#far out chapter 1 is ACTUALLY going well though
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So...remember how I said in that update post how I might MAYBE do a TSS rewrite and post it for free?
"Maybe" quickly turned into "definitely happening". Instead of making it outside of COG, however, the finished product that's already published will be updated with the rewritten files. This means that if you've already purchased TSS through COG, you'll have the rewritten version available. That's how I originally intended to go about things with the old rewrite and is the better option here to avoid potential complications.
I've been in contact with COG and they've let me know that I'd be able to do what I have in mind even if this results in a different wordcount and very different scenes/plot points and a different kind of main story.
I realize that this announcement is probably pretty jarring since my last post stated that I wasn't sure about doing a rewrite but that I wanted to if I had enough time. After making that post, I started creating an outline for the rewrite mostly for fun...and one thing kind of led to another. I want you all to know that I wouldn't be making this post at all if I wasn't sure about this. It's because I've already begun the process and feel incredibly motivated and inspired that I can do this that I'm making this announcement.
This rewrite is not going to be like my old attempt at a rewrite, though. It's an entirely new one that I feel much more confident about.
So far I've written the outline for the rewrite and started reworking already existing scenes from chapter 1 as well some new ones. I'm happy to say that the difference between how the rewrite process felt years ago compared to now is like light and day. It seems like those years I've taken away from TSS were very healthy and helpful in giving me some distance and letting me figure out what kind of story I really want to tell.
My plan is to rewrite book 1 and then make 1 full continuation after that. Instead of a trilogy, it looks like this version of TSS will be 2 volumes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it'll be shorter than originally intended. I think it's more doable for me to rewrite the first book (starting from scratch while also using some already written scenes, since I've been assured I'm allowed to do so) and then make 1 complete continuation of it rather than trying to fill stuff out over 3 different entries, and I think it'll serve the plot and story as a whole to do it that way.
That being said, I fully understand that some - or most of you - might have trouble trusting my word after me failing to do the rewrite I wanted to years ago and not delivering a second book. That's completely fair. This time I'm not rushing things and I don't feel any pressure to do this. It's not something I do out of dislike for the original, but rather out of love for what it could be and what I could make it into, if that makes sense. I'm taking as much time as I need to and am not putting any pressure on myself to do this.
My other project takes priority right now so I can't dedicate all of my time to the rewrite, but I'm working on it when I have time over or get stuck. It's actually pretty nice to alternate between two different stories that have different settings and has helped a bit in avoiding writer's block.
Here are some differences between TSS and the TSS rewrite (most of the changes I made to the old rewrite no longer apply):
The rewrite will be told in second-person point of view ("you" instead of "I"). The reason for this is that when I first started TSS I was really unused to the second-person POV, but after having spent years in the IF space it's now the other way around. It'll make writing much easier for for me, and I hope it won't feel too jarring for people who are used to the first person POV.
The Shadowman and Jealene (now "J") will both be genderselectable just like the main cast. The Shadowman will be genderselectable later on, though - it might sound strange but I think it makes sense when you have more context. J plays a bigger role than they did in the original and their personality is a bit different in this version.
Some side characters (such as most of the hideout) will be cut. This is because they felt really underdeveloped to me in the full game and didn't serve much of a purpose. Instead I'm focusing more on the main cast + a few key characters to ensure the story plot stays focused and you get more time to develop bonds of various kinds with the main cast instead.
The relationship system will look a bit different. Instead of bars showing a percentage of approval, I'll write a description of each character and what they think of you. The descriptions will shift when the character starts viewing you differently, whether that's due to rivalry, romance or friendship. My hope is that this will allow for a more nuanced relationship system/descriptions. I'll also adjust the options a bit to try and make choices more nuanced and am thinking of including the option of having ex. a heart next to a romantic choice for those who want to know for sure what they're getting into. The different responses (such as shy, flirty etc.) will stay but some of it will probably be reworked. Essentially what I want to do is allow for a wider range of MCs and how the characters respond to the MC.
The MC is going to have more agency in certain ways. I've included something plot-relevant to the main character that can potentially change the dynamic between them and the group a bit, but it all depends on how you play it.
The tone might be somewhat different. Not entirely, of course, but there are some parts of the old TSS where the characters sound a bit younger than they are supposed to be, where tension and seriousness has been sacrificed in favor of humor and where some of the interactions aren't the way I would prefer for them to be. I've gotten older since writing TSS (gasp) and my tastes have changed, as has my writing to some degree. In order to do a rewrite I'd have to write in a way that's most enjoyable for me and that I feel best fits the story I want to tell. That's not to say that there isn't going to be silliness etc., but I'm adjusting the tone somewhat and putting more time and effort into descriptions and the writing overall.
The narrative will be different, even though the overall story itself will mostly stay the same. I'm keeping a lot of elements and also aim to introduce new ones that I believe will strengthen the story and make it a more enjoyable game overall.
I think those are the main differences I can give away right now without spoiling anything. I'll make sure to post updates when I've got more to share! Once the demo for the rewrite is finished, I'll post it on the forums and link it in an intro post on here.
Thank you all for sticking by me throughout the years. I hope you'll find some comfort in returning to this world, as well as new things to ponder and excite you in this new upcoming version of the story <3
The Azuridia and Quaiel chibis are done by the amazing madebysalfi
#the shadow society#tss#interactive fiction#update#if#carawenfiction#cog#choice of games#hosted games
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I wish I wasn't such a flip flop!!! AAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
On an unrelated noted, I read back the few chapters of Motley I made initially and liked them more than I remember. Aaaaiarugh.
#i was making them when i was right at the start of another one of my patented 'i hate my art and everything i make' arcs#but now im not in that era atm and i like motley the comic :(#my flip floppiness is so embarrassing bro#i made multiple whole posts about how motley the comic isnt gonna be updated anymore. but i . am thinking about it again.#if i made another update everyones gonna POINT and LAUGH AT ME#look at this idiot ....... saying shes done and gonna make it a cartoon. and then pausing the cartoon. to go back. to work on the comic#theres something wrong with me like mentally i think#far out chapter 1 is ACTUALLY going well though#i busted that shit out in an afternoon. it kind of rules#i love having ocs
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animal
chapter 1
friendly reminder that i am not a writer, i'm just a girl who loves logan howlett and wanted to write something exploring his animalistic side since i so rarely see it done. my first language is also not english, so please do not be rude when giving me any feedback.
warnings: non-sexual nudity, swearing, some sexual-ish thoughts
series masterlist │my masterlist
you had been baking a pie, rolling out the homemade dough for the crust, humming along with the soft music playing through the house, when through the open window you’d seen him. a large man, as naked as the day he was born, running towards your farm. you could only watch in numb shock as he went into your barn, now hidden from view.
what the fuck.
you haven’t been inside that barn in over a year. the farm belonged to your grandparents, and you’d inherited the property after they died. while you love the peace and quiet that came from living in the middle of nowhere, you aren’t a farm girl, so the barn went largely unused.
you think about just leaving the man alone, hoping that he’ll leave eventually.
you keep rolling out the dough, soothing repetitive motions, while you stare at the barn, expecting something else to happen. but nothing does. you almost think you made the man up in a moment of insanity.
it’s this that gets you to finally exit the house, anxiously heading towards the old barn with its creaking wood and chipped paint. you take a deep breath to prepare yourself before stepping inside, every nerve in your body screaming at you that this is a very bad idea.
you’re both relieved and not when you see the man curled up in a corner. relieved, because you weren’t going insane, and not because, well, now you’re going to have to deal with this strange situation.
you take a step closer when he doesn’t lunge at you to attack, then immediately jump back at the gleaming metal claws that appear from between his knuckles. one second he seems mostly harmless - or at least as harmless as a buff, six foot tall man could be - and the next he’s growling at you, face twisted into a snarl, body tense and ready to pounce at the slightest wrong move.
“hi,” you say, softly, the way you were taught to speak to distressed animals. the man cocks his head to the side but doesn’t lunge at you, which you take as a good sign. “i won’t hurt you, promise. but i am curious to know what led you here.”
by here, you mean both the physical location of your house in the middle of nowhere but also whatever reason he has for running through said middle of nowhere naked. there’s some kind of story there, likely not a good one judging by the way he watches you distrustfully. you have a feeling he hasn’t had a good or easy life.
the man doesn’t answer, not that you really expected him to, but slowly his claws retreat back into his skin. he’s marginally less threatening like this, though you know the smallest thing could bring the sharp blades back out.
despite this, you don’t believe he’s a danger to you. he just seems scared and confused.
“are you hungry?” you ask him. again, he doesn’t answer, and you wonder if he’s able to speak. “okay, how about this, i’ll bring you food and you don’t have to eat it but you can. i’ll be right back.”
you don’t turn your back on the barn, on him, as you jog back into your house. it’s much warmer inside than it is in the barn - you were so distracted that you hadn’t been feeling the full effect of the early winter cold. you think of the man, he must be freezing, but you hadn’t seen any sign of it, no shivering, not even goosebumps raising on his skin.
one thing at a time, you tell yourself.
your half-finished pie is sitting discarded on the kitchen counter and you look at it mournfully. you’ll finish it later, and maybe you’ll actually have someone to enjoy it with you.
(it gets lonely sometimes, so far from any cities or towns. usually, you don’t mind it, but apparently there’s some small part of you that still desperately craves human contact and interaction, since you’re jumping at the chance to take care of a random stranger.)
you have leftovers in the fridge that you suppose will have to do, since making him a fresh, home-cooked meal would take time, and you’d promised to return hastily. you heat it up quickly, the warmth emanating from the food another reminder of the frigid temperature outside as you bring the plate into the barn.
he looks up when you enter, sniffing the air like a dog. it’s cute, and you smile as you put the plate down, careful not to get too close to him, letting him make the first move.
whether he trusts you or he’s just starving you don’t know, but he rushes to your side and starts eating like he hasn’t had food in a month. with him distracted and closer to you, you can get a better look at him.
he doesn’t look malnourished. he’s buff, muscular and hairy, and you have to stop your eyes from going lower as you stare at his chest.
you look away despite the man being too distracted to notice your shameless ogling. he might be the hottest man you’ve ever seen in your life - or you’ve just been away from men for too long and have become pathetic.
he eats quickly, and looks up expectantly at you when he finishes, like a dog at their owner. you giggle at the comparison you’ve made in your head - it’s quite accurate, you find, with the way he immediately seems to trust you now that you’ve fed him.
“do you wanna go inside? it’s pretty cold out here, and inside i have more food.” you say, and when you go to stand up so does he. you explicitly do not look down.
he follows you into your house, and you’re so glad you live alone so there’s no one to question whatever is happening.
it’s easy to find extra clothes in the guest room, less easy to find any that you think will fit him. eventually, you give up, hoping the sweatpants you found will do for now, and grab one of your own shirts, thankful for your habit of buying oversized men’s t-shirts. it goes down to your thighs, surely it’ll fit him.
you turn to head back into the living room where you left him, and your soul nearly leaves your body when you spot him standing at the door. you yelp, your hand flying to your chest and the clothes falling to the ground.
he startles at the noise, tensing and looking around like he expects danger.
“shit,” you swear, “how are you so quiet?”
he frowns, and you could swear that he seems apologetic, though you aren’t sure how accurate your interpretations of his facial expressions are given that you’ve only known him for about an hour. it makes you feel a little guilty, though really you shouldn’t be since he snuck up on you.
you’re about to offer him the clothes when you pause, gaze locked on his chest. “you should shower.”
he follows you when you lead him to the bathroom, which you take as agreement on his part. he’s dirty, covered everywhere by a thin layer of dirt. a shower will feel good. it would also give you time to process this without him watching you. his eyes are quite intense, and he keeps them directed at you. you need the privacy to freak out.
it’s only after you place the clothes down on the countertop and show him how the knobs in your shower work that you realise he’s not making any moves to enter the shower. you start to leave the bathroom and he takes a step to follow you.
you stop, thinking about how he doesn’t seem to know how to speak, how he looked so scared and confused when you’d found him, and you sigh when you realise it’s likely he doesn’t know how to use a shower either.
what is your story? you think to yourself.
“do you want help?” is what you ask instead.
he nods slowly, which is the closest you’ve gotten to a response from him so far. you look up at the ceiling, inhaling deeply and bracing yourself when you realise this means you’re going to have to touch the hot, naked man.
you turn on the shower, waiting for it to warm up before you motion for the man to get in. you are absolutely not willing to get naked in the shower with a stranger whose name you don’t even know, so you step in fully clothed, already regretting it when you feel the fabric growing wet and sticking to your skin.
it’s as you’re helping rinse the dirt off him that you spot the writing on his dog tags. you’d noticed them previously but hadn’t been able to get a good look.
you take the metal chain in your hand, turning it to read the name stamped into the metal.
“logan,” you read, and the man in front of you purrs, a low rumble in his throat. you smile. “i’m going to guess that’s your name. logan.”
this seems to relax the last dredges of tension that he holds. he practically melts into you, and the feeling of being trusted so fully by someone who seems so broken warms your heart in a way that you haven’t felt in years.
you finish washing him up in silence, only interrupted by occasional soft purrs and hums from logan. he quite enjoys it when you wash his hair, hands reaching up to scrub shampoo into the strands, nails scratching at his scalp. you switch your earlier comparison from a dog to a cat, the purring reminding you of the kitten you had growing up.
he shakes his head when he gets out of the shower, water flying everywhere, and you laugh as you hand him a towel. you once again have to help him when he just stares at it like he doesn’t know what to do with it.
he gets dressed on his own, thankfully, since you already feel like you might implode from being in such close quarters with an extremely attractive, wet, nude man for so long.
you leave him for a minute to dry yourself off and change into dry clothes. it’s nice to have a moment of reprieve, where you can simply breathe and process and question what the fuck you just got yourself into. you finally allow yourself to freak out a tiny bit, muttering to yourself in the mirror, tugging at your hair.
you just manage to pull a shirt over your head when you hear quiet whimpering at the door and the sound of loud banging against it.
your heart breaks at the sound, reminded of the wounded animals your grandparents would nurse back to health, and you rush to pull some pants on so you can open the door. logan looks at you with the most devastated eyes and then falls into you, face nudging into your neck, inhaling deeply. you stumble back, thankful for the wall that catches you. he’s heavier than he looks, which is saying something, given his size.
you’re shocked for a moment, frozen, but quickly come back to yourself and place your hands on his firm back.
“i’m sorry,” you say, “i didn’t mean to scare you. i wasn’t going to leave you, i just needed privacy for a moment.”
you don’t know if he understands anything you’re saying but it makes you feel better to explain yourself. you’re shocked that this is the same man who was snarling at you, claws out and ready to rip your throat out not so long ago, shocked at how quickly he’s grown attached to you.
shocked at how quickly you’ve grown attached to him, too. then again, you’ve always been this way. you like to help people, and logan seems like a man who needs a lot of help.
“i was baking a pie, when i saw you,” you tell him, “how about we go finish that? you don’t have to leave my side. you can watch me and i’ll teach you all my secrets.”
and as you expected, he follows you into the kitchen, trailing after you like a lost puppy. normally, you hate having anyone else in the kitchen with you, getting in your way when you’re in the zone, but his presence is nice. he doesn’t speak, doesn’t distract you or get in your way, just stands and watches you intently.
you’re already used to having him here with you, comfortable enough to turn your back to him. it’s crazy, and a (big) part of you knows that this isn’t exactly a smart thing to do, but you’re already planning on letting him stay for as long as he needs, maybe even forever.
taglist: @mystiquesvendetta @raeinyourdreams
#logan howlett#logan howlett x reader#logan howlett x you#wolverine#wolverine x reader#wolverine x you#logan howlett x fem!reader#logan howlett x fem reader#wolverine x fem!reader#wolverine x fem reader#james logan howlett#logan howlett fanfiction#wolverine fanfiction#feral!logan howlett#feral!logan howlett x reader#feral logan howlett#feral logan howlett x reader#feral logan#animalistic!logan howlett#animalistic logan howlett#animalistic logan#logan howlett headcanons#wolverine headcanons#the wolverine#x men origins wolverine#x men#x men x reader#x men x you#x-men x reader#series: animal
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Remember Me! Part 2
(Shadow Milk Cookie x Reader)
Thank you all for the support in the first part! It makes me happy that y’all actually enjoy the writing even though it really feels like I got no idea what I’m doing 😭
I’m very sorry that part 2 took so long I just couldn’t think of a way on how to end this part so it took literal WEEKS to get this out
Anyways if you haven’t seen part one here it is -> Part 1
As stated from the previous part, characters might be OOC but anyways enjoy the chapter!
CW: obsession(?)
You walked along the garden of the Spire of Knowledge, you went here to visit your dear friend Blueberry Milk Cookie- after all it’s been a while since you last seen him, always overworking himself to gain more new found knowledge for cookies to gain and learn
Perhaps you were too lost in your thoughts to realize a certain cookie creeped behind you, and you nearly jumped out of your dough when two hands were placed upon your eyes- not letting you see anything but darkness.
“Hmmm can you guess who I am?” A curious voice laced with teasing was heard behind you
“Hmm indeed I wonder who these unique hands were put upon my face belongs to” you said with a grin “Blueberry Milk Cookie perhaps? Or shall it be some mysterious other cookie with blue dough?”
“Why- I am offended!” Blueberry Milk Cookie said with a dramatic tone followed by some laughter “dear friend, why have you visited me? Did you miss me that much hm?” He asked with a smile full of grace
“Can I not visit an old friend?” You smiled back “my adventures have left me urging for more, but I shall not keep going without at least visiting my friends once more”
“Ah it’s those books that those cookies made” Blueberry Milk Cookie said, you have spoken to him that cookies from other kingdoms have been making books and out of curiosity you decided to read them thus inspiring you to adventure off and explore the new, that was your dream- to adventure the world and explore the new. “I can tell by your form of language dear friend, it’s been…modified in unique ways”
“Forsooth Blueberry Milk Cookie” you nodded with stars shined within your eyes. Blueberry Milk Cookie Smiled, that’s what always been unique about you, how your eyes would shine with stars in them whenever you were excited and how you would always be devoted to do things that would help cookies in need.
“Well it seems times do fly past by” Blueberry Milk Cookie said, it suddenly became night time; you guessed you were enjoying your talk a little too much to realized the time. “Perhaps I can offer you a room so you can rest here for the night?”
“Or we could talk more over some tea and then rest?” You smiled, after all you guys are Beast Cookies; you guys never require much sleep like regular cookies do
“Hmm, alright just try to find the dining room and I’ll be there shortly” Blueberry Milk Cookie said, after all the Spire of Knowledge is a pretty lonely place so he wasn’t even sure if he has a room ready, cleaned, or organized enough for you to be sleeping in.
You and Shadow Milk Cookie were walking in the gardens of the Spire of Deceit. You guys just came back from a trip because Shadow Milk Cookie wanted to pull a little….prank to a few cookie bystanders while you watched from a far. Anyways… this garden seems like nostalgia, but you can’t really put your crumb into why it is. You have told your old friend your adventures of Crispia so far, while Shadow Milk Cookie hums in acknowledgment, though at some parts he seemed to be concerned at what you went through since you fought some enemies like a regular cookie and not with your powers but since you’re still here in one piece he suppose he can glance over the issue.
However he also didn’t like the parts where you were spending time and bonding with his…false copy. Shadow Milk Cookie would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of such thing, but it’s alright now! He’s here! The star of the show! And you’re here along with him! The sidekick of the protagonist! So he will gladly take the chances to bond with you more whilst he has the chance.
He won’t let some weak measly cookies to mess up his script that he has for him and you. He didn’t noticed until now how his grip on his scepter hardened, he glanced at you since you’ve been quiet for some time. His face softens once more, your eyes shined with stars ;all though it’s a bit dimmer, (perhaps it’s because his hypnosis on you is still there? After all there is still blue swirls in your eyes) in them again as you looked around the garden, perhaps it was the nostalgia of how you and him used to walk in this very garden before he became corrupted and how you were gone on your adventures seeking more thrill than ruling a kingdom like how most of the others did.
Shadow Milk Cookie watched you as you seemed to get lost in the gardens wandering off too far like how a sheep would get lost in a forest, he chuckles as he guides you to where the door of the spire is. Even though it would have been a bit of fun entertainment watching you getting lost to the very same garden you used to walk daily, he would rather not let you get stuck and lost in the middle of nowhere.
You couldn’t help that you feel like all eyes have been laid upon you ever since you entered inside of the spire once more. The place has changed a lot since you were last here but then again the owner of the spire was gone for quite a long time neglecting its conditions. Only coming back sort of recently and the interior as well exterior of the place has significantly changed.
“Come on silly willy! I know you’re faster than that! Or has it been too long that you don’t remember your way around?” Shadow Milk Cookie smiled at you from the end of the hall, you were a couple feet behind him since you wanted to look at the changes.
“My apologies oh such knowledgeable sage” you said in a sarcastic tone as you rolled your eyes playfully “perhaps I should glue a map inside my mind so I know exactly where I’m going”
“Oh come on silly goose that’s not what I mean!” Shadow Milk Cookie exclaimed
“Master! Who is this…special individual of a cookie that is here?” Black Sapphire Cookie asked as he rushed towards Shadow Milk Cookie noticing an unfamiliar presence inside of the spire.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Shadow Milk Cookie said as he wags his finger to Black Sapphire Cookie. “This cookie here! Is a special guest of mine! So you must treat them with the upmost respect!”
You stared at Black Sapphire Cookie awkwardly while he smiles at you back as he bows to you in a greeting gesture.
“I see…well my lord, Candy Apple Cookie is preparing for the next act,” Black Sapphire Cookie informed while Shadow Milk Cookie hums.
“How enlightening…yes yes it’s all following the script perfectly!” Shadow Milk Cookie smiled uncannily. “Well go on now! We don’t want our special actors left with nothing to do!” Black Sapphire Cookie nodded as he walks away seemingly fading away from the distance.
“Well now that is covered!” Shadow Milk Cookie said as he snaps his neck towards you “I assume you have some questions yes?”
“Indeed” you said vaguely, after all you weren’t really used to his corrupted form at all, but Shadow Milk Cookie is fine with that! He is really! It would just take time and patience for you to come back to his side where you belong! And he’s alright to spend his time with you even if you are confuse with everything, who knows maybe he should spill in a few more false memories into your dreams since you seem to be regaining them again.
He will use his advantage now that you’re in his spire; after all, he can control everything that is inside! What makes you think he can’t control your dreams? The longer you stay here the more disoriented your memories will be, and he will gladly take that chance to make the memories favorable to his side and not his fraud of a cookie (Pure Vanilla Cookie). All he needs is you to stay in this spire. Although…he does feel bad for doing this but he has too! He didn’t want to lose the very friend that has guided him and actually had a bond with oh so long ago.
You and Shadow Blueberry Milk Cookie…huh that’s odd you swore he had a jester outfit on not his pre corrupted sage uniform. Anyways you and Blueberry Milk Cookie walked inside of the Spire of Deceit Knowledge. Your eyes shined once more like how they used to as you happily asked your questions and continue to tell more stories of your adventures. Blueberry Milk Cookie hums while he smiles at you, he loves stories especially if it’s coming from you. You seemed to fall into the deception oh so easily…but that’s what he likes, since it makes things easier for him.
You failed to acknowledge that a few shadowy hands slowly started creeping over you as they quickly grabbed your limbs and dragged you into a pit of shadows. You screamed as saw how Blueberry Milk Cookie looked at you solemnly before your vision went black. This is for the best! He swears on it! You just need to drown into deceit like he has and everything will become perfect!
It was inevitable, after all it wasn’t like anyone would have known this would happen. You came rushing back once you heard the news of a huge war breaking out. A war against the Virtues.
You didn’t know how this happened, you believed your friends were all in good shape mentally and physically, so how did this corruption began? You did not know. One moment you were enjoying yourself when you visited them as often as you could, the next you see…all of this happening.
You finally made your way to the area and oh my witches was it terrible. It’s safe to say that jam of cookies littered all over the place, broken pieces of them too; all the while the Virtues were up in the skies entertained for what chaos they have started.
“My my if it isn’t Y/N Cookie that I see! Come, come! Join us darling!” Eternal Sugar Cookie said with joys as she smiled from her cloud
“Y/N Cookie…come join us…for resisting the fate in the end…will all be futile…for you shall see the harsh reality and accept such fate” Mystic Flour Cookie offered as her closed eyes gave out a small solemn smile
“It’s so much fun seeing them all crumble like little bugs! Join us Y/N Cookie! Together we will crumble anyone who passed by!” Burning Spice Cookie roared
“…” Silent Salt Cookie stared but you knew the meaning behind the silence, the silent message that spoke “yes…join us Y/N cookie, for we shall rule over the world and destroy the impurity that has corrupted the land”
“Come on silly Willy! Don’t you want some fun? This is an adventure you don’t wanna miss! Enjoy yourself! Let the corruption consume you!” Shadow Milk Cookie exclaimed as he enjoys himself from the destruction they all caused.
You stared at all of them, you truly don’t know what to say for yourself. You shall not allow yourself to fall into corruption like your dear friends so you raised up your lance towards them. All of them shocked of such actions, indeed they thought just a few words of them would have at least convinced you to join them but it seems like they would have to put a little more work into it.
“Now now Y/N Cookie why don’t we put the lance down? You wouldn’t want to fight us would you?” Eternal Sugar Cookie asked as her half lidded eyes fluttered.
Your eyes focused on all five of them, truly you didn’t want to fight against them but it really seems like your only option. Although your eyes were focused and you were in battle ready stance, it was arguably noticeable that you were scared, fearing for your life, and being a coward of such. You failed to noticed your soul jam slowly changing
“Come on you silly goose! Surely you don’t want to fight all five of us? Whats the fun in that? Just put the weapon down and join us! We’ll have a huge celebration and I! Will show you a story of an adventure that is most ingenious to tell!” Shadow Milk Cookie tried to convince you, after all he was your closest dear friend! Surely he can get it through your head that you should just relax and join them! It really wasn’t that hard…really!
“No!” You exclaimed “I shall not be corrupted by such greed! If it’s a fight I must take then it’s a fight I shall have!” You exclaimed as you raised your lance “I Y/N Cookie declare upon my honor! That I will stop this blinded greed of all of you!” Your Soul jam, the virtue of ⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ shined bright as you started heading towards them with your lance.
“Ya know, you could have gotten the easy way out…” Burning Spice Cookie grumbled. “But it’s alright, I’LL CRUMBLE YOU A BIT IF IT MEANS FOR YOU TO SET YOUR MIND STRAIGHT!” He laughed as he starts charging towards you along with Silent Salt Cookie who said no words but his actions showed what he wants to say.
“Hmph all actions are all futile…when will you learn to accept the truth Y/N Cookie?” Mystic Flour Cookie said as she also joins in the fight as well as Eternal Sugar Cookie, obviously hurt by your actions but they were all going to fight you if it means the possibility for you to join them.
But Shadow Milk Cookie stood there in the skies still, he didn’t have it in his heart to be one of the reasons why you would crumble right here and right now; it would break him even further. So all he did was watched as you tried your best to stand your ground as you fought the other Virtues.
Truly it was a miracle that you even survived this long in a fight with 4 other cookies that held the same power level as you. It had been days and nights and you all were still fighting. Grunting and panting as the exhaustion slowly creeped in for both sides, but it was evident that none would voluntarily falter.
It definitely took a very long time before your wounds started to take effect on you as you rested on one knee, one eye closed due to a head injury on that side of the head, wounds piled up one after another, jam slowly creeped out. You slowly tried standing back up with the help of your lance.
“I….” You panted as you slowly raised your lance towards them, they looked somewhat perfectly fine compared to you; The other cookies indeed have a lot of wounds on them but nothing as bad as your current condition. “shall not falter…” you whispered but they all heard it, but your legs trembled as you went back on one knee, head lowered as your hand glued your lance still.
“When will you get it through your head darling?” Eternal Sugar Cookie yawned as she glanced at you, surely you’re not dead yet right?
“Hm…why don’t you accept reality Y/N Cookie? After all it’ll all be futile no matter what you do…” Mystic Flour Cookie said ashamed that you still haven’t joined them
“Y/N Cookie” Shadow Milk Cookie finally said sternly, as you tried to raise your head to look but you really couldn’t; Shadow Milk Cookie sighed as he floats towards you, putting his hand under your chin so you can look at him. Dear witches were you in critical condition, he started doubting that you would even survive after this- you were spilling a lot of jam but nothing too concerning. “It really isn’t that hard to fall…won’t you join us for the adventure dear?” He said with a sly grin, but you barked in empty laughter.
“I may have falter now…but I’m willing to risk my condition to have you all fall!” You said with a solemn smile as you stabbed your lance on the ground. Suddenly forks began falling upon the other Virtues, all chained together as a seed of a silver tree began growing to fully seal them inside of an everlasting prison.
Days, weeks, months have passed by. You have visited your once old friends that you betrayed them by helping the witches to seal them inside of a tree that will always be guarded. In mind, you knew this is what was best, that they were too far down and corrupted to see the faults in their decision.
Yet in your heart, it was filled with heavy guilt. You spent your passing days in an endless cycle of the guilt following behind you like a parasite. You decided that perhaps you should do something about it.
You begged the witches to remove your memories of your friends, and erase your mind of such guilt of the past. Let your mind be filled with dreams full of joyous adventures; ones that were piled with laughter and chivalry to keep. And that you shall be sealed inside of a tower in case you somehow become corrupted just like your friends have.
Thus the witches out of sympathy, granted your wish. Informing the faerie cookies to seal you inside of a tower that was full of books up to your liking, so when you wake up knowing nothing; your mind have been filled with adventures of rich stories and the blissful ignorance of the truth.
Of course your voluntary imprisonment inside of a lonely tower was interrupted one day by a group of adventurers breaking down the poor door…
“You…COOKIES have ruined my script once again!” Shadow Milk Cookie said in pure angered as the cookies have found a way to bring you back in their side.
To say the least it wasn’t an easy process considering you were spoon fed with lies upon lies by Shadow Milk Cookie. Drowned in too much deceit to the point you couldn’t tell what was the truth or not. But worry not! Pure Vanilla Cookie had a plan, of course he felt bad that he had to trick you, a fellow friend of his, but it was for a good cause- and rightfully so, because he was able to show you the real truth and get you to come back.
“Shadow Milk Cookie Esquire…” you started, the language of the old rolls off of your tongue just perfectly as the day before you lost your pure innocence of your past truth. “Thy must pondered such a question once more” Shadow Milk Cookie looking confuse as you continued. “Although…I lost such memories and received them once more I shan’t off the feeling of continuing such adventures-“ you couldn’t even finished your sentence before Shadow Milk Cookie flew at the speed of light and started gripping your shoulders firmly as if he didn’t want you to leave.
“No…NO!” Shadow Milk Cookie yelled in your face, it was from pure anger yes but you can hear the slight worry. “You…and your dreams of adventures! Look where it landed you Y/N Cookie don’t you see it?!” Shadow Milk Cookie yelled louder trying to make a point clear as sugar glass. “The dream is dead- it was- it was just mere pure delusions! there is no point of continuing further! Why on earthbread would you want to adventure more! Have you not seen the damage it has caused?”
“Tis was a dream we all cherished hast it not?” You asked with a smile, indeed- although the dream wasn’t an adventure, the dream was to have the reality where all cookies were equal and lived with harmony. All Virtues agreed to such a sweet innocent dream- yet unfortunately all have fallen to corruption except one, you. Shadow Milk Cookie couldn’t believe such words, it was a foolish dream to wish upon anyways…yet a small part of him does wish that dream to become possible. For he too, had a dream- all the virtues had their own separate dream. While yours was to seek and embark an adventure to live to tell the tales no cookie would ever venture off to. Shadow Milk Cookie’s dream was to have a friend…a friend who would understand him and cherish him for being himself- not as a person who knows all knowledge and was faced with the harsh reality constantly…just a simple friend who would understand him as himself…and that person was you. Oh how his heart would shatter if perhaps one day he sees you again but in extremely poor and vulnerable conditions or well dead perhaps…that one day you couldn’t do anything- he just wanted to save you and not go through the sufferings and consequences of having a dream. For he knows such small dreams can’t come true, for they were all foolish to think and believe it would.
“Let thy continue forth, the adventure of achieving the dream…the dream that twinkles oh so far, far away- where stars align and where it’s believed to be impossible to reach,” you spoke in a soft voice. “While the end is…inevitable…and thy might be a fool and it could all end to be hopeless…shan’t it be foolish of me to not try and believe to continue down the righteous path of the journey?”
“Hah…” Shadow Milk Cookie started chuckling. “AHAHAAHAHAA” he placed his hand over his eyes as he hunched over and laughed. “Well if you say so…I won’t stop you Y/N Cookie,” he smiled but then looked at you sternly “why don’t we duel to prove your strength in that dream then shall we? Just like old times hm?” He smiled uncanny as the other cookies started to get ready but you held out your hand to signal them to pause.
“No my friends…” you started “this is a duel I must fight by I alone,” you readied up with your lance.
“My name is Y/N Cookie! And I, Y/N Cookie, declare upon my honor: this lance shall end that hopeless, forgotten dream!!” You raised your lance, your soul jam shining once more,and started running towards Shadow Milk cookie as he readies his staff and starts attacking you.
(Bear with me I can’t do fighting scenes 😭) the fight continued days and nights on end, never ending it seems, each beam targeted to you was deflected; yet every stab of your lance was dodged easily. Exhaustion slowly started hitting yet your thirst of the dream was your motivation, the hope that made your heart beat and it was your strength to keep pushing forward. Shadow Milk Cookie slowly showed clear signs of that exhaustion.
“Hah…hah…” Shadow Milk Cookie panted, it was clear from the appearance he was tired yet you stood there sternly, prepared for any incoming attacks. Shadow Milk Cookie looked…conflicted to say the least, he wants you to come back to his side but he’s not that powerful as of right now. After all he went through all this trouble and he finally met you again! He didn’t want to lose that chance again, he would be oh so lonely…and you were the only cookie that truly understood him more than anyone! So what’s the other better option?
“Y/N Cookie…I WILL come back…this won’t be the last time we meet and next time I’ll make sure…nothing would trick you into coming back to their side…” Shadow Milk Cookie said tiredly as a portal opened behind him as he and his followers left. The group cheered in celebration, yet you stood there and slowly turned towards them so you can face them.
“I shall introduce to thee once again…my name is Y/N Cookie! And I, Y/N Cookie shall embark the journey and dream to become the best knight of all of earthbread!” You smiled as your eyes shined along with the stars once more with your hand gripped your lance as firm as possible.
Fin
I would be lying if I said I finished a good majority of this like weeks ago but I couldn’t figure out how to type out the last section so I apologize 😭 I must admit this isn’t really…the best
Epilogue -> here
Tag list: @donnie-is-da-best @floweriya @haveneulalie @isak-sillydemon @f4nd0msl0v3r @sillysprinkel @kur1kur1chan
#crk#shadow milk cookie x y/n#shadow milk x reader#shadow milk crk#shadow milk cookie#shadow milk x y/n#shadow milk cookie x reader#cr kingdom#cookie run kingdom#shadow milk x you
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Got some interesting questions about Boo's agency and doing things vs witnessing.
It's funny because some folks find Boo to be a very active participant, others have complaints.
I think they, by and large, have been incredibly impactful and active, but perhaps not in the ways some listeners expect or are used to...or want.
Let's recap.
- Boo is inquisitive, and actively digs to discover Alphonse's past but respects his boundaries when they have their walk and talk. You can infer that Boo clocks that something is on Alphonse's mind when he snaps out of his anxiety daydream.
- They observe Seth's behavior as well. His pettiness, his intimidation attempts, but when he reveals that he loves Alphonse, dots start connecting as the history between them is revealed.
- At no point would Boo interjecting during Alphonse and Seth's initial arguments and interactions ever reflect the maturity and wisdom we are trying to establish. However...
- They are an active listener, being able to prompt the right responses and make both Alphonse and Seth feel that they can share their stories with them is...in fact...an action. I think making them act out, get messy, etc. sucks a bag of dicks and plays into every played out listener trope where sure...they "do stuff" or rather, things happen to them.
- The choice to accept Alphonse's request for space and then pursue Seth instead of going home is taking initiative and action. Bringing Seth to breakfast is an even riskier action that even has negative reactions and consequences before being resolved! They get the boys to cut their shit out by putting their foot down.
That's all BSDC chapter 1 though. Let's talk about the old stuff.
Throughout all of BitterSweet, we are actively establishing that Boo's baking has potential to become a business. All of the boys' drama aside...that's actually what is going on with them at the time. Alphonse is in the midst of supporting that endeavor as we enter chapter 2, and for keen listeners, you'll find that Faust mentions a café in the city has been buying batches of chocolate croissants from an out of town baker. Seth literally gets introduced to this and begins helping Boo in Chapter 2 as well as Boo prepared to bake goods for the Winter Festival.
Now the big one, Chapter 3, the one where the boys face Boo getting involved in the past they desperately wanted to keep them from. Almost like keeping them out of the action was a critical plot point to set up the moment where they take an incredible risk in the climax.
A recurring theme in a lot of different narratives but certainly in BitterSweet has been free will and scenarios where decisions get made for people and circumstances take them in directions against their will or without their consideration. Even Finneas' meddling plays into this...and Alphonse follows up with Boo giving the impression that even if things played out differently, if Boo was making moves based out faith in themself and the boys...he'd rock with it.
I think there are people who don't love extended periods of non listener characters interacting with each other, and that's fine, but frankly so much of Alphonse and Seth's resolution needed to be between THEM. The starry night episode needed to be a private moment. Their reminiscing over burgers before leaving needed to be them trying to leave the city on a positive note, with some taste (ha) of things being normal.
Boo's influence is all over this story. They are the glue, the nurturer, the healer, the hope. If your takeaway from the series thus far is that they don't do much, I think we have some fundamental disagreements and misunderstandings about what constitutes action and impact by a character in a story.
I think the vast majority of folks get that, but I wanted to dive into it and make it clear how I feel. 💖
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All in | Chapter 1



pairing: Lee Felix x f!reader (mafia au)
summary: You didn't know what you were getting yourself into when you started dating Yang Jungwon, notorious mafia boss. Your life gets flipped upside down when you're found beaten and bloody by SKZ, the rival mafia group, and you're quickly integrated into their lives. What will happen when you try to leave your old life behind and start anew?
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“Jungwon, stop,” you cry out. This wasn’t the first time that things had gotten rough with your boyfriend, especially as of late, but something about his gaze this time in particular, eyes narrowed and looking at you with intensity causes a pit to form in the bottom of your stomach.
His silence is eerie. Your boyfriend, when you had started dating him, was an exemplary gentleman. He was warm, charming, and polite, and you could go on for hours listing all of the traits that attracted you to him. He seemed like the picture-perfect boyfriend–he was chivalrous, he bought you flowers, and he seemed strong-willed and determined. He was also the leader of a powerful mafia clan.
Of course, you didn’t know this when you had started dating him. When he first told you, you were incredibly surprised, as well as a little bit scared. He assured you that you had nothing to be afraid of, that nothing would change, and that you would be incredibly safe with him. He had such a way with words that immediately persuaded you he was telling you the truth. This was your boyfriend, after all. Yang Jungwon, that you have come to know and love.
Should you have run that very first opportunity he had given you? You think back to the night he sat you down at his desk. For a second, you remember giggling and telling him that you felt more like you were at a doctor’s appointment than in your boyfriend’s office, and he had just given you a sweet smile before he proceeded. “Have you ever heard of ENHA?” he had asked you. Of course you had. At that point, everybody in the city had known about ENHA and SKZ, the two notorious and rival mafia groups that had control over the city. Though you didn’t know much about them, you had certainly heard of them. “I know this might come as a shock to you, but I’m the leader of ENHA. I want to lay all my cards out on the table for you, here and now. This is your chance–your out. If you want to leave, you can walk out that door right now and I will never contact you again.”
Two months. That’s how much time you had dedicated to your relationship with Jungwon before you found out the truth about him. You know your sister would have laughed in your face. She had told you from the very beginning that it wasn’t meant to be, that you were making a mistake with this one, but you had brushed her off. She had never liked your romantic pursuits, so what made this one any different? You didn’t listen to her. You didn’t walk out the door, and you made the decision to stay in your relationship with Jungwon. You wish you had; all of those traits that you had once admired in Jungwon had since become the downfall of your relationship. His overprotectiveness and desire for you to rely on him had caused you to become overdependent on him–and out of a job that you were actually incredibly passionate about. By the time you noticed that he was becoming more abusive, you relied on him for housing and income, and you had no way of contacting your sister even if you had wanted to. He had forced you to cut ties.
That’s how you got here, really. You were too far in. While once you imagined spending your entire life with him, now you dreamed of a life free of him. Your boyfriend, Yang Jungwon, was a walking contradiction. He had a warm exterior to most, a bright smile that charmed his way through any conversation; on the inside, he’s an indifferent, cold and murderous machine.
This is especially apparent to you now. His stoic expression contrasts scarily with the harsh words he spews at you. The intent in his eyes that bore into your skull tell you all you need to know. You’re on his shit list.
“Stop,” you repeat again, louder and with more force behind your words. You’re slotted right between his legs, no method of escape, pushed up against the brick wall outside of one of the many clubs owned by ENHA. Though the wall is scraping against your skin, it’s also bitter cold, a welcome contrast from the heat escaping your body.
You look rough. You know that you do without having to look in a mirror. Somewhere in the whole ordeal you had lost your shoes, and your mascara is currently running down your face in long wet clumps. Your hair is matted from where he had grabbed it, dragging you out of the club and caring less about your appearance. Your dress has more than one rip in it from when you had fallen onto the concrete, and your fingernails are steeped in blood from when you had tried to claw away. Thankfully, the ringing in your ears provides enough adrenaline to dull some of the pain you’re experiencing. They don’t ring enough to block out his words, though.
“You’re going to come into my club and act like some whore who doesn’t know who she belongs to? What the fuck were you thinking, getting into a bar fight at my club? People are going to think I don’t know how to control what belongs to me. Fuck, you’re unbelievable, Y/N. You make me sick to my stomach, I can’t even stand to look at you,” he says as he pushes you harder into the wall. Your skin scratches harder against the brick, leaving red bloody marks behind from the contact. Your breath hitches–Jungwon has never been this violent or demeaning to you before. His expression is blank, as if he has no remorse for what he’s doing, and that scares you even more. This wasn’t like anything you had seen in your boyfriend–this is a snap. Like a shelf that holds much more than it can carry, piling more and more on it until it starts to concave and the wood splinters in the middle, Jungwon has decided that he is not going to carry your burden anymore.
The first time he hit you, he had pushed you and shoved you around like a cold and calculating machine, no thought or purpose behind his actions. Minutes later, it was as if life had come back into his eyes. He got onto his knees and sobbed, repented for his actions and begged for your forgiveness. He reminded you of the fact that you were the only one who could ever love someone like him; nobody would be kind enough to let a mafia boss into their hearts and love them with all they had like you did. You’re all he has, he would remind you, you have to forgive him. He would get you the best medical treatment available, you would forgive him and it would be like it never happened. Until the next time, and the next.
Now, given the circumstances, you’re not sure you can defend him. Not with the way he’s speaking to you like you’re less than scum, worthless and indecent to be around. You feel belittled and small. To be the direct target of his rage, though there’s a reason for it this time, makes bile rise up in your throat, threatening to spill out. You’re beginning to see why your boyfriend isn’t to be messed with and why he’s considered one of the most dangerous men in the country. To add to it, he had been drinking and the stress of the other mafia group closing in on them was adding unwanted pressure. You were also a little bit intoxicated, which is probably what gave you the bravery to do what you had.
You were intentionally trying to rile him up. It was an innocent mistake, but you had the goal of making him a little bit jealous tonight. You were hoping things would take a different turn, after all. Your friend had told you about the time she flirted with another man in front of her boyfriend to get a rise out of him and it had worked, and he had taken her to the car and fucked the life out of her on the spot. She insisted it was the best sex she ever had.
You really should have known better; your relationship isn’t normal and you will never experience things the same way your friends do. But, you had tried it out. You started flirting with a stranger at the bar, just some light conversation and casual touches to the shoulder. At one point you had caught Jungwon’s eyes and mistook his dark gaze for jealousy, not rage, which fueled your desire to continue.
You had dragged the stranger out to the dance floor, and he was more than eager to go with you. He was much too touchy, sliding his hands up and down your hips and grinding his body into yours. That’s when his girlfriend was added to the mix–absolutely trashed, angry, and ready to start a fight she wasn’t going to win. You caused a scene, shouting expletives right back at her. You won, easily. But not before a hand was embedded in your hair and you were face to face with your very angry boyfriend. It seems like all it took was for one incident to completely change everything.
You’re scared. Empty words rise from your throat to defend yourself, to plead with him and try to change his mind, but a hand snakes around and cuts you off.
“Don’t bother coming back, bitch,” he spits. “You’re lucky if I keep you alive.” His hand tightens around your neck, leaving your vision to darken. Your hands come up around his, trying to yank his hand away to relieve some of the pressure to no avail. Your legs start to flail and kick in a last ditch effort of disparity.
“Please, Wonnie,” you choke out. He repeats your words back to you, mocking. Your hands are hitting at his and you’re gasping for breath, hot tears streaming down your face.
“Don’t call me that,” he seethes. “You should’ve fucking known better! You brought unwanted attention to yourself. You deserve to be taught a lesson for acting like such a fucking slut in my club. I bet you would’ve let him fuck you too, right?” You try to shake your head, wanting to deny and explain yourself when he suddenly lets go of you. You fall to the ground, your bodyweight now completely unsupported by him.
You look up at him for a second, large doe eyes blinking away tears. He stares right back at you. One second passes by before you plant your feet into the ground, breaking into a rub. Your bare feet scrape against the concrete and you turn the corner, ready to shout but no sound comes out of your throat. Just as you make it two long strides, his lightning fast reflexes have already caught up to you. Jungwon grabs your wrist and squeezes it tight, and you feel a sharp pain along with the popping sound it creates.
With the momentum he has, he slings you to the ground. Your face meets concrete and you feel warm, wet liquid on your skin. You blink and blink to realize that your vision has gone completely dark. You’re hit, again and again, but at some point you don’t hear his words anymore. You feel like you could throw up. You wonder if you do when you feel your stomach contract around nothing. Hit after hit and wound after wound, eventually you stop registering it.
Deep down, you try to comfort yourself. He doesn’t mean it. He’ll take you back, and once he sobers up he will realize that he fucked up majorly. He’ll cry and grovel and really apologize, promising to change his ways. Sunoo will patch you up and stitch over the wounds that need it the most, just as he has before. You’ll laugh about the situation in retrospect, cry about it some, but ultimately end up in Jungwon’s bed. Where else would you even go? You have no money, no job, no way of contacting anybody, so surely, surely, he’ll accept you back. You crack a smile at the thought and wonder if you’ll have to beg him to take you back or if he’ll take you into his arms himself.
You’re not sure how long you’re on the concrete for. When you lift your head you hear a loud, pulsing sound, accompanied by a sharp pain that encourages you to put your head back down. You do, comforted knowing that Jungwon will come back, he will come back, he will come back.
Two sets of footsteps find your way to your field of view. They’re blurry, and for a second you think, those don’t look like Jungwon’s shoes, and you begin to hear muffled voices. The ringing in your ears is so loud, but their voices are louder too. Why are they speaking so loud? Are they really yelling or is it just this splitting headache? God, you don’t know, but as you open your mouth to speak and the voices get louder, it stops. Everything stops.
You have finally lost consciousness.
You recognize the sensation of being in a car, and you even smell cologne. It’s unfamiliar. You don’t fight to keep your eyes open, instead succumbing to the murmur of voices and warmth of the car that contrasts from the shockingly cold concrete, and let yourself drift off into sleep.
─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──
When you wake up, you’re propped haphazardly against a wall. Your eyes crack open, and notice a well-furnished office, complete with leather chairs and a desk that was probably hand-crafted and expensive. You’re alone in the room, and your eyes flicker to the windows, the door, and then to your beaten and bruised frame. If you looked rough before, you certainly look awful now, and you feel even worse than you look. You are definitely sobered-up now, though, enough to realize that you are not at home, and definitely not at the ENHA base.
Three figures enter the room, and you wonder if you should react or if you’re even in any imminent danger. You close your eyes again, wondering if you can get away with pretending to be asleep so you can feel out the situation.
“Hyunjin, check her pulse,” you hear. Warm breath is on yours in an instance, and you fight your heart to stop beating as fast as it is. Two fingertips press against your neck, cold yet firm.
“Good morning,” the voice whispers against your frame, loud enough for only you to hear. You don’t react outwardly, but your heart beats just a little bit faster. Is this man going to tell him that you’re awake?
“She’s fine,” the man says. “Her pulse is stronger than before. She’s lost a lot of blood but she’ll be okay.” The man’s presence leaves yours, and you rely on just your hearing to tell that he is back on the other side of the room quicker than your heartbeat. “So, what’s your angle here? I know you’re not keen on helping beaten and bloody women in alleyways too often, so I’m sure there’s some sort of play here.”
“Yang Jungwon’s girlfriend. Or, I suppose you can say ex-girlfriend, if she’s smart” a man says..
“Are you insane? You’re just trying to get on his nerves!” says the man that checked your pulse, Hyunjin.
“I suppose you could say that. Binnie and I found her about a mile from the ENHA base, beaten practically within an inch of her life. If we’re smart, I think we use her as leverage against him. We keep her, use her to piss him off. If we had the upper hand before, we definitely have it now,” he explains.
You try not to furrow your eyebrows in confusion.
“You should have called me, for fucks sake! This was a major decision for you to make on our behalf and not consult me on. It’s my job.” Hyunjin is furious, evident from his rapid speech and loud tone, but he sounds professional nonetheless. “You don’t even know if he wants her back. She could be worth less than trash in his eyes, and that’s the best case scenario. He did beat her, after all. Worst case scenario? She could be bugged, or a spy! Did you think about that? Chan, this is unbelievable.” Your eyes shoot open instinctively, and you lurch forward, holding onto your stomach and fight yourself from hurling on the spot.
“Chan…” you rasp out. Your throat burns… You wonder if it was from Jungwon’s tight grasp or if you had been screaming without realizing it. Now you’ve realized the exact scenario that you’ve ended up in. Bang Christopher Chan is the leader of SKZ… the rival mafia gang. You had only heard rumors about the man since being involved with Jungwon, but they’re enough that you’re shaking involuntarily. You know he’s dangerous, and you find yourself wishing you paid more attention to mafia politics to really get a sense of what you’re getting yourself into. Chan is the one that brought you here, and now you’re defenseless, vulnerable, and in his territory.
“Easy there,” a voice calls. A stranger approaches you and puts a hefty hand on your shoulder; when you meet his gaze, you immediately flinch. The man is very well-built with broad shoulders and large biceps that counteract his shorter frame. A black compression shirt hugs his skin, showing off his muscles. You don’t know anything about the man but everything about him screams bodyguard.
Your eyes meet the man sitting in the leather chair at the desk, Bang Chan. You can tell just by the way he carries himself that he is an important man and he knows it. His gaze is intense but he smirks at you as if he’s amused. He is also fairly muscular, wearing all black but dressed nicer than the stocky bodyguard. His hair is dark brown and falls neatly around his face, parted down the middle with strands falling loosely around his ears. He is attractive like a magnet, you realize, when you know you should be experiencing repulsion.
You realize everybody is watching your every move, and you feel pressured to say something, to perform, even.
“Hey,” you say, and it comes out weaker and raspier than you would have hoped. Chan’s mouth lifts into a smile. “Y/N L/N, it’s a pleasure.”
You rack your mind for the right words to say. “Are you… going to kill me?”
He lets out a hefty laugh, one that makes you feel stupid. You feel like it was a valid question, but let out a nervous chuckle at his response.
“If you give me a reason to. But we don’t want that, right sweetheart?” You nod in agreement, face turning red at the demeaning lilt to his words. The man finally rises from his chair and is in front of you in just two long steps. He crouches down but still towers above you, leaving you feeling even more defenseless and intimidated. His hand reaches to stroke a strand of hair behind your ear, and his thumb reaches to lift up your chin and meet his gaze. You want to look anywhere but, but you’re even more scared of the consequences. Your eyes meet, and his gaze is so intense that it makes your skin crawl. His expression is now devoid of any emotion, and he is dead serious.
“You almost died,” he says. He tells you this as casually as one would talk about the weather. “Jungwon almost killed you. You would have died on that sidewalk if we didn’t find you and administer emergency medicinal treatment.” His fingers tighten around your jaw, keeping your gaze locked onto his, as if to say, ‘I am the most important person and you will listen to me when I am talking to you.’
“He wouldn’t… It was an accident. He was really drunk, and I–” You’re cut off when his fingers trail lower, reaching your throat. Your breath hitches, unsure of what he’s going to do and you feel terror overwhelm you from what you know the man has the capacity to do to you. Two fingers prod at your throat, poking at what is most definitely a very nasty bruise. You cry out, hands reaching to soothe the spot that he had just touched.
“You don’t really believe that, do you? If so, you’re more stupid than I thought.” He stands, leaving your mouth agape. “You should look at yourself. You’re in really bad shape. We were able to stop some of your bleeding from that nasty head injury you got yourself, but damn. Do you even know how long you were out for? It’s been at least half a day.”
Half a day? You gawk at the man and say nothing. The other two men have decided to stay silent for the conversation, doing not much more than observing your sorry state. You decide you don’t want to speak much more on the subject, and change the topic instead. “What do you want with me?” you swallow.
“You’re going to stay here, at the SKZ base while you recover. I’m sure you heard, but you’re going to help us get the ENHA situation under control. You’re leverage.”
“You’re keeping me? So I can’t leave? Please,” you start to plead. “You’re not serious.”
“Dead serious,” Chan replies. “It’s not like you really want to go back, right? If you get beaten like this again, there’s probably not going to be anybody to save you. You might die,” he blinks.
“It’s not going to happen again,” you all but spit out. You decide it’s time to test your body and stand up, and though your bones and muscles ache, you manage to get onto your two feet. “It was one time, a mistake. I’m sorry, but you’re out of line, and I would really like to get back home.”
“Out of line?” Chan challenges.
“I’m sorry to say this, Y/N, but I don’t think Chan is out of line,” Hyunjin speaks. You finally get a chance to look at the man. His dark hair frames his face, resting just past his chin. At first glance he appears more delicate than the other two men, but his muscles are apparent the longer you stare at the fitted t-shirt he sports. He’s very pretty, a statement usually not used to describe someone in his profession. He has very full lips and a perfectly chiseled and angular jawline, sharp nose and long, feminine eyelashes. As he steps forward, he continues on his tangent. “Not only that, but this isn’t the first time Jungwon has hurt you, is it?”
Your breath hitches as you find the words to defend yourself. You’re cut off by the man who is very adamant about what he is about to say.
“Your record shows that you have been in the hospital two times in the last year. Are you trying to tell us that a concussion and broken wrist are just coincidences?” You stay silent as the man’s eyes scan up and down your frame. You wonder how he knows so much, as someone that was arguing minutes ago about how your presence was a mistake. He’s done his research on you for sure, and you realize it’s probably his job to know everything about everyone. That’s probably why he was arguing with Chan about not consulting him. You try not to think about what else he knows.
“If you stay here, we can guarantee your safety. We don’t even know if Jungwon has plans to try to take you back, but if he does, we are sure that this will be the safest place for you. We know you don’t have a job or a place to stay out there, but here you’ll have a room and necessities. And you will be benefiting us as we get the chance to get a rise out of their group, and the opportunity to use this advantage to put them in their place.” Chan seems sure in his decision, and you find something reassuring about the firmness in his tone and his ability to make quick decisions, knowing that his leadership abilities are one of the reasons why SKZ is the top mafia group in the country, ENHA’s rival. You step forward and wobble, and strong arms steady your frame.
“Okay,” you whisper. The decision feels wrong, like a betrayal, but you still feel dizzy and unsure, so you decide to put your safety first.
“You still need some rest. We can escort you to your new room and give you some time to patch yourself up, shower, and get a change of clothes. We definitely suggest tending to your wounds,” Chan says.
“My room? Are you sure this is okay?” The bodyguard wraps an arm around your shoulder, allowing you to lean on his dependable and sturdy build, and you let yourself do so.
“More than sure. Make yourself at home. You’ll be here a while.” Chan says. He finally returns to his desk and sits in his chair, hands intertwining with one another as if he’s deep in thought. “Changbin will show you the way. Don’t do anything stupid, and you and I will have a talk later tonight. Look forward to it, sweetheart. Hyunjin, call the others for a meeting. You’re dismissed.”
And with that, you and Changbin, the aforementioned bodyguard, are left to find the way to your room. You stumble but he is strong, and with his arms around you the walk to your room is not a struggle. He does stay eerily silent, which you welcome so that you can think. You arrive at your room and thank him, stepping into the space and shutting the door behind you.
The room is not huge but it’s comfortable. It’s definitely larger than any room you’ve ever lived in before, and it’s nice to finally have your own space seeing as you previously shared a room with Jungwon. The room is obviously set up to be a guest bedroom, with cream colored walls and a large bed in its center adorned with a white quilt and decorative pillows. It’s simple but you’ll certainly make-do. You look around and notice a large rattan wardrobe stocked with a variety of clothes in different styles and sizes. Some of the fabric looks like it’s large enough to swallow you while others would just barely fit. You hum, content, and pick out a clean outfit that suits your comfort levels, even if it's not the prettiest. On your way to the bathroom you're surprised to notice a small vanity, stocked with makeup. You realize this guest room is probably for guests of SKZ, maybe their family members if any of them had any that would come to visit, hence the women’s clothing. Either way, the makeup will come in handy later to cover your bruises when you need to.
And on that note, you finally allow yourself to look in the mirror, and you gasp.
You have never seen your hair so matted and disheveled, and your head is stained in your blood. A bandage covers the top left of your head, and you uncover it to observe a nasty scar that had been treated with some kind of ointment. In addition, your bottom lip is busted, and you are adorned with all sorts of scrapes and scars and bruises all over your body. Your throat is covered in nasty dark hues of purple and blue that are sure to only get worse. Your wrist had received the same treatment, sporting some nasty bruises, and you recall when it had made a noise that resembled a pop yesterday. You roll the joint, testing the waters, and groan out in pain. At best, it’s sprained. You try not to think about it, and finally get into the shower, noting the first aid kit on the counter.
The water feels nice on your skin, though it stings most of your scrapes and wounds. You welcome it nonetheless. You allow yourself a moment to cry, letting your tears mix in with the shower stream, wondering if this is the only chance you’ll be able to show how vulnerable you are. You don’t know much about SKZ and their men, and you’re sure you should tidy yourself up and do your best to pretend you’re strong, showing no weakness. When you comb through your hair you decide that’s just what you’ll do. You already look more presentable than before when you step out of the shower, as you have rid yourself of the blood, sweat, dirt and grime that littered your skin. And as you step into the new clothes you had found for yourself, you really do feel much better. You take the time to sanitize some of your worse wounds, paying special attention to your head that met the concrete last night. You cover yourself with bandages and decide to spend some of your time putting on makeup. It’s the only way to cover the bruises, you decide, and you won’t let any new members that haven’t seen your sorry-state know that you’re here because you were beaten and weak. If any one of them notices your vulnerability, there’s no telling that they won’t prey on it. So after about an hour, your skin looks close to its normal self again thanks to your expertise in color correction under your layers of foundation and concealer. You smile at your handiwork – if you weren’t looking for the bruises and scrapes, you certainly wouldn’t be able to find it. Even your makeup-covered throat and wrist, which had gotten the worst of it all, really look fine.
You leave your room at last, and it has been some hours since your previous meeting with Bang Chan and the others. You roll your shoulders back and make your way around the house. The intention here isn’t snooping, you tell yourself, but you desperately need to find food. You don’t have to look too hard, as you stumble into the kitchen.
You make direct eye contact with two men that you haven’t seen before. Their eyes flicker to you and their conversation stills, and you know you’ve interrupted them.
You’re going to be here a while, right? You suppose it’s time to introduce yourself.
─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──
a/n: it's hereee (for real this time)! so excited to share this with you and what is to come! (if you saw me post this the other day by accident no you didn't) <3
taglist: @shuporanporang @purp13st4r @eurydiceofterabithia @heartsbyandra @thicccurls @rylea08 @the-sweetest-rose @oddracha @kapelover @goldenmellow
#skz#skz smut#skz x reader#skz x you#stray kids#stray kids smut#stray kids x reader#stray kids x you#skz imagines#kpop smut#kpop x reader#lee felix#skz felix#stray kids felix#felix x reader#skz au#lee felix x reader#stray kids series#all in#mafia au
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Decaying life: Chapter 2
words used 3.2k
Tag list: @randomlyappearingartist @ryuushou @rowannin @s0ggyrats @maybeethan69 @0-candlecove-0
I’ve made #Decaying life so if you wish to find post only related to Decaying life, you will!
Chapter 1
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(Name) was seventeen. It had been a few days after he first met Damian. His half “brother” and so far- the one out of the few that were mostly in the mansion that interacted with him. A few small scars and bruises present over his face and body from some of these interactions, but most didn’t end in violence but instead many aggressive words being yelled at him, like being called a ‘half breed’ or a ‘bastard son’ and a ‘whore’s son’ that last one being the most painful… the brat daring to comment on (Name)’s mother this way? That was what angered the boy the most- but thankfully, he had plans, when Jason arrives in two days, he’s going to ask his older brother if he can move in with him for a while.
It brought (Name) some joy to know he could be somewhere more… freeing- and actually hangout with his most beloved brother. Right now though, all he had to do was wait and go through life like normal, like school. (Name) could get a ride to get to Gotham Academy from Alfred, god knows the butler has insisted that the boy should due to how long the walk was and getting a bus as well wouldn’t be needed than- but to also interact with his other two brothers, Tim and Damian more. However (Name) didn’t want that, so he always refused and turn down the offer, and anyways, the walk to the bus stop was nice, with fresh air- well fresh as Gotham could get and a brief talk to the elderly women and men waiting for their rides, they were decent to talk to and some even had interesting life stories. But either way, (Name) would take his usual route and path to the school, enjoying his ride… well not enjoy but liking it a lot more than having to be in a car next to those two.
Regardless, (Name) would arrive at the bus stop and continue to walk towards Gotham Academy, arriving a little earlier than his supposed brothers, his own journey taking longer than the car ride, so an earlier bus had to be taken to fully avoid the boys, but still arrive on time, causing some bags under his eyes, having to get up more early to get prepared for the day. The academy life that (Name) experienced wasn’t the worse or best- he wasn’t easily noticed by most, his own surname being kept the same as it was before he ever moved in with the Wayne family- that being (Last Name). Not using the Wayne name or being widely known like his supposed brothers did help- most people that wanted and are his friends were legitimate with their interest being in (Name), maybe one or two interest in just using him for small schemes, but most were decent people… well as decent as some Gothamites can be, but regardless- (Name)’s academy life was rather nice, better than most as he preferred it over his own…
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After each second that ticked away on the clock, the seconds into minutes and those minutes into hours. A partially gloved hand holding a pencil and tapping it against a desk- just waiting for the final hour of the day to pass. (Name) was waiting to finally get out of building and go to his job. In order to get some real experience as soon as he leaves and not act like a burden for Jason- if his older brother would be willing to let the younger stay with him, which does seem likely to be fair on his end, he could make some extra money to take care of himself- he also just couldn’t become a vigilante, as the matter of fact, nobody in the family knows that he’s aware of their secret double lives, even Jason, but also the fact that he can destroy anything with the touch of one hand. He also just wanted to live a normal life, to go with his own dreams and ambitions like his Momma would have wanted him to do so… the mere thought of her would bring some tears to (Name)’s eyes, it’s been so long since he’s seen her face, so much of it was a blur to him now, the only thing he can remember clearly was her hands- how soft and warm they were, how they wiped away his tears and covered him with love.
Soon enough, the clock would tick by until it reached the ending hour, and with one last bell, everyone could stand up and start walking away- with (Name) quickly making his way through to avoid both Damian and Tim, with him hastily making way through the hall and out at the front, before Alfred could arrive and insist that (Name) enters the car- he was already out and turning to his place of work- it was a small business in a rather decent place of town, his boss was just a nice man, up their in his age, but a welcoming and inviting person- often helping those of a lower class or needing the support, he was Mr. Evan’s, a man that has been running this business for about twenty years- and a strong pillar for the community. The man sold all sorts of things, from food and drinks to toys and books. And the people that visited the place were just as pleasant to be around, even sometimes- after a good days work, (Name) could take back a book or two for free, often reading them with Jason in his room.
(Name) would quickly get inside the building, seeing the elderly man in front of him, waving towards Mr. Evans, quickly making his way behind the counter. “Hey, Mr. Evans- how are you doing today?” He asked, holding a bright smile for the man that gave him a job.
“I’m doing fine (Name), think you can close up for me today? I have to go see my daughter in the hospital, she’s close to giving birth now.” The old man spoke, having picked up his coat and a hat, putting them on while handing the key over to the younger male, with his partially gloved hand taking it and nodding back at the elder.
“Sure, have fun seeing Lauren, have fun being a proper old man now!” He spoke in slight teasing tone to Mr. Evans, allowing the older man chuckle at (Name)’s words before leaving the building, allowing the seventeen year old take over for the rest of the day. Customers going in and out regularly, with some familiar face popping in to buy something and holding small conversations with (Name), before buying what they wanted and bidding the boy a farewell.
Soon enough, (Name)’s shift would come to an end, the closing time for the store popping up and leaving the boy to close it up, ensuring to lock the door once he left after turning off everything inside. All that was left was for (Name) to check for a bus- pulling out his phone and looking for the next available bus at his regular stop would reveal that… they were all cancelled- this wasn’t the first time this happened, it happened a few weeks before for a couple of days, leading the boy to call Jason up for a ride- he would have gone with Alfred… but the butler having to leave the house for a while might pick up some unwanted attention. So (Name) changes to his contacts, preparing to call Jason, his thumb hovering just over the name… but he couldn’t bring himself to call his older brother right now… what if he’s seeming just like a leach? What if Jason starts to find him annoying as well?- not interact with him any more afterwards… no- he shouldn’t think like that… but that feeling is always there… what if he could just get another bus instead?- not bothering his older brother would be good… so with shaking hands and slightly heavy heart would instead check for buses once more- and thankfully, there was one he could catch, though there was only one issue- it was in the east end… further than Mr. Evan’s business is in- should he really go through this- surely Jason wouldn’t mind one call again… No, he shouldn’t bother the only family member that doesn’t seem annoyed or ignores him- he can make it on his own to get back to Wayne manor- maybe Jason would be able to see that (Name) can actually look after himself, especially if the boy does live with him in the end- and Jason wouldn’t have to worry for (Name) being alone at nights.
So, (Name) decided to start taking off, tomorrow was a Saturday- so he could return early and help Mr. Evans with running the place and hand the keys back to the elder, quickly trying to get to the bus stop as he got further and further into the East End- ears picking up on all the crime, some screams, at least a violent voice ordering a person to give them money, and two gunshots in the further distance- even some glass breaking. Though not all of it was bad. (Name) saw some children playing games together, having fun, another group of older boys also talking about ‘How cool Red Hood is’ which only brought a smile to the boy’s face- his big brother- his only brother- was admired by so many here… Jason deserves it, he’s kind to (Name) and has been more effective at stopping crime than the rest- but also inspiring to the younger boys and even girls around the East End, letting them breathe life into once completely crime filled streets.
(Name) was now half way to the bus stop, he hadn’t realised how far along he has come- sorting out his uniform as his heart rate slowly rose up, he was… unsure if he should even be down here… there’s too many chance he could be jumped, robbed or worse even killed for no reason… but than… he could feel a sensation down his back, something making him shiver, as though eyes lingered onto his body, turning his head back slightly, he could notice a man behind him, not that close, but somewhat near… ‘Maybe we’re just going in the same direction?’ Is what (Name) questioned in his head, wanting to just… make sure- (Name) made a small turn around a corner, planning to just walk down the sidewalk until he can cross the road, wanting to keep an eye out for the man behind him.
So (Name) took the turn, and walking down for a little while, he saw the man do the same- but with a more clear look at him, (Name) could notice he hand one hand in his pant’s pocket. In Gotham, that could usually mean he has a… gun. But than again, many people have guns- even Alfred, the old man teaching the boy about them slightly on one of (Name)’s birthdays, but after crossing the road- the boy could notice a slight jolt in his actions before the man did the same- and once more, walking straight to (Name). That meant this man likely had some… intentions with the boy- what are they?- well (Name) isn’t sticking around to find out, going further down the path, keeping his eyes out behind him, picking up his pace slowly, not wanting this stranger to catch on and either pull out his weapon or run after him. Gloved hand clutching at straps on the schoolbag on his back, his grip like iron, blood pumping around his body faster and faster- trying to get away from the man. And ahead would be another corner he could turn and hopefully run away- well that is what (Name) originally planned, only to suddenly see another man there- that could be his salvation! But, the feeling in his gut? It said otherwise, unable to trust that either have pleasant intentions for him, it resulted in (Name) making the quickest exit he could, with a quick look around- it was an alleyway right next to him- so as fast as (Name)’s legs could carry him, he had bolted down the alleyway. The boy could hear the sounds of two more pairs of feet picking up in pace, causing his heart to beat faster than it ever has. “Fuck- fuck!- w-who the hell a-are they- shit!-“ He yelled, tripping and twisting his ankle, letting out a small yelp, and a hiss afterwards- falling to the ground and landing on his right thigh, the pant pocket pushing against the ground and a small crack being heard. “Fuck! M-my phone, s-should’ve used it earlier-“ he spoke while trying to get his phone out of his pocket, attempting to stand up, only to hiss out in pain as stepped on his right foot, a shooting pain going up his body and leaning against the wall, but his body forced him to push past the pain and continue running forward while opening his cracked phone with one hand, his other one scratching away at his neck. His phone new exterior causing small cuts on his finger as it also struggled to open an app or respond to his finger, taking it longer to do anything. “C’mon, c-c’mon!- work you stupid piece of-“ and before (Name) knew it, his face planted against a wall- looking up from his phone- he’d realise that he it a dead end, no more turns or hope in running, only now in his slow responding phone, with his fingers desperately trying to call ‘911’ or even ‘Only Brother’ but he couldn’t… he could hear the two pairs of footsteps approaching him, getting closer and closer to him, leading to the boy to shiver, what could he do?- how could he defends himself- his hands…
(Name) stared down at them, they were still gloved… but they had dirt on them from his trip and falling, and one finger had blood from the broken glass he tried to use. He didn’t want to use them… not again, every time he’s accidentally used his power… he couldn’t help but think of… her… his Momma, and what he had done to her- but it a possible matter between life and death- a-and he could just use them to destroy their weapons and make them run off… yes!- or destroy the wall! But he could barely run anymore- the pain of his foot making itself clear now, he had to stand his ground. So with panted breaths, (Name) would start to remove his gloves, letting his hands free. “S-shit… p-please let this work…” he softly spoke to himself as he saw the men approaching, the one with a hand in his pocket slowly taking. Out his gun- oh, it was a knife… perhaps they wanted to be more silent about it. Regardless, the one with the weapon spoke. “Hey, what’s a GA brat like you doing out here? Don’t you have a butler to carry you around, or does Daddy not give a shit?” He asked, as they both got closer- the other man speaking instead now. “Hey… wait a minute- I recognise this brat- he’s one of Bruce Wayne’s children… they don’t appear much in public, but I remember that face.” He explained to the other criminal- causing (Name) to take some deeper breaths, not only did they now just know he was a Goth Academy student, but they knew he was related to Bruce… but being called that man’s child?- it only boiled (Name)’s blood, mixing both his fear and anger into one, still scratching at his neck slightly. “Really? Oh we’re definitely gonna make a fortune out of this brat- one ransom and we’ll be loving like kings!” He yelled, approaching the frightened boy. “Now kid, come along with me, and I won’t be forced to cut that ugly face of yours.” The wanna be kidnapper spoke, approaching the boy with the knife. (Name) couldn’t help himself with how much fear he felt, seeing something sharp that threatened to stab or cut him wasn’t new- but these strangers- they could do anything, at least Damian has some form of restraint with murder now, mostly because of Jason and Alfred… but these men, they could do anything- especially if Bruce doesn’t pay them, he probably doesn’t even remember that he has five sons.
So (Name) would lunge forward, startling the man with a knife as the boy’s hand went for his face, laughing softly, about to speak about who knows what- only to to break apart into pieces, the light in his eyes flickering like a failing bulb, the other unarmed man was left shock- confused and not sure on what to do, his legs locking in place, as (Name) pushed himself forward on his good foot in the heat of the moment, hand grabbing the older man’s throat, destroying it first, as skin and muscle broke- causing him to struggle to breath at first, than choke on his own blood, before the rest of his body also broke down. Leaving just a panting (Name) with a bloodied hand and panting heavily. “I just… k-killed them… o-oh… I’m-“ before (Name) can properly process this situation and what he had done, he could feel himself nearly throwing up, though he was able to hold it down, nearly gagging a few time, but still could keep his vomit down. Leaving him alone to pant and process everything again. Sitting in silence. His own hands furiously attacking his own neck, small amount of tears leaving the boy’s eyes.
He just bawled his eyes out and sat there for a few minutes, before slowly rising up and reaching back for his phone, not even realising he had dropped it. Putting it inside his pocket for a moment as he went to grab his fallen glove, putting it back on carefully to not destroy it. Than (Name) would shakily pull his phone out, slowly making his way out of the alleyway and back onto the sidewalk as he used his phone, swiping the screen to where his contacts were again, opening the app, and than finally calling Jason. It rings for only four seconds before his older brother picked up the phone. “Hey little wing, you alright? Need me to pick you- I’m guessing the buses got cancelled.” Jason spoke, sounding gentle and relaxed, allowing for (Name) to destress a little, his shoulders sinking slightly while still taking in heavy breaths. “Y-yeah… I… J- I n-need you to… to pick me up.” Though he still softly sobbed in between his words, struggled to properly speak, leading to Jason’s growing concerns. “Hey, little wing, you doing fine? What’s got you sobbing? Did the Demon spawn do something?” He asked, now annoyed and angry that Damian could have hurt you again. “N-no… no, I… I, I was about to…. Ki-kidnapped by two men… th-than I k…killed them… p-please c-come h-here Jason…” Jason remained silent for a moment, not entirely sure on what to say, it was hard to tell what he was thinking at the moment, but than he spoke in a much softer tone, one he’d used to comfort some of the crying children of the east end. “Alright, just tell me where you are, and I’ll pick you up, alright?” And just like that, (Name) told his brother why was around him, the older male staying on the phone with the boy until he got on his motorbike, leaving (Name) alone for a moment- just himself and his memories of the passing moment, sotting on the sidewalk in the cold… wishing for her warm hands again, but also for Jason…
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#male reader#male!reader#yandere batfam x reader#batfam x neglected reader#batfam x male reader#yandere batfam#batfam x reader#batfam#damian wayne#tim drake#jason todd#decaying life
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A Room of Your Own
Married!WandaNat x Reader
Summary: After getting kicked out of your college dorm, you find yourself living with two older strangers. It was never meant to be anything more than a temporary arrangement born out of necessity, but as the semester continues, something new starts to grow.
CW: Homophobia, Getting Kicked Out, Slow Burn (No sex or romance in this chapter), Age Gap
Word Count: 1.9k
A/N: I’m back from the dead, though probably not in the way you wanted or expected. I had to take a (not so) little break from one-shots and smut for the time being for some personal reasons. But I’m still finding ways to write and enjoy myself. Some of you probably have already seen this. It’s been up on AO3 for a while now. But I figured I’d post it here too.
A/N: This is my first attempt at writing any sort of slow burn, so we'll see if I can resist having them all fall into bed together in the first few chapters. I also don't know how to write an introductory chapter without making it boring as shit, so I at least made it short to spare you all. I promise it gets better.
Chapter 1 of A Room of Your Own
You sat, knees curled to your chest, on the curb in front of what used to be your dorm. It was late, a little after midnight, and absolutely pouring rain.
Three days. You had been in the dorms for three days and you had already been kicked out. You’d expect some pushback, going to a religious college and being queer, but nothing like this. Nothing like getting kicked out of your dorm in the middle of the night because you were making your roommates uncomfortable. You’d tried so hard to get them to like you. They seemed sweet. Not your type of people, sure, but you thought the three of you could get along just fine.
As it turns out, they were actually so repulsed by your presence they couldn’t even wait until classes started to kick you to the curb. Literally.
“Hey!” Somebody shouted from the doorway, holding a large umbrella. You turned to see her approaching and shrunk back in on yourself. You didn’t think you could handle anymore ridicule that evening.
When you didn’t respond or turn to face her, she sat down next to you, sure to cover you with the umbrella as well. She spoke softer now. “Hey. I’m sorry for what happened back there.”
You still didn’t speak, but you looked at her now, partially soaked from where she was sitting next to you on the wet concrete. “I’m Yelena.” She reached her hand out for you to shake.
You shook her hand. “Y/N. Nice to meet you.” You recognized her from your dorm floor, though you’d only ever seen her in passing.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” she smiled softly. “I wish it were under different circumstances.”
You nodded, turning your gaze back to the raining night.
“Do you have anywhere to go? For tonight I mean. I would offer you to stay in my room, but…” she turned back to the door of the building. You both knew you couldn’t go back in there.
You shook your head. You hadn’t even thought where you would stay tonight. You could always stay in your car. It wouldn’t be the first night you’ve slept in the backseat. Still, the sopping wet clothes would surely make for a morning full of rashes and blistered skin.
Yelena sighed, looking at the ground. She was silent for a moment before she came up with an idea. “Let me call my sister. She and her wife have a massive place not so far from here. They’ll have a bedroom or two to spare.”
Before you could form a rebuttal of any sort, Yelena pushed the umbrella into your hands and dashed back inside. You tucked the umbrella between your leg and the crook of your arm, resting your head on your knees.
It wasn’t very long before Yelena was by your side again. “Okay she’s on her way. She’ll be here in about 10 minutes.”
You didn’t look at her, facing intentionally in the other direction. You felt so horrible. You just wanted to curl up and disappear. And now you were going to be picked and taken to the home of some random classmate’s sister? You try to formulate a response, a reason that you will be fine on your own, but there was nothing. It was either this or the back seat of your 1993 Toyota Corolla. Somehow, you bet Yelena wasn’t going to take that as a reasonable explanation as to why she should call off her sister.
“Are you coming with me?” You asked weakly.
She sighed and put her hand on your back. “I wasn’t planning on it, but I will if you really want me to.”
You finally turned to face her. She didn’t look thrilled at the prospect of leaving. She was probably a freshman. It was her first couple days in the dorm too and everything was so new and exciting. The last thing she wanted to do was go back home with her sister.
“No it’s okay,” you responded. The last thing you wanted was to inconvenience someone else tonight, and it’s not like a freshman you hardly knew was going to bring you much solace anyway.
She patted your back. “They’ll take good care of you, I promise.”
Before too much longer, Yelena stood up at the sight of headlights. She waved her arms in an “over here” motion. The car approached Yelena, stopping hard in front of the curb you were sitting on. The tires splashed you in rainwater and mud. Yelena winched, walking back towards you to usher you into the car.
She led you to the passenger door, popping it open and peeking her head in. “This is your girl,” she said, pointing back towards your soaked, mud covered figure. She motioned for you to sit.
You hesitated. The car looked nicer than any you’d ever been in before. The idea of ruining the nice leather seats made you want to shrink further into your ball of shame.
The woman in the driver's seat noticed your hesitation, but didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned with her seat. “Come on in,” she ushered. “Get out of that rain.”
You handed the umbrella back to Yelena, reluctantly taking a seat in the car. Yelena peaked her head back in to say “take care of her,” before closing the door and scurrying back into the dorms.
The woman looked at you, reaching up to pop on the overhead light. The sight of her in the light nearly took your breath away. She looked oddly familiar. Maybe you’d seen her around town. You sharply inhaled as the most beautiful woman you’d ever seen leaned over the console towards you. She frowned. “Oh you poor thing!” She reached out to wipe off your face. You cringed when you saw the mud smear across the sleeve of her jacket. “Let’s go home and get you cleaned up.”
You nodded and she turned the light off before pulling out of the parking lot. You fought the urge to curl up in her passenger seat, fearing further ruining her seats with the dirty bottoms of your shoes. When you didn’t speak, she offered up an introduction of her own. “My name is Natasha. I don’t know what Yelena’s told you, but I’m her sister. My wife and I have a place not so far from here.”
“I’m Y/N” you managed.
“A friend of Yelena’s?” She asked.
You chuckled a little. “I suppose you could say that. We met about 20 minutes ago.”
Natasha chuckled. “Of course. Leave it to Yelena to seek you out after such an injustice.”
You bit the inside of your lip. You wished you had heard the phone conversation so you could gauge just how much she knew.
It was as if Natasha could read your mind when she started next with the details of the phone call. “Yelena told me you got kicked out of the dorm by the other girls. They were uncomfortable because you were gay? I never expected to hear anything like that happening in 2024, but I guess I stand corrected.”
Well, that was one way of telling the story. At least Yelena had left out the peeping Tom allegations that got you chased off the floor by everyone who had to share a bathroom with you. They weren’t true, of course, but the fact that you’d made people so uncomfortable they were willing to name you a pervert without second thought made your skin crawl.
After a short, largely silent car ride, Natasha pulled the car into a garage. You hadn’t gotten a good look at the house, both because of the dark and getting lost in your own thoughts, but even by the state of the garage you could tell it was nice.
Natasha got out of the car, unlocking the door and leading you into the kitchen. You took your shoes off by the door, then decided to take your socks off too to avoid tracking muddy water through the house. The woman took your hand and guided you to the stairwell, then to a bathroom. She turned on the lights and opened up a cabinet, pulling out fresh towels and washcloths.
“I’ll get you some fresh clothes and sheets. The bedroom is through here.” She opened a door that revealed a sizable bedroom connected to the bathroom. You could hardly believe this wasn’t the master suite she’d led you too.
She turned to face you, exhaling as she once again took in your disheveled state. She picked some errant pebbles from your tangled hair and wiped it out of your face. “Now,” she started, “do you need anything else before I let you get cleaned up and off to bed?”
You shook your head. “No. You’ve done enough already. Thank you, Miss Natasha, for letting me stay here. It means a lot. Truly.”
“Of course.” She smiled. You didn’t notice the blush that crept onto her face at the formality. She swiped away the hair that had fallen in front of your eyes again. “We wouldn’t want a sweet girl like you sleeping out in the rain.” She booped the tip of your nose. “Now promise you’ll wake me or Wanda up if you need anything at all. We’re just in the room across the hall. Can’t miss it, it’s the only door on that side.”
You nodded slowly. There was no way in hell you were going to wake her or Wanda, who you assumed was her wife, for any reason. But you nodded anyway.
She smiled and rubbed your chin. “Good girl. Now go get cleaned up and try to get some rest.”
As she set off to her room, you hoped the mud had covered how pink your cheeks had gotten. You headed to the shower, sliding open the glass door and turning on the water. You decided to hop in with your clothes at first, hoping to get enough of the mud off that you could wear them again tomorrow. Then you wrang the clothes out and threw them over the door to dry. You took your time in the shower, letting the hot water warm you up from the cold rain. By the time you were finally clean, you grabbed the fresh towel Natasha had left for you.
Your clothes were, obviously, still soaked save for your underwear. You were thankful for the little time it had taken the thin silky material to dry. You put them back on and wrapped yourself in a towel before entering into the bedroom.
There was a maroon hoodie at the end of the bed. It had been there since Natasha first showed you the room, so it clearly wasn’t laid out for you. However, in lieu of other clothes, you decided the owner probably wouldn’t mind if you borrowed it for the night. You slipped the soft fabric over your head. It was much too big for you, going down to almost your mid thighs while the sleeves dangled over your hands. But it was, quite possibly, the softest material that you’d ever felt. It felt simultaneously brand new and freshly washed.
You crawled up into the queen sized bed, slipping under the covers. You held the fabric of the hoodie close to your face. It smelled nothing like the musky bergamot of Natasha, which had been equally as entrancing in its own way. This was distinctly different. It smelled soft and comforting like lying in a meadow on a spring day. The comforting smell and warmth, along with your own exhaustion, quickly had you asleep.
#wanda maximoff#wanda x reader#wanda x you#wanda x y/n#wanda maximoff x reader#wanda maximoff x y/n#wandanat x y/n#wandanat x you#wandanat x reader#wandanat#natasha x you#natasha x reader#natasha romanoff x fem!reader#natasha romanoff#natasha romanov#a room of your own
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the neighbor effect

pairing : oscar piastri x reader
oneshot
word count : 9,449
summary : Y/N moves to Monaco for a fresh start, thinking it’s just gonna be her, baking, and figuring things out. Then there’s her neighbor, Oscar—super chill, always around, but completely mysterious. They bond over cookies and muffins, and Y/N has no idea that he’s actually a Formula 1 driver. But when the Monaco Grand Prix weekend rolls around, everything goes haywire when Y/N realizes she’s been living next to someone way more famous than she ever imagined. Between all the confusion, a surprise kiss, and the chaos that follows, Y/N’s not sure if she’s in over her head—or if she’s exactly where she’s meant to be.
note : i had to rewrite parts of this over and over again. this is my longest fic so far, lets clap it up. i actually cooked with this one, please like it.
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Moving to Monaco in the middle of December sounded a lot more glamorous in theory. In reality, I spent my first night huddled under three mismatched blankets, seriously debating whether the heating in my shiny new apartment was broken or if this was just what Mediterranean winter felt like.
I’d moved here for a fresh start, something about leaving old baggage behind and stepping into the next chapter of my life. Except no one tells you that starting over often means spending a lot of time alone, wondering if you made the right decision.
That’s how I found myself in the hallway on my second day, struggling to carry a too-large box labeled Kitchen Stuff & Regret. I hadn’t realized how much I’d overpacked until I was halfway to my door, my arms trembling under the weight.
“Need a hand?”
The voice startled me, and I nearly dropped the box. I turned to see a guy standing a few feet away, wearing a black hoodie, gray joggers, and a curious expression.
“Uh, no, I’m good,” I lied, immediately regretting it as the box tilted precariously.
“Right,” he said, clearly unconvinced. Without waiting for permission, he stepped forward and took the box from me like it weighed nothing.
“Show-off,” I muttered, but I couldn’t help but smile.
He raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “Just being neighborly.”
“Thanks,” I said as he followed me to my door. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”
“Oscar,” he replied, setting the box down inside my apartment.
Up close, I could see he was probably around my age—early twenties—with sharp features and an easy confidence about him. He glanced around my half-unpacked living room, taking in the mess of boxes and furniture.
“Just moved in?” he asked.
“Yeah. Trying to figure out where I want everything before I give up and let chaos take over.”
He smiled, nodding toward the box. “Well, good luck with that. I’m right across the hall if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” I said, leaning against the doorframe as he stepped back into the hallway.
“See you around,” he said with a nod before disappearing into his apartment.
And just like that, I had my first real interaction with the mysterious neighbor across the hall.
After he left, I stood in the doorway for a moment, staring at the closed door across from mine like it might open again. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. With a shrug, I kicked the box into the living room, officially declaring it a problem for Future Me.
The next few days were a blur of unpacking, assembling furniture, and discovering that Monaco in December was a lot colder than I’d prepared for. Gone were my delusions of sipping coffee on the balcony in the morning sun. Instead, I huddled inside, bundled in my coziest hoodie, and watched the world outside through the frost-slicked windows.
Oscar, true to his enigmatic vibe, was nowhere to be seen. A part of me wondered if he was some kind of ghost who only materialized to save clumsy new neighbors and then vanished into the ether. But his sporadic comings and goings proved otherwise—sometimes I’d hear the ding of the elevator late at night or the faint shuffle of footsteps in the hallway. I never caught him, though.
Until one particularly cold Saturday morning.
I was juggling a steaming mug of coffee, my phone, and a box of garbage bags as I headed for the trash chute at the end of the hall. The scene was already precarious, but things got worse when my phone buzzed with a notification. I glanced down instinctively, and that was my fatal error.
One wrong step, and my foot caught on absolutely nothing because I’m just that talented. I stumbled forward, my coffee cup slipping from my grasp in a glorious slow-motion arc.
“Oh, sh—”
A hand shot out, catching the cup mid-air.
“Impressive,” came the familiar voice.
I turned, my face hot with embarrassment, to see Oscar standing there, coffee cup in one hand and an amused smirk on his face. He was in the same casual uniform as before—hoodie, joggers, and sneakers—but this time with a beanie pulled low over his head.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I said, trying to play it cool despite the very uncool way I’d almost face planted.
“You’re welcome,” he said, handing me the cup.
“How do you keep showing up exactly when I’m about to embarrass myself?”
“Great timing, I guess,” he replied, leaning against the wall.
I could tell he was holding back a laugh, which only made me more flustered. “Do you just hang out in the hallway waiting for me to trip over thin air, or…?”
“Caught me,” he said, deadpan. “It’s my new hobby.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smiling. “Well, thanks for the save… again.”
“No problem.” He glanced down at the garbage bags I’d dropped in the chaos. “You planning to carry all that to the chute by yourself, or should I brace for round two of Disaster Neighbor?”
“Ha, ha,” I said, handing him a bag. “Since you’re offering, you might as well help.”
third pov
By the time they made it to the trash chute, Y/N had successfully recovered from her near wipeout—mostly. Oscar, on the other hand, seemed far too amused by the whole thing.
“So,” she said, trying to fill the silence as they walked back to their apartments. “Do you just live in the gym, or are you naturally good at catching falling objects and lifting heavy things?”
He shrugged. “Bit of both.”
“Not much of a talker, huh?”
He glanced at her, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “I talk when there’s something to say.”
Y/N rolled her eyes. “Mysterious and vague. Classic.”
They stopped outside her door, and for a moment, there was an awkward silence. She fiddled with the sleeve of her hoodie, suddenly hyper-aware of how close they were standing.
“Well, thanks for the help. Again.”
“Anytime,” he said, his tone casual but warm.
She opened her door, stepping inside. As she turned to close it, she caught him glancing down the hallway, like he was debating something.
“See you around?” she offered.
“Yeah,” he said, meeting her gaze. “See you around.”
The door clicked shut, and Y/N let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She leaned against the door for a moment, her mind replaying the interaction like a movie montage.
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
And for now, that was enough.
y/n’s pov
It all started with a craving and a little too much confidence.
Baking had always been my go-to for stress relief, but I tended to overestimate how much one person could realistically eat before things got weird. Case in point: the mountain of oatmeal walnut cookies currently cooling on every flat surface of my kitchen.
“Great job, Y/N,” I muttered, surveying the sugary battlefield. “Really nailed the whole moderation thing.”
The smell of warm cinnamon and toasted walnuts was amazing, but even I had limits. Unless I planned on eating cookies for every meal for the next week—which, tempting as it sounded, probably wasn’t the move—I needed a plan.
That’s when my eyes flicked toward the door across the hall.
My neighbor hadn’t been home much, but when he was, he seemed nice enough. And if anyone looked like they could put away an entire batch of cookies without breaking a sweat, it was the guy who casually caught flying coffee cups and lifted trash bags like they were empty.
Grabbing a plate, I stacked a neat pile of cookies on it, covering them with foil. I debated for a second, wondering if this was too random, but then I thought, What’s the worst that could happen? Worst case: no one’s home, and I keep the cookies. Best case: I earn brownie points—or, well, cookie points—with the mysterious dude across the hall.
Balancing the plate in one hand, I opened my door and stepped into the hallway.
third pov
Y/N hesitated in front of Oscar’s door, suddenly hyper-aware of how quiet the hallway was. For all she knew, he could’ve been halfway across the world. But before she could talk herself out of it, she raised her free hand and knocked lightly.
There was a pause, long enough for her to start retreating, but then she heard the lock turn.
The door opened to reveal Oscar, looking a little rumpled but still effortlessly put-together in a hoodie and sweats. His hair stuck up slightly, like he’d just rolled out of bed.
“Uh, hey,” Y/N started, holding up the plate like an offering. “I, um, baked too many cookies and thought… maybe you’d want some?”
For a second, Oscar just blinked at her. Then a small smile tugged at his lips, softening his usual stoic expression. “Cookies?”
“Oatmeal walnut,” she said, suddenly feeling a little ridiculous. “Unless you’re allergic to walnuts. In which case, I’m so sorry, and I’ll just—”
“I’m not allergic,” he cut in, stepping aside. “Come in.”
y/n’s pov
I followed him into his apartment, still holding onto the slightly awkward feeling of standing at someone’s door with a plate of cookies. His space was immaculate—like a showroom. Sleek black counters, stainless steel appliances, and not a single thing out of place. My own apartment, with its half-unpacked boxes and cluttered surfaces, suddenly felt like a war zone by comparison.
“Wow,” I said, glancing around. “Your place is… ridiculously clean. Do you live here or just visit?”
He smirked as he placed the plate of cookies on the counter. “I’m not here much. It’s easier to keep clean when you’re gone half the time.”
“Fair,” I said, leaning against the counter as he peeled the foil off the plate. “Meanwhile, my place looks like I’m hoarding cardboard boxes and random piles of clothes. Maybe I’ll just hire you to organize for me.”
He glanced up, an amused glint in his eye. “I’ll pass. But thanks for the offer.”
I laughed. “That was fast. I didn’t even get to bribe you with more cookies.”
“Speaking of,” he said, picking one up and turning it over in his hand like he was inspecting it for quality control, “what made you bake… this many?”
“Stress,” I admitted, crossing my arms. “Unpacking is the worst. Plus, I’m a chronic over-baker. I think I made about sixty.”
He raised an eyebrow, taking a bite. “Sixty?”
“Give or take.”
“You know there’s only one of you, right?”
“That’s why I’m here,” I said with a grin. “I figured I’d share the wealth.”
He nodded, chewing thoughtfully. After a moment, he swallowed and said, “These are good.”
“You’re not just saying that, are you? Be honest.”
“I’m serious,” he said, reaching for another. “If I didn’t like them, you’d know.”
“Good to know you don’t sugarcoat things,” I said. “No pun intended.”
“Sure it wasn’t,” he said with a small smirk.
I rolled my eyes but smiled. “You’re lucky I like honesty. Anyway, I hope you’re hungry because I’ve got a whole army’s worth of these across the hall.”
“I can tell,” he said, grabbing a second cookie. “You ever thought about selling these?”
“Selling cookies? No, not really,” I said, a little flustered by the compliment. “I mean, it’s just a hobby.”
He leaned against the counter, taking another bite. “Could be a profitable hobby.”
“Oh yeah? Think I could make it big with oatmeal walnut cookies? Maybe I’ll start a cookie empire.”
“Could be worth a shot,” he said, his tone completely serious, though I could see the hint of humor in his expression.
“Alright, well, if I go global, I’ll make sure to mention you in my TED Talk about chasing my dreams,” I said with a laugh.
“Appreciate it,” he said, deadpan.
I shook my head, still smiling. “Alright, I should get going. Don’t want to interrupt your… whatever you were doing before I showed up.”
He glanced toward his living room, where a laptop sat open on the coffee table. “Wasn’t doing much. Just catching up on some things.”
“Well, now you’ve got cookies to keep you company,” I said, pushing off the counter.
“Thanks for these,” he said, walking with me toward the door. “They’re seriously good.”
“Anytime,” I replied. “And if you ever need more… or, you know, want to start organizing my apartment, just let me know.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, opening the door for me.
I stepped into the hallway and turned back to face him. “Enjoy the cookies, Oscar.”
“Thanks, Y/N. See you around.”
As the door clicked shut behind me, I couldn’t help but smile to myself. It was such a simple interaction, but it left me feeling lighter somehow—like I was finally settling into this new life, one cookie and awkward conversation at a time.
third pov
The morning light streaming through the kitchen window felt different today, like a fresh start. Y/N stood at the counter, stirring a bowl of banana bread batter with a slight smile on her face. She had a steady rhythm, something she had found comfort in since moving to Monaco. Today, however, was different. She wasn't just baking for herself or because she had nothing else to do.
After dropping off the cookies to Oscar yesterday, she’d felt an odd rush of excitement. Oscar hadn’t said much—just thanked her and ate them right there—but there was something in the way he seemed genuinely happy that had sparked an idea in her head.
Maybe I should actually consider this...
She’d been thinking about it all night, the thought gnawing at her in the quiet moments before sleep. A job. Something more than just living off her savings while she figured out what to do with herself. The idea of working in a bakery, helping people start their day with something sweet, didn’t sound half bad. Maybe she’d make some friends along the way, too.
She paused mid-stir to glance around her kitchen. It was quiet—too quiet. Her move to Monaco had been a whirlwind, and while the city was beautiful, the loneliness had crept in unexpectedly. She had only met Oscar three times, and those encounters hadn't been enough to spark a friendship, though he had been kind enough to compliment the cookies she’d given him. But she still didn't have his number. She had no way of reaching out to him for anything beyond another casual greeting if their paths crossed again.
With a sigh, she refocused on her muffin batter. The oven was preheated and ready for the batch of banana muffins she had planned. She didn’t even need the muffins for herself—she simply needed something to do.
She scrolled through a few ads on her phone for bakeries and cafes around Monaco, her fingers flying across the screen as she filled out application after application. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the start of something new.
The smell of ripe bananas filled the room, and Y/N smiled. There was something simple and grounding about baking. She didn’t need anyone else to validate her, but a small part of her wished she had someone to share the muffins with. Maybe she would take a batch to one of the cafes she’d applied to, just to show that she could bake more than just cookies.
The timer went off, signaling that the muffins were done. She pulled them from the oven, their golden tops warm and inviting. As she arranged them on a cooling rack, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a step in the right direction.
Oscar’s casual suggestion about working at a bakery had lingered with her since yesterday. She hadn’t really considered it before, but now, with a fresh batch of muffins in hand, it felt like the right time to take action. She’d send some applications today, maybe stop by a few places, and see where it led.
Even if it was just a way to get out of the apartment, maybe it would help her feel a little less alone.
After a few hours of cleaning up and putting away the last batch of muffins, Y/N sat on her couch, scrolling through her phone. She had sent a few applications and gotten a couple of quick responses asking her to come in for interviews. The thought made her feel lighter, like she was moving in the right direction. But, as she scrolled through her messages, she found herself wondering about the cookies she'd given Oscar yesterday.
What if he didn’t even like them? she thought for a second, gnawing at her lower lip. She had never done something like that for a neighbor before. It was a little… weird. But then again, they had barely talked, and she'd barely known anyone here. He probably just thought it was some random act of kindness, nothing more.
Still, she couldn't help the little spark of excitement that lingered in her chest.
With the muffins cooling on the kitchen counter, Y/N decided to go for a walk to clear her head. She tossed on her coat, scarf, and gloves—layers that were necessary with the December chill in the air—and left her apartment. The streets of Monaco were quieter now, the city settled into the crisp stillness of a cold winter evening.
As she made her way down the narrow streets, her breath puffed out in little clouds in front of her. The air was freezing, her fingers cold against her gloves, but the walk felt necessary. It was good to get out, especially with how cooped up she had been lately. The familiar feeling of solitude wrapped around her as she passed by boutique storefronts with their windows adorned for the holidays, the twinkling lights reflecting off the damp cobblestones.
She stopped at one of the cafes, the warm, inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and pastries pulling her inside. The door closed behind her with a satisfying jingle, and the warmth hit her face immediately. She smiled, relieved to be out of the cold.
“Coffee?” the barista asked as she walked up to the counter.
Y/N nodded, pulling off her scarf. "Please. A hot cappuccino, if you’ve got it."
The barista gave her a warm smile as she prepared the drink, and soon enough, Y/N had a steaming cup in her hands. She found a small corner table by the window and sank into the chair, basking in the warmth of the café. It was a cozy little spot, the kind where time seemed to slow down.
She stared out the window as the temperature outside dropped even further, the last few people hurrying by in layers of coats and scarves. The city felt almost otherworldly, peaceful and cold, a strange mix of quiet stillness. Y/N took a sip of her cappuccino and leaned back, letting the warmth seep into her bones.
It was then that she heard the door open again, a jingle sounding through the cafe. She glanced up, her eyes scanning the new arrivals. Her gaze landed on the familiar figure—Oscar, her neighbor, walking in with his coat zipped up tight against the cold.
He spotted her right away and waved with a grin. "Hey, Y/N!" he greeted her.
Y/N smiled back, a little surprised to see him here but pleased. “Hey, Oscar. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Yeah, I just needed a quick coffee break,” he said, walking up to the counter. He ordered something quickly, then turned back toward her. “How’s your day been?”
She shrugged, feeling a little shy now that they were actually talking. “Good. Just baking and applying for some jobs,” she said, gesturing to her cup. “Needed to get out for a bit. It's freezing out there.”
Oscar nodded, his expression sympathetic. “I know what you mean. It’s cold enough to freeze your breath. I was just out getting some stuff for my place.”
The small talk felt comfortable, and Y/N found herself a little more relaxed with him standing there. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy—just a neighbor.
“Well, it’s nice to see a friendly face,” she said, smiling. “Monaco's a little lonely for me right now, to be honest.”
Oscar smiled back. “I get that. I moved here for work, and it's not always easy to adjust. You’re not alone, though. Everyone here’s pretty friendly.”
Y/N appreciated the sentiment and nodded, taking another sip of her drink. “Thanks, Oscar. It’s good to know.”
As he grabbed his coffee, Oscar gave her a wave before heading to a table by the window. Y/N returned to her thoughts, a warm feeling lingering in her chest. They hadn’t exchanged more than pleasantries, but something about the simple, easy conversation made her feel a little less isolated.
Y/N took another sip of her cappuccino, her eyes still lingering on Oscar as he settled at a table by the window. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a weirdly comfortable interaction, like one of those moments where you just feel like you clicked with someone—even if it was just casual banter about the cold.
And then, as she sat there thinking about how chill the whole thing had been, something inside her clicked.
A rush of confidence hit her like a wave. She wasn’t gonna sit here thinking about it for another second. She stood up, grabbed her cup, and made her way over to Oscar’s table like she owned the place. No hesitation. She slid into the seat in front of him without asking, crossing her arms with a mischievous grin.
“Well, well, you’re sitting so far from me. I was just telling you how lonely I was, and here you are, acting like you’re too cool to sit with me,” she said, eyebrow raised, voice teasing.
Oscar blinked in surprise for a second, clearly not expecting her to come over. But then he chuckled, clearly amused. “Wasn’t trying to be rude. Just thought I’d give you some space.”
“Oh, no space needed,” Y/N shot back, pretending to think for a second. “But if you want, I did make some banana muffins. 25 of them, actually. So, uh, you can have some later, I guess… if you’re lucky.” She leaned back, her tone playful.
Oscar’s grin spread wider, and Y/N could swear she saw his eyes light up a little at the mention of food. “Banana muffins, huh?” he said, leaning forward in his seat, the playful energy between them clear. “You’re really trying to tempt me, huh?”
Y/N smirked. “Maybe. Maybe not. I guess you’ll have to find out later.” She took another sip of her cappuccino, looking around the cozy café for a moment before her eyes landed back on him. “So, what’s your story, anyway? Besides buying coffee and sitting by windows, I mean.”
Oscar leaned back in his chair, clearly comfortable now. “Not much to tell,” he said casually. “Just trying to survive this cold. What about you, Y/N? What’s your deal?”
Y/N just shrugged, feeling more at ease with each passing second. “Oh, you know, baking muffins, trying to find a job, avoiding getting too lost in the city…” She shot him a quick look. “Honestly, though, Monaco’s a little weird, but I’m getting used to it. It’s quiet, but not the fun kind of quiet.”
Oscar nodded, his smile softening. “I get that. I felt the same when I first moved here.”
They both sat there for a few seconds, enjoying the unexpected company in a way that felt surprisingly easy for a random Tuesday afternoon.
Y/N leaned back in her chair, letting the conversation with Oscar flow naturally as they both sipped their drinks. The winter air outside had only gotten colder, but the warmth from the café made it all feel like the perfect backdrop for the two of them to talk.
“So,” Y/N began, her eyes catching his, a sudden boldness hitting her again. “Since you’re clearly not going to accept my muffin offer until later, how about we do something else next time? You know, before I leave Monaco to escape all the cold?”
Oscar raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Escape the cold, huh? Where would you even go?”
Y/N shrugged, tapping her cup with a playful grin. “Maybe I’ll find a place that has better heating. Monaco’s nice and all, but a little more sunshine wouldn’t hurt.”
“Fair point,” Oscar chuckled. He paused for a moment, then looked at her with that signature, easygoing smile. “I could show you around sometime, if you wanted. Monaco’s got some hidden gems.”
Her heart gave a little skip at his suggestion, but she played it cool. “I’d like that. But I’m not one for getting lost in tourist traps, so it better be good.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not taking you to the usual spots,” he said, leaning back slightly, amused. “I promise. You’ll actually see some of the cool stuff here.”
She smiled, feeling the conversation shifting toward something a little more personal. And then, almost as if it was the next step, Y/N caught herself hesitating, but quickly brushed it off. “Well, if we’re going to plan that, we should probably exchange numbers. You know, in case I want to text you to stop you from taking me to any tourist traps.”
Oscar reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He handed it to her without a second thought.
“Good call,” he said with a teasing grin. “Here you go.”
Y/N took the phone and entered her number, her fingers flying across the screen. She handed it back to him with a smirk. “There. Now you can’t ghost me when I ask for your ‘hidden gem’ suggestions.”
Oscar laughed, saving her number with a nod. “Not planning on ghosting. I’ll make sure you get to see all the cool spots in Monaco.”
Y/N took a sip of her drink, the buzz of the conversation still lingering between them. It felt weirdly easy, and she liked that. “Alright then. It’s a date,” she said with a wink.
“Not sure if it’s a date,” he teased, “but I’ll take it.”
Y/N couldn’t help but laugh, the connection between them feeling a little more real. “Fine, not a date,” she replied, “but when it happens, I’ll hold you to that promise.”
few months timeskip
Over the next few months, Y/N and Oscar settled into an unspoken rhythm. They didn’t see each other often, but when they did, it felt easy. Whether it was quick coffee breaks at the café or a casual text exchange about the best banana bread recipe, they managed to keep in touch.
Oscar, as expected, was always on the move. Y/N had asked him once what he did for work that kept him jet-setting around the world, but his response had been vague. Something about traveling for events and having a packed schedule. She didn’t push for more details, assuming it was some high-level corporate gig or freelance work that required constant relocation. Either way, she didn’t mind. They had their moments, and that was enough for now.
As for Y/N, she had settled into Monaco in a way that felt almost surreal. After a few weeks of relentless job hunting, she’d landed a position at one of the coziest bakeries in the city. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was exactly what she needed—a place to bake, to create, and to lose herself in the comforting scent of fresh bread and pastries.
Her days were now filled with kneading dough, piping frosting, and experimenting with new recipes. The bakery had its quirks, from the slightly eccentric owner who insisted on playing 80s pop music all day to her coworkers who ranged from quiet and reserved to downright chaotic. Somehow, it all worked. Y/N found herself laughing more, learning more, and slowly but surely, calling Monaco home.
Outside of work, Y/N was finally starting to build a life for herself. Some of her coworkers had become fast friends, dragging her out of the kitchen and into the buzzing nightlife Monaco had to offer. From late-night drinks at chic rooftop bars to dancing under neon lights at clubs tucked away in narrow streets, Y/N found herself embracing a side of life she hadn’t tapped into before.
It was one of those rare free days where Y/N could relax and enjoy the slowly warming Monaco weather. The gentle breeze carried in through the slightly cracked window, and the temperature hovered at a perfect 65 degrees—just cool enough to make the indoors cozy but warm enough to remind her that summer was around the corner.
Her kitchen counter was a controlled chaos of melted chocolate, parchment paper, and a vibrant pile of freshly washed strawberries. She’d decided on a whim to make chocolate-covered strawberries—a light, summery treat that felt perfect for the day. At first, it had been fun, methodically dipping each strawberry into the glossy chocolate and adding a drizzle of white chocolate for flair. But somewhere along the way, she’d gotten carried away.
When she stepped back and looked at her work, she let out a soft laugh. “This is... way too many strawberries,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head. She grabbed one and took a bite, the sweetness of the strawberry perfectly balancing the richness of the chocolate.
As she finished the last one, her gaze fell on a smaller bowl she’d unconsciously filled. Without thinking, she began packing it up to bring to Oscar. It had become second nature by now—whenever she baked, she always set some aside for him. But as she made her way to the door, bowl in hand, she paused.
Her mind caught up to her actions, and she froze, staring at the door. “Wait... he’s not even home,” she muttered, groaning softly. Of course, she knew Oscar was traveling. He always was. So why had she automatically prepared something for him like he’d just be next door?
She stared at the bowl, her cheeks burning as the realization hit her. “Oh my god, I miss him,” she whispered to herself, the words making her cringe as they left her lips. She set the bowl down on the counter and groaned louder, pressing her hands against her flushed cheeks.
The thought swirled in her head, undeniable now that it had surfaced. She liked him—more than as just her friendly, quiet neighbor. She liked him in a way that made her heart race and her brain short-circuit.
She groaned again and began pacing the room. “No, no, nope. I am not catching feelings for a guy I barely know,” she muttered. But even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t true. They’d been building something—small moments of connection over the past few months that had left her looking forward to every knock on the door or text message.
With a huff, she grabbed her phone and typed out a quick text:
y/n : when are you coming home??
She hit send before she could overthink it, tossing the phone onto her couch and flopping down beside it. The May breeze drifted in, carrying the scent of spring flowers, but Y/N couldn’t shake the storm of emotions swirling inside her. “This is going to be... complicated,” she muttered to herself, covering her face with her hands.
Y/N’s phone dinged, cutting through her spiraling thoughts. She sat up quickly, snatching the device from where it had landed on the couch. Her heart did a little flip as she saw Oscar’s name pop up on the screen. She unlocked it to read his response:
oscar : I’ll be back in like 2 weeks but only for a bit—what’s up? 👀
She stared at the message, a small smile tugging at her lips. Of course, he’d throw in the eyeball emoji—it was such an Oscar thing to do, always mixing casual with a bit of humor.
For a moment, she debated how to respond. She couldn’t just say, Oh, nothing, I just made too many chocolate-covered strawberries and realized I might like you—that would be mortifying. Instead, she opted for something neutral, a safe middle ground:
y/n : Oh, no reason. Just wondering! Hope it’s not too hectic for you.
As soon as she hit send, she groaned softly, leaning back against the couch. That was a lie, but what else could she say? She put her phone down and rubbed her temples, trying to ignore the sudden burst of warmth in her chest. Two weeks wasn’t that long, right?
Still, the thought lingered in her mind: she’d never been this excited for someone to come home before.
two week timeskip
Two weeks had passed in a blur, the days slipping by faster than Y/N anticipated. The Italian Grand Prix had wrapped up over the weekend, and Monaco was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming race. The city had been transforming in preparation—barricades going up, streets morphing into a circuit, and the harbor becoming a sea of luxury yachts.
Y/N hadn’t seen or heard much from Oscar since his text, but she’d been counting down the days. He’d said he’d be home this week, and while she wasn’t exactly waiting by her door, she had taken it upon herself to have some baked goodies ready. Just in case.
A tray of brownies sat cooling on her counter alongside a tin of lemon cookies, and she was busy wiping down her kitchen counters when a knock echoed through her apartment.
Her first instinct was casual curiosity—probably her neighbor asking to borrow something or the package delivery guy. Without overthinking, she grabbed a towel to dry her hands and headed to the door, opening it mid-yawn.
And there he was.
Oscar stood on the other side, casual as ever in a hoodie and jeans, his hair slightly messy, and a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His expression was warm, a soft smile playing on his lips as he raised a hand in greeting.
“Hey,” he said, his voice calm, like it hadn’t been two weeks since they last spoke.
Y/N blinked, gripping the door frame for a second. She’d spent days prepping treats for his arrival, imagining this exact moment, and now her brain decided to freeze. “You’re here?” she blurted, as though he wasn’t standing directly in front of her.
His smile widened, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. “Yeah, I figured I’d drop in unannounced. Hope that’s cool.”
She shook off her surprise, stepping aside to let him in. “Uh, yeah, obviously. Come in!”
Oscar stepped inside, glancing around her apartment like he always did, his eyes eventually landing on the counter full of baked goods. He raised an eyebrow and gestured toward it. “You bake for me, or is this just, like, an everyday thing?”
Y/N felt her cheeks heat up as she quickly shut the door. “I mean... maybe a little of both?” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “I wasn’t sure when you’d show up, so I figured better safe than sorry.”
He laughed, dropping his bag by the couch. “You’re unbelievable. You know that, right?”
“Is that a thank-you?” she teased, crossing her arms with a smirk.
Oscar plucked a cookie off the tray, taking a bite and humming dramatically. “That’s me saying you’re way too nice to me. This is amazing, by the way.”
Y/N rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips anyway. Seeing him standing there, relaxed and happy, filled her with a warmth she didn’t quite know what to do with.
Oscar finished the cookie and grabbed another without asking, leaning casually against her counter like he belonged there. “So, what’ve you been up to? Still baking up a storm every day?”
Y/N smirked, grabbing the tray of brownies and cutting them into perfect squares. “Pretty much. Got to keep the bakery stocked and the bills paid somehow. Plus, it’s Monaco—people are weirdly obsessed with pastries here. Speaking of, how was Italy? Or wherever you were this time?”
Oscar hesitated, his chewing slowing down. “Uh, yeah. Italy was... busy. Lots of... work.”
She raised an eyebrow, catching the slight awkwardness in his tone. “Work? You’re always traveling for this mystery job of yours. You must be a spy or something.”
His laugh came a little too quickly, and he avoided her gaze by grabbing a brownie. “Yeah, something like that. I’d tell you, but then I’d have to... you know.” He made a mock gun gesture with his fingers, winking playfully.
Y/N snorted. “Very convincing. Totally not suspicious at all.”
Changing the subject, Oscar gestured toward the goodies she’d prepared. “You’re going to spoil me, you know that? Showing up with treats, stocking your place with more of them... You’re setting a dangerous precedent.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Y/N teased, nudging him gently as she carried the brownies to a tin for storage. “I only bake extra when I’m bored.”
“Or when you miss me,” he added, grinning mischievously.
Her hands froze for a split second, her cheeks heating up as she quickly turned back to the brownies. “In your dreams,” she muttered, but the way her voice wavered slightly made him chuckle.
Oscar didn’t press further, instead grabbing a glass of water and perching on the armrest of her couch. “So, the monaco grand prix coming up,” he said casually.
“Yeah, the whole city’s already turning into one big construction zone,” Y/N replied, plopping down onto the couch next to him. “Feels like everyone’s losing their minds over it. What’s the big deal? Is it, like, a festival or something?”
Oscar blinked, his lips parting slightly in surprise before quickly recovering. “Uh, yeah, kind of. It’s... a big event. Happens every year.”
She nodded, leaning back into the cushions. “Well, hopefully, it’s not too crazy. Are you staying for it?”
“Yeah, I’ll be around,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “At least for a bit. But it gets hectic, so I might disappear again.”
“Classic Oscar,” Y/N said with a playful roll of her eyes.
“Hey, I’m here now, aren’t I?” he countered, nudging her with his elbow.
“You are,” she admitted, glancing over at him. Their eyes met briefly, and for a second, the air between them felt heavier, like something unspoken lingered just beneath the surface.
Before she could dwell on it, she cleared her throat and stood up. “Anyway, brownies are cooling, cookies are packed, and now you have snacks for however long you’re staying.”
Oscar smirked, leaning back and stretching his arms behind his head. “And here I thought you just liked having me around.”
Y/N grabbed a pillow from the couch and lightly tossed it at him. “Don’t push your luck.”
He caught the pillow effortlessly, laughing. “Fine, fine. But seriously, thanks. It’s nice being back. Even if it’s just for a bit.”
Her smile softened, and she nodded. “Yeah. yeah.”
The evening carried on in easy conversation, the kind of flow Y/N had come to enjoy when Oscar was around. He had a way of making the hours slip by without her even realizing it.
At some point, she found herself sitting cross-legged on the floor while Oscar took up most of the couch, recounting a chaotic story about a “work trip” that involved a delayed flight, a misplaced bag, and someone accidentally ordering 40 sandwiches. He was animated as he spoke, using hand gestures and exaggerated expressions to emphasize every twist and turn.
“So, there I was,” Oscar said, his voice growing serious, “stuck with 40 ham and cheese sandwiches at 3 a.m., wondering if this was some kind of cosmic punishment.”
Y/N burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as tears formed in her eyes. “You’re kidding. Please tell me you ate at least one.”
“Of course, I did,” he replied, grinning. “I ate five. And then I passed out on a bench because there was nowhere else to sit. Absolute rock bottom.”
Y/N shook her head, still laughing. “You live such a weird life. Sandwich catastrophes at 3 a.m. while traveling the world for your super-secret job? Must be exhausting.”
He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Yeah, it’s a lot sometimes. But I guess I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
There was something in his tone, a fleeting moment of vulnerability that made her pause. She wanted to ask more, to dig deeper, but she hesitated. She didn’t want to ruin the lighthearted mood.
Instead, she grinned and teased, “Well, if you ever need someone to help you through another sandwich crisis, you know where to find me.”
Oscar laughed, tossing a couch cushion at her. “Noted. You’re officially on my emergency sandwich team.”
The sound of their laughter filled the room, and for a while, everything felt easy and uncomplicated.
A little later, after the plates were cleared and the leftovers tucked away, Oscar stood by the door, his duffel bag back in hand.
“Thanks for letting me crash your evening,” he said, leaning casually against the doorframe.
“Crash? Please, I basically invited you the second I opened the door,” Y/N replied, smirking.
He smiled, lingering for a moment. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”
“Yeah,” she said softly, leaning against the doorframe opposite him. “Don’t forget to grab some of the cookies on your way out. And the brownies.”
Oscar raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to fatten me up or something?”
“Maybe,” she teased. “It’s part of my evil plan.”
He chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair before stepping into the hallway. “See you soon, Y/N.”
As the door clicked shut behind him, Y/N stood there for a moment, her heart fluttering in a way she wasn’t quite ready to admit.
The week passed quickly, the anticipation of the Monaco Grand Prix hanging in the air. The city was buzzing with energy, but Y/N kept herself busy at work, focusing on perfecting her recipes and keeping her mind off the person who had quickly become a constant presence in her thoughts.
But no matter how busy she kept, she couldn’t help but wonder when she’d see him again—and if things between them would ever shift into something more.
As the Monaco Grand Prix loomed closer, Y/N found herself noticing the increased buzz around the city. Banners and posters for the event were plastered on every available surface, and crowds started trickling in. Y/N had no idea what all the fuss was about, aside from the fact that everyone seemed excited.
Oscar had been texting her throughout the week, and she’d been looking forward to catching up with him again. She was in the middle of prepping a new batch of pastries when she heard a familiar knock on her door.
“Hey,” she greeted, opening the door to find Oscar standing there, looking casual in a tee and shorts, clearly just back from a training session.
“Hey yourself,” he replied, stepping inside. “How’s it going?”
“Busy as always,” Y/N said, wiping her hands on a towel. “But I’m managing. The bakery’s been crazy with all the tourists. You’d think I was selling gold instead of cookies.”
Oscar chuckled. “Yeah, Monaco gets a little nuts this time of year.” He glanced around, then looked back at her with a grin. “You know, with the Grand Prix coming up, I was thinking—you should totally come with me this weekend. I’ll be around, and I could use some company. I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen anything like it.”
Y/N raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not sure what he meant. “The Grand Prix? What is that, like, a huge concert or something?”
Oscar blinked, surprised by her response but quickly recovering. “Uh, no, not really. It’s... um, a big race.”
“A race?” Y/N echoed. “Like cars?”
“Yeah, like super-fast cars,” Oscar explained, trying not to laugh. “Formula 1 cars. It’s kind of a big deal around here.”
Y/N’s eyes widened slightly. “Wait, so this race is happening in the city?”
“Yep,” he said, nodding. “And it’s one of the biggest races of the season. You should come check it out. It’s a whole experience.”
She hesitated for a moment, trying to process the idea. “I mean, sure, why not? I could use a little break from the bakery chaos. But I’m warning you, I’ll probably get lost in the crowd or something.”
Oscar grinned, clearly pleased. “I’ve got you covered. You won’t get lost, I promise. Plus, I’ll introduce you to a few people, show you the ropes. It’ll be fun.”
Y/N smiled, feeling a little bit nervous but mostly excited. “Okay, okay. I’m in. This better be worth it though. I still don’t quite get why people are so obsessed with fast cars but... I’m trusting you on this one.”
Oscar laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it once you see it. It’s kind of... a big deal.”
Y/N chuckled along with him. “Alright, Mr. Big Deal. I’ll be there. Just try not to get too race car driver on me while I’m there, okay?”
Oscar flashed her a teasing grin. “No promises.”
grand prix weekend
As Y/N walked toward the spot where she and Oscar had agreed to meet, her eyes wandered over the bustling atmosphere of the Monaco Grand Prix. The crowds, the cameras, the fancy cars, and the buzz of excitement around every corner... it was a lot to take in. But then her gaze landed on something that made her stop in her tracks.
A massive banner stretched across the track, featuring none other than Oscar Piastri. His face was larger than life, his cool expression and trademark cap making him look effortlessly slick.
Y/N blinked twice, then rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. But there it was, Oscar in full glory, with the words "Oscar Piastri: Formula 1 Driver" plastered across the banner in bold letters. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and she felt her stomach drop.
She stared at it, mouth slightly open, her brain short-circuiting as the pieces finally clicked together. “Wait… Oscar? Formula 1? That Oscar?” She repeated the words in her head like a mantra, trying to wrap her brain around it.
Her eyes darted from the banner to the people around her, and suddenly everything clicked in a dizzying rush:
Oscar Piastri... was a famous Formula 1 driver.
That meant—wait, no—that meant she had been casually baking cookies, banana muffins, and chocolate-covered strawberries for someone who was literally famous?! She had been living next door to a real-life celebrity and hadn’t even known it?? And… she was actually crushing on him?
Her mind was doing a full-on loop-de-loop. How had she missed this? How did she not realize that this guy who always wore cool clothes, who was constantly traveling, who had fans… was the same person she’d been baking for like it was no big deal? Was this… was this a dream?
She started internally panicking. What do I do now? She had been baking for a guy who was in the public eye—what did that even mean for them? Did she just like someone who everyone else liked too? Is that even a thing? Was she seriously living next door to someone who raced for real in Formula 1?! She was losing it.
At that moment, she felt like she might spontaneously combust from the sheer ridiculousness of it all. Her stomach flipped, and she had to press a hand to her forehead, trying to keep it together. “Oh my god, Y/N. Get it together,” she whispered under her breath.
Just as she was trying to regain her composure, she spotted Oscar coming into view, looking effortlessly cool as usual, his sunglasses perched atop his head as he walked toward her. His face broke into a grin when he saw her.
“Hey, you okay?” Oscar asked, noticing the slightly shell-shocked look on her face. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
Y/N blinked a few times, forcing herself to smile, but her mind was still reeling. She barely managed to get out a normal response. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, her voice a little too high-pitched for her own liking. “Just… uh, just saw something… interesting.”
Oscar raised an eyebrow, looking at her with mild curiosity. “Interesting? What did you see?”
Y/N panicked for a second. She couldn’t tell him she just discovered he was basically famous and was now spiraling over it, right? She gave herself a quick mental shake. “Uh, yeah, just, uh, a banner,” she said, gesturing vaguely toward the giant image of him from earlier. “And, um… I just realized that… I, uh, live next to someone famous. Which is, like… wild.”
Oscar blinked, clearly not expecting that response. “Ohhh, yeah, that’s a thing. I mean, you’ve been living next to a race car driver. That’s gotta be weird, huh?”
Weird didn’t even begin to cover it, but Y/N just laughed, even though it sounded a little forced. “I guess? It’s just... a lot to process. You really are famous, huh?”
Oscar chuckled at her expression, clearly amused. “You could’ve asked, you know. But yeah, I guess I am,” he said casually, as if being on giant banners was just part of his daily routine.
Y/N groaned, feeling a rush of heat on her cheeks. “I feel like such an idiot,” she muttered, half to herself.
Oscar laughed, clearly oblivious to the full extent of her internal freakout. “Nah, you’re good. I’m just glad you’re here. Let’s enjoy this whole thing together.”
But Y/N could barely focus on anything except the fact that she had been baking for someone famous. This was too much.
As they continued toward the track, Y/N’s thoughts swirled in a thousand directions. She liked him, but now she had to figure out how to deal with the fact that she liked someone who was literally in the spotlight. Was it even okay to have a crush on someone who had so many eyes on him? She didn’t even know what to do with that knowledge yet.
And as they entered the paddock, Y/N had a feeling this weekend was going to be a lot more intense than she ever expected.
Y/N had barely been able to wrap her head around the fact that she was actually sitting in the heart of the action—inside Oscar’s team’s box in the garage, watching the practice and qualifying sessions unfold in front of her eyes.
Oscar had been in and out, prepping for his runs, chatting with the team, and making sure everything was in top condition. He had that natural, focused energy about him, and it was hard to look at him without being amazed by how effortlessly cool he was under pressure.
Y/N, on the other hand, was absolutely blown away by everything. The speed of the cars, the noise, the sheer intensity of it all—it was like nothing she had ever experienced. The walls of the garage were lined with equipment, the hum of activity filled the air, and people were buzzing about with headsets and clipboards, all focused on their roles. But even with all the chaos, Y/N's attention kept drifting back to Oscar.
“Don’t worry, I won’t crash,” he joked, noticing the look on her face as he grabbed his helmet and prepared to head out.
Y/N managed a nervous laugh, trying to calm the fluttering feeling in her chest. “You better not,” she teased, though she was pretty sure it was more for her own peace of mind than anything else.
Oscar shot her a grin before heading out to the car, and Y/N couldn’t help but watch with wide eyes as he slipped into the cockpit. The cars revved to life, the unmistakable sound of the engines vibrating through the garage. Oscar’s car was a blur as he took off down the track for his first practice lap.
She couldn’t help but feel a weird mix of awe and pride. That’s Oscar, she thought, barely able to keep her jaw from dropping. He was out there on the track, racing like it was second nature. The guy who had been chilling in her kitchen, eating cookies, was now doing something so epic, it didn’t even seem real.
As Oscar tore through the circuit, Y/N’s eyes stayed glued to the monitors in the box. His lap times popped up in front of her, and she felt a nervous, excited energy pulse through her. She didn’t know much about Formula 1, but she could feel the intensity of it all.
“Look at him go,” she muttered to herself, completely captivated by the raw speed and precision. It was like watching someone glide on air—only way faster, and way more intense.
The minutes flew by, and soon enough, Oscar’s car zipped back into the pits, and he jumped out, helmet off, a grin on his face. Y/N couldn’t help but smile back, her heart racing in sync with the adrenaline of the day.
“You’re amazing,” she said as he walked over, still catching his breath from the run.
Oscar gave a modest shrug, though the grin never left his face. “It’s all in the details,” he said with a wink. “But, yeah, it feels pretty good.”
Y/N shook her head, still processing how cool the whole thing was. “You’re insane,” she laughed, feeling a mix of admiration and a bit of disbelief at the whole experience.
Oscar leaned against the garage wall, looking at her. “You’ve got the best seat in the house, you know?”
She smiled, feeling her chest tighten at the compliment. “Yeah, I can’t believe I’m actually here. It’s… it’s all a bit much, honestly.”
Oscar chuckled. “Well, get used to it. You’ll be seeing a lot more of this.”
Y/N just nodded, still wide-eyed. There was so much she was still processing—how she’d gone from living next to a normal guy to sitting in a garage at the Monaco Grand Prix watching him race. It was wild. And somehow, incredibly thrilling.
Then, without any warning, Oscar took a small step closer to her. The next thing Y/N knew, his hand was on her cheek, pulling her into a kiss that was both unexpected and electric.
She froze for a split second, her eyes wide in shock. Her heart pounded in her ears. It was quick, but it was enough to send a wave of dizziness through her. The kiss was soft, lingering just a moment longer than she could’ve imagined, before Oscar pulled back with a mischievous smile.
Y/N stood there, stunned. Her heart was racing, and her mind was reeling. The cameras around the garage had caught the whole thing, and within seconds, a replay flashed across the monitors, broadcasting the moment live for all to see.
Oscar’s grin widened, clearly aware of the reaction. “Guess I’m full of surprises,” he teased, his voice low, his eyes never leaving hers.
Y/N blinked, still processing what just happened. Her cheeks were burning. “What the—”
But before Y/N could say anything else, Oscar's grin grew wider as he looked up at the screen. "Well, that's gonna be on TV now, huh?"
Y/N's eyes snapped to the monitors, and her stomach dropped. The kiss, clear as day, was playing across the screens for everyone to see. Her face turned beet red.
"Seriously?" Y/N muttered, still trying to process it. "That just... happened. On TV. Wow."
Oscar chuckled, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Well, that’s out there now. You good with that?”
Before Y/N could answer, she leaned in, surprising him with a kiss. It was quick but full of impulse, a way to make things feel less chaotic and more... real. When she pulled away, she didn’t flinch or apologize—she just gave him a small grin.
Oscar blinked in surprise for a moment, his lips curling into a grin. “Guess you weren’t planning on waiting, huh?”
Y/N shrugged casually, unfazed. “Guess not.”
Oscar let out a low laugh, his eyes never leaving hers. “No going back now.”
Y/N shook her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Guess not."
⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆
taglist : @heluvsjappie @awritingtree @steamy-smokey @alex-wotton @ssarqhxo @rainy-darling @mymilkshakefun @hs2016 @linnygirl09 @akulici
#f1 x reader#f1 fanfic#f1 imagine#formula 1 x reader#f1 x y/n#formula 1 fanfic#f1 fic#f1 fluff#formula 1 x you#formula 1 imagine#formula 1 x y/n#oscar piastri x reader#oscar piastri x you#jzprncess#op81 x reader#op81 x you#op81 x y/n
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🔮 The Fool’s Journey (Into Trouble)🔮



Lilia Calderu x fem!reader
tags: Older Woman/Younger Woman, Slow Burn, Alternative Universe, No Magic AU, Age Gap, Oblivious Lilia Calderu, Yearning, Fluff
summary: I was just looking for a job, not an existential crisis—or a crush on my eccentric, older boss who calls me ‘baby’ like it’s nothing. Now I’m working at her tarot shop, falling harder by the day, and she has no idea I’m flirting. Desperate, I turn to my chaotic friends for help. What could possibly go wrong?
wc: 3.5k (Chapter 1/?)
a/n: this is like the first time posting in forever and I’m kinda scared, but Lilia&aaa really got me writing again. I’m so gay. No magic, just chaotic friends. Also, I aged Billy up because I can’t write kids.
also on ao3
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I’d been looking for a job for what felt like forever. The kind of soul-sucking search that made me wonder if I was doomed to an eternity of scrolling through online postings, drowning in rejection emails, and contemplating whether selling my soul to a demon might be a viable career option. But then, one rainy afternoon, tucked away in the classified section of an old newspaper, an actual newspaper, for God’s sake I found it.
"Seeking shop assistant. Must be comfortable with the mystical and the eccentric. Call: 555-3827."
Did people even put ads in newspapers anymore? And who still had a landline in this century? Curiosity got the better of me, and before I knew it, I was dialing the number, half-expecting it to connect me to a dusty relic of a shop run by someone who spoke only in riddles.
Instead, a smooth, lightly accented voice answered. “Yes, hello?”
And that was the first time I heard Lilia Calderu.
The shop smelled like old books and incense, and the air had that thick, mystical quality that made you feel like you’d stepped into another world. The walls were lined with shelves stacked haphazardly with tarot decks, worn-out copies of books, and shelves of delicate crystal spheres that seemed to hum with some unseen energy.
And then I saw her .
Lilia Calderu stood behind the counter like she’d stepped right out of an old eccentric novel. Her dark curly hair, streaked with grey, was pinned up in a loose bun, with wild tendrils escaping to frame her sharp face. Those deep brown eyes, sharp as a blade, met mine with an amused glint. She had the air of someone who had seen it all and was quietly entertained by it.
“You must be y/n.” She smiled, and something in my chest tightened. “I must say, I wasn’t sure anyone read the paper anymore. Yet, here you are.”
I nodded, feeling far too awkward in her presence. “Yeah. Thought it was a joke at first, honestly.”
She laughed softly, an elegant sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Many people do, but this shop has its ways of finding the right people.” She extended her hand. “Welcome to your new obsession.”
And boy, was she right.
Lilia mostly handled the tarot readings, slipping into that almost trance-like focus as she read fortunes with an effortless grace that made me want to sit there and watch her forever. My job was…well, everything else. Cleaning, organising, taking inventory, manning the register when she was busy. The shop wasn’t exactly bustling, but it had its steady flow of customers mostly the kind who came in with wide eyes and a quiet reverence, seeking answers in the cards.
Lilia and I quickly fell into a rhythm. We’d talk about everything and nothing in between customers, and though she had a dry wit and a quiet confidence, there was a warmth to her that made me feel at ease.
Unfortunately, I also had an embarrassing, all-consuming crush on her.
And Lilia, bless her oblivious heart, did not pick up on my subtle flirting. At all.
I’d linger a little longer when we brushed past each other. I’d compliment her hair, her outfit, the way she shuffled cards like it was second nature. I even tried playful teasing, asking if she’d ever read my cards and tell me if I had a shot with someone older and devastatingly charming.
Nothing. Just a soft smile and a gentle, “Ah, love is such a mysterious thing, isn’t it?”
I should’ve given up.
But instead, I called in reinforcements.
Agatha, Jen, Billy, and Alice had been hearing about Lilia this and Lilia that for weeks. It had gotten so bad that the last time I brought her up over drinks, Agatha groaned and banged her forehead against the table. “y/n, I swear to all the gods, if you don’t make a move, I will.”
Jen sipped her wine, nodding. “I feel like I know this woman better than my own mother at this point.”
Billy leaned in, far too intrigued. “She’s hot, though, right?”
“Billy. ”
“What? I’m just asking.”
Alice, ever the voice of reason, gave me a sympathetic smile. “Alright, we need a plan. Operation ‘Get y/n Laid’ is a go.”
I choked on my drink, while Jen rolled her eyes. “Or, you know, date. ”
Agatha smirked. “I vote chaos.”
And so, it began.
The plan was simple.
Step one: The coven (as my friends liked to call themselves, despite having zero magical abilities) would ‘accidentally’ drop by the shop to scope out Lilia. Subtlety was not their strong suit, but I’d given them a strict list of rules— no embarrassing me, no obvious flirting on my behalf, and under no circumstances could Agatha challenge her to a tarot reading battle.
Step two: Once they confirmed Lilia was, in fact, into women (something I was still trying to figure out without outright asking), they’d casually encourage me to ask her out.
Step three: Success. Or mortifying failure.
I should’ve known better.
The day of the plan, they arrived with the grace of a train wreck. The bell above the shop door chimed, and in they strolled. Agatha with her signature overconfidence, Jen trying to look composed, and Billy and Alice whispering conspiratorially behind them.
Lilia, who had been arranging a set of tarot decks, looked up with mild interest. “New customers?” she mused.
I winced. “Uh, yeah. Friends.”
Agatha stepped forward, extending a hand with a grin that was far too wolfish for my liking. “Agatha. Nice shop you have here.”
Lilia took her hand with that calm, effortless grace. “Thank you. I do my best.” She glanced over at me with a raised brow. “I see y/n has been spreading the word.”
Alice beamed. “Oh, you have no idea.”
Kill me.
Lilia was polite but wary, and I could tell she picked up on something , whether it was the fact that they were clearly vetting her or just the general chaos my friends brought with them. But she handled it like she handled everything else: with quiet amusement and a touch of suspicion.
I could also see the way she lingered on me when she thought I wasn’t looking, the way she’d glance over when Agatha not-so-subtly hinted at my interest in “older, experienced women.”
And when Billy, in all his chaotic energy, ‘accidentally’ knocked over a shelf, Lilia just sighed and gave me a look that said, this is your problem now.
God, I was so gone for her.
I didn’t know if the plan was working, but when I caught Lilia watching me across the shop, her expression softer, more contemplative than usual, I had a feeling things were shifting.
I just had to make sure I didn’t screw it up.
The coven’s “casual” visit stretched far longer than I’d anticipated, and Lilia, ever the picture of grace and patience entertained their probing questions with a wry amusement that had me both sweating and swooning.
“So,” Agatha drawled, leaning casually on the counter, “how long have you been in town? A woman like you must have quite the stories.”
Lilia smiled knowingly, her dark eyes glinting. “Oh, I’ve been here longer than most would guess. The shop’s been in my family for generations, though I suppose I’ve... modernised it in my own way.”
Jen, ever the detective, sipped her overpriced coffee and murmured, “Modernised? You still have a landline.”
Lilia shot her a look that could cut glass. “It has a certain charm.”
I stifled a laugh behind my hand.
Billy, who’d been poking around the shelves, suddenly perked up. “So, Lilia, do you do, like, love spells?”
I nearly choked on air.
Lilia tilted her head, tapping a perfectly manicured finger on the counter. “Love spells are tricky,” she mused, her voice low and velvety. “You can’t make someone fall in love, you know. Only... reveal what’s already there.”
My face burned so hot I thought I might spontaneously combust. Agatha shot me a smug grin, and I swore I’d kill her later.
Lilia, however, seemed unbothered. If anything, she was watching me with a knowing glint, as if she’d caught the edge of something in my expression.
“Love is a delicate thing,” she continued, her gaze still on me. “It’s best handled with care.”
Jen snorted. “Tell that to y/n.”
I groaned. “Alright, you guys have had your fun. Let’s not traumatise my boss any further.”
Lilia’s lips quirked up. “Oh, y/n, it takes much more than this to rattle me.”
And with that, my brain short-circuited.
Once I’d finally wrangled my friends out the door—after no less than three separate goodbyes and a thinly veiled attempt by Agatha to invite Lilia to a “casual” group outing—I collapsed against the counter with a groan.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled into my hands. “They’re... a lot.”
Lilia chuckled softly, arranging a set of tarot cards in a neat pile. “They’re delightful.” She paused, her voice quieter. “They care about you.”
I peeked up at her through my fingers. “They do. Sometimes too much.”
She gave me that soft, unreadable smile that made my stomach twist in knots. “That’s never a bad thing.”
There was a moment of silence, comfortable yet charged. I watched her work, her fingers deft and graceful, and I couldn’t help but imagine what they’d feel like trailing over my skin.
Which, of course, led to me blurting out the world’s most humiliating sentence.
“So, uh... are you single?”
Lilia’s hands stilled. She looked up at me, one perfectly arched brow lifting.
Oh. Oh no.
I swallowed thickly. “I—I mean, just curious. You know, for... um... business reasons?”
She stared at me for a long beat before a slow, knowing smile spread across her face. “Business reasons?”
I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. “I’ll shut up now.”
To my absolute horror, she looked amused . “No, I don’t mind the question,” she said, voice smooth and far too indulgent. “Yes, y/n, I am single.”
My brain froze. “Oh. Cool.”
I was going to die. Right here. In this shop.
Lilia leaned on the counter, eyes twinkling with mischief. “And you?”
Me? Functioning? Unlikely.
“Uh, yeah,” I stammered. “Very single. Like... aggressively single.”
She laughed, a low, rich sound that made my knees weak. “Aggressively?”
I groaned. “I have a lot of free time.”
She gave me a long, thoughtful look, and for the first time, I saw something flicker in her expression, curiosity? Interest? God, I hoped so.
“Well,” she said finally, “perhaps we should do something about that.”
I blinked. “Do something?”
Lilia just smiled. “You’ll see, baby.”
I was definitely going to die.
I called Agatha that night in full-blown panic.
“She called me baby, Agatha. She called me baby. ”
On the other end of the line, Agatha groaned. “And you didn’t throw yourself at her feet?”
“I panicked!” I hissed. “I just stood there like an idiot and nodded!”
Jen’s voice chimed in. “Classic y/n.”
Billy snorted. “You need to make a move before someone else does.”
Alice, ever the gentle voice of reason, hummed. “Maybe she’s interested in you, y/n. She wouldn’t call you ‘baby’ if she wasn’t, right?”
“I don’t know,” I whined. “She’s so cool, and she’s older, and I feel like a dumb kid around her.”
Agatha clicked her tongue. “You’re not a dumb kid. You’re a hot, chaotic disaster, and that’s charming. Now, listen, next time you see her, flirt intentionally. Make it obvious.”
“Oh yeah, because that’s gone so well before.”
“No more subtlety,” Agatha said firmly. “You need to show her you’re serious. Flirt, y/n. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“She could laugh in my face?”
“She won’t,” Alice assured me. “She hired you, didn’t she? That means she likes you.”
I sighed, flopping onto my bed.
The next morning, I walked into the shop, determined. Lilia glanced up from where she was rearranging the display, her smile soft.
"Good morning, y/n."
I swallowed hard, shoving down the nervous energy bubbling in my chest. "Morning, Lilia."
She tilted her head, observing me for a moment. "You look... focused today. A special occasion?"
"Oh, uh... just trying to be more productive," I said quickly, forcing a smile and internally cursing myself. I had one job: flirt. Be charming. Sweep her off her feet. Instead, I was standing there like a starstruck teenager.
Lilia gave me an amused glance, completely unaware of the internal screaming happening inside my head. "Well, productivity is always admirable," she said, turning back to her tarot deck. "Let me know if you need something to do, baby."
Baby. There it was again.
I nearly tripped over my own feet on the way to the back room.
Later that evening, I flopped onto Agatha's couch with a dramatic groan. "It's hopeless."
Billy, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a bowl of popcorn, rolled his eyes. "You're hopeless. There's a difference."
Alice patted my knee reassuringly. "Tell us what happened this time."
I sat up, rubbing my hands over my face. "She called me baby again."
Jen raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"And?" I repeated incredulously. "I blacked out! Just stood there like a moron and stammered something about productivity!"
Agatha groaned, sipping her wine. "You are acting like the least seductive person I have ever met, and I have literally watched you seduce people before. What happened to that y/n?"
I threw my hands in the air. "That y/n wasn't crushing on someone three times my age who also happens to be the most sophisticated, intimidating woman I've ever met!"
Billy snickered. "You're acting like she's some kind of ancient vampire."
I glared. "She might be, okay? I don't know her life."
Jen smirked. "You could get to know it. Y'know, if you asked her out."
"That's not how this works!" I groaned, leaning back against the couch. "I need subtlety. "
Agatha rolled her eyes so hard I was worried they'd get stuck. "y/n. Sweetheart. You've been subtle for weeks, and she hasn't picked up on a damn thing."
"She has to know," I insisted. "She’s too smart not to have figured it out."
Alice smiled kindly. "Or maybe she’s just... not looking for it? You said she’s wary of the age gap, right?"
I sighed. "Yeah. I get the feeling she’s aware of it, but she doesn’t say anything. It’s just little things, like, if I compliment her, she brushes it off like I’m just being nice. She never takes it seriously."
Jen hummed thoughtfully. "Sounds like she's putting up a little barrier. Maybe she's worried it's inappropriate?"
Agatha smirked. "So we need to show her it's very appropriate."
Billy nodded eagerly. "Okay, Get y/n Laid 101 is officially back in session."
"Can we call it something else?" I muttered.
"No," Agatha said flatly. "This is what we're calling it." She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming. "Here's the new plan. We need to escalate. No more lingering looks and awkward compliments. We go big. We're talking bold flirting, unmistakable signals. She won't be able to ignore it."
I groaned. "Agatha, I don't do bold. I trip over air when she looks at me for too long."
Jen smirked. "Then it's time to fake it till you make it."
Billy grinned. "You know what would help? A little jealousy."
I groaned again. "No."
"Yes," Agatha said, pointing at Billy. "Yes. We make her jealous."
"Guys, this isn't a teen drama," I whined. "What am I supposed to do? Flirt with some random customer in front of her?"
Agatha snapped her fingers. "Exactly!"
Alice frowned. "That seems a little childish."
Jen shrugged. "It could work."
I buried my face in my hands. "You’re all terrible."
Billy patted my arm. "We're terrible, but we're effective."
The next day at the shop, I was feeling good. Confident, even. The plan was simple, escalate my flirting game, but not with Lilia just yet. No, I needed to show her what she was missing. And I was good at flirting. Really good. Just… not with her. Lilia was an enigma, a walking temptation wrapped in decades of experience and elegance, and I turned into an absolute idiot in her presence.
But with other women? That was easy.
The bell above the door chimed, and I looked up to see a gorgeous customer stepping in, tall, blonde, and effortlessly stylish. She glanced around the shop with interest, her gaze landing on me, and I caught the faintest flicker of a smile. I could work with that.
I straightened my posture, strolling over with a relaxed smile. “Welcome in,” I said smoothly, letting my voice drop just enough to be inviting. “Looking for anything in particular? Or just... browsing?”
She smiled, intrigued. “A little of both, I think.”
“Oh, mystery.” I leaned lightly on the counter, letting my fingers trace the edge of a crystal display. “I like that. Means you might need a guide.”
She laughed softly, tilting her head in a way that told me she was enjoying this. “And I suppose you’re volunteering?”
I grinned. “I’m more than qualified.”
We slipped into an easy banter, her eyes bright with interest as I smoothly navigated between flirtation and shop talk. She leaned in a little closer, and I let my gaze linger, deliberate and playful.
And then I felt it.
That unmistakable presence.
I glanced up and yep. Lilia was watching from across the room, her dark eyes focused, her expression unreadable. She was leaning against the shelf, book in hand, but I could tell she hadn’t turned a page in a while.
I ignored the way my pulse jumped and turned my attention back to the blonde, offering her a charming smile. “So,” I said, handing her a small charm, “this one’s for luck. Not that you look like you need it.”
She laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re good at this.”
“I try.”
Lilia’s voice cut through the moment like a blade, smooth, unhurried, but somehow commanding all the same. “y/n.”
I turned, heart skipping a beat. “Yeah?”
She strolled over, eyes flicking between me and the blonde. “Everything alright here?”
The blonde woman, oblivious, smiled. “Just getting some expert advice.”
Lilia hummed, arching a brow at me. “I see.” There was nothing in her tone that hinted at jealousy, but something lingered beneath it, something sharp and assessing. “Why don’t you help me with something in the back when you’re done?”
It wasn’t a request.
I swallowed. “Sure, just a sec.”
The blonde handed me the charm with a wink. “I think I’ll take this. Lucky, right?”
I rang her up, feeling Lilia’s presence like a shadow at my back the entire time. When the customer finally left with a lingering glance over her shoulder, I turned to Lilia with what I hoped was a nonchalant smile. “What’s up?”
She studied me for a moment, then gestured toward the back room. “Come on.”
I followed her, nerves prickling under my skin. Was she... mad? Intrigued? God, I couldn’t tell. She closed the door behind us and crossed her arms, regarding me with that maddeningly unreadable expression.
“Flirting with customers now?” she asked, tone light but with an edge I couldn’t quite place.
I shrugged, leaning against the wall. “It’s good for business.”
Lilia’s lips twitched, but she didn’t quite smile. “Mm. I suppose it is.”
Silence stretched between us, heavy with something unsaid. She tilted her head, studying me like she was piecing together a puzzle. And then, just as quickly as she’d pulled me aside, she turned back toward the shelf, and pointed at the boxes to unpack, business as usual. “Well,” she said, voice as smooth as ever, “let’s try to keep things professional, baby.”
And there it was again. Baby. The way she said it effortless, affectionate, and utterly devastating.
I cleared my throat. “Got it. Professional.”
But as I left the back room, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Lilia wasn’t quite as unaffected as she seemed.
That night, I sat at Agatha’s with my head in my hands. “She pulled me into the back room.”
Jen perked up. “Wait, what? ”
Billy nearly dropped his drink. “Define ‘pulled into the back room.’”
“Not like that,” I groaned. “She just... I don’t know, it felt like she was calling me out for flirting, but it wasn’t clear if she was mad or—”
“Jealous,” Agatha supplied smugly. “She was jealous. ”
Alice, ever the voice of reason, frowned. “Or she thought you were being unprofessional.”
Agatha waved a hand. “Unprofessional, please. y/n’s been working there for weeks with no complaints. She definitely noticed.”
Billy grinned. “What did she say exactly?”
I sighed. “She told me to keep things professional. Baby. ”
Jen’s eyes widened. “She called you baby again? ”
I nodded miserably. “I’m losing my mind.”
Agatha leaned in with a smirk. “Then we escalate. She’s watching now.”
I groaned, burying my face in a pillow. “Why is this so hard?”
“Because you actually like her,” Alice said gently. “And that makes everything ten times scarier.”
I peeked out from the pillow. “So what do I do?”
Agatha smirked. “You keep flirting, y/n. But this time, aim it at the right woman.”
#lilia calderu x reader#lilia calderu#patti lupone#agatha all along#agatha all along fanfic#my fanfic
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Non-Disclosure Agreement! — M. Kaiser

Michael Kaiser slept with you once and now won’t leave you alone?!
Last Chapter! — Next Chapter!
CHAPTER TWO - NOT ALLOWED!
cw: very clearly toxic, private relationship, friends with benefits but not really friends, Kaiser, suggestive in a few places, language, talks about drinking, Sae Itoshi
Michael Kaiser x reader!
mdni!
word count: 1.6k
You had never found football any less interesting than you did in that moment. Michael Kaiser had gotten you a seat in the stupid fucking VIP box for a reason that only God knew. He was deranged, you were convinced of it. There was no explanation for anything the man did. You still had no idea why he said or did the things he did. You still had no idea why he had those stupid tattoos. You couldn’t even figure out why out of all of his hookups, you were the one he called back. Maybe it was because of your idiotic mistake of giving him your number. No, that couldn’t have been it. His fans were even crazier than he was, surely they had done way more than you had to get his attention.
The game was 1-2. Germany was winning. It was about twenty minutes into the second half and so far the most interesting thing that had happened so far was learning that the “one Japanese one” was actually Sae Itoshi. You had heard of him frequently over the past few years. You had even seen a few of his matches. He was a good player. He definitely seemed just like Kaiser: good on the field, terrible to deal with in person. He was probably calmer than Kaiser, at least. That was probably why Kaiser didn’t seem to like him all that much.
Why did Kaiser think you would like him? Did he even know enough about you to make that call?
Michael Kaiser kept looking up into the stands like a total idiot. He was just as collected as normal. He was playing just as well as normal. Any time you were around, though, Kaiser acted just a bit different than usual. It was difficult to place how. He probably didn’t even know the answer himself. There was always just a small shift in his demeanor when he knew you were watching. You were probably the only person who had noticed.
As the game finished and Germany finally won, you couldn’t help but scold yourself for agreeing to this. You had classes the next day. You had a paper to write. Your casual hookup was not more important than your degree. Maybe you were even dumber sober.
Just when you were standing up to leave, you got a text from ”Satan’s Favorite Child” telling you to meet him outside of the locker room. Normally you wouldn’t have been allowed anywhere near the core of the stadium, but he had gotten you “special permission”, whatever the hell that meant. After much wandering and many wrong turns, you somehow managed to make it to the locker rooms. You refused to step foot inside, not willing to risk getting flashed by any more footballers. Kaiser stepped out after just a few moments, still wearing his kit, still sweaty, and still smelling disgusting.
“I’m a bit surprised that you came, Liebling,” he smirked down at you, his brow cocked in amusement.
You scoffed. “Yeah, it’s really rare for me to come, isn’t it?”
He quirked his brow even further at that. “Any opening you see, huh?”
“If you give me a chance, I’m gonna make a sex joke. I’m only human,” you shrugged casually.
The locker room door opened again and Alexis Ness stepped through it. His eyes met Kaiser’s first, then darted over to you. He blinked, trying to register your presence, and then smiled. “Ah, you’re here! Kaiser was really worried that you wouldn’t come.”
Kaiser froze and turned to scowl at him. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Jesus Christ, you two have a really weird relationship…” you muttered, wincing. “Um… hello to you to, Alexis. You’re a lot less unnerving when I’m sober.”
His mouth turned into an “O” shape and he nodded enthusiastically with raised brows.
“Ness, go shower,” Kaiser commanded, not even looking at Ness as he spoke.
“Right, of course. I’ll leave you two alone,” Ness gave you a small wave and stepped back into the locker room.
Kaiser’s eyes never once left you throughout the entire interaction. You couldn’t tell if he was zoned out thinking or if he was trying to analyze you somehow. He finally spoke again when Ness closed the door and was officially gone from sight. “You saw Sae, right?”
“Yeah?” you raised a brow questioningly. Was he stupid or something? If you were watching the game, obviously you were going to see all of the players.
“I’m better than him, right?”
Oh. So that was what it was. You weren’t there because he finally started to care, or because he felt bad for treating you like you weren’t a person. You were there because he needed an opinion. Like any other woman trying to not to punch a man, you responded with pure sarcasm. “Aww, you’re such a pretty princess.”
“Mhm, thanks,” he scoffed.
“No problem, princess.”
“You should go talk to him,” he nodded all of a sudden. Noticing the confusion on your face, he clarified, “Sae.”
Oh dear God. You were not in the mood for this today. “Why?”
“Because you’d get along with him.”
“You gonna get jealous if I do?”
“Of course not,” he scoffed crossing his arms. He still didn’t look away from you once.
“I don’t believe you.” If you had learned anything about Michael Kaiser over the past few months, it was that you should never believe a word he said. Everything that left his mouth was just a narcissistic coverup for how sad his life truly was.
He huffed out a laugh. “You should. I’m fairly trustworthy, I think.”
“You thought wrong, then.”
“You wound me,” he feigned offense, unable to keep up the act for very long before the corner of his lips quirked up into a smirk.
“I’m sure I do,” you mirrored his expression, only causing his smirk to grow.
His demeanor relaxed just a bit. That was how you knew you were reaching the part of the conversation where he attempted to seem interested in your life. “Are your classes going well?”
You nodded. “Yes, actually. I’m about fourteen pages behind on a paper now because you dragged me to this game.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Yeah, I have a lot I need to catch up on.” You were praying that he would take that as a sign to let you leave, but like usual, Kaiser didn’t understand social cues.
“I’m sure.”
You groaned, finally turning around and beginning to step away. “Okay, I’m leaving.”
He laughed, grabbing your arm and pulling you back towards him. “Um, no, you’re not.”
“Oh my God,” you whined, pouting up at him dramatically. “What more do you want from me?”
“Bar and then my house possibly?”
Yeah, you should have never shown up there. All of your decisions were stupid, it was official. You did not have enough self-control to talk to him. Any time he mentioned taking you to his house, you wanted to scream. He wouldn’t be half as attractive as he was if he didn’t have that voice. But of course, devils are the most blessed out of everyone, and you have to suffer the consequences. Maybe later you could yell at your uterus to shut up for five seconds.
“Are you offering to get me drunk because you know that’s the only time I can stand to see your face?”
“Oh, absolutely,” he nodded, grinning.
“Ugh, fine. Sure,” you conceded. One of the worst of your bad decisions, admittedly. “Let me piss really quick and then you can drag me out of here by my hair.”
“Very unnecessary details, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
You stumbled around the facilities, trying to find any kind of escape route that you could. If you found a way out without any help, then you could run from your poor critical thinking skills. You don’t manage to, of course. You end up down some long hallway instead, and find the locker rooms for the visiting team. Groaning at your failure to flee a crime scene, you turned around to figure out a way back to Kaiser. You weren’t looking as you turned, and ended up running straight into a very muscular chest.
Sae Itoshi.
Was your life turning into an 80’s sitcom? Was God laughing at you? Are devils entertainment to angels?
Sae gave you a nod of acknowledgment, then immediately turned to walk away. What the fuck? Maybe he was actually worse than Kaiser and that was why he apparently hated him so much. Nah. No one could be worse than that son of a bitch.
“Oh, hey, you’re Sae Itoshi, right?” you said in an attempt to make conversation. Maybe if you wasted enough time, Kaiser would get bored and walk away.
“Yeah?”
Oh, God, he was already boring you to death.
“That’s… cool. Michael Kaiser’s mentioned you a few times,” you nodded, giving a small, incredibly uncomfortable smile.
He responded with the same deadpan
expression. “You know Kaiser?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m… friends with him.” It was definitely a lie, sure, but it was a lot more comfortable to say than admit to a stranger that you occasionally fucked him.
“You don’t work here?”
“No…?”
By then, your brain was screaming at you to leave. This was a bad idea. You should just go get blackout drunk with Kaiser and submit an essay late in the morning.
“How did you get in, then?”
Very good question. You weren’t sure yourself. “Kaiser got access for me so we could talk after the game.”
“Interesting friendship,” he quirked a brow slightly. “How did you meet?”
That was an even better question.
@graciescott27
#smut#fanfiction#blue lock#angst#writing#drabble#blue lock boys#Michael kaiser#michael kaiser smut#x reader#michael kaiser x reader#alexis ness#sae itoshi#itoshi sae#crashout
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Boring | Min Yoongi

Summary: For almost a year, you've worked for Min Yoongi's company. He gave off the impression of a cold businessman. No one ever saw him smile, laugh or discuss anything other than work. Everyone seemed to think he was a boring guy, who was too consumed with work. You'd assumed there was more to him, and often fantasized about him, but as far as you knew, he wasn't even aware of your existence. You didn't think he noticed you at all in meetings, or when he walked past your cublicle, but maybe you just weren't paying enough attention?
Word Count: 2.9k
chapters [1] ?
The worst thing about meetings is when they are scheduled at inconvenient times of the day. Like this you were currently sitting in. It was 3pm on the dot, on a Wednesday. Two more days left in the work week until you could sleep in until 11am. Two more dreary days of fake smiling at all of the coworkers you secretly couldn’t stand. Two more pathetic days of hearing the mindless office chit chat that you tried so hard to tune out. But one thing you would actually miss as you’d lay in bed until noon on Saturday was the sight standing right in front of you, giving the most boring presentation. Min Yoongi. Your boss, your superior, and your secret crush. Yes, it sounds like grade school to say you had a secret crush on him, but it’s the truth. You hadn’t mentioned it to your friends and definitely not the two women you were friendly acquaintances with at the office. It was an innocent infatuation. You couldn’t help yourself. He looked so attractive when he was dressed in his office attire. You had never seen a man look as good in a suit as Min Yoongi did. And when you happened to catch him adjusting his tie or recuffing his sleeves, it sort of sent you ‘over the edge’ and would become the highlight of the day. You loved to stare at him when he walked down the aisle past your cubicle. You held your breath if you were standing next to him in the elevator on the way up or down. And you fantasized about him while you sat through his boring presentations. You couldn’t fathom why a man so attractive could be perceived as so monotone and frankly, boring. You would see him walk around the office and interact with the other employees, but he always kept a straight face. Even when some of his clients would try to crack some jokes with him…nothing. You wondered why he kept so many walls up, well if that was even the case. Maybe he wasn’t guarded, maybe there simply wasn’t anything interesting about him? And that’s why you were more than okay with keeping your little crush a fantasy. You knew that you would probably be incompatible considering he seemed to have no soul. And honestly, you did like to tell a few jokes. You looked up from your notepad and stared at him, just as everyone else in the room was doing. Though you were basically invisible at this company, you still had to pretend like you were paying attention every once in a while.
“By tomorrow morning I need that file on my desk. It’s crucial that everything’s done and ready to go for the Smith account. Who was in charge of that?”, as the twelve other people in the room all turned their heads to look at me, I suddenly felt nauseous as my stomach started to twist into knots. As I darted my eyes from my coworkers, they landed on Yoongi, who was staring at me expectantly, waiting for his file. I cleared my throat and shuffled through my papers, pulling the manilla file out from under my notepad. I stood up from my chair as I walked over to him. His eyes followed me the whole time.
“Here it is Mr. Min.”, I said as I handed him the file. Your fingers briefly touched and you noticed just how calloused they were. You wondered why that was. He nodded at you and murmured a short Thank You, before he moved on to the next subject and you scurried back to your seat. By the time the meeting was over, I was back at my desk and watching the clock. 4:30. Only a half an hour left. You had finished all of your assignments and was just fiddling with the pencil in your hand when your office phone started ringing. “Hello?”, you answered, annoyed and wondering what could possibly be so important to warrant a call 30 minutes before you could leave.
“Mr. Min would like to see you in his office.”, the woman said before hanging up immediately. Shit, I thought. What could I have possibly done? He’s never wanted to see me in his office except for that one time when he gave a speech to everyone after we secured that big client. You had remembered to take note of his office since at the time you assumed it would be the only time you’d see it. He had photos lining his desk. Him at different sports games. Mainly basketball games. Pictures of him posing next to players, a picture of him on a boat, and a picture of a family. It looked like an older photo, so you assumed it was a childhood photo of his. But that’s all you could remember at the time since that night you had been knocking back quite a few drinks with your colleagues in celebration of the pay raise. But now here you were, approaching his secretary’s desk. “Y/N? Let me notify him before I send you in.”, His secretary looked down at the phone before pressing the button to ring him. “Mr.Min…yes, she’s here. Okay, I’ll send her in.”, She glanced back up at you, “You can go in.”, she said blankly before staring back at her computer screen, you gave her a quick nod as you walked past her desk. You could hear the frantic sound of her typing on her keyboard. You knocked on the door once before peaking your head in.
“Mr.Min? You wanted to see me.”, your voice was timid. Mainly due to the fact you were wrecked with nerves on the inside. You had been raking your brain on the walk down to his office on why you’d been called in. Maybe you were getting fired? But, on the same day you have that interaction with him during the meeting? It was the first time you had properly spoken to him.
“Ah, yes, Y/N. Please close the door behind you and take a seat.”, there it was again, that emotionless, monotone voice. It made it one hundred times harder for you to gauge what this conversation would be about. Was he angry? Was he calm? You had no idea. His face was stone cold. You really never saw him smile. And not to mention, his office was so dark, the blinds were almost completely drawn shut and now the door was closed. You found it concerning that he wanted the door closed. Last time someone went into his office and closed the door, they were walking out an hour later with two boxes filled with their belongings. You started to fidget with your fingers as you took a seat. You took a deep breath in as you watched him pull his hands out of his pockets and move from his standing position against his window and take a seat in his own chair across from you. “First of all”, he started, “You don’t have to worry, you’re not being fired, so you don’t have to play with your fingers.”, Immediately you placed your hands at your sides.
“Oh, um, didn’t realize anybody would pick up on that habit…”, you said, shocked at how observant he seemed to be.
“Well, I’ve seen you around the office and in my meetings for almost a year, and you do it at least one meeting per week.”, he shrugged before looking down at his desk and opening one of his filing cabinet drawers underneath. He pulled out a folder, specifically the manilla folder you had just given him during the meeting. He handed it over to you, and you furrowed your brows in response as you took it. “I skimmed through it, everything seemed fine. Problem is, I just got a call from Smith himself, and it turns out, his assistant faxed over all the wrong information. He’s still coming in tomorrow and expects the folder to be ready to go.”
You couldn’t believe what you were hearing, you assumed he was about to ask you to stay late and re-do everything, just because someone else made a mistake? Unbelievable. Before he could continue speaking, you intervened, “So what? Now I have to re-do everything? Do you understand that all that work in this folder took me a whole week. Rome wasn’t built in a day Sir.”, you snapped. Yoongi raised an eyebrow at you, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest, seemingly challenging your opposition.
“So you’re telling me that you refuse to do it? I understand it’s asking a lot, but you would be paid for any overtime. I can’t force you but if you don’t stay, don’t expect any big projects in the near future. Maybe Jerry at the cubicle across from you would like your next project?” You narrowed your eyes at him in a silent attempt to say, screw you.
“Sir, all I’m saying is that I sort of feel like this was sprung on me a half an hour before work ends, and you’re telling me I have to do a week's worth of work on my own in one night. I just don’t see how that’s fair.”, you explained, trying to keep your voice from getting too loud. One wrong move or word and he could fire you on the spot for 'disrespect'.
“So you’re concerned about working alone? Fine, I’ll stay and work on it with you.” Yoongi said as he looked down at his wristwatch, most likely mentally rearranging his afterwork schedule.
“Seriously?”, you asked, surprised that he would even offer to stay and work on the file with you at all. He looked back up at you, nodding his head, looking you dead in the eyes.
“Yeah, get your computer, you can set it up in here. We have a lot to get through.” And boy, was he right. The next thing you knew, you were two hours deep into paperwork, calling as many people as you could reach to fact check considering the fact most people had left their offices for the day. By 7pm, you were getting a little irritated as you weren’t making much progress with the file. And not to mention the fact that you were getting hungry. You ran a hand through your hair as you let out a frustrated sigh, throwing down your pen on your notepad. Yoongi looked up from his computer screen, his head resting on his hand, and he had his left arm resting on his desk. You could tell that even he was getting frustrated, and that in turn made you angry. And before you could stop yourself, you exploded.
“So, how exactly do you do business around here? You’re telling me that the whole week there was no communication with the other party until half an hour before closing today, the day before they were expected to come in for a meeting?”, he rolled his eyes at you as covered his face with his hand in frustration.
“You think I did this on purpose? You don’t think I also want to go home?” , he snapped. Now you were rolling your eyes at him, you felt like this whole file was never going to get done and your efforts were pointless.
“Can we at least order some food?”, you murmured. To that, you actually heard him let out a chortle as he reached into his drawer for a few takeout menus. It wasn’t necessarily a full on laugh, but it let you know that he did have a sense of humor. You couldn’t hide your surprise and Yoongi seemed to notice.
“What? Are you surprised that I eat food…”, he questioned as he handed you the menus, “Pick one, I don’t really have a preference. They’re all good.”, you grabbed them, again briefly brushing your fingers against his own like earlier in the meeting room. You decided on Chinese and another half hour later, after Yoongi went to collect the food from the delivery man, you were both sitting on the couch in his office, just silently eating. At first you assumed it’d be awkward, just sitting there, but it was actually kind of nice since it gave you a chance to get your mind off of the file and your impending deadline. But then, Yoongi cleared his throat as he put down his food. “Can I ask you a question?” You were intrigued to see what his version of small talk was, so you immediately replied with a Hm. “Do you find me boring during the staff meetings?”, he let out a chuckle as he asked.
“What!”, you giggled. You were surprised at his question, you never assumed that he would ask something like that. “How would you be able to tell?”, you were surprised at his change in attitude. An hour ago, he was so frustrated and now he’s…trying to be funny? He smiled at you before he started explaining.
“Everytime I look over at you, you’re either playing with your pen, or doing that finger fidget thing. I mean, I get it, it’s boring material we’re going over, but c’mon, everything I talk about is boring?”, he asked, still smiling which signaled to you that this was all just lighthearted banter.
“Well, I mean, you have to admit, spreadsheets and deadlines aren't the most interesting stuff to discuss after the first 10 minutes of the meeting. I just think the meetings don’t have to be over an hour each, that’s all.”, you threw your hands up defensively, returning his smile. He shook his head playfully.
“You do great work here, but every time I walk past your cubicle, you have the most miserable look on your face. “, he smirked, replaying the times he’s walk past your cubicle in his head.
“That is not true!”, you responded back teasingly, “I put in 100% But, it’s not my fault that I have resting bitch face…Also I highly doubt every time you’ve walked past my cubicle I look like that.” He raised his eyebrow, still smirking.
“Yeah, you’re right. The other half of the time I see you, you're always staring at me.” Upon hearing that, you covered your face with your hands and Yoongi started laughing at your reaction.
“Stop”, you pleaded, fully embarrassed now. You had no idea he caught on to that, you always thought you were being discreet. But to be fair, you had no idea he knew you even existed. He never seemed to concern himself with you until today. You had even interviewed with him when you got the job, it was with a supervisor. “I had no idea you even knew of me. I just assumed I was another faceless office worker or something. I mean, you’re always so busy and you keep to yourself…”, you tried to cover your tracks, but you were doing a really bad job of it. “That’s not true at all”, Yoongi said, giving his tone a serious edge. If I saw any of the people I employ out on the street, I would recognize them.” “But would you go up and talk to them?”, you questioned, bringing back your teasing tone. When he didn’t respond, you laughed and he let out a dramatic sigh. “What, are you shy or something?”, you asked.
“I wouldn’t say I’m shy, but I’m a bit quiet, but I think you already know that. I guess you could call me an introvert.”, Yoongi said sincerely. You nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I’m the same way. I prefer my alone time. No wonder we were so bothered at having to stay so late.”, you joked. Yoongi agreed with you as picked the remainder of his food. You looked down at your container and did the same for a few minutes, assuming you were almost done with your conversation. At least now you felt more comfortable around him. And it was reassuring to know that he did in fact have a personality. A sort of perplexing one at that. Before you had the chance to stand up to throw away your containers, he started speaking again.
“You know, I’ve had my eyes on you for a while Y/N. I just never had a reason to talk to you, but I’ll admit, when Smith called, despite how pissed I was about the mix up, when I saw your name on the file, I was looking forward to this.” And with that, those familiar nervous knots in your stomach returned. You really wanted to tell him that you had also been interested in him, that you also despite your frustration, working with him all night had softened the blow of missing your after work routine for once. But you decided to play it safe, after all, he is your boss.
“Well, I don’t regret staying to work on this with you.”, you responded back. Your eyes met, and you stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. No one made a sound, and you weren’t sure of what to do. You studied his features. He had the most kissable lips, but you knew that would be a bad decision. One that you’d probably regret. His eyes seemed sad, and you weren’t sure of why you got that impression. You wondered if it was something you had said, but now that you were thinking about it, you always thought his eyes seemed like that. He was a mystery to you, one that you never thought you’d get the chance to uncover, but now, the window was slightly ajar into the man that is Min Yoongi and now you were really curious.
[A/N: So I guess my way of supporting Yoongi through this stupid scooter fiasco is writing a fanfic…Anyways, this is loosely based on a fanfic from years ago I had read on tumblr that I always went back to reread, until last week I noticed the story along with the account was deleted and deactivated :( To make matters worse, the story had never been finished, so in a way I never got to read how the story ended. So to make my teenage self happy, I’m making my own CEO Yoongi fanfic because I have to let my inner Yoongi freak fly. I anticipate that this will be a series, but I’m writing this author’s note before I even started writing the actual story so, we’ll see.]
#bts#min yoongi#suga#suga fanfic#yoongi x reader#suga x reader#bts fanfction#bts fanfic#bts scenarios#bts writing#bts imagines#bts x reader
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YOU ARE THE ONLY THING
˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ (THAT'S EVER MADE SENSE TO ME)
wc. 5k chapter warnings. angst, cursing chapter summary. the memory of you haunts kinich wherever he goes, a perpetual existence in his life. but when he sees you again by chance, he takes the opportunity to try to right his wrongs. author's note. the first chapter of many...this is gonna be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, a lot of stupid mistakes and forgiveness and moving on and all that good stuff. pls lmk what y'all think! reblogs/interaction highly appreciated!
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MAYBE WE DON'T TALK ENOUGH. [1]
The graduation ceremony had been lovely, Kinich is sure.
If he had actually been paying attention to any of it, he might’ve even had fun. The field had been decorated with an array of balloons and flowers reflecting your school colors. Countless tears are shed and hugs are exchanged—he knows this might just be the last time he sees some of these people for the rest of his life. In a way, it’s a tribute to the childhood he’s spent here.
He scoffs, kicking at the dirt. To hell with that.
Because while everyone else had been grinning widely, proudly cheered on by their families, all he could do was stare at the empty seats in the stand. Unfulfilled promises swirl madly in his mind; the congratulations that people offer him in passing just slip in one ear and out the other.
So when you approach him, one hand outstretched as you shyly ask him to talk alone, all he can do is follow, blankly staring at the back of your head.
“Kinich, I have something to tell you.”
/
Kinich feels the remnants of you when he runs, sweat sticking to his skin and cold, biting air filling his lungs in a single breath.
Mid-stride, he zips his windbreaker to his neck, watching his breath dissipate like ice. The wind feels so much more piercing when he runs—it stings at his skin and his teeth. Fallen leaves crunch underfoot, a blanket of color over the edges of the field. Autumn always makes him feel melancholic—change always makes him feel melancholic.
Each step pounds heavy in the grass, picking up speed. His teammates know that he likes to run alone, just him and his contemplation—though Aether claims that it makes him a crazy person—and these are the rare times that he can just think.
Running comes naturally to him. Thinking does too, but not like this.
Most days, he tries to stay busy enough to avoid the thoughts. When he’s busy, there isn’t time to reflect on the past, there isn’t time to regret. Being team captain and taking as many credit overloads as he does means that he can stay ahead of the impending waves of guilt.
But when he runs, and it’s just him and the sound of his footsteps, memories of you start to creep in.
They say grief comes in waves, and he believes that must be true—you’ve always been a tide, ebbing and flowing into his life. That much was a constant, even when you weren’t.
(Or, even when you ceased to be.)
He can go about a few weeks without thinking about you, as far as he’s tried. And he means really thinking about you, not just a brief thought relating to you, or your life, or your memory—he’s not sure he could last even ten minutes that way. Over the years, you’ve become so tightly intertwined with his being that he’s not sure he could ever untangle that connection fully.
His laptop password had been your birthday for years after you left. He still makes his tea the way you taught him, with lemon and just a spoonful of honey. Your shared playlists still haven’t left his Spotify library.
He sighs. Three years is a long time.
It’s long enough for most normal, well-adjusted people to grow out of their past relationship, or at least not be wondering about them for a majority of the day. And that’s if he can even call what the two of you had a relationship—it had been something, and it was his fault that it wasn’t anything more.
Sometimes, he just wonders where you are and what you’re doing.
It’s a sick sort of thing to ponder, especially knowing what he did to you, but he can’t help it—often, he sees you in everything.
He wishes that wasn’t the case.
A part of him wishes he could strike you from the history of his existence. Another part of him wishes he could see you again, just once.
“Sorry for calling you out here! I just thought if I didn’t tell you now, I might never tell you…”
“Kinich!”
He flinches halfway through his step, the echo of your voice fading somewhere in the back of his mind. When he skitters to a stop, he realizes it’s his coach yelling his name, one hand cupped at his mouth and the other frantically waving his clipboard. He gauges the distance between them—lost in his thoughts, he had run about 200 feet straight past the other man.
Flushing in embarrassment, Kinich jogs back to meet him.
“Sorry about that,” he pants. “Was just thinking about one of my exams.”
There’s a pause, like Coach Wayna is deciding whether to ask questions or let it go—Kinich isn’t usually one to lose track of himself, after all. Still, the man seems to land on the latter.
“Well, nice hustle,” he praises, rewarding him with a strong clap on the shoulder. “Get some water and wash up.”
He slaps a towel into Kinich’s outstretched hand—he accepts gratefully, slinging it over his neck and scrubbing the sweat off his face.
He glances up at the graying sky. The clouds are coalescing into mismatched swirls—maybe it’ll rain tonight, he thinks vaguely. It doesn’t usually stop them from practicing anyway. He can recall a number of times that he has walked home drenched in mud.
“Already? It’s early, isn’t it?”
At this time of year, practices don’t usually end until the sun kisses the horizon, dipping and dimming. Kinich usually walks back to his apartment with his roommates at dusk, Aether’s whining carrying them home.
Coach Wayna is busy watching the other guys run, scribbling something down on his clipboard.
“We’re letting out early today,” he shrugs.
Licking over his lips, Kinich tastes the salt pooling at his cupid’s bow, lungs heaving.
“What’s the occasion?” he asks, raising a brow.
Looking out over the field, he watches the rest of his teammates finish their sprints. Aether is messing around again, trying to leapfrog over Xiao’s back, much to the latter’s irritation. Gaming seems to find the sight amusing, based on the way he whoops and cheers.
Kinich sighs, shaking his head—Aether is lucky that he’s as talented as he is.
Coach Wayna laughs, a guffawing sound that resounds deep in his chest and across the field. He’s a good-natured guy, really, if not a bit more patient than Kinich himself can manage.
“The occasion is that you guys are college students,” he explains, “and sometimes, I’m willing to let you enjoy your lives a little bit.”
A half-scowl crawls over Kinich’s lips. Coach Wayna is always on them about enjoying their lives outside the sport, just like everyone else in Kinich’s life. His friends have always been determined to get him out of his bedroom and get him participating in something that isn’t his clubs. It’s irritating sometimes, to say the least.
Kinich’s tongue runs dry, so he pads over to the cooler, throwing the top open and pulling a water bottle out to shake off the excess condensation. It’s nice and cool, a welcome sensation even when the air is colder than usual—internally, his skin thrums with heat.
He gets about halfway through the bottle by the time his teammates make it over, in various states of exhaustion. Aether is first to react, letting out a loud groan and flopping to the ground dramatically.
“Coach, are you trying to kill me?” he whines, throwing an arm over his eyes. “I can’t feel my legs.”
Xiao approaches Kinich directly, taking a water bottle from his outstretched hand.
“It’s your fault that you’re so tired,” Xiao deadpans, taking a swig and settling down in the grass. “Because you were late, the rest of us had to run extra.”
As kind as Coach Wayna is, he doesn’t let things like tardiness slide too often—Kinich’s legs burn as a firm reminder of that. Everything they do, they do as a team, which includes punishment.
“Blame Lumine,” Aether grumbles. “She forgot her keys, so I had to drop her off at work.”
Aether’s sister, as kind as she is, does tend to be a bit forgetful. But Aether is also irresponsible as hell sometimes, so there’s a 50% chance that he merely overslept. Xiao seems to silently agree, based on the way his brows knit together.
Coach Wayna has a short meeting with them to end practice, and Kinich half-listens—he’s still caught up on earlier. It’s only when Aether flicks him in the back of the head that he returns to earth.
“Hey, airhead, we’re going to Third Round Knockout,” he says, an order, not an invitation. Kinich scowls.
“You mean you’re going,” he corrects, packing up his duffel bag. “I’m going home so I can take an ice bath and forget this ever happened.”
He can count a number of other things that are infinitely more important than taking a single step in that greasy place, too. He has a few exams coming up to study for, a lab report to do, and a few logistics issues to resolve with his financial aid and scholarship. So really, he has no business going out at all.
But the thought grows more and more appealing the more his stomach rumbles. Aether seems to notice too, because he grins cheekily, slinging an arm over his friend’s shoulder.
“Just follow the sweet, sweet siren song of burgers and fries, and let it guide you home.”
Xiao sighs from where he sits on the bench, shaking his head—sharing an apartment with Aether and Kinich means he’ll likely get roped into this too. Aether goes around making his pitch to all their teammates, but most decline on the basis of being too busy or having things to do. Kinich thinks they’re just too exhausted to deal with Aether’s antics.
“I can’t, I’m sorry,” Gaming whines, checking his phone. “I have an exam tomorrow and if I don’t study and sleep, I’m gonna fail for sure.”
Aether wags a finger in his face, grinning. “You don’t have to study, C’s get degrees!”
Kinich wonders if he should step in, knowing how easily influenced Gaming can be when it comes to Aether’s lax personality. He doesn’t have time to get the words out, however, because Xiao strides past with a critical side-eye.
“Yes, and Aether’s get dropped from their university…”
“I don’t—hey!”
“Let’s just go,” Kinich sighs, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. Aether pouts, but follows his teammates off the field.
“Fine, but Xiao’s treating!”
/
Third Round Knockout is exactly the type of place Kinich imagines college students to like.
It sounds strange when he words it like that, considering he is a college student himself, but he means a different type of college student—the type that finds cheap, greasy pizza and boisterous laughter enticing. Or perhaps anyone who finds the showy, race car-themed decor attractive (just how much money did they spend on checkered flags?), or thinks that spending your Friday night listening to pop music from low-quality speakers is a good time.
He doesn’t mean it in a really bad way, of course. He’s friends with college students like that (like Aether), and that’s the only reason he finds himself stepping past the threshold. Still, after a long day of practice, he can’t deny that sitting down for some food sounds pretty good right about now, even if that food comes cheap and deep-fried.
“God, I’m fucking starving,” Aether moans, collapsing into one of the booths in exhaustion. He flips one of the plastic-lined menus over, scanning over the food options. “I seriously think if I have to wait another second to eat, I’ll die.”
Xiao slides into the booth next to him, brows furrowed as he types away at something on his phone. “Seems like you’re always somehow on the verge of dying.”
Though his stomach grumbles, Kinich doesn’t bother looking at the menu—the food here is as standard as it gets, burgers and fries that drip with grease and milkshakes that are basically entirely comprised of sugar. But he reasons that he probably deserves this after the day that he’s had.
Everything had been nothing short of exhausting. He had conditioning in the morning, followed by three exams back to back, then headed to practice right after. Needless to say, his brain is running on the fumes of the black coffee he downed in between his second and third lecture.
“You good, man?” Aether asks, poking at Kinich’s hand. “You’ve been looking like a zombie all day.”
Kinich figures that a zombie is probably an apt description for how he looks right now, in his ragged hoodie and old sweats. He hadn’t been planning on a night out, after all, but he’s not one to care for fashion even on a good day.
He merely mumbles back an “I’m fine,” thoroughly disinterested in discussing what he’s endured in the last twenty-four hours. He presumes that that’s just the life of a university student like him. The athletic scholarship is good, and he does enjoy playing with his teammates, so he’ll rest and recover and do it all again tomorrow, just like he always does.
Xiao and Aether start bickering over something on the menu, so Kinich takes that opportunity to zone out.
He blinks tiredly, gaze wandering—the bright, multicolored decor is almost too much for his weary eyes. People are drinking and grinding to the music on the dance floor across the room, the bass of the music so loud that he can feel it vibrating under his feet.
Sighing, he pinches at the bridge of his nose, trying to avoid a migraine.
He shouldn’t have come today. His mental to-do list only grows longer, and staying home would’ve been a far more efficient use of his time. Perhaps a part of him had felt guilty for how busy he’s been in the past few weeks—it’s actually been quite a while since he sat down with his friends like this.
“Alright, Kinich, you lose!”
The sound of his name pulls him from the depths of his mind to find Aether and Xiao staring at him expectantly.
“What?”
Aether nods to the counter, crowded with a swathe of people. “You have to go order. You were last to nose goes.”
Nose goes? Kinich’s face scrunches in disbelief. Sometimes, he feels more like a kindergarten teacher than a soccer team captain.
“Are you four years old?”
Aether tilts his head, a challenge. “Are you rejecting the sanctity of nose goes?”
Maybe he doesn’t feel so guilty for being busy after all.
Desperate, Kinich looks to Xiao for support, but the other man shrugs, as if to say I can’t deal with him either. Arguing with Aether is a guaranteed headache, so Kinich merely groans, begrudgingly rising from his seat.
“Whatever. Just tell me what you want, then.”
He sighs as he shoves through the crowd, passing through sweaty limbs and sticky floors. No one seems to pay him any mind, and he takes a few accidental elbows to the ribs. God, he wants to throw up.
The actual line for the counter isn’t too long, luckily. There’s only one or two people in front of him.
He checks over Aether and Xiao’s orders in their groupchat. Aether’s order is a list about a mile long, while Xiao simply wants a single combo meal. Typical.
He thinks on his own order a bit, and he’s midway through creating a mental list about the pros and cons of getting french fries versus onion rings when he looks up again to gauge the wait time. His breath hitches as he realizes two things:
He’s next in line.
He knows the people at the counter.
One of them is Childe, donned in a white t-shirt and a dark leather jacket.
Kinich knows who Childe is just like everyone else—with how much his name gets thrown around on this campus, he’d have to be an idiot not to. Being the star quarterback of the football team, he’s as close to a celebrity as one can get around here. Plus, they have some mutual friends, but Kinich doesn’t really consider Childe a friend, per say. They’re acquaintances at best.
But Kinich doesn’t really care about Childe—he doesn’t know him well, never has, probably never will, and he’s not one to worry about people outside of his concern. No, it’s not Childe that draws his attention at all; in fact, he’s in the way of it.
It’s the fact that Childe is talking to you.
Kinich sucks in a breath.
He blinks once, thinking it may just be his exhaustion playing tricks on him, but you’re still standing there, smiling up at the other man.
Though he’d known that you applied to this school, he never found out where you actually ended up going—you’d blocked him on everything post-graduation, after all. It seems like some sort of sick sign from the universe that you would be here right now.
You’re wearing the Third Round Knockout uniform, he notes dully—so you work here. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re smiling and laughing with Childe, looking entirely too happy with his company. Kinich has talked to the ginger before, and he’s not that funny.
Childe turns at that moment, seemingly finished ordering his food, before he lights up in recognition.
“Ah, Kinich, what’s up?” he greets, patting him on the shoulder. “Hey, nice game the other day! You’re fast as hell.”
If he were anywhere else but here, Kinich might’ve actually appreciated Childe’s compliment. But right now, he can’t even remember what game he’s referring to; instead, he offers a dry, tight-lipped smile.
“Thanks.”
He peeks around Childe’s arm—you haven’t noticed him yet, too busy counting bills and stuffing them into the register. You’re halfway through a yawn when you call out to him.
“I can help the next person, please!”
Childe shoots him a grin, waving as he steps past him to leave, and suddenly Kinich feels overwhelmingly vulnerable. It feels endless, the drag of your gaze as it turns up to him, falling to his face. Pure shock paints your features.
Something unearths in his chest, kicking up with dust that stings at the corners of his eyes.
They bloom there, a wealth of feelings that wrap like thorn-lined vines around his heartbeat. Regret speaks the loudest—it screams from where it sits, panging with familiarity at the sight of your face.
“K—Kinich,” you greet once you recover from your initial shock, a rasp. There’s an audible lump in your throat, voice reedy and thin.
You look even more beautiful than he remembers. That’s all he can think as his brain force feeds him a series of memories—images of hazy sunsets and half-empty spray paint cans and secrets shared between chapped lips. His entire youth is nearly synonymous with your name.
His eyes draw to your neck, the bareness of it; it makes his heart ache.
You toy with the silver chain swinging at your throat, shyly staring down at your feet.
Almost in slow motion, your hand slinks up to your collarbone, reaching for something that isn’t there. It has Kinich’s eyes fluttering shut for a moment, almost painfully.
“Hi,” he starts, sound barely crawling from his throat. “It’s been a long time.”
He waits, but he doesn’t know what for. A change, in expression, in tone, in something, a sign that you remember what the two of you were, or perhaps what you could’ve been. But you’re still blankly staring at him like he’s a stranger.
“Can I help you?”
Kinich forgets about the food entirely. He just can’t get over how different you look, sound, and are. It’s a stupid realization—obviously you would’ve changed in the last three years. But somehow, he feels like he’s been the only one rooted in place all this time.
“Sir?” you repeat pointedly. “Can I help you?”
He utters your name once, soft, then inches forward, an instinct. “Listen, I’m sorry—”
“You don’t have to apologize,” you interrupt smoothly, devoid of warmth. You back away, defenses up; you’d expected this from him, clearly. “I don’t really want or need it.”
And it hurts to hear that, that you don’t really want or need something from him. Because that always used to be the case, used to be your normal—clinging to each other, wanting and needing and having each other. And though he doesn’t like to live in the past, this is one thing that Kinich is unwilling to let go of.
“Can I…still try?” he starts, hesitant. “To apologize?”
The music still pulses in his veins, in his hands, in his chest—it echoes in his ears as he awaits your reply.
Deep down, he knows he shouldn’t do this. He’d lost any right to pursue you years ago. And he’s certainly not the type to make emotionally-charged confessions in public, but he sees you and he wonders if you still remember his favorite color.
It’s messing with his head.
“Why would you?” Your tone is biting, words sharp as they’re flung off your tongue. “No offense, but we haven’t known each other for years. I don’t see a point.”
And though you’re right, the thought pains him—there had been a time when he was the only one who knew every part of you, and you of him. But you’ve changed so much, you both have, and the evidence is standing before him.
Your eyes fill with frost. His mouth grows dry with regret.
“I know, but at that time, I—”
“You avoided me for months, Kinich,” you cut in quietly, thumbing at the edges of your sleeves. He knows that habit—you always do it when you’re nervous. “Forgive me for thinking that meant you wanted nothing to do with me.”
The bitterness leaks into your voice. You’re trying to be indifferent, but the resentment still feels raw.
And he deserves that, deserves this, he knows; he’s made a lot of mistakes when it comes to you. He more than anyone knows how much he fucked up, and if he could take it back, he would do so in a heartbeat. But he can’t, and your dull eyes and bare neck are evidence of that.
“You’re right,” he breathes, then swallows, gathering himself. “I’m sorry.”
You clear your throat, looking for something else to busy yourself with—anything to avoid eye contact.
“You don’t have to be.”
Despite your words, the misery is written across your face, like you’re reliving every single moment of that day. And, of course, you have no way of knowing, but he wonders if you realize how often he relives it too.
“Now that we’ve graduated, I just thought you should know…”
Kinich feels completely out of his element, pinned in place.
He wonders what he even wants out of this whole interaction. Your anger? Your hatred? Would it have made him feel better than your disinterest? His fist clenches.
Say something. Don’t let it repeat itself.
It’s always been his vice—he doesn’t think he’s a stupid person, but he does think he’s a quiet one. And sometimes, that comes back to bite him in the worst moments. When he thinks back on the moments he’s shared with you, he can recall so many times that he could’ve said something. And maybe it wouldn’t have saved you both, but what if it would’ve?
You’re sighing in resignation, looking over his shoulder to call the next person when he speaks, hasty.
“If you ever want to talk about what happened, we can. I can.”
It reeks of desperation, and he has half a mind to be embarrassed, but the feeling doesn’t surface. Instead, he catches a flicker of budding hope in your eyes, a wink of familiarity that has his heart slamming against his ribcage.
Your lips form the shape of his name, and Kinich finds his breath.
“I like you, Kinich. A lot. For a while now. And, if you’ll have me, I’d like us to be together.”
“What’s going on here?”
Too focused on your expression, Kinich fails to notice the older man sneaking up behind you, a stern frown on his face and arms crossed. You cringe at the intrusion, already struck with a sense of foreboding.
You whip around, hands drawn meekly to your chest.
“Sir,” you squeak out, a nervous giggle escaping your throat, “I was just—”
“We’ve already talked about this,” your manager hisses, a contrastingly serene smile on his face. “This would be your third strike.”
Despair creeps onto your face, and Kinich finds himself drawn forward, hand outstretched.
“Wait, sir, please. It was my fault. She was just—”
Your boss fixes Kinich with a sour glare, looking him up and down—his lip curls into disapproval when he sees the tattoo on his arm.
“Don’t make excuses for your friend.”
Everyone around stares at the commotion—when Kinich glances back, Xiao and Aether are watching, wide-eyed.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t feel the same way.”
“You’ve had enough chances,” your manager starts, deceptively saccharine-sounding.
He looks between the two of you, spiteful. Kinich’s heart drops like a stone.
“You’re officially fired.”
/
“Wow, you fucked up bad.”
The next day, Aether’s unhelpful commentary is nearly drowned out in the general noise of the quad.
Fluffy clouds half-obscure the sun above, leaving a permeating warmth and a relaxing breeze. There’s an extensive crowd of students spread out across the grass, studying and laughing and chatting. It would be a beautiful, enjoyable day, if not for Kinich’s overwhelming guilt and the irritating sound of Aether scarfing down his lunch.
And while the blond’s remarks are unhelpful, they aren’t necessarily wrong. Recounting the whole event just makes him more aware of how idiotic he had been. Kinich rakes his fingers through his hair in frustration—he just can’t stop making mistakes when it comes to you.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” he admits, absentmindedly pulling at the blanket beneath him. “I just wanted to talk to her.”
After the incident, your manager had disappeared with you into the back, likely to work out the details of your termination. You threw him a last glance over your shoulder, eyes pouring with regret—whether it was regret that you had been interrupted, or regret that you had interacted at all, he isn’t sure.
“Oh, you talked to her alright,” Aether chirps, mouth full. Kinich’s face twists in disgust. “Talked her right out of financial stability.”
Lumine jerks an elbow into her brother’s ribs, ignoring his pained yelp.
“What he means to say,” she starts, shooting her twin a poisonous glare, “is that you made a mistake, and you know it now. All you can do is apologize, or leave her alone if you think that would be best.”
Kinich thinks on that for a moment. Apologizing seems reasonable, but the laundry list of things he should apologize to you for seems to grow longer by the day. He’s not even sure you would hear him out for that long at this point.
Last night had given him a glimpse of hope, but your manager had ruined anything he had built up in that moment.
And really, he should leave you alone. The guilt building and knotting in his chest is enough, enough that he knows that getting involved with you further would only lead to more heartbreak for both of you. He’s just not sure if he’s capable of letting you go again.
“I mean, no offense, but weren’t you the one who rejected her back then? And then, like…ghosted her?” Aether asks.
Lumine facepalms, thoroughly exhausted by trying to reel in her twin’s complete lack of decorum. It seems to be her full-time job at this point.
“It’s okay,” Kinich sighs, waving her off. “He’s right. I did.”
He’d been going through a lot back then, not that it had been a valid excuse. He’d been far too immature to be honest with you like you deserved.
With a groan, Kinich shuts his laptop to fully focus on the topic at hand—he hasn’t been studying for a few minutes now anyway.
Lumine and Aether stare at him like they’re awaiting clarification. He shrugs, deflated.
“I was young and stupid. There’s no good explanation for it.”
“I don’t know if was is the right term,” Aether adds thoughtfully. “I mean, you did just get her fired, and that’s because—”
“—Aether.”
Lumine hisses through gritted teeth, and her twin chuckles, suddenly nervous.
“That’s because I’m an idiot. I’m an idiot and I’m going to stop talking now.”
Aether dives back into his chicken fried rice like a kicked puppy, pouting. Lumine glances over at Kinich, gauging the conflict written over his features. She sighs, smoothing her hair over her shoulder.
“Well, the choice is yours.”
If it were just up to him, he would chase after you and apologize endlessly. But he knows that his aren’t the only feelings in play here—if anything, yours matter more. So, he decides to leave it to fate.
He fishes into his bag with one hand, producing his wallet and shaking out a few coins. He holds one out for his friends to see.
“Heads, I apologize. Tails, I leave her alone.”
He swallows hard.
“Forever.”
He’s not sure if he truly means that quite yet, but he tells himself that he does. Steeling his resolve, he tosses the coin in the air. Aether and Lumine’s eyes grow wide as they follow its path, spinning and twisting before landing neatly on the ground.
“Kinich, do you think we’ll still know each other in five years? Ten years?”
“Of course we will.”
Kinich leans forward, peering down at the fallen Mora.
There’s a tinge of relief in his sigh.
Heads.
#genshin impact x reader#genshin x reader#kinich x reader#genshin impact#kinich#genshin fanfic#kinich x you#genshin impact imagines#adeptus ink
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Pretty Boy - Ch 1 (Evan Buckley x Reader) (Eventual Evan Buckley x Eddie Diaz x Reader)
Summary: You can feel Buck staring. When your eyes meet his, you realize he’s staring at your hand, which is still on Eddie’s knee. You slowly retreat, which makes Buck turn his attention to your face. You smile softly. He just looks out the window. The one where you're an advanced paramedic, Buck and Eddie are firefighters, and you think you might be in love with both of them. Originally posted to AO3
Chapter Summary: Your new(ish) co-worker has a special talent: getting on your nerves.
A/N: This is such a niche story and I am desperate for validation, please tell me if you enjoyed reading! Word Count: 3.5k Warnings: Swearing (if that even counts).
You’re ending the first half of your 24-hour shift the same way you always do—dinner with the team. Well, at least that’s how you try to end the first half of your shift. Of course, that’s also assuming that both the fire and medical teams are actually at the station and not on a call.
All things considered, this probably only happens once a week, if that.
When it works out, though, it’s a good time. You already spend a lot of time in the rig with Hen and Chim, being an advanced paramedic and all. When it comes to the firefighters, though, you aren’t as well-versed, so it’s nice to have a weekly ‘getting to know you’ session. It seems like these days, it’s a 50/50 shot if they’ll make it to next week's dinner.
The firefighting crew at the 118 is a revolving door of macho men. When you first started, it was Chim, Tommy, and Sal. Chim became a paramedic, so he didn’t exactly ‘leave.’ Sal got relieved of duty, so he didn’t really have a choice. Tommy left, but for something better. Maybe it isn’t so much the job that makes people leave; maybe being a firefighter at the 118 is a stepping stone for bigger and better things.
There is one firefighter that, if he left, you wouldn’t be heartbroken. In fact, it would probably make your shifts a whole lot better.
Evan Buckley, aka ‘Buck.’ God, even thinking his name makes you want to gag a little.
He’s a decent kid, but he’s just that: a kid. He’s a Probie; he’s only been on the job for about 4 months, and no one would assume otherwise. His heart is in the right place, but his brain hasn’t caught up yet. You’re starting to fear it never will.
“I know exactly what that polite, distant smile means: she’s bored,” Chim says as he leans over the counter, pulling you right out of your thoughts and back into reality. “This woman is so far out of my league, but she’s once-in-a-lifetime… I can’t let her go.”
“Lots of fish in the sea,” Bobby, your captain, chimes in. He leans over to pull something out of the oven.
“Not with the bait he’s using,” Hen remarks as she walks by. Her arms are full of dishes to set the table with.
“Amen, sister,” you agree, hot on her heels. She gives you a small smile and hands you the plates, which you accept with a smile of your own.
“Cruel, but true,” Chim sighs. “I met her on this new dating site, just for cops and firefighters, RomancingTheUniform.com. She’s an adrenaline junkie, so foreplay is me telling her stories about running into burning buildings and jumping into icy lakes and…”
“I’m sorry, wait,” Hen interrupts, “remind me: when was the last time you ran into or jumped over anything?”
“...I embellish a little.”
“Oh, noted.”
“So is she a cop or a firefighter?” You ask.
Chim gives you a look. “Why would she be?”
“Well, you said the website is for cops and firefighters,” you repeat. “Doesn’t that make her a cop or a firefighter?”
“Okay, it’s not just cops and firefighters,” Chim cedes, “it’s also for people that want to date cops and firefighters.”
“Ohhh,” you smile, “so cops, firefighters, and badge bunnies. What could possibly go wrong?”
“I’m telling you, the uniform is a major aphrodisiac,” Chim continues as he brings a salad to the table.
“Yeah, hence the term ‘badge bunny,’” you remark.
The conversation is interrupted by one of the engines backing into the station. You probably should have noticed it was gone, but frankly, as long as your rig is in the bay safe and sound, you don’t care what the meatheads are up to.
Speaking of meatheads…
“Oh good, PB is back,” you remark sarcastically.
‘PB’, aka ‘pretty boy,’ aka Buck. You started calling him Pretty Boy his first day, and over the months, you shortened it. He jogs his way up the stairs and dips a finger in the communal spaghetti bowl. You roll your eyes and take a sip of your coffee.
“Wash your hands!” Hen scolds as she pulls the bowl out of his reach.
“What if there’d been a call?” Bobby asks as he brings the last dishes to the table.
“I was in the neighborhood!” Buck defends himself. He takes one of the plates from Bobby’s grasp, but instead of passing it around like a normal person, he starts eating the food off the plate with his dirty hands. Sometimes, you wondered if he was raised by a pack of stray dogs.
Bobby starts lecturing Buck, and you smirk with a little satisfaction. Bobby’s going to write him up, and truthfully? It’s a long time coming.
“First infraction, two more, and you’re out,” Bobby says as he steals back the plate. “Wash your hands.”
“You know, you're not helping him by going easy on him,” Chim says once Buck is out of earshot.
“He just needs a little direction,” Bobby replies.
“I’ll remind you of that when he gets us killed,” you mumble.
The alarm bells start to sound through the station. Everyone groans, including yourself. So much for dinner.
Chim decided to catch a ride with the boys in the truck, so that leaves you and Hen in the rig.
“I’m sorry, dispatch,” you say into the radio, “118 RA responding: did you say the baby is in the wall?”
“10-4, 118,” the dispatcher responds. “Caller reports hearing a baby crying in his walls.”
“Copy that, 118 RA clear,” you say before hanging the radio back up. “Well, this will be fun.”
“You think you can play nice with Buck?” Hen asks, a smirk on her face.
“Hey, I’m always nice,” you reply.
“Not to him!” She laughs. “Don’t think I didn’t see you roll your eyes the second he got back to the station.”
“I can play nice and still think he’s a raging idiot,” you defend. “Besides, since when are you his biggest fan?”
“Trust me, I’m not,” Hen chuckles. “And I love you, but you don’t know how to play nice.”
“Why be the bigger person when you can be the bigger problem?”
That remark gets a full belly laugh out of Hen. “Yeah, that sounds like you.”
Hen parks the rig behind the engine in front. The boys come pouring out immediately, grabbing various tools and equipment. You make your way to the back of the ambulance, tossing Hen her med bag before picking up your own.
You follow the rest of the crew upstairs, and before you know it, the five of you are standing in some random guy’s apartment, listening for something that probably isn’t real.
“Look, I'm telling you, I heard a baby crying,” the man says. “Someone flushed a baby down the toilet.”
Hen picks up a bong off the counter and gives the man a look.
“I’m not high.”
You both raise your eyebrows.
“Okay, I’m pretty high, but it’s Sativa,” he says. “It makes you happy. It doesn’t make you hallucinate.”
“It could’ve been a rat,” Chim shrugs. “Sometimes rats get stuck in the walls.”
You frown. At the end of his sentence, you swore you heard a cooing sound.
“Shh,” you say to everyone, walking over to the bathroom. “Did you guys hear that?”
They're hot on your heels, watching as you take your stethoscope from around your neck and put it into your ears. You place the bell on the wall and wait. When you hear nothing, you begin rapping your knuckles on the tile until you do. Once again, it’s a faint cooing sound, not unlike a baby.
You then knock your knuckles on the wall until you hear a hollow sound. You take a marker from your pants pocket and mark an ‘x’ over it, knowing the space behind it is hollow. You take the stethoscope out from your ears.
“We need to open up this wall,” you say, pointing to the ‘x.’
“No, we’re being punked,” Chim disagrees. “It’s a tape recorder or something.”
“Maybe not,” Hen says, stepping forward. “Maybe a mother gives birth on the toilet and flushes it.”
“Okay, first of all, that's awful,” Chim says. “Second, do you know how pipes work?”
“If the baby is premature, its bones can bend and compress like sponges,” Bobby mentions. “We need to get in there.”
“Stand back, I got this!” Buck says, swinging his fire axe over his shoulder.
He runs up towards the wall with full intentions of swinging. Hen and Chim move out of the way and shout while Bobby tries to grab him. Ultimately, you’re the one to stop him, and you do it by placing both hands on the axe.
“Hey! Did you even stop to consider that you might hit a baby?!” You shout, adrenaline pumping through your bloodstream.
Buck just stares at you with wide eyes.
“Yeah, didn’t think so,” you spat, pushing the axe out of the way.
“Buck, go get the saw,” Bobby directs.
“Try to find some common sense while you’re down there,” you call after Buck as he walks out.
“Nice catch,” Bobby says, looking at you.
“How nice of me to save the baby from one of the LAFD’s finest first responders,” you reply bitterly.
You can’t help but look at Hen, who quickly looks away. Her avoidance gives you a small sense of victory because this? This shit right here? This is why you can’t play nice with Buck. His head is screwed on backward, and it can get people killed. Playing nice isn’t going to fix that.
Thankfully, Bobby takes the saw from Buck once he brings it up. He makes a few small cuts in the wall before he and the other boys are pulling at the drywall. They quickly expose a massive pipe running behind the toilet.
“That thing is huge,” you remark to Hen.
“It probably connects a bunch of the toilets in the units above this one,” Hen returned.
“So… even with the water turned off…” you start, a sense of dread filling your stomach.
“If someone above us flushes the toilet, it could drown the baby,” Hen finishes. Almost before she finishes the sentence, she’s running into the hall, yelling for people not to flush their toilets. The boys make a few cuts into the pipe, and in no time, they’re taking it to the floor.
“Guys, I can see the head,” you say, joining them on the floor.
They make a few more cuts until the pipe is one straight segment.
“Get the head out,” Chim instructs.
“Yeah, you gotta push from below,” Buck chimes in.
You try that, but the baby isn’t moving. You look to the corner, then at Buck.
“Bring me the defibrillator,” you instruct clearly.
Buck scrambles over, picking up the case.
“Just the lube, Buck,” you rephrase, but he’s already coming back with the whole thing.
“Take it, take it,” Buck says, passing it off to you.
You let out a frustrated sigh before grabbing the lube out and tossing the rest of it to the side. You pour some lube on the baby’s head, then down by its feet.
“Work that in,” you tell Chim.
You move your index finger around the circumference of the pipe, brushing the baby’s legs with lubricant as you do so. Then, you gently apply pressure to its feet, and slowly, you can feel it move forward.
“This is gonna be a scoop and run,” you mumble.
“Hen, get the ambulance ready,” Bobby tells her. You’re not sure when she got back, but when you look up again, she’s gone again.
Slowly, the baby’s head emerges from the pipe, and the rest of her body follows.
“She’s not breathing,” you quickly note, “starting CPR.”
You place your index and middle finger in the center of the baby’s chest and press down fast and hard. “Looks like her airway’s obstructed.”
“Buck, get the bulb syringe,” Chim demands. A few seconds pass. “Buck, come on!”
“I’m coming!” Buck barks back, clearly in a panic.
“Come on, pretty girl,” you say quietly as you continue compressions. “Come on, sweetheart.”
Buck returns with the bulb syringe and uses it, but it doesn’t help.
“Dammit,” you curse. “You’ll have to try a blind finger sweep.”
Buck looks at you, then Chimney, then the baby, then back at you. “Me?”
“You gotta learn somehow,” you remark. “It’s easy: just turn her head to the side, curl your pinkie, and see if you can scoop anything out.”
Buck is hesitant initially, but he eventually does as you tell him. It takes a few seconds, but he manages to clear the obstruction, and the baby begins crying. Everyone laughs with relief.
“Let’s get her wrapped up,” you say, reaching for a towel.
The four of you rush down the hall, you with the baby in your arms. The pit in your stomach returns.
“No one held the elevator?!” you yell.
“Dammit,” Chim curses.
“Give her to me,” Buck says, nodding to the stairs.
You stare at him.
“Come on, I’m twice as fast,” Buck pleads.
“Screw this up, and I’ll kill you,” you threaten before carefully handing her over.
Buck takes off down the stairs, but you follow after. There’s only so much that can happen in a few flights of stairs, but you aren’t willing to risk it.
“I got you,” Buck says to the baby, “you’ll be okay.”
A faint smile crosses your face. Maybe Buck isn’t so terrible after all.
“Come on, move it!” Buck shouts as you both make it out of the lobby and out to the rig.
You climb into the ambulance with him, but before either of you can even sit down, you hear someone yelling to wait. It’s not just anyone: it’s LAPD Sergeant Grant, or as you’ve heard Hen calls her, Athena.
“Wait, is that the mother?” Buck says, looking at the young woman with blood-stained pants in someone’s arms. “Yo, screw her! Look what she did!”
Never mind. Buck is still terrible.
“Sit down and shut up!” You yell at Buck. “This is not your call! She is a child, and she’s bleeding out!”
“Look what she did!” Buck repeated.
“Come on, let’s get her up here,” you say to Athena and the man carrying the young girl, disregarding Buck’s protests.
Bobby and Chim made it down, so they help haul the young girl up into the rig. Chim stays at the head while Bobby sits next to Buck, the spot you were about to sit in mere moments ago.
“If this baby dies, it’s on you,” Buck says, staring at Athena.
“Stop talking, Evan,” you snap as someone closes the ambulance doors.
Using his actual name seems to shut him up.
“What’s your name, honey?” You ask the baby’s mother as you cut away her shirt to place EKG leads.
“Marika,” she whispers. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I know you’re scared, Marika, but you just have to keep breathing for me, okay?” you say. “My friend Howie is going to start an IV so we can give you fluids and medication. You’re bleeding a lot, so I have to do what’s called a fundal exam, okay? I have to press on your stomach to make sure your uterus is contracting back down normally.”
She stares at you, eyes filled with tears, before eventually nodding.
Using one hand to stabilize over the pubis, you begin pressing down the other into Marika’s stomach, a few fingerbreadths below her belly button. She lets out a few whimpers. You don’t feel the fundus, or the top of the uterus, like you should.
“Marika, you’re bleeding a lot because your uterus isn’t contracting. I have to make it contract by doing a fundal massage. It won’t feel that good, but it could save your life.”
Once again, Marika looks at you before nodding. This time, she closes her eyes.
Using firm and consistent pressure, you push one hand down where the fundus should be and make small circles. Marika lets out a few more cries of pain. You notice that, after a few minutes, the bleeding starts to slow, and her uterus firms up beneath your hands.
“Hospital ETA 5 minutes, hang in,” Hen chimes in from the ambulance's cab.
“Something’s wrong,” Buck says, staring at the baby in his arms.
You quickly move over to him. “Put her in your lap so I can see.”
Buck listens, moving away the towel so you can look at the baby. She’s cyanosed around the lips. You flip open a compartment and pull out the neonatal ambu bag. You hand it to Bobby, and you don’t even have to tell him to start bagging.
“I’m so sorry,” Marika says. “Is she gonna be okay?”
Bobby squeezes the bag every other second, delivering a breath to the baby. Her color is starting to look better, but she isn’t very responsive.
“Here, let me try something,” you say.
You gently pick up the baby and set it on Marika’s bare chest. After a few moments, the baby begins to move and cry out.
“Oh my god, why did that work?” Marika asks, wrapping her hands around her baby.
“Skin-to-skin can help babies regulate bodily functions, like temperature and breathing,” you reply as you place a towel over them.
You look over to the men sitting next to you. Bobby gives you a nod, and Buck avoids eye contact, but you can tell that he’s pissed. Fuck him, he doesn’t know his head from his ass anyways.
Once the rig pulls into the ambulance bay, you and Chim help the ER staff get the gurney out of the ambulance. Bobby and Buck follow suit, only Buck tries to follow them into the hospital. Bobby stops him before he does.
Bobby gives Buck some lecture about how we did our jobs, and now it’s their turn; it’s the speech every overly excited first responder gets at least once at the start of their career.
A cop car pulls up, and Athena comes out. She clearly found the person she was looking for, because she starts yelling at Buck.
“You do not get to choose who lives and who dies,” she lectures.
“Really? Because I was under the impression that kind of was my job,” Buck retorts.
You could seriously slap him.
“That mother was no less of a child than her baby,” Athena continues yelling, pointing a finger at the hospital. “You’re gonna get someone killed.”
“Well, maybe, but not today,” Buck says with a cocky head tilt.
You laugh humorlessly. “You know what, Pretty Boy?” you say, turning to Buck.
Fuck it. Bobby won’t put him in his place, and Athena isn’t allowed to, so you take matters into your own hands, literally.
Before you even fully comprehend what you’re doing, you’re wrapping a hand around Buck’s throat and pushing him against the ambulance. You aren’t choking him, but you don’t move your hand because keeping it there is your only leverage.
“I’m getting real tired of this tough guy bullshit,” you growl, your face only an inch from his. He’s quite a bit taller than you, but when you bounced him off the rig, his footing faltered, so he’s crouched at your eye level. “You wanna get real, Evan? You didn’t do a goddamn thing today except get in the way. While we were busy saving lives, you were shitting your pants and dropping the ball, not exactly what a tough guy is supposed to do.”
“Okay, enough,” Bobby says, trying to break it up. You’re far from finished, though.
You move your hand from his neck, but only so you can point it in his face. “You aren’t a god — you don’t decide who lives! You didn’t even save a life today: we did, because you kept fucking up. And if you keep fucking up like you did today, you definitely will kill someone, and your little jokes and midday booty calls and your shitty little grin won’t change that!”
Bobby ends up physically pulling you away while Athena makes some room between the two of you.
“Aren’t you going to arrest her or something?” Buck says, rubbing his neck. “She assaulted me!”
“She didn’t say anything that wasn’t true,” Athena counters. “I promise you, Buckley, the next time you screw up? It’ll be your last.”
Athena casts Bobby a glance before she walks away.
“You,” Bobby says, looking at Buck, “in the truck. Now.”
You start to walk over to the passenger’s side of the cab when Bobby calls after you.
“I want you in my office the second we get back,” He orders.
You clench your jaw. “Yes Captain.”
Ch 2
#911 abc#evan buckley#evan buckley x reader#911 show#911 on abc#911 reader insert#evan buckley/reader#eddie diaz x reader#no use of y/n#enemies to lovers#enemies to friends to lovers#enemies to soulmates#i can write
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— 𝐂𝐀𝐌! 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐

➺ PAIRING | gyutaro shabana x fem!reader.
➺ CONTENT WARNING | modern setting, gyutaro is human, camgirl reader, sex work, mention of sex, oral (male receiving - not from reader), masturbation. wc: 3k
➺ NOTE | this chapter was supposed to be much longer, but I sadly had to split it in two parts. I'm not satisfied with it at all but what's new lol 🧚🏻♀️ not proofread (if I read it again i might gauge my eyes out) i'll update AO3 tomorrow :3
CHAPTER 1
He’s fucked. Absolutely, utterly fucked. He’s read the mail approximately fifty times already, blinking many, many times just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
His stomach twists and he has to swallow back the nauseous feeling in his throat. Damn it. What the hell was he thinking? He doesn’t have money to throw around like this. That damn donation had been impulsive, a split-second decision fueled by the rush of pleasure he felt on the moment.
Now it’s hitting him. Hard. His bank account is already bleeding dry, his sister depends on him and he’s been stretching their groceries for days already.
Gyutaro runs a hand through his hair and swears under his breath, tugging at the roots.
Maybe it’s not too late. He can always message the site and plead for a refund… right? Surely they can do something about it? His leg bounces anxiously as he stares at the screen, trying to figure things out.
“Onii-chan!”
He slams the laptop shut, startled.
Within the next seconds Ume is storming into his room and throwing herself at him, her arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders.
“Hey, get off me.” he tries to wriggle out of her tight embrace, though not putting much effort into it. His voice holds a note of exasperation as he turns to look at her, her arms still firmly wrapped around his neck. “what's that for?”
“I may or may not have a favor to ask…” Ume drags out.
Gyutaro rolls his eyes, though there's no actual irritation behind the gesture.
“I’m going out with my friends tonight and, well, you know, I can't exactly go out without any money. You promised I could have a little extra cash this month.” Ume announces, her voice soft and innocent, as if the right tone might do the trick. Gyutaro groans, scratching the back of his neck and looking at his lap nervously.
Great. That's exactly what he needs right now. But she’s right—he did promise her extra cash this month. Cash he just blew on some camgirl he’s gotten far too obsessed with.
His cheeks flush in embarrassment, and he tries to keep his tone neutral so as to not let it show.
“...You know we're tight on money, Ume.”
“I know, but I haven’t been out in weeks!” she unwraps her arms from him, moving to sit on his desk instead, her legs dangling off the edge. Gyutaro's heart drops at how close she is to the laptop, afraid that she might grab it and come face to face with the mail. His fingers begin to subconsciously scratch his arm as a distraction.
“I…listen, I get that,” he says, his voice strained and apologetic. “But we really can’t afford any extras right now. We’re barely covering the basics. I’m sorry, Ume.”
“But please?” she interrupts, her eyes widening in that innocent way that always makes it hard for him to refuse. “Just this once? I swear I’ll pay you back as soon as I can! Come on, please!” she interjects, her voice suddenly sharper. “I’m not asking for much! Just enough for a night out with my friends. You act like I’m asking for the world or something.”
He hates saying no to her.
He always does his best to give her everything she needs, even if it means stretching himself thin—taking on extra shifts, sacrificing sleep, and pushing through exhaustion. It’s been this way for as long as he can remember and he's fine with it, as long as it keeps Ume happy. But this time, he can’t give himself the luxury to give in, not when he’s already made a mistake that’s left them $250 deeper in the hole.
“Besides, didn't you get paid this week?” she continues.
He swallows hard, scrambling for an explanation that sounds believable.
“Yeah, I did.” His scratching comes to a halt, his hands balling into fists instead so he doesn’t give into the itch. “But I had to cover some things first. You know…bills… insurance, n’stuff. It all adds up quickly,” he says, hoping the vague answer will be enough to satisfy her. “There just wasn’t much left over this time.”
Ume sighs, muttering a dismissive 'whatever’ as she hops off the desk. Gyutaro’s guilt only intensifies when she dramatically rolls her eyes, but he knows she’ll get over it.
Right?
Fucking hell.
“Ume, wait.”
Ume pokes her head back into the room, her face twisted in a small, disappointed frown as she watches him reach into his pocket. Gyutaro pulls out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and hands it to her.
"That's all I’ve got right now. I’m sorry, okay? I’ll… I’ll make it up to you next month, I swear…"
He was planning on paying their groceries with that money, but he can't afford to disappoint her again and raise her suspicions.
Ume hesitates, then finally takes the money, her fingers brushing his as she snatches it from his hand.
"Fine," Ume mutters, turning on her heel and heading for the exit. Just as she reaches the door, she pauses for a second, her hand on the knob. For a moment, Gyutaro thinks she might say something, maybe even offer some kind of forgiveness. But she doesn’t. Instead, she swings the door open and leaves without another word.
As Ume walks away, her footsteps echoing down the hall, Gyutaro gets up from his chair and starts pacing anxiously around the small room, his mind racing. He can’t stop thinking about this damn mail—the cheery, oblivious gratitude of a stranger who doesn’t know the havoc she’s unwittingly caused.
He pulls out his phone and opens the app once more to stare at your message, a sick feeling rising in his throat again.
There's no going back now. He's given you the money, and you've thanked him for it. Asking you directly for his money back would be… well, that would be a terrible fucking idea, wouldn't it?
You’d probably think he’d sent the money just to taunt you and take it back, and there’s a good chance you'd end up banning him from your streams entirely.
He rakes his brain relentlessly, trying to find a solution, but there truly isn't much he can do. There’s no way he can just ask for it back—not without looking pathetic or like a complete asshole. He'll just have to ask for longer shifts, endure more sleepless nights and get the damn money back by working his ass off. Damn it.
He locks his phone and drops it onto his bed before heading for the bathroom.
Maybe a shower could help clear his mind.
-
The rest of the day goes by excruciatingly slow. Gyutaro drives Ume to school, attends class after class, but his mind is a thousand miles away. Science, history, English—it’s all background noise, none of it sticking. His thoughts keep drifting back to you, your mail, and the stupid, aching frustration that he still hasn’t figured out what to respond to you.
And then there’s the matter of the name. You want to know his name, and he'd be lying if he said this wasn't messing with his head more than the whole money incident itself.
What could he even say to that? His real name is out of the question, too risky, too personal.
Well. It should be, at least.
But the idea of you addressing him directly, calling him by his own name instead of some meaningless nickname… it’s so damn tempting.
He knows that most people wouldn't overthink it so much. If any of the regulars from your chat received an email like this—something he’s sure has happened before— they'd probably get straight to the point and ask for something specific; for you to say their name while you touch yourself or some other nasty request along those lines.
But Gyutaro is terrified—no, mortified—by the idea of speaking to you directly. He’s always been too nervous to even comment regularly in your chat, so how the hell is he supposed to mail you directly and ask you to do something just for him?
This sounds like absolute hell.
He lets out a heavy sigh. He sits slouched in the back row of his math class, barely aware of the teacher droning on about some equation he couldn’t care less about.
His eyes are glued to the screen of his phone under the desk, the cursor of the blank email draft blinking mockingly at him. He isn't even trying to hide his disinterest in the lesson— his teachers have long since given up on getting him to pay attention. He's just another body in the classroom, as long as he’s quiet and doesn’t cause trouble.
He’d much rather save what little energy he has for his part-time job, where at least he gets paid to do something.
He starts typing, then pauses. His thumb hovers over the keyboard as he reads the words back to himself:
"hi, I'm a huge fan. I was wondering if..." He stops, cringes, and immediately hits backspace.
"hey, I've been watching your streams for a while and I don't really know what to ask for..." He lets out a frustrated tut, trying not to make too much of a fuss. He deletes the whole thing, his fingers trembling slightly.
After a long pause, he starts again:
"dear vixen,”‘Dear Vixen’. Seriously? What’s this, some kind of formal letter? He stares at the empty screen, fingers hovering over the keys but unable to move. Finally, he locks his phone and crosses his arms onto the desk, glancing at the clock before burying his head in them.
Still forty minutes to go.
–
If you ask him, he’d love nothing more than to walk home and collapse into his bed to sleep the rest of the day away, but no. He had to promise Tengen that he would show up for his stupid birthday party.
Not that he gives a damn about what Tengen wants nor does he take orders from him, but he's sick and tired of everyone constantly pestering him about staying in all the time. So, to shut everyone up, he’s reluctantly agreed to go to this party he has zero interest in. At least Ume will be delighted to know he's actually made an effort to leave his room, that's a plus.
But now he’s stuck here, not only dealing with Tengen’s larger-than-life personality but also watching him parade around with his three girlfriends, all of them fawning over him like he's some kind of God or something. Just seeing him bask in all that attention, acting like the center of the universe makes Gyutaro’s skin crawl. God really does have his favorites and he sure as hell isn't one of them.
He makes a beeline for the bar and grabs a drink, more to have something in his hands than out of any real desire. The cup feels cool against his skin as he leans back against a wall, scanning the room with detached interest. People are everywhere—dressed to impress, laughing too loud and clinking glasses like this night is the highlight of their year, and he tries not to grimace when a group of Tengen’s friends spot him. Of course it has to be the Hantengu siblings, those loud, arrogant bastards.
“No way! Look who decided to crawl out of his cave!" Karaku’s voice booms from across the room as he makes his way over, a wide grin plastered on his face. "Didn’t think you’d actually show up, man."
Gyutaro grunts in response, taking a sip of his drink. "Yeah, well… here I am."
Kaigaku props an arm against the wall and leans in a little too close for his liking, his voice dropping into something almost conspiratorial. "You planning on getting lucky tonight?"
Gyutaro just rolls his eyes, but Kaigaku isn't done.
“You seen that chick in the red dress? Bet she'd go for a guy who’s been locked away for too long. They love that brooding look, y’know?" Gyutaro’s jaw tightens, but he doesn't answer. He takes another slow sip from his drink instead, the bitterness of the alcohol grounding him. Karaku leans forward and gestures with his drink, pointing toward another girl across the room. "How about the one over there? She’s been eyeing every guy in here. She'd probably be easy to get alone."
“Like I give a damn.” Gyutaro mutters.
"Oh, come on! Why not?" Karaku pushes, throwing an arm around him with a sly grin. "You’re not gonna score standing in the corner all night, man. Gotta put in some effort."
Gyutaro shrugs off Karaku’s arm with a scowl, the familiar bubbling irritation starting to surface.
“Maybe leave him alone,” Aizetsu chimes in, trying to offer a little mercy. "He’s here, that’s all that matters."
Karaku rolls his eyes and takes a swig from his cup, muttering something about doing it himself before disappearing back into the crowd of people. Aizetsu stays, though, his presence less intrusive. He doesn't say anything more, which Gyutaro appreciates.
As the night dragged on, Gyutaro found himself drinking more than he intended. One cup turned into two, then three, the alcohol numbing the edges of his growing discomfort. If he was going to survive the evening, he needed something to dull the noise—both around him and in his head.
He quickly lost count of how many drinks he’d downed, and by the time the clock hit midnight, he was pleasantly buzzed, his problems momentarily forgotten.
He found himself laughing at Karaku’s stupid jokes, let Tengen hand him another drink, and even managed a casual conversation with strangers he initially didn't care to know.
And, well…
He may or may not have gotten his first blowjob ever.
He’s not entirely sure how it even happened. One moment, he was awkwardly chatting with this girl Sekido introduced to the group—a pretty brunette in a tight black dress with an easy laugh and way too much confidence. Not even his type. She had leaned into him while they talked, her hand brushing his arm now and then, her perfume cutting through the haze of sweat and alcohol in the air. And then, somehow, they’d slipped away from the main party area, her fingers lightly tugging at his hand guiding him to a quiet, shadowed corner of the house.
Gyutaro barely had time to process what was happening when he found himself pressed against a wall, her hands deftly undoing his belt and pants as she knelt down in front of him and started blowing him.
He came embarrassingly fast, and he didn't even get to know the girl’s name before she wiped her mouth and walked away, slipping back into the crowd like nothing had happened. He'd sort of hoped to get her number at least, but he knew not to get his hopes up. She'd probably lost a bet or something — nothing to get excited about.
It was a strange first time for sure, but he's not mad about it.
-
By the time morning comes, Gyutaro is a mess. He's slept maybe an hour or two at most, the alcohol and nicotine from the night before leaving him with a pounding headache and a bitter taste in his mouth.
He's not even sure how he got back home, honestly. His thoughts are totally blacked out.
He drags himself off the couch, his body aching from sleeping in an awkward position. He stumbles into the kitchen, his mind still hazy from the previous night, searching for something - anything - to soothe his pain.
He finds some painkillers in the cabinet, dry-swallowing them before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. The cold liquid feels soothing on his dry throat, and he takes a few more gulps to try and settle his churning stomach.
He glances at the clock, noticing that he has just enough time to shower and get ready before work. With a sigh, he shuffles into the bathroom, stripping off his rumpled clothes and stepping under the hot spray, letting the water wash away the remnants of the previous night.
His brain won't shut off, though; thoughts tangled between trying to remember the girl’s face from last night and the constant second-hand embarrassment from his own nagging stupidity. But it’s your face that keeps slipping into his mind, uninvited, pulling his thoughts back to the main issue.
He fucked up with that one. Like, seriously fucked up.
It wouldn’t hurt to check if a refund’s possible, right? It wouldn't look good at all on his part, he knows that, but fuck. He made a mistake and he has to do everything he can to fix it.
He dries his hand in his towel nearby and reaches behind the shower curtain to grab his phone. He unlocks it, opens the OnlyFans app and scrolls down, scanning past all your posts and photos until he finally spots a small link labeled "Terms & Conditions".
With a quick tap, the page loads, filling the screen with the detailed policy in plain text.
Terms & Conditions:
Thank you for supporting my content! Before making any purchases or engaging with my services, please carefully read the following terms and conditions regarding refunds.
No Refund Policy: All payments made to me are final and non-refundable. Due to the nature of my content and services, I do not offer refunds for any reason. This includes, but is not limited to, dissatisfaction with content, misunderstandings about services, or personal financial circumstances.
Chargebacks and Disputes: Any attempt to initiate a chargeback or dispute without prior communication will result in an immediate ban from all current and future interactions. I reserve the right to pursue legal action for fraudulent chargebacks.
...And blah, blah, blah.
Well, that's settled. He’s not getting a single cent back. He can't exactly say he’s surprised, but it doesn't make the sting any easier to bear.
A notification pops up. His eyes are drawn to it — expecting another spam email or pointless app alert, but his stomach sinks for the 50th time in the last twenty four hours when he sees what it is; an automatic message from you to all your subscribers.
[Onlyfans] VelvetVixen69: Hey babes 💋 I am now making exclusive erotic audios for you to enjoy anywhere, anytime. Whether you want something soft and sweet or hot and filthy, I’ve got you covered 😉 Listen to me anytime you need a little extra thrill 🔥 The first audio is free.🩷 Stay tuned for more! xoxo Vixen
There's no fucking way. He tells himself, his eyes remaining glued to the screen for a moment too long. His thumb hovers over the screen, hesitating for a second before he swipes left, deleting the notification like it's a bad habit he’s trying to kick. Which, honestly, it is.
But there’s a time for everything. He knows he can't afford to get distracted, and if he dives into it right now, he might be late for work.
Tonight.
He’ll have to check that out tonight, once the house is quiet and he can be alone with your voice and his thoughts.
#reader insert#x reader#x fem reader#demon slayer x reader#gyutaro x you#gyutaro shabana#gyutaro#gyutaro shabana x reader#gyutaro x reader#gyutaro smut#kny smut
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Dragonseed Chapter 2 : Coveted

18+ | 3.0k | Daemon Targaryen X Female Reader | dangerous, sex-crazed, raunchy Daemon | hyper possessive behavior, ownership, objectifying, big breast reader, non con, non consensual, P in V, lots of typical Daemon cussing, rough, forceful sex, violence, threats of violence.
Daemon has been feeling a lot better now that he's found you, his Dragonseed. No longer deprived of his carnal appetites, he's been keeping you close by ever since bringing you to work at Dragonstone. You return his generosity by satisfying his every need, although not always in the way you expect to. Daemon is a rather unpredictable man after all. I came up with the idea for this after reading page 914 in Fire and Blood. In the show, they recruit Valyrian blooded bastards to ride the unclaimed dragons from King’s Landing, but in the book there is actually a fishing village at the base of the island where Dragonstone is located. The men of House Targaryen were known to seek pleasure among the commonfolk there quite often, claiming their ‘first night’ rights and sowing ‘dragonseeds.’ Sorry it came out a little late, I've been sick again the past couple of days.. T_T
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 On AO3
Daemon wet his face in the basin, his fair skin caked with dirt and sweat from a day of training in the yard. He lathered a generous amount of milk soap into his hands and began to wash his face. He’d really prefer to take a bath and clean thoroughly, but he simply didn’t have enough time if he was going to wet his cock in you before supper.
Grinning he began to think of you as he ran a wet cloth under his armpits and then down to his groin. Standing buck arse naked in his chambers, his cock is already growing rigid in his hands at the thought of you, his little bird, his dragonseed, his secret paramour, and how hard he was going to fuck you when he got his hands on you.
Just as promised, he’d proffered you a position within the castle at Dragonstone easily enough, an assistant cook in the kitchen. Given you were so young and fit, the staff didn’t mind having another set of legs to fetch and carry things to and from the pantry. And given his high status, it wasn’t as though any of them would dare deny his request either.
The arrangement has been working out perfectly well for both of them so far. And since Rhaenyra never even bothered to join him in bed as of late, it had been painless enough to bring you into his chamber whenever he wished it. And oh how he had wished for it often, enjoying every moment of breaking in his new lover, and you were always so eager to please him. The biggest challenge was keeping you quiet so that his wife would not hear your screams of pleasure from down the way; he quite often accomplished this by covering your mouth, whether it be by his own hand or a gag of cloth to silence those heated moans.
Fuck, he was already at full mast, his manhood throbbing and twitching at just recalling the image of your full bosom bouncing beneath him as he restrained the sounds coming from your pretty little lips. Oh, how he’d love to let you go and hear every beautiful tune you might sing as he plunged his cock into your depths, but he’d rather not listen to the bitching that would ensue from Rhaenyra’s cantankerous mouth as a result.
Daemon finishes the quick job of freshening up, rinsing his body with more water from the basin and drying off before he gets dressed again. He rushes as he ties up his shirt, not wanting to miss the opportunity to have you sooner, rather than later tonight. His blood is pumping even more than usual today after some exceptionally good sparring with the other knights on the island, and he feels like he has enough seed stored up to take you at least three times, maybe even four.
He wears a knowing grin as he saunters through the halls of the keep, still half hard as he makes his way towards you, his toothsome little firebird. Daemon has a half a mind to take you wherever he finds you, loving the idea of a public fuck. Let one of the servants see him staking his claim on you, for it would make the act even more tantalizing. He wonders where he might take you, that self-satisfied smirk never leaving his countenance. Perhaps in the root cellar where the potatoes and wine were stored- or the pantry, or maybe even the larder? He finds himself further enticed by the idea of fucking you beside a full leg of mutton, after all, you are his piece of meat and he cherishes you for it.
There are a series of narrow hallways in the servants quarters, smaller rooms where they sleep, where you sleep when you are not keeping his bed warm. Daemon navigates them, slipping past other house staff that seem alarmed by his presence, but don’t offer any argument to it. The corridor opens up into the massive kitchen, a long rectangular room with an open stove in the center of one wall. Opposite the fire is a massive table that takes up much of the chamber, and women are busy preparing different elements of food to be served with dinner. Freshly cooked bread is laid out as well as several biscuits all arranged neatly on a silver tiered tray.
It all looks rather delicious, but no delicacy in the castle could compare to the taste of you. And Daemon is starving for you, ravenous with hunger for the sweet cunt between your legs, seemingly unable to get enough of it. He sees you standing at the table, your back towards him and your long silvery tresses glowing from the dancing flame of the fire-pit. He’d hoped to find you somewhere a little more private, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take you to another location to have his way with you.
As Daemon takes a step into the kitchen, he stops in his tracks, pausing in place as a consternated look appears across his furled brow and crinkled nose. A man, broad of chest and dark in his features comes to stand beside you, resting his hand on your shoulder and looking down at you with far too much affection and familiarity.
How dare that piece of shit touch you. You belong to him! He’d already stolen you away from your husband and in fact had the marriage annulled. He’d realized after talking with his maester, that as the lord of Dragonstone, he has the legal authority to deny any wedding among the peasants, and so he did. But, now some upstart ruffian from the kitchen was going to try and steal you away from him? How many men would he have to dispose of before he could be at peace with his claim on you?
It wouldn’t do at all. Daemon would need to make an example of him. Show everyone what happened when they touched what was his.
He strode up proudly, his back straight as his Valyrian Steel longsword, Dark Sister, as he approached the pair and cleared his throat, his hand clenching down on the man’s shoulder viciously. The scamp let out a startled yelp as you turned to see what was happening, a look of concern flashing across your eyes as you saw Daemon standing there. He saw the tremulous fear in your periwinkle eyes as you began to grasp the situation and sneered with a wild look of abandon in his eyes.
“What do you think you’re fucking doing?” Daemon roared out, squeezing even harder into the man’s meaty shoulder.
The fellow sunk under his grip, instantly relinquishing his hold on you as he attempted to turn and face his assailant.
“No, you can stay right there prick,” he said with a scathing venom in his tone.
The kitchen staff had all stopped what they were doing, gazing upon the scene with terror as though they knew blood was likely soon to be spilled.
“LEAVE US!” Daemon roared out loudly, the sound bouncing off the walls in echo as every single servant jumped in fright before rushing to leave the premises.
He reaches past you to pick up a chef’s knife from the table and spins the offender around to face him. “You see this knife, you fuckwit?” he asks with condescension. The man nods stupidly, wearing a veil of abject dread upon his face. “If I ever see you so much as look at her again, I’m going to make you a fucking eunuch. You understand?”
The man simply stared up at Daemon, disbelief rife in his slack jaw. He did not answer immediately and it angered the King-Consort even more.
“DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND!? You are not to touch her! EVER!!” he screams and wraps his giant hand around the man’s face, slamming him back against the heavy wooden table.
“Yes! Yes, m’lord!” the whelp finally replies, falling to his knees with his hands clasped up and pleading.
Disgusted, Daemon scowls and shoves him to the side, away from him and towards the exit. “Get out of you filthy mongrel!” he spits derisively. “Before I change my mind…”
The peasant chef or whatever the fuck he was, shambled to his feet, tripping and falling twice before he made it out of the room. The silence was cumbersome as Daemon eyed you, his gaze hard and vicious as he decided how he should punish you.
“Why did you do that?” you are asking, but your voice is so far away, barely noticeable against the ringing of his furious heartbeat in his ears.
“After everything I’ve done for you?” he begins tearing into you, his words savage and his voice hateful. He cups your face in one hand, stroking your cheek almost tenderly, completely juxtapose to the angry expression on his face. A squeak of surprise escapes your lips as he then runs the dull backside of the knife along the opposite side of your face. He is pleased with the fright in your features, after all, he wants you to know how grave an offense this is.
He turns you swiftly, shoving you against the surface of the table and pushing you down with a strong hand to the middle of your back. You try to get up when he tosses the knife with a clatter across the table, but he slams you back down causing the table to groan with the weight of his force. “Stay fucking down,” he hisses with frustration as he unlaces his trousers.
“But I didn’t do anything,” you whine sorrowfully, still trying to play dumb.
“Like fucking hell you didn’t, you little whore!” he spits back, pulling his stiffened cock out from his smallclothes and letting it hang freely. “You let him touch you. I fucking saw it! Saw the way he looked at you. How he wanted you.”
Daemon begins to pull your skirts up, shoving them up and over your waist until he can see your bared cunny before him. “Did you want to fuck him, girl? Did you think he’d have a bigger cock than me? Think he could fill you to the brim and make you ache like I can?”
You’re already whimpering, a soft mewl of tears in your voice as you try to make excuses. As you try to implore him to cease in being so upset. As though anything could calm him down now that he’d seen another man’s hands upon you.
“I will never let another have you, firebird.. You are fucking mine! You belong to me!” he shouted with a gruff and spiteful voice.
He pressed the head of his cock against your wet center, pressing through without warning and sinking all the way in until he thudded roughly against your womb.
“Fuck!,” he roared as you continued to whine against the hard surface of the counter. “I need to remind you, hm?” he asked, one hand coming to your hip and pulling you back roughly onto his member as he thrust into you again and again. “That you are just a little thing, a prized cunt for me to fuck whenever I wish it?”
That actually makes your breath catch with fresh indignant cries of pain. Oh you haven’t cried like this for him since the very first time he had you and he is relishing the way you keep trying to pull your tender core away from his impending wrath. It’s not like you have anywhere to escape to though, not like you can get away from his grip, pinned between him and the table, forced to take him like a good little trollop.
“This tight little hole belongs to me, girl!” he seethed, losing himself completely in your wet heat, his fury unbridled as he pounds into you relentlessly. “Say it. Tell me what you are and who you belong to. Say it now!”
He knows you won’t like that, understand all too well how proud you are, but he has to break your spirit further if he’s going to keep you under his thumb. He has to make you realize that you’re nothing without him. You stay silent besides the sound of your wailing, your dismay at how he is taking you and how low he is trying to bring you apparent.
“Say it, you little fucking slut!” he howls, raising his hand from your hip to slap you viciously on the the round fat of your arse.
You let out an alarmed yelp, followed by a wail of outrage as you finally relent. “I’m…I-I’m your cunny to fuck, Daemon!” you squeal with the sharp sting of embarrassment clear in your tone as your tight core clamps down on him in response.
“Damn fucking right you are,” he leers over you with a primal growl of arousal and conquest. “You like it don’t you? Like being my little whore?” He slaps you on the arse once more, this time hard enough to leave a crimson handprint on your flesh. Daemon can’t help but grin at the sound you make and the way you clench down tightly on his cock each time he slaps your rear. “You really do enjoy it,” he smiles smugly, loving that his filth has this affect on you. “I wonder how much coin I could fetch for you back in the brothels at King’s Landing? I bet you’d be the biggest earner on the Street of Silk… And you’d love every moment of it wouldn’t you?”
The inner lining of your center contracts violently around his length as you peak, causing him to wince in pain as he pushes past the taut muscles. “My dirty little bird,” he pants, grinning from ear to ear as you go limp against the table and he plunges deeply into you, pounding endlessly as he chases his own release.
He spills into you with the heat and thickness of molten lava, his cockhead slamming roughly against your womb as he pulls your hips onto him firmly, pulsing seed inside of you as he groans with the pleasure of subduing you completely.
“Fucking hellls!” he bellows out, falling on top of your back with nothing but his arm to keep from crushing you, holding himself up slightly from the wooden counter.
Daemon stays inside of you, not in a rush to leave the safe and welcoming heat of your cunt. As he steadies himself on his forearm, he reaches up to brush your hair aside, wiping salty tears dotingly from your cheeks as he takes in your expression.
“Are you hurt, little bird?” he asks with a hint of regret in seeing your reddened eyes and cheeks. “Was I too rough?”
You shake your head slightly, still not making eye contact with him as your body shivers beneath him. He smooths your bright locks of hair back against your scalp, still panting as he tries to recover.
Gods, he thinks you look beautiful like this, ravaged and spent, and still impaled on his cock.
“I don’t want him,” you finally say quietly, almost pouting. “He means nothing to me.”
Daemon sighs, feeling a pang of guilt at how decisively you say that, without a hint of doubt. He withdraws his length from you, leaving a slick mess of your combined fluids as he lets your skirts fall down again. He puts his now softening cock back in his brailes and turns you around to face him.
“I know,” he says pressing a kiss against your lips, before pulling back to take a look at you. “I can’t control how I feel about you, my searing firebird,” he says more softly, peppering kisses on your cheeks in between words. “It drives me mad with rage to think of another man so much as touching you.”
There was something about fucking you that always dulled his sharpest edges. It was as though every bit of pent up rage and aggression just fell away once he spent inside you. You were the only one who could sooth his ferocity like this, quell the savage beast that he always became in your absence, or even at the thought of losing you.
“I would never leave you for another, Daemon,” you say reassuringly, brushing your soft hand along the hard line of his jaw. “I don’t want anyone else but you. You must know that by now?”
“One day, I’ll learn,” he offers with a playful little smirk as he snatches your hand in his, and brushes a gentle kiss against the back of your knuckle.
“Well, isn’t that sweet?” an all too familiar voice cuts through the tender moment.
Daemon snaps his head towards the shrill sound, knowing exactly who he’ll see, his wife Rhaenyra. He looks back at you, realizing that he’s been caught and worried about what it could mean for you. He turns back to the would be queen and offers a feigned smile of surprise.
“I’m sorry, wife,” he offers complacently as he lets your hand go and smacks you on the bottom dismissively, signaling for you to leave. “Did we make too much noise?”
You scamper off obediently, retreating into the hallway and out of sight much to his relief. He doesn’t want Rhaenyra getting a good look at you, doesn’t want her getting any ideas concerning retribution against you.
“When the staff is not allowed into the kitchen to prepare supper and we are all made to wait… Well, it certainly sparks one’s curiosity as to what is causing the delay, husband,” she says, her voice cold and distant.
“Oh, that?” he throws his hands out in a disarming gesture, showing that they are empty. “That was just some fun,” he assures her, using as much disregard as possible so Rhaenyra might feel less threatened by you. “A passing dalliance, nothing more,” he offers with a wink as he lowers his hands to his sides and walks past her out towards the dining hall.
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