…”

“... However?”

“I had to give him your spa passes.”

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

“Are you headed for a gala or the guillotine?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t pay extra for commentary.”

“It’s complimentary, sir.”

The Kim heir tugged absently at the material of his absurdly expensive evening wear. 

Why do these events always have to be so uncomfortable? 

“Seriously, Tae… you seem,” the young aide searched for the right words, “unusually tense.”

Taehyung’s mind flashed back to three nights ago when he had his mouth wrapped around your breast. 

“Not at all,” he coughed, loosening the collar of his shirt. 

Jungkook bit his lip.

“Is this about Ms. Park, sir?”

The cufflinks Taehyung was attempting to fasten suddenly went flying across the room and hit a lamp. 

Both men winced. 

“I think that was your grandmother’s.”

Taehyung sighed. 

“I admit there have been… some developments.”

Jungkook nodded nonchalantly, trying to disguise the fact that he was internally frothing at the mouth for details. 

“... Such as?”

Taehyung gulped. 

“It started out rather innocently I suppose…” he cleared his throat, “but there may have been some suggestive photographs.”

“There may have been? Are you not sure?”

Taehyung colored guiltily. 

“Well—”

“Do you need me to check for you, sir? I have an art history degree.”

“Absolutely not.”

Jungkook grinned. 

“That’s what I thought.”

Taehyung yanked his tie out of the younger man’s hand. 

“Things have… escalated a bit.”

“Escalated how?”

I licked her tit in the back of a limo.

“Physically.”

It was everything Jungkook could do to maintain a straight face. 

“That’s… shocking.”

“Then why don’t you seem shocked?” Taehyung grumbled. 

A small smile played across Jungkook’s lips as he pointedly ignored the elder man’s observation.

“So what are you going to do, sir?”

Taehyung was silent for a long moment. 

“I honestly have no idea.”

Watching you walk toward him was an experience.  

Taehyung wondered absently if this was how it would be from now on; if for the rest of his life just the sight of you would be enough to scatter his mind and his pulse and even the way he breathed. 

Your dress tonight was deadly. 

It was a decadent red satin halter that clung to every curve. The truly wicked detail, however, was a daring slit that ran the entire length of your leg. 

Taehyung was certain he was going to trip over his own tongue at some point if he looked directly at you for too long. 

Oh help. 

Memories of your previous encounter flooded his senses. Every second you were getting closer and he didn’t know what to do—what to say. 

So he didn’t say anything at all. 

Not a word when you reached the bottom of the stairs. Nothing but silence as he opened the door of the limo for you. More silence and no eye contact as he settled into the seat across from yours—

And you tolerated that for about three minutes. 

“I never thought I’d see the day when Kim Taehyung didn’t have a comment about something. Perhaps I should mark this down on my calendar.”

The words were lightly spoken, but you were shaking on the inside. The last time the two of you were alone together he had your dress around your waist and you were moaning his name. Now he wasn’t talking and you were torn between panic and irritation. 

Taehyung, however, latched onto your passive barb like a lifeline. 

“Is that a hint of sarcasm I hear from the benevolent Park Angel?” He grinned. “Surely not.”

“Red is not a particularly angelic color. Perhaps I’m feeling feisty today.”

Taehyung leaned back in his seat and indulged himself in a thorough examination of your outfit. The urge to run his hands over the satin-covered lines of your body was nearly unbearable. He curled his fingers into fists to keep them from doing just that. 

She is definitely trying to kill me. 

“Should I be worried?”

Now it was your turn to grin. 

“I guess we’ll find out.”

The Governor’s Winter Wonderland Gala was by far the most extravagant event of the holiday season. Tickets cost a small fortune and sold out almost immediately. 

But it was well worth the price of admission.

Thousands of lights sparkled overhead as you made your way through the great hall of Governor Kim’s mansion. 

It was like stepping into a fairytale. 

Taehyung couldn’t take his eyes off you. The sheer wonder in your expression was breathtaking. 

You were breathtaking.  

“Governor Kim, it is such an honor to finally meet you.”

The Governor was a handsome man in his early fifties with a smile that was every bit as lethal as it had been twenty-five years ago. 

“The honor is all mine, Ms. Park. I trust my nephew is treating you well.”

Your eyes widened. 

“N-nephew?”

Taehyung shrugged. 

“I don’t really talk about it much.” 

The Governor chuckled and you cleared your throat to cover your nervousness. 

“Yes, he’s been a very capable escort.”

“Is that so?” Governor Kim smiled charmingly. “Well if it doesn’t work out, my son Seokjin is still single—”

“Thank you, Uncle. It was lovely to see you as always.”

You squeaked as Taehyung placed his hand firmly on the curve of your back and practically dragged you away. 

The Governor just shook his head and laughed. 

“Oh kid, you’ve got it bad.”

Everywhere you looked there was beauty. 

Whoever planned the gala this year had truly gone above and beyond. Surrounded on all sides by glittering trees and snowy vignettes, it was easy to be swept away in the festive magic of the evening. 

All in all (despite some initial awkwardness), you were having a fantastic time...

Until she showed up. 

“Kim Taehyung! Is that you?”

Every single hair on your body stood on end, but before you could determine the source of the shrill squealing, you found yourself being nudged aside by a blinding golden gown and some very high heels. 

“Aubrey,” Taehyung grunted as five-and-half feet of gorgeous wrapped herself around him like a clinging vine. “Long time no see.”

“Not since that vacation in Aspen,” she giggled. “We had quite a time, didn’t we Tae Tae!”

Suddenly you had the most unholy urge to slap the spray tan right off this woman. 

Instead, you plastered on a vibrant smile and placed your hand on Taehyung’s sleeve.

“Um. Excuse me, Tae Tae, perhaps you could introduce us?”

Taehyung looked as if he’d just been served raw fire ants for dinner. 

“Yes. Of course. This is—”

“Aubrey Alicia St. Valentine,” she interrupted with a smug little smirk. “Taehyung and I go way back.” Her expression grew just the slightest bit tighter. “And you are?”

“His date,” you deadpanned. 

“Aubrey,” Taehyung cleared his throat, “I’d like you to meet Ms. Park she’s—”

“Oh my goodness! You’re Jimin’s little sister aren't you!” Aubrey slapped her hand over his chest and he winced. “That is so precious of you to take her around like this!”

Your eyebrows raised right up into your hairline and Taehyung groaned. 

“Yes, he was kind enough to sign me out of the nursery for the evening.” You offered them both a painfully vacant nod. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I see one of my play-dates near the buffet.”

Then you turned on your heel and sauntered off without another word. 

Taehyung moved to follow you, but Aubrey curled her fingers into the crook of his arm and pulled him back. 

“Oh let her go, Tae. You and I have so much catching up to do.”

Taehyung pointedly removed her hand from his elbow. 

“Some other time perhaps.” 

Aubrey pouted prettily. 

“You’re not running off after her are you? She’s a big girl, she can take care of herself.”

Taehyung crossed his arms and fixed her with a knowing look. 

“Funny... that’s not what you were implying a moment ago.”

“A moment ago I didn’t have you all to myself. Now I do.” She had the decency to blush. “Perhaps I got a bit jealous.”

“You don’t say.” His eyes continued to search the crowd for any sign of you. 

“It seems I had good reason to be,” she murmured quietly. 

“Aubrey... Listen I—”

She cut him off with a finger to his lips.

“Don’t bother Tae Tae. I’m petty, but I’ve never been pathetic.”

He grinned. 

“Never.”

The lady sighed and gave him a heated once over.

“What a shame.”

Then she strolled off with a rueful smile. 

“You know what I don’t understand?”

You turn to find Min Yoongi leaning casually against a nearby column. He looked absurdly handsome as always, but his grin was just the slightest bit mischievous. 

“What don’t you understand, Mr. Min?”

The question was clearly a bait, but you were still fuming from your earlier encounter with Ms. St. Valentine and therefore desperately in need of a distraction. 

Yoongi pushed off the column and lazily made his way toward you.

“I don’t understand how a man pays a hundred thousand dollars for an evening with the most beautiful woman in the city, and then leaves her all by herself.” He leaned forward with a playful grin. “Perhaps you could enlighten me?”

Oh he’s good. 

You made a show of tapping your chin thoughtfully. 

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for that one.”

Yoongi sighed and shook his head. 

“Couldn’t be me.”

You laughed then. He really was a delightful man. In fact, if you still had your heart, you might have considered letting him take a shot at it. 

Alas. 

You tilted your head speculatively. 

Surely there was no need to brush away good company...

After all, no one else is interested in spending time with me. 

“Since my escort is otherwise occupied, perhaps you could join me for dinner?”

Yoongi held out his hand. 

“I’d be delighted.”

Taehyung wandered around the mansion for nearly forty-five minutes looking for his date.  

Panic was just starting to build in his chest when he finally spotted you

—at his private dining table with Min Yoongi. 

It was everything he could do not to storm over and yank the other man out of his seat by the lapels. 

Alright, Angel. If this is the game you want to play… then let’s play. 

Taehyung felt his anger rise with every step, but he ruthlessly suppressed any sign of it and instead adopted a charming smile. 

“Min, I didn’t expect to find you here. What a… delightful surprise.”

Yoongi’s expression was just a shade too satisfied. Taehyung could already feel his blood pressure beginning to skyrocket. 

“Yes, Ms. Park believed that you were otherwise occupied and invited me to share the meal with her.”

“I see,” Taehyung practically snarled. “However,” his gaze landed heavily on you, “since I paid for this table, I hope you won’t mind if I join you as well?”

You avoided looking at him up to this point, but now you were choking on your wine

“Easy there, Angel,” Taehyung murmured as he pulled up a seat extremely close to yours—so close that your thighs were nearly touching. 

Oh boy. 

Over the next several minutes Yoongi continued to flirt openly and you continued to smile prettily and pretend Taehyung wasn’t there (which naturally infuriated him). 

You should have known he wouldn’t let you get away with such behavior so easily. 

This was Kim Taehyung, after all, and if there was anything that could be counted on when it came to your shared history, it was that one (or both) of you was always ready to escalate. 

You had just offered the young Min heir yet another flowery compliment when you felt Taehyung make his move. 

Two warm fingers slid under the silken slit of your dress, coming to rest possessively over the soft flesh of your inner thigh. 

You squeaked and nearly spat up your drink. 

Taehyung leaned forward in fake concern, wrapping his arm around you as if to offer aid. 

“Are you alright?”

His hand continued to move significantly beneath your gown, but his face was the picture of innocence. 

You glared. 

“Just fine, thank you.”

A slow grin crept across his features as he began to trace soft intimate patterns over your skin.  

On the other side of the table, Yoongi tilted his head in genuine solicitude. “Are you sure?”

You nodded sharply. 

Satisfied, he resumed speaking about whatever it was he’d been saying—though you couldn’t understand a word of it at this point because the torturous strokes Taehyung was leisurely drawing over your thighs were moving closer to your center with each passing second. 

Yet you made no move to stop him. 

You should have. 

You should have slapped his touch away—rebuked him for his boldness—

But you didn’t. 

So he just kept nodding and smiling while Yoongi spoke, even as his fingers teased you with the maddening persistence of a man who knew very well what he was doing. 

You gasped aloud when he finally brushed the pad of his thumb over the thin cotton of your panties. 

“T-Taehyung—” 

“Hmm?” he turned to you, seemingly surprised by your attention (it was—after all—the first time you’d addressed him since the beginning of the meal).

“Could you pass me the salt,” you sputtered (hoping to cover the fact that you moaned his name involuntarily). Unfortunately, Taehyung seemed wholly aware of your ruse, offering you the salt shaker with a superior smirk.

You seriously considered stabbing him with a fork. 

However, before you could carry out any bloodthirsty plans, he pressed his fingers directly over your clit and your eyes rolled back in your head

“Oh my g—” you bit your lip stubbornly, “this lamb is just so good.” 

Sweet mother of macaroons, he is too skilled at this. 

You shoveled another bite into your mouth to cover your whine as Taehyung began to rub tight little circles over your sweet spot. 

Across the table, Yoongi nodded in blissful unawareness. 

“Yes, I agree, the lamb is excellent—very tender.”

Taehyung took advantage of the momentary distraction to slip beneath the fabric of your undergarment. 

Your fork clattered to your plate and your hand came up to cover your mouth as he began running his fingers up and down your soaked slit.

It was everything you could do to hold back your depraved whimpering. 

“I can’t wait to taste it,” Taehyung replied, flicking your clit in a way that guaranteed he wasn’t referring to the lamb. 

At this point Yoongi seemed to notice you were in some sort of distress. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and leaned forward. 

“Ms. Park, are you well?”

Taehyung chose that moment to sink his finger into the welcoming heat of your pussy. 

“Yes,” you almost sobbed, “I’m-I’m very well—thank you.”

“Excellent,” Yoongi smiled as he rose to his feet. “If you’re feeling up to it, perhaps you could favor me with a dance?”

Several attendees were already making their way to the center of the floor and the orchestra was beginning to play.

Your entire body, however, was vibrating like a plucked harp string and Taehyung was still brushing back and forth against your clit, driving you toward a release that promised to be explosive. 

There was no way—simply no way—that you would be capable of hiding it. 

“Yes! I would love to dance with you,” you squeaked, grabbing hold of Taehyung’s wrist frantically. The feel of him pulling out of your sopping core was nearly enough to have you coming right there. 

Thankfully, Yoongi remained utterly oblivious to the debauchery unfolding beneath the table. He took your hand and helped you to your feet with an eager smile (and it was a good thing too because your legs were still shaking). 

When the two of you reached the dance floor, you turned back for the briefest instant—

just long enough to meet Taehyung’s heated gaze as his lips closed over the finger he buried in your cunt. 

Emotions were a funny thing. 

They impacted your judgement, affected your body, altered your behavior… 

And occasionally eroded your common sense. 

Sitting alone in the corner of the Governor’s ballroom, Kim Taehyung found himself experiencing a full spectrum of emotional side-effects. 

His hands clenched as he watched Min Yoongi spin you around the floor. 

His heart pounded every time he caught a flash of your shapely leg peeking through the slit in your gown. 

His blood boiled when you threw your head back and laughed at something the other man said. 

It was difficult to pinpoint which emotion was to blame for each of these reactions. There were certainly a number of them boiling over in his subconscious. 

Frustration—

I didn’t even want to talk to Aubrey! How are you acting like anything she said was my fault?!

Rage—  

Why is challenging people to duels illegal? I would fight Min Yoongi at dawn. I would fight Min Yoongi now. 

Jealousy—

You asked her to dance while my fingers were in her pussy. We are not the same. 

But perhaps the most persistent—the most overwhelming— emotion twisting through him was longing. 

You and Taehyung spent nearly four years apart, and he was so desperate to be near you—even then—that he resorted to childish pranks in order to remain a part of your life. 

He hadn’t recognized his actions or desires for what they were. He hadn’t realized what you meant to him...

But now, after spending the last several days with your hand on his arm and your laughter in his ear, he could no longer imagine spending another moment without you. 

Everything seemed to crystallize as he watched you laughing and dancing in the arms of another man. 

Uncertainty became clear. Complications became simple. 

And when he saw Min Yoongi’s hand slide dangerously close to the perfect swell of your backside—

Emotion became action.

“Mind if I cut in?”

It wasn’t a question really. Taehyung was already shouldering his rival out of the way and pulling you into his arms. 

“Taehyung,” you hissed, shooting the bewildered Yoongi an apologetic look over his shoulder, “what are you doing? This is so rude—”

“You’re absolutely right,” he agreed, sweeping you through the couples on the floor with practiced ease. “It is unpardonably rude to steal someone else’s date. He’s lucky all I did was steal you back.”

Your mouth dropped open. 

“Oh? So you finally remembered that I was your date?”

Taehyung’s grip on the curve of your waist became a shade rougher as he pulled you through the next turn. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means—” you stepped forward vigorously, nearly smashing your body into his, “—that you spent forty-five minutes with Aubrey Alicia St. Valentine when you were supposed to be having dinner with me!”

Taehyung growled and yanked you flush against him. 

“I spent forty-five minutes looking for you while you were giving away my table to Min Yoongi!”

The two of you sailed through the next several movements glaring at one another before you snapped again. 

“None of this would have happened if you had just told Aubrey St. Spray Tan that you were with me—”

“I did!”

“Instead, you let her call me a baby!”

“What let? Aubrey is a grown woman!”

“But—”

“And—you stormed off before I could say anything, so how would you know what I let?”

“You didn’t come after me!”

“Yes actually I did—but she grabbed my arm!”

“Really? Well what else did she grab?”

Taehyung abruptly realized how silent everything around you had become. 

People were staring—and not even discreetly— just full on staring with their mouths hanging open. 

Well that’s great. 

Taehyung’s hand closed around yours and you suddenly found yourself being marched across the dance floor at a breakneck pace.

“What are you doing?”

“Continuing this discussion in private.”

“We can’t just go somewhere private in the Governor’s mansion!” you sputtered, struggling to keep up with his larger strides. 

“You mean in my uncle’s house? Yes—actually we can—and we will.”

Taehyung proved to be a man of his word, dragging you past two security guards and into the roped off section of the manor with nothing more than a nod. 

The residential wing of the Governor’s home was beautifully decorated with traditional Korean artistic touches—all of which you were unable to appreciate while Taehyung was speed walking you through the halls. 

After a surprising amount of turns and archways, he yanked open an ornate wooden door with the words Reflection Suite written on a plaque above it in beautiful calligraphy. 

You almost giggled when you got a look inside. 

On the surface it was a tastefully furnished guest room with a simple cherry wood desk and a cozy double bed set in an elegant matching frame.

However—

The ceiling and one full wall were nothing but massive mirrors. 

Reflection suite indeed. 

The door slammed shut and Taehyung rounded on you with a stormy expression—though you weren’t waiting on him to fire the first volley.

“This is definitely going to get us in trouble.”

“I told you, I can go wherever I want in this house. It’s fine.”

“Then why did you take us here?”

“Because you were shouting—”

“I was shouting?! You were shouting I just—”

Suddenly your back was against the wall and Taehyung’s mouth was on yours. 

He hadn’t brought you here for this. When he grabbed your hand, he was only trying to get away from the crowds. He told himself that he needed privacy so you could talk—so he could clarify things. 

But the minute the door closed and you flared up again in all your magnificent rage, he was lost. 

He had to kiss you then. 

You were so lovely. So fierce. So wildly irresistible and he was too utterly smitten to fight the need to be near you—to be with you in every way that he could—for a single second more. 

The shock of Kim Taehyung pressing his lips to yours lasted about two full seconds—and then there was nothing but ravenous insatiable need. 

Finally. 

Everything was him. 

Everything was this—this sweet indescribable ignition of a desire that spanned years. You moaned eagerly against his mouth in wanton delight. After a decade of sparks, you were more than ready to burn. 

“Taehyung—”

His name poured out of you like a prayer. You needed him everywhere and miraculously he seemed to understand—

Not that he was prepared to be polite about it. 

“Where’s that smart mouth now, Angel?” he growled, tangling his hands in your hair to expose the tender column of your throat. “Nothing to say?”

Your only answer was a desperate whine as he spread hot-open mouthed kisses down the soft skin of your neck all the way to your collarbone.

Now was not the time for patience. He would be tender with you later. You absolutely deserved soft sweet caresses and slow leisurely love making and he was absolutely going to give them to you—every day if you’d let him. 

But not today. 

The minute his mouth encountered the barrier of your dress, he gripped onto the sides and yanked it down to your waist.

“You knew just what you were doing in the back of that limo, you little brat,” he hissed, taking one swollen nipple into his mouth and tormenting it with his tongue.

“Tae-ahhh!” Your back arched involuntarily in ruthless pleasure. 

“I spent hours—days even—wanting to get my hands on these perfect tits.” He licked the other nipple obscenely, squeezing the soft mound till it bulged through his fingers. “And you offered me the barest taste with that coy little grin, knowing it wouldn’t be enough—” 

He reared back and landed a firm slap on both breasts and you screamed.

It was so so good. 

“Look at them now,” he murmured, “so swollen and needy and mine.”

If any other man had said those words, you would have cut his heart out with a butter knife. 

But you had always belonged to this man body and soul, and to hear him acknowledge it so primitively felt like the sweetest vindication. 

“Yes!” you sobbed.

The affirmation only inflamed him further. He teased and fondled the tender flesh till you were shaking.

Your fingers curled into the soft waves of his hair as he indulged himself. He looked so ridiculously good sucking your nipple, moaning lewdly with his eyes pressed shut in cathartic bliss. 

“This is all your fault, Angel,” he groaned. “You just don’t know how to behave.”

His hands gripped the curve of your backside, lifting you right off the floor and into his arms. Your mouths fused together heatedly as he carried you to the bed, and you giggled against him when his words finally processed. 

“You’ve been saying that for years.” 

“It’s been true for years,” he muttered, pulling one of your legs up around him so he could grind against your cunt while you kissed. 

Your fingers tugged at the buttons of his shirt, tearing them off when they didn’t unhook fast enough. You waited too long to be with him like this to care about anything other than the feel of his skin against your own.

“Impatient, are we?” he chuckled, bringing his lips around to nip at your ear. 

“You’re one to talk,” you shot back, yanking the ruined garment right off his shoulder just so you could sink your teeth into it. 

Taehyung moaned loudly, snapping his hips against yours with an involuntary jerk.

“You really are such a brat,” he hissed, fisting his hands in the satin length of your skirt. “Let’s see how fierce you are with my tongue in your pussy—”

His words were so filthy and raw, yet they stoked a frenzied need in your belly like nothing you had ever encountered. 

“This dress is evil,” he snarled, fumbling with the zipper for a moment before switching to a more destructive tactic. “It has tormented me all night and now it’s in my way.”

The stitching proved no match for his resolve, and—after a few vigorous tugs—he ripped it apart from the slit on up, leaving you covered in nothing but the thin cotton underwear he had breached earlier that evening. 

After disposing of your shredded gown, Taehyung paused for a moment just to take in the sight of you. 

“What a perfect little angel,” he taunted playfully, snapping the band of your lingerie against your hips with a cocky grin. 

Then he brushed his nose right up against the sopping fabric and inhaled deeply. “You smell just like heaven,” he growled before licking you right through the cloth, “and you taste even better.”

The sensations twisting through your body were merciless. You needed more or you were going to shake apart. 

“Taehyung please,” you whined, pressing against him shamelessly.

“Oh a please?” he chuckled, throwing your own words from the first night back at you. “Who knew you had manners?”

You would have screamed in frustration, but he cut you off with an open mouthed kiss right over the wettest part of your panties.

“Perhaps I can make a good girl of you yet,” he chuckled, as you opened yourself wider to encourage him. 

You nodded frantically, letting out another moan when he yanked the flimsy little scrap of lace down your legs—smearing a line of arousal over your thighs.

“So messy,” he tsked, tapping his finger right above your knee where the naughty little streak ended. “What am I going to do with you?” 

Then he pressed his tongue over the shiny trail of slick and licked it right off. 

You gasped loudly and his lascivious smirk was almost beautiful enough to make up for all of the shameless teasing. 

Almost. 

"You want my mouth, pretty Angel?” he whispered, letting the words brush maddeningly against your folds. “You want me to feed on this sweet little cunt?”

Every cell in your body cried out for release. He already edged you under the table at dinner and now he was determined to unravel you entirely. You would say anything—do anything. 

"Please—" you whispered.

"Please who?" 

Normally you met his arrogance with a cutting riposte, but an entire evening of methodical torment had left you beyond desperate. 

"Please Taehyung,” you begged needily. 

He grinned. 

“That’s right, Angel. Kim Taehyung. Not Min Yoongi or any other pathetic trust fund prick that’s panting for a taste of this pussy.” His eyes fastened on yours significantly. “You belong to me.”

Then his tongue licked a flat stripe over your glistening slit and you sagged onto the bed in relief—only to be thrown back into oblivion when his lips closed over your clit. 

Your body arched involuntarily as a ruthless wave of pleasure tore through you. Your eyes and mouth flew open in a silent scream and it was in that moment you remembered exactly where you were. 

Underneath a giant mirror. 

The passionate woman staring down at you was nearly unrecognizable. Her body was littered with her lover’s marks. Her hands gripped feverishly into the sheets beneath her—-

And Kim Taehyung was kneeling between her thighs, suckling on her weeping cunt with obscene satisfaction. 

It was the sexiest thing you had ever seen in your life. 

Your hands reached down to tangle in his hair, using it for leverage as you ground against his face. 

Then suddenly his grip on your legs tightened and his tongue plunged roughly into your trembling core. 

“Tae—ahh oh my—I can’t—”

The sensation was so intense that your hips bucked violently. You could not keep still. You were charging towards an explosion and your body was shaking itself apart. 

The noises tearing from you were incoherent. Everything around you focused in on the juncture of your thighs where Taehyung was licking inside of you again and again until—

You shattered. 

And the force of it nearly bent your back in half. 

Delirious sobs poured from your lips as he worked you through it, letting the obscene flood of your cum soak his face. 

The sight of him slowly lapping at the release between your folds, was unspeakably erotic. He ran his hands in soothing circles over your skin while you twitched and fluttered back down from your high. 

Then he was kissing you again. 

It was softer this time, but you felt truly depraved—and instantly obsessed—with the taste of yourself in his mouth—on his skin.

You could barely understand this ravenous hunger. You’d just found relief, yet you were already reaching for more. 

Your hands snaked down and wrapped around his still covered cock and he hissed in ragged pleasure. 

“So eager,” he gasped, as you pushed him back against the headboard—but you didn’t have time to bother with his teasing.

You were gonna blow Kim Taehyung into space. 

He bit his lip when you yanked down his pants and boxers together, freeing his arousal with stunning efficiency. 

It was almost unfair to discover that his cock was every bit as beautiful as he was.

“Of course,” you muttered. 

The sultry smirk he shot you in return had your cunt flooding all over again.

“You think Min Yoongi has a cock like mine?”

“I don’t think about Min Yoongi’s cock,” you retorted, wrapping your hand around his length, “you’ve always been the biggest dick I’ve ever met.” 

“I knew you thought about my dick,” he groaned as you began to work up and down the swollen shaft. 

After a moment, his hand slid over your chin to grip your hair, drawing you forward till your lips were almost touching. 

“I wonder what this pretty mouth can do,” he whispered. 

You gasped against him and he smiled. 

“Do you know how often I pictured your lips around my cock, Angel?”

You mewled shamelessly and he growled, cupping your cheek as your hands continued to service him. 

“Do you know how often I imagined this perfect throat stuffed full of my cum?” 

His palm slid down to lightly grip the soft flesh of your neck and you shuddered against him with a needy whimper. 

“I know you could suck me so good, Angel. I’ve wanted it for so so long...”

Your mouth actually watered with anticipation. 

The desire to be good for him—to give him whatever he asked for—consumed you. 

Taehyung let his head fall back against the headboard with a groan at the first brush of your lips along his shaft. His hips rutted involuntarily as your tongue wrapped around the tip and you hummed with pleasure at his enthusiastic response. 

After a moment you slid him into the welcoming heat of your mouth, taking him in as far as you could in one stroke. His jaw dropped open and his entire body jerked forward. 

“Yes, that’s it, Angel—feels so good.”

His praise was addictive. 

You loved that you could bring him to this. You loved to see the haughty Kim Taehyung coming apart as you sucked him. 

It made you feel beautiful—powerful even—and you reveled in every second of it. 

Your eyes were starting to tear. His length began to throb and pulse against your tongue and you knew he was close—so close you could almost taste him—

Yet suddenly he was pulling you back and you whined pitifully at the loss. 

Taehyung chuckled, dragging you toward him till your dripping core slid across his cock.

“I’m not coming before I get inside that pretty little pussy,” he swore, working your hips over his sex till it was drenched in arousal. 

The crass words filled you with the fiercest, most incredible want and you clenched reflexively against him in response. 

“Is that what you want?” Taehyung whispered as he bore you back into the mattress, pinning both your wrists above your head. “You want me to fill your empty little cunt?”

You did. 

You wanted it so so bad. 

“Please.”

Taehyung gently lowered himself closer to you, resting his forehead intimately against yours as he lined up his cock at your entrance. 

“Are you sure, Angel? Because there’s no going back after this... If you give yourself to me, then you’re mine—and I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep you.”

“Taehyung, you idiot,”—a tender smile spread over your face as you wrapped your arms around his neck—“... I’ve always been yours.”

He swore violently—letting the slight tremble in his voice betray just how deeply your words affected him. 

Then his fingers tightened on the soft flesh of your hip and he filled you to the hilt with one delicious thrust. 

There was a moment—the smallest space in time—where your eyes locked together and everything seemed to suspend; a strange perfect calm before a monumental storm. 

Then your world caught fire. 

Taehyung drove himself into you with passionate fury, letting years of denial fuel the insatiable rhythm of his strokes. 

Every time he told himself no. Every time he held himself back—

Every bit of it burned away as you screamed his name. 

The feel of him was indescribable. 

You imagined it too many times to count, yet your dreams fell pitifully short of the visceral reality. 

He was bloomin’ magnificent. 

Your fingers clawed up and down his back, desperate to hold on to something while he pounded into your g-spot like an animal. 

“This tiny cunt is the tightest thing I’ve ever had around my cock,” he gasped and you whined needily at his praise. “Like it was made for me—” his hand came up to grip your breast, “like you were made for me.”

“Yes—”

Taehyung’s need seemed to amplify with every whimper and moan that fell from your lips. The feelings you sparked in him were fierce and unapologetically primitive.

He would go to war for you—build a fortress for you—fight a dragon if one dared come close. 

You were his. 

And he felt like a savage every time you cried out for more. 

Suddenly an unexpected movement in his periphery caught his attention.

He’d been so consumed with the extraordinary rush of claiming you that he’d forgotten—

This guest room was thirty-five percent mirrors. 

And now… he couldn’t look away. 

The sight of your bodies tangling together in headless bliss played out before him like a scene from his most debauched and forbidden fantasies. His reflection grinned back at him in fascinated ecstasy while his beloved nemesis lost herself in the pleasure of his cock.

Something dark and wild began to burn in his chest as he studied the lovers in the glass. 

“Look at you, Angel,” he whispered softly, “you really are perfect.”

Then he pulled out of your core and you whined bitterly in protest, chasing his body to rid yourself of the sudden unacceptable emptiness. 

“Still so needy,” he taunted, gripping your hips and flipping you on your stomach before you could even think to protest.

“I want you to watch that pretty angel in the mirror come on my cock,” he groaned, plunging back into you from behind. 

The new angle was somehow impossibly deeper and your body shook as another wave of pleasure overtook it. 

Your fingers clawed into the mattress for purchase as he pistoned into your trembling mound. 

Only Kim Taehyung could rail you like a whore while he worshiped you like a queen. 

He gave you a moment to adjust before drawing your body back against his chest. His arm wrapped over your stomach as he slowly eased your legs apart, unfolding the lewd tableau of your bodies joined together for the voyeuristic gaze of the glass.   

“Look at yourself, Angel,” he growled, mesmerized by the way your breasts bounced with every thrust. “Look at how well you're taking me.” 

Then his fingers slid down to rub your clit and you screamed. 

“Tae! Ah-ahh!”

The pleasure building within you now was violent. You were coiling too tightly, too fast—

“That’s right Angel. Take it all.”

Your eyes locked with his in the mirror for the briefest instant.

And then you flew apart. 

Taehyung threw his head back with a carnal moan as you clamped down around him. His body was hurtling toward its own release with reckless speed. 

“I’m close,” he panted, “where can I come?”

“Come inside me please,” you begged, and Taehyung’s eyes widened in frenzied lust. 

“That’s what you want? Huh?” his thrusts became rougher as he chased his relief, “You want me to fill this puffy little pussy with my cum?”

“Yes, I want it so bad—“ you sobbed. 

“Sweet Angel,” he groaned, gripping at your breasts as he pulled you tighter against him. 

Then he met your gaze in the mirror again. 

“I want everything with you; a home—a family—your body in my arms every morning when I wake up—” his voice trembled, “I want it all.” 

The raw vulnerability in his eyes nearly broke you.

“Tae,” you gasped softly, too overcome with joy to manage anything else. 

His mouth pressed hungrily against the curve of your shoulder. You could feel his cock throbbing in your core as he bent you forward, pounding into your sex with exquisite precision. 

"Stay with me, Angel,” he whispered. His thrusts became erratic as he neared his high. “I don’t want to live without you anymore.”

The glorious thrill of his words tore over your senses with euphoric brutality. Your walls tightened greedily around his cock and the taunt cord of pleasure finally snapped. 

He came with a broken groan, flooding the welcoming heat of your womb with his release. 

“KIM TAEHYUNG!”

The sound of his name being shouted by the absolute last person in the world whose voice he wanted to hear woke Taehyung from a dead sleep.  

His eyes widened in panic as he began yanking pillows and covers from all over the bed in a frenzied attempt to hide—

The doors to his bedroom flew open with a resounding crash. 

“Jimin,” he squeaked, trying to look as casual as possible next to a giant pile of bedding. “What uh—what brings you here at—” his eyes darted to the clock on the wall, “—7:30 in the morning?”

Then he frowned. 

“And how the hell did you get past Jungkook?”

Jimin’s murderous expression broke momentarily to allow for a smug grin. 

“Kendra.”

Kendra Jackson was Jimin’s executive aide. She was fierce, capable, intelligent—

And insanely gorgeous. 

Taehyung groaned. 

Poor Jungkookie never stood a chance. 

To the surprise of absolutely no one, yet another newspaper landed on Taehyung’s lap.

KIM HEIR BRINGS NAUGHTY ANGEL HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Underneath the headline was a picture of you and Taehyung (dressed in clothes you stole from Jin’s childhood bedroom) kissing passionately against the side entrance of the Governor’s mansion. 

One of your legs was wrapped around his waist and he was clearly grabbing your ass. 

“Ah… well you see the camera distorts everything from this angle—and-and the lighting is bad so it’s not really what it looks like—”

“Is that so? Cause it looks like you’ve got your tongue down my baby sister’s throat!”

“Okay—okay,” Taehyung massaged his forehead nervously, “so maybe it’s sort of what it looks like but—”

“I’ll kill you.”

“No wait—” he held up his hands to delay an already advancing Jimin. 

“Why should I wait?!”

“Because—”

“—I trusted you with the most important person in the world to me—”

“The situation is just not that simple.” 

“—and you grabbed her ass in public!”

“Admittedly not my finest hour.”

“So you tell me right now—”

“But you don’t understand it’s—”

“—Why the hell would I wait?!”

“BECAUSE I’M IN LOVE WITH HER!”

For a moment there was absolute silence. 

Then your head popped out from the massive pile of bedding. 

“Really?”

Jimin’s mouth fell open. 

Taehyung groaned again. 

“As usual, your timing is impeccable.”

You rolled your eyes, ignoring his comment.

“Are you really in love with me?”

“Of course I’m in love with you! What part of I want you to have my children did you not understand?!” 

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Jimin choked. 

“That’s not the same thing!”

“It is for me!”

A radiant smile lit up your face. 

“I’m in love with you too.”

Taehyung’s expression softened. 

“Angel I—”

Then you were kissing and Jimin swung around with a horrified shout.

“Oh! No no no—Come on!”

He stumbled out of the room, hands firmly clamped over his eyes. 

“This is not over, Kim Taehyung!” the scandalized young Park heir howled in exasperation… but there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

Back in the bedroom, Taehyung shook his head at Jimin’s ridiculous caterwauling. 

“No, it’s not over,” he laughed, pulling you deeper into the comfort of his arms. “It’s only just begun.”

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. 

This baby took FOR-EVER to write. I started it in November and literally worked on it a little every day. 

If you enjoyed it— even just a tiny bit—please consider taking a moment to leave me some feedback. It is so incredibly uplifting and rewarding to hear reader thoughts and reactions to my work.

I promise to treasure every word like gold. It took a lot to bring this story to life. Your kind words would mean the world to me.

[bokutoslittlebird]

Vampire!Kuroo Tetsurō + Snuff

Summary: Exploring old buildings is part of what it means to be a vlogger, as well as giving information on the culture behind each building. Upon coming across an old church in a desolate cemetery, you find it isn’t empty. The owner of the building seems to be pleased for such a guest, happy to give an interview on his home.

Warnings: female genitalia, snuff, recording, blood, religious themes, biting, dubcon, implied aphrodisiac, vlogging, f. oral receiving, creampie, murder/suicide, death by slitting of throat, major character death,

An abandoned cemetery, a perfect place to start the video. You make sure it’s recording, then start to walk through the old grass, getting closeups of any gravestones you can still read. “Look at these, the names are completely foreign to this area. French names, English names, but hardly any Romanian names,” you say to the camera, wiping some dirt off of one gravestone. “And a Japanese name, I guess,” standing back up, you take out your phone to flash a light on the stone, taking a picture of the headstone. Kuroo Tetsurō, is what it says, with the following words of him being a tourist who got lost and his body was never found. “I’m surprised they gave him a stone without a body, since he’s not from here,” mumbling to yourself, you don’t let it bother you as the video needs to continue.

Walking to the back of the cemetery, you come across what looks to be a gothic-styled church. “Oh, look at this! Gothic style didn’t begin until the late 1100s, dying out in the 1500s. Surprised they kept it for this long, since most churches now have been Westernized,” you own the camera around the entrance, moving to the side where you can only slightly see the decorum on the sides. “There are some flying buttresses around the side here,” you try to point to it in the camera, “which is a staple of Gothic architecture.”

Moving into the church, you expect to see the church much better. Looking out from in, you make sure to get a few moments of the stained glass, telling the future listeners that you’ll be going back over in the morning to see everything. Of course, you’re planning to spend the night, bringing a sleeping bag and some essentials for the night. As you continue to move over the items in the building, you brush your fingers over them as some have dust while others don’t. “Must be some other visitors, maybe someone homeless,” you then turn the camera to further in, noticing a shadow in the back. “Hello?”

“Is someone here?” A voice calls back, making you jump. He doesn’t sound tired, risen from slumber, nor old. A flickering light shuffles into frame, ruining the night-view on your camera. Although your camera can handle the light changes, the small light isn’t enough to switch it to daylight-mode, forcing you to flash your phone light to see the person. It’s a tall man, with spiky black hair and he’s wearing black clothing, with black boots and a red robe. “Isn’t it rude to enter people’s houses uninvited?”

“Well, I didn’t know you lived here, sir,” you shoot back, on the defensive. It’s an old church, who would call this place home? “I’m doing a video on architecture around the world, so I’m sorry for intruding,”

“Oh, one of them, are you? I’ve gotten a couple before, coming to look at the Gothic style in the 21st Century,” he nods, smiling, then crooks a finger towards him. “Come along then, I’ll let you explore and send you off,” he then looks to your large duffel bag, adding on. “Or let you rest here for the night. You’re probably tired after walking all that way,”

“Oh, really?! I’m not imposing?”

“Nonsense, I deal with kind explorers all the time. I’m sure you’ve seen them around in their own pictures and videos,” he talks as he walks, you following.

“I’ve never seen anyone cover this area,” you mention, continuing to use your camera. However, when you move towards the man, he moves out of frame. “Sorry,”

“I just don’t like pictures or videos of me. I like to be a mystery,” he shrugs, then gestures to the hallway. “Plus, don’t need me when you have this view,” he laughs as you turn to look at the hallway in awe, running your camera lens over the arches and ceilings. You begin to talk, explaining the importance of the interior to the style, how it differed, etc. The man also explains things, adding to your video.

All is well until he has you entering a certain room and you feel a prick on your side. “What the-” you drop the camera down, letting the man come to see if you’re okay. “I think something bit me,” after you say it, your legs feel wobbly. “Was it deadly?”

“There are dangerous bugs that like to hang out here, although I usually get rid of them. Let’s have you rest,” he says, guiding you to a bed. It’s been modified into a living space, and you notice the lack of dust or any animals. He then leans down, checking your eyes and pulse. “You look fine, just a bit weary. I’m sure some sleep will help,” he says, taking your camera from your hand. He sets it on a nearby table, then stands up. “I’ll go make some tea, I’ll try not to be long,”

“Wait! Don’t leave me! What if I die and you’re gone?” You plea, grabbing onto the robe. It feels more like a cloak, now, but you don’t focus on that too much with the burning in your side. “Can’t you stay until I sleep?”

“Oh,” he grins, turning back to you. “Oh, of course I can. Now just lay back and rest,” he encourages, pushing you down. You comply, laying down on the bed as he crawls next to you. The burn from your supposed bite simmers down, moving throughout your body as a certain kind of heat pools in your stomach. “Are you okay?”

“I— I think I’m fine,” you’re breathless as you say it, turning to look at him. “My, you’re handsome up close,”

“Well, thank you,” he smiles, moving his face closer to yours. You don’t move away when he presses his lips to you, nor when they’re so cold against your burning ones. His hand also caresses your side, where the sting began, but it doesn’t hurt. Taking your own hand, you move his between your legs, breaking the kiss. “So forward,” he mumbles.

“I’m.. I’m fine, but I need something,” you have a feeling you know what it is, but you can barely muster more than brief thoughts with the fire inside. Thankfully, he manages to understand, moving on top of you as he spreads your legs. The jeans you wore are suddenly too tight, your hands fumbling with the button and zipper to undo them. He helps, sliding them off and down, taking your panties with you.

“By the way, I feel like you should know my name is Kuroo,” he suddenly says, running his fingers over your thighs, “so you know what to scream in ecstasy,”

You can hardly think when you feel him sink his teeth into the flesh of your thigh, a gasp wracking your body as you fist the sheets below. It’s a pleasuring feeling, the fire from before even more desperate and aching while you just feel yourself eagerly waiting more. He doesn’t stop, continuing to press his lips to your skin and dig his teeth in, only rising your libido until all you can do is whine and beg for more.

“Don’t worry, I hear you,” he mumbles, moving his lips to your dripping pussy, pressing them there. He doesn’t use his teeth to tease or please now, thankfully, only his lips as he uses his fingers to spread your lips apart, baring your clit and clenching cunt to him. “My, you’re absolutely drenched,”

“I can’t— I can’t control it,” your tone is that of a whine, your body squirming as you can feel his breath on your hot skin. “Please, I need y-!”

“Patience is a virtue, as the saying goes, no?” He mumbles, pressing his lips to your clit before flicking out his tongue. It’s enough to have you sighing in bliss, hands moving to your sides to lift up your shirt. They roam, moving into his hair while he continues to give you small licks and gentle kisses, making you desperate for more as sensibility leaves you. All you can do is moan and whine as he takes his time, running his tongue over your pussy, swirling around your clit, and avoiding your clenching cunt.

When his lips move away completely, teeth digging into the flesh of your thigh once more, you practically scream for more, pulling on his hair. “Fuck,” he moans, moving his body up to mesh his lips with yours. In doing so, he also sinks sharp teeth into your bottom lip, making you let out a silent moan as he does, eyes rolling. He manages to undress himself while he’s kept you busy, easily sliding into you.

“Such a tight thing, so wet,” he chuckles darkly, moving his head to the crook of your neck, immediately starting a harsh rhythm. The rhythm has you sighing, running your hands down your body as they find your sensitive spots, rubbing and squeezing the soft flesh. Kuroo takes it upon himself to continue nibbling on you, increasing your pleasure as he slaps his hips to yours.

Each pump of his cock into you had stars filling your vision, mind clearing as his cock drags against your sensitive walls. Moving your hands to find his shoulders, he’s quick to pin them down, keeping you secured against the bed. At this point you can feel your release coming, squeezing him tightly as your legs wrap around him, locking as your back arches. A guttural groan leaves you, pushing your head into the pillows as you feel his teeth sink into another spot on your neck, the fog dispersing from your mind completely.

You’re not done, feeling your body go limp and turn weak as you feel another orgasm coming, your walls somehow even more sensitive than before. He’s getting close to, his cock throbbing inside of you while his hips falter every now and then, but his lips never leave your skin. It’s only when you feel his hips completely stutter to a stop, rutting against you while your legs lock tight around him again, keeping him against you does he finish. Filling you up, he sighs in content when he finally releases your skin from his lips, licking them as he removes himself from you.

“I feel.. so weak,” you mutter, eyes ready to shut. However, despite your tiredness, your mind manages to process something. Looking up at him, you bring a hand to his face, confusion laced in your brow and movement. “You’re so.. cold,”

“I know,” he grins, then reaches inside his robe or cloak, retrieving something that glints. It’s only when the sharp tip is revealed do you realize what it is. Attempting to thrash, you’re unable to as your body simply refuses to respond properly, barely moving. “You’re weak, but it’s okay, I’ll help you,”

Picking up your hand, he places the dagger in it, forcing you to watch in horror as you try to move away, to no avail. You notice how the metal glints, the religious symbolism on the handle, and your brain finally kicks everything into place. Unable to move or kick him off, you can only watch as he moves your hand to the side of your neck, pressing the blade in deep. “It was nice meeting you,” is the last thing he says, before you feel the burning pain of the blade slitting across your throat, blood spurting out as vital arteries are hit. Vision goes red before it goes black, your body turning limp as your hand falls, the blade slipping out and clattering to the ground.

Removing himself from your body, he tucks himself away as he picks up the dagger, careful to not touch the blade. Sheathing it under his cloak, he then picks up the camera, moving it to cover your entire body, getting an up close shot of your throat. He had quite a fill of your blood, but he could never drink a human completely dry, but it makes for a lovely mess. Moving down your body, he makes sure to end the video on an up close shot of your pussy, oozing his cum as your legs lay spread.

Leaving your body for later, he takes your camera and looks through your videos, finding the newest one. He smiles as he watches you in the camera, his absence making it seem as though you were pleasuring yourself. In the end, the blade slitting your throat seemed natural, your body unable to move or scream for help in your last moments. Another one for the records, he thinks, adding your camera to his collection of them, a smile on his face.