#farewell my queue

[alonggoodbye]

muse vs mun

tagged by: @tensleepshrike & @magicxecustos

tagging: @glacierfront, @murdercapitxl (Paul), @ssolessurvivor, @0brighta, & everyone else who hasn't yet :)

[spockvarietyhour]

Star Trek Lower Decks "A Farewell to Farms"

[probablygayattorneys]

Matt Engarde be like

[septembersghost]

with love

[fooltofancy]

have set my queue tag free, chaos only now.

[flowerboygeralt]

finally decided to get back into embroidery! Something basic to start with but already working on something infinitely more complex because I like pain

[alonggoodbye]

"I want to stay in bed with you," she says as she leans against the warmth of his palm. "Maybe not all day, but— oh, it would be lovely to wake up together."

She smiled at the thought of how far they had both come. Intimacy and love weren't nearly such terrifying concepts— though the new terror now lies in the thought that he'd leave her, or that she might only get to love him until death (where she might not be able to follow). Maybe that's why she still has nights where she'd wake, throwing herself into a seated position every once in a while.

She pushes the fear that begins to settle in the back of her throat and constrict her chest. No, not tonight. Halia decides that she will not worry him.

Her eyes open and she watches his tired face gazing up at her, Logan is fighting sleep and starting to lose. "What about you, sweetheart? Want to tell me about what you'd like to do while I tuck you in?"

@alonggoodbye continued [x]

Logan wastes no time in wrapping her up in his arms when she comes to perch in his lap, and he smiles up at her while her sweet voice quietly, teasingly, admonishes him. "I'll sleep when I'm dead." He offers instead, though his smile is ever present on his face. It faulters for just a moment as his brows knit just a tad. "Is is bad that I don't want you to go? I sleep better with you here."

He doesn't think he's ever eluded to that fact up until now. With her weight in the bed beside him, her warmth under his arm when he often times would find himself spooning her in the middle of the night, he doesn't have as many nightmares from his time in the trenches. The ghosts don't haunt him as much when he can smell her perfume on the sheets and feel the tickle of her breath on the back of his neck.

Something so vulnerable...it's there now.

Her little flurry of kisses give him an airy chuckle to escape into the air between them, eyes fluttering closed and providing that welcome burn from exhaustion. He'll wash his face once she's left. "Thank god for that, they're working me ragged." He muses but goes back to a lighter mood. "Anything you want to do tomorrow?" A hand comes up to rest on her cheek, stroking the bone there sweetly.

[blookmallow]

,,,ok bye then

[pseudowho]

Yagi Toshinori/All Might x Reader

Fluff, suggestive

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

All Might was strong, and soft. You knew this before you started dating (which was an operation performed strictly in secret, so wildly publicised would it be, to be seen on his arm in public).

Candlelit dinners in Musutafu's finest, instead became quiet nights in, with faithful security guards ushering you to the Might Tower penthouse where Toshinori waited, fizzing with excitement.

Instead, Toshinori took delight in stealing your blushes through deliberately poorly-timed whispered compliments. His array of vintage pet names would sound corny, were he any less sincere. It hadn't taken Toshinori long to cotton on to the glee to be found in a secret love affair.

And it hadn't taken long for you to retaliate; which was how you found out how soft the powerful All Might really was.

"I set you free for the rest of the afternoon, young ones! Spend your study time wisely! Strive to be the best you, that you can be!" Toshinori boomed over the heads of the students, filing out before him.

He spun, turning and bending down to you with that familiar trademark grin...only, heartfelt and wicked now, instead of fixed. His voice lowered barely enough to escape the students' notice.

"Of course," he intoned, his breath grazing your ear, setting a shiver down your spine, "my honeybee is already the best she that she could be."

You slapped a handful of books down on the desk, a frisson of electric sending you erect as you turned to him with a warning look in your eye. The warning look quickly died, at his boyish smile and natural warmth, unable to fight a man that you knew absolutely meant it.

Later, you approached him in the busy corridor, schooling your expression to that of polite disinterest in greeting a passing colleague.

"Yagi-san--"

Toshinori jostled you, sending papers tumbling to the floor, and apologising profusely in a dramatic hush, bending with you to collect the scattered reports from the floor.

"I apologise-- I really am sorry-- gosh, what a mess!" As people channelled around you, Toshinori's fingers plaited briefly with yours, his voice lowering again. "Not that messy is something my pookie identifies with, though. Not yet."

You dropped the rest of your papers, stuttering as Toshinori scooped them up with a flourish, standing with you and bundling them back into your arms. You stumbled, blushing as he clapped an enormous hand onto your shoulder with a laugh, and a thunderous farewell, leaving you stranded and skittish in the corridor.

In the lunch queue, you felt a shadow darken your tray, and turned, looking up. This time, Toshinori barely even bothered to alter his tone, instead hiding behind the student and faculty's food-related distraction. He plucked a tiny steaming basket from the self-service window, dropping it onto your tray with a muted thmp.

"Dumplings...for my dumpling."

You snapped, grabbing his usual cold brew from the fridge, and popping it onto his tray, smiling sweetly up at him.

"I'm lucky to have such a cute guy choosing lunch with me."

A blush burned over Toshinori's cheeks like you had slapped it on him. You felt a roar of success as, when you were called forwards, you saw Toshinori fumble his tray with enormous hands, his coffee splatting to the floor to his stuttered apologies. You left with a flick of the skirt and a smirk on your lips.

Between lessons, in the stream of shouting students, you felt yourself scooped in one great palm and effortlessly shepherded aside, hearing Toshinori's gravelly tones announce your departure; "My dear, could I borrow a moment of your time to discuss a lesson plan?"

You loaded a bullet as Toshinori pulled you round the corner, sniping him before he could take his shot.

"Darling, I must say--"

"What's such a handsome bear needing with me, in a narrow little corridor?"

Toshinori gasped, a single broad palm pressed to his chest, staggered by the force of his b-dmp. His blush rose from the collar up. He reached one trembling hand out to you as you walked away, leaving him stunned in your wake.

As the day wound to a close, you entered the staffroom, to find Toshinori and Aizawa stood, talking at the window. Toshinori grinned, faltering just so as you approached him with a honeydew smile.

You looped your hand through the crook of his elbow as if you were in black and white, pecked his cheek in a chaste little kiss, and fired off the killshot.

"I've missed you," you chirped, "Hubby."

A strangled choke left Toshinori's throat, and he almost buckled, gripping the window frame hard enough to make it crack with another hand clutching his heart.

Aizawa shot you a look of despair as you walked away, looking between you and Toshinori, who had yet to regain his usual colour. Aizawa called after you as you left, sniggering.

"You can't just do that to him. Hey! Come back! You can't do that to an old man--"

"Aizawa-kun, please--"

You called back over your shoulder. "He had it coming, Shouta. Turns out he can dish it out, but he can't take it!"

[alonggoodbye]

He nods at her words as he retrieves the cutlery manually. Normally— well, before he was human— he'd conjure things into his hands with his smoke-like magic; perhaps this was going to take the most effort to get on without.

Cillian doesn't mind that it all touches, but he is nervous about the variety. So many new things to sample straight away! He starts with the sausages by cutting them in to smaller pieces before taking a chunk to try.

The temperature hits him first and he maneuvers the food around his mouth, dedicating himself to enjoying it, yet ultimately failing and having it drop out of his mouth. Bright blue eyes flash up to meet Millie's— is she mad?

Sheepishly, he tries again. This time long fingers abandon the fork to handle the buttered toast, dipping it into the yolk of his perfectly sunny egg. As he eats he's overwhelmed by the deliciousness of each new thing he tries. A genuinely happy smile is given to his friend as he is quite humbled by the effort Millie has put into their meal.

'I love breakfast at dinner!' He signs, 'Can we do it again tomorrow?'

millie takes down a pair of mismatched bowls and dishes pancakes, turkey bacon, sausages, eggs, and triangles of sourdough toast into them. now that everything's going into the same dish, she's glad she didn't spring to make oatmeal too; poor cillian, with all his quarrels with human delicacy, having this spread served over a bed of mush may have been just a bridge too far.

she places a bowl in front of him with a fork, taking the seat to his left.

we call it 'breakfast at dinner.'

or something like that. it's been one of her favorite meals since joining the rest of the secular world.

she clears her throat, beginning to stir hers into a multicolor, textured mixture. " i'm sorry that it's all touching. just save the egg for last if you don't want yolk on everything. "

[velaenaa]

strawberry chocolate parfait \ nanami kento x reader (ch.1)

word count: 1.1k tags: slight slow burn, pining, romance, fluff, added as i go! setting: you are a worker at a bakery that nanami kento frequents ♡ authors note: hello ^_^ i hope you are doing wonderful! this is my first time writing for nanami. pls enjoy! chapter: 1/? <next>

Chapter 1 - Vanilla Cake

‘Does this guy need help….?’

‘He’s staring real hard at the bread…. Omg- is it ugly? Aw hell- I made that this morning…’ 

Your thoughts were cut off by the towering figure of a man, with two loaves of baguette in one hand and one container of cake, that happened to be your favorites, in the other. You smile up at him, “Will this be everything?” He gives a stiff nod, locking his eyes with yours, then you giggled; “Then.. I guess I'll bag-uette up for you..” 

No? No reaction..Damn, tough crowd.. 

He thanks you and you bid him farewell and to come back soon. You could’ve sworn he almost smiled… maybe that was a look of irritation..?

After he leaves eyesight, You make haste by sitting down behind the counter, face flushed with embarrassment and agony. It made you cringe. Why would you say that? Your coworker giggled at you, making sure to add salt to the wound, “You tried.. That’s all it matters.” she gives you a head pat and continues,  “He’s a regular here. He’s probably gonna come back in another couple of hours on his way home or something.”

“Then how come I’ve not seen him before?”

“Dunno.. He’s been away for a couple months now.” 

“What’s his name?”

“You should ask when he comes back.”

“Isn’t that weird?”

“Oh but asking some other random person, who doesn’t know him at all, by the way, isn’t weird?”

She has a point.

You looked down at your phone and idly texted your friend Nobara about your day and fashion related topics. 

You met when Nobara came down to the bakery to get some pastries for her boyfriend. You hit it off right away due to shared interests, albeit you being 7 years older. Nobara enjoyed having an older sister with an affinity for style, love for shopping, and interest in all the cool girl stuff that Maki wouldn’t normally talk to her about. 

Right now you two are discussing weekend plans. Nobara and her boyfriend Yuji, along with Megumi, and their teacher Gojo were going to a karaoke room cause it had been a while since Gojo had gone out with his students. He was stuck on oversea assignments for the past couple of weeks and he dearly misses them, or so he says. As always, you had been invited and of course you said yes! 

You are very fond of the kids and Gojo. The 3 of them reminded you of your siblings back home, and well- Gojo is Gojo. Plus, if you had declined, Gojo would pester you non-stop. 

-

After a mini rush, you sit  down, tired, ready to bite down into your sandwich, when on queue, the door swings open, revealing the tall blonde man, taking his glasses off as his eyes pierce you again. You wave at him and he just nods. You get a bag ready as the man collects another slice of the same cake he had bought earlier. He also got another dessert, this time, a small vanilla custard tart w/ fruits on top, made by yours truly. He comes up to the counter, and you stiffen up  in shyness, “Is this everything for you?”

The man looked tired, but he let out a soft, yet stern ‘yes.’

As you rang up his order you looked back up to him, your lips curling into a small grin, “How was work?” This caught them both off guard, “Oh- I didn’t- I didn’t mean to assume-” I mean.. Unless this guy enjoys walking around in a whole business suit for funsies.

He actually lets out a chuckle, “It’s okay. It was a busy day.” 

You both stayed silent for a second before he asked in return, “How was your day, miss?” This made you feel warm and your smile only got bigger, “It was wonderful! I got to serve a lot of customers. They bought their kids in. It was so fun.”

‘And cause you came into the shop twice.’

“Ah sorry.. I’m trailing. I didn’t mean to ramble- you must be dying to get home.”

‘No, I could get used to listening to you.’  is what he wanted to say;

Instead he lets out a relieved sigh, “It’s alright. I’m glad you had a good day today.” This caused your cheeks to tint red. Dying from embarrassment because you just knew that your coworkers were listening in, she redirects the topic, and points at the cake, “Do you like those?” He nods again, “They’re the best I’ve ever had. Compliment the baker for me.” Oh your heart, you could hear it beating so hard from your chest. 

You do a mental fist pump before clapping your hands with glee, “Oh I’m so glad you liked them!” You go around the counter and grab another slice just for him. You stared up at him in absolute awe, because behind the counter was elevated by at least a foot. 

This man was tall, as hell. 

He just looks down at you eyeing your move. You push the cake towards him even harder, “This one is on the house!” He tilts his head in question. You double down and nod your head, affirming the choice. He grabs hold of the cake with one hand, “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

‘Ask for her name Nanami’ He repeats to himself in his head

“What is your name?” She beats him to the punch. 

‘Have you lost your touch?’-- “Nanami”

“I really like your name. It’s beautiful! My name is Y/N.”

‘Y/N, huh.. What a nice name..’

You give him his bag as he recollects his thoughts, “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve got to get going. Work” You shoot him one last smile before waving him off, “Thank you for coming! It was nice to meet you! Don’t work too hard!”

An hour goes by and it's time for the bakery to close for the night. You turn the lights off as the ladies load up the delivery car with food that wasn’t sold for the day so they could give it to the local kitchens and homeless shelters. You bid your coworkers farewell before hopping into your car and collecting yourself, before driving home.

After you get home you jump into bed, eager to text Nobara. 

[Txt]  Y/N - “I met such a cute guy today!”

A second later there’s an audio msg from her of Gojo;

[Voice Recording] “Wahh?! Y/N I wasn’t there today!”  in a whiny bit.

You laugh as Nobara actually sends a text;

[Txt] Nobara - “Tell me all about it when you come to karaoke… matter of fact, he should come!”

But you just met.. How are you going to pull that off… and will he even want to go is the better question… what if he thinks you’re weird �� oh lord… so many overthinking possibilities.. Ok but what if he actually says yes?

[Txt] Y/N- “Are you sure?”

[Txt] Nobara  - “Yeah! Gojo-sensei is paying anyway.”

[probablygayattorneys]

You know, I really have to give it to Edgeworth. Because if I had just returned from a soul-searching journey that was also probably one of the loneliest years in my entire life, and I was here to help someone that I cared deeply about, maybe even loved, and the only thing he had to say to me was "It would have been better for everyone if you'd never come back from the dead"?

I think I would have just immediately walked straight into the ocean.

[entername322]

Happy ending(?)

Yuri (Izone) x Male Reader x Minju (Izone)

Length: 15876

Previous part

TW: Violence, A bit of gore, blood

“So, let's talk”, You start fidgeting with your hand nervously as you read the anger that's painted all over your sister's face. “Did something happen?” Minju hugged me and extended her hand to pat Yuri's head. “Last night, her parents came to me and started berating me for no reason at all, so you better explain what happened”, Yuri just rested her head on your shoulder. “Alright, yesterday me and Yuri went to eat at her grandma's place……” You take the responsibility of retelling the story. “Fuck, now I'm caught up in it”, Eunbi is reconsidering about the vague blessing she has given you. “Yuri, I'm sorry but I'm sure things will work out one way or another”, Minju can immediately realise why Yuri is feeling down.

“Thanks Min”, Minju and you are trying to make a plan on how to cheer Yuri up. “What are you three planning to do now?” You do have a plan formulating. “Minju, why don't you take Yuri out on a date”, Which happens to be what Minju is planning. “Today? I want to stay with you”, Yuri frowned, “You should go out and take your minds off this whole thing for now”, Also you need to talk with her parents. “Fine then, when and where are we going Min?” Good, now just formulate a good speech that will win her parents heart. “I know a place, besides I know one thing that we have been putting off. I'm sure you'll like it”, Yuri took awhile to realise what Minju meant, “I see, let's finish that up today”, She needs some stress relief.

“Alright, let's get ready then, you can use my clothes”, The two get their farewell kiss from you before leaving. “So, things are going a bit rough”, You went and told Eunbi your date with Minju as well. “So, let me get this straight, your other girlfriend is one of the richest girls in Korea?” Your calm attitude only made her even more angry. “Do you have any idea how big of a deal that is”, Frankly no, “I mean her mom kinda gave me her blessings, although I'm not sure if it's a test I should talk to her”, How long would the queue for an appointment with her, 2 years? “You…. I can't, I can't deal with you”, Eunbi decided to just stand up and leave you alone. “So are you taking us to a double-ish dinner with your boyfriend or not?” At least, at the very least you hope that you can get your family approval.

“Your death, didn't they hate it when you start talking to other girls?” Wait, hold on, “What?” She laughed. “I lied bro, I don't have a boyfriend, I have a girlfriend”, Huh, wait a minute. “Didn't you offer me a condom once?” She shrugged before leaving, “Does she have a dick?” You didn't get any answer. Alright, planning time…… the plan is, Hail Mary this shit.

“You? Where's Yuri?” Yuri's mom answered the door, “She's out with Minju, can we talk?” She looked down at you with visible anger and disdain, but she stepped aside and let you in. “Honey, come down here”, She sat you down at the dinner table, there are only 2 instances where they pulled you here to have a serious talk. One when your parents died, one when you and Yuri get caught drinking some alcohol while being underage. Yuri's father came down, he had the silent disappointment on his face, he sat next to his wife. “So? What is there to talk about?”

While you were busy dealing with the in-laws, your girlfriends are having a relaxing shower, together of course. “Yuri, come on talk to me, I know what you're thinking and I don't want you to get drowned in anxiety and insecurity. Me and oppa won't abandon you”, The shower may hide her tears but Minju can still see that Yuri is crying. “I just don't know, okay? The one thing I had against you is that I have my parents' support. Now you have yours and I'm kicked out of the house”, Minju pulled Yuri to her embrace. “Listen, we're not competing anymore okay? Stop that, just leave it in the past. Oppa is right, we have a good thing going and I don't want to lose it. Frankly, I've been liking you a lot more recently. Not just as a friend, or a…… what do you call it? Sister wife? I like you too, okay Yuri, so I promise I will never talk oppa to leaving you. Oppa will never leave you and god forbid but if he wanted to I'll beat some sense into him”, The two looked at each other for a moment.

The heat from the shower seems to be covered with the sudden rise of sexual tension between them. Minju leaned in, seeing this, Yuri just closed her eyes bracing for impact. The two pairs of lips met each other, sending warm sensations that bloomed in between them. 

She's so warm, and tender. Is this how oppa felt when he kissed her? Is it the same when he kisses me?

She's so meek and scared, you poor thing. I can still taste oppa's white nectar on her, and even his smell. 

Slowly Minju’s tongue slipped into Yuri's mouth, the latter waited patiently for the former's move. Minju wrapped her tongue around Yuri's, unlike when she's with you, Minju can't get Yuri to match her aggressiveness. She likes taking control but it feels like Yuri is just being a helpless victim in her hand, which isn't bad, but it's such a different feeling with your animalistic behaviour when you're with Minju. One of Minju's hands travelled up to Yuri's boobs and pinched it. “Ahhhh, Min”, You were right, Yuri is too cute. “Sssshhh, let me show you how to pleasure a woman”, Minju's lips travelled down to Yuri's neck. “Ooohhhh, Min”, Her whimper is just a good fuel to Minju's hunger. 

“You know I'm kinda jealous with these”, Minju grabbed both of Yuri's tits making the latter moan. “Yours is nice too”, Minju smiled and wrapped her arm around to grab both of Yuri's asses. “Guess on this one we are matched”, Yuri nodded, her face all flushed now. “I haven't done this in a while now”, Minju buries her face between Yuri's tits and motorboat it a little bit. Then she bites the cleavage of the left one. “Oooohhhh, Min, not too rough”, Minju smiled before kissing her way to Yuri's nipple. Without a warning she bites on it, making Yuri gasp from the sudden pain and pleasure she's feeling. “Min, that's so….” There's no need to finish it. Minju smiled proudly and started sucking on Yuri's nipple and played around with it using her tongue.

The pleasure made Yuri lose control of her own body. She started swaying left and right, and sometimes tried to step back away from Minju. Minju's hands are firm so every time Yuri tries to move away her grips tighten on her ass and force her to stay in place and pull her back. “Min, it feels good”, Minju decided to have enough breast play and pushed Yuri to the wall, away from the overhead shower. Normally Yuri will feel the sudden chill and coldness of the wall but her body is too worked up right now.

Minju's hand travels down to Yuri's pussy, it's dripping, and the stickiness of the fluid days that it's not from the shower water. “Aaaahhhhhh, Min”, One finger went in, then two, then three, and then it started pumping in and out. “Do you like it, Yuri?” The meek girl nods, then her eyes travel down to Minju’s pussy and slowly, so does her hand. “Oh? Be gentle Yuri, follow my lead”, Yuri have masturbated before, it was only once or twice before you all started dating. However once you go out, during her sleepless nights without you she always gets so horny. Fingering her own pussy and another girl’s pussy feels different. She never noticed the squirms and constricting feelings when she finger herself, but when she tried to finger Minju every little movement it did enthralled her.

“Ooohhhh, you're pretty good at this aren't you?” The two smiled at each other before they delved into a passionate kiss. Yuri is still submissive, but she responded to Minju's advances which pleased Minju. “Fuck, I'm cumming”, Minju was too distracted with Yuri's hand that she didn't realise what the latter said. “Yuri”, “Minju”, The two had a simultaneous orgasm, Despite Yuri leaning to the wall her legs still become all wobbly so Minju had to hold her with her free hand. “Fuck, that was nice”, It was, unfortunately you weren't there, “Babe gonna be so mad when we tell him about this”, The two silently agreed they will make it up to you. “So, we're buying some lingerie after?” 

“I just don't understand how you think this will be a healthy relationship”, Whew, it's nice to know your girlfriends are having fun while you're trying to have a peace talk over here. “We are healthy, we compliment each other, help each other. And before you say anything about Minju and Yuri's relationship I should remind you that Minju was the one who proposed to have a date together”, Somehow, you don't feel those weird jealous feelings anymore.

“Yeah? And what if they leave you? You really think they're happy having to share you because of your indecisiveness? One day they'll wake up and find out there's so much more options out there for them to take”, She's right, there's a chance for that. “And they will leave, but I don't think you two understand Yuri, much less Minju. I'm not gonna be here so brazen and ask you to give us a chance if I didn't think this relationship will work. We have plans already to keep it on the down low for now. However after meeting Minju's mom we felt confident. We agreed that whatever we have is serious, and we will commit to it. You don't have to understand it, just accept it for now. Let us go through with this arrangement and we'll show you that we are not messing around. We'll show you that what we have, is something promising and beautiful”

Well, it was a decent speech, unfortunately it's not enough to convince them. “We really don't like it, not to mention that Minju girl is a chaebols that could ruin our life. Sorry kid but we are not approving this”, You tried, “Then I'm afraid, you have no other choice”, They'll come around, one day. “She's our daughter and we get-”, You just slam the door behind you not bothering to give them any courtesy. Now what?

“Fuck, this such a shit idea”, Nevertheless you just try it, who knows, maybe it works. You returned back to your house and went to take a shower. Going to Yuri's parents house reeking of sex was a conscious decision to show them that you and Yuri don't care about what they say. However now you should definitely make sure you present your best self. Looking at your suit from two days ago you realise you still haven't sent this to the dry cleaner. “Fuck, dad gotta have some suit”, Reluctantly you walk to their bedroom door, your heartbeat going crazy as flashes of that night came back to you. “Fuck, hope you have a good taste dad”, You swallow those memories down and walk into it.

Surprisingly, your dad does indeed have a good taste. It's a little big for you, but not that noticeable. His shirt is too formal, you don't want to look too desperate. Thankfully the girls have bought you some decent clothes, so you used your own shirt and a sweater over it, of course with the suit. A nice slim fit khaki pants and your dad's leather shoes, you think it's decent. “Looking good kid”, Minho also thinks it's decent, “So your dad will also be there?” He shook his head, “Dad will come for dinner, where your girlfriends will come. For now you go talk to mom first”, Well that's reassuring.

“So, are you gonna meet her too?” He shakes his head again, “I have lunch with my girlfriend, so good luck kid I'll be cheering for you”, Just like Minju, her mom has a very expensive taste when it comes to food. “You're here, take a seat kid”, You and her are in a private room of the restaurant, not even a waitress is here. “Good afternoon ma'am”, You bow before sitting in front of her. “I must say I'm surprised when Minho said you want to talk to me. Did you had a fight with Minju already?” It'll be very disappointing if you and her already break up before her mom gets to see a spectacle.

“No, first can I ask, did you mean it? The idea you gave me back then?” Oh, it seems you are going to put on a show for her. “Hmmmm, do I? Maybe, are you seriously considering it?” You nod, “Good, go ahead and do it. Minju deserves to get everything she wants, and if your girlfriend is as beautiful as she said then having her as an extra partner would make her very happy”, Minju talked to her about Yuri? “She told you about Yuri?” She nodded while smiling. “Well, then I have something to tell you”, Her mind immediately raced quickly while her eyes were picking up on every single little motion you made and any changes in emotions on your face.

“Oh my, you three are already dating, and you told me about Yuri the first time we met because you want to plant the idea that there's a love triangle happening here”, You're not really surprised she quickly grasped it, the woman deals with lots of rich people on a daily basis. Reading and deducting people's words are probably her specialty. “Now this is interesting, so why tell me now not then”, Of course she knows why, she just wants to hear you put it into words. “You'll find out eventually, I'm not a good liar, Minju is your daughter so she can't really keep secrets from you. Obviously telling it to you on the first day because it will set a bad first impression. We planned, well I did, to tell you about it back then and have you acknowledge her existence. The idea was to let our relationship ride for a few months and after that we go out and tell you everything. That way you know we've been going strong for a while and we have a higher confidence in defending our relationship”, Satisfying answer, she's happy with your reasoning and your eloquence.

“So why are you telling me now? Something happened right?” 

“Yes, Yuri's parents and I are very close, they practically take care of me ever since my parents death”

“I'm sorry about that”

“Thank you, I'm sure you already ran a background check on me”, She smiled and shrugged.

“Anyway, after how…… open you are to the idea Yuri wanted us to tell her parents. You have to understand, one other reason on why we haven't tell you yet was because there's still some insecurities between us”

“Of course, the three of you are scared to be left by the other two”

“Correct, Yuri is especially scared of Minju. Minju is richer and much more powerful than she can ever hope to be. The one thing she can brag about is how her parents has practically accept me as their son”

“I see, they didn't take the relationship well?”

“No, yesterday we had a talk with them and things turned sour. Today I asked Minju to take Yuri out on a date so I can talk to her parents alone”

“Did they want to meet us?”

“No, they doubles down and want to break our relationship”

“Hmmm, now this is interesting, you want some advice from me?”

“No, I thought you would be smarter than this?” *Smiles sarcastically*

“Oh? Go on, piss me off”, She really wants you to push the boundaries more. She finds this type of insubordination to be amusing, she got bored of all the people licking down her feets.

“Hehehe, I'll jab you again when you make an opening. Back to the topic, I want to tell you this so I can bring Yuri to our dinner and have your help in telling Minju's dad. I'm desperate to have an approvals at least from one of my parents-in-law”

“Oh, now that's surprising. I'm an open person and I don't mind giving you three chances if it looks promising. However my husband is different, and telling him so soon might not be a good idea”

“Then I won't come to the dinner with Minju. I know I have to come because the whole family wants to check me out. Minho would be neutral, taking the side that would lead to a much more hilarious outcome. So I need at least your blessing to make sure they didn't just flat out hunt my family down and send them to the bottom of the ocean”

“Ahhhhh, very perceptive. Now let's bargain then”

“What do you want me to do?”

“If things go well, I want you to marry Minju”, Not what you expect, but also, not what you want to do.

“I can't do that, I can't just marry her and leave out Yuri”

“We'll pay for the marriage and everything else. We'll make you rich”

“On the cost of Yuri's heart”

“Well have her marry Minju then”

“I don't think same sex marriage is allowed here yet”

“I can deal with it”

“Oh, right, rich people stuff”, How is that fair?

“Hehehe, you want us to pull some strings and allow polygamy”

“No, same sex marriage is a widely accepted, what's the correct word? Practice? Whatever, it already passed in a lot of countries, and many Koreans, a decent amount of them also already wanted it to be legalised here. Polygamy is heavily frowned upon in most places. On top of that the people that do want it to be legalised are not vocal at all, nowhere near the LGBTQ community. Passing that law out of nowhere will cause major spotlights. I'm sure there's not many people who are eager to get married to multiple wives. So there's a chance the three off us will be the first one to do it which will definitely get the media attention”

“Impressive, you're smarter than what I expected”

“Well, you don't really know me-, you checked my grades didn't you?”

“Such an underachiever”

“Anyway, can you cover for me tonight?”

“Well, that depends, why don't you tell me more about how you three came to be”, Quite a warm afternoon you have. Minju’s mom is thoroughly pleased hearing your story. It's been awhile since she found some intriguing love story, and yours being a real life experience made it a plus.

“You look good Yuri”, Yuri knows it, “I should keep my hair short from now on”, She's thrilled to surprise you later. “You don't want to get a new haircut?” Minju shakes her head, “I like it when oppa ran his hand through my head”, For a second they felt the fire of competition rise again. “Come on, let's move”, For now though, they have other matters to deal with first. 

The two were driven to a secluded warehouse out of the city. A place, perfect to release their stress and finish the job. There were 2 guys waiting by the door, and they led the girls inside, to find 5 guys tied up. “Oh, nice to see you guys”, The four of them felt their heartbeat rising seeing the two people that just walked in. Anger, frustration, and fear, it's overwhelming them. The last few weeks have been a downward spiral for their life. First they got kicked out of school, then their parents lost their jobs, and their house suddenly got an eviction notice. The police knocked on their door informing them of an investigation of assault and battery, alongside a civil lawsuit for beating a helpless kid. To top it all off, the police took them in and held them in the holding cell for a week. Now, they suddenly woke up yesterday in this foul dark room while being tied up.

The moment they see who walks in, they just snap. Their muffled scream and eyes full of anger seems to raise the sadistic side of the two girls. “Hey guys, it's so nice to see you here. Remember me?” Their screams only got louder, “Min, is this really okay?” Yuri wants nothing more than to break this guy's but he's still anxious about the two bodyguards around them. “Oh relax Yuri, they won't say anything. No one will know, not even babe”, Yuri made a mental note later to ask if Minju has done this before. “Now, let's get down to business okay? You four have committed a grave sin of hurting our boyfriend. So, obviously we are here to punish you. Your sentence is death. How do you plead?” They screamed again, “Understood, Yuri, would you like the first turn?”

Skip ahead if you dont want to read some torture

Yuri glanced at the all sorts of equipment they have on the table near them. “I'll be happy too”, A hammer, of course, what else would a brute like her use. “I remember that you punched oppa's cheek right? Oh how much I wish I could rip your cheek apart right now”, Yuri gently ran her hammer through the guy's cheek. “This one looks like it can do that”, Minju pulls out a thin looking knife. She saw this type of knife before, one that her chefs use to cut some thin slices of Jamon Iberico, maybe it can be used to make some thin slices of human skin as well.  “For now, let's do this first”, Yuri pulled up her hammer and swung it hard to the poor guy's face. A muffled *crack* could be heard followed by a pained scream.

“Tckkk, this isn't fun when you get gagged”, Yuri stood up and took a small surgical knife from the table. “Now don't move, or I might accidentally cut you”, The guy is so preoccupied with the pain he had on his cheek that he didn't register the knife that's piercing through his other cheek. “FUCKKKK”, The sweet melody of suffering is invigorating for the girls. The guy tried to lunge at Yuri but the knife she’s holding just slipped upward. It penetrated his eyes making him scream even louder. As he instinctively pulled back, the knife got stuck on his eyes. Time moves slowly for Yuri, she can see how the guy's eye is being stretched like a rubber before the tension causes it to rip. Fascinating, Yuri keeps a close watch as the guy was squirming on the ground. “Your hand, they ruined my oppa's fragile body”, She picked up her hammer again, her legs stomped on his hand and held it to the ground. “Please, I'm sorry”, *crack*, “Aaaahhhhhh”, He can only watch as Yuri completely turned the bone in his hands to dust.

“This is kinda fun”, Yuri starts laughing as she stands up, “You're insane”, Oh yes, the last ditch effort to spat on her. “Should I end it fast? No, let's get your leg”, He tried to scurry away but Yuri kicked him on the head causing him to get dazed. “Now for this, I need a bigger hammer”, She took the two handed hammer that's almost as heavy as her body and returned to him. “Now, don't move”, The thrill of this torture is getting to her. She aligned her hammer on his knees before he swung up and stomped it to the ground. Unfortunately the guy moved his leg making her hit the concrete ground. “Haaaaa, you're such a rebel, just sit still and let me have fun”, Yuri used her leg to stomp on his thighs before stepping on it and used her other leg to stomp on his ankle. “Now, this feels awkward, but this should work”, Aligning her hammer to his knee again, he swung forwards before down to hit the knees between her legs.

Another *crack* can be heard, the impact of the hammer caused his leg to bend inward. His fibula broke and pierced through his skin sticking out of his leg. “Aaaaahhhh, please, just let me go”, He cries, every single cell in his body is screaming of pain, he wants to run, but deep down, he knows there's only one way this will end. “Alright, let me finish this”, Yuri walked up, having the guy's torso lay between his legs. Raising her hammer up, she's ready to destroy the guy's chest. In normal condition he would try to kick her and escape, however, the impending death is just too sickening for him. The hammer swung down, leaving a loud cracking noise, it left a crater on his chest and sent blood flying. The warm blood that splashed to Yuri's hand didn't even register for her, so she raised her hammer again and swung it down.

Over and over again she keeps swinging the hammer. Blood, bones, innards, they all fly all over the place. Every time Yuri raised her hammer over her head, blood and chunks of flesh or organ fell on to her. The realisation sinked in for the other victims, they are dead. The two bodyguards just stare at the show with no remorse nor disgust. Minju is getting horny, why does the sight of blood arouse her so much? “Aaaahhhhh, sorry Min, I got carried away, go on, your turn”, Minju smiled and helped clean some fleshy remains that caught up on Yuri's hair before she took a plier from the table.

“One of you go hold his hand for me”, One of the bodyguards forcefully grabbed the next victim's hands. “I remembered you, it seems my oppa has caused some damage to you right?” Despite your pathetic attempt at fighting them, you did manage to claw some of them and leave scars. This one in particular got his lips scratched by your desperate attacks. “Haaaa, you ruin oppa's nails, and even dirty it”, Minju opened up her plier and grabbed his nails. “Naughty boy”, In one pull she ripped his nails out of his finger. “Hmmm, are you crying? Come on I just started”, Minju smiled and grabbed his other nails, the guy let out a muffled moan, “Please”, Minju pulled another nail out.

After taking all the nails out of his fingers, Minju grabbed a drill like equipment. “I've seen this in a movie before, let's see if it works the way I think it is”, The bodyguard turned him to the side, Minju put the drill on to his ears. “Well, I guess drill is just a drill anyway”, Slowly she turned the handle, “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH”, He could only scream as the drill slowly pierced through his ears, it was a slow and very painful experience. “Can I just pull this?” Minju pulled the drill back out, ripping its way through the man's ears. “Hmmmm, let's try this one”, Minju is experimenting through all the tools available. Skinning, cutting, penetrating, ripping his skin, all sorts of stuff. Unlike Yuri's victim, Minju’s just slowly die from all the pain and blood loss he gets. His body looks horrifying, Yuri's murder victim has his chest turned into a fleshy, bloody mess, Minju’s victim is very much intact, with hundreds of different injuries all over him. “Haaaa, your turn Yuri”

Their screams of horror and suffering echoes through the empty warehouse. It was a sight to behold, honestly you probably shouldn't. “Now, last one, let's team up, Yuri”, They left Jin for last. Out of everyone there, Jin betrayed you, hurt you emotionally. So for him, they took their sweet, sweet time. Slow and precise, inflict as much pain as they can without having him lose consciousness or die from blood loss. Once the sweet release of death was given to him, they still aren't satisfied. They continue to desecrate his body till it gets broken down to thousands of tiny pieces.

Violent part end

“Fuck, that felt good”, For a moment Yuri has forgotten about the problem with her parents. “Good to know, feeling better already?” Of course, Minju has to remind her. “Yes, thank you Minju”, The two exchanged a hug while bathed by the blood of their victims. “If things ever went wrong with your parents, we can always take care of it”, Yuri felt conflicted, only for a second. Something inside her has snapped and she has found her resolution, “If mom and dad gonna be a hindrance to our relationship. Then they're no better than these guys”, Minju cheered inside her mind.

That's right Yuri, nobody can get in our way. Let's hope they get their shits together before things get too far.

Sorry mom, sorry dad, but I can't let you stand in my way. I only have them from now on, hope you guys can come around soon.

Of course they can't get back in the car while dripping with blood. Thankfully there is a shower here for them to freshen up. “Minju, I'm not doing this again until I tell oppa”, Yuri moaned as Minju grabbed her tits. “I know, it's just…. I'm so horny after that. Fuck we should go home soon”, Yuri understand it, she is also itching to get filled by you. “You think we should put on those things to surprise him?” Minju would love to do that, “Haaaaa, oppa is tired after last night and two nights ago. Maybe tomorrow, but fuck, maybe he can finger and lick me tonight”, Yuri frowned hearing that, the itch was too much. “FUCK, fine, we should prepare something special to make it up to him for what we do today”, Let's hope your tank is already refuelled tomorrow.

“Miss Minju, your mother is expecting you at the family manor”, The driver's words cause Minju some anxiousness. “Why?” He shakes his head, “I do not know miss, I simply got contacted to bring you back home alongside with Miss Yuri”, Now that sounds super fishy. “Did you tell them about Yuri?” The driver is a loyal employee to Minju, however he's still her parents' subordinate. “I'm afraid not Miss, they asked if you're with anyone and I said no. However they told me to stop lying and bring the two of you to the family estate”, Yuri and Minju exchanged a glance for a moment. “Should we tell oppa?” They are contemplating the pros and cons from doing that.

“No, oppa would get worried, we should go there and go home quickly. Then we can tell him everything went well until mom asked me to meet her”, That way if you find them to be a little off they can blame it on Minju’s mom. “Very well, let's go then”, The two anxiously held each other's hands during the ride. “Your house is kinda big Min”, Yuri giggled nervously, Minju decided to not tell her that this is one of the smaller ones. “Ahhhh, Miss Minju, and Miss Yuri I presume. Please follow me, madam has been waiting for you”, The two followed the maid to Minju's mom’s office.

The moment they walked in their heart dropped seeing you sitting on the couch facing Minju’s mom. “Ahhhh, welcome, please have a seat”, The two just glanced at you, who's smiling innocently. They made their way to you, making sure you sit in the middle like usual. “Hahahah, you must be Yuri right? Your boyfriend has talked a lot about you”, The two start tapping their legs anxiously. Minju because she's scared what her mom will do if Yuri wasn't up to her standart, Yuri because she thinks Minju’s mom is gonna start acting like her own parents and break the relationship.

“Please don't be nervous, you saw me and her had a talk earlier today. Well actually today has been pretty long……..” You tell them about what you've been up to today. Yuri felt her heart being squeezed when she heard how you came to her parents yourself to get their approval. Minju felt really bad because while she and Yuri were busy having fun in her bathroom, you were having a fight with your in-laws. Then you told them that you and Minju's mom had lunch together where you told her everything in hope of tonight's dinner. “Oppa, you don't have to do that”, Maybe you don't, maybe you reacted to this whole thing too dramatically.

“So, I gathered you two here now to have a little chat. Minju, as you've already heard, everyone is coming to the dinner tonight. To make sure no war broke out on the table we should prepare the three of you for some questioning”

Minju's mom immediately dropped the friendly and warm attitude and turned back to her cold persona. Yuri felt suffocated by her aura alone, thankfully you were there to calm her nerves. “So, you think you can just play with my daughter's heart and get away with it?” She looks at you. “Well, I'm not playing anything. This whole thing is a group decision”, Too short. “Why are you not saying you love them?” Ooofffff, this is gonna be a hard interview.

“Out of character here for a moment, I love them, however I think it would be unwise if I just say we're in love”

“Why?” Good answer, Minju’s mom has decently high expectations from you after lunch earlier.

“Because I think everyone will condemn us as being teenagers getting high on our own hormones and not thinking logically. Again, before you say anything about what I said to you back in the party, it's a different situation. Two teenagers in love isn't that weird or unexpected, breaking it so early would hurt Minju so as long as I don't show any excessive red flags then I will be fine. Having a poly relationship is already questionable, even for adults, if the three of us use ‘love’ as our only foundation it would make it sounds like we are not completely sure about what we do”

“Hnmmm, impressive, next question then, you're trying to say that the two of them are willingly compromising with each other and get half of you simply because they wanted to?”

“Because they are scared that I might choose the other one. Honestly, the circumstances of how this started was shaky. We've been treading carefully between each other. As times goes on, we got more comfortable with this relationship and now we're going stronger and stronger everyday”

“You're playing them, out of character a bit as well, let's skip the part of you explaining about how this started. I think from our lunch earlier today you seem to be self aware and can handle yourself. Back to the question, you're playing them, they have to love you fully and you only love them with half of what you can. Are you open with the idea of them dating other guys then?”

“No, because they would be cheating”

“Hypocrite, and a swine”

“Who used swine for an insult? Also they would be cheating because the maths equation you have is wrong. I love them half each, and they love me also half each. They love each other too for the other half”

“What?” The two girls stayed quiet for some time, like 5 seconds, making you and Minju's mom feel a little irritated.

“That's right, today they went out on a date. As you've known, Minju is gay, although it turns out she's bi. So she also has some attraction with Yuri, while Yuri here is still confused about her feelings. They've been reacting to these feelings between them. Today the two of them just went out to a date together, without me”

“Is this true?”

“Yes, yes it's true. Yuri and I have some connections the same way we have with oppa. I noticed it wasn't just a physical attraction since earlier today when I felt hurt for her after hearing what happened with her”

“What happened yesterday?”

“Me and oppa had a talk with my parents. They've been taking care of oppa and his sister for awhile ever since their parents death. So we thought we needed to come clean sooner than later. It didn't work out”

“So you think it would work out today?”

“I hope so, out of character this is the part where I would tell them about what you told me back in the party”

“Very well, let's skip over that part. To be honest I'm not quite sure what's gonna happen after. On top of that Minho is too unpredictable so let's just end it here”

You feel like you did a decent job, “Well done you”, She also thinks so. “However for you two, I am disappointed, especially you Minju”, She turned to the two girls. “What? You're the one who keeps asking him not us”, Although that is true, Yuri still hasn't grasped the nature of the test. “And you didn't do anything when your boyfriend was being pressured. Remember this, my husband will not blame Minju by any means and seeing you he will realise you're too meek to corrupt Minju. Which leaves your boyfriend, he will be the one getting pressured relentlessly. So you two can either shut up and speak once you're spoken to or you can help him”

The two look at you with a guilty expression, “Come on now don't be sad, it's just an exercise. We got this”, The two exchanged glances for a second. Rock-paper-scissors, Yuri wins, she melts in your arms as you two kiss. Minju left a bite mark near your lips after her kiss which probably isn't a good idea. “I don't care, dad needs to find out that we are inseparable, whether he likes it or not”, Her mom nodded stoically. “How long till dinner?” One hour left, Minju's mom left the room for the three of you to catch up first.

“Baby, you don't need to do this okay?” Yuri feels so guilty she might just cry. “No baby, I know I might be overreacting to this whole thing. I just don't want you to brood at home when me and Minju go out for dinner, okay?” Yuri leaped into your embrace, her mind filled with guilt, anxiety, and most importantly, anger. 

Fuck, if mom and dad wasn't so fucking stubborn oppa wouldn't need to do this. I hate them, that's it I don't fucking care anymore.

Yuri shifted her gaze to Minju for a second, the latter immediately understood what Yuri wanted. Since you went so far for them they will have to do the same for you. One chance, that's what Yuri's parents are getting, either they take it or they'll be removed from Yuri's and your life forever.

The three of you simply cuddle up for an hour to gather your energy for the dinner. Although, there's something you didn't know yet, Minju’s mom is very slick. “So, this is Yuri?” You definitely didn't expect Minju's dad to suddenly come into the office with his wife holding his hand. “Dad?” Minju felt confused, and she eyed her dad for a moment, he doesn't seem mad, for now. “I've heard everything”, The two were confused by his words, but you immediately understand, that her mom has recorded the talk from before.

Hmmm, he noticed it? My, my, Minju, you've found yourself a diamond huh?

“I've recorded the conversation from earlier, and filled in about what we talked about this lunch”, She dragged him to sit in front of you. This sight of her smiling all cheerfully is very off putting. Silence lingered in the room for a while, “Dad, we are having a good thing going on here, and I don't want you to start looking at us like we're stupid kids who don't know what we're doing”, Minju opened. “You are stupid kid who doesn't know what they're doing”, Very good argument.

“Just give us a chance, please”, Yuri can't fuck this up, she has to make this work. “At least, tell us what we need to do to get a chance to prove ourselves”, He looked at you with calculating eyes. “What do you hope to gain from this?” Whew, another round of questioning. “What other people expect to gain from a relationship, a loving partner” He shakes his head, “You, in particular, what does it mean to date two girls”, Well he's right somewhat, you can't just treat them both as one. You stayed quiet for some time, which worries the two girls. Minju's father is somewhat pleased you didn't just answer immediately, although it is a bad thing if you still haven't asked yourself that question.

“I just want to make everyone happy”, That's the best you can come up with? Really? “Happy? Are you three truly happy?” Obviously yes, seeing the three of you nod in sync made Minju's mom smile happily. “Then what if a fight happens? Every relationship will have some disagreement and fights”, While the two are very confident that it will never happen, you try to be realistic. “There's three of us, so when an argument breaks between two the third one will be neutral, despite their alignment. If two of us keep fighting over and over then we need an intervention and talk things out”, Unfortunately for you, the middleman is always you.

“But we won't get into any fights”, Minju thinks she's helping, “We can always find a peaceful way before any fights happens”, Yuri thinks she's putting the closing statement. Minju's father is thoroughly unimpressed with the childish display of your two girlfriends. A nervous smile grew on your face, “You're right honey, he is not as dumb as the grades show him to be”, Oooffff, he also knows about that. “You would've known that when you heard your head of security report about the incident”, Of course, someone was listening to the conversation you had with that nameless idiot. “I will give you a chance”, Yuri and Minju are excited and a happy smile grows on their face, you on the other hand felt like you just narrowly dodged a bullet.

“I have my eyes on you”, Well, another bullet may be on the way, “Thank you sir, we won't waste this chance”, For now, you have passed the test with flying colours, he will keep a close eye on you. “Well now that's settled, let's break the news to the rest. Come on we have a dinner to attend to”

Third round, thankfully with the approval of the parents surely Minju’s siblings will accept this openly right? “Dad you can't be seriously considering this”, Not really, “Seojin-ah, mom and dad already questioned us and they think this relationship is worth a chance”, Thankfully Minju actually stepped up and shielded the three of you. “Minju, you can't seriously think this is healthy”, Seojin is the eldest of the siblings, he is huge, bigger than Minho, which makes his anger seem much more scary. “It is healthy, the three of us are still going strong despite all the problems that arose”, Well openly admitting problems have come your way isn't very smart.

“So you do know this thing attracts problems. Minju you have a lot of eyes on you, if words come around do you have any idea how much more problematic things will go”, God family drama has been feeding you too much. “So what?” Hey at least the food is insanely good, they said their private chef cooked this up, perhaps you should start learning how to cook. “Minju do-”, You can't take it anymore, “Seojin-hyung please, I've spent the whole day today having this kind of talk since morning. Whatever you want to ask us, I've already heard it a thousand times, and I've answered it a thousand times with different tweaks to the sentence each time. Minju's parents already gave us their blessing, at least a chance for us to let this ride for now. Please, can we have a light-hearted conversation for dinner? I promise I can answer all your questions next time”, Oohhh, very dominant of you.

“I'm not your Hyung”, He glared at you, “Very well Hyung”, Minho started laughing like a hyena or something. “Seojin, the boy is right, let them have a peaceful dinner will you? Let's talk about this later”, Minju’s mom covered for you. Seojin glared at you for a moment before drowning himself in his food. 

“So, Brutus, why do you come clean with mom? Something happened little guy?” Minho changed the topic, well somewhat changed the topic. The dinner went quite peacefully after that, Minju’s mom spent most of the time asking questions to the three of you to know more about this conversation and also to know more about you and Yuri. “So why Brutus though?” Well that topic is bound to come up sooner or later. “Well, in my last year in middle school, there was a school play. My class appointed me as one of the actors. They put me as Brutus, and I had like 5 lines. Then practice came around and I was pretty good so they adjusted to give a bit more line and character for me. Well I was performing really well in practice, since I was a loner people didn't really expect me to be able to actually perform. Of course the actual performance came and I nailed my part. However since I was a bit of an outcast at the time people didn't really know me well. So they just start referring to me as Brutus. It's really recent, on my first day in highschool I made some new friends and he called me Brutus so I was like, why not. Time to have some rebranding. I don't know, it felt like the new name was pretty silly but it does give me some extra confidence, especially to talk with Minju. Things just took off from there”

Minho was nodding, of course he investigated where you got that name from and got the recording of the performance. “I think it's cute”, Minju pinched your cheek, “I think it's pretty disrespectful of everyone at our school to not bother learning your name. Haaaaa, but since you like it I guess it's fine? I never used that name anyway”, Yuri ruffled your hair. “Both can be true, so you're a good actor then, Brutus?” Definitely not, “Hell yes, I got the recording mom, he was impeccable”, Again, you are questioning Minju's statement that her family is not the mafia. “Really? We should watch it after then”, Minju frowned, she really wants to go home and just spend the night away with you two. Yuri also frowned, because she remembered a very despicable scene from that drama.

“I really think we should do it later mom, we have a long day already and we have school tomorrow”, However her mom just shook her head, “You should just skip tomorrow, beside you three can spend the night here. You three are exhausted so the thin wall wouldn't really reveal anything”, You felt relieved, knowing these girls they will definitely try to get a few more rounds in after what you did for them today. “Mom we can't just skip school, also Yuri and oppa don't have any clothes here”, For now at least. “Just lend Yura your clothes and Brutus can use mine, come on eat faster we have a show to catch”, Minho really wants to see the girls reaction to your intimate scene with your in-drama-wife.

“Yeah, I guess we can spend the night here”, Oh no, the girls are pissed, they really, really, and by that they really do not want to spend any second longer with anyone else but you. “That settles it, come on chop, chop, we have a show to catch”, Despite that the girls decided to just follow what you want, they are loyal like that. The idea that you will be killed once that kissing scene came up never crossed your mind. Until the scene actually came up, and you feel both of your hands being crushed. “Oh my, very feisty”, Minju’s mom's commentary doesn't help you. She saw how Yuri and Minju were very angry and jealous. She wants to fan the fire even more. “Is that your ex Brutus? She's kinda beautiful you know, you plan to, you know”, Minho also likes to see you suffer, “No, and he will never talk to her again”, Yuri said while glaring at Minho. “I need to use the restroom”, Thankfully the two let you go, unfortunately Minju's sister was waiting for you once you got out of the bathroom.

“Oh, hello Noona”, She steps in your way, “Uhmmm, everything is fine?” From the looks on her face, it seems like no. “If you hurt Minju-” Jesus you're fed up with this, “Yes I get it, I've heard that a thousand time like I said earlier”, She is not entertained by your defiance, “Just because mom and dad-”, You are not in the mood for this, “Doesn't mean you give us your, I get it”, She's pissed off. For a moment she felt like you are an absolute threat to her, why is her ego so fragile? “I swear if you cut me-”, Challenge accepted, “Or what?” Thankfully as her anger rose her defence mechanism kicked in. She stares at you with cold calculating eyes, she deduces you're trying to piss her off on purpose. Of course you were just really tired and not giving a fuck.

“What's your name?” You feel offended, “You know my name already and you probably know about my whole history”, She for one actually didn't do a background check on you out of respect to Minju. After this exchange she will, you tried to walk but she moved in front of you. Stubborn as you are you just keep walking until your head bumped to her, “I need to go back to my girlfriends…. Please”, Your smile looks more like a shitty grin if anything. It's like a clash of the titans, your stubbornness is trying to push back against her calm anger. Being this close she picks up upon every little detail about you. Your awkwardly brushed hair as you still haven't figured out how to deal with this new haircut. Your worn out outer piece that doesn't mix very well with your new and pristine shirt and sweater. Your somewhat sweaty smell as you've been wearing this outfit the whole day. Your eyes, that screams aggravation and exhaustion. She noticed that you aren't a rebellious piece of shit, just tired from having this whole situation and wasn't really in the right mind. She took a deep breath and moved aside, the looks she gave you had changed but of course you didn't notice it. Without saying a word you move past her and get back to the girls.

He smells nice.

“Took you long enough”, Minju grumbled as she hugged you, “I feel tired”, Your exhausted voice turns the girls into panic mode. “Are you okay oppa”, Yuri grabbed your forehead afraid that you might catch a cold, “Yeah, I just want to sleep”, Minju turns to her mom, “Mom oppa is tired we're going to sleep for the night”, The performance was about to hit the climax, but they don't care. “That's a shame, go rest up then sweeties, good night”, It's still 7 PM.

Minju's bedroom was comically large, “Min, this room is bigger than my house”, She just smiled nervously. “Let's take a shower oppa, wait Min we need some clothes for him”, Minju ran off leaving you with Yuri. “Babe, don't act like that”, Yuri embraced you as she let out her frustration. “I'm really sorry oppa, I was useless. When I was out with Minju, having fun and winding down. You're out here trying to-”, Yuri hates this feeling for being so helpless. “It's okay babe, you know I hate it when you're feeling insecure like this. So drop it off, you'll do it for me”, At least she's not crying. “I know, I have to make it up to you”, Right now the only thing Yuri can do for you is offer you her body, which is a pretty sad way of viewing herself.

“Here you go babe, come on let's get you cleaned”, Minju dropped the clothes on the bed before pulling me up. “You know, me and Yuri were having fun in the shower earlier today”, That sounds hot, “Shit, I should've come to take a shower with you guys”, The two are scrubbing your whole body while you just stand under the shower quietly. “Oppa you did take a shower before you talk to my parents right?” You just laughed and shook your head. “That's so ballsy babe, good”, Let's be honest here, you were also too lazy to take a shower. “Well, gotta show them that me and you two are a thing, whether they like it or not”, You glance to see Yuri is staring at Minju’s wound, the bite mark you left her.

“I want one”, She pulled out her cute pout, “Well, I don't think it's as hot as you think it is”, Needless to say you're still eager to give her one. You pushed her to the wall, one leg went in between hers. “I'll do it, if you promise me you won't call yourself useless again”, She nodded, you smiled before setting her hair aside. “I haven't got to say you look good with short hair babe”, Despite the shower running you can tell she's getting wet already. “Baby, don't tease me unless you want to fuck me”, You laughed before kissing her shoulder, making her shake gently. “Move aside babe”, Minju whispered in your ears. You see in a….. throuple? It's a buy one get one free, so Yuri wants your bite mark, she got Minju’s as well. 

“Fuckkkk”, Yuri whimpered, your hand slowly explored her body and squeezed her tits. “Oh yeah like that”, Your hand travelled down to her crotch to find Minju's hand is also travelling there as well. She pulled down yours to Yuri's pussy before her hand travelled through yours and hop off to continue pinching and massaging Yuri's tits. Your finger starts penetrating her making her moan even louder, the metallic taste of her blood touched your tongue so you let go of her shoulder. “Fucking hell”, It's so unfair for Yuri, seeing blood trickling down lips was too hot. “I'm cumming”, Your hand got even wilder as she started squirting all over the bathroom floor. “Holy shit, oh my god that was great”, Yuri forgot all about the depressing thought she had from earlier.

“Great that you like it babe, but now it's my turn”, Minju pulled Yuri's face to her shoulder. “This is so weirdly hot”, You laughed before you kissed Minju. This time Yuri got the job of fingering so your hand just cooperates with your mouth to pleasure Minju’s tits. Unlike Yuri, Minju can't last long, she's been very horny after the stress relief activities with Yuri earlier today. “I'm cumming babe”, Her hand latched onto you as she felt her body spasm out of control.

“Hehehehe, is it oppa's turn then?” Yuri looks up to you while cleaning her mouth. It was off putting, especially her crazy eyes but you don't really mind. “I really have no gas in my tanks now girls, and I might catch a cold. Let's finish up and you can do it later while we're in bed”, The two want to protest but their legs are very tired as well. “Well it's better to do it when we're laying down”, The shower finish up quickly and the three of you get on bed. Unlike on Yuri and Minju, your mark is on your neck. “Ahhhh fuck girls, do you really have to….. shit aggghhhh”, Your cries of pains is like music to their ears. Obviously they don't want to hurt you, but only threading lightly between the line of pain and pleasure. “You taste so good oppa”, Yeah, that's not creepy at all, “Yeah, I want to just eat you right up babe”, Very normal behaviour. 

“Girls, let's get some sleep, I'm tired as fuck today”, How thoughtful of them to drink up all your blood before giving you a good night kiss. “Should we clean this unnie?” Minju laughed and nodded, “You should call me unnie from now on, and let's get the band aids”, As the night continues peacefully you are unaware of the paranoia your friend Doyoung is going through. 

“What the fuck you mean they went missing”, He knows Minju gonna do some legal works to fuck up his friends life but he never expected this. “They went missing, when Jin's mom went to the police and asked to see her son, the police went and showed him that he's not there. They never arrested Jin and the others in the first place. She even told them the badge of the guys that took them but the badge wasn't even registered. Dude I'm telling you, that bitch is a mob”, Dear god, Minju would've loved to be here just to see Doyoung's face turned into horror and fear. “Fuck….. fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCKKKK. I don't know what to do, fuck this I'm not talking to them ever again. You all should fucking leave them alone as well if you know what's good for you”, They already did that, it's just Doyoung who is hellbent on having fun with teasing you. The news spreads like fire, everyone in your school finds a new fear to unlock. Ever since then, no one ever goes as far as stare in your general direction.

“Did something happen?” Seeing Doyoung fully committed to avoiding you weirded you out. “We just send some ultimatum to make sure everyone leaves us alone”, Minju sees the scared look everyone gave you which made her happy. From now on your high school life will be peaceful. “Oppa, I think we should skip art class today, I have a plan”, Yesterday you three skipped class and just spent the day cuddling on Minju's bed. Despite it being a very fun time for you, the girls feel like they are being edged by you. They are hungry. “Haaaaaa, fine”, You're also kinda horny after spending a full day being embraced by the two girls.

“Hehehe, let's go then, I know where you wanted to go Yuri”, Minju and Yuri have planned for some risky session in school, now they're gonna pull out one of them. The risky place is the gym equipment room. “This place feels…. Dangerous”, It's your hentai experience that's talking. “It's okay babe, go to the corner, me and Yuri have a surprise for you”, Minju shakes the bag she's bringing. Anticipation plastered your face before you turned around and just faced the wall. You heard the ruffling of clothes while waiting, every second seems to make you even more aroused. “We're ready”, You could start a tornado with how fast you turned.

The two are wearing some super slutty school outfits. A shirt that's being tied together that exposes their midriff, a red skirt that's short enough to expose their ass, and knee high white socks. You've seen these outfits in a lot of porn, but let's be real, things are different when you see them in real life. Especially when they are worn by your girlfriends, the two most beautiful women in the world.

“Do you like it oppa”, Yuri squeezed her hands together making her boobs almost pop out of her thought shirt. “We're kind of scared that this would be too basic”, Minju turned to the side and ran her hands up her thighs and pulled up her skirt exposing her pale round ass. “But seeing your reaction, I guess it's good enough”, You let out a little laugh as you walk towards them. Despite their effort to stun you with the outfit and their sex appeal, they ended up getting stunned instead. Your smirk and the whole aura you gave off as you walked towards them made them squirm in their place. “It's perfect”, You grabbed Minju by the waist using one hand and pulled her on to you. “Oppaaaa”, Yuri whined as you kissed Minju but it was short lived as your other hand grabbed her breast and squeezed it. “So wet already?” Your hand on Minju travelled down and went to her pussy. 

“Babe, ahhhh, right there”, You smiled and turned to Yuri who's biting her lip seductively. “Come here”, With one rough pull you ripped her shirt letting those melons fall out. You grab her by the waist as your head travels down to take her breast into your mouth. “Oooohhhh, oppa harder”, Your teeth dug deeper into her breast making her squeal. “Oh fuck Oppa, I'm gonna cum before you get to fuck me”, Minju moaned as your hand never stop fingering her. “Fucking hell, you first Min”, You pushed Minju to sit on, whatever that sturdy thing was, you're too distracted to analyse it. She spreads her leg showing off her eager pussy, you smile and take off your pants. 

Aligning your cock with her pussy, you decided there's no time for teasing, with one quick thrust you buried your cock deep into her. “Fuck, baby you're still too big for me”, Thankfully your cock hasn't magically shrunk, yet. “Fucking hell Min, you're always so slutty”, Her walls clamped your cock, almost suffocating it with it's tightness. “Oppa, play with me too”, Yuri pulled your hand craving for your attention. You wrapped your hand around her and grabbed her ass as your mouth travelled to her tits. Biting on to it before sealing your lips around her nipples. You keep sucking on them so hard that it might start lactating soon, your hand was grabbing her ass so roughly it might get bruised.

“Babe, me to-”, Deciding not to deal with two needy women at the same time your other hand slapped her cheem. “Shut up”, The pain sends a thrill around Minju’s body, coupled with your stern eyes she feels her orgasm is drawing near. “Look at you Yuri, you might just cum from my hands, are you close baby?” You whispered in her ears, “Yeah oppa, fuck I'm so close”, Your hand let go of her. “We can't let that happen can we?” You laughed as she let out an angry whine. “Fuck baby I'm so close. Fill me up, fill me to the brim, breed me”, You smiled as your hand grabbed Minju’s waist. “Well, wait until I'm done then”, You picked up your pace and start fucking her rougher and faster. Every thrust made her body shake and jiggle roughly. Minju can feel your nails sinking on to her waist, the impact of your waist clashing on to hers, and most importantly, your cock that's splitting her apart. The pain…. It excites her.

“Oppa please, let me cum”, Hearing Minju's desperate plea you just smiled, “Be a good girl and shut up”, You know you're getting closer as well, but you want to see her break. You keep holding in your ejaculations while Minju is desperately trying to hold hers as well. She's falling hard, every thrust is a knock on her orgasm that keeps yelling to be let out. She can't just cum, she really wants to hold it in but she can't. Her tears run down her face as her mind is losing its sanity. “Oppa”, Seeing her so frail in your hand you can't hold it back anymore, “I'm cumming”, Your declaration was not needed as Minju is so sensitive she can feel the throbbing cock inside her. “Fuck babeeeee”, she screams as your cum paints her inside, oh yeah without those pills she will be pregnant by now. 

“Oppa”, Without giving you any time for recuperation Yuri starts whining. You look down to see her grinding on your leg desperately. “Get up”, She smiled and jumped up, then she turned her back on you as she picked up something from the bag. “Are you sure?” You said as she handed you a bottle of lube, “Yes, ruin me oppa”, She leaned down and rested her hand on whatever Minju was sitting on. “Ooohhh, Yuri is already so eager”, Minju was scooping out some of the cum on her vagina using her fingers before she started sucking on them. “Aaaahhhh”, Yuri said, the two then had fun trying to get your sperm out of Minju's pussy to share and drink.

You squirted some lube to your fingers and on Yuri's hole. Slowly your finger circles around the entrance before it pushes in. “Ahhhh”, Yuri moaned but it didn't stop her from using her tongue to explore Minju's pussy. One finger, then two, then three, well Yuri seems to be eager. “I'm going in babe”, Yuri immediately stopped eating Minju out and went back to the leaning position. “Well, at least I have some snacks”, Minju smiled as she continued her previous activities. “Slowly oppa”, Yuri whimpered, you raised your hand and slapped her ass, “I'll do what I want babe”, This only makes her asshole even more eager. You did start slow, first you pushed your tip in, and her asshole almost chopped it off with its tightness.

“Oh fuck, you're so tight Yuri”, You let out a groan, unbeknownst to you, Yuri was sending a victory smile towards Minju. Albeit, the pain she's having made it look more like a winced than a smile. “Before you say anything you should try to take oppa's full lengths first”, Minju loves anal, and she knows if she's struggling to take you in her ass after all her toys, then Yuri is gonna be suffering. You slowly pushed deeper, making Yuri start flailing and shaking wildly. Never once that stopping you came across her mind, she will handle your size, even if it means splitting her ass apart. “Holy fuck this is too much”, You're still somewhat sensitive from Minju and now your cock is overly stimulated by Yuri, you might just cum any second now.

“Oh my god you love this don't you?” Minju grabbed both of Yuri's tits and pinched her nipples. “Ahhhhh, oppa, I'm coming”, Yuri moaned, “Fucking hell, you thrust into her, you can't keep it up anymore. “Ooohhhh, oppa”, Yuri moaned as you grabbed her waist and raised her up. With her leg dangling from the ground Yuri went through an orgasm in a helpless state, being held up by your cock and hands. “Fuck, oppa I can't stand anymore”, You gently put her down while holding her until she can try to hold herself up. Minju got off her seat and kneel underneath Yuri, “My treat”, Fuck it this is porn don't think about the hygiene.

“Min, If you really want some, you can take it from the tap”, You grabbed Minju's face before shoving your cock into her mouth. Minju loves it when you become so dominant like this, she relaxed her throat as your cock slowly pushed deeper. “Oppa, kiss me”, Yuri stand behind Minju while holding the latter’s head. “You're so fucking needy you know that?” You grabbed her chin and pulled her for a kiss. Your waist continues moving to fuck Minju while Yuri held her head to make sure she can't move anywhere. Minju was handling it pretty well….. for the first few minutes.

“Fuck, you okay Min?” You pulled out seeing Minju is struggling to breath. Minju felt relieved, but also a bit defeated as she felt she can't handle you. “I'm sorry”, You just laughed and patted her head, “It's okay babe”, Yuri then sat down next to Minju. “My turn”, Minju and you look at her with questioning eyes, “What? You two are so mean”, She frown. “Listen Yuri, why don't you use this assets of yours to pleasure babe. Let me help you”, Minju get the lube bottle back and smear it all over Yuri's tits. “Oh yeah”, You laughed seeing what's about to come, other than you that is.

“Come here babe”, You moved in front of Yuri. Minju kneeled behind Yuri and grabbed Yuri's tits from behind. As you put your cock in between her tits, Minju starts enveloping it with Yuri's soft melons. The squishy and warm feeling that your cock is feeling made you feel like in heaven. Top it off with the two girls looking at you with submissive and horny eyes, you might not last long. “Do you like it when my tits are wrapping you oppa?” You just smiled and groaned. “Babe definitely loves it, look at him, bathed in ecstasy, fighting against his orgasm that's building up”, Minju is right, the soft and warm feelings enveloping your cock are so different from what you're used to. Of course, it is just as good, the fight is still going and you're losing. “Fuck I'm coming”, This made Minju move even faster, “Cum for me oppa, cum all over my tits please”, Yuri helped by using her sweet voice and irresistible face. “Fuck, I'm cumming”, Despite already cumming twice your sperm is still flying all over the place coatings Yuri's tits and both of their face.

As your ejaculation passed, the two hungry jumped on each other's face trying to lick every drop. After that Minju got down and started sucking your sperm on Yuri's tits, the pleasure from Minju's mouth and tongues distracted Yuri from taking some for herself. Thankfully Minju is kind, “Open up, Yuri”, Yuri opened her mouth eagerly while Minju slowly dripped the mixture of your sperm and her saliva down to Yuri's mouth. As the last drop fell she leaned down and the two exchanged a passionate kiss. The mixture keeps exchanging places inside their mouth, coating every inch of their mouth. Their hands can't be kept to themselves so they start exploring each other’s body. You pick up a mattress from the corner of the room, checking it, smelling it, touching it, well it's clean enough. You drop it to the ground and just sit and watch the girls.

After 10 minutes of gripping and make out session the girls, ‘evenly’ split the cum before gulping it down. Then they turned to you, hungry for more, “Didn't we say we are only gonna skip art class?” You laughed as you lay down on the mattress, “We can skip it all”, You start reconsidering Minju's offer to do homeschooling. That can be talked about later, for now, it's round two.

“Why do you look so exhausted? What did you do back in school?” Eunbi somewhat guessed the answer already, “My girlfriends”, You are kind enough to confirm it. “You absolute idiot, just drop out already if you don't want to go to school. Where did you go in the last three days anyway?” Right, you haven't met her since Sunday morning. “Alright, that's….. you know what you do you, I really can't wrap my head around you, your girlfriends and those crazy families”, Eunbi would be lying if she said she's not concerned, but of course it's not like she can do anything to change your mind or keep you safe. “Thank you, the dinner tonight is cancelled or what?” She shakes her head, “My girlfriend is coming here at 7”, You never asked her actually. “Why didn't you tell me you have a girlfriend?” She rolled her eyes, “Because I want to prank you, and because you're a pervert”, You feel offended, of course you are a pervert but it still hurts you.

“Why am I a pervert?” She just frowned, “Your whole porn stash is just lesbian porn”, That's true but, “How do you know about that?” Do you even want to ask though? “When your laptop broke and I had to take it to the shop they told me there's too much porn in the storage that the memory has hard time finding space to keep temporary files”, Ah, that's why, “Did they think that was your laptop?” Her glare says yes. “Well, I should take a shower and call up the girls then”, Excusing yourself before she explodes has become a skill you developed this last year.

“She should be here any minute now”, Both of your girlfriends are anxiously waiting next to you. They don't like you meeting new girls, even if it's your sister's girlfriend. Not long, a knock on the door can be heard. Eunbi went to open it to reveal her girlfriend. Short hair, somewhat tall, well your sister is pretty short so it's not a fair comparison. She wore a black baggy t-shirt, red flannel and cargo pants, to top off the tomboy vibe she also wore a black hat and had a band aid on her cheek. “Good evening welcome to our humble abode”, She raised her eyebrow while following Eunbi to sit in front of you. “Thanks kid but I've been here a lot”, How the fuck would you not notice it? Oh right you were a shut in who blast music at full volume and stayed in your room 16 hours a day.

“The foods are still hot, so let's just eat”, Eunbi seems somewhat nervous, you're not sure if she's embarrassed of you or her girlfriend. “Name is Ryujin kid, I heard a lot about you. Although Eunbi said that we're having a double date dinner”, She eyed Minju and Yuri who just stared at her blankly. “We are”, Since when have you become so sassy? The girls immediately understood and took turns to kiss your cheek before scooping some of the rice for themselves. “Huh, that's unexpected”, There was a clear disapproval on her voice but she refrained for now.

“Eunbi never told you about this?” You just smile as you also fill your plate. “Nope, although I see why”, The cynical tone made the girls a little pissed. “Correct this is pretty complicated”, You find this amusing, “No, this is embarrassing”, Well, at least the girl doesn't have to be scared of you getting taken away by some college chick. Now they just have to worry on how to teach this girl a lesson. “Embarrassing because I can have two girlfriends while she and you only have one?” Maybe you should just copy Minho's physique and not his personality. “You're brave kid”, Eunbi slammed the table to silence us, “Stop antagonising him and you also stop acting like a bitch”, You just shrugged and started eating.

“So how do you two meet?” Oh Ryujin is definitely losing her respect to you by the seconds, “We're in the same major, she's my upperclassmen who help tutor me during my internship. Now stop this stupid display of yours”, Eunbi kicked you from below the table. “You're no fun, haaaaa where should we start girls?” Ryujin slowly went from disdain to confusion as you told her the story of how the three of you came together. “And yes, the two of them are fine with it, I'm getting tired of hearing that question and so are they”, You continued eating as Ryujin was digesting the food and information. “How about you let them speak first?” The girls just shrugged. “Oppa already said what needs to be said, and he can put it better than us”, Not convincing enough, “What else is there to be said, babe already put it nicely for us”, Definitely not convincing.

“Listen ma'am”, Eunbi stares at you telling you not to call her girlfriend that, “We had this conversation way too many times already during the course of this weekend. Can't blame us for being too tired to try and convince you. What's important is that my sister is convinced and you are aware about this”, Ryujin turned to Eunbi. “I was sceptical at first too, but after a while you will see they have a pretty strong bond. On top of that there's just no way to stop this so for now I'll just let them ride. Don't make any sex jokes”, Good call, you don't have any creative ones anyway.

Ryujin stares at you coldly for a while, which doesn't sit right with the girls. “Is there anything you want to say?” Yuri said angrily. “Babe, don't be rude”, You patted her head making her sigh, Minju pulled your hand as well, if Yuri gets one then she needs to have one as well. “Sorry about them, they get cranky when I'm around other girls”, You've come to terms with that already? “I expected a lot from you, Eunbi told me a lot about you. Even Yuna has some praises about you, but I never expected this”, On the topic of other girls, how does she know about Yuna?

“Who's Yuna?” Eunbi beat you to it, “My sister, and his ex”, Head pat faster bro, otherwise the girls might just snap. “What? You have an ex?” Even faster, “It was just a fling, right babe?” Is this gaslighting or threatening? “It was a while ago”, Should you pull your hands and piss the girls off or should you just leave it there with the risk of losing them. “She didn't talk like it was just a one time thing”, Ryujin picked up on the girls’ anger. “Really? What did Yuna say about our boyfriend?” Minju leaned in, “Well, he was romantic, kind and also very funny”, The two turned to you. “Come on girls you know I don't really know much about what Yuna thinks of me”, Immediately Ryujin’s view flipped. You're not a fuckboy who roped two innocent girls into this relationship, you were the one who got roped in, with chains and leash.

“It was a while ago, probably not long after she graduated”, Ryujin is pretty kind huh, “Yeah, I guess she does view it a little more fondly than me”, The crisis has been averted for now. The pity that Ryujin had for you and the gratitude you have for her smooth out the rest of the dinner. The three of you excused yourself, leaving the house for her and your sister. “Baby were you serious back then?” You tried to do some history lesson to remember what Minju is referring to. “What?” You failed, “Being homeschooled”, Right, you did mention it after school. “I don't know, I was a little scared that both of your families would find out and cause some trouble. Of course with your parents blessing and Yuri's out of the way maybe it wasn't a bad idea”, The two nod happily. “Good, we're leaving from tomorrow”, Not tomorrow but Yuri doesn't want to spend any more time in the school you're about to leave anyway. “Yeah, a new chapter”

The next day you told Eunbi the news which of course, doesn't faze her anymore. “Do what you want”, She can only pray that good things happen to you from now on. Yuri's parents don't budge for a second, “Yuri you're our only child, would you really do this to your own parents?” Her mom cried, “I really can't deal with this, just….. call me when you have a change of heart”, The three of you left them bawling their eyes out. Minju's parents don't mind, her mom happily let the three of you live in the house you had dinner with last Sunday. You have a sneaking suspicion that her dad is okay since it means he can monitor you more closely. Hopefully he doesn't mind hearing reports of all the sex you three gonna go through. “That is wise yes, you, you will learn under me”, Why is her sister so adamant on taking you under her wings. Your spidey senses are tingling and so do the girls. After hours of back and forth between them and Yoojin, the latter finally gives up, for now. “You will work under me, I need to keep an eye on you”, Her parting words left you with some sense of dread. “It's okay oppa, don't mind her”, Yuri kissed your cheek, “Yeah, now let's go shopping”, Minju the sugar mom of the relationship took you out on an outing.

You were dreading this trip because you know your leg will be drying and your arms will fall off. However the fear seems to be prescient as an unexpected encounter happens when the girls went to the bathroom. “Beeeee?” A voice from the past causes chills to run down your spine. You turned to the source of the voice to see a face you wish to never see again. “It is you”, Yuna jumped to hug you, the memories all flashed in front of you, the smell of her shampoo, the tender hands she used to caress your head, the thin figure that you used to embrace.

“Hey Yun, didn't expect to see you hear”, If she notices your shivering dry voice, she doesn't show it. “Oh my god I missed you so much. Doyoung refused to say anything about you so I thought you got kidnapped too”, Too? What does she mean by too? “Oh? What happened?” She tilted their head in confusion while her face was filled with worry. “Right, you never care about anything. Some of our friends got kidnapped and went missing, Jin was one of them”, The chill in your spine turned into a sick twisted crunch as if Bane just snapped it in half with his knee. “Oh right, I heard, Jin went missing. Although I never heard the updates on them being kidnapped”

Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck.

Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck.

“Yeah, you be careful out there okay? Also I heard you got a girlfriend?” Right, talking about girlfriends, “Yuna? What are you doing here?” Yuri wrapped her arm around yours while staring at Yuna coldly. “Haaaaa, I knew it, you two will always end up together”, Thankfully Yuna is a bit of an airhead so she can be sweet to soften the anger Yuri is having. “So you're Yuna?” Minju wrapped your other arm, “Yes, and you are?” Yuna tilted her head to Minju, “I'm Minju, nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you”, Minju hid her animosity better. “Wait, what's happening here Beeeeee?” The name was just short for Brutus but the way she says it makes it sound way too cute.

“It's complicated, Yuna, this is Yuri you already know her, this is Minju, she transferred to our high school. They're my girlfriends”, Yuna raised her eyebrow before laughing. “Oh my god, little bee has grown up now? Catching girls' hearts left and right?” She ruffled your hair, with a hand that she will lose soon enough. “It's complicated, you should ask your sister, did you know she's dating mine?” She nodded, “Unnie said you were annoying, shit I should've asked her about your girlfriend. Well anyway nice to meet you two, it's good to see you step out of your cocoon Bee. I need to go, text me sometime okay?” 

Now that she's gone, let's try not to make it permanent. Like dead, not like you will see her again. “Girls, should we go home”, Ahhhhh the old clashing aura that you did not miss at all. “Yes, let's go home”, The two wrapped your arms like an anaconda, but with venoms ready to be injected into you. The ride was so quiet you could feel your heartbeat deafening you. You can also swear you hear them talking telepathically on ways to….. make Yuna disappear. Just the thought of it made you sick. You have to think this through.

“You're cheating on us? We left for five minutes and you let her slobber all over you”, First step is to calm them down, “Girls we just saw each other coincidentally, you know we're in the biggest mall downtown, it's not that weird or a coincidence”, Maybe your arguments are too specific. “She fucking stalks you didn't she oppa? That fucking bitch”, Okay what now? Hugssss, they always work. “Girls please, you know that's not what happened. Can you two please just leave this behind?” Definitely not. “We don't like her and we want you to cut her off”, Sacrifices need to be made. “How about this, I promise, I will never talk to her or any other girls when you two are not around. You can even delete her contact from my phone. Just leave her alone alright”, The term ‘leave her alone’ made Yuri and Minju realise that you had some suspicions towards them.

“Wait here”, The two left the bedroom making your anxiety raise sharply. The two waited outside the door as they converse about what they need to do. “He knows”, Minju nods, “She probably told him”, Yuri frowned. “If he's not mad, then he's okay with it?” Yuri shakes her head, “Oppa is scared, we make him scared”, The two feel guilty at least there's that. “Fuck, but what now?” The two stay quiet for a moment, “I think killing Yuna will make him even more scared. But fuck I hate her”, For you, they will compromise though. “He said he's willing to cut her off. Let's make a deal then, he will never talk to other girls as well as cutting Yuna out of his life. But if he does as much as make eye contact with her she is gone”, Yuri proposed quite a good deal. “From now on, he can't leave the house without our supervision”, Minju decided to add another clause to the deal. “Yes, we need to seal the deal first. I smell some of her shampoo on his shoulder earlier”, Yuna definitely didn't hug you long enough to leave a trace but the girls’ delusion speaks otherwise. “Yes, let's get him drained for the night”

When the two came back, you were spoiled by the sight of two beauties wearing a sexy lingerie. Yuri wore a black one, Minju wore a white one, their body and perfect curves only get complimented by the lingeries. However you can't be horny right now, all you feel is worry and anxiousness. “Oppa, we decided to let you off, just this once”, Yuri walked to you and sat on one of your legs. “But only this once, you can never talk to her and we're deleting her contact after this”, Minju sat on the other one. “On top of that, you can never talk to other girls okay?” Yuri unbuttoned your shirt, “Or leave this house without us, okay babe?” You nod, somewhat relieved that you managed to save someone's life.

“Good, then for now, since you have cheated on us, you will have to make it up to us”, Minju unzipped your pants, “We want you to prove yourself to us, fuck us untill we can't walk tomorrow. That's okay right oppa?” Yuri kissed your cheek. “I love you two, now and forever”, The girls exchanged glances, the joy they felt was mutual, however the talk about marriage can be talked about later. “Lay down on the bed oppa”, You comply, the two immediately pull down your pants revealing your cock. “So hard already, I know you won't cheat on us on purpose”, Your horniness knows no bounds. “Fuck this feels so warm”, Minju pressed her head against it, her breath sends tickling sensation through your body. “Mwah, are you gonna start doing your job unnie?” Yuri kissed your tip making it shivered for a second. “Ooohhhhh, appetisers”, Yuri hungrily lick your leaking precum, “Fuck, I want some”, Yuri moved down to start kissing and suckling on your balls as Minju took her turns to drink your juice.

“Girls I'm still so fucking sensitive from last night”, Since the last day of school you three had sex 4 times out of the last 6 days. “You should hold it in then oppa”, Yuri laughed before she started sucking your balls since she found out that it's your weak spot. “Itadakimasu”, Minju gave another kiss to the tip before she swallowed your cock whole. The feeling of her tight little throat is too stimulating. Yuri's endless attack on your balls doesn't help either. “I swear I can feel your babies swimming around in here oppa”, Her dirty talk doesn't help either. “Haaaaa, haaaaa, haaaaa, Yuri your turn”, Minju travelled down to your balls as Yuri was taking your cock into her mouth. “You can cum when you want oppa, but we are not stopping until we are satisfied”, Minju smiled before she started worshipping your balls. 

You try to hold it in, the feelings of warmth enveloping your cock while kisses and licks keep attacking your balls trying to push your sperm out of its resting place. “Fuck unnie, I can't”, Thank fuck you have such a big cock that Yuri can't handle it. “Hehehehehe, then let's collaborate”, Minji started kissing the side of your tip while Yuri kissed the other side. Slowly they used your tongue to lick it like a popsicle, then their lips sandwiched it as they moved up and down in sync. The sandwich blowjob proves to be a bad matchup for you as you can't even hold it much longer. “Fuck I'm cumming”, Hearing your groan the two moves even faster and their tongue licks even more furiously, tracing their way through the veins all over your dick.

Like a fountain your sperm shoots up before falling down to the girls’ face. The two didn't stop, they got even more aggressive until your cock stopped throbbing. “So thick and warm, I want a taste”, The two take turns licking each other's face, cleaning every drop of cum from their faces. Once their face turned crystal clear, Minji climbed to be eye level with you. “You can sit back and relax, oppa, we'll take it from here”, She bit your ears as Yuri pulled her panties to the side before sitting on your cock. “Fuck, do you feel how wet I am for you oppa, do you like it?” If Yuri keeps grinding on it with her drenched pussy you might just cum right now.

“Are you gonna fuck him or should I take the first turn”, Yuri just frowned before she lifts up a little. She aligned her cock with her pussy before abruptly dropping down. “Fuck, oppa hold me”, Your hand raises up to help support her weight. “Baby, I'm here too”, Minju pulled you into a kiss. Her hand trails down to your newly formed abs sending some ticklish sensation. Your tongue had some wrestling action against hers as Yuri kept riding you. “Oppa, look at me, do you like my tits”, You broke off the kiss to see Yuri has pulled down her bra making her tits bounce alongside her. A mesmerising view before your attention was grabbed by the searing pain on your neck. “Fuck, I'm coming babe”, Yuri bite her lips and nodded, “I'm cumming too oppa. Ahhhhh your cock is pushing inside me, I can feel it squirm oppa. Fill me, fill me up inside with your love”, She dropped down on you as her thighs shook out of exhaustion and ecstasy. Her inner walls help milk your sperm out of your cock, somehow this batch is much thicker and higher volume than before. “Fuckkkk, I can feel it oppa, I can feel you right here”, Yuri rubbed her stomach as her orgasm passed away.

“You taste so good babe, every inch of your body and every drop of your bodily fluid is just nectar to me”, Minju had her fill of blood. “We should clean that latter”, Remember, do not think about the hygiene. “Fuck, my legs need some times oppa”, Yuri jumped to lay next to you while Minju took her spot. Minju faced away from you showing off her flawless back. “I can't wait anymore babe, hope you're ready”, Fuck her pussy just start milking you from the first penetration. “Oppa, kiss me as well”, Yuri jumped on you, sitting in your stomach making sure to get in Minju's way. Then she bent down and started making out with you. Your hand went around her and grabbed Minju's waist, grabbing her ass and thighs from time to time. Yuri grabbed your head using both of her hands as she aggressively made out with you. 

When she had enough of your saliva she travelled down to your neck, reinstating the fading wounds she left before. Knowing you probably can't hold any longer, your hand reaches out to let your finger trace down Minju’s spine, her weak spot. “Fuck, that's not fair oppa, I'm cumming”, Minju squealed. That means you can safely deliver your load inside her, just as much and just as thick as the one swimming inside Yuri right now. “Fuckkkkk, I can feel you oppa, I can feel them moving around me”, Minju pressed her stomach, the pressure her finger gave can be felt by you through her flesh. “Perfect, but we're not done yet oppa, we want more”

You are dead, congratulations, you've been freed from the mortal body. “That's amazing oppa”, Oh wait you're not, tough luck buddy. “It is great babe, sorry that we went all out. We're just pissed by that fucking bitch”, Minju and Yuri is comfortably nestling in your arms. “I know….. I just need a few days to cool down okay?” Detestable, but they expected nothing less. “Good, then we can delete that bitch contact tomorrow”, The two are just as exhausted as you are, after all you still have your fingers to pleasure them. Not your tongue though, you do not want to taste your own sperm on their vagina. “Yeah also don't forget about what you said earlier, now and forever. You weren't lying right oppa?” Of course you can't say yes to that, “No, I love you two, now and forever”, You hugged them tighter. “Good, then we can talk about marriage later as well”, Tomorrow problem, for tomorrow me, as the saying goes.

“I love you oppa”

“I love you babe”

“I love you two as well”

Maybe this isn't so bad. You have two heavenly beauties with irresistible sex appeal and jaw dropping looks that will always love you till the end of days. Maybe they love you a little too much, but that's okay. Right?

AN:

Yo, sorry for the wait, last part of the series. I will add some polls soon for the next series, hope you like it. Also please feel free to send any comments or critisism, this is the first time I start publishing my stories and I want to improve my skills. Hope you like it :)

[alonggoodbye]

'We can make them all speechless now', she thinks— the devil on her shoulder laughs maniacally— but before she can put the thought to words she notices the shift in him. She watches his eyes for a moment, noting a flicker of regret for what he's just said and something in her chest pulls then tightens. Halia signals the others to go on ahead with a smile, but keeps Logan from joining them, holding him in place just so. Once alone she can't help the corners of her mouth from pulling her smile into a frown.

"Hey..." She isn't gentle by nature. She is capable of childish callousness and is used to telling men off, so she picks her words carefully. "Logan, I'd dance with you now."

The distant memory of dancing with men in uniform comes rushing forward. She remembers Henry all done up and twirling her to the beat of music and clapping— the giddy dizziness of a final night of being naive teens in a time of political turmoil and uncertainty. They were invincible back then. Halia looks away for a moment and wills her eyes to stop watering in front of Logan, not wanting him to know that his words have opened up a wound that she's tried to forget about.

"I don't want you all done up. I'd dance with you now, if you'd ask me, you know."

@alonggoodbye continued [x]

This thing seemed to be evolving on its own between them: since that first incident, word had spread. While he didn't mind being Halia's 'husband' from time to time, Logan found himself sometimes losing himself in the moment perhaps a bit too easily. For instance now, watching her twirl in that beautifully simple dress that helped her shine even brighter than she already was.

He's speechless with a stupid little smile on his face.

Logan comes back to his body when she comes over and grasps his arm: he leans down to her automatically, like he's always done it really, and hums quietly as she kisses his cheek. Thank goodness he'd gone home and showered from his long day at the factory before coming out tonight. As she allows him to lean back up a bit, he wastes no time in bringing a hand to the base of her skull, were he gently applies the slightest of pressure while he kisses her forehead.

He feels like...what is this feeling? Is it finally happiness? Something so pure as what he and Halia have developed in the past few weeks, or rather not exactly pure but exciting, still gets him weak in the knees. He had indeed done himself up a little more than normal specifically for her tonight: no doubt she noticed.

"You're never late, darling." He muses quietly, keeping his voice on the level with hers though his hand has fallen to rest on her shoulder, the other on the small of her back. "You know, what I wouldn't have given to see you in my military days. To have danced with you in uniform...the boys would've been speechless." He can't really believe he's said it but he also can: he's a shell of the man he used to be, what with his scars and chronic pain with PTSD.

But Halia helps. So much.

[ppushable]

moodboard creds to @firefly--bright tytyty

low tide

jean kirschtein x fem!reader / multichapter / wc: 10.8k

part 2 of rose tinted hours

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

Monday morning and here I am, missing out on my classes, struck with a sore throat and an invisible ax sticking out of my head.

Maybe the only nice thing about today is the man craning over me in the dark, feeding me porridge.

That, and the overly-sweet tea.

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

cw: kissing.

there's a soundtrack for this one! completely optional, of course.

queue: ==> new home (slowed), austin farwell ==> dreamcore, daniel.mp3 ==> farewell, erikson jayanto ==> october, adrián berenguer ==> parfum d’etoiles, ichiko aoba ==> i was only temporary 2 u, my head is empty ==> might start singing - sped up, sheldon charlot

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

The figures in front of the dorm converge in front of Jean’s car as they engage in some sort of conversation. Sasha (I think that’s Sasha) slinks around Jean’s taller form and attaches herself to the side of his car, being scraped off a moment later.

Unsticking myself from the window, I carefully reposition the dark blue curtains so that no light filters through, the simple action causing my head to swim as if filled with honey.

I got Jean’s flu. Which, obviously, is to be expected, considering what happened yesterday. Paired with the fact that we slept together last night.

As in, laid down and fell asleep in the same bed with nothing strange happening in between. Whoever came up with that wording needs to be shot.

Contrarily, Jean is perfectly fine. And despite all the urging that I’ll be fine too and that he shouldn’t skip out on classes, he’d insisted on staying right here.

Not that I’m complaining.

I glance at the red numbers projected onto the corner of the ceiling indicating the time as I sit back so I’m leaning against the wall. 8:28. Almost time for my first class, which I won’t be going to, as so firmly put by Jean before I shooed him away.

“If I come back here and the room’s empty, I’ll make Connie march into Hospitality with a condom pulled over his head with your name written on it.”

He’d do that, too.

Running my hands over Jean’s fleecy Cars blanket, I find and unlock my phone to type a quick message to Sasha.

me: sorry sash,, not coming to hospitality. i got sick :(

me: jeans staying home for me tho. dont wait up <3

Pray she doesn’t get the wrong idea.

sashacado: dw about it!!!

sashacado: 😏

I shut my eyes as the screen induces a sudden wave of dizziness. Alright then. Knowing her, everyone and their mom will know about this before the day ends. I toss the phone somewhere on my bed and it falls to the ground.

Jean, where are you?

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

He nearly barrels into an old lady in the soup aisle. With a profuse apology, he continues half-jogging to the fridges, glancing at the list on his phone.

🖤: onions, rotisserie chicken (should be on sale), chicken broth

🖤: oh also rice. and carrots and mushrooms if u can. plus milk. thats a must

🖤: im trusting u wkth this. if u spend over budget im scalping u personally

🖤: <3

He can’t help the little smile that twinges his mouth with the last text. There it is. The end product of many sleepless nights, wondering if his feelings were, in fact, reciprocated. All in a little text. Less than three. Two dumb symbols he’s dreamed of receiving. It makes his heart feel a little warmer in his chest, a little heavier, like a reverse-Grinchification. The good ending, he can hear Connie saying.

That, or he’s misconstruing the whole thing. That’s definitely possible too! She sends that little symbol to everyone. For all he knows, he probably moved up the friend ranking a little. It probably means nothing at all.

Watching the pill be so carelessly popped into her mouth, that small smile, the look in those eyes. Hands on the headboard. Hand on his body. Hand in his hair—

“Woah! Excuse me, sir—”

And then reality comes shooting back to him like an oncoming bullet train, because nothing snaps Jean out of his happy place like that voice.

“Kirschtein?”

Jean stops in his tracks and slowly turns, somewhat hoping it’s not who he thinks it is yet knowing at the same time. “Jaeger.“

“What the hell are you doing? You can’t run in a grocery store.”

And there he is in the flesh; Eren Jaeger, the hobo-looking microbiology major that for some reasons girls (even stone-cold Mikasa) love to swoon over. Not that he cares, really. What’s more important is the fact that he’s in full customer service garb: plain jeans with lanyard string sticking out of the front pocket, blue vest, retractable name tag.

And Jean can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of his chest.

“What the hell are you laughing at?” Eren mutters, damn well knowing why.

“What, no ‘hello, sir?’ Aren’t— aren’t you supposed to be asking if I need help finding anything? Sir?” The old lady in the soup aisle is staring at him as he devolves into a full cackle.

Eren’s scowl deepens. “That’s low, Kirschtein, even for you.”

“Stop being such a pissbaby. I’m only laughing because it’s you.”

“Romantic.” Rolling his eyes, Eren shoves his hands into his pockets. “Speaking of which, don’t you have someone waiting for you at your dorm?”

Jean shuts up immediately and blinks. “What?”

“You know, your lover.” He smirks. “Sasha told us all about you two.” He ducks his head to do something on his phone and a second later Jean’s own pings.

aaron yogurt: One image attachment

Raising an eyebrow, Jean moves back against the aisle (away from soup lady’s scrutinizing gaze) before opening it. It’s a screenshot of a groupchat, with the first text being a screenshot from Sasha of what appears to be some texts.

sash: we did it boys

bald idiot: 🔥🔥💯💯‼️🤯🤯🥶🥶🥶🥶

bald idiot: everyone stand up and clap for sasha

sash: ill fucking kill you springer

miks: so are they together now?

sash: UH YEAH DIDNT U READ THE TEXT? JEAN TRANSFERRED HIS SICKNESS. HOW? THEY SLEPT OVERNIGHT IN JEANS DORM. TOGETHR. WITH NOBODY AROUND. ALL MY DOING TYVM. AND NOW THEIR STILL TOGETHEE.

min: That’s inconclusive, Sasha. You can get sick just being near a person.

marc (replying to @/sash): they’re*

marc: besides who would leave Jean there all alone overnight?

me: me

And then the screenshot cuts off.

“Romantic,” Eren drawls.

“Shut up.” Jean makes a mental note to find and perhaps tie Sasha to a rocket.

“Oh, come on. Everyone knows you’re whipped. You’re like a little schoolgirl when it comes to this kind of stuff.” Bringing his fists up to his face, he puts on the stupidest face ever and giggles.

“Fuck off.” Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Jean tries to cover the heat on his face. “Just tell me where the hell you guys put the chicken.”

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

The sound of the front door unlocking heaves me out of the half-drowsy phase I’ve been simmering in for the last, what… I glance at the ceiling clock again. Half hour?

“Hey! I’m back!” Every word becomes a little louder as Jean barges down the hall, tosses something into Connie’s room, and appears in the doorway.

“What was that?”

“Huh?”

“The thing you put in Connie’s room.”

His shadow pauses. “Just… something for Connie. Is everything okay?”

I smile. “How the hell did you go to the gym like this?”

Plastic crinkles as he sets the bag down on the ground. “Well,” he says, walking closer, “I was thinking of you. And how much you love my really big muscles.”

My smile cracks wider. “Is that so.”

“Mhm.”

“Were you also—”

“Mmm?”

“—thinking about how pissed I would be—”

He inhales.

“—when I found you?”

His lips curve upward, maybe a little to close to mine. “Maybe a little.”

I tap his thick sleeve. “Go take this big thing off.”

He recoils immediately. “As you wish.” And sheds the coat, dumping it against his chair.

“Are you hungry?”

Fixing his sleeve, he shrugs.

“What do—” my voice cracks as it runs dry— “what do you eat when it’s just you and Connie?”

“Cereal. Bread sometimes.”

“I really expected better from you.”

“I’m healthy.”

I let my eyes drag shut. “Your idea of fighting off a cold is… going to the gym.”

“Healthy.”

“You’re a piece of work.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do the— does the window open?”

Clothes rustle. “Yeah. But I’m not opening it.”

“It’s hot.”

And he looks back. “You’re sick.”

“Well, I don’t plan to strip in front of you.”

Jean sighs but it only takes a moment for it to turn into a laugh. “Alright.”

I try to swallow but my throat’s dried up between the time I woke up and now. “I’m getting up.”

“Sure you are.”

“I’m thirsty.”

“Aren’t you needy?” he teases. “What do you want? I can get it for you.”

“You’ll burn the dorms down trying to make tea.”

“Since when did you have such little faith in me?”

I crack my eyes open. “Connie told me you tried to stop a grease fire by splashing water on it.”

He’s rolling his eyes. “Your first mistake was believing Connie. He loves to spread misinformation. Especially about me.”

“Okay, Jean.” I shake my hand in his general direction and he takes it, large, warm hand clasping mine. “Pull me up.”

He smiles and leans in to wrap his other arm under my knees, his neck pressing into my face. Muffled, cheap cologne. “What are you doing?”

In one smooth movement, he releases my hand to slide his other arm across my back. Holding me at the anchor points.

“Wait.” Already a sinking feeling drains through my organs. “Jean, wait—”

With a small heave he lugs me off the bed and my arms immediately sling around his neck. “Jean!”

“Hmm?”

“Put me down!” And I would be laughing if not for my throat and the fact that I’m clinging on for dear life.

He looks down at me, still with that smile. “Hmm. No.”

And the way his voice rumbles through his chest into mine as he hums deeply makes me want to explode. I dive my face into the cloth of his sweatshirt, ignoring the strange way my weight is distributed, the chance that something might slip and I’ll fall to my untimely demise.

“You can let go of me.” He starts walking. “I won’t drop you.”

Pushing harder into his chest, I say, “I’m heavy.”

“No, you’re not.” As if to prove himself, he lifts me a few inches higher as he shimmies through what I think is the door. My grip tightens as the pressure on my back and thighs increases. “Okay, you’re choking me.”

“I can’t help it.”

“Relax, okay? I’m strong.“

“Jean.”

“Come on, look at me.”

I have to force myself to meet his eyes.

It’s not just about how high up I am, or how heavy I might be, or how intimidatingly good-looking he is (I definitely look like shit). It’s about the power.

Things have changed since yesterday. Now it’s Jean’s turn to take charge. And just like he did, I’ll have to allow that.

==> new home (slowed), austin farwell

“Do you trust me?“

His words hit like boulders against my stomach and his eyes are so wide as they dig into mine, so willing to accept the outcome yet so full of this new, gentle compassion that I’ve never seen before. A willingness. An invitation. An assurance. A desire.

So many sides of Jean I’ve never seen before have been presented to me in the past day and it makes my head so heavy it might snap clean off my neck and roll across the floor with the other boulders like a macabre marble match.

Do I trust him?

With a final squeeze, I let my hands fall to rest on either side of his chest. He smiles, showing a sliver of teeth.

Of course I do.

I watch his face as we go to the makeshift kitchen. “So you want tea?”

Though he can’t see me nod, he should be able to feel it.

“It’s easy, right? I just boil some water, and then. I.” Seemingly unconscious to the action, he worries his upper lip as he thinks. “We’ll get there when we get there.” He looks back down. “Where’s the tea?”

With a stupid grin I point to the cabinet where I found the tea and Jean lifts me to height — fucking lifts me a good five feet into the air — so I can snatch the tea packets. “Put me down! I’ll kill your arms.”

He lowers me back to waist-chest height. “So that’s the tea.”

I set the box on my stomach. “You— you’ve never used it before?”

“Forget I said anything. Now what?”

“Now, we… are you sure you don’t want to put me down?”

He rolls his eyes so hard I’m surprised they don’t separate like a chameleon’s. “I’m strong. Let me carry you.”

God I want to shut his smirk up so bad but if I’m in no position to reach up and… I don’t know. I’d do something. Arrogant little prick. “Counter.”

Jean obliges and I take the kettle one-handedly, emptying the old water and adding more, enough for two cups again. “You want some?”

“Is there enough for both of us?”

“Yeah.”

“Hit me.”

I hit the plunger on the kettle. “Mugs.”

So we move like this, a strange, inefficient, two-person machine. I nearly drop one of the cups, all the cabinet doors are left open, and nearly a quarter of the milk got spilled because I cut the hole in the milk bag too big.

But we got it done. Like yesterday, I find myself drawing little circles into his back, and again, I have to stop myself. “Are you sure you don’t want to—”

“No.”

“You didn’t let me finish my sentence.”

“I know what you’re thinking anyway.”

What an asshole. “There’s milk all over the ground.”

“I’ll clean it.”

“I can’t drink my tea if you’re carrying me.”

“I think we have a straw somewhere.”

Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes and I smack his back. “At least let me sit. My legs are going numb.”

“That I can do,” he purrs, every word dripping with smug that lands on my face like hot wax. I want to curl into myself as he swings me like a mannequin, placing me on the couch as if I’m made of cobwebs. “Don’t move.”

I’m going to kill him. Cold air presses in on me and I push myself into the rough fabric in a vain attempt to escape it.

Jean returns with both mugs and offers one to me before sitting down on the other side of the couch and taking a sip, recoiling immediately as if slapped. “Hot!” He puts the mug down and hones in on me. “Don’t drink it yet.”

Rubbing the sides of the cup, I soak in the fleeting warmth it offers me. “I’m thirsty, Jean.”

He blinks, putting his hands up as if suddenly unsure of what to do with them. “Uh.” Then he holds them out. “Here.”

Our hands brush as I hand over my beverage. Once, twice, he dips his head forward as if to drink it, purses his lips, and asks, “is it okay if I blow on it?”

I get a little warm inside. “You… don’t have to do that.”

“I’d like to. I mean,” he adds quickly, “if you’re comfortable with that.” Two of his fingers tap the glass in a rhythm known only to himself. I smile a little. Didn’t we literally kiss?

“Okay.”

He flashes me a quick smile in return before puckering and puffing gently, cautiously into the tea, blowing small ripples that lap at the opposite side of the mug but never spill over. I trace a green line on the couch until it disappears over the curve of the back cushion and a shiver abruptly passes through me.

“Jean.”

“Mmm?”

With effort, I wrench myself into a sitting position, spurring him to look over from his delicate task.

“Hey—”

“Sorry. Can I… can I hold you?”

He stops. I stop. “Oh, I— uh.” He rubs the bridge of his nose. “Of course.”

Hesitantly, my arms snake around his closest to me and I lean my head against his shoulder. Feeling the expansion and contraction of his chest with every forced exhalation.

This feels different from last night. That was a necessity. I mean, I couldn’t leave him all alone; he was in rough shape. Not to mention he didn’t want to be alone. Not that he… terribly influenced my decision. No. I did it because I’m taking care of him and nothing more. Like… inserting a catheter. Strictly a necessity.

As for the pill, well. That’s… well, I’m just kidding myself at this point.

Maybe I am a bit in love with him. Maybe I don’t know what to do with myself around him anymore. Should I lean in for a quick peck? Give him a fist bump? Stroke or tousle his hair?

He likes me back, right? He does, right? I mean, the way he looks at me is… different.

Right?

I close my eyes. “Tell me a story.”

“Mmm.” His little baritone hum, deep in his chest; does he know what it does to me? “Tea first.”

Groggily, I open my eyes as the warm brim of the mug presses against my bottom lip and tilts; I open to let the warm fluid run into my mouth. “Mmmh,” I grunt, and he puts the mug away.

“You were saying?” Jean says softly, landing his closest hand over my shoulder, rubbing in circles with his thumb. I look into his eyes and the acidic words forming on my tongue neutralize right there.

“Tell me a story.”

“Let’s get comfy first.”

I let my head fall onto his arm again but he takes my shoulder and gently pushes me onto my back, hovering over me, silhouetted by the light. “Is your neck okay like this?”

My words are but a whisper. “Yes.”

“Okay,” he murmurs as he lies down himself, trapping me between his warm body and the back of the couch. It’s small piece of furniture; Jean’s visible leg hangs over the other armrest and he probably has the other on the ground.

“Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

His breath hits my face as he speaks. “It’s okay.”

My eyes trace up the curve of his body, up to his face which is so close to mine we might as well be touching, and he smiles again, and this time I can see how it lights up his entire face; the way his skin stretches, the way his eyes get a little smaller. If I really focus, I can see my own reflection.

“What kind of story do you want?”

“Whatever makes you happy.”

Our gazes don’t break as he pauses, and when he speaks, his voice fills the air between us, vibrating every molecule. “When I was a kid, my mom would tell me stories.”

“Mmm-hm.”

“They were always about my dad. And I never really understood why she told me these stories.” He breathes out in amusement. “I’d get so… irritated. Asked her why she always told me stories about the guy that didn’t — doesn’t — even care about us.”

As he speaks, his focus wanders, but always lands back on me. I reach for the arm that rests at his side and pull it in between us. He watches the whole time but doesn’t shrink away.

“And she would always say that the memories they had together were real, even if it didn’t turn out in the end. And I’d tell her he’s just a deadbeat and that she shouldn’t care about him.”

“Mmm.”

“And then I met you.”

I can’t help it. I smile again.

“And then I just… understood. How it’s the little moments you hold on to the most.” And he grins.

“Maybe,” I murmur, swiping my thumbs over his warm, fleshy palms, “it’s the other way around.”

He blinks. “Maybe.”

==> dreamcore, daniel.mp3

I bring his hand up to face level, examine the veins that splay out beautifully under his skin, weaving between tendons, plunging deep into the muscle and bone and fat. “Tell me one of your mom’s stories.”

It takes a moment for him to think. “It was after high school. Their last summer together. He was going into fine arts and she was going to study medicine.”

“Mmm.”

“But that night, long after the sun went down and the birds stopped singing, they were just walking around aimlessly. Nothing to do except enjoy each other’s company, I guess.”

Something shifts in his tone as he lapses into the narrator’s perspective.

“But even though they were spending time together as usual, both were thinking about how one day, very soon, they were going to move to opposite sides of the country and maybe never see each other again.”

“But they did see each other again, right?” His skin burns against mine. “They had you.”

“Well, not exactly.” His hand suddenly gains life, flexing lightly. “That’s the summer I was… conceived.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Needless to say, I’m not super close with my grandparents.” He purses his lips and now he’s looking at his fingers. “That’s an entire story on its own. Anyway. They were walking together at night, fearless to whatever was in the dark. Only their own futures.

“And while they were walking it suddenly started to rain. My mom said it came out of nowhere, like a bucket of water was poured on their heads. So they did what any other person would do.”

“Go home?”

“Run to the park.”

“Sounds like something you’d do.”

“Shush, you… They ran for the park like their lives depended on it, but they were soaked by the time they got there. So they decided to have a picnic in the pouring rain. And they stayed there until the rain stopped and the birds started singing again.”

“What happened after?”

“Well, by the time she got to that part in the story, I fell asleep.”

I huff lightly. “Finish it for me.”

After some hesitation, he speaks again. “When the birds started singing, they noticed a strange person in the trees. It appeared to be a man in a fedora.”

I crack my eyes open, not realizing they shut in the first place. “A fedora?”

“Fedoras are cool!”

The worst part is, I can imagine him wearing one.

“Stop laughing.”

“Sorry.” Without thinking, I use his hand to cover my mouth. “Continue.”

“The— the man in the — hat — approached the two. And he asked them if they’d seen his notebook anywhere. It was a sketchbook, he said, and he liked to draw birds. They said no, so he kept moving on.

“Truth is, he didn’t use it to draw birds. He liked drawing people.”

I hum.

“People were everywhere, and every one looked so different. Every mark and wrinkle was a testament to their way of life. He’d examine people’s faces for so long, he could see things that others couldn’t. He noticed things that the faces’ owners didn’t.

“He’d bring that little sketchbook everywhere, drawing every face that he saw, beautiful, ugly, short, long. And after a while of doing this, he realized that, despite all faces being slightly different, they were all the same, too. They were all strangers in his life, predictable. Every face followed a… a pattern. He couldn’t quite put it into words.”

I give his hand a small squeeze.

“One day, he went to the cafe. And of course, he brought his sketchbook with him. He sat on a barstool near the corner of the restaurant, right in front of the big window, and started sketching the people walking outside. When the waiter came up and asked what he wanted, he asked for a coffee.

“He didn’t look back up until the waiter returned, and when he looked into her face to say thank you, he noticed something strange.

“It was pretty, the most beautiful face he’d seen in his life, and he’s seen a lot of faces. It wasn’t just her face, though. It was her mannerism, her tone of voice, the way she stirred his drink a little so the grounds and sugar wouldn’t sink all the way to the bottom and the way she asked if there was anything else that she could do for him, as if the question was truly asked out of her heart and not just because she’s getting paid to… this person, at that moment, broke the pattern.”

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

When I wake up, the Cars blanket is draped over me. Music plays over the sound of the sink running, and if I listen close enough, I can hear Jean humming along. Dishes clash.

“Shit!”

I must have fallen asleep with my mouth open, because now my throat is so dry it takes an effort to swallow. Slowly, I sit up and lean forward to take a sip of (cold) tea, but it doesn’t do much for the wheeze in my lungs. Jean starts singing softly with the chorus.

“And don’t go there ‘cuz you’ll never return…”

Standing there, washing dishes like a maniac and singing. The strands of his voice, like a bobbing needle, weave between the guitar and bass, and at times it’s hard to differentiate them at all, the tangle of melody and tempo. I melt into the sound, dissipating into thin air. Almost forgetting how much harder it became to breathe.

“Then you did something wrong and you said it was great…”

I stand at a snail’s pace — not avoiding the sudden pressure in my head as I do so — and drag myself into the kitchen.

There’s a dishcloth slung over his left shoulder and his hair’s tied up with — I check my wrist — my hairtie. Seemingly careless of his crime, he nods his head slightly with the music, biting his upper lip in concentration. I wouldn’t forgive him if he didn‘t look so…

at ease. Loose?

Happy.

The sink suddenly spits water at him, drenching his already-wet sweatshirt.

“Ugh.” And now he looks up. “Oh.”

I smile as the singer reaches a high note and Jean hurriedly shuts off the tap.

“Alexa, stop. What’re you doing up?” The music cuts and he rushes to my side in an instant, cupping my shoulders as if expecting I’ll collapse. There’s a spoon in his hand and it drips on the ground. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I was sleeping.” His top-knot sticks out and it’s just begging for me to touch it. “You have a… beautiful voice. By the way.”

He eyes the ground, reddening. “Yeah, yeah.”

Without thinking I tap his cheek. “Let’s cook,” I say. “I’m hungry.”

Jean blinks, touching the area of impact. “Cook?” He stirs again when I snatch the dishcloth from his shoulder. “Wait! No, you’re sick!” But I’m already in the kitchen.

“Oh, you… put the groceries away?”

“I’m not a barbarian. Sit down.” He tosses the spoon in the dish strainer. “Let me cook.”

“No, Mr. White.” I clear my painful throat.

“Ha, ha. Sit down, okay? Do you want me to bring a chair over?”

When he touches my shoulder I turn. “Jean, really.” But my voice is small, and it betrays me, the familiar weakness sapping at my muscles and limbs. “If I have to eat another… butt-end almond butter and cheese sandwich I’m really gonna lose it.”

==> farewell, erikson jayanto

His jaw clenches and unclenches. “Okay. Fine. But I’m helping you.”

“In that case.” I use the cloth to wipe up the water around the sink. “Chopping board. Please.”

“On it.”

“Knife?” Cloth hangs over the tap.

“Yep.”

Taking an extra deep breath in an attempt to sever the strings binding down my lungs, I joke, “don’t kill me.”

He takes the utensil in a stabbing pose. “No promises.”

I bat his arm aside, to the counter. “You know how to cut vegetables, right?”

“Yeah, I know how.”

As he rummages in the fridge to make himself useful, I rinse the rice in a definitely overqualified patterned bowl, nearly falling asleep as my hand draws lazy circles in the warm grains. I’m done in time to see him cut up a carrot — attempt to, at least. He sticks the knife in at bizarre angles and intervals, creating weird orange blocks that skid away from the board after every uneven chop.

“Jean.”

“Eh?” His voice is muffled because he’s biting his lip again. It’s painfully obvious that he’s never done this before.

“Did you peel it?”

“I told you, I’m not barbaric.”

I wrap a hand around his left hand — his chopping hand — and lift it above my head. Jean is silent as I push into the space between his body and the counter and put his arm back to lock myself in. He doesn’t budge as I lean heavily back against him. “Like this.” And I grab the backs of his warm hands like computer mice and awkwardly move them into a good position.

His every breath presses against me, chin resting on top of my head, and if I lean just right I can feel his heart race against my back.

And the heat. Maybe it’s just the sickness raising my body temperature, but it burns where we touch.

“Cut.”

He does, muscles and tendons going rigid under my grip as he puts his weight on the blade. The carrot slice rolls away and falls off the counter, but Jean catches it. “Aha.” His voice a vibration in his throat. “See that?” He brandishes it in front of me like a trophy.

“Yes, Jean, very impressive.”

We position ourselves again. Jean lets me set his hand at an angle so the tip of the knife leans down. “Try cutting. At an angle.”

He does, requiring little help from my guiding hand. The carrot slice stays on the cutting board. Amused, I twist to look up at his face.

Jean looks shocked as if I caught him doing something heinous and his skin reddens like he’s just been blasted with four hours of unadultered sunlight. His mouth becomes a smile despite it all. “Ma— uh, magical.”

It’s like this for a few seconds before I turn back to our work. “Let’s finish.”

What are you doing to me?

It turns out Jean is quite the natural; after just a few more tries he can use the knife on his own, and I’m just decoration. If you think about it, cooking is a kind of art. And Jean is good with his hands.

I stick with him, though.

“Any pots?”

“Mmm. We have one under the stove.”

“Another gift from Reiner?”

He scoffs lightly. “That was a one-time thing.”

I reach backwards for his arm and end up tapping his bicep. “Pot.”

He detaches from my back and I suddenly realize how cold the air is — it’s like a warm blanket was thrown off me. I lean against the counter. The pot of choice, a great red thing that looks like it’s never been used before, is plopped on to one of the burners and Jean immediately wraps around me again. Delirious heat.

“Thanks.”

“Now what?”

“This way.” I shuffle us over to the stove, stepping on his feet a few times, and turn the element on. “We put the rice in.”

Jean’s on it, taking the bowl and unceremoniously dumping in the rice.

“Not yet!”

He recoils. “Oh, oops.”

Shit. Knowing it’s going to hurt, I swallow anyway. “It’s okay.” I grin reassuringly, though he can’t see it. “Just need to stir.” Grateful for his presence, I search the drawers for a spatula — a nice wooden one — and hand it to Jean.

“Me?”

“Think you can do it?”

He takes it, grasping the pot handle, and pushes the rice around the pot. “Like this?” he asks, not noticing the jab. Just dripping with innocence. I feel bad.

“Perfect.”

“How long?”

“Until you feel like it’s done.”

His chest undergoes a sudden compression as he huffs and I realize just how much I’m leaning on him. “And how do I know that?”

I shrug.

So Jean stirs.

“Hm?” he says when I nudge him after a while.

“Add the broth now. And carrots.”

He hums. We turn in tandem so he can fetch the former from the fridge and I watch as he pours it slowly.

“That’s enough.”

As Jean inhales deeply his beard scratches my cheek; he’s bringing his head down to my level. I turn to meet his gaze and smile. “What?”

His eyes flutter to my chin and back.

“You want something?”

He doesn’t stop boring into me, swirling something deep in my gut like a witch’s brew. “I dunno.”

“I do.” I tilt my head up at the slightest angle to afford him a better view and his eyes widen. “You want the carrots. In the pot.”

There’s a little tic in his expression. Like he wants to engulf me, pull me deep into himself. But he just breathes, “right.” And dumps the carrots.

Stirring…

“Are you tired?”

“No.” I clear my throat again and it takes a while for the phlegm to go away fully. My feet shuffle back in an attempt to support myself, to no avail. “Bought chicken?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s tear some of it.”

==> october, adrián berenguer

The spatula clicks against the stovetop as Jean puts it down. “Wait.” I turn to meet him, backing against the hard edge of the counter, and the world turns to mush before I gather my bearings. “Wait,” he repeats, softer, putting his hands down on either side of me, locking me in place. “I need to say something.”

“Jean?” Skin turning cold where we once touched. Knees loose. Breath heavy and laboured. I latch onto his gaze and stay there. He is quicksand, sucking me in deeper with no bottom in sight, and I’m powerless to it, to the shifting grains and the lashing wind, the indefinite maelstrom of everything built up and unsaid. Until he says it, and the storm stills.

“What… are we?”

My breath is loud; every one another closer to the answer. The witch’s brew is long since tipped over, seeping its uneasy juices into my bones and muscles and tendons, rendering me feeble and invertebrate.

What are we?

“What do you want… us to be?”

A heartbeat of pause. His voice is soft but confident and takes over my every sense, light filtering into dark, soup into ice, pain into numbness. “More than this. More than what we had before.”

My hands gravitate to cover Jean’s and brush up to rub his forearms, right before the wrists, and I can see the terror that he holds, the possibility of abandonment that he keeps framed up and hung away in a little corner of his mind.

“Like now?”

His eyelids shut, separating us for a few seconds before he opens them again. “No.” And he lowers to my height. “Not like this. I dont— I don’t want any more second-guessing. No more in-betweens. I just— I need to know if we’re together or if we’re just…” He does that thing with his lip again. “I can’t do it anymore. Wondering how close I should be walking beside you, if I should offer you my chair or share it, if— if you’ll ever think of me the same way I think of you.” Despite swallowing, his voice wavers still. “I really think highly of you. I mean, I just— I— sometimes.” The last word is uttered with a small sigh as if he’s accepting defeat.

“Sometimes I feel like you’ve taken me over completely. It sounds stupid, I know, I… When we’re all together, I’m always… thinking about you. If you’ll like this thing. What I should say to make you laugh. God, I love your laugh. There’s just something… about… you… that makes me want to be by your side, and when I’m not, it doesn’t feel right, I didn’t know what right felt like until I met you. When I— I… looking at you just makes me really, really happy, and I’ve never really felt like this before. Never felt so ready to do anything, absolutely anything for a person.” He inhales deeply. “I’m— it’s hard for me to describe how I feel, but in the end I just know.

“I’m in love— I’m in love with you, the way you walk, your voice, the way you’re always looking around, everything that you think is a flaw and… I don’t want to play this game of in-between anymore because this, not knowing how you feel, is killing me. If you— you don’t have to say yes. I just need to know. What are we?”

What are we?

The frame is broken, fallen off its hook, glass shattering on impact as the wooden body collapses and snaps in on itself. Cutting countless tiny holes torn into the fabric guise of courage. Hands trembling against my sides.

The answer I want to give him is there, a vibrating and incomprehensible bundle of warmth and devotion and tenderness that is utterly unattainable behind the metal barrier of the spoken word, as much as it beats and bores into the confines of its enclosure. How much longer?

They say that eyes are the windows to the soul. It’s more like a well. Dark, deep, secretive of what lies inside behind its deceptive beautiful adornments.

But if I let myself go, if I allow myself to hang over the stone ledge and slip in to see for myself, despite the fear of hitting the cold, lonely bottom…

My hand cups his cheek and he tilts his head, leaning into it.

“Jean.”

He says my name back, just as tender, twice as fearful, and the unfamiliar frequency twinges a string in my consciousness. I open my mouth.

“How you managed to fall for me is… it’s beyond me. You’re smart, you’re strong, you’re talented… To me, you’re about as attainable as a star.”

He shakes his head tightly but I continue as he inhales to speak, hints of his voice catching the air through his throat.

“You might not think so but you’re… whenever I’m with you I just feel like everything is going to be okay in the end.” My chest burns and my voice falters. “You make me feel safe. When I imagine our future together, I’m— we’re always happy.”

If I wasn’t touching him I would never notice the small nod of gentle encouragement he gives, so much hope piled onto such a tiny movement.

“And it’s been eating away at me, because every time we look at each other I have to wonder— I have to stop and ask myself if you really like me back too.”

His eyes widen. My pulse races through my body; he can probably feel it through my hand. The truth, that’s all it is, comes pouring out unrestricted, a torrent of words tearing through my soul.

“What are we? That’s a silly question. We spend time with each other and care for each other. We share our food and our beds. You passed an important test last month and I brought everyone over with cake to celebrate, and you know my schedule so you always come to the cafe when I’m working.” I puff in amusement. “And it’s when I least expect it, too. We share so many playlists it isn’t even funny anymore, because you influenced my taste in music so much.”

“You’re the one who influenced me,” he says with a small smile.

“Frankly, I’m in love with you, and— and you’re in love with me.” I sway on my feet and put my other hand to his face to steady myself. “We know that now. We know that, so isn’t that enough? We’re two people in love, who act like they’re in love, who know they’re in love… Has anything really changed?” My peripheries go blurry. “Can’t we figure it out from here? No labels?”

“No labels.” A smile is cracking his face, skin pulling beneath my palms as his eyes crinkle, shattering the restrictive veil he wears and painstakingly paints on every morning. “We’re us. You’re right. Nothing’s changed at all. Just two people in love.” His grin widens. “Just… us.”

I smile too, I smile until my face hurts and I start giggling, but Jean is right there with me, unable to help the laughter that rings around his ribcage with a melody that is uniquely his. I let my head drop and he closes the distance between us, pulling me deep into himself, and it’s like an invisible film wrapped around me has been popped for the first time. We’re hugging for the first time. We’re touching for the first time. Unrestricted. Without fear.

Two people in love.

My laughs soon turn into coughs and the illusion is broken. Jean steps back, still pinning me against the counter.

“You want more tea?”

I scan the kitchen. “I don’t suppose Reiner got you guys a microwave?”

“I’ll make more.”

“But—”

“No buts. You trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I say before the clamouring in my mind.

“Go lie down. I’ll finish up here.”

I turn my head up and a string in my neck suddenly starts to burn, halting the action. Stiff neck. I look down at his socks.

“You sure?”

His hands enter the picture and take mine. “Let’s get you to bed, okay? Granny?”

“You know what? Just take me to the gym.”

He hisses through his teeth. “Okay, I get your point. I’m sorry.”

Pot bubbling away in the background, we make it to the bedroom. I roll onto Jean’s criminally soft covers and he drapes the quilt over me, trapping me in my own heat.

“Go to sleep, okay?” His voice is a soft rumble, sandpaper fleece.

“Okay, father.”

“I don’t want to see the lights on when I walk by,” he adds, sternly.

“Or what?”

His dark form pauses, then leans down against my ear. “Sleep.” And he plants his lips against my hot cheek before withdrawing.

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

me: @/chismosa

me: sash

me: wya

chismosa: im at the store

me: ??? i thought we were meeting at urs?

chismosa: change of plans! eren said jean came in whilw he was working soo

chismosa: just wait there. shave ur head or sth

chismosa: dont use my razor tho

me: .

me: ur lucky my phones abt to die or i woukd call nd cuss u out

me: im just gonna go back to mine

chismosa: wait

chismosa: cons

me: phobe dying

chismosa: CONNIE NO

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

When the spoon clinks against the bowl my head nearly splits open. My mouth is dry because my nostrils are plugged and everything inside me feels warm and centrifuged. I try to breathe in through my nose, fail, and end up coughing instead.

“Oh—” Jean drops his book— “are you awake?”

“It got worse,” I croak.

He smiles wryly. “Yeah. It’s pretty bad.” The sketchbook on the ground skids under the bed when he kicks it as he stands. “You hungry? Thirsty? Hot?”

I shut my eyes, not daring to move. “Just want to sleep.”

“You should eat something.”

“I don’t wanna puke.”

“You won’t puke.”

“You did.”

“That’s my own fault and you know it.” He reaches for something on the nightstand and produces a bowl. “You should at least try it. Please?” With the disposition of a kid trying to show off a cool drawing that he made.

“You finished making it?” I start to lift my head but Jean lunges forward.

“Wait! Let me.” He reaches over my lap for the pillows on the other side and works on propping them up against my back, chest against my face. Maybe I’ll pass out again.

“Jean?”

“Hm?” He returns to his original position, cradling my back. “Lean back now.”

I do and it’s just like yesterday, except our positions are switched. “Your hair is so pretty.”

“Oh.” A wavering smile takes over him. “Really?”

==> parfum d’etoiles, ichiko aoba

He leans in when I beckon and lets me brush away the silky-soft strands that fall onto his face, gently pressing them back into the main mass of his hair with the backs of my fingernails. His hair. How long have I dreamed of doing this? Seeing the way it catches the sunlight to flare a molten gold during sluggish fall afternoons at my dorm, how the wind picks up strand after delicate strand as we walk through campus on the way back from the cafe, the way it always sticks to the back of his shirt when he turns his head. Something as unreachable as the reciprocation of my love. And yet… “So beautiful.”

He dips his head a little so I focus on his mini-ponytail—

“Ponytail,” I muse out loud, grinning. “Horseface and ponytail.”

At this he looks up indignantly, undoing all my work. Betrayal weighing on his brow. “You did not.”

“Oh—” my finger, entranced and with a mind of its own, traces his hairline, “—but I did.”

He scoffs as if it’s the only thing he can do and turns his head to the side, not hiding the heat that shows and radiates from his face as I stroke the strands over his ear. He eases down onto his elbows on either side of my body and he plays with his hands on my stomach. My thumb never leaves his skin, tracing his delicately shaved beard from the curve of his jaw down to his chin, and I use this position to pull his face toward me. Feeling his pulse, feeling the way the soft skin under his jaw moves as he swallows, inhales, opens his mouth with a small wet sound and speaks right into me.

“You’re beautiful.”

I want to cry.

Despite feeling like death, despite the mouthbreathing, despite the greasiness of my hair…

Jean’s gaze is unveiled, blazing with all the fondness and revere previously hidden and locked away, an unsurmountable number of words press-printed and bleeding onto millions upon millions of honeyed pages but never bound, never shut away from the sunlight and the sky and the polished wood shelves, blowing, scattering in the wind. I just might wither away under it all if I wasn’t looking back at him with just the same intensity. Locked in a silent competition neither of us will ever win.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

“Jean,” I say ever so lightly, only forming the shape of his name of his tongue as I exhale.

He blinks a few times and the mattress tilts as he reaches under the frame and pulls up his sketchbook, settling on the edge of the bed. It’s about the size and shape of a placemat, bound in black leather with a stiff metal coil binding it together. He flips through the heavy cream pages with experienced ease, squishing the flesh of the hand that holds it open. I can stare at his hands all day. The hairs that sprout near the wrists, the thick, sturdy fingers, the laced veins that bulge when he brings them down to his side but are always, always visible, the way the skin folds and creases at the joints, the white-hot tendons that decorate his knuckles and poke up when he flexes, the soft and jagged way he cuts the white of his fingernails, the warmth, the padding of his palms. The power that lies dormant in his muscles under every gentle movement. I want them forever to hold and cherish and cuddle. Among other things.

He finally finds the page he’s looking for and he folds the sketchbook in on itself on its metal hinge to flatten it. He taps his fingers against the back, a soft pitter-patter like rain.

“Are you going to show me?”

Face contorting slightly, he says, “it’s not finished.”

“So?”

“It doesn’t… exude you.”

I smile. “Exude?” But he’s lost in his mind, lost in the lines interwoven in shapes and shadow on the page that are supposed to constitute a greater picture.

“Qu’est-ce que…” he mutters, not to me, not to anyone. Without looking he picks up a pencil from the nightstand and lays a few more strokes onto the paper. The graphite scratches the bumpy composite, seemingly at random at first, but Jean’s movements soon fall into a rhythm. Every once in a while his eyes flicker from the page to me and I meet him every time.

I don’t know how long we sit here, soaking in the comfortable silence, but he eventually breaks the illusion by leaning back and swiping the eraser crumbs off. “I don’t like it,” he says with a note of finality.

I’m almost asleep. “Mm— show me.”

“No…”

His face disappears behind my hand, which makes a pinching motion. “Jeaaan.”

He sighs; reluctantly, he offers the whole book to me and stares through the window (curtains still drawn). I flip it over to see and—

I blink away the gunk that doesn’t exist and hold the page back so it catches the dim light from the hallway better. “Did you just do this?”

It’s… me. It’s me in his bed, hair splayed, eyes half-lidded yet still staring through the page, features lit from on one side and bleeding into the shadowy graphite at the other. Pinned up and immortalized in this very moment by his own hands, every stroke with a purpose.

“I know, the composition is off and the lines aren’t harmonizing.”

“Harmonizing? Jean, this is beautiful.”

“Hah?” He clambers to the empty spot beside me so we can both look. “No, look, I messed up right…” he points with the worn-down eraser end of his pencil. “There. And there, and—”

I swat it away. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Don’t you realize how good this looks? I mean—” holding the portrait up next to my own face, I smile. “See?”

“Not the same,” he groans. “Everything’s—”

I stick the side of my finger against his teeth and he recoils into the pillow. “What!” He pries me off, gripping my forearm with virtually no pressure. “What was that for?”

“Whatever you think, I love it.” I clear my throat. “Thank you so much, Jean. I mean it.”

He pauses. “Well, I’m— I’m glad you like it. Expect more.”

“More?”

His eyelids flutter; hesitantly, he takes some of my hair and twirls it in his finger. “I can’t help myself.”

Some of the heat in my core rises to my face, but it’s okay, so I don’t bother turning away.

“One day I’ll get good enough to draw you for real.”

Draw me for real? As far as I’m concerned, he’s always drawing me, conjuring up a little image of me in his mind every time my name is brought up. That’s enough. That’s more than enough.

“Are you ready for soup now?”

“I’m tired. I don’t wanna move.”

“When did I say you have to move?”

It’s easy for him with his stupidly long limbs to climb over me and stand again. He takes the bowl on the nightstand and hooks his chair with his foot, dragging it forward before sitting. “It’s still a bit warm, okay?” he says, stirring the mixture.

“That looks good.”

He looks up briefly to smile. “Thanks. I found a recipe online.”

“You should get into cooking.”

He shrugs and holds up the spoon, bowl close underneath to prevent spillage. “Aah.”

I take it. The metal clicks uncomfortably against my teeth but the food is warm and good. “This is good,” I declare when my mouth is empty. “Do you really not cook that often?”

“Nope. Aah.”

I chew and swallow. “When do I get my pill?”

Jean looks like he’s choking for a second. “Uh— what, do you want it right now?”

“Sooner the better, I guess.”

He blinks, then takes the package of ibuprofen from the nightstand and unwraps a pill, puts the box away, and pinches it in his hand like it’s a precious stone. “Are you sure?”

I raise an eyebrow and hold my hand out. He stares at it, dumbfounded.

“What’s that for?”

“The pill?”

His mouth opens and closes. “Oh.” He gently places the pill onto my waiting palm. “Right.”

“What were you thinking?”

He licks his lips. “Nothing.”

I pop it dry and it hits the back of my throat before disappearing forever. Jean cringes. He’s staring at the ground, knees pushed together to hold the bowl, slightly too big for the chair he’s sitting on.

“Jean.”

“Yeah?” He perks up.

“If you want to kiss me, you can.”

He tenses around the bowl. “No! That’s…” A weak chuckle rolls in his torso. “Uh. Good to— good to know.”

I smile as silence falls between us again and the room teems with potential. He feeds me in silence, gentler with the spoon this time, pushing it against my soft bottom lip and inserting just the right amount not to hit my throat, tilting it up during the exit so my upper lip rides the gentle curve of the metal and scrapes out the meal. Everything with a calculated and smooth movement, as if feeding me is an art.

He really is good with his hands.

Now he has a tissue and holds it up as if asking for permission. I nod; he leans in to wipe some off my face, a soft furrow in his brow, biting his lip. Starting at the corner, pressing into the supple skin and making his way inward, he easily catches the mess, folds the tissue, and does the other side. He finishes off with a small dab and crumples the it, obscuring it completely in his fist. Not moving back.

“Can I have some tea?”

==> i was only temporary 2 u, my head is empty

Silently, he stretches to take a mug off the nightstand, and just like before, pushes the rim against my lip. I tilt back and drink; it’s sweet, almost head-swimmingly so, and liquid smooth.

“Mmh.”

He puts the mug down and one-handedly stashes it back to its spot. Some of the drink had dribbled from the corner of my mouth to my chin and drips onto the sheet, forming a small, dark blotch on the white. When I glance back up, so does Jean, and we lock eyes.

Unreadable.

I don’t notice him get closer until he’s on me, trapping me against the headboard, tracing the path of the tea to the corner of my lips with his own. Not satisfied, he brushes against the other side of my lip and the tip of my nose before stopping at eye level. Taking in a breath before ever so slowly inching forward, sealing off my air. My eyes slip closed.

It’s different this time. He’s hesitant, waiting for me to make the move, so I do, tracing the crescent of his warm, plump lip with my tongue — god, how long have I wanted this? How long have his lips stared back at me? — in an attempt to crack him open, without pattern but with hidden rhythm, just like his pencil. He tastes like overly sweet tea.

His fingers caress my jaw and tangle into my hair as mine do the same, tracing the scrub of his beard, pulling out the hairtie and tossing it before taking the impossibly silken strands in greedy fistfuls, making my blood go loose and coat my guts in something inexplicable that almost makes me lose my focus. The air from his nose tickles my skin and finally he gives, breaking the dam, exploring the surfaces I have to offer as if mapping it out for later with a painful, cautious leisure. Never stopping, always movement: the bristles of his chin occasionally scraping against mine; his hands languidly falling down my neck, pushing me back against the pillows; mine, seizing his collar, pulling as a desperate indication to remove it and to come closer; the dip of the bed as he obliges to the latter, knees locking me in place. As if I would move, despite my racing pulse, despite my heart threatening to slip out of its bony confines and tear my burning lungs—

==> might start singing - sped up, sheldon charlot

The metallic sound of a key grating into the keyhole. Like deer in the headlights we freeze as the key turns, the lock disengages, and the front door swings open.

Jean looks like someone just shot at him; blindly, I swat at the thick muscle between his neck and shoulder until he awkwardly rolls off, ramming into the nightstand with his head in the process. The bowl and mug and clock rattle, nearly drowning out his pained grunt. He lands sitting on the ground and I sit up ramrod straight.

“Jean? That you?”

We peer at each other through the dark, thoughts unspoken, yet still understood. My pulse is on overdrive, for a different reason now.

Connie!

His footsteps get louder as he stomps down the hall; I pull the blanket up (to cover what, exactly?) as Jean shoots onto his feet — slamming his shoulder against the nightstand again — just as his roommate’s shadow fills the doorway to Jean’s room.

“Ugh, you’re gonna kill your eyes, man.” A blinding light pierces as Connie flips a switch. “Can I borrow your charger? I left mine— I left…”

When my eyes adjust, Connie’s staring into me under Jean’s arm. He looks between the two of us as the pieces fall together in his head like a game of jelly Tetris and it’s evident when he figures it out, when all the rows are cleared and the trumpets blare and the screen flashes with confetti, when a grin that’s all too Connie takes over his face. “Oh. You guys have been real naughty while I was gone, huh?”

I start to speak but Jean’s faster. “What are you on about? I was just giving her food.”

Connie raises an eyebrow, skeptical. At the obviously empty bowl, the ruffled covers, our heaving chests and wrinkled clothes, Jean’s hair which is uncharacteristically roughed up and messy and falling all over his eyes. “Yeah.” He smirks at me. “Food.”

Jean swallows.

“Connie,” I say slowly as the last taste of Jean slips away, “you won’t tell Sasha, right?”

“I dunno.” All too gleeful, he leans against the wall, tapping it as if waiting for something. “Will I?”

“You can use Jean’s car for a week if you don’t.”

Said person twitches. “Huh!?”

No stranger to the bargain, Connie narrows his eyes. “A month.”

“Two weeks or no deal.”

“Fine, but I get to decide which days.”

“Wait, when did I—”

“Deal,” I say, cutting Jean off. I shoot him an apologetic look as Connie caws in victory.

“Hell yeah! Suck it!” He points at the owner of said car. “She’s all mine now, Jeanboy!” Then he points at me. “I love you and my lips are sealed forever, okay? This is our little secret. Woo!” He skips down the hallway and picks something up with a jingle before the door opens and shuts and all is quiet.

At a sloth’s pace, Jean reaches for his pants pocket. “My keys aren’t here.”

“I’m sorry, Jean.”

He slumps, leans his butt against the bed, and turns to me like a war widow, voice barely a whisper. “It had to be done.”

“Your car will be fine.” I try to undo some of the damage thoughtlessly wrought upon his hair, smoothing it out. “It’s only two weeks.”

“Knowing Connie, he’s going to spread it out over two years,” he sighs, staring at the wall. “You know he likes to eat in it, right?”

Saying nothing, I keep stroking his hair, tracing my his scalp with my fingertips, and he leans in to my shoulder.

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

“Connie?” Sasha says when he pulls up outside the store, hiding her fingers from the bitingly cold air by shoving them in her coat pockets. “What are you doing here?”

“More importantly, what’s he doing in Jean’s car?” Eren adds, in the process of pulling up his hair into a bun. “Did you kill him, Connie?”

“I struck a bargain,” Connie says smugly. “You guys want a ride, or what?”

Sasha blinks. “You saw them together and they agreed to let you use Jean’s car as long as you kept quiet about it.”

“Nuh-uh!” the driver bursts as Eren nods.

“Adds up.”

Connie’s grip around the wheel tightens. He won’t— he can’t let his dream ride slip from his hands so quickly. “Sasha, no! I just let him use— I mean, he let me use his car if I did all his laundry for a month.”

“Really?” his best friend muses.

Frantic, he nods.

She scowls. “Don’t give me that crap, Constance Springer.” Trace puffs of steam appear at her rapid spew of words. “You don’t even know how to do laundry.”

“I do so! I Youtubed it!”

“Bullshit.”

“Woman, nuh uh!”

“Can I go now?” Eren drawls, almost immediately drowned out by their combined bickering. He sighs, putting the finishing touches on his bun, and traces the leafy skyline.

So they really did get together. He didn’t think Jean had it in him. Casually, he taps his pocket, the bunched-up lanyard underneath.

Sasha had grilled him constantly though the store as he did his rounds, even following him to the employee-only area. Hell, she stood outside the bathroom waiting for him when he tried to hide for his break. There was just no escaping her.

“What did he buy?”

“Like, soup stuff.”

“What’s the first thing he said?”

“My name?”

“Did he mention her?”

“No.”

“Do you have a receipt?”

“No.”

And so on and so forth. She asked for Jean’s grocery haul maybe a hundred times, and he answered every time with the same mind-numbing ingredient list. Every. Single. Time.

A small smile lights his face. He didn’t tell her everything, though.

As much as he wanted to mention Jean’s embarrassingly poor attempt to hide the box with his body from Eren’s prying eyes at the checkout, he thought better of it, because then she’d really go off the hook. That, and he wants Jean to owe him. He covers his mouth before the others notice his growing smile at the memory replaying in his mind. Condoms? Really? Does Jean not trust Connie enough to use some of his? More importantly, does he really think he’ll be using them? Truly?

Eager beaver.

“Don’t tell them, okay?” Connie says, already defeated. “Or else they’ll take this car away…”

“Don’t you realize, Connie? It doesn’t matter who I tell because soon enough they’ll be walking around in public holding hands and all that. So your leverage is basically null.”

He stares forlornly at the little Sanrio charm hanging from the rearview mirror. “When did you get so good at this?”

“That’s just common sense.”

Sighing, he rests his forehead on the steering wheel. “Well,” he says without looking up, “you guys wanna go for a long drive?”

⋅ ⋆ ─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────── ⋅ ⋆

writing confession scenes kill me in every physical metaphorical and metaphysical way you can imagine. thats some psychic damage right there. despite that, i love writing

seems we cant escape the inevitable kiss scene! i tried to switch it up this time. not a huge fan of recurring plot and all but i think in circles sometimes. like a dying fruit fly

about that epilogue -- i dont think i'll be employing those for a while. or maybe i will. who knows?

masterlist part 1 - two ibuprofen

[thlayli-ra]

Stray (epilogue)

Characters - CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe

Pairing - CM Punk/Drew McIntyre, CM Punk/Samoa Joe (past)

AU - Stray AU

Rating - Mature

Warnings - None

Words - ~2,500 words

Summary - New beginnings

Punk stared up at the blue sky above as another plane took off, the roar of its engine booming against his ears. His heart thrummed as noisily in his chest and he began to gnaw on his bottom lip.

Damn, he didn't expect the nerves to start this early.

'Is this it?' Punk was startled from his musings by Joe's voice behind him. His ex was pulling a small suitcase out of his trunk.

'That's it,' he replied, taking the suitcase from Joe when he noticed the reproachful look in his ex's eye. 'I travel light.'

'That's not 'light',' Joe corrected, 'that's practically empty'.

'I'm not going into the middle of the jungle,' Punk said with a shrug. 'I can buy whatever I need when I get there.'

'True,' Joe admitted then put on his old, familiar 'Mom' tone. 'Did you pack warm clothes?'

'Yes,' Punk said with a fond roll of his eyes.

'Plenty of socks?'

'Yes.'

'Underwear?'

'Don't wear any.' He tried to keep his poker face but Joe's brow deepened and he couldn't hold it. 'Yes.'

'Euros?'

'They actually use pounds over there,' Punk relished in the chance to correct his ex's world knowledge for once with a smug grin. 'And yes. But I've got credit cards too.'

'What about-'

'Joe,' he put his hand on the larger man's shoulder and looked him in the eye, 'I'm telling you. I'm good.'

'Ok, ok,' Joe shut the trunk and the pair of them began to walk towards the airport. 'Still can't believe you're fucking doing this.'

'Neither can I.' Punk looked up as another airplane took off and dragged in a stuttering breath. He changed the subject quickly. 'So how's your packing going?'

'Last of it will be shipped off on Friday,' he replied.

'That was fast,' Punk noted.

'Yeah, well, most of it was boxed already,' Joe rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 'And with you leaving town, I didn't see any reason to stick around.'

'Guess not,' Punk's shoulders slumped. 'I'm... gonna miss you.'

'Hey, I'll only be in SoCal,' Joe said. 'You know you can visit any time. Larry too!' Punk stiffened, biting down on his bottom lip. 'You wish he was coming with you today, don't you?'

'So bad,' Punk admitted.

'It'll only be for a week or two. Once you're settled in Anyway, I'm sure he'll be having a great time getting spoiled rotten by his Aunty AJ.'

'He's gonna be three times the size the way she keeps feeding him,' Punk groaned, finding it harder to keep on his straight face. By now, they'd arrived at the airport doors and he stopped in his tracks amongst the hustle and bustle of travellers rushing in and out of the sliding portal into the cavernous building beyond. 'What time is it?'

'2.16,' Joe replied.

'Shit, we're early! My flight's not for hours!'

'I'm the one who drove you here,' Joe scoffed. 'Of course you're early.'

The doors opened wide before him. Punk caught a glimpse of flashing boards and desks and queues and baggage racks and felt a fresh wave of panic!

'You wanna... go grab a coffee?' he asked Joe, suddenly.

The larger man mulled it over. But only for a second or two. 'Sure, I'd like that.'

Punk was staring out the coffee shop window, chewing on his thumbnail when Joe came back from the counter with their order; two large cups of coffee and a piece of pie. 'This to share?' Punk's eyes lit up at the sweet treat.

'Course not,' Joe shook his head wryly. 'It's all yours. A little 'farewell treat' from me.'

'Oh, well, thank you,' Punk replied and plunged his fork straight in.

'How's the hand doing?' Joe said, observing it cautiously, like it might burst into flames any second.

'Good.' Punk wiggled his fingers. Two of them moved more sluggishly than the others. 'Lost some of the range of movement in them but it shouldn't affect things too much.'

'Hmm,' Joe knew what that meant. 'Still eyeing up that one final run, huh?'

The fork stopped in mid-air. The larger man found Punk with his bottom lip pouting and his brows furrowed, contemplating. 'Don't know. Haven't really thought about it.'

Joe's brows rocketed up to the sky. 'Huh. Well how about that.'

Punk didn't even realise the significance of his words to his ex as he took another greedy bite of his pie. 'Did I tell you about the sentencing?'

Joe stiffened, the grip on his cup grew tighter. 'Twenty years each. A fucking joke.'

'Least they're locked up,' Punk noted with a sharpness in his tone. 'Least it's all over now and we can put it behind us.'

'Hmm.'

'Least now I don't have to stick around for the courts anymore,' Punk went on. 'I can finally leave and go be with Drew. This long-distance shit sucks!'

'I know it's been hard for you both,' Joe admitted. 'I'm glad you're finally gonna see him again. In person this time, not just on a screen.'

'Urgh, it was painful. Especially with Drew's crappy Wi-Fi!' Joe gave a small huff of laughter while Punk chewed thoughtfully on some pastry. 'And hey, at least you don't have to worry about me now.'

Joe lowered his cup and fixed his eyes on him. 'Phil, I'll always worry about you.' A warm glow pulsed in Punk's rib cage. 'If anything, I'll worry even more, I mean, you're gonna be in an entirely different country in an entirely different continent.'

'It'll only be for a year or two. Until Drew gets his visa sorted.' Punk heard Joe taking in a deep breath and knew something was up. 'What?' he eyed him suspiciously.

'It's just... the longest I've ever seen you leave Chicago was like a month and a half. And you got so homesick that we had to watch Ferris Bueller every night for a week.' Punk let out a loud laugh at the memory. 'And we were only in fucking Miami! This is... Scotland, we're talking about.'

'I'll miss Chicago,' Punk admitted, scraping some creamy frosting onto his fork, 'but I'll be fine. I'll be with Drew, and... I know it sounds cheesy as hell but when I'm with him, I feel... it feels like home.'

Joe absorbed Punk's words. His lips slowly wobbled into a content smile and he nodded his head.

'You know something,' Punk picked up the conversation again. 'I like this.'

'What, the pie? Yeah I thought it would be right up your-'

'No' Punk shook his head. 'I mean this.' He motioned with his finger between the pair of them. 'You and me. Going out for coffee. Talking. Like friends.'

'Phil, we're not friends.'

Punk's head shot up with a heartbroken squeak but Joe only grinned softly back at him.

'You were right when you said we could never be just friends. We've been through so much together, we mean too much to each other. We're something else.'

'Then what? What are we?'

Joe took a long, slow slurp of his coffee, eyes squinted in thought. 'We're... BFFs.'

Punk snorted a laugh then held up his cup. 'I'll drink to that. To BFFs.'

Joe clinked his own cup against his. 'To BFF's.'

The connecting flight from O'Hare to JFK was easy enough but the long haul over the Atlantic was gruelling. Punk tried to distract his over-active mind by watching the in-flight movie or reading but as the little plane icon edged further along the red dotted line on his screen, the butterflies in his belly manifested into a herd of flapping turkeys and he could only bring himself to stare out the window at the clouds and blue sea below and try to keep calm.

He'd never been bothered by a descent before but when the 'safety buckle' light pinged on and the turbulence kicked in, he began to sweat. Halfway through the landing, the old lady sitting next to him placed her hand over his.

'It's alright, dear,' she cooed, wrapping her warm, gnarled fingers around his. 'My husband was a nervous flyer too. We'll be safely on the ground very soon.' He wondered for a moment how she knew then noticed his fingernails were digging into the fabric of his armrests, his knuckles white.

'Thank you, m'am,' he murmured back.

'Are you coming over for a holiday?' the lady asked. She was British but he couldn't place where from exactly.

'No, m'am, I'm...' he could see fields of green coming into view out the window beneath them. Followed rapidly by grey square of houses, a city, tiny at first getting bigger and bigger. 'I'm... gonna be living here. For a while. With my boyfriend.' It felt strange saying it out loud. Like an out-of-body experience.

'Oh, how lovely,' the woman smiled sweetly. 'Will he be there to meet you at the gate?'

The turkeys in his stomach began pecking at his lining. 'Yeah. Should be.'

'If you ask me, that's the most wonderful thing about flying,' she squeezed his hand again and wrinkled the bridge of her button nose at him. 'Families and loved ones coming together again after being apart.'

Her words were like a salve, soothing some of the chaos inside. 'Y-yeah, guess you're right.'

'I'm sure your boyfriend will be over the moon to see you again.'

'Thank you, m'am.'

She held his hand the whole way down until they landed with a bump on the runway. Punk helped her take her suitcases off the conveyor belt at the baggage claim. 'You're so kind, dear,' she said, then beckoned him down to her height so she could kiss his cheek. 'Now you make sure and tell your boyfriend how lucky he is having such a gentleman as you.'

Punk huffed a laugh at that and waved as the old lady disappeared through the gate. Then he turned back to the conveyor, his eyes finding his own bag circling round and round and round. His hands remained in his pockets, standing, waiting until one-by-one the conveyor emptied out and he was the last one standing.

He tried to breathe, the way Joe had taught him but every drag stuttered and choked him. 'Come on, this is stupid,' he scolded himself under his breath. 'You've walked out in front of thousands, millions even. You can't get stage fright now!'

He lifted his case and trundled up to the gates, passed through security and border control and finally he started that long walk into the hub of the airport itself. Stepping through the open doors he glanced around timidly, scanning each face in the crowd.

Then let out an audible gasp.

Drew was right there! Leaning against a column with his arms crossed over his chest. His dark hair was tied back and he was wearing jeans with a blue sports top under his leather jacket. As soon as he spied Punk, he straightened up, his dimples popping into his cheeks with a smile and his dazzling blue eyes shimmering like the morning sun on the ripples of a mountain pool.

And in that single instant, all the nerves melted away. Punk wondered what the hell he'd been so nervous about. The hard part was over - this next step was easy.

The two lovers bashfully walked towards one another, their cheeks reddening. Punk let go of his case, left it standing alone as he lifted both hands in front of him.

A wave.

A thumbs-up.

First two fingers touching the side of his eye then swiping towards Drew.

Straight left index finger touching the curve made by his right thumb and forefinger.

Right index finger curled on his left palm.

Right index finger touching his left index finger.

All fingers interlocked, palms facing.

Punk finished and looked up expectantly at Drew who's stunning sapphires had grown twice their size. Then they softened. His lips parted.

'It's good to see you too, Punk.'

If Drew had been stunned at Punk's little surprise, the tattooed man almost fainted with shock at his! 'You... you can...'

The Scot gave a hearty laugh at the slack-jawed expression on his boyfriend's face. 'Aye,' he said, scratching his fingers through his beard, 'I've been seeing a speech therapist for a few months now. Sorry I didn't tell you before - I wanted to surprise ye.'

Punk just gaped back.

'But you did the same!' Drew pointed out. 'How long have you been learning BSL?' Nothing in reply. 'Punk?' He waved his large hand in front of his boyfriend's face. 'Anyone home?'

A soft smile wobbled onto Punk's lips. 'You do have the accent.'

Drew dipped his head, the bridge of his nose turning a deep shade of pink. 'Aye well. It's not as broad as it once was, but it's still there, at least. Here, I'll help you with your bags.' Drew grabbed hold of the small suitcase's handle then looked around, confused. 'Is this it?'

'Urgh, you sound just like my ex!'

Drew chuckled. 'How is Joe?' he asked while they made their way out of the airport. His free hand dropped to his side and found Punk's. The tattooed man beamed, enjoying the feeling of physical connection with Drew after being apart from him for almost a year and a half.

They chatted comfortably as Drew drove them out of the airport parking lot and onto the motorway. Punk was completely enchanted by the sound of Drew's voice, even if it felt so strange and almost unnatural falling from the Scot's lips. He closed his eyes to listen deeper to it; the rich bass, the rugged accent, the lilting intonation when he was telling a joke. The words themselves passed him by but the sound alone was such an opulent feast that he felt full to the brim.

Outside, the landscape skimmed past, changing from the tall city blocks to pretty flat fields, wooden fence posts, the odd weathered stone building. 'So, this is Scotland, huh?'

'This? Fuck no!' Drew scoffed. 'This is England. You'll know when we reach Scotland.'

'How will I know when-?'

'Trust me,' Drew arched a cheeky brow at his boyfriend, 'you'll know.'

Punk shrugged off the cryptic statement and they continued to chat, about Larry, about AJ, about all the pitfalls in visa bureaucracy when all of a sudden, Punk sat upright and pressed his face to the window.

'Holy shiiiii...'

It had happened so suddenly, like they had travelled through some magic veil into a whole new world. All around them, towering green hills loomed high like mighty sentinels, crowds of them holding the narrow road in their giant hands. Punk felt so small all of a sudden, gaping up at the majestic peaks, dotted all around with fluffy freckles of grazing sheep. Off to his right, a gap opened up between two of the giants, revealing an awe-inspiring waterfall rushing down the entire height of the jagged cliff, its clear waters sparkling with a million stars of sunlight.

'Told you, you would know,' Drew piped up, smugly. 'Pretty, huh?'

Punk tore his gaze away from the flawless masterpiece outside his window and found something even more dazzling, more breath-taking, sitting right there in the car next to him. He thought back to that fateful night in the storm, remembering the filthy, bedraggled, pitiful creature in a muzzle that he had scooped onto his back and taken home.

That creature had transformed into an angel. Celestial, unearthly.

Magnificent.

His grin hiked up his cheek making his crow's feet crinkle fondly.

'Beautiful,' he said, breathlessly.

The End

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