#go to sleep before 5am for once in your life

[paarksunghoon]

resignation (4)

SUMMARY: For the last six years, you’ve dedicated your career to ensuring Park Sunghoon never misses a day of work in his life. But you’re tired of endless days that seem to blend together, and seeing him living his fun, luxurious lifestyle makes you think about what else you might be missing out on. When Sunghoon finds your resignation letter on his desk, he does everything in his power to convince you to stay.

NOTES: please do not ask me about chapter updates.

WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: kissing & dry humping.

SERIES PLAYLIST + SERIES MASTERLIST

please leave a comment/reblog and let me know what you think!

***

What does it mean when you have a wet dream about your boss? 

Surely this happens to everybody. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about because the other party involved has no idea what transpired. This feeling is like accidentally calling your teacher “Mom” or “Dad,” only a thousand times worse. 

You don’t remember much, only fragments and jump cuts that make you question if what you dreamt was real at all. But you remember what his naked chest and torso looked like and the way your hands roamed the expanse of his skin as you sat on top of him. You remember the way his legs parted to situate your body on his thighs, and you remember the way he looked when he was tugging on his dick to finish all over your body. 

It was enough to wake you with a startle. 

It’s just before 5AM and nothing you do can put you back to sleep. Your heart is beating erratically, and your mind races from scenario to scenario. Revisiting the remnants of your dream makes you flustered and you feel guilty. Surely it’s normal to think about your boss like that, right? 

There’s not much that Sunghoon isn’t perfect at. He can be a bit impatient and particular, but he’s the epitome of everybody’s dream. He’s so sure of himself all of the time and knows what he wants. Most importantly, Sunghoon is not afraid of pursuing his goals until the very end. 

It’s unfortunate that passionate, secure men are exactly your type. You don’t play games; you’re too old for that. This will-they-won’t-they is a thing of the past and a scenario you would’ve loved to experience back when you were seventeen. In adulthood, you appreciate men who respect your independence and find it attractive, even. 

Hearing Sunghoon tell his colleagues he knows to trust you because of how you need little help does more damage than good. Sunghoon’s praise is not the basis of your career, but it’s an added bonus when it all comes down to it. 

He’s everything you could ever want in a guy, but you can’t do anything about it. You haven’t been able to think about how attractive you found him to be upon the first day of meeting him because Sunghoon is your boss. He’s the one who delegates your work and at the end of the day, it would be unprofessional. 

It doesn’t stop you from having wet dreams about him, apparently. 

Getting yourself to leave your apartment is much harder than it usually is. You refuse to get in your car for a while and try to stall yourself until the inevitable anxiety about being late to work pushes you to get in it. Music doesn’t help quell your mind on the drive either. It all sounds like static noise to you with how loud and vibrational the wet dream is. Pulling up to the parking garage and your designated spot feels like a challenge. Stepping into the lobby and riding the elevator up to your floor feels damn near suffocating. 

It’s just your luck that Sunghoon happened to show up earlier than you did for once, truly. You like to be prepared and have a daily agenda to go over with him, but you need your peace and quiet to gather all your thoughts and priorities before beginning the workday. 

He stands with his back facing you. Sunghoon’s broad shoulders are covered by a black button down with sleeves rolled up to just below his elbow. Your breath hitches and you don’t think you can handle seeing him if he turns around, especially when you know he could probably see how you’re out of it today. 

You take a few deep breaths before your heels click against the hardwood floor, alerting Sunghoon of your presence. He turns around when he hears you and you try not to trip and fall. Damn his good looks so early in the morning. Damn him for not needing any makeup while you caked your under eyes with concealer. Screw him for looking so attractive when you’re trying to think of him as anything but. 

“Morning.”

“You’re here early.” 

Sunghoon smiles. “I know. I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I figured I’d come to the office early.” 

Did he have a wet dream about you too?

The thought disappears as soon as you think it because that seems both ludicrous and egotistical. Sunghoon doesn’t think of you like that. He sees you as his personal assistant and nothing more. 

Why does that feeling disappoint you? 

You’re desperately trying to keep a calm demeanor as you walk closer towards him. You try your hardest to push the dream away from your mind as the two of you look at each other, and instead take a seat by your desk. He follows behind you and lingers by the front of it as you take out your legal pad to write today’s agenda. The weight of his eyes are heavy.

“No meetings until 11AM when the Choi’s come for an informational meeting with the Decelis company for lunch at the InterContinental, and begin discussing the steps until I resign for good.”

“You have your shit down.” 

“It’s my job.”

“Do we really have to talk about the fact that you’re quitting?” 

You turn your chair to face him. “Yes. I’m leaving in a month and a half, there are a million projects I need to finish, and I need to make sure your new assistant has what it takes.”

“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?” 

“I have. It’s my decision and I stand by it. But I really did enjoy my time at this company and I want to make sure you have somebody who can manage you.” 

“Manage me?” 

You smirk when he chokes. “Don’t act like you’re a saint, Sunghoon. You rely on me for nearly all of your business and I’ve learned more about this company’s inner workings than anybody else. My work is triple what other assistants do at this office, but it gets results.”

“I’m passionate about my job.” 

“So am I.” 

Sunghoon leans over your desk and puts both palms on the wood below him. He looks at you and bends down until he’s significantly closer to your face. Even with the clear distance between the both of you, your cheeks feel like they’re heating up. Suddenly, your dreams from the night before reappear in your vision. You start imagining what Sunghoon would look like without his shirt on at this very angle. 

“You’re the best at what you do. You’re smart, intuitive, and you’re not afraid to argue with me and hurt pride. I’ve never had a business partner who’s been as sharp as you.” 

You’re nearly stunned into silence. Sunghoon’s plush lips look inviting and his piercing stare makes you feel all kinds of things an assistant shouldn’t be feeling about her boss. His words still register and float around your head.

“Business partner is a stretch.” 

“You make ideas and execute them. That’s more than what a personal assistant would do. It’s commendable how much you’ve learned about this company over the years.”

“The best I can do is help you find a worthy assistant. 

“I suppose.” 

Sunghoon doesn’t say anything after that. Instead, he turns away without looking at you and retreats into his office. 

***

What makes a good assistant? 

So far, your list consists of:

Sense of urgency.

Able to meet deadlines.

Pays close attention to fine details and can multitask. 

Able to operate basic functions like Google and Microsoft Suite. 

Willing to work overtime, including nights and weekends. 

Manage calendars and be the bridge between employer and client.

Fulfill and execute holiday gifting for clients and partners. 

Create and maintain lists when needed. 

Of course, those are just the basic managerial tasks you do on a day to day basis. If you could be honest about what this job entails, the list would look something like:

Have a strong sense of urgency. 

Cannot be afraid to speak to strangers and build repertoire. 

Knows how to read a room and make judgment based on intuition. 

Knows how to speak multiple languages, even if merely conversational. 

Is an early bird and a night owl. 

Won’t be scared by how little time off is able to be taken.

Won’t be upset when needed to work very early hours and late evenings. 

Will not complain about accompanying the employer to personal matters. 

Knows how to be confident in a room full of people.

Doesn’t tolerate bullshit. 

Writing this job listing feels impossible at this point. It’s too long, too broad, and too complicated. You delete the entire draft and stare at the blank page as if to hope the listing to write itself. You’re trying to pass the time because your meeting with Sunghoon to discuss the next steps before you leave makes you feel like you’ll go insane.

But most of your projects are waiting on other people now. It’s a blessing and a curse to be one step ahead of everybody else. You’ve done all you could to follow up and distract yourself with your duties, but you can’t do anything until other people present their parts. 

Writing this job listing is something you’ve been putting off for the past week. It seems too hard to truly encapsulate what this job entails. It’s been bittersweet to walk down memory lane and think about all of the strengths you’ve learned over your time with Sunghoon. You want to do right by him and pick somebody that’s worthy of this position. You’ve spent so much of your career dedicated to him and the last thing you want is to undo all of the work you’ve done. 

Time doesn’t seem to be moving any faster and the thought of being alone with him after his obligations makes you feel uneasy. He lets you work in peace while he does his job. It’s not until an hour before his meeting do you see Sunghoon. It was hard to remain a stoic professional with a client when all you can think about is having sex with him on the large oakwood table your arms are resting on. When Sunghoon leaves for his lunch meeting, you picture his face buried deep in your cunt below your own desk. 

The way you think of your boss is unbecoming. There is a clear, set boundary you need to respect and maintain. But being near him makes things harder for you. 

If you were a better person, you’d quit while you’re ahead and stick to yourself until you were free from this company. It’s hard to work alongside somebody you’re physically attracted to. You see him walking around in his suits, so impeccably dressed that you’re not surprised at just how many people seek him out. He’s on magazine covers and rubs elbows with Korea’s rich and famous. Sunghoon’s circle resembles that of people who don’t need to think twice about spending money because they know it’ll never run out. The fact that he’s handsome, smart, and wealthy isn’t lost on you. In fact, it makes things that much worse. 

You’re not any of that. You don’t come from obscene wealth, nor do you have the friends and connections that Sunghoon does. You live in his world only as an adjacent, and then you go back to your apartment and order Chinese takeout while trying to feel like a regular human being. The imposter syndrome is what keeps you up at night. You’re afforded luxurious ways to travel, fine dining and drinks, and free clothes from time to time, but all of it is in the name of Sunghoon. He’s the one with the power to grant you these opulent wishes. You’re here because of him and who he is within society, not because it thinks you deserve to be here. 

It aches you to think that the next person to have your job will likely come to this startling truth like you did. Coming home to a small, studio apartment after an all expenses paid business trip to Berlin was a cold splash of water to the face. You are nothing without the company you work for. Somewhere along the line, you started to resent this lifestyle. It has consumed your life in ways you never thought imaginable. The late nights, days away from your bed, and the constant urge to prove yourself worthy is never ending. Even now, when most of Sunghoon’s colleagues and acquaintances know your name, people think of you as a mere servant.

The task then becomes how you can convey this through the job listing without making it sound like this job is miserable. It can be, but hinting at that is neither professional nor is it realistic. You need to find a worthy successor before you effectively leave. You can’t leave Sunghoon hanging without trying your best. He’s been good to you throughout the years, and the least you can do is make sure his next assistant doesn't make him resent having one. 

When Sunghoon is back from his lunch meeting, you’re calmer than you were at the beginning of the day. Knowing he’s been out of your sight has been good to quell your nerves. So has eating lunch. Instead of joining other assistants at the cafeteria, you’ve elected to pack yourself a lunch and enjoy the confines of your office until it’s time for you to go back to work. That hour is spent distracting yourself through Instagram, where an endless scroll of videos provides more entertainment than work does. 

It’s nearly four in the afternoon when Sunghoon comes back from his lunch meeting. He comes back looking triumphant and stops by your office after putting his suit jacket away in his office closet, knocking once before opening the door. 

“I take it the meeting went well?” you ask, not bothering to look up from your monitor as you type an email. 

“Swimmingly. Decelis has agreed to our terms and I had a very wonderful filet mignon as well.”

“BigHit called and requested a formal introduction. You have availability next Wednesday at 8AM and the following Tuesday at 10AM.”

“Let’s do Tuesday. Nobody likes an 8AM meeting.” 

“Got it.” 

Sunghoon steps inside and closes the door behind you when he hears the sound of an email being sent. You blink away the strain in your eyes from looking at a screen for too long and see him sitting on the chair in front of your desk. 

“It’s important we talk about what’s gonna happen for the next month and a half before you go, huh?” 

You sigh. “It is, Sunghoon. My time here has been good to me. I don’t want to leave you with somebody incompetent.”

“I feel touched that you’d extend your time here by two months to look for a new assistant.”

“You should. I’m trying to fill out a job listing before I post it. That’s been stalling me from figuring out what else I need to do. I figure I’ll tackle that and see what projects I can distribute until your new assistant gets the hang of things.” 

“What about the tasks you’re working on now?”

“Handled. I’m waiting for responses.”

“I’m gonna miss how hard you work,” he tells you. “It’ll be weird not seeing you everyday.” 

“You’ll get used to it. First up on the agenda: job requirements. I have a few basics–using software, meeting deadlines, accompanying you on business trips–what else is there that I can add?” 

Sunghoon looks over the list you’ve created. “Owning a passport and the willingness to travel is a must. But I’ll handle business when I need to travel by myself until I can fully trust my assistant.” 

You write it down. “Good idea. I think the first time I traveled with you was to Tokyo six months in. Pretty early to trust me, if I say so myself.” 

“Yeah, well, you proved to be a trustworthy person.”

“How so?”

Sunghoon shrugs. “I don’t know. You always seemed like you were keen on putting your head down and doing your job. Somewhere in the mix, I guess you started learning my habits and picked up on things quicker than other assistants I’ve had. I knew I could trust you when you had the briefings prepared when we met with Hybe.”

“Hybe?”

“You know, the independent record label we helped fund and is now considered one of the biggest music corporations in Asia?” 

“I know who they are,” you retort. Sunghoon just smiles. “But I don’t remember that at all.”

“You came into my office the day before the meeting and gave me an entire binder’s worth of prep I never asked you to do. Information on the company, the CEO and founder, artist growth potential, the whole nine yards. I’d never had a thorough assistant at that time. You walked into my office and apologized if you were overstepping before you left me with that behemoth of a binder. It was impeccable and it’s what helped solidify my decision to work with them. And now, Hybe is a major record label with business in America.” 

“Oh…I never knew that.”

“I tried to keep it on the down low so it didn’t get to your head. I was just getting to know you, and didn’t want to take the chance of your ego blowing out of proportion.”

You scowl. “It wouldn’t have.”

“I know that now. But at that time, we were still getting used to the swing of things. That let me know you were loyal to me and had my back. I knew I could trust you with the everyday administrative work, and I knew I could trust you to form a good, solid opinion when it came to this business. It’s why I decided to take you abroad for international business and to handle things back in Korea.” 

Sunghoon’s words make you dizzy. It’s as if a warmth has bloomed in your chest from all of the positive things he’s saying about you. You’ve tried your best to keep yourself humble when it comes to your career for the fear of crossing a boundary you shouldn’t have. You don’t have the power Sunghoon does, nor do you have the capital to back yourself up. The wins, both big and small, are celebrated by yourself before you move onto the next project. 

Everything he’s telling you makes you wonder if you never truly appreciated the things you’ve accomplished just because you were insecure about your role in the company. You’re an extension of Sunghoon, not his equal. Even when you’d assist him in decision making or give your input that ultimately influenced his opinions, it never felt like something worth celebrating. Not unless he’d give you a verbal praise.

The stories he’s telling you about his time working with you makes you look at your job differently. For as competent as you are, you’ve got tunnel vision. Work is work and there’s nothing more to it. You’ve always believed that the essence of your accomplishments lie with Sunghoon, but now you’re starting to wonder about all of the things he’s noticed about you without having vocalized them. The wake of your departure seems to have stirred up emotions within Sunghoon, but you’re having a hard time trying to figure out what they are. 

“I don’t know what to say, Sunghoon. Thanks, I think.”

“What I’m trying to say is, you’re really good at your job. I know it’s stressful trying to find a replacement, but I want to make sure they can reach your level with time. There won’t be anybody who can do what you do.” 

Your face heats up and you go back to brainstorming. 

“I’ve got a general idea for the listing now and I’ll type the copy for your approval by the end of the week. Let’s move on to our clients, shall we?”

When the clock hand tells you it’s six o’clock, Sunghoon asks if you have anywhere to be tonight. When you tell him no, he asks that you stay at the office longer with the promise of ordering takeout to be shared between the two of you. You decide to stay, even if it means you have to work, because you’d never turn down a free meal from him. It’s the only time you allow yourself to splurge on food and Sunghoon prefers to eat at high end restaurants anyway. 

You settle on dim sum. Sunghoon orders just enough for the both of you and it sits across the desk in the main meeting office with Thai tea in to-go cups. He’s loosened his tie and doesn’t bother with appearances now that most of his colleagues have left for the day. You don’t see this carefree side of him often, as he likes to dress to impress. Sunghoon believes impressions are everything in the business of venture capitalism. He doesn't want anybody to get the wrong idea about him because he knows assumptions run far and wild, and he’d rather have people say favorable things about him than not. 

You’ve done a good job at forgetting the dream you had by using work and food as a distraction. But the second Sunghoon loosened his tie and untucked his button down made your mind briefly flash to the dirty things that transpired in your mind. You will yourself to push those thoughts to the back of your head for the umpteenth time. 

“Humor me,” Sunghoon says to break the silence as he looks up from his pile of documents. “You told me you don’t have a personal life and that’s why you want to quit.”

“I didn’t say it like that.” 

“Could’ve fooled me. Weren’t you the one who said you don’t have time for yourself?” 

Curse him. 

“Yeah, I did.” He drops the document on the table and puts the straw of his Thai tea in his mouth, letting it dangle carelessly. 

“You surely have things and people when you’re not at the office. I don’t make you work here like you’re chained to the building.” 

“True,” you tell him as you turn to face him. “That doesn’t mean I have my shit figured out, though.”

“Who does?” 

“People like you don’t have to think about your future.” 

He nods. “Okay, I guess you’re right. I know we don’t come from the same backgrounds, but that doesn’t mean your life isn’t rich without money.” 

“It’s not that I don’t have anything, but lately, it’s felt like nothing sticks around long enough for me to make it part of my life. My hobbies are short-lived. My family lives far away. I don’t have many friends.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“What? Not having hobbies.”

“Not having friends.” 

“It’s true.”

“What do you mean by that?”

You push a dumpling in your mouth and speak between bites. “I didn’t have many friends before moving to Seoul. Everyone I knew from university moved after graduating except my roommate during my last year. She’s the only person who I’d consider my friend.”

“What about your neighbor, Nabi? The one who watches your cat when you’re with me?” 

“Is that friendship if I’m asking her for favors?” 

“Kinda. You trust her to watch over Pochi and you told me you’re both getting to know each other a little. I’d count that as friends.” 

“Okay, I have two friends. I don’t have an entire network of people I see. I never had many friends growing up because I was too focused on getting out of my hometown and making it in Seoul. Well, I did that, but it feels like I’m paying the price.” 

“I don’t think you have to worry about not being likable.” 

“That’s not the issue, though. I just…I don’t have time to make connections because this job takes up so much of my day. When people invite me out, I have to decline half the time or I come at the tail end of the night because I’m working late. All of that adds up. I’ve only known this job and trying to be the best that I can possibly be that I’ve forgotten how to have fun. I don’t know anything other than this job.”

He looks away from you for a moment before returning back to your gaze. 

“I’m sorry I contributed to that.” 

“It’s not your fault. It comes with the job and I knew what I signed up for. You’ve been a lenient boss compared to other people at this company, and that says a lot.”

“I demand a lot from you, don’t I?” 

“Will I be in trouble if I agree?”

He smirks. “Maybe.” 

“Then my lips are sealed.” 

Sunghoon laughs. “I can relate to this job being a lifeline. It’s what I’ve wanted for so long, did you know that? I watched my dad do this work when I grew up and I always had a knack for negotiating. It was my calling and I did everything I could to work my way up from the bottom, even though I knew he’d make me a partner whenever I asked. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too invested in this business. My parents keep asking me when I’ll settle down, and I never have an answer.”

“Will you?”

He looks directly at you. “We’ll see about that. For now, I don’t think about it too much. I like my life and it’s too busy to care about those kinds of things anyhow. If the opportunity doesn’t present itself, I won’t force one to appear.” 

“I’m the same way, I think. I don’t really talk to my parents all that much, but when I do, they’re always asking about when I’ll get a husband. It’s never about my job and my life. It’s always about whether or not their only daughter will grow to be a spinstress.” 

“Surely you’ve been on a few dates since moving to Seoul, no? I would’ve figured you found somebody by now.” 

You ignore his comment for your sanity. “I’ve been on a few, yeah. All of them went nowhere. I’m not the type of person who goes on multiple first dates, though. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen for me naturally.”

“Don’t you use dating apps?”

You laugh humorlessly. “I tried for the first year. Had people swipe right and talked a little, but nothing ever transpired from that. I wondered if I was that awful to talk to or if people who used dating apps were shallow. I deleted them one night and never redownloaded them again.” 

“Dating apps are a scam anyway. Jaeyun uses them from time to time and runs into that same issue. Ever the romantic at heart, even though he won’t admit it.” 

“I want to meet someone naturally and get to know them before I decide anything.” You look at Sunghoon. “Sorry, was that too personal? We’re still at the office.” 

“Nah. Don’t worry about that. I was the one who asked. So you’re the type of person who believes in fate.” 

“Kind of? I don’t know if I’d put it like that, but I’m like you. I don’t want to force things if it’s clearly not going to work out. I’d rather save my time and breath instead of wasting it.” 

“I think that’s admirable.”

“It’s slow and miserable, is what it is.” 

Sunghoon throws his head back and laughs. “Slow and steady wins the race, doesn’t it? 

“It’s taking its sweet ass time.” 

“Don’t tell me you’re the type to date to marry.” 

“Absolutely not!” 

“Just making sure.” 

“I want to like the person I date and not go out with a bunch of guys to see who sticks. That seems unproductive. I want a guy to take me seriously and not look at me like I’m a sack of meat, for once. Someone who will put me first and not leave me unsatisfied.” 

The tips of your ears burn red when you finish your sentence. The implication of your words ring in your ears as you look at Sunghoon, but he looks at you like nothing you said was out of the ordinary. If he’s picked up on what you mean, he doesn’t tell you that he does. 

“Love is a hard thing to find. I don’t know what I’d do if I had it.” 

“Me either. Quitting this job isn’t about finding a boyfriend, per se, but it’s part of it. I want to have enough time to do whatever the hell I want, and that includes dating.” 

Sunghoon doesn’t say anything for a minute. He looks at you like he’s trying to decipher something, and you’re having a hard time keeping still under his watchful gaze. But he turns his attention to the empty takeout cartons and the empty Thai tea cups, putting them back into the plastic bag before tossing them into the trash can. You watch as he compiles the documents back into its holding place before he looks at you. 

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking but we haven’t moved an inch with these projects. Are you up for coming back to my house and working for an hour or two? I can’t think in this damn office anymore and I want a glass of bourbon.” 

“I don’t know. I need to feed Pochi. I also drove to work today.”

“Tell your neighbor to do it. I’ll drive you to the office tomorrow morning.” 

When Sunghoon pulls into the driveway of his ginormous penthouse, you tell yourself the latest you’ll stay is ten o’clock. It’s half past eight and you’re not the least bit tired, which concerns you. Your neighbor has agreed to watch Pochi and knows where you keep your spare key in order to take her back to her apartment. Once she’s sent you a picture of Pochi eating from her bowl, you allow yourself to relax. 

His garage hides behind a served driveway that makes you feel like you’re at the entrance of a luxurious hotel. The garage itself looks like it could store five cars and Sunghoon’s Supra sits right next to the BMW he drives when he goes to work. The Supra is a convertible and what he likes to call his “weekend car.” It’s the vehicle he uses when he’s not working. It’s the one he used to pick you up when the two of you went to dinner. 

The foyer is as grand as you remember it. His interior is minimalistic with elements of nature scattered across the house in the form of decor. Photographs of sea and forests, sculptures, and delicate souvenirs decorate the living area. You’ve never been able to tone down your amazement when you visit. Sunghoon is clean and meticulous. His home reflects that. 

Like the gentleman Sunghoon is, he offers you alcohol when he pours himself a glass of bourbon, but you elect for ice water if you want to make it through the night on these projects. You need to be laser focused because you run the risk of sleeping right on his marble counter and on top of the documents currently sprawled out against the large kitchen island. He provides a salty, crunchy snack because he knows you don’t have a sweet tooth like he does. You cave in eventually and eat a few chips. 

It’s all business talk for the next hour and a half. He jumps from topic to topic in order to make sure everything is accounted for and things that need attention get taken care of. Working with him feels like fighting with a partner in crime. You understand the way his brain works and you’re able to keep up with him when he’s talking at a million miles an hour. This is the kind of attitude he puts up when he’s networking, and you’ve learned over the years that seldom do people get the full, talkative Sunghoon unless he’s trying to get something out of them. With you, it’s a never ending cycle of conversations and opinions. You hear from him more than you don’t and he doesn’t shy away from talking your ear off. 

It does make you feel special sometimes. Sunghoon always indulges you and never puts your ideas and opinion on the backburner. You like that he’s able to carry a conversation and knows when to shut up (for the most part). He gives you the same level of enthusiasm back and respects your space when you come into the office without your mood to socialize. Those days are for getting work done only, and you’ve come to appreciate Sunghoon’s ability to know when you aren’t feeling like yourself. 

It comes with working together for six years, naturally. Seeing each other more frequently than friends and family creates some kind of mutual understanding. You’d like to think it’s a great working relationship so far. Sunghoon starts with the big ideas and you fill in the details. He’s able to pull innovation out of you and you’re able to reel him in and think about logic. It’s like a perfectly oiled machine with no hiccups. It’s been like this since you can remember and you’ll miss it when you leave. 

Eventually, ten o’clock comes and your eyes grow tired of blinking. Sunghoon feels the same, as his tie is far too loose around his neck and his hair is sticking all over the place from him running his hand through it. You’re no better, either. Your hair is down from its updo and your makeup is smudging to the point of no return. 

You’re about to pack up and leave when Sunghoon stops you. 

“Stay the night.” 

“What?” 

“I’m too tired to drive you right now.” Sunghoon yawns. “I’m sorry, I know I said I would. I didn’t think I’d be so tired. You can stay in my guest bedroom.”

“I’ll call a cab or take the bus home.” 

“It’s late and I don’t want you out there by yourself. I’ll be awake and wondering if something happened to you.” 

His words feel oddly sentimental in the dead of night. You shake it off, though. You’re both tired. 

“Pochi needs me, Sunghoon. I can’t expect my neighbor to watch her without saying anything.”

“Text her, then. If she doesn’t want to, I’ll call you an Uber home.” 

you: Hi Nabi, I’m so sorry to text you so late. I’ve been caught up at work and don’t think I’ll be back until tomorrow. Do you think you can watch Pochi overnight and put her back in my apartment before you leave for work tomorrow?

nabi: ah, I see. you’re with your hot boss, aren’t you? If that’s the case, don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure pochi gets breakfast and replenish her water 

you: You’re a SAVIOR

nabi: didn’t deny being with ur hot boss. interesting 

you: Goodnight :) 

“Nabi’s gonna watch my cat for the night.” 

Sunghoon smiles tiredly. “Great. Let me show you to the guest bedroom and get you some clothes you can change into. There’s makeup remover and skin care stuff in the bathroom.”

“Do you make it a habit of keeping girls to the point where you keep that stuff in your house?”

He laughs. “No, but my sister comes to visit me often enough that I know to keep it in case she stays later than planned.” 

“That's…sweet.” 

“Just trying to be a good older brother.” 

He leads you to the guest bedroom and you’re far too sleepy to marvel at the sheer size. Sunghoon fetches a shirt and sleep shorts, both of which are a bit bigger on you, and bids you goodnight. It feels weird being in his house and staying the night, but Sunghoon was right. There’s no use calling a cab when you’re like this. You slip under the covers hoping for a restful, dreamless night. 

Except, you wake up three hours later and can’t seem to fall back to sleep. 

It’s like your body knows you aren’t where you’re supposed to be. You don’t recall any kind of dream when you realize you’re awake and staring at the ceiling. Tossing and turning don’t seem to be like great options either because it makes you feel even more restless than before. Surely a glass of water won’t be too much. Sunghoon is probably in his room and you watched where he grabbed his glass from. 

As you make your way towards the kitchen, you see the faint light of a television screen from around the corridor. Sunghoon sits on the couch in front of it. He’s watching a rerun of a drama that premiered earlier this year on low volume. When he hears your footsteps behind him, he turns around and is surprised to see that you’re awake. 

“Couldn’t sleep?” 

His voice is so raspy. Shit. 

“No. Don’t know why.”

“Me either.” 

He pats the seat next to him and you sit right next to him. Neither of you speaks, too engrossed in the drama to address how different the atmosphere feels. There’s no work, no obligations, and no boundaries that exist here. It’s like his living room is some kind of liminal space that’s putting you through a limbo you’ve never experienced before. Sunghoon’s body heat radiates into you and it feels like you might as well be sitting next to a human furnace. 

Neither of you talk about why you can’t sleep. You’re not sure why you’re having a hard time, especially since the guest bed is far more comfortable than the one you have back in your apartment. But you do notice Sunghoon peeking at you every once in a while. It makes you feel a bit uneasy because you’re not wearing any makeup and your hair is surely a mess from sleeping, but then you start to notice that he’s looking at you when the couple on the television screen kiss. 

It almost feels like you’re in a movie scene when you look back, too. Sunghoon catches your eyes and doesn’t look away this time. He holds your gaze and you gulp when you see his Adam’s apple move. 

Are you dreaming right now? Is this some kind of test the universe is putting you under? 

Time seems to have slowed down and you’re drowning out the noise of the television the more Sunghoon looks at you. At this moment, he isn’t your boss. He’s not somebody who you’ve learned from, nor is he somebody who is miles out of your league. Sunghoon is the handsome boy next door who you’ve had a small crush on for the past six years but have ignored for the sake of keeping the peace. He’s the guy you��d notice in the grocery store and would think about when you two eventually part ways. 

All of your thoughts cut off when you realize he’s leaning in close to you. 

On instinct, you lean in closer, too. The distance between the two of you closes slowly. He inches towards you like he’s attempting to be as cautious as possible, and you’re following his lead. Your body aches for him. That much you know. 

Sunghoon’s lips touch yours eventually and it’s nothing like the hot and steamy dream you had the night prior. Instead, it’s delicate like the touch of a feather. Neither of you dare to touch one another more than you already are with your knee brushing the side of his thigh. His lips feel so good against yours and that’s all you can think about. 

He pulls away after a brief moment and when he doesn’t see any resistance, Sunghoon moves to touch you. Sunghoon cradles your jaw so delicately and it’s a new feeling for you. Nobody has been this gentle while he’s touching you, and your confident demeanor lowers just a little bit. His lips are dangerously soft and warm. The sound of the kisses bouncing off of his walls makes you fall that much deeper. 

When you open your eyes for a peek at Sunghoon, his eyes are completely closed. 

You surge forward and put more pressure into the kiss. He responds well and matches your desire, tilting his head to the other side as if to explore this part of your mouth. It’s so wet and warm. Sunghoon’s hands move from your cheeks to your shoulder until it runs right down your arm. His fingertips dance along your own until he reaches the bottom hem of the shirt you’re wearing. 

Sunghoon’s hesitation turns you on even more. It’s like he’s trying to withhold himself from touching you even further for the fear of making you uncomfortable, and that grace alone makes you want him to touch you even more. Without a word, you push his hand underneath the material of the shirt, and Sunghoon grips your thigh like he’s never felt you before. You can’t remember a single time somebody has turned you on by a mere touch. Something about Sunghoon makes you want to run without looking back. 

There’s no real battle for who gets to be in control. You’re enjoying your time and it feels like Sunghoon is too, especially with the way he caresses your jaw while his lips are on you. You feel so safe in this moment and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. Should kissing always feel like you’re ready to lose your inhibitions? Surely, this is a first for you. 

You don’t know who moves first, but you move onto his lap with his hands moving to your waist. He keeps you there like that with his mouth attached to yours and your arms balance on either side of his head while you sit yourself down onto him.

Sunghoon is rock hard underneath you. The two of you feel it. You gasp in shock and Sunghoon opens his eyes to look up at you. 

He’s big. You know he is. That taste of his imprint practically makes you salivate when you feel his dick perfectly slotted against your core for just a second. It excites you to no end, but the way Sunghoon’s looking at you makes you quiver.

“Fuck…” Sunghoon pushes you up and looks away from you to look at his dick straining against his sweatpants. “You weren’t supposed to make me hard.”

“You weren’t supposed to kiss me.”

“But I’ve always wanted to kiss you.” 

Sunghoon leans up to push a short lived peck to your lips. 

“I’m your assistant.

“That you are,” he says with a smile.

“And you’re my boss.” 

“That I am.” 

He smiles anyhow and maneuvers your body until he’s above you. Your back hits the cushions and all of a sudden, you can see just how turned on Sunghoon is. He looks like a mixture of innocent and mischievous, and you decide that’s a dangerous look for you to receive. 

Sunghoon bends down to kiss you again, this time with a little more bravado than the mere peck. Your arms wrap around his muscular shoulders as you pull him closer into your body. He braces himself with one arm beside the couch cushion and in the process, his covered dick pushes right against your core.

The feeling of Sunghoon slowly grinding against you is magnetic. It makes you grind right back into him and use his body as leverage to push yourself up from the couch. You let out a sharp moan when the fabric of your panties creates a delicious kind of friction against your clit. Sunghoon closes his eyes shut and moans too. 

His pace is moderate, but it’s enough for the two of you to become a bit lost. Sunghoon’s imprint makes you wetter when you realize he’s really big. It makes you shudder when you picture what it’ll feel like if Sunghoon puts it inside you. 

The two of you open your eyes at the same time. It’s as if some sort of veil has been uplifted when you see his sweaty forehead and when he sees your shirt ride up your body. The two of you back away from each other like fire and ice.

“W-Wow,” you stutter.

“I’m a good kisser, don’t you think?” 

You swat his bicep. “So arrogant and yet you were rutting into me like a dog in heat.” 

“Can you blame me?” Sunghoon asks, biting his lip. “You look like that while wearing my shirt.”

“Like what?”

“Sex on legs.” 

You choke. 

“Sunghoon.” 

He laughs and looks at the clock. It’s so late. You turn to look too, and the time makes your heart rate pick up. It’s past midnight and you two have to be up in four hours. 

“Shit,” you mumble. 

“Don’t want it to end, love?” 

You look back at him and, for whatever sheepish reason, nod. 

“We’ll have more time tomorrow.” 

Sunghoon bends down to kiss you twice more before pulling himself up and offering you a hand. He pulls you up as well and turns the TV off and leads you to your room before opening the door for you.

“Sunghoon—”

“I’ll make you cum tomorrow,” he promises before kissing you one last time. “For now, get some rest.” 

Your knees buckle when he looks you up and down. Sunghoon’s devilish grin doesn’t falter until you’ve forcibly closed the door on his face. 

***

taglist 1: @i58ssj @motherscrustytoenailclippings @immelissaaa @sunnyjayjays @skzenhalove @tobiosbbyghorl @babystrlla @sagegreenhairclip @doririsstuff @second-floors @sievenderz @favoritten @kiikiisblog @ynzyy @jessicaradreamer @questionsdearreader @leeymws @wonislife17 @semi-wife @synamon @letwiiparkjay @spicxbnny @bbinwrld @25dejulho @globaloppaaa @1-800-peakyblinders @heesunghooney @ambi01 @simpforskz143148 @shaysimpss @steddie-steddie @ning2lover @fairystudio @yujinxue @dearmyfavoritepeople-bts @in-somnias-world @mellowgalaxystrawberry @1ckyw1ckyyyyy @kgneptun @ithinkulikeme @kristynaaah @jessxxxfwd @lovingjongseong @intoomanyfandom-s @jeoncarla008 @just1moodz.

please adjust your setting if i couldn't tag you x

[prettieinpink]

LITTLE WAYS TO LIVE HEALTHIER IN 2025

INCREASE YOUR N.E.A.T. Neat stands for non exercise activity thermogenesis. So, basically any daily activities we do when not exercising or sleeping. It's important for you to have a high N.E.A.T because it can be the difference between having a sedentary lifestyle or being moderately active. 

Ways to increase NEAT is to do more heavier chores everyday (vacuuming, mopping, dusting), taking the longer routes when walking, stand for 10 minutes each hour, pace back and forth while calling someone, march while you’re brushing your teeth, etc. 

DRINK HERBAL TEAS. Herbal teas can help you in a variety of areas of life, and are a great substitute for other processed beverages. 

ADD SUNLIGHT IN YOUR MORNING. Exposing yourself to sunlight early in the day helps with resetting the circadian rhythm, which in return helps for waking up easier and going to sleep easier. 

EAT WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS. You’ll savour your food so much more and it’ll be easier to tell when you’re satisfied. 

CREATE A PLAYLIST FOR WHEN YOU WIND DOWN. Once you get into the habit of listening to this playlist, it’ll become like a trigger to your body that it’s time to sleep because listening to that playlist  should be followed by settling into bed. 

 REGULARLY GO TO YOUR GP. Especially if you’re feeling a bit out of it. It is always better to make those regular visits and catch something before it becomes out of hand. 

STOP WAKING UP SO EARLY. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but waking up at 5am is unnecessary if not required. While I do believe that waking up earlier does have benefits, that extra hour of sleep probably has more. 

IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING, TAKE IT SLOWER. In this day and age, we don’t have time to process a lot of things. Everything is so fast paced, that if we fall behind, we tend to feel less than. 

Especially if you’re someone who can’t keep pace with the crowd due to disabilities or mental health. Take things at your own pace, and do what you can will yourself to do. 

GET SPIRITUAL. Lots of studies show that people who commit themselves to their beliefs are a lot happier in life than those who don’t. This doesn’t mean that you have to commit to a religion yet, but I would explore your spirituality side and see what  resonates with you. 

WEAR YOUR SPF. Skin cancer is no joke, and our earth is only getting hotter. Protect yourself, including your body! 

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE. People who radiate love and are always looking for the goodness around them, that rubs off on you and in return you’ll develop similar traits. Being with them will stimulate growth in all aspects of your life. 

I'm not telling anyone to ‘fix’ anyone, but it means a lot to other people if you can be that person in their life. It's a very rewarding and fulfilling lifestyle.  

TAKE MAKEUP BREAKS REGULARLY. Give your skin a break from products, and ideally take a week off each month to spend it makeup free. You’re saving time and your skin. 

ADD IN FRUITS, HERBS OR LEMON IN YOUR WATER. This will help with extra hydration and improve digestion. 

PRIORITISE FIBRE. As much as protein is good for you, fibre has just as much importance but it's not as heavily prioritised. Ideally, half of your meal should be fibres. However, that can be a hard change for some people, so start with having it on the side. 

It's great if you can incorporate ‘hidden’ fibre into your meals as well!

CURATE YOUR SPACE TO SUIT YOU. Add in little notes of reminders or quotes, place around photos or awards of your achievements, remove anything that impacts you negatively. You want the area that you’re in 24/7 to support that growth, not stifle it. 

Keep your area clean and decluttered as well. Try to minimise the amount of stuff that you have. You only need one of each thing, two is one too many. Having too much clutter affects the clarity of your mind.

it is numbered oddly because of the way I pasted this from google docs to tumblr. apologies!

[penkura]

where you belong [5/10]

Summary: As Luffy's big sister, you've viewed it to be your job to see him become King of the Pirates in place of your absent parents, even as you try to find where it is you belong in the world. You never really expected to draw the attention of Trafalgar Law in the process.

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x Fem!reader

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, typical One Piece stuff.

Note: Ahh I finally got this out. <3 <3 I hope you'll all enjoy it, I know it might seem like it jumps around a bit, but I wanted to bring Law back in quickly and had a little moment later I needed to do. Next chapter may take me a bit again since its Dressrosa you know, but we'll get there! :)

Note 2: Punk Hazard my beloved. <3 One of my top arcs.

Taglist:

@pinksaiyans | @sukunas-play-thing | @spiderlily-w1tch-blog | @mineymak | @valen-yamyam16 | @shimmerxc | @luffy0s | @fluffybunnyu | @laws-wife-things | @crmnic | @eyes-ofhell | @hopelesslover06 | @nyfwyeonjun | @extremely-ashtridic | @idk67876 | @mysweetmagicworld | @lorelexi-main | @pandabiene5115 | @shakysif | @bern87 | @nymeriiiia | @arcanumlaw | @sp1ng | @birdie-24-05 | @bi-narystars | @mars-mizuko | @tojirin | @isabeauwolf | @sarlaccussy | @xsuvs | @pheonixashtree | @bluebreadenthusiast | @doxxypoxxy | @hellishdevotee | @thekatisspooky | @sqwishywrites34

[Ch. 1] ● [Ch. 2] ● [Ch. 3] ● [Ch. 4]

The morning you’ve dreaded finally arrives and you wish, somehow, it was a dream. The whole two years you wish were nothing more than you dreaming as you slept, not because you regret them but because you don’t want to leave the Heart Pirates.

You don’t want to leave Law, but you know its time to return to your actual crew and to Luffy. Part of you wants Law to refuse to let you leave, though you know that’s not him. Even with your relationship he doesn’t want you to feel like you’re not allowed to do what you want, or live your own life. He'd never keep you tied down somewhere you didn’t want to be, despite his wish for you to stay with him.

You can call, its already in your plans to do so as often as you can. You think Luffy will be excited for you, he may reveal your relationship by accident since you know he can’t keep his mouth shut half the time, it’d be easier if Sabo were around. He’d have been able to keep a secret for you.

He and Ace would both be happy for you too, you’re sure of that.

You don’t want to get up out of bed, instead spending several minutes just watching Law sleep, you’re really not ready to leave him most of all. It’s not fair that your life is the way it is, that you’re on opposing crews and that you need to stay with Luffy still. You wonder if Luffy might tell you that you should’ve stayed, maybe this is where you’re meant to be, but you don’t want to dwell on that for now.

We’ll see each other again, I know we will…but we might be—

“Would you stop thinking so loudly? It’s still early.”

You’re startled when you hear Law speak, but you smile anyway once you realize he’s been awake and just letting you stare at him as you think. He probably hasn’t been awake that long, but just long enough that your moving around before settling to watch him woke him up after all.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough to know you’ve been staring at me,” Law opens one eye to look at you, seeing your smile before he smirks a bit, “you pervert.”

“Hey!! It’s not my fault you slept without a shirt!”

“Yeah, whatever,” Law pulls you close to him and makes you laugh while he kisses the top of your head, closing his eyes again with a smile you don’t see, “It’s 5am, go back to sleep. We won’t reach Sabaody for a while longer.”

Agreeing, you nod and giggle a bit, snuggling up against his side and making yourself comfortable again. Any thoughts you had about what may come next when you meet up again are gone, you’re not worrying about any of it anymore. Law somehow makes all your worries and fears about the future disappear, he probably doesn’t even realize it.

Law’s noticed more in the last few weeks that you do the same for him, he’s not as freaked out or worried when you tell him you love him anymore. It’s started calming him more and more, he’s not scared he’ll lose you for that now, he feels better about it.

You don’t fall back asleep right away, Law hears you humming as you start to trace his chest tattoo. You’re probably wide awake now, but he knows you still need to sleep, you’re going to have a long day probably. Meeting up with your crew again, with Luffy again, is going to be a lot knowing they’ll all want to get going right away to your next destination.

He still wishes you’d decide to stay.

“…I’ll miss you.”

Taking a breath, Law sighs a bit before nodding, kissing your head again to comfort you.

“Go back to sleep, it’s going to be a long day for you.”

“Mm…yeah, okay.”

You eventually fall back asleep but Law doesn’t, he stays awake to have a little bit longer with you, even if you’re not awake to talk with him or anything. He just needs a bit more time with you, that’s all Law wants right now, though his time is limited to just a few hours more.

If only he had more time with you, just a few days even, it would be enough. A few more weeks would be preferable, but all you have are a couple more hours before he returns you to Luffy and the rest of your crew, to your family. He won’t push anymore, or tell you again that you can stay, not this time.

“I think I’ll miss you more…”

Next time though, he hopes you’ll stay.

+!+

None of the Heart Pirates want you to leave that morning, once every one is awake and breakfast has been finished. You arrive at Sabaody an hour or so later, and it’s taking everything in you not to drop your bags and stay with them. Ikkaku and Bepo are both near tears when they hug you goodbye, Penguin and Shachi aren’t but you hear their voices crack a bit, and everyone else is either teary or fighting to keep their tears back when they all bid you farewell.

It’s not forever, you don’t think you could ever stay away from this group, but you’re not sure when you’ll see them again.

“I’ll be back once I’ve dropped her off, then we’re leaving, got it?”

While they all nod with another shouted goodbye to you and some cries to keep in contact, Law sighs and rolls his eyes as you laugh, taking his hand as he leads you along.

“Your crew is still lively.”

“They’re all being so dramatic.”

He says that, yet holds your hand tighter, making you smile sadly knowing he feels the same heartbreak the rest of them do, though on a deeper scale.

“We’ll all see each other again, I know Ikkaku won’t leave me without a few calls.”

“She definitely won’t.”

 Law doesn’t want to do this small talk business while he takes you as far as he can, he’d rather have the quiet and savor every second of being with you. If there was a long way around, he’d go that way, but he’s only taking you part of the way to the Sunny anyway, so it wouldn’t matter. He just wants to spend as much time with you as he can before you’re apart for a while.

You’re able to delay your departure by distracting Law and dragging him through the shops, just to look around, but you know he’s anxious about leaving you. He's probably worried you’re going to get yourself into trouble before you meet up with your crew again, he just wants you to stay safe.

It kind of makes you happy to know he cares so much about you.

“Come here for a second.” You’re nearly to the point Law had planned to let you go when he pulls you to a more secluded area between a couple of shops.

“What—”

“I have something for you.”

Confused, you tilt your head a bit while Law hands over what he has for you, and it makes you smile a bit when you take the small piece of paper from him.

“It’s your vivre card?”

“Yes. I want you to keep it with you.”

It makes you think about Ace, how he’d given you and Luffy pieces of his own vivre card, how you watched it disappear into ash in your hands. Law made you get your own after you started dating, you giving him the first piece off it and only giving another to Ikkaku just to be safe and because you trusted both of them.

You already knew Law trusts you, but this proves it even more.

He does start to feel awful little awkward and nervous about it, when you don’t say anything for a moment, before giving him a tight hug that he very quickly returns.

“Thank you for trusting me…”

“You already knew that I do.” Law rolls his eyes while you nod, before you look up at him still smiling.

“I’ll miss you, don’t make me have to stare at your card and worry about you.”

“Wouldn’t dare think of it.”

You laugh, causing Law to smile and he’s about to speak again before you lean up and kiss him, hugging him one more time before you start to run off to the Sunny.

“Hey--!”

“Love you!! See you later, Law!”

You’re too far away for him to say anything else, Law feels the sudden loneliness start to creep in, he wanted a couple minutes more with you. He wanted the chance to tell you a few more things, and he knows he can call you, but it won’t be the same. If he’s going to tell that he loves you back, Law wants it to be in person, at the right time.

So maybe that’s not today, but he’s certain you’ll meet up and see each other again. If it all goes to plan, you’ll see each other sooner rather than later. For now, he's got to get back to his own crew, they’re all waiting for him so they can head off to the next destination.

I love you too…I’ll tell you as soon as I can.

~~

You feel bad for running off from Law without giving him a chance to say anything else or goodbye to you, but it was starting to make you emotional and you had to just go. You were close to crying and telling him you wanted to stay, because you do, but you still feel like where you belong right now is with Luffy and everyone else.

It was all too much, your feelings were getting the best of you, and you didn’t want to start crying in front of Law, even though he’s seen you cry several times now. You just didn’t want him to try and convince you to stay, because you would have. You would have dropped all your plans and stayed with him, but it’s not the right time yet.

Next time, maybe…

You’ll definitely think about it next time you’re with Law and if he asks you to go with him, but for now, you’re excited to see the Sunny and who all has already arrived there. Luffy isn’t around but you’re not surprised, Nami squeals when she sees you, running over and giving you a big hug that makes you laugh. She and Robin both talk to you for a while after you’ve seen everyone else there so far, Brook and Franky compliment your outfit and Usopp is happy to see you too, though it feels like everyone is acting a bit oddly to you and it makes you wonder why before Nami speaks up.

“Are you doing okay? You look sad…”

Tilting your head, the look Nami gives you eventually makes sense. They’re all wondering how you fared after Ace’s death, not wanting to outright ask but hoping you were okay the last two years. It’s still a sore subject, even Law doesn’t bring it up unless you do first, and even that’s rare because it does still cause you heartache.

You sigh lightly, but nod.

“I’m okay. Luffy and I were together for a few weeks before he went to his training and I left for mine, but we’re both all right,” you give everyone a bright smile, making them all relax but Nami still looks skeptical, “So don’t worry, you guys! Luffy and I are both fine, I’m anxious to see him again!”

While everyone starts to talk to you more happily, Nami keeps wanting to pull you to the side and talk to you, she can tell there’s something you’re not saying, and she wants to be the one to know. She expects it must be about Ace, but knows you well enough that it just might not be and you’re keeping some kind of secret. Even as everyone else talks to you, as you’re trying to get to the women’s bunks to drop off your bag, Nami grabs you by the arm and starts to lead you away.

“Come on, let’s go drop your stuff of and then you can tell us everything you did the last two years!”

You laugh but know Nami wants all the information first, whatever it might be, and it makes you slightly nervous that she’s going to figure everything out or that you’re going to just start talking and let your relationship slip by accident. You’ll have to bite your tongue but by the time you think of how to word things you’re in the girl’s room and Nami has the door shut right away, giving you a smirk.

“So…have a good two years?”

“Yeah,” you shrug while you set your bag on your bed, sitting there yourself but not opening it yet, “I stuck around Amazon Lily like Luffy did for a bit, left on my own to get some training in and work on my poisons. Nothing that weird.”

“Uh-huh sure,” the way she rolls her eyes tells you that Nami doesn’t believe you, especially as she looks from your bag to you, “That’s why you have that yellow hoodie, right? Wonder where I’ve seen that before…”

Your eyes widen, head snapping to your bag and seeing that’s it not exactly fully closed. You grab it and hold it tight against you, zipping it up and swearing at yourself for letting it be open like that without even noticing until Nami brought it up just now. Law didn’t even say anything, your bag must’ve opened on its own while you were walking and you just completely missed it.

“I…I don’t—”

“So that’s what you did the last two years!” She’s practically squealing over it as Nami comes over and sits beside you, making you open your bag again and prove she’s right that it’s the hoodie Law was wearing two years ago, “Did Luffy know?? Are you guys dating?? Come on, tell me everything!”

You try to fight against her pushing but Nami won’t let you go until you tell her every detail of the last two years so you give in with a sigh and explain what all happened. How you properly met Law and his crew, how Luffy threw you to them as they were leaving Amazon Lily, how your feelings for the rival captain grew and developed into the relationship you have now with him. She’s completely invested in your story and can’t believe how quickly you ended up getting under his skin enough to get Law to start dating you, that he came to have the same feelings for you in what felt like no time, though you keep a few things to yourself. She doesn’t need to know everything right now, but you tell Nami enough that she smiles when you’re finished.

“Can’t believe you, abandoning us for that hot rival captain.”

“Nami, I’m not abandoning you guys,” you roll your eyes as she laughs, watching you get up to start putting your things away and hiding the hoodie in the back of your drawers, “I’m staying here, Luffy needs me and I have a place here with you all.”

“Did Law not want you to stay?”

“I mean, yeah but—”

“Then you should have! Luffy would’ve understood!”

You shake your head, making Nami tilt hers because she doesn’t get it. She doesn’t get why you’d come back to the Straw Hats when you’re so obviously in love with Law and he wanted you to stay with him. She knows Luffy is very understanding and always tells you, specifically, to do what you want; you’re a pirate too and should live your life the way you want to! It always causes you to laugh and nod, saying you will once you’ve seen him fulfill his dream, though Luffy normally huffs and pouts after that, telling you that’s too far away and you deserve to live how you want to live. You’ve heard it from Nami and Robin, sometimes Sanji too, all saying you should listen to your brother and do as you please, you never give much of a response apart from you are doing as you please, it just so happens you’re following alongside Luffy right now.

None of them believe you, but they don’t push anything more about it, thinking you’re just not ready to let go of Luffy even though you’re both adults now and you seem to be moving on more.

But maybe you aren’t, with how you reject any attempt to remove yourself from your crew and Luffy, even if it would be to stay with Law.

“Not now, I’m going to stay with Luffy until he tells me to leave.”

“Ugh, he’s never gonna do that and you’ll never get to have your romance with Law…”

You laugh at that, shaking your head again and returning your bed once you’ve put everything you brought with you away.

“It’ll be fine, Nami. Law and I have a plan to call and talk, I’m sure we’ll run into them one day.”

“Lame! How am I supposed to live vicariously through you if there’s nothing going on??”

The two of you talk and laugh for a bit longer, before you leave your room to join everyone else and wait for Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper to get there so you can take off again.

You’re anxious to see Luffy and tell him your good news, hopefully Nami’s reaction is a good sign and Luffy will be happy for you too.

~~

“Really?! You and Traffy are—!”

“Shh!!!” You slap your hand over Luffy’s mouth, before he can shout anything else, giving him a little glare, “Quiet, Luffy! I don’t want everyone else to know yet!”

He nods quickly, mostly so you’ll take your hand off his face, but gives you a big grin once you do so. He just knew you and Law had something there, he didn’t know what it was back then when he threw you to him, but he’s glad that he did now.

Even Luffy has seen that you needed to find more for yourself, you’ve lived your life mostly to take care of him and now to keep Sabo’s dream alive, so it’s about time you found something, someone for yourself. You deserve to live your own life, not one dependent on him or the rest of your crew, whatever you wanted to do is what Luffy has hoped you’d find ever since you two set out from Foosha.

Of course he appreciates you staying with him through everything, but if you ever chose to leave Luffy would understand. He wouldn’t stop you from living your own life, so he is a bit confused why you came back to everyone here instead of staying with Law.

“I didn’t think you and Traffy would start dating,” Luffy laughs while you roll your eyes, looking a bit embarrassed over the whole thing, “but that’s cool! You should’ve stayed with him!”

“Nah,” Shaking your head, you almost laugh at the pout Luffy gives you, “Law let me leave because I wanted to come back to you guys, he wasn’t going to kidnap me, you know.”

Of course he isn’t suggesting that, but Luffy sticks his tongue out at you before you give him a hug that he returns. You won’t tell him for a while that you did want to stay, that you wish you would have, but that you missed your brother too much to do so right now. Luffy is happy for you to have found and fallen for Law, he thinks it’s something good for you and he can’t wait to run into him again one day and see how you two interact. He’d seen it at Amazon Lily, obviously, but that was before your feelings developed into anything outside of gratefulness that he’d saved Luffy, it’s not a surprise that your feelings grew over the two years you spent with him and crew.

“Now, listen to me, Luffy,” when you pull away from the hug he tilts his head as bit, “You can’t tell anyone else, okay? Law and I want this kept between us, his two crewmates that know, and you…and Nami now, I guess, since she found out.”

“Oh yeah, of course!” Luffy giggles and bit with a nod which makes you smile. “I won’t tell anyone, but you gotta tell them when you guys decide to!”

“Yeah, I know Luffy, don’t worry. We won’t keep it a secret forever.”

“I wonder what grandpa will think about it.”

Luffy laughs loudly when the color drains from your face, having forgotten about the fact you’ll have to tell Garp at some point, or he’ll find out on his own somehow. Word moves fast these days and once your relationship is out there you know he’s going to hear and come looking for you probably, demanding to know why you started dating not only a pirate but a Warlord as well.

It makes you wonder how things would be if Dragon were around. Maybe he’d be happy for you like Luffy is, but maybe he’d be annoyed at the fact that his daughter was dating someone. Forget the age gap, it’s not even that big a deal since you’re both adults, if Dragon were here and acted as your father, maybe he’d be overprotective since you’re his only daughter.

“Okay!” Luffy jumps up off your bed, keeping a smile on his face, “Let’s get going to the Fishman Island!!”

It makes you laugh, shaking your head to get rid of the worries and other thoughts that were starting to take over your mind. You follow him out of your room, ready to get moving again.

Dwelling on things that won’t happen isn’t good for you, Law would probably tell you that if he were here.

You hope you get to see him again soon.

+!+

“Oh!! It’s you!” Luffy sees Law before you do, turning to you with a large grin and pointing that way. “Look, its Traffy!!”

Your excitement at seeing Law on Punk Hazard doesn’t go unnoticed by Robin. She’d briefly heard you back on Sabaody two years ago tell Nami you thought the rival captain was attractive, but didn’t think too much of it. She truly believed it was a fleeting crush, but with how you lit up seeing him, grabbing onto to Luffy when he went to jump down in front of the Heart Pirate captain, she wonders if she’s wrong.

“Good to see you again, Traffy!” Luffy grins and laughs a bit, looking over at you, “Thanks for everything two years ago! And for taking care of my sister!”

“Yeah,” Law nods just a bit, glancing over to you before back to your brother, “She was pretty helpful.”

“Hope you haven’t had to use any of the antidotes yet, Trafalgar.”

He flinches slightly, almost invisible to anyone else, hearing you call him by his last name. He understands why you’re doing that, because he believes you haven’t told Luffy yet, but it still makes him think back to when you were getting to know him and his crew, when you fought after you had protected him. It makes him feel like you’re regressing in your relationship, but the slight smirk you have tells him all is well, you’re just keeping up appearances.

“No, not yet. Hopefully we won’t ever need them.”

Before you can say anything more, you’re alerted to the Marines behind Law, Tashigi attempting to attack him before he pulls a trick you remember seeing before, and you hear Luffy tell your boyfriend he wants to ask him something.

“Go to the back of the lab, you’ll find what you’re after,” Law glances to you again, fighting a smile at seeing you tilt your head alongside Luffy, you two are very alike still, “We’ll meet again later.”

He's gone before you can say anything else, and Luffy grabs you to bring you back up to Brownbeard’s back, guiding him the way Law said to go.

Robin gives you a smile, making you tilt your head again, wondering what she’s thinking about.

“Excited to see Trafalgar again?”

Your eyes widen a bit, you feel your face heating up, but you shake your head quickly.

“N-No! Just…I’m just grateful to him for helping Luffy, that’s all.”

“Hmm…all right then.”

She definitely doesn’t believe you, especially when you look back as you leave, smiling to yourself slightly.

~~

“You’re not gonna betray us, are you?”

“No.”

Luffy grins at Robin as you laugh, impressed how quickly this alliance came together but of course, you expected it both with Luffy’s unfailing trust in others and Law’s plans in mind, the ones he barely let you in on for your own safety and in case nothing came to fruition. Your small group listed to Law and turned to the back of the lab, finding the rest of your crew, their bodies swapped and everyone else being confused before you gave an explanation.

“Oh, that was probably because of Trafalgar then.” Of course it was, you’d seen him do that to Penguin and Shachi more than once as punishment for pranks gone wrong. It made you laugh then but now it’s more of a concern since you don’t know where Law is at the moment to fix it.

Though you realize you should’ve kept your mouth shut as everyone but Luffy and Nami (in Franky’s body at the moment), gives you a strange look as they’re all thinking the same question, how on earth do you know that?

“How do you know that?” Zoro is the first to ask, raising an eyebrow when you cover your mouth lightly and glance away.

“U-um, well—”

“She hung out with Traffy for the last two years!” Luffy laughs with a smile and patting you on the back, you hadn’t expected him to just say it like that, “After he helped me get away from the Marines, I told her to go with him until we all met up again!”

It's enough to placate every one, no one asks anything more except how to fix this mess, though all you can tell them is Law has to fix it.

And he does fix it, the best he can, though it leaves Nami temporarily in Sanji’s body as he’d gone off with Zoro and Brook to keep the Samurai from killing himself in his search for his torso. It's still a funny situation, Law tells Nami he can only put her back once her body returns, you do feel bad but it's not like anything can be done about it right this moment.

While the rest of your crew tries to decide who’s going to do what next in attempts to help the children get home to their families and also enact Law’s plans, you grab him by the sleeve and quiet drag him away from everyone, to a more secluded area. Law doesn’t even fight you, he just follows along, knowing whatever you need from him will be brief so your crewmates don’t get suspicious about anything.

He absolutely expected the tight hug you give him, returning it without a second to waste as your bury your face in his coat.

“I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

You’re both almost silent but your feelings are visible to each other, with how you tighten your arms around him and Law gently rubs your back, really hoping you don’t start crying and make the others think he was mean or rude to you, he’d never be like that though. Even if you barely knew each other right now, he’s sure he couldn’t do anything to make you upset.

There was just something about you from the very beginning that made him believe he could never hurt you.

“I didn’t think you’d be here still!” You look up at Law with a smile, “I thought you’d be back with everyone else already!”

“Well,” giving you a small smile, Law brushes your hair out of your face to see you better, “Things changed. I didn’t think you’d all make it here though.”

“Luffy heard a distress call and decided we had to come here,” rolling your eyes makes Law laugh lightly, before you lay your head against his chest again, “but I’m glad he did now.”

He doesn’t say anything, just nods and pats your head a bit, making you laugh. Law really is glad to see you again so soon, he thought it’d be weeks more before you even ran into each other, hoping it would be on friendly terms and the way Luffy has acted so far tells him it would have been. He figures you must’ve told him by now, maybe that’s part of why Luffy was so easy to convince for this alliance, but it’s also more likely he thought it would be fun and a way to pay Law back for saving him two years ago.

Either way, he’s happy you’re here, having someone familiar after being here alone is preferable, even with the plans to leave quickly with Caesar in tow. He hopes that all works out the way he wants, this alliance has multiple benefits now since he gets to be with you again.

“Hey, I told Luffy about us,” your smile relaxes Law, but he looks a bit nervous about whatever you may say next, “He’s really happy about it, he thinks I should’ve stayed with you though.”

“You should have,” sighing a bit Law nods as you roll your eyes, still smiling, before he sets his forehead against yours own, “but I still won’t make you until you want to.”

“Thank you,” you lean up and kiss him briefly, stepping back a bit after, “I love you.”

“I—”

“Heeeey, [Y/N], Traffy!! Where’d you go??”

You both jump hearing Luffy but it makes you laugh with a small sigh, glad it was him and not anyone else who might find out your relationship too early. Nodding, you take Law’s hand and start leading him back, he wishes you had more time alone though. There might be a chance later, once you’ve left Punk Hazard, but with your crew around it’s going to be hard for you two to get a few minutes by yourselves.

“Sorry! We were just catching up real quick!”

Robin sees the very light blush on Law’s face as he nods, causing her to smile to herself, especially when she sees you have a hold of his hand. You let go as soon as you’re back with everyone, Luffy trying to explain to Law that he’s going to have to help the kids that Caesar had captured, help people in general now, you want to laugh at his face because he’s not used to doing that.

It all makes Robin wonder what happened during the two years to cause you and Law to become so close, if you have something you’re keeping from everyone or not.

Either way, you decide to stay with Nami (in Sanji’s body now) and Usopp to watch the children, making her believe that it isn’t anything that big or important, but she could be wrong. You could be faking indifference for all she knows, maybe you’ll say something later.

Who knows, for now you all have bigger things to worry about.

+!+

You don’t get Law get too far away after you’ve completed his plan of capturing Caesar and Nami’s plan of helping the children, your plan now is to help him with his own wounds instead of leaving him to do so alone, in return you expect him to help you like he always does. It’s after he’s removed the drugs from the kids’ systems, Chopper had run to you all shouting that Law was a murderer, taking your hand and leading you to the room he’d been in where Law explains what he was doing but you give him a look and poke him in the shoulder a few times while your doctor runs to the children.

“Don’t scare Chopper like that! He’s still a child!”

“He's a doctor too,” Law rolls his eyes as you stick your tongue out at him, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know that but Chopper doesn’t yet, Law.”

He shrugs a bit, wincing slightly which makes you frown. You knew he’d been injured but weren’t sure how bad it was, he’s probably going to tell you it’s nothing and to not worry about it.

But Law knows you better than he’ll admit, so when he sees the look on your face he sighs, nodding at you as you take his hand and leading him off again, somewhere else on the Sunny and making him sit down once he has his coat off.

“You worry too much.”

“Hey, I lost a brother two years ago, I’m going to take care of the people I love, got it?”

Your smile makes Law roll his eyes again, but in a more playful way as he takes his shirt off so you can check his back. He already knows there’s bruising, but thinks you’ll calm down if you see that yourself. Its not as bad as you were expecting, luckily, but still makes you a bit nervous to see it. You’re used to this with Luffy but for some reason it feels different with Law.

“Nothing to worry about, see? Just some bruising.”

“Yeah but still.”

He does get it, somewhat, but Law doesn’t argue with you anymore about it, he knows it won’t help anything. He lets you put a salve that Chopper gave you on the bruises, whether he believes it’ll work or not is irrelevant, it gives you peace of mind and that’s what matters to him right now. Once you’re done and he puts his shirt back on, you lean over and kiss his cheek, giving a smile.

“Thank you for helping those kids. I know Nami appreciates it.”

“I’m a doctor, its my job.”

“Yes but you’re also a pirate, my love,” the smile doesn’t leave your face even when Law glances away from you, “They reminded you of yourself when you a kid, didn’t they?”

“…yeah. A little.”

“Aww, can’t wait for the world to find out what a big softy the Surgeon of Death is.”

“You tell anyone and this relationship is over, you hear?”

You laugh as Law pinches your cheek with a smile on his face, he’s only joking but he’s happy to see your smile and hear you laugh. It's only been a few weeks but he’s missed you so much, it’s nice to have a few moments with you. Once he lets your cheek go Law kisses you, letting you lay your head against his chest after you pull away, hugging you close. You’re both listening just in case someone comes by so you can part and keep your secret, but you really don’t want to let go of him anytime soon.

“We’re going to Dressrosa next…”

“Mm, I know.”

Your hugging him isn’t helping Law think straight when he needs to bring up something to you about this whole plan he has, he needs you ready in case something happens, just to be safe.

“Look,” Law has to stop and think of how to word it, while you do look up at him, “I…if anything happens to me, I wan—”

“Nothing’s going to happen.”

“[Y/N]-ya—”

“No, nothing is going to happen to you.”

You push off him but Law takes your wrist to keep you from running off. It’s not a pleasant topic, but you need to be prepared. You need to know what he’s expecting with all of this, he doesn’t want you to be in the same state you were after losing Ace.

He doesn’t want it to be because of him this time.

“[Y/N]-ya, listen to me,” it almost breaks his heart to see you looking away from him, not wanting to look him in the eye because you don’t want to think about this, “I don’t expect to make it out of this, so I…”

No, not now.

“…I need you to stay with your crewmates that’ll be watching your ship. I need you to go on to Zou when we’re done in Dressrosa and meet with my crew, all right?”

You bite your lip before shaking your head, hiding your face in his shirt and tightening your hold on him. You don’t want to think about this when you just got to see each other again, even though you do understand his reasoning. He wants you prepared just in case, if his expectations pan out and he doesn’t make it back to you, back to his crew, he wants you safe at the very least.

But you hate the idea, hate the thought of losing Law like you did Ace, not being there and able to stop it. Not getting the chance with Law to have a future together, you want to live your life with him for as long as you can, it can’t end in just a few days.

You’ve not even been together for a year, it isn’t fair that you have to think about this right now.

“Nothing will happen, you’re not leaving your crew or me.”

“But if—”

“Law, no,” you grip his shirt tighter while Law starts to stroke your hair, hoping to keep you calm, “Nothing is going to happen, you’re going to drop off Caesar and then come back, and we’ll go to Zou together.”

It becomes quiet, Law doesn’t want to say anything to upset you more, instead simply nodding. You need to settle down before you go back outside to everyone, he doesn’t want anybody to think there’s any animosity between the two of you, though it would be a good cover for your relationship right now.

As soon as you’ve calmed down, you both agree to drop the conversation for now. You join your crew, the Marines, and the children again for the food Sanji’s made and Law keeps a close watch on you from afar. You seem to be more relaxed as you eat and laugh with Nami and Robin, enjoying yourself despite the coming trials in Dressrosa. If there’s the chance later, before you get there, he still wants to try and get you emotionally prepared in case something happens, he doesn’t want you to be unprepared and end up struggling as badly as you did after Ace died.

Law does love you, even though he hasn’t had the chance to tell you just yet.

If he’s lucky once again, he’ll tell you after everything in Dressrosa is settled. Once Doflamingo and his past with him isn’t looming over his life, maybe you’ll be able to enjoy your relationship better.

+!+

After you’ve left Punk Hazard, Law explains the basic gist of his plan to everyone on your crew, you don’t say much since you don’t want to dwell on what he was trying to talk to you about earlier. It’s part of you withdraw from him during the day, not wanting to show your worry in front of your crewmates.

You keep to yourself most of the day and eventually come to terms with what Law was trying to explain to you earlier. He wasn’t trying to scare you, but he wants you to be ready if something happens. You still hate the thought and don’t want to think about it too much more, so you take yourself to the kitchen to hang out with Sanji after everyone else has gone to bed.

Law comes into the kitchen later that night, while you and Sanji still up just having a nice discussion, you trying to help him decide on something for breakfast when you see your boyfriend and give him a friendly smile. You still have to keep up appearances, pretend you aren’t together when you aren’t with Luffy or Nami. He seats himself quietly beside you, laying his head on the table and tries his best to be sneaky at grabbing your hand that’s resting on your knee under the table, squeezing your fingers gently. Sanji, though he doesn’t see Law holding your hand, gives the slightest glare to your temporary ally for interrupting the two of you.

“Can we help you, Traffy?”

Shaking his head, Law doesn’t respond for a moment, just enjoying being near you without all of your crewmates around.

“I can’t sleep in that room.”

“What?” You snort a bit, laughing at how serious he seems, “The boys room? What’s wrong with it?”

“Your brother sounds like a truck coming through the wall. The sniper and doctor sleep talk. Brook-ya and Franky-ya were both loud coming in, Zoro-ya is the only one that’s quiet.”

You try not to laugh at your boyfriend’s plight when all he wants to do is sleep, even as Sanji mumbles outs “now you know how I feel”, you simply squeeze Law’s fingers in return, running your thumb over his knuckles briefly.

“Hmm…we could probably turn the aquarium into a temporary bedroom for you, Trafalgar.  Don’t you think, Sanji~?”

The sweet little tone you add to your voice makes Sanji’s eyes turn to hearts, nodding in agreement as he stands and quickly offers to get a couple pillows and blankets to put in there, tell you not to worry about it and he’ll have it ready in a jiffy as he runs out. Law can’t believe that’s all it took to bend your crew’s chef to your whim, and he leans back in his seat with a sigh before looking at your smiling face.

“Thanks.”

“Of course~ Sanji’s willing to do anything for a woman, just gotta use my charms to get him to do it.”

“Charms, huh?” You nod while a smirk quirks it’s way onto Law’s face, “Why haven’t I seen these alleged charms?”

“You wound me!” Throwing your hands to your chest, you fall forward to the table, Law chuckling lightly at your reaction. “I knew it was just the sex that kept you interested in me.”

“Oh please, I wouldn’t be with you still if I didn’t—"

He stops before he can say too much more, making you raise an eyebrow when you look at him, your face flushing at the thought of what he might’ve been about to say. This isn’t the right place or time for a love confession, for him to say it for the first time, and you both recognize that.

You’re about to respond when Sanji finally comes back, still heart eyed at you as he says the aquarium is ready, you and Law making sure to push away any feelings or thoughts until later. You thank Sanji as you stand and take Law by the wrist, wishing your crewmate a goodnight while you lead Law to the aquarium. Neither of you speak during your walk, but you double check for any other awake crewmates before lacing your fingers with his for the rest of your walk. You don’t miss how he squeezes your hand again.

“It should stay quiet in here,” you lay out a blanket for Law on one of the couches, smiling when he finally relaxes laid out on it, kicking off his shoes and setting his hat on one of the end tables, “Even if Robin comes down to read, she’ll be quiet.”

“Thank you, again.” Your grin makes Law smile softly at you.

“Of course! I’ll be in the kitchen if yo—”

“Where do you think you’re going, huh?”

Law grabs your wrist before you get to far and pulls you down on top of him, making you yelp slightly and your face flush once again. You’re lucky none of your crewmates are around, especially as Law wraps his arms around your waist, giving you a smirk while you look at the doorway and back to him nervously.

“Trafalgar! You can’t, we can’t—”

“I’ve barely been around you all day, I just want a few minutes with you,” Law’s brow furrows a bit as he threads his fingers in your hair, “I don’t like hearing you call me by my last name again.”

“Want me to call you Traffy while you’re with us?”

“Hell no.”

You giggle before slipping your arms around his shoulders, leaning in and setting your forehead against his, kissing him briefly before pulling away with a smile.

“All right then, Law.”

“That’s more like it.”

You swear he’d purr if he could, Law pulling you back for another kiss, holding it longer.

“Again.”

“Law.”

He barely gives you time to catch your breath before he kisses you again, until you push him away gently.

“I love you, Law.”

“I—”

“Oh I see, sorry for interrupting.”

You both freeze at the third voice, you quickly pushing up on Law’s chest to see Robin looking at you both with a knowing smile, before your poor boyfriend starts wheezing from how hard you’ve shoved yourself up on him, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

“R-Robin!! We just, we were,” when you hear Law wheeze again and put his hand on your shoulder, you feel bad as you sit back on his legs, “Oh, Law, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s--It’s fine.”

Robin watches while you fuss over Law, making sure he’s okay as he just shakes his head when you apologize again once he finally gets his breath back. She continues to smile once you two quiet down, the three of you in an awkward silence while you feel your face burning and Law’s cheeks are dusted pink, before she laughs lightly.

“I suppose I owe Nami money then.”

“…what?”

“We made a small bet that you two were either already together or would hook up, and I suppose she’s won.”

You groan a bit, dropping your head to Law’s chest in embarrassment over your crewmates betting on your love life. You assume that bet was made before you told Nami and Luffy about your relationship, otherwise Nami had an unfair upper hand that you’ll have to inform Robin of later.

As she goes to leave, you call for Robin while keeping your head in Law’s chest as he pats your head to comfort you.

“Could you…keep this a secret? We don’t want it out there with everyone yet.”

Robin nods, though neither of you can see it, still smiling.

“Of course. Your secret is safe with me as long as you need it to be.”

“Thank you.”

Once Robin finally leaves the two of you, you let out a heavy sigh and fall backwards on the couch. You really thought you had more time before Robin might come in to read, not that she’d come down when you were in a compromising position with your fairly secret boyfriend.

“I’m sorry, Law.”

“What for exactly?”

“What just happened obviously,” you groan and put your hands over your face, not even noticing Law moving to be over you, “Now that’s three of my crewmates along with Penguin and Ikkaku …”

“Hey.”

“What?”

Law removes your hands from your face before kissing you again, instantly calming you down from the slightly panicked and concerned thoughts you have about the new situation. That’s enough to make you almost forget that Robin walked in on your intimate moment, even though you hadn’t gotten much farther than a few kisses, especially so once Law kisses your forehead and trails down your face to your neck, making you giggle.

“Oh, I should warn you.”

“Hmm?”

“We’re having sandwiches in the morning.”

“And…that’s a turn off.”

[togrowoldinv]

Instagram

Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader

You find out about Natasha’s secret Instagram while she’s away on a mission

Note: Inspired by the romanoffthereal account Scarlett is definitely running lol. Enjoy this one!

Natasha Masterlist 1, Natasha Masterlist 2, Natasha Masterlist 3, Main Masterlist

When you walk into the living room, you hear your oldest kids giggling. You smile at the sound, but your curiosity is piqued when you notice their attention is on a phone.

“What’s up?” You ask them. Ali drops her phone into her lap and they all turn to you. You raise a brow.

“Hi Mom,” she says. Her voice is sincere but her eyes don’t quite meet yours.

“Do I even want to know?” You ask, assuming it was something the kids wouldn’t want to spend time explaining why it’s funny.

The boys stand up as if on cue and excuse themselves with a little side hug to you. They’re getting older, but still remain sweet.

“Just ask Mama,” Ali says before running off too.

You shake your head in confusion. Why would Natasha know what they’re laughing at? She’s not even in town. A mission she didn’t want to go on pulled her away for a couple of weeks.

The rest of the day is spent trying to wrangle all of the kids. You don’t find anymore sneaky laughter sessions. Settling in for the night, you lie down and get on your phone.

That’s when you see your friend sent you a post on Instagram. It’s been a while since you opened the app, finding yourself way too busy with kids and with Nat not wanting too much of the family information online.

You open the message to see a picture of a Black Widow toy along with other Avengers. Before you even read the caption of the post, you read the message from your friend.

Is this your wife?

You furrow your brow in confusion. Clicking on the photo, you see the post is written in first person from an account named romanoffthereal.

Surely not, you type in response.

You examine the photo further and wonder if it really could be her. But surely she would’ve told you she made a secret Instagram. Right?

You try to sleep, but the cold spot in the bed next to you doesn’t help. You miss Natasha. Glancing at the clock, you decide maybe she’s getting up across the world.

Your contact photo of Nat always makes you smile. A silly selfie she took one day on your phone when you left it on the table. You click on it and wait for your wife’s voice to ring through.

Unfortunately she never picks up. You sigh and put your phone back on the nightstand. Sleep never comes around and soon it’s 5am.

You get up and start on breakfast for the kids. It’s a never ending process, but you wouldn’t trade it for anything. The life you and Natasha have made is absolutely perfect.

As if she knows you’re thinking of her, Natasha finally calls you back.

“Hey,” you answer.

“Hi sweetheart,” she replies. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You sound upset. Plus, you called me in the middle of the night,” Natasha explains.

“You knew I was upset by me saying one word?”

“I’m a spy, baby,” she jokes. “And we’ve been married forever now. I have good news though.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“One second,” she says.

You wait for her to reply over the phone, but instead you’re met with the front door opening. Natasha walks in with a grin on her face.

Whatever fruit you were cutting is abandoned. You run over to her and hug her tight.

“It’s okay,” Nat says. “I’m back.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you more,” Nat replies.

You kiss her lips and hold her tight once again. Soon, the kids wake up and everyone is so happy to see Nat.

By dinner time, she’s soaked up all of the love she can take. Nat escapes to some solitude to decompress from the mission.

You take her a plate of food to your bedroom. She’s sitting on the bed on her phone.

“So, I have a question,” you say. She narrows her eyes. “And I expect you’ll have an answer.”

“Okay,” she says, but comes out more like a question.

“Do you have an Instagram you didn’t tell me about?”

Natasha smirks. She’s been caught.

“Which one of those kids ratted on me?” She asks.

“Wait, it’s true?!”

“It was for fun,” Nat shrugs. “For the kids to laugh at. So who told you? Was it Jack? He never could lie to you.”

“It was not the kids actually,” you say. “Although, I did see them all laughing at their phone’s yesterday and Ali said to ask you why.”

Natasha chuckles and smiles softly at the fact that she made the kids laugh. She prides herself on being humorous, even in a nerdy way.

“My friend sent me the post though,” you say. Nat doesn’t smile at that.

“Shit, I thought I made it private.”

“No, baby. You know for a super spy, you’re really bad at using media,” you tease her.

“I’ll remember you said that,” Nat says, feigning seriousness.

You laugh and lean into her. Nat wraps you in a hug so tight you can barely breathe.

“I’ll delete it,” Nat says after a minute.

“The kids like it. Just have them help you make it private,” you suggest.

“Deal.” A minute later she adds, “I love you.”

“I love you more,” you reply.

“Mhm,” she hums.

You pull away from her just enough to look in her eye. She kisses you deeply. Her want for you is evident in her touch.

“The kids occupied?” She asks.

“I turned on a movie,” you say.

“Perfect.”

The two of you don’t waste a second getting reacquainted with each other. Life with her is perfect with her silly Instagram and all.

[wlwsoccerfics]

Foster Care (KerstinCasparijXRuthBrownXTeenReader)

Warning: talks about foster care and slight trauma mentioned.

A/N: i hope you like this. It is a bit short but it won't be the last time writing about them.

Summary: Kerstin and Ruth take you in when you make your Manchester City Debut and they find Out you are living in a Foster group Home. you are not feeling well so they step up.

You had moved in with Kerstin and Ruth around three months ago. You made your Manchester City Debut for the Senior Team around five months ago. As soon as they found out that you lived in a Foster group Home they applied to Foster you and are planning on adopting you.

They really made you feel so loved. Something you never really had experienced in your life. So this was nice.

They were really caring and protective of you. You realized that once again when you woke up in the middle of the night, coughing like crazy. So you dragged yourself to the kitchen to make yourself a tea.

Ruth heard you and went to check on you.

"y/n, darling is everything okay?" She asked. Looking quite concerned when she noticed the sweat on your forehead and the glassy eyes.

"yes, just wanted to make myself a tea." You answered . "Maybe i am getting sick!" You added. She gently placed her hand on your forehead.

"you are burning up, Angel! I think you already are pretty sick. get back to bed please. I will make you some tea!" She told you and offered you a sympathic smile.

Before you could say something, Kerstin walked over.

"is everything okay?" She asked.

"y/n is sick. She has a fever." Ruth explained. Kerstin frowned softly.

"oh kiddo, i am sorry to hear that! Anything i can do?" Kerstin wanted to know.

"can you go with me and tuck me in?" You asked, biting down on your bottom lip.

Kerstin offered her hand to you, which you gladly took.

"yes of course!"she told you, smiling at you.

She then walked you back to bed. You got into bed and cuddled up to your Manchester City pillow.

"Can you lay with me until i am back to sleep, please?"

You asked her and she nodded her head softly. "Of course liefje." Kerstin laid next to you and you cuddled up to her. At the age of 15 right now was the first time you felt like you have found your place, where you could show weakness and be vulnerable. Kerstin held you and gently rubbed your back, you were coughing softly.

"Thank you!" You whispered out.

Ruth walked into your room 10 minutes later to found you asleep, you weren't the only one though. Kerstin was also asleep. Holding you protectively in her arms. Ruth smiled to herself. Placing the Cup of the on your nightstand and taking a picture of the two of you all cuddled up. She thought it was very cute. She went back to bed so you could get some rest. You made it until 5am before waking up from coughing so much. Kerstin was woken up by that as well. She helped you sit up and rub your back. Ruth walked into your room as well.

"Oh sweetie, it's okay. We are here!" Kerstin answered.

"thank you!" You slowly calmed down from that coughing fit.

"i will stay home with you today! Gonna call work to let them know i won't be coming in!" Ruth said, sitting down on the bed as well. Checking your fever again. "you are still burning up!" She stated and frowned softly.

"you don't have to stay home for me! I know your Job is important!" You said softly.

"you are way more important, lovely." Ruth told you.

"i can also stay home if you want." Kerstin offered.

"No, it's okay. The Team needs you. Both of us missing out on practice and most likely the Game won't help anyone." You said softly. "Oh what about my homework?" You added.

"i will tell Viv to ask Helene to take your homework with her so i can grab it from Viv." Kerstin replied. Helene was Viv's and Beth's adoptive daughter and also your best friend. She also played for Manchester City and was a year older then you.

"thank you." You answered. Ruth gave you some meds and then you went back to sleep while she was cooking some soup for you to eat later and Kerstin getting ready for early morning practice.

You almost slept through the entire day. You ate some soup, took a bath and cuddled with Ruth.

It was 6pm when Kerstin came back Home from another round of practice and you had some Family cuddles. Slowly starting to feel better.

"thank you for everything Mama & Mom." You whispered out before drifting off to sleep. The two couldn't help but smile and tear up a little when you said that. Knowing that you felt Safe enough to call them your moms was a big thing. They couldn't wait until the Adoption was finalized. And neither could you.

[rxzennia]

nocturnality

– tales of the voracity pathstrider

✎𓂃 irregular sleep patterns make for good nightmare consolation

aventurine wakes up in a cold sweat, throwing off the sheets as he sits up abruptly. 4am, his bedside clock reads, and he rubs his eyes. he can’t get the images of the thirty-four slaves he had killed out of his head; he watched the life drain from their eyes, and they were children like him. neither could he be rid of the feeling of blood on his hands, from those whom he stained himself with, and those who stained themselves upon him.

see, he isn't the type to seek anyone out in his moment of vulnerability

he doesn’t trust anyone to not take his fears and use them against him

but he thinks you might be safe

you did put up with him for 5 years and counting, after all 

although he still can't really tell if you like working for him

you haven't left yet! and you seem to care about him!

it means something to him, even if you're not outright showering him with warmth

he would've loved it if you were more affectionate, but he finds himself liking the way you’re only ever soft for him 

you’re a slab of ice to everyone else (even to him occasionally, if he doesn’t pester you enough to get you to open up)

anyways, he debates between texting, calling, or visiting you in person

your room is not too far away from his block – he might as well try his luck

(he has insanely good luck, so maybe you will be awake)

before that, he sends you a text just in case

it's not even a text, it's just a random sticker in his recents

your reply comes a few seconds later, and it's so characteristically you

one question mark. literally. just “?”

there he has it, you're still up and about. aventurine is used to your patterns by now, even if he can’t wrap his head around how you sleep so late and rise so early.

well, as long as you're well and doing your job properly, he's not going to question it

though he does wonder if you sleep at all

you’re his dutiful secretary during the day, sorting his documents, reminding him of his schedule and the like

you even follow him into meetings if he asks you to 

sometimes he has to be ready by 5am

and guess what? you're awake and all dressed up by then, knocking at his door at 5am sharp

but you don't go to bed until 3am?

he only knows that because he had once tried to talk to you about a project idea he had at that time and you didn't pick up the phone 

when you finally did pick up on his second call (in his defense, you usually weren’t asleep yet), you sounded groggy

and then you were like “mrrrrrh what is so important that you must wake me?”

he will never tell you how much he found your sleepy voice adorable

that was the earliest he's ever seen you sleep in all the days that he's known you

he really, really hopes you’ll renew your contract with him

you’re his absolute favorite out of all the secretaries he’s had

no one’s as soft with him as you are

no one’s ever tried to listen to him, or to understand him the way you do

out of everyone, you’re the only one who he feels some sort of genuine connection with

he’s seriously considering giving you a permanent position when your current contract ends

a familiar sequence of knocks sound at your door, and you know it's aventurine who's come to visit you. you've set up something like that with him because of the sheer frequency at which he bothers you outside of office hours, and you'd like to know which inconsiderate bastard it is who tries to visit your room past midnight.

affectionately, of course

it's not like he's causing you any inconvenience, so you don’t really care

you look at him, and wordlessly, you open your arms

you don’t need an explanation, or excuses, or an apology, or anything

his eyes are bloodshot, and you can see the cold sweat still on his forehead

he didn’t even bother tidying up before coming to see you

your heart aches, because it isn’t very often your boss comes to you in this state

he doesn’t even hesitate before he plops face first into your embrace

you’re lucky it’s the ungodly hours of no-one-is-awake, because you bringing your boss into your room is not a good look for you

especially when he’s holding onto you like you’re his secret lover or something

you don’t talk, and neither does he

you just hold him as he clings to you like you’re his lifeline

you lift him up easily; you're not about to stand in the doorway for the rest of the night 

he likes how you don’t ask questions, how you comfort him without expecting anything in return

you don’t even know what exactly it is that plagues him, but you’re so tender with him all the same

you settle down in bed with him, though he can tell that you were working before he interrupted you

your monitors are still on, and you have a dozen of papers laid out side-by-side along with a pen that is now abandoned

he feels a little bad, but also he’s overwhelmed by how easily you do these things

like… setting your work aside because he’s looking for comfort

but you’re not even doing it consciously? you’re doing it so naturally like you’re doing it out of habit

he doesn’t think you intended to tuck him into your bed when you picked him up

he doesn’t get it. he doesn’t get you.

you could’ve held him in your lap while you worked and he wouldn’t have complained

to give him your undivided attention like this

are you trying to make him lower his guard? 

he wants to draw the natural conclusion of your eventual betrayal once he lets you in, but he finds it so ridiculous that it’s impossible

you? who’s so gentle with him? who’s not even spoiling him consciously?

aventurine doesn’t feel safe with many people, if at all. the fact that he breathes so peacefully by your side is a surprise in and of itself. when your fingers brush against his hair, he shivers and holds onto your arm tighter. 

“don’t go,” he says, as sleep slowly takes him again, “stay.”

you chuckle, a sound that he loves to hear, as you offer him your entire right side

and your scarf

you don’t know if he’d like it, but you flick the end on your right over to him anyway

he does like it. he snuggles into the fabric without hesitation

he vaguely remembers the fact that your scarf is your weapon, but it’s the least important thing on his mind right now

it’s soft. it smells like you. it’s comfortable.

you’re still trying to work, settling for reading through documents on your tablet

he cuddles up to you, shifting in your warmth until he finds himself a nice position to settle into

you let him sleep by your side, even if you’re unlikely to rest yourself

it’s okay, you can work through the night just fine with your tablet

you’ll be right next to him when he wakes

you glance at aventurine, who’s finally relaxed and getting the rest he deserves. he’s snoring softly all the while holding your arm in a death grip, and you feel yourself overcome with a surge of protectiveness.

you’ll watch over him. when he’s feeling better, you’ll see if he wants to talk about it. and whatever happens next… well, you’ll cross that bridge when you get there. you still have contracts and agreements to review, and there’s only so much time before more work ends up on your plate.

that said, aventurine’s day starts in three hours; maybe you could shuffle a few things around and let him sleep in?

[danieyells]

Rui mizuki’s lines from Tokyo debunker if you haven’t yet PLEASE I will love you for all eternity

They’re edging me with the rui crumbs every chapter I can’t take it anymore

One flirty reaper coming right up!! And by right up i mean almost a week after you asked hhahaha

BUT YEAH WE DO GET A LITTLE OF HIM HERE AND THERE i wonder why he pops up so much. Especially for someone who allegedly tries not to be around other people much due to his deadly touch? Kinda sus--

also this is the first time i've posted all of someone's lines! not that i don't always end up posting 95% of them anyway, but for some reason some of Rui's were ordered weird(they're normally not entirely in order but they're usually sectioned properly, but for some reason one of his affinity chats was way in the wrong place) and I ended up closely paying attention to which one i was looking at and before i knew it i posted all of them lmao. . . .

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"{PC}, hey! Here's to another day vibing our way through curse twin life!"

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Huh? Did you know you've got unread messages? Oh, that's why you've been leaving me on delivered! Ahaha!"

no that's just because my adhd makes me hyperfocus on things and it refuses to allow me to attempt to allot attention or energy to things it deems me not having enough attention span or energy or time for and i'm sorry--

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"Aw c'mon Ed, again? Why does he always leave his socks on the floor... It's actually exhausting picking up after him all the time..."

lazy sloppy vampire lol

"You look kind of tired {PC}, you doing okay? Why don't you stop by the bar later? I can be your shoulder to cry on."

"Hey! You on break now? If you're super nice and you're gonna come chill with me now, put your hands up!"

"{PC}...were you just checking me out? Hey, it's all good, don't be embarrassed!"

"Oof, Ed popped out of nowhere so I accidentally touched him and he died again. Now I have to carry him all the way back to the dorm..."

i love the face he makes when he says this lmao like he is so tired of Ed's carelessness!

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"{PC}! Did you come here to see me first thing? No way! You just made my day!"

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Aw c'mon, Ed, what are you doing sleeping out here? Didn't you just take a nap, old man? You're gonna catch a cold!"

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Oh hey, it's {PC}! Can't believe I ran into you here, so random! Guess we've gotta go on a date now, huh? It's like, written in the stars!"

i love flirty characters like rui lolol just. there's always More Going On there. and Rui starts off with More right off the bat.

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I can touch the plants as long as I have gloves on! I mean yeah, I'm pretty sure the same goes for people, but don't you think it'd be scary to test it out?"

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Come swing by the bar later! I'd rather watch a pretty face like yours while I work instead of a bunch of drunk guys."

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"What? Ed was praising my good looks? I mean he's right, right? People always tell me my face is my only redeeming feature!"

but rui works so hard!? who's saying that!!

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Oh sorry, I don't do the whole class thing! You go, I'm all good here!"

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Ouch! Aw man, that rose thorn just scratched my arm... Wait, nooo! My rose bushes are wilting!!"

it's so easy for him to accidentally kill anything lmaoooo

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Are you out here by yourself, {PC}? Isn't that like not super dangerous? ...Wait, did that make sense? Whatever, let me walk you back!"

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Sorry! A drunk customer broke a glass, so I'm cleaning it up! Everyone's a little pent-up lately, I guess."

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"Watering plants in the AM is such a mood lift, right? Whoa, everything's blooming like crazy out here! Better get my pruning shears."

it's a testament to how well he takes care of these plants that they grow super well in permanently-night Obscuary, i think. 8'D

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Huh? Look, you've got loose threads on your uniform. Give it to me, I'll fix it for you!"

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Hey, {PC}, did you eat yet? My door's always open! You can just stay the night after!"

damn already inviting you to stay over at affinity 13--just don't share the bed, you'll wake up super dead

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"(yawn) Wow, I am dead tired... but I've gotta take a shower, make breakfast, and do the laundry before those two sleepyheads get up."

it takes a real man to be a single mother. . . .

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Oh hey, what's your poison? Wait, I mean, morning! Man, I tried to take my friend's drink order when we were hanging out yesterday too, occupational hazard I guess."

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"A mission? I'm good, thanks though! Oh hey, you should invite Lyca! He'd totally be into that!"

Lyca also probably needs them to pass the grade lol

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"No way, look at the time! Wish I could keep listening to you talk... Wanna stay over?"

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Oh man, I'm sorry! I'm closing early, I've got plans with a friend tonight. It'd be awesome if you could come by tomorrow!"

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Congrats on making it through another day, {PC}! I seriously admire you for working so hard. You're not doing this all for me, are you?"

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Morning! Whoa, you wanna help me with the housework, {PC}? It's all good, thanks though! The thought's more than enough for me."

c'mon, refusing help at affinity 20? let the pc be your little helper at least!

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Obscuary looks like it'd be full of downers, but it's actually pretty lively in there, right? Not gonna lie, I def prefer it that way."

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Lyca's an open book, but the flip side is he says the darndest things... I feel like watching him is bad for my heart..."

he talks so much about his teammates, he really is such a mom. . . .

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"My eyes are red? Huh, that's weird... Oh yeah, I was cutting onions just now when I was preparing the appetizers for the bar!"

. . .idk this is pretty high affinity. . .you were crying about something weren't you rui. . .or romeo paid you in weed and you were getting tweaked up in the back of the bar

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Oh, don't worry about me, I always sleep late! I'm down to chat till you drift off to dreamland."

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"Sometimes I wish I could've met you as a regular guy. I guess you wouldn't have given me the time of day if I had though, ahaha."

is it just me or. . .does it feel like he gets a little more distant as his affinity gets higher? like after affinity 17 it feels like he gets a little less flirty and a little more at arms length. . .like he knows his feelings are getting so strong that he might not be able to resist touching you, but he's too scared to do it even with the gloves on. . .so he tries to keep you a little further away. . .and then he admits it, he wishes he could be with you like a normal person, but if he were just some flirt in the street none of this would have ever happened. Poor Rui, he's cursed to be beloved but unable to give love how he wants in return.

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"Oh man, so nice... The weather's like perfect this time of year, right? Wish we could just chill like this forever."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Man, you wouldn't even know it was spring with how bleak it is in Obscuary! Aren't there any cuter anomalous plants out there?"

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"I feel like Ed's getting more senile every day... Maybe I should confiscate his tablet."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"So, what do you think of my spring-inspired cocktail? Almost as cute as you, right? I'm gonna add it to the menu!"

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"C'mon! It's summer, how can the sun never rise in Obscuary!? I wanna get a tan!"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"It's not summer if you don't hit the beach! I used to go all the time back when I surfed. And then I'd pick up girls on my way home... Just kidding, I promise!"

why 'just kidding' lolol you're not together! this relationship is not monogamous even if you were!

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Ta-da! I've got sparklers! Fireworks are fun and all, but there's something special about holding a light that only sparkles for a hot moment."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"It's so hot out, I bet the bar's gonna be a ghost town... Guess I'll send Harurin and Romi a PR message!"

reaching out to the local population of alcoholic ghouls to remind them to give him business lol

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"There's so many dead leaves this time of year, it's a nightmare keeping on top of them! But you can use them to make a fire and roast stuff. Gotta look on the brights!"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Hey {PC}, when are you free? I have a date idea for us—a romantic walk to admire the fall leaves! I'll pack us a lunch!"

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Oh damn! You look so cute all bundled up like that, {PC}! We've gotta take a selfie together!"

direct contrast to romeo who sees you in winterwear and calls you a fat slug kekw

(between 8pm and 5am)

"That piano anomaly makes the soundtrack for the bar! The song picks really tug at the heartstrings, right?"

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"You're a little late today, huh? If you can't get up in the cold, I could be your alarm!"

just gotta be really loud since he'd be too afraid to touch you awake, since he actually wants you to y'know wake up--

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Oh man, how is Lyca so full of energy when it's this cold? You should take him to Frostheim and see if he runs around in the snow like a puppy."

rui pointing at lyca: that dog is my son please take care of him

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Nothing like winter to make you miss the warmth of human touch... Oh, I'm good! Just getting to talk like this is all I need!"

BBY WE ARE ALL BUNDLED UP. YOU CAN HUG YOU'VE BOTH PROBABLY GOT ON AT LEAST TWO LAYERS JUST DON'T TOUCH FACES.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Here, this Rui-original hot cocktail will warm you up! I'll blow on it for you, free of charge!"

is this the next step after gamer bathwater. host club host breath.

His birthday: (March 14th)

"Yeah, it's my birthday today! Oh damn, you're gonna celebrate it with me!? No way, I'm like, super touched right now!!"

Your birthday:

"{PC}... Happy birthday!! C'mon, birthday girl, sit down and chill out! This is your day, you should take it easy!"

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year! Want to start the year off on a high and come on a shrine date with me?"

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Oh damn, are these for me? My heart! Is this your way of professing your love to me? Do I have a shot here?"

White Day: (March 14th)

"Ta-da! Happy White Day! This is for you! What's inside? You've gotta open it and find out!"

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Guess what!? I finally broke my curse! Let's hold hands... just kidding! April Fools!"

this feels more like a joke on him than on you. . .a mean one at that lol

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Happy happy happy Halloween!! Trick or treat! Obviously I'm picking trick, ahaha!"

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Merry Christmas, {PC}! Oh man, I must be like, super blessed to get to spend it with you!"

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Hey, hey, hey! We finally get to spend some time together, it's illegal to take your eyes off me!"

(13 affinity and above)

"{PC}? You seem kind of busy, guess I'll take this chance to get some work done…"

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"{PC}, you're back! I was worried you'd forgotten about me!!"

he's so flirty and clingy, but also he can't be clingy because he's scared you'll die if he touches you, even if he's wearing gloves. . .also surely your curse would cancel out his? Then again I'm sure a reaper i stronger than any other [living] anomaly out there. . . .

but. yeah. rui's a darling haha he just. he's another one of the 'i just wanna be a regular person, i wanna go back to normal' characters whose desire to just be a guy makes him special in a more fantastical world. i'm really looking forward to seeing the Obscuary chapter--probably like a month away, right? 'u'

[the-s1lly-corner]

Can I request some hcs for Caine (and anyone else you want to add!) x a reader who struggles with really low self-esteem? Tysm~!

Caine x reader w/ low self esteem

lets fucking go we are posting at 5am! cannot sleep for the life of me!! grr! sudden burst of energy and motivation after a 2 week bed rot goes insane lowkey notes: reader is gn, short post, admins sure its written this before but its not sure + you guys know how admin likes to rewrite old stuff to compare and contrast writing progress stuff cws: none

hes either going to be hyper aware of it or hes going to be totally oblivious to it- maybe even both depending on the time of day... who knows whats going on in that head of his.. he seems to be thinking of everything at once... and nothing at the same time... hard to tell with that one....

but god when he is more than just a tiny bit aware of your lack of confidence? hes going to be going into overdrive to make sure you feel good- and hes not doing it out of pity or falsely hyping you up when you dont deserve or any of those things... theres going to be earnest in his attempts to make you see yourself the way he sees you

compliments are a given, theyre going to be cranked to 1000% percent- expect anything from him calling you the most beautiful person in the entire world to... stranger compliments that dont quite make sense... definitely the type to muse over you and go on and on and ON about what parts of you remind him of what

erratic but poetic, of course

and thats not even getting into the non verbal stuff for you... affection is cranked up, hes going to kiss you whenever you give him the chance and trail his hands on you- nothing dirty of course, gotta keep the circus appropriate for all ages!

adventures are also more personalized to you... you... may get NPCs that dote on you at least a teeny tiny bit or fawn over your every move- funnily enough this sparks jealousy in caine even though he... put the NPCs there in the first place...

[dadsbongos]

plan A

I NEVER FUCKING POSTED THIS LMAO i was wondering why nobody reacted to it..... oops

2.2 k words / warnings - pregnancy, prenatal depression, you two shouldn't be together, kind of rushed it was a timed exercise to get back into writing

summary - you go to pick up your boyfriend grant curly from his recent expedition! and boy things have changed since he left.

On your right is a scratched Jeep Liberty; silver, with all the windows down, and dirt caked into the rims. A brown-haired woman with grey streaks woven into her loose bun rests against the hood, both arms are folded. She barely shivers, even in the 5AM fog, and squints ahead as the colorful mutt at her side prances impatiently around both her legs.

Leftward is a nice, smooth, cherry red Charger with both headlights still spotless. A California license plate and brand new tires with not a marr on the tracks. Two slim figures are packed into the front seats. Black hair trails around the woman with a fat rock on her married finger while her husband routinely checks his gold watch every other minute. Their faces are carved with care, brows furrowed in worry.

Stuck at the gate was an old black Honda. A mustachioed man with dark hair and darker eyebags was rifling through his leather wallet while rambling into his phone. Plaid pajamas still wrinkled with sleep. Older hands shook with exhaustion and exasperation as he fought for a chipped ID with his daughter’s name and face on it.

You’re ahead of the rest, parked just a skosh over the neon yellow caution line. In a navy blue SUV bought long before you moved to Cherry Lane with the soda-stained ceiling and dog-haired floor mats as evidence. The dog died just after you moved in, Grant doesn’t drink soda anymore, and you can’t shake off this car no matter how often you complain it’s unreasonable to own. On the brightside, perhaps finally rolling over will solve all those mundane problems plaguing your life.

Nobody waits for Jimmy. You assume you’ll be taking him A.) to his trailer or B.) to your guest room.

Tulpar has long since landed, now is the waiting game for proper shut-down procedure to avoid credit-docking for mishandling machinery. Erasing all evidence of slacking offedness and stir craziness and general messiness. She still hisses with life while the crew buzzes around, most probably crashing against the steel walls to hurry home.

At 5:46AM, Tulpar screeches oddly. Then she beeps in even measures as the boarding door unlocks and clanks open. A long ladder unravels from the way just as that black Honda squeals up behind your crowd.

By now that married couple has flung themselves out of their car, eagerly chirping to each other how they ‘can see him! right there! he’s almost home! i can see him!’ -- your suspicion of them being the new intern’s parents is confirmed instantly. Unsurprisingly, the newest member rushes down first and he clumsily hauls himself and his bags across the vacant lot to meet the two. Cheeks blistering from the cold but he pays it no mind in favor of excitedly relaying the trip.

Next down is nurse Anya. She humbly pauses at the landing and peers around the total of four cars before that gloomy face electrifies. Knuckles whitening around her bags before she bounds toward the black Honda. Cheerfully greeting ‘Papa!’ -also teasing that his pajamas mean he must’ve forgotten again.

Swansea grumbles down and his yippie Jaxson has to be restrained by Mrs. Hotard, which breaks both their stony expressions. She giggles and beckons him over before the dog breaks free. Swansea does speed up, goofy-looking with both arms taken with luggage and shiny new sneakers he doesn’t want to crease. He nods in your direction as he passes before being swept into his wife’s arms. She kisses him once on the cheek. He returns it. They then pour all affection into the squirrely dog at their feet.

Technically, next down should be Jimmy, but every year since making co-pilot he’s been forcing Grant down so he could be last. Which is -technically- a captain’s responsibility, but Grant cares about Jimmy’s feelings more than he fears a supervisor’s wrist-slap.

Not that you can have too much room to complain when it means Grant is just a little sooner to return home.

Even in the cloudy, sun-hiding morning his blonde waves glimmer and those cool blues soak you up before a single syllable pours out.

Affectionately, he murmurs, “You got big,” while curing both hands along the obnoxious bump your stomach has become, “Are they kicking yet?”

“It’s still shy,” you answer with a headshake, hands on your hips while biting back the bark that your back fucking hurts so bad you just want to sit down you already came out here to get him and now he wants to keep you out here in the fucking cold like some asshole.

Release comes in the form of Jimmy Zare, dead-eyed and not even waving before sneering, “Can you really drive like that?”

“Get in and I’ll prove it.”

“I’m not riding in a car with a pregnant bitch driving.”

“I’ll drive,” Grant curbs, gently holding you by the arm like an old lady and opening the door and closing it after you before rounding the front and sliding behind the steering wheel. He glances in the rear view mirror, “Jim’, home?”

Jimmy sighs through his nose in a way very much telling you he does not want to go ‘home’, but nods, “Home.”

Seven months has given Jimmy ample time to plan all the horrible jokes he wanted to make about your pregnancy, but if he spent any of that time wisely he doesn’t have any showmanship. That, or Grant’s reception to his first crack was not as lighthearted as all the other responses Jimmy receives. You can still hear it, the muttering over Grant’s shoulder that your baby will look more like the neighbor than Grant. And you could still see it when you blinked, the brief flash of irritation and bitten cheek before Grant said he loved you and hung up.

Jimmy slides out of Grant’s car without anything beside a shockingly pleasant goodbye.

“Finally us,” Grant sighs, the corners of his lips perky.

“Almost,” you snort and gesture to the tumor expanding your wardrobe lately.

“They’re part of us,” he insists, “Literally. Our DNA together,” he blinks, lashes fluttery, “Isn’t that weird? Our DNA together.”

Grant reaches out tentatively, as uncomfortable as he should be considering he’s been gone nigh a year, and places a hand on your bump. Smoothing his thumb over your swollen belly. He watches the road but all focus is on this mass of cells he can’t even see yet.

“Did you find out the gender?”

“No.”

“Ooh, a surprise?” he raises both brows, politely unquestioning of your coping with the pregnancy since -again- he’s been gone so long.

“Something like that,” every time you would mull over going, or receiving the news something more interesting would happen.

Your friend would quit her job and need soothing, your mother would want to visit, your bread was too toasted so the day was ruined, you slept in past noon so the day was ruined, you couldn’t find the right color shoes for that shirt and you didn’t want to look stupid, your coworker invited you for lunch, and the most common reason of all:

You didn’t really feel like going.

You hadn’t really felt like going to the doctor either.

You’re not totally sure the baby is still--

“Hungry?” Grant offers while pulling into your driveway, sliding a quick smile over, “I can make you something light. Or do you want to go back to bed?”

“Might as well eat.”

Grant leaves you to melt into the couch before wandering into the kitchen. A bottle of white wine sits in the middle of the counter, a couple of glasses clearly missing.

“Did Mom visit?” a stupid question, since he’s sure he already knows the answer.

“Uhhh,” you shrug even though he cannot see it, “A few days ago, probably.”

Grant nods and replaces the wine in the refrigerator, wondering when your mother got so careless with her bottles to leave them in the open. He mentally skips over the packages of salami and chorizo, already knowing better than to suggest cured meats.

“What’s the baby craving?” he asks when inspiration fails to strike.

Again, you shrug, “I want a sandwich. With eggs.”

“Won’t they make you sick?” he pokes around the corner with a pout scarred into his face.

“They don’t.”

“You sure?”

“Grant.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he recedes, both hands in the air like you’ve got a gun pointed at him.

“You’ve been gone the entire time, you know?” you try softening your voice at the very edge, hoping Grant takes the reminder as kindly as he possibly could, “I’ve been taking care of myself the whole time.”

“I know…” a pause fills the room- bulging awkwardly through the arched doorway between your kitchen and living room, “I’ll see what I can do about staying home with you.”

“Now?”

“You and the baby will need me around,” even through walls he sounds as compassionate as you’re certain he means to be, “Especially when you keep getting bigger. Who else will take you to the hospital when you go into labor?”

For a moment, all you can do is blink. Grant is right- who else would take you to the hospital when you go into labor? But…

“But what about after?”

A snicker echoes while eggs fry in an unseen pan, “Baby’s gonna be around for awhile, honey. I can’t retire now.”

Apparently, your dismal silence is too dismal because Grant comes around the corner and urges you up- waddling you into the kitchen with him. Wheeling a dining chair up beside himself and kissing the top of your head when you sit before returning to breakfast. He curses, noticing the soft whites have charred at the very edge and breaks two more into the pan while assuring,

“Those’ll be mine.”

“What about…” you don’t know why, but your eyes start stinging and you need to swallow this hard obtrusive lump in your throat before asking, “What about after it comes out?”

Grant’s brows furrow, contemplation visibly stressing his face while he pops bread into the toaster and melts cheese over your eggs. He gnaws his bottom lip and stares into the blistering pan,

“What do you mean, honey?”

Too selfish, too greedy, too terrible- you already know your question is unbecoming of a future parent. For once, you feel the need to shield the thing inside you and pray it cannot hear you,

“What about me? If you take leave now, won’t they want you back that much sooner? If you’re here now for the baby, I won’t have you after it’s born,” avoiding eye contact, you swallow that same lump and grunt in irritation as it fails to fade, “That’s when I’ll really need you.”

Pursing his lips, Grant ticks his head sideways and fails to find the politest way to say what you already knew he’d say, “Well, hone, someone has to make the money.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

“You’ll need me here- !”

“Forget it.”

“No, I want to talk about this. You need- !”

“You’re gonna burn the eggs, just forget it. Do whatever you want.”

“I want to be here.”

The nicest thing you could say is nothing, so you stay quiet.

Grant repeats himself as if that will change anything, “I want to be here.”

You fear he’ll break down at your knees if you remain stoic, so the least you could do is rub his back and murmur gentle ‘i know, i know, baby’s.

“I’m thinking of taking a desk job,” he confesses, “So I can be closer. I don’t want to be away all the time, the baby will resent me for it. That’s how I was with my dad. Never understood why he was gone, so I took it personal. That he didn’t want me.”

“It won’t even remember until it’s three. Maybe. You don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself.”

besides, i’m the one that doesn’t want it and i have to be here

Grant would not find that as funny or relatable as your childless friends, so you decide to save it for your journal later tonight. May as well fill all the pages you can before you’re up at all odd hours.

“I just want to be a good father.”

“You will be.” you’ll have to be.

“You’re so calm,” disbelieving, probably delirious, giggles escape him, “I wish I could be calm.”

“It’s hard not to be calm when I know I’m doing this with you,” is the nicest way to phrase it.

With Grant wanting to be a dad came the relief that you couldn’t possibly fuck this up beyond repair. Grant is good at almost anything he tries (including, apparently, turning dirty talk into a promise).

“You’ve always been there for me,” standing, you massage out the tense burdens in either shoulder, “Catching me when I fall, with you I can do anything. You’ll be great.”

Another thing Grant would not find funny, nor would your childless friends, pops into your mind. Something you aren’t going to scrawl in any journal unless you want to be on a watch:

besides, i’ve already tried to kill it

“As long as I have you, everything will be okay,” you repeat the only thing to bring you comfort during those hours of sickness and aches and regret.

“You’re everything,” Grant beams, holding your distended stomach and pecking your lips, “Thank you.”

Grant returns to cooking your breakfast after another, this time longer, kiss: “Fuck, burned it… these’ll be mine…” and tries for the third time to simply cook eggs.

He’s good at most things when he tries.

[emeritusemeritus]

if you’re taking requests can you do fred x artist!reader maybe? it’s okay if not though! (:

Hi love! Let me start by saying I’m sorry that this completely took on a life of its own. I started writing and I couldn’t stop, too engrossed in the story. I wasn’t sure what kind of art you wanted to include so I made the reader a painter/ designer and an all round creative. I’ve sobbed writing this and I’ve even had to split it into two parts because I’ve fallen down a hole and written over 8 thousand words, not joking.

I hope you enjoy! I shall now go and rest 😂🖤

Part 2 will be posted HERE once it is uploaded.

Warnings: ANGST. Sadness, breakups, illusions to cheating, breakup references. Happy ending I promise! Talks of marriage, proposals, Hagrid and his creatures, Fang being the goodest boy. Lots of tears and sadness but it gets better! Not beta read nor spellchecked, apologies for any mistakes. Timeline is a little wonky (picturing it OOTP just before the twins departure but there’s no war/no Umbridge)

Word count: 4.9k [Part 1&2= 8.2k] 😬

The Artist and the Entrepreneur part 1

You walked into your dorm in an exhausted slump, trying desperately not to sigh too loudly of our sheer exhaustion in order to not wake your dorm mates. It was nearly 11:30pm by the time you had made it back to the dorms, having to wake and then calm down the fat lady who was not willing to listen to your explanation of why you were out so late. You needed to bathe and get to sleep, ready for classes the next morning but you could barely function, trying desperately to summon the energy to undress and make your way to the bathrooms. It was a necessary evil but it had to be done and so you dragged your near-lifeless body to the bathroom and began running a bath, which thankfully filled up quickly with almost perfect temperature water. You grimaced as you peeled the uniform away from your body, wincing at a particularly nasty wound on your right forearm which you would attempt to heal after you'd bathed. Your hands were covered in paint, mud and whatever else had made their way under your nails, arms littered with paint splatters and other vague marks.

Sinking down into the water, you forced yourself to stay awake feeling suddenly soothed by the warm water, both physically and mentally. It had been a hard couple of weeks, stretched beyond your means as your timetable suddenly doubled. You were tired, exhausted and still there was another week to go of this madness, but it would all worth it on the end.

You dried quickly, assisting yourself with a flick of your wand and dressed into your pyjamas, hardly managing to scoop up your dirty uniform on your way back to bed.

5am came much quicker than you'd have liked. It was almost as if you'd closed your eyes and opened them again only a minute later. You crawled out of bed trying again to stay silent and reached for the clean set of uniform and robes on the chair beside your bed, kicking the lump of dirty uniform under your bed to deal with later. You slipped into the bathrooms to dress so that you wouldn't wake anyone and slipped down to the common room, pray in that you didn't see anyone on the way. You cast a glance at the boys dormitory staircase and felt a stab of sorrow thinking of Fred and how you'd barely seen him in the past two weeks. You were often gone before breakfast and not back until well past curfew, not that either of the twins ever abided by the rules.

"Oh shush," you said to the fat lady who had begun her usual spiel of sounding the alarm due to you being out of bed out of hours, not listening nor remembering the speech you'd given everyday for the past two weeks as you attempted to sneak out. You couldn't afford to be discovered by the prefects nor any teachers roaming the corridors, as above board as your mission was- you couldn't risk Fred finding out what you were doing.

Sunlight shone through the windows as you made your way around the castle, holding back a shiver at the coldness of the castle in the late March morning, your robes doing very little to shield you from the chill. You crept out of the castle and marvelled at the beautiful first rays of daylight peaking through the trees of the forbidden forest. You looked ahead and saw that smoke was billowing from the chimney of Hagrid's hut, the only sign of life against the otherwise serene backdrop of the forbidden forest. You made your way slowly, enjoying the peaceful walk down to the hut, hoping that Hagrid had put the kettle on in anticipation of your arrival.

"Morning y/n!" Hagrid says with a wide smile, bustling around in the small hut, much too awake for this time in the morning. Fang in stark contrast lay slumped in his bed and half asleep, continuously disturbed by Hagrid's banging. A steaming cup of tea lay waiting for you on the table and you thank him graciously, taking a soothing sip of the hot liquid. You look at the clock on the wall beside the window as see that it's nearly half 5 now, the sun rising in the sky and greeting an almost ethereal light across the magnificent castle, a sight that still amazed you even seven years later.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Hagrid asks, noticing you gazing up at the castle and you share a smile for a moment, the tiredness having faded now thanks to the alarmingly strong cup of tea that you'd now become accustomed to.

"Ready to get to work now?" He asks, watching you drain the last of the tea from the large mug. You try to hide your disappointment from being dragged out once again to the edge of the forest, knowing that you'd signed up for this. You nod with a smile, navigating around the large table as you move towards to door behind Hagrid. You shoot a look towards Fang, wanting to give him a parting stroke but you notice quickly that he's fallen back to sleep and so you leave him alone to snooze, wishing that you could too.

It was nearly half 8 when you walked into the great hall, taking a brief detour to the bathrooms as you washed your hands and to hide any evidence of your morning. Your early start was already catching up to you and you hid a yawn behind the sleeve of your robe as you walked through the doors of the great hall. You checked your robe one last time for any signs of evidence but thankfully you were clear, noticing only a moment later when you took you'll place at the table that there was a great dollop of pint upon your shoe.

"Here she is," George says from across the table, nodding his head towards you as you climbed onto the bench beside Ron in the gap between him and Neville.

"Switch with Y/n Ronald," Fred says from beside him without a hint of a please. Knowing he won't get any manners out of his older brother, Ron complies and shifts up to allow you to sit beside your boyfriend.

"Thanks Ron," you say, trying to hold off the yawn that was threatening to break free at any moment.

"Morning beautiful, you're late," Fred says, his hand slipping across your back as you pour yourself a large glass of pumpkin juice. He frowns at the coldness of your robes beneath his fingers but doesn't say anything. "You overlay again?"

"Yeah," you lie, feeling immediately guilty about the fact. "Snape's set us a load of work, took me ages to figure it out last night. Didn't get a lot of sleep." As if to prove your point, the yawn you'd been suppressing finally escapes with so much force that it makes your eyes water.

You manage to force down some toast, staying quiet as the conversation continues around you. The first bell rings and you barely hold back a sigh, detesting the fact that you'd have to get up again.

"I can walk you to potions?" Fred says, holding his hand out to help you off the bench. You're quick to conceal the paint on your shoe and if he notices, he doesn't say anything.

"And have you late for charms again?" You counter, raising an eyebrow at your boyfriend who just shrugs completely unfazed.

"Haven't seen you much lately, thought you'd been avoiding me."

His words feel like a stab directly to your heart, knowing that you were guilty of avoiding him, though it wasn't in a negative way. Your craved the time with him, of mischief in the late hours and spontaneous moments in hidden corridors and empty classrooms.

"I promise I'm not," you say with a smile, trying to vanquish his idea completely as you lean up to press a kiss to his full lips. His arms immediately grab your waist as he pulls you in for a deeper kiss that borders on inappropriate but you relent, unable to resist after not seeing him properly for so long.

"So, potions?" Fred smirks, pulling away. You chuckle, placing your hands on his chest.

"For me? Yes. For you? No, get to charms," you order playfully, leaning up to give him one last peck on the lips before turning away. "See you at lunch!"

You can hear his boyish chuckle as you walk away down the corridor in the opposite direction of him, praying that he would be entirely too focused on the swishing of your behind and that the paint on your shoe would go entirely unseen.

By lunch you were completely exhausted, too tired to even notice the suspicious side-eyes from the identical twins as they watched you poke around at your food and down a second cup of very strong tea, having outwardly complained that the first one was too weak. Uncharacteristically for them, they said nothing and continued to chatter amongst themselves, keeping the conversation open for you though you didn't give much imput.

"Fancy the black lake tonight, after hours?" Fred whispers in your ear, knowing even without looking that a smirk would be tugging at his lips. You inwardly grimaced, cursing your ridiculous secret plan as you wished more than anything that you could join him. You were running out of excuses now, finding it hard to keep track with what you'd already lied about.

"I can't tonight, got an essay for snape in the morning I've still not finished," you say with a guilty expression, almost wincing as the words too-effortlessly tumble out of your mouth. "Friday night I promise?"

He seems put out almost instantly, never one to be able to conceal his emotions well. He looks frustrated, confused and rejected within seconds of each other and gives a halfhearted nod at your counter offer of Friday instead.

The bell rings signalling the end of lunch and you hope for a kiss before parting but lose all hope when you feel his lips briefly brush your hairline and he runs off to catch up with George and Angelina.

You avoided the common room after classes, choosing instead to sneak down to Hagrid's a little early, thankful for Thursday evening Quidditch practice which meant that you wouldn't cross paths with Fred.

"Y/n, I'm nipping out tomorrow on dumbledores orders, think you could nip down and check in everything while I'm gone?" Hagrid says as you out dutifully complete your given task, hoping to get it done quickly so you could try and salvage a bit of time tonight for Fred. His questions throws you off for long enough that you feel a hot gust of fire breezing past your right ear, followed by a burning sensation in the same spot. He's quick to act and gets you out of harms way before any more damage is done whilst you remain slightly frozen in both fear and contemplation. You knew you couldn't say no, in debt to his generosity and so you simply nodded, already dreading the implications of your acceptance.

It's late once again when you arrive at the common room, only half an hour til curfew, and despite your attempts at hiding your tiredness and attempting to appear happy and neutral, you can't help but feel the guilt swirling in your gut when you see Fred and George pedalling their products to the younger students with wide smiles on their faces and still dressed in their quidditch uniforms. You sneak up to Fred once he's done with a sale and slip behind him, placing your hand on his shoulder to alert him to your presence. 

Only, when he turns around his smile slowly fades upon realisation that it's you and your heart immediately begins to break, knowing that it was the other way round. He doesn't instantly reach out for you with his big grabby hands like usual nor does he attempt to kiss you. You try and salvage the situation, putting more effort in, trying to be as normal as possible but he seems to see right through the act.

"Wanna sneak out? I hear the black lake is beautiful this time of night." You say with a smirk, trying desperately to mask your tiredness and to hold it together. He doesn't jump at the chance as you hoped and instead casts a cursory glance to George before turning back to you.

"Can't tonight, got to restock the snack boxes with George," he says, briefly touching your hand before a third year calls his name, hand outstretched ready to buy one of his creations. Your stomach sinks, knowing that it's a lie and the irony of the situation only seems to hurt you more as you feel your eyes well up with fresh tears. You excuse yourself immediately, not even greeting your friends who you can tell are watching the tense exchange and you hope more than anything that no one follows you. You're completely depleted with exhaustion, running on hardly any sleep and completely overworked by your own doing. Suddenly the outcome didn't seem worth it and you regretted ever starting, finding your idea foolish.

You let your tears flow as you shower, passively washing away the fresh marks from the day off your arms, the clear gel and the colourful spatters draining away down the plug hole with your tears. You wince in pain when the water falls directly onto the freshly wounded skin behind your ear and your neck, execrating yourself for missing that spot despite Hagrid's warnings.

Too tired and upset to face going back down to the common room, you give up and reward yourself with an early night, though you feel anything but rewarded.

5am came around once more and more than ever you begrudgingly pulled yourself from the warm bed and slipped into the bathroom, the reminder of Fred's rejection playing on your mind from the second your eyes opened. Had you dreamt about it? Either way his reaction was firmly imprinted on your mind and you couldn't get away from how desperately painful it was to have him reject you like that. You slipped out of the common room on autopilot, closing the door with a little too much force already anticipating the fat lady's usual ranting and slumped off towards Hagrid's hut. The skies looked as sombre and sorrowful as you felt, covering the sky in a dull grey hue that seemed to dull the normally beautiful sunrise. You were quiet this morning, not rude or impolite but simply quiet as you worked alongside Hagrid, consumed by your foreboding thoughts knowing that you would still have to cancel Fred tonight, if he even cared anymore.

Once your morning jobs were complete, you decline any further invite to stay and decide instead to sneak back into the castle for breakfast, hoping you could join your friends and boyfriend like usual. Breakfast had only just begun when you walked into the great hall, having made your usual stop off at the girls bathrooms on the way and you're not surprised when the only person sat at the table is Hermione who's already got her head down in a book. She lifts her head up to greet you happily as you sit opposite her at the table, beginning to place her bookmark on the page she's on but you tell her not to, to enjoy the peace whilst she can. She shoots you a grateful smile and you sit enjoying your second cup of tea in peace, thankful you could make this happen today. You knew it was at the expense of your other jobs and you'd most certainly pay for it in the long run but having half of the morning to reset still felt good.

"Morning," Angelina says as a sits down at the table next to Hermione who this time only says a passive greeting, much too engrossed in her book. Angelina reached immediately for a glass of pumpkin juice before rubbing her eyes and yawning at the early hour.

"Not been sleeping well?" You ask with relative concern for your friend, watching her yawn for a second time within seconds. "Staying up late trying to find a loophole in quidditch rules again?" You joke with a smile, watching as she shoots you a mock glare even though it was most probably true, only to be interrupted by her third yawn.

"I wish! Still never finished reading that rule book," she snorts. "I know there's something there I've missed." She takes a sip of her pumpkin juice and you watch as she swallows down another yawn. "I was at the black lake with the twins last night, didn't get back til late."

It's amazing that you don't choke on your own pumpkin juice as the words glide out of her mouth, your stomach sinking like a stone at the implications. You knew Angelina and there was no malice nor hidden meaning behind her words but it still stings more than getting caught in the path of a Ukrainian Ironbelly. Fred had openly lied to you, had rejected you and had invited Angelina in your place. You're frozen in place by the revelation but Angelina doesn't notice, now heartily tucking into her breakfast, though you do notice hermione peeking over her book to look at you. Tears begin to prickle your eyes as the sinking feeling in your gut consumes you, your thoughts spiralling out of control. He didn't want you anymore, you'd pushed him too far to come back from, all with him in mind.

You barely noticed when Ron, Ginny and Harry appeared at the table but you noticed immediately when you heard two very familiar voices echoing as Fred and George walked into the great hall. You had to leave, you had to get out before then took their places. A part of you, wether it was self-punishment or morbid curiosity wanted to stay and see if Fred would chose to sit next to you, to see if he'd interact with you or be cold and distant but you couldn't do it, knowing that the latter would kill you. You stood up so quickly that you bumped your knee on the bottom of the table with a resounding thud that seemed to draw everyone's attention to you but you didn't stick around to shrivel under their curious gazes. There was no way you could avoid Fred now as he made his way to the table but you couldn't do anything about that. Placing your hand over your mouth, you feigned queasiness and ran out of the hall, straight past Fred and George.

Climbing up the spiralling staircase from potions, your stomach sank when you saw a familiar form resting against one of the pillars in the corridor, his shining red hair leaving no doubt as to who it was. You waited for your fellow classmates to disperse, signalling for Alicia to go ahead with the others, leaving you and Fred alone. You half hoped for the first time ever that you'd gotten the twins mixed up

And that it was actually George that was waiting for you but as you walked over with a faux smile on your face, there was no doubt in your mind that it was Fred.

"Hi," you said, sounding awkward even to your own ears. He gives you a look, apparently having noticed your unusually formal greeting too and reaches out for you as if nothing was wrong. His touch feels wrong, the lies feeling like an impenetrable barrier between you and you don't sink into his touch as you usually did, nor do you make any attempt to reach out for him in return.

"Still want to go to the black lake tonight?" He says, reaching out to play with a strand of your hair from the haphazardly thrown up ponytail. His words feel like a knife, like a taunt of what you missed out in last night. Did he know that you knew about his jaunts last night or was he planning on denying the entire thing and acting like nothing was wrong?

You couldn't bite your tongue any longer, the unyielding sleep deprivation affecting your ability to regulate your emotions and you pulled yourself back out of his reach with a venomous look in your eyes.

"Thought you'd have seen enough of it with Angelina last night,' you spit out, the quickly fading logical part of your brain hardly believing that you were having this conversation with Fred, the downfall of your relationship taking you completely by surprise as it's ungodly pace. He blanches, face flushing pale as his ears turn more and more pink upon hearing your words. His eyes widen momentarily and the sickness in your gut increases as you note how panicked he looks, your fears confirmed that he was intending on not telling you anything.

"Princess," he says, trying to bounce back from his momentary shock as he reaches out for you but you avoid his hand entirely, blocking him by slightly turning your body to the right, away from him.

"My name is y/n," you counter, uncaring for his term of endearment. His brown creases but in a flash it's gone, his gaze now focused on your ear. You watch as his eyes harden, no longer looking guilty as his eyes set into a hard stare that grazes across your face until he finally looks into your eyes, somehow in competition with you for how angry you can gaze at eachother.

"It's not my whereabouts that need questioning though is it?" He says through partially gritted teeth, unrelenting eyes staring into your soul.

"What are you talking about?" You counter, trying desperately to hold onto your anger but it's quickly draining from you under his suspicious scrutiny.

"Seems you forgot to hide that one," he spits, pointing to the mark behind your ear. Your gaze softens immediately as you realise what he's pointing to- the pink mark on your neck. In your haste to not set your hair on fire in potions, you'd quickly tied up your hair and had completely forgotten that the mark on your neck would now be visible.

"Fred," you say, the tables turning on you now as you cower under his powerful gaze.

"Thought it was odd that you kept disappearing," he says with a grumble, his voice sounding so cold and distant that you barely recognise it. "Who is he?"

"What?" You ask suddenly, quietly, completely floored by his accusation, your mouth agape as you look upon the heated gaze of your boyfriend, though you quickly realise it may be the last time you can call him that. Never had you thought that he would have accused you of cheating. Finding out your secret maybe but this? Never.

"You heard me, who is it? Bet it's Towler isn't it," he sneers, almost spitting as he says Kenneth Towler's name to taunt you. "Reckon he's long overdue for a second dose of bulbadox powder."

You're frozen in disbelief at the furthering accusations he's spouting, his mind already wandering back to Kenneth Towler who's skin had erupted into boils during your fifth year thanks to Fred putting Bulbadox powder in his pyjamas when he'd come on to you a bit too strongly during a mid-season Quidditch game. Fred had been so distracted upon seeing Towler attempt to drape his arm around you that it caused him to miss an oncoming bludger that caught the tail end of Wood's broom, throwing him off balance and equating in a deciding goal that had given Ravenclaw the lead, that then resulted in their victory over Gryffindor. Fred had been furious, not at you naturally but at Towler who he'd declared had lost them the whole game and had vowed a form of revenge by adding the bulbadox.

"It is isn't it?" He prods, taking your silence as confirmation.

"No!" You say with vengeance, wanting to shoot down that accusation straight away. "There's no one," you add. He huffs out a humourless laugh that makes your entire body fill with dread.

"Well someone's giving you those marks and it's certainly not me!" He argues, "haven't let me anywhere near you for weeks, which is funny because you're usually up for it whenever."

Your blood runs cold at his words and you resist the instinctual urge to slap him right across his stupid face. It's like the four years of your relationship have been nothing to him; pulled apart and mocked by one single comment that now made you question everything. Was that all it was to him? Were you just easy and available? You felt physically sick by the thought and you were certain that nothing had ever hurt you so deeply before. The boy you'd fallen so helplessly in love for, the one with the fire red hair and the cheeky grin that only ever seemed to have eyes for you had changed so quickly right before your eyes. The very boy that had supported all of your creative dreams, encouraging you to keep painting and keep creating even when you doubted yourself or lacked inspiration. Merlin, most of the time he was your inspiration.

You realise that there's nothing left to say, that any further attempt to defend yourself will only fall on deaf ears and by his last comment, you weren't sure it was worth trying to salvage the joke that had been your relationship. You thought of the secret you'd be hiding, of the real reason you had been sneaking away and lying to him, so far away from his assumption that it was almost laughable- but now completely void of any importance. There was no coming back from this. What you assumed to have been love for the past four years had completely disappeared from his eyes and you knew from this moment onwards that all you would ever see when he gazed upon you would be pure disdain.

It feels like every bone is breaking in your body simultaneously as you walk away, like your heart is directly under the cruciatus curse with the sheer volume of anguish within your body. You've never felt pain like it, completely unable to distinguish exactly where it hurts or why. You let vision is blurred and your body physically hurts, your ears ringing from the screams of pain that resonate around your head but are trapped inside your mind. You don't look at Fred, you can't, nor can you bear to listen for him calling out to you as you walk away, the last glimmer of hope gone. 

You consider returning to your dorm and locking yourself away for the foreseeable future, skipping all of your classes and sobbing until you can't anymore as you body screams for you to do but you can't. You can't let anyone see you like that, nor would you be able to answer anyone's questions or deal with their stares. And so, you run to the one place you knew you'd be safe.

Fang greets you enthusiastically the second you push through the door to the empty hut and collapse against the door with a roaring cry. The anguish in your cries is one that you'd never heard emitted from yourself or any other human and you no longer fight back the floods of tears that fall down your face like an unstoppable river that had broken the dam. Fang, sensing your distress, walks over to you and calmly sits beside you, placing his huge head in your lap as you cry. You hold on to the lovable boarhound like an oversized teddy bear as the tears flow, uncaring about the inevitable puddle of drool that he'll leave in your lap, the comfort of the sweet dog more needed than ever.

You don't know how long you sit there crying with your pal by your side for every moment but eventually the tears begin to slow, your breath finally evening out though your heart still pounds, much like your head. Fang lifts his head slightly, his big eyes peering into yours and you give him a thankful smile through the tears, even if he doesn't know exactly what you're trying to convey. He gives your arm a little nudge and in your near delusional state, you assume that it's a reply to your thankfulness. You chuckle, giving him a good scratch of appreciation on his wrinkled forehead at the absurdity of the situation, but you'd be forever thankful that of all things, Fang was the only one that had held you together in your darkest moment.

[mymegrokosmos]

a little friends with got7 drabble bc that one video of jackson and bam arguing about whether butts are plural on live in their hotel room while everyone else looked super cozy did smth in my brain ig.

i'm also so tired of the migraine life and wrote this on no sleep, enough caffeine to jumpstart at least 3 chipmunks and a prayer that i'd be able to stop crying from the pain before 5am.

you're welcome?

You're laying between mark and yugyeom curled up in comfy clothes on the bed in the hotel room while jackson and bam argue about something stupid and trivial. How you got here is a story your brain is too tired to supply and you're too comfy to ask any further questions about it.

it's post tour, you finally have a day off after this but you’re all so hopped up on adrenaline that you haven't been able to fall asleep yet so the boys came to hang out in the room you’re sharing with mark since it's the furthest away, located at the end of the hallway on your floor. with three interconnected rooms between you and the next non-member room, not counting the managers across the hallway from you, there's a pretty good sound buffer for the other hotel guests tonight.

you've lucked out getting this room because it’s only got one queen bed and the others didn't want to share. they prefer their own space when sleeping so you offered to take the room with the shared bed and mark was all too happy to enjoy a little peace and join you as your roommate. you've shared smaller spaces before, having lived in dorms together throughout your university years, and you've fallen into old habits again. it's easy to live with him even on the road living out of suitcases as you travel europe with your best friends for a business conference or two that you somehow managed to turn into the summer trip of a lifetime with all of your favourite people.

you've had to alternate working remotely with taking time off to make it happen but everyone was more than happy to compromise when it meant the first real vacation you’ve been able to take together since your last big trip around asia after your college graduation.

so here you are after a night of playing drinking games and stuffing yourselves full of takeout on your second last day in a new city with the night crawling by as you change into your comfiest clothes and lounge between two of your best friends.

yugyeom immediately claimed the bed as soon as they all dropped in and mark joined you both after a glass or two too many of red wine. it’s a little quieter on this side of the room and he has more space to spread out his legs in whatever strange position he wants than he did squashed onto the small couch. jinyoung flopped onto the end of the bed at some point to lay his head on your thigh and you all watch the discussion like a tennis match, as jackson and bam launch words back and forth at a speed that makes your brain feel like it's constantly buffering.

you give up a few minutes in, not bothering to keep up once the topic turns unserious. their opinions won't change because you're watching. you let your head rest against mark's shoulder as yugyeom buries his laughter into your shoulder, shaking all three of you a little as his whole body moves with his mirth.

they're paying attention bc they think it's hilarious and you're half asleep, catching jaebeom's eye when he glances up from showing youngjae something on his phone as it gets a little too heated and jinyoung asks him to get involved.

you're so cozy and warm but you wriggle out to collect the favourite child and drag him away from the middle of the argument with the excuse that you're going to grab a late night snack bc you're hungry and jaebeom gives you a grateful look for pulling youngjae out of the line of fire before he turns to lay into the other two. youngjae is a little confused and reluctant to miss the fun by leaving with you but you link your arms together and promise him his favourite treat and he comes along willingly enough.

you don’t even want anything by the time you get to the convenience store so you get yugyeom an iced choco and roll your eyes when youngjae teases you about it. he's happy so you let the comments go and he knows you're too sleepy to really fight him about it as you spend most of the walk back leaning your head against his shoulder. to his credit, he doesn’t try to shake you off once even when you stumble and nearly take him down with you by tripping over your own feet because you're not watching your steps carefully enough.

you were expecting the others to be finished by the time you got back but bam is running around hopping from couch to bed to bed avoiding jackson's wrath and the loudness is doing your head in. you love them but it’s been a very long day and you’re jetlagged and you think if someone screams one more time you might just burst into tears.

you send youngjae over to deliver kyeom's drink since he's none the wiser and just manage to grab jackson by the hand as he bounces past. he blinks and you sigh, arms sliding around his waist to hug him and bury your face against his chest. he pats your head, confused and the noise level ramps down a few notches as bam goes to hide behind jayb and plead his innocence, no longer shrieking now that he isn’t being chased.

"time to go to your own room please."

jackson frowns at the strain in your voice, noticing your distress now and nodding. "okay."

you step back and go to move the others along, a hand on jinyoung's back as you gently push him and bambam towards jackson. they ask you why, spewing questions and protesting but your head is throbbing so you just shake your head and keep pushing them along towards the door. jackson has collected youngjae at this point and you flash him a grateful smile as he redirects bam and jinyoung's attention with one comment. they're so focused on him they don't even notice you're making them leave until you close the door to the room behind them.

you breathe out a sigh and rest your forehead against the door. you can hear mark giggling somewhere behind you but you're almost seeing auras at this point so you take a minute to close your eyes and just try to focus on the cool wood against your skin. you step back and almost immediately run into a hard chest, blinking up at yugyeom. he raises a brow and opens his mouth to say something when jaebeom grabs him by the hood of his sweater and tugs him back. you flash your friend a grateful smile and go to find your meds in your bag.

you're fumbling because your vision is blurry and mark catches on when you stumble a little, leaning against the bed. he hurries over, one arm around your waist steadying you as he gets the pill case out of your hand luggage for you. you lean against his chest, just letting him help as he asks jaebeom to grab your bottle of water off the nightstand and rubs your back.

"thank you."

his smile is gentle, a little worry showing only in his eyes as he takes your expression in when you glance up to mumble your appreciation for the assistance. he sets the pill case on the bed and reaches up to rub your temple as yugyeom comes over, water in hand and helps you get an advil out of the case. you take two and he takes the bottle back after you finish when your hand shakes. he looks concerned so you offer him a soft smile and mark stays close, moving aside so jaebeom can check on you.

you sigh softly. "i'm not made of glass guys, it’s just a migraine."

they relax a little, the older two at least. they know you deal with these and have since childhood. they trust that you know how to handle them.

jaebeom tilts your chin up to look you in the eyes and asks you one question. "what do you need?"

you know you can be stubborn but you also know that you know your own limits best. he's trusting you to tell them if you can wait this out or if you need medical help. you just breathe, eyes closing for a second as mark's hand moves to massage the back of your neck. the relief is instant, it’s not a huge difference but it’s just enough to take the edge off.

you meet jayb's eyes. "just the lights off and a long nap."

he nods. "do you need us to leave?"

you shake your head. sometimes the answer is yes and you know he won’t be offended if you tell him you need them all to fuck off for a while.

"no, i just needed it to be quieter. the others are too loud right now."

he smiles softly and nods. "okay. i'm going to go make sure they're all settled. just ask mark or kyeom to call or come get me if you need anything. we're right down the hall."

"i know." you squeeze his shoulder and he smiles softly as he plants a kiss on your forehead. "tell sseunie i'm not mad please."

he chuckles. "i will. he probably already knows, but i will."

mark hands you off to yugyeom to walk jaebeom to the door. they're whispering and you’re curious but you'll ask later. your head is in too much pain to listen in so you lean against yugyeom's chest and bury your cheek in the soft cotton of his hoodie. he hums softly and rubs your back, swaying slightly as he holds you. you close your eyes and he scoops you up gently into his arms. you'd be embarrassed if you weren't so exhausted. you just mumble a thank you and let him tuck you into the large bed.

when he moves away you reach out blindly, gripping his sleeve and tugging gently. he's warm and you know he was worried.

you don't need to open your eyes to know he’s making that curious puppy expression. "y/n?"

you curl up, moving over to make room for him. "stay and cuddle with me?" you ask, not letting go. "just until i fall asleep?"

he doesn’t respond but he does climb under the covers and pull you against his chest.

"kyeom, i'm going to be fine."

he makes a soft sound in the back of his throat and you smile softly. he's so like an oversized cat sometimes.

"it's just a really awful headache. it sucks but i'm going to pass out for a couple hours and when i wake up it'll probably be mostly gone."

he shushes you, hand moving to rub your temples the way he had probably watched mark do earlier. you know your best friend is back when a warm body presses close on your other side and you realize you're shivering.

"you asleep yet?"

you hum out something that resembles a no and a thumb presses at your nape, putting pressure on just the right spot to let you breathe a little easier. you sigh, melting a bit between them and hear them mumbling over your head. you tune it out, just focusing on willing yourself into sleep.

it doesn't take long between the warmth of their bodies and the soft hands on your lower back, neck and temples taking turns soothing the sharp pain just enough to let you be grateful for these two before you drift off.

when you wake up you’re alone but you can hear the shower going and you take a minute to bring yourself back to consciousness, rubbing at your eyes as you sit up. you knock on the bathroom door loud enough to be heard over the water and poke your head in when mark calls out.

"yeah?"

"mind if i come in? i have to pee."

he just laughs and you take that as permission. it's not like you haven’t both seen each other in more compromising positions. he resumes his shower, humming to himself as you go about your business and neither of you really thinks twice about it or pays attention. you nearly bump into yugyeom as you step back out of the bathroom and he blinks in surprise as he steps out of his shoes.

"oh, you're awake."

you hum and stretch. "mhm."

"feeling better now?"

"much. i'm tired but my head doesn't hurt anymore."

he glances between you and the bathroom door. "is mark hyung in the shower?"

you nod.

he blinks.

"where did you go?"

"oh, i went to get some coffee. and breakfast."

you trail along behind him as he heads over to the table and you grin when he opens up the bag of breakfast wraps.

"i got you extra hashbrowns. it's probably not recommended but it seemed like maybe you could use a treat, just don’t tell jaebeom hyung."

"thank you kyeomie."

he just smiles and hands you a cup. "vanilla latte for you."

"kyeom i could kiss you right now."

"can i finish my coffee first?"

you just laugh and plant a kiss on his cheek, letting yourself be wrapped in a one armed back hug as he somehow swings the arm not holding his half empty cup around your neck and pulls you into him. it's comfortable so you don't protest. just then mark steps out of the bathroom, joggers hanging low on his hips as he towels his hair dry.

"coffee hyung?"

"oh, yes please."

he drapes the towel around his neck and accepts the cup yugyeom presses into his hands. it must still be warm because he hums as he sips it and heads over to the closet to finish getting dressed.

"what time is it?"

you push yugyeom's sleeve up to check the watch on the wrist draped around your shoulder.

"you slept through the rest of the night."

"kyeom it was already three in the morning."

"mm and now it's nearly eleven."

you wiggle free to grab a hashbrown and yugyeom falls into the seat beside you.

"did you guys sleep okay?"

"mhm. hyung woke up early to go for a run."

mark joins you then, shaking his still damp hair all over the back of your shirt as he reaches around you for a wrap and his chin finds a home on your shoulder for a minute. "you should text jackson back. he was asking about you earlier."

"jackson joined you for a morning run?"

mark just grunts and yugyeom giggles as you all fall into silence, focused on eating. you have to admit you do feel much more halfway human.

"kyeom you need the shower next or can i commandeer it for a bit?"

he shrugs. "i thought you already joined mark hyung." you just blink at him. "what? is that not what you were doing in the bathroom earlier?"

it should probably be weird that he doesn't even second guess why you'd share a shower with mark but at this point you're not sure yugyeom knows what normal means. you can’t blame him. he was raised by the rest of your friends.

you sigh. "i'm going to shower now. please don’t be an emergency for like twenty minutes. or if you have to, call jaebeom about it."

both men just grin and you take your leave, snatching up your other hashbrown as you head back towards the bathroom.

you're nearly there when you hear him. "call me about what?"

"literally anything they need until i've showered, changed and dried my hair."

you pat jaebeom's cheek as you pass, stepping into the washroom and closing the door behind you.

"did you just volunteer me to be their adult supervision while you shower?"

"i didn't volunteer you for shit jae, you did that all by yourself."

"please tell me there's coffee."

[yunholic-jongholic]

Bound to the Bosses [Part 13] | C.JH x Reader x J.YH

SUMMARY | At the age of 20, you surrendered your freedom to a former mafia gang in exchange for a secure life and all your needs met. You pledged your existence to two of the members, Choi Jongho and Jeong Yunho, who managed the leading underground strip club and took you under their wing. They both permit you to perform on weekend nights, but once the lights go out and the workday ends, you belong solely to both of them.

PAIRINGS | Jongho x Fem!Reader x Yunho

RATING | Mature, 18+, NSFW, MDNI!!!

CONTENT WARNINGS | NSFW, Explicit Content, SMUT, ANGST, Mean Dom!Jongho, Threats, Mentions of Toxic Relationship, Smoking/Cigarette Use, Mentioning of Harming/Hurting, Mentioning of Death/Killing, Fighting, Weapon Use, Blood, Injuries, Possessiveness, Pet Names, Punishment Kink, (Some) Degrading, Praising, Fingering, Teasing, Orgasm Denial, Finger Sucking, Oral Sex (Reader Receiving), Squirting, Foreplay, Unprotected Sex (Don't do it), Creampie,

WORD COUNT | 7.5k

AUTHOR NOTE | Ribo girlies... where are y'all... I am calling y'all back for a reasonnnn 👀

TAG LIST | @mingisleftnipple @yusalterego @galaxycatdrawz @jjongsho @pixie0627

•

The next morning, you woke up and went on your phone, still glued to the bed.

"2 Messages from @ Yunou._.u" You sighed as you saw the notification. One from last night after you fell asleep, one this morning at like 5am... Did he even sleep?

Your heart skipped a beat as you hesitated before clicking on the messages.

Yunho (2:57 AM):

"I meant what I said."

Yunho (5:12 AM):

"I don’t know how to stop wanting you."

You inhaled sharply, your fingers hovering over the screen. He had been up all-night thinking about you.

A part of you wanted to ignore it. Pretend like last night never happened, like you hadn’t admitted your feelings, like Yunho hadn’t looked at you with those desperate eyes.

But another part of you… the part that still ached for him, the part that never truly moved on, was tempted to respond.

You bit your lip, rereading the messages over and over again, trying to decide what to do.

What the hell were you supposed to say to that?

You sighed finally sitting up and decided to text him back.

What the fuck was that type of response?! You cursed in your mind.

You groaned, throwing yourself back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling in frustration. That was your response? Out of everything you could’ve said?

Your phone vibrated almost immediately.

Silence.

You sighed and finally turned your phone off. You got clothes ready for the day and took a shower.

Coming back, you saw 3 more messages from Yunho.

Grabbing your phone, you read it.

You decided to respond one last time.

You started feeling tears stream down your face. You finally stopped responding and turned your phone off. Yunho immediately tried calling you. You didn't pick up. You sighed and left your phone on your bed as you went to Mavericks room wiping your tears away.

"Have you been crying" He asked. You sighed sitting beside him.

"Yes, but I just need to relax somewhere..." You laid on top of him wrapping your arms around him softly.

Maverick didn’t say anything at first. He just exhaled softly, running his fingers through your hair. His touch was soothing, grounding—exactly what you needed right now.

"You don’t have to tell me what’s wrong," he finally murmured. "But if you do, you know I’ll listen."

You closed your eyes, pressing your face against his chest, letting the warmth of his body settle your nerves. For a moment, you just breathed.

"It’s Yunho, isn’t it?" Maverick’s voice was quiet but firm. He already knew.

You didn’t respond. You didn’t have to.

He sighed, shifting so that he could tilt your face up to look at him. His eyes scanned yours, searching. "You told me you moved on," he whispered. "But I think part of you still belongs to them."

Your heart clenched.

"I—" You hesitated, voice cracking.

Maverick’s expression didn’t change, but you saw the flicker of something behind his eyes. Disappointment? Maybe.

"You’re torn, aren’t you?" he finally said.

You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded.

Maverick let out a slow breath, his fingers gently tracing circles against your back. “I’m not gonna tell you what to do, Y/N,” he murmured. “But I need you to be honest with yourself.”

You closed your eyes tightly. Honest with myself? The truth was you didn’t even know what that meant anymore.

You had tried so hard to move on. To build something real with Maverick, to put your past behind you. But Yunho—Jongho—they were still tangled in your thoughts, woven into the fabric of who you were.

"I don’t know what to do," you whispered, your voice barely above a breath.

Maverick was silent for a long moment. And then, finally, he spoke.

"Then maybe it’s time to figure it out."

His words weren’t cruel. They weren’t meant to hurt you. But they still stung.

You pulled away slightly, looking into his eyes. “Are you saying I should go back to them?”

He studied you carefully, his jaw tightening slightly. “I’m saying you can’t keep pretending like they don’t matter to you. Like they don’t still own a part of you.” His thumb brushed against your cheek, wiping away a stray tear. “You think I haven’t noticed? Every time you look at your phone, every time you disappear into your own head? You’re still with them, Y/N. Even when you’re here with me.”

You felt your heart shatter. Not because he was wrong. But because he was right.

"Maverick, I—"

He shook his head, a sad smile on his lips. "I won’t stand in your way if you need to figure this out. But I need you to decide. Because I can’t be your second choice or a Rebound for you to distract yourself from the other two men."

You sucked in a shaky breath, your chest tightening.

Maverick wasn’t your second choice. But he wasn’t Yunho. He wasn’t Jongho. And that realization was tearing you apart.

You felt your entire world tilting, the weight of everything pressing down on your chest. The truth was suffocating—you had been using Maverick to run from your past. To pretend you could be someone different, someone who wasn’t still tangled up in Yunho and Jongho’s grasp.

But pretending only got you so far.

“I never meant to make you feel like that…” Your voice cracked, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt. “I swear, Maverick, I care about you. I do.”

"If you care about me, you shouldn't let them continue to control your life. You need to be your own person. I am allowing you to be your own person when you are with me." He looks down at you. You nod.

"I know... I do think I need time... I am going to see if my father has any missions or go on a walk or something..." You sigh. He kisses your forehead, and you leave the bed and walk out.

You walked through the dimly lit halls, your mind a tangled mess of emotions. Maverick’s words echoed in your head—he allowed you to be your own person. But did you even know who that was anymore?

For so long, you had belonged to someone. First Yunho and Jongho, their possessiveness wrapping around you like chains you mistook for love. Then Maverick, who had tried to give you something different—something freer, something real.

But were you capable of real love? Or had you been conditioned to only crave what was toxic and destructive?

You sighed as you pushed open the doors leading outside, the cold air hitting your skin. Maybe you just needed space. Some fresh air.

Or maybe you needed a distraction.

Your fingers hovered over your phone, debating whether to call your father to see if there was a mission you could throw yourself into. Anything to keep your mind from spiraling.

But deep down, you knew no mission, no job, no temporary thrill could fix the mess inside of you.

You needed to face the truth.

And soon.

You inhaled sharply, stuffing your phone back into your pocket. The night air was crisp, biting against your skin, but it wasn’t enough to clear your thoughts.

Your feet carried you aimlessly down the quiet streets, past the neon-lit buildings and the ever-familiar strip club—the one you once called home.

Your heart clenched.

Would they be inside?

Would Yunho still be drinking himself into oblivion, pretending he had forgotten you?

Would Jongho still carry the same quiet, lingering sadness in his eyes?

You shook the thoughts away. You weren’t going back there. Not now. Not when you were this weak.

Instead, you kept walking, head down, lost in your own world—until a voice snapped you out of it.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our little runaway.”

Your body tensed instantly.

That voice.

Slowly, you turned your head, dread pooling in your stomach.

Hongjoong.

He leaned casually against a lamppost, cigarette between his fingers, his sharp eyes locked onto you like a predator sizing up prey.

You swallowed hard, your heart hammering against your ribs.

"Did you really think you could keep playing both sides forever, Y/N?" His smirk was cruel, his tone dripping with amusement. "Because from where I’m standing… you look lost."

"What are you talking about?" You try to look confused.

"You know what I mean. I saw you outside last night chatting with Yunho." He stares into your eyes, almost menacing and like he was ready to attack you anytime soon and laugh as he hurt you.

"It meant nothing. He was drunk out of his mind." You sighed.

Hongjoong exhaled slowly, the glow of his cigarette casting eerie shadows across his sharp features. "Drunk or not," he mused, tilting his head, "he still came running to you, didn’t he?"

You clenched your jaw, crossing your arms as you tried to hold your ground. "It doesn’t mean anything."

His smirk widened. "See, that’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart." He took a step closer, his presence suffocating. "It means everything. To him. To Jongho. To me."

Your breath hitched. "What do you want, Hongjoong?"

He let the question hang between you, savoring your discomfort before he finally spoke.

"I want to know where your loyalty lies."

You tensed. "I work for my father now."

"Do you?" He flicked his cigarette to the ground, crushing it beneath his shoe.

"You still care too much about them. They care too much about you. Yunho has been giving up his Mafia life and it's ruining the family here. As much as I hate to say it, he needs you back. I know you are his weakness but loosing you, it has ruined him. Jongho too. They will soon lose their places if you don't come back. I mean, lose their places." He stares at you glancing at his gun in his pocket. You also glance over, and you felt your body tremble.

"You wouldn't kill them..." You said now concerned.

"You don't come back; they don't get to live. Now I know I dislike you, but again. They need you. You were the only thing keeping them good at their jobs. And even if you don't. I will tell your father you used to sleep with the enemies. You know me and your father are rivals." Hongjoong only smirks. You just stood there looking down feeling your mind get dizzy.

Your breath hitched, the weight of Hongjoong’s words settling heavily in your chest. He wasn’t bluffing. He never bluffed.

If you didn’t go back, Yunho and Jongho would be dead.

If you did… you’d be throwing yourself right back into the life you barely managed to escape.

Your hands curled into fists, nails digging into your palms as you fought to keep your voice steady. “Why are you doing this?” you whispered.

Hongjoong tilted his head, his smirk unwavering. “Because, sweetheart, I might hate you, but I love my family more. And whether you like it or not, Yunho and Jongho are my family.” His eyes darkened. “I can’t let them fall apart over someone who was never supposed to matter this much.”

Your stomach twisted at his words, at the way he spoke about you like you were nothing—and yet, the weight of your presence was enough to tip the scales of their entire world.

You sucked in a shaky breath, lifting your chin. “And if I do go back?”

Hongjoong shrugged. “Then they live. You get to keep your precious lovers, and maybe—just maybe—I don’t go running to your father and tell him exactly what his little princess has been up to.” His gaze flickered with amusement. “It’s your choice, really.”

Your heart pounded in your chest, screaming at you to run, to fight, to do anything but let him manipulate you into this.

But Yunho’s broken expression flashed in your mind.

Jongho’s quiet suffering.

The thought of them being taken away from you forever…

Your body betrayed you before your mind could even catch up. Your lips parted, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Give me 3 days... Please."

"I am only giving you till tomorrow morning. You better step foot into the club again, or I will have a bullet through their heads tomorrow morning. 5am." He smiles.

Your heart broke. You sighed.

"...Fine." You spoke as you stepped off back to your apartment.

Your mind felt like it was spinning, each step back to your apartment feeling heavier than the last. Every breath you took felt suffocating, as if the weight of the decision you just made was already pressing down on your chest.

Tomorrow morning. That was all the time you had left.

If you didn’t walk through that club’s doors by then, Yunho and Jongho would be dead. Hongjoong wasn’t bluffing, and you knew it.

You barely registered unlocking your door, stepping inside, and shutting it behind you. The moment you did, your legs gave out, and you sank to the floor, burying your face in your hands.

What the hell were you supposed to do?

Maverick.

Your father.

If either of them found out you were going back, it wouldn’t just be Hongjoong and his men you had to worry about—it would be an all-out war.

You wanted to scream. To throw something. To fight back against the reality, you were being dragged into.

But the faces of Jongho and Yunho wouldn’t leave your mind. The way they looked at you. The way they had loved you. The way they were still waiting, still holding onto something—even when they tried to let go.

You pulled out your phone, your fingers hovering over Maverick’s contact.

He would know something was wrong.

He would know you were hiding something.

And deep down, you knew there was no easy way out of this.

With a deep, shaky breath, you stood up, staring at yourself in the mirror.

This was it.

One last night of freedom.

And then you’d go back to where you truly belonged.

Even if it meant destroying everything in the process.

You tried to go to your bed and sleep it off avoiding everyone and everything...

That night you woke up buzzing on your phone. It was your father. You answered it and he told you that you had a job tonight. Maverick was joining you.

"Yes, thank you father. I will go do my best." You huffed trying to act like you were awake, but you were entirely groggy.

You sat up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, your mind still sluggish from exhaustion. A job. Tonight.

It was the last thing you needed, but maybe—just maybe—it was the distraction you were looking for.

Because if you focused on this job, if you put everything into it, maybe you wouldn’t have to think about what was waiting for you tomorrow.

Maybe you wouldn’t have to think about Hongjoong’s ultimatum.

Or the fact that after tonight, Maverick would never see you again.

You inhaled sharply, shaking the thought away. No time for guilt. No time for second-guessing.

Throwing on your gear, you grabbed your weapons and made your way downstairs. Maverick was already waiting, leaning against the hood of a black car, his arms crossed, watching you closely.

“Damn, you look like you just woke up from the dead,” he teased, but there was something in his eyes—concern, maybe?

You forced a smirk, masking the turmoil beneath. “Good thing I’m still breathing then.”

He studied you for a second longer before pushing himself off the car and opening the passenger door for you. “Come on, we’ve got work to do.”

You slid inside, gripping your thigh holster tightly as he got in beside you and started the engine.

The hum of the car filled the silence, the tension between you thick.

"Alright," Maverick finally spoke, his voice even. "Tonight’s job is a retrieval. Simple. We get in, grab the target, and bonus pay if we can kill everyone inside."

You nodded, forcing yourself to focus. "Where’s the target being held?"

"Downtown. An old high-rise. Guards, security—nothing we haven’t dealt with before."

You nodded again, your heart pounding harder than it should have.

Because this wasn’t just any mission.

This was your last job with Maverick.

And he didn’t even know it.

You nod and get out of the car as he parked it kind of far for no suspicion. Maverick sighed.

"You get the target; I will do my best killing the guards." He throws you an earpiece and you immediately put it on and run out to the warehouse.

You hold your dagger and slide it down your boot as you climb up onto the wall opening the window and immediately falling inside.

You landed on the cold concrete floor, rolling to absorb the impact. The dim lighting cast long shadows across the warehouse, and you could hear the faint murmurs of guards patrolling nearby.

Maverick’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “You in?”

You pressed a finger to your ear, whispering, “Yeah. Moving toward the target now.”

Sticking to the shadows, you moved swiftly through the narrow corridors, keeping your footsteps light. Your heart pounded in your chest—not from fear, but from adrenaline. From the knowledge that this was it. Your last mission.

Your last night before walking away from Maverick forever.

The sound of a guard’s boots echoed toward you. Without hesitation, you flattened yourself against the wall, waiting until he passed before slipping behind him. In one swift movement, you wrapped an arm around his neck and plunged your dagger into his side, silencing him before he could react.

One down.

You dragged his body into a dark corner and pressed on, navigating your way toward the back room where the target was supposedly being held.

Through the earpiece, you heard gunfire in the distance. Maverick was keeping his word, handling the guards outside.

Good. That means less trouble for you.

Approaching the door to the back room, you crouched low, listening. Two voices inside. You tightened your grip on the dagger and took a deep breath.

Then, without hesitation, you kicked the door open.

The two men inside barely had time to register what was happening before you lunged. The first one went down instantly, your dagger slicing clean across his throat. The second reached for his weapon, but you were faster. You spun, kicking his legs out from under him before slamming the hilt of your blade against his temple, knocking him out cold.

The room fell silent.

You saw the crate of supplies.

"I found it, Mav." You smirked walking towards the items. But soon you heard a gun clicking noise. You immediately pointed your dagger to the noise and saw a tall, large figure. You tilted your head and when you noticed who it was you immediately froze in shock.

"Put the crate down and you don't get hurt." You heard Jongho's voice. Until he realized it was you.

"Y/N? What the fuck are you doing here?!" He tenses up completely shocked.

Your breath caught in your throat. Of all the people who could have been here—of all the enemies you could have faced—it had to be him.

Jongho.

Your grip on the dagger tightened, but your hands trembled. You weren’t sure if it was from the adrenaline or from the sheer weight of the moment.

“Jongho?” you whispered, your voice barely above a breath.

His gun was steady, his stance firm, but his eyes—those dark, familiar eyes—were filled with something unreadable. Shock? Anger? Betrayal?

“What the fuck are you doing here?” His voice was sharp, demanding, yet laced with something softer. Something almost… pained.

Your mind raced. You could lie. You could make up some excuse, some half-truth to get you out of this.

But you knew better.

Because Jongho could always see right through you.

“I—” You swallowed, gripping the crate tighter. “I have a job to do, Jongho.”

His jaw clenched. “With them?” His voice darkened, gaze flicking toward the emblem on your sleeve—the mark of your father’s gang.

You hesitated, and that hesitation was all the answer he needed.

“Shit,” he exhaled, lowering his gun for just a second before tensing again. “Do you even realize what you’re doing? Who you’re working for?”

Your heart pounded. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a fucking choice,” he snapped. “And you chose this? Stealing from us? From me?”

The weight of his words crushed you, because he wasn’t wrong.

You had made a choice.

And now you had to live with it.

“I didn’t know this was your shipment,” you admitted, voice barely above a whisper.

Jongho let out a bitter laugh. “Does it even fucking matter? Would it have changed anything?”

Would it? If you had known, would you have still come?

The silence stretched between you, heavy and suffocating.

Then, a voice crackled through your earpiece.

“Y/N? What’s taking so long?” Maverick’s voice, sharp and impatient.

Jongho heard it. His whole body tensed, eyes darkening.

And just like that, you realized—

This wasn’t just a mission anymore.

This was a fucking war.

And you were caught right in the middle of it.

Your pulse thundered in your ears as you locked eyes with Jongho. His expression hardened, his finger twitching near the trigger, but something behind his gaze—something deep, something raw—made your chest tighten.

You had a choice.

Lie. Fight. Run.

Or tell him the truth.

Maverick's voice came through your earpiece again, sharper this time. “Y/N. I swear to god, if you’re hesitating—”

You ripped the earpiece out before he could finish, crushing it under your boot.

Jongho’s jaw clenched at the action, but he didn’t lower his gun. “What the fuck does that mean?” he demanded.

“It means…” You hesitated, heart racing, voice trembling. “It means I can’t do this.”

Jongho studied you, his gaze unreadable, as if trying to decide if you were lying. If you were just stalling. If you were still the girl he used to know.

Then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hall.

Shit.

Maverick was coming.

“Jongho, listen to me,” you whispered, stepping forward. He didn’t move, but his grip on the gun tightened. “You have to go. If Maverick finds you here, he’ll kill you.”

Jongho froze up. "Did you say Maverick?" He looked at you insanely concerned.

“I’m serious!” You reached out, gripping his wrist before you could stop yourself. His skin was warm beneath your fingers, familiar, grounding. “Please. Just go.”

He stared at you for a moment—longer than he should have. As if debating whether to trust you. Whether you were worth trusting at all.

The footsteps grew closer.

“Fuck,” he exhaled under his breath.

Then, in one swift movement, Jongho grabbed you by the waist, yanking you against him. You gasped, your hands instinctively landing on his chest. He leaned in, glaring at you.

“What kind of shit have you gotten into?!” His voice was low, dangerous. "You don't even know who you are working for!"

Your breath hitched.

Your heart pounded against your ribs. “What are you talking about?” you whispered, feeling a cold dread seep into your bones.

Jongho’s grip on your waist tightened, his eyes dark with something unreadable fear? Anger? Desperation?

“Maverick,” he bit out, voice sharp as a blade. “Do you even know who the fuck he really is?”

You shook your head, confusion clouding your mind. “He’s… my partner. I—”

Jongho let out a bitter laugh, but there was no humor in it. “And you actually believe that?” His gaze bore into you, searching your face, as if he wanted to shake the realization into you. “Y/N… He’s been playing you this whole fucking time.”

Your stomach dropped.

“No,” you whispered, shaking your head. “You don’t know him. He—he’s been there for me.”

Jongho’s jaw clenched. "I do! I do know him!" He snapped. "He is my brother!" He snapped one last time. You went silent and froze up.

Your pulse roared in your ears.

No. No, it couldn’t be true.

"What..." You just asked. Soon Maverick was behind you.

Your breath hitched, the weight of Jongho’s words crashing down on you like a tidal wave.

Maverick is his brother?

Your mind reeled, struggling to process it, but before you could say anything, you felt it—the cold press of metal against your back.

Your body went rigid.

“Maverick…” your voice was barely a whisper, your heart pounding so loud it drowned out everything else.

“I was really hoping you wouldn’t figure that out just yet.” Maverick’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it—something dangerous, something final.

Jongho’s expression darkened, his own gun raising as he took a slow step forward. “You motherfucker.” His voice was deadly quiet.

Maverick only smirked. “That’s a funny thing to say to your own blood.”

“You lost the right to call yourself my blood a long time ago,” Jongho spat.

Your hands trembled at your sides; every muscle locked in place. “Why didn’t you tell me?” you whispered, your voice breaking.

Maverick let out a small chuckle, but there was no humor in it. “Because sweetheart… you would have run.” His lips brushed against the shell of your ear, sending a violent shiver down your spine. “And I couldn’t have that, now, could I?”

Jongho’s grip on his gun tightened. “Let her go.”

Maverick sighed. “You think it’s that simple?” He pressed the gun harder against your back, making you suck in a sharp breath. “Y/N, you need to decide. Do you still trust me?”

Your heart clenched.

Maverick had been there for you.

He had held you when you cried. He had been the one to pull you back from your darkest moments.

But was it ever real?

Or had you just been a game to him?

Jongho took another step forward. “You don’t have to do this.”

Maverick scoffed. “Of course I do.”

Your entire body turned ice cold.

Maverick leaned down, lips grazing your ear again. “So, what’s it gonna be, sweetheart? Them?” He nodded toward Jongho. “Or me?”

Jongho’s eyes locked onto yours. Desperate. Pleading.

“Don’t listen to him, Y/N.” His voice softened just enough, as if he could still reach you, still save you.

The room felt like it was caving in, your lungs tightening, your vision blurring.

You had to choose.

Now.

You soon turned to Maverick slowly.

"You know I care about you right..." You smile softly... Jongho's face filled with disappointment and hurt. You kept smiling and got closer to Maverick.

Until.

You dropped down and swung your legs underneath him causing him to trip and fall. That's when Maverick lost balance and immediately shot the gun, but it barely grazes Jongho in the head, causing him to fall.

Your heart slammed against your ribs as Jongho collapsed to the ground, blood trickling down the side of his face. Panic shot through you, but you had no time to react—Maverick was already recovering, his gun swinging back toward you.

Without hesitation, you lunged.

You grabbed his wrist, forcing the gun away from your body, but he was strong—stronger than you expected. He twisted out of your grip, slamming you back against the crate behind you. Pain exploded through your spine, but you didn’t let go.

“You bitch,” Maverick growled, his voice laced with betrayal.

You spat blood from your lips, glaring up at him. “Guess I’m not as easy to control as you thought.”

Maverick’s lips curled into a smirk, but there was rage in his eyes. “You think you’re choosing the right side?” he taunted, pressing his weight against you. “You really think Yunho and Jongho are any better than me?” His voice dropped to a whisper, inches from your lips. “You’re still just a pawn in their game, Y/N.”

Your stomach twisted.

He was wrong.

Wasn’t he?

Before you could answer, Jongho groaned from the floor, his hand pressing against his bleeding temple. Maverick’s attention flicked toward him for a split second—just long enough.

You took your chance.

With everything you had left, you slammed your knee into his stomach, making him stumble back just enough for you to grab your dagger from your boot.

You pointed it against his neck glaring at him.

Maverick gasped, his body jerking in shock, his fingers twitching around the trigger.

You twisted the blade, your breath ragged. “This is me choosing,” you hissed.

He staggered, his grip on the gun loosening just enough for you to rip it from his hand and throw it across the room. His legs gave out, his body crashing against the crates behind him.

You stepped back, panting, hands shaking violently.

Jongho was already pulling himself up, stumbling slightly as he pressed a hand to his injury. His eyes met yours, wide with something unreadable relief? Shock? Pride?

“You…” Maverick coughed, blood dripping from his lips as he looked up at you. His smirk returned, but it was weaker now, his strength fading fast. “You really think they’ll save you from what’s coming?”

You ignored him.

Jongho stepped forward, gripping your wrist gently. “We need to go. Now.”

You nodded, your body running on pure adrenaline as you turned away from Maverick—away from the man who had been your closest friend, your protector… your biggest lie.

As you and Jongho rushed toward the exit, you heard Maverick’s weak, bitter laugh behind you.

“This isn’t over, sweetheart.”

And as much as you wanted to ignore it, you knew deep down—

He was right.

Jongho and you both immediately jumped into his car and drove back with the supplies.

As you both arrived back. He took you upstairs to his room. You immediately went to go find bandages and pain killers. Giving them to Jongho to help fix himself up. You sat on the bed with him silently.

The room was quiet except for the occasional hiss from Jongho as he dabbed antiseptic onto his wound. You sat beside him, legs tucked under you, watching his every movement.

"You didn't have to do that," he finally said, voice low.

You swallowed, your hands gripping your knees. "I did have to," you muttered. "I chose you, Jongho. I chose this."

Jongho glanced at you, his dark eyes filled with something unreadable—something that made your chest tighten. "You could've died back there," he murmured.

"So could you," you countered.

Silence.

Then, with a heavy sigh, he reached for your hand, his fingers curling around yours. His warmth was grounding, steadying the whirlwind inside your chest.

"I'm not losing you again," he whispered.

You exhaled, leaning into his touch. "Then don't let me go." He stared at your silently. You sighed and grabbed a small bandage to place around his wound. He watched you and immediately just kept his eyes glued to you for a moment. You looked at him seeing something in his eyes.

You both just stared at each other softly.

The space between you felt smaller, charged with something unspoken—something raw. Jongho’s fingers tightened around yours slightly as if anchoring himself to you. His eyes, dark and full of emotion, searched your face, like he was memorizing every detail.

You swallowed, your heart pounding in your chest. “Jongho…” you whispered.

He didn’t speak, didn’t move. Just kept looking at you like you were something fragile, something precious. And then, as if making a decision, he reached up, his fingertips tracing the side of your face.

“You really came back,” he murmured, almost like he didn’t believe it himself.

You gave him a soft smile, though your heart was still racing. “I told you—I never stopped loving you.”

That was all it took.

Jongho pulled you in, his lips crashing against yours in a kiss filled with longing, with desperation. His hands cupped your face, holding you close as if afraid you’d disappear again. You melted into him, gripping onto his arms as the heat between you reignited.

This wasn’t just a kiss.

It was a promise.

As you continued kissing him deeply, you slowly slid his coat off. You straddled his lap as he held you close to him.

Jongho's hands found your waist, fingers digging into your sides as he pulled you even closer, his lips never leaving yours. The kiss was hungry, filled with months of pent-up emotions—anger, longing, love, and regret all tangled together. His warmth surrounded you, grounding you in the moment as your hands traced his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles.

His breath hitched when your fingers ghosted down his chest, working to unbutton his shirt. His grip on your hips tightened, his body reacting to your every movement. "You’re playing a dangerous game," he murmured against your lips, his voice thick with desire.

You smirked, tilting his chin up slightly. "What? Because I am sleeping with the enemy?" you whispered, before capturing his lips again, deepening the kiss.

Jongho groaned, flipping you beneath him in one swift motion, his body pressing firmly against yours. His lips trailed down your jawline, down your neck, leaving a path of heat in their wake. You shivered beneath him, arching slightly as he kissed along your collarbone, as he unbuttoned your shirt pulling it off of you. His hands now exploring every inch of you.

"You're the one who pulled me to kiss me." he growled against your skin, "I don't want you to leave though."

You let a soft moan out as he reattached his lips against your neck.

"You know I am my boss's daughter" You smirk as he lifts himself back up trying to remove your bra.

"Wait..." He pauses. He finally let's go and sits up concerned.

"Is that why you work for them?!" He asks. You nod softly.

"Well... I mean. I used to... But I want to stay here with you... and Yunho..." You hum. He looks a bit nervous at you, but he tries shaking it off.

"You promised to not go back? I am worried you will take advantage here and then run back and target us..." He chuckles nervously. You stare into his eyes.

"Jongho, I am wanting you for real. If I was able to, I would submit myself to you and Yunho again." You sigh.

"You can come back to us princess..." He smirks taking your bra off finally. He is back to being confident and calm. "We will take good care of you, but don't go running off next time you are wanting attention..." He growls. You felt a shiver in your body. You felt him place you in his lap this time. But you are now facing the wall, with your back facing him.

"I want to stay... I only want you and Yunho..." You exhale out softly. You removed your pants now.

"You know, I should punish you still for cheating on me and Yunho... You really broke our hearts... Not only that, but I should also punish you for sleeping with my brother." He growled. You felt a wave of pleasure start to surge through your body.

"You can't punish me... I didn't belong to you at that time..." You exhale feeling his bulge now press against your clothed soaking cunt.

"It seems like you want to get punished." He growls leaning against your ear, pressing himself harder gripping your waist. You let out a shaky moan.

"Your body tells me you like that idea... You are soaking on me..." He smirks. You felt another shiver.

"Jongho..." You moan softly.

"Fuck..." He curses as you start softly grinding yourself against him wanting more action.

"God you are so fucking needy." He immediately shoves you on your stomach and smirks as you lift your lower body with your legs on the bed, showing him everything. He only smirks and pulls your panties to the side; you whimper feeling his fingers rub against your soaking wet cunt.

"Does my princess like that?" He only smirks groaning. You moan into the mattress spreading your legs out more.

Soon you both hear a knock on the door.

"Can I join?" You both heard Yunho's voice. Jongho growled frustratedly, not liking being interrupted.

Yunho walked in on both of you, and you turned over seeing him give you hungry desperate eyes.

"No. We need alone time." Jongho gets up ready to shove Yunho back out.

"Please! She is also mine and I miss her." He gives Jongho a puppy pouty look.

"Well, you should have done today's job and you could have had her first. But right now, I need alone time with her." Jongho growls almost possessively.

"STOP BICKERING YOU TOO AND JUST FUCK HER. SHE HAS TWO HOLES FOR A DAMN REASON!" All three of you heard Hongjoong yell from his office. Both Yunho and Jongho went silent for a second, you tried to hold in your laugh.

"If you don't leave, I am about to tie you up to the chair and make you watch me fuck her." Jongho whispers angrily.

"Actually, I'd be into that." Yunho smirks.

"Fucking of course you would be you freak." Jongho tries shutting the door on Yunho again, but Yunho stops him.

"Please Jongho. I know she misses me too and I want to feel her again." He pouts again. You sigh now feeling your arousal leaving you.

"Damn it! Yunho, I will fuck you after. I know you want me alone!" You curse. Jongho only smirks now pushing Yunho out and shutting and locking the door.

"Now where were we?" He only smirks coming back unzipping his pants pulling them off.

You finally go back into position. Jongho places his hand on your inner thigh, slowly tracing his finger back up onto your clothed cunt. He slowly rubs circles causing you to moan once again. You felt your legs get weak.

"Jongho..." You moan out. He pulls your panties to the side and slowly rubs circles around your clit. Jongho turns you over to where you are on your back. You lay there looking at him and he climbs up on beside you, hovering over you. He finally pulls your panties off.

Jongho places his other hand near your face commanding you to suck on his fingers. You nod obeying him. You twirl your tongue around them, and you decide to tease back softly biting on them.

Jongho immediately pulls your chin and growls. "Don't do that." He exhales. You nod and continue to do as he says.

Not even a minute in you bite again teasing him and that's when he furrows his brows and immediately pulls his hand away and slaps your pussy harshly. You flinch at the feeling whimpering out.

"That's what you get for disobeying." He snaps. You look at him and he continues. You felt a large heat wave hit inside your core and travel straight to your mind to do it again. Jongho didn't hesitate again and slapped you harder this time. You whimper again and he grips your face harshly.

"You need to behave." He growls. You honestly would of just came right there after that second slap. You shift on the mattress getting more comfortable and you hum softly.

Jongho looks down at your red swollen wet glistening cunt. His breathing hitches as he lowers himself to your thighs and softly kisses you lower stomach. You look at him and he lowers himself closer, you feel his breath against your folds and soon he swipes his tongue over in between them. You let out a shaky moan.

"Jongho!" You moan as your fingers curl and tangle in his hair. He sucks against them softly and finally uses his hands to hold them apart as he flicks his tongue over your swollen bud. You throw your head back into the mattress moaning more. You clench your thighs around him and he swirls his tongue over the sensitive bud.

Jongho flattened his tongue to cover more area almost clearly making out with your pussy. You soon felt an insane wave of pleasure about to crash over you.

"Jongho! I'm going to cum!" You pant heavily as he sucks and licks your clit more. You felt your legs tremble and soon he pulls away immediately. His tongue and your clit connected with a strong of his saliva.

"Jongho!" You whine about the loss. He only smirks and licks his lips.

"that's what you get for disobeying me earlier." He teases.

"well if you aren't gonna let me come, I'll just let Yunho fuck me." You sit up frustrated. He looks up at you and kisses your lower stomach again.

"Oh I want you to come princess. Just wanted to get payback." He groans as he pulls his boxers off letting his cock spring free. It looked swollen, need of touch. You knew saw the tip leaking with precum as it twitched at the cold air in the room.

"it looks like you need attention." You sit up grabbing the base of his cock. He groans and looks at you.

"I was gonna say fucking you is enough attention." He answers. You hum rubbing the tip with your thumb smearing the precum all over.

"Then fuck me." You press his shaft over your cunt rubbing him between your folds.

"Fuck..." He curses gripping your waist. You moan and soon feel him tease you again as he slaps his cock against your swollen wet pussy making a noise. You whimper and beg him to hurry up. You feel his tip finally get pushed in and you moan as he adjusted over you and immediately starts thrusting.

"God you are so wet inside." He groans. "Im afraid you will cum too fast." He places his lips over your neck kissing it as you wrap your legs around him. You moan loudly, one hand tangled in his hair, the other digging your nails into his shoulders. He thrusts in hard causing you to almost scream.

"Jongho!" You whine feeling his cock abuse you as he thrusts in and out roughly. You swear his cock grew over a span since you last fucked him, unlike Yunho, Jongho had a fat cock which stretched you out everytime he fucked you. Usually he was gentle and would speed up as you adjust to him but this time he didn't.

"Please!" You dug your nails into his shoulders literally clawing him as if you were a cat and he was a scratching post. He groaned pinning your waist down.

"Y/N.." Jongho moaned, lips parted as you felt your walls clench and tighten around him. Sweat caused his hair to stick to his forehead. You both were now moaning. You looked down seeing Jongho slam into you deep into the mattress.

"Jongho... I am gonna cum..." you felt tears form in corner of your eyes. you bite your lip down removing your hand from his head as you slide it down your body and rub your swollen sensitive bud. You threw your head back moaning. You swear you were in heaven with this feeling.

Jongho watched below both of you as your legs trembled immediately coming and squirting on his cock. Your moans got higher and the wave of pleasure finally came crashing. Jongho groaned at the sight and you fell limp on the mattress able to move.

"Fuck... that was hot." He growled. Your legs were trembling as your breathing got shaky and rapid.

"Okay let me cum and we will be done. I promise." He caresses your face as he continues to thrust inside you. You whine at the oversensitive feeling.

"Jongho!" You cry out. Your insides pulsed around his cock. He curses as he slaps hard into you showing you no mercy. You felt his cock twitch inside you as he finally released his load filling you up. You bite your bottom lip trying to control yourself and he pulls out.

"I should of recorded you and have it sent to your father and my brother. Showing them you let your enemy fuck you." He breaths heavily trying to calm himself.

"I would of sent it to Yunho..." You sit up feeling dizzy. Jongho holds you in his lap as you trace your finger over his chest.

"He would get off to it and try to ask to recreate it with him in the picture." Jongho scoffs. You smile and kiss his lips softly.

"I love you Jongho..." You whisper into the kiss. He is quiet for a second until he kisses back whispering right after.

"I love you too." You felt your heart almost beat out of your ribcage after he admitted it. You honestly would sucked his cock right there after he said it. But you were both too tired and instead he pulled you in bed with him as you both cuddled.

•

A/N: I finally moved in. I've been so tired LMAO I keep running to the store after unpacking because I forget stuff and I keep running back to find more stuff :(

[katsukiswiife]

authors note: i FINALLY finished this fic omg took me so long cus i had absolutely no motivation but finally, its here 🙏🏻 

Carl grimes x fem reader

Loss of virginity, p in v, friends to lovers, rushed, lmk if i missed anything ! 

It’s been years, years since you had met an actual decent person.

After everything went down at the prison you had no choice but to survive out in the wilderness.

You’d gone through so much you weren’t sure how much more of it you could take.

You’d set up camp in a forest near an old convenience store packed with walkers, the plan was to wait until morning, clear out the store and start scavenging for food, supplies etc.

You always had issues with sleeping but having to sleep in a forest with walkers nearby wasn’t easier to say the least.

It was almost 5am when you heard some walking nearby, almost as if it was walking directly towards you.

You whipped out your knife and sat, waiting and unsure if you should go and attack or let whoever or whatever is walking near you pass.

You could feel your heartbeat in your throat when you heard the footsteps coming closer and closer towards you, but there was no growling.

Which was a bad sign of course cause this means there was a human walking towards you in the middle of the woods at night, nowadays meeting anyone usually ends bad.

It was summer so it was still kinda light out so you slowly peak out of a hole in your camp only to hear the footsteps abruptly stop.

You could see clear as day someone standing right in front of you, looking at acting curiously as they checked out your camp.

You had to make a decision fast, so in a split second you were out of your camp with your knife facing outward, the person in front of you immediately taking his hands up in defeat trying to calm you down.

“who are you? what are you doing here” you ask nervously.

“Whoa, woah, woah, calm down! i’m not gonna hurt you, i promise.” he replied, he didn’t sound too old, as if he could be around your age.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” you reply, trying to figure out what he looked like as it was only a bit dark.

“My names Carl, i come from a community called Alexandria. I usually go out here at night for some alone time and peace and stumbled upon your camp.” he said, a little bit of fear in his voice.

You lowered your weapon slowly and he put his hands down.

“Carl? your name is Carl?” you ask, could it be your Carl?

“Yeah” he said.

“what about you? whats your name?” he asked.

“Y/N.”

he looked at you surprised for a moment before stepping closer for a better look.

“Y/N? as in Y/N L/N?” he asked.

Holy shit.

“How do you-“

before you could even finish your sentence Carl jumped on you, wrapping you in a tight hug.

“It took you a moment to realise what was going on but when you did you hugged him back.

“I missed you so much” you said between sobs, holding onto him for dear life.

“I missed you too” he replied.

You held his hands as you looked at him, studying his features making sure that it is, in fact Carl Grimes.

He put his hand on your chin, moving your head a bit so it was easier to study your face.

“even with all this dirt on your face you still look like yourself” he said

“is that a compliment or an insult?” you ask, laughing mid sentence.

“Compliment” he replied, laughing with you.

“I should probably get back to Alexandria soon, you coming?” he asked.

“If i can, yeah I’m coming!” you said with a big smile on your face.

“Hey, how was the run?” you asked Carl, it has been a week since you joined Alexandria and you were happier then ever, everyone was so nice and you could have actual food for once.

“Good, how was Judith?” he replied

“She’s good, i put her to sleep not so long ago”

he replied with a hm in acknowledgment and walked towards the stairs.

“lets go to sleep, its getting late” he said.

You got off the couch and walked behind him as you both walked towards your shared room.   

It’s around 3 AM, you couldn’t sleep.

The sound of rain falling on the window, the thunder, all of it was making it harder to sleep.

You looked over across the bedroom to where Carl was sleeping, it was hard to see but you could make out his figure standing up and walking towards you.

“Carl?” you said quietly, sitting up on your bed.

“Can’t sleep” he said as he sat down next to you.

“me neither” you replied lazily, staring out the window at the rain.

“so, hows things with Enid?” you knew he and Enid were close, not dating, but close.

He seemed to get a bit annoyed at your question, not at you, but rather the subject.

“i don’t know… shes just- i feel like i’ve started to dislike her way more lately…” he replied, catching you off guard.

“really? i thought you guys were about to start dating” you said, tearing your eyes off the window and looking at the boy sitting next to you, who was already staring at you.

He laughed a bit at your comment. “no way, i don’t have my eyes on her..” he said, breaking eye contact.

You thought of what to say for a second before speaking up softly, almost in a whisper.

“So? who do you have your eyes for?”

He looked up at you through tired half lidded eyes before whispering softly to you. “if i told you, you promise not to make fun of me?”

you were quiet for a second before answering.

“well, now i have to know who it is” you say eagerly.

He smiled and turned serious for a second.

“Its uh- its you..” his answer lingered in the air for a moment, both of you staring at each other.

You were surprised, Carl liked you? of course you liked him back but you never expected him to be the one to confess to you.

“Carl i- i like you too” you replied softly.

You stared at each other for a second before leaning in, lips meeting.

You climbed on his lap as his hands laid on your hips and waist.

He moaned into the kiss as you softly pulled his long brown hair.

“ffffuckk..” he moaned out as you started grinding on his crotch.

He leaned back a bit, still sitting but leaning against your pillow as you  continued to grind on him while making out.

You pulled away from the kiss and started at him for a moment.

“i-i’ve never..”

he smiled softly

“shhh… me neither, we’ll figure it out, okay? as long as you’re comfortable”

your heart fluttered at his words as he helped you remove your shirt and pants.

“god you’re hot..” he said softly, staring at you in your underwear.

You felt embarrassed, not in a bad way, not at all, you felt safe around Carl and knew he would take care of you, but this was the first time he had seen you almost naked.

You heard his pants zipper open and saw him pull out his cock and gosh, it was big.

How could that fit inside of you?

Carl looked up at you as you leaned down to kiss him, your hand reaching for his cock, stroking him softly.

He whimpered into your kiss, clearly enjoying it before you broke the kiss and pulled your underwear to the side.

“you ready?” you asked him, he was quick to shake his head yes, clearly eager to feel you wrapped around his cock.

You lined his cock up with your entrance, slowly pushing him in. “nnggh- ah! fuck..” you whimpered softly as you went down on his cock, his whimpers and moans like music to your ears something you never wanted to stop.

It hurt a bit at first, but after letting you adjust to his cock he grabbed yours hips and helped you ride him, you both moaning from pleasure as the pace picked up.

He pulled out and grabbed you, laying you down on your back as he kissed your neck before going back in, moaning before getting a steady pace again, grabbing your waist and slamming you against him to match his pace.

You wrapped your legs around his waist to keep him closer as you moaned into your hand to keep you from waking the others up.

“fuck- i- i love you” he whimpered out as you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissing him lovingly while he fucked into you, you both moaning, your mouths in the shape of an “o”

“i-i love you too- ah~” you replied as he sucked and nibbled on your neck and chest.

“f-fuck- i think i’m gonna-“ you moaned out as you came on his cock.

His pace fastened as his thrusts became more sloppy as he nuzzled his head beside yours.

“i-im gonna cum~” he moaned out.

“cum in me~ ‘m on the pill-“ you replied softly, out of breath.

Not so long after he came inside you with the last thrust, moaning into the pillow as he kept himself deep inside of you.

You laid there for a bit, breathing heavy while comforted in each other’s embrace.

“That was.. so good” you laughed out as he pulled out and looked at you before kissing your cheek.

“you better get used to it” he said as he stood up, grabbing a towel from the bathroom and cleaning you with it.

“i love you” you said softly as he looked up at you.

“i love you too” he said.

“i always have” 

[robin374]

Hey

Could you do mercs finding a siren reader

MERCS WITH SIREN S/O

Notes: Romantic relationship.

Characters: Demo, Sniper, Soldier.

Demo:

OMG A SIREN-

I have this feeling that he believes in any sea legend that exists. Moby Dick, Sirens, Selkies, the Nessie (I know it's a lake)... Man is obsessed with you.

Everyday, he will got to the spot he first found you and wait for you to appear. When you do, his face lightens up so much. It's like he's in love (he is, he just wont realise it until some time after)

It's a bit strange to him to fall in love with a mythical creature. However, he just admits it and kisses you under the water. He could feel your tail around his legs, and your lips smiling.

The water didn't take away his breath, you did.

Sniper:

He found you at Medic's lab, you weren't one of his experiments. You were going to be one of course, but he had you there so he could analise your anatomy first. Then your insides.

Sniper thought you were the prettiest creature he had seen in his life, nad he had seen a lot. That's why he helped you get out of Medic's lab.

He built trust in you, you two didn't talk a lot. Just signs and faces, small notes, gestures... He got attached to you pretty fast, you were the only one that undertood him and actually listened to him, but it was too suspicious if he went too much to Medic's lab just to see you.

One night, everyone was sleeping execpt him. He was talking with you, he then started to think about you, and the fact that he was in love with you. He put his hand on the aquarium glass, you answered by putting yours just at the same spot as him. A smile on both of your faces, he blushed. Was that a sign that you loved him too?

"The Shape of Water" plot, real no fake.

Soldier:

He found you on one of his morning trainings. He was alone, as always. Nobody wanted to run with him at 5AM, so he went alone. He would show those maggots how a good training was done!

But then his eyes landed on you. Your tail was tied to a plastic web, you couldn't move to cut it. It wasn't the weirdest thing he saw, a siren wasn't nothing compared to a giant eye that belonged to his friend. Or an eye that travelled back in time to become his and his friends' parents... Man, that eye is really something else.

Anyways, he approached you. Slowly. He didn't want to scare you. Just like an animal, he got walked towards you, his hands in front of him, asurring you that he didn't want to hurt you. Once he was close enough to your tail, he cut the plastic, lifted you up and carried you to the water.

Before letting you free under the water, he gave you a whistle. He yold you that if you ever were on danger again, to blow the whistle and he would appear seconds after to save you from anything.

You didn't know that it was true. The next day, you were chilling at a rock near the shore and blew the whistle, you were curious. Then, you heard a scream similar to an eagle an a man falling from the sky with a shovel on his hand.

He fell belly flop to the water. It didn't make a nice sound, but he appeared on the surfeace with a red face and swimmed like a puppy towards your rock.

"Give me a kiss to cure this insufferable pain now!"

[actualbird]

hi zak!!! deliriously asking this at 5am, but don't you ever think about every time marius (and i guess that whole von hagen family in that sense) celebrates his own birthday is he reminded about his mother's death? like... the way you share birthday with your mother's death anniversary.... haha how does that go............

first of all, I HOPE U WENT TO SLEEP AFTER SENDING THIS MESSAGE!!!

second of all, AUUUUUUUUGGGGHH //wailing in agony

i have thought about it in passing and it hurts my heart....frankly i think marius, once hes old enough to understand what happened (and also old enough to be blamed for what happened) (which...wasnt very old at all, he was still a child) takes it hardest. of course, giann and austin grieve, but i like to think that because theyre older (and thus more mature and capable of compartmentalizing) that their grief for carenina is separate from their joy of having marius in their lives. it wasnt a "deal" or a "trade" in their minds and in their hearts.

for marius though, it is. he sees the beginning of his very existence inherently tied to the death of his mother. he sees his existence as a sick "trade" by the universe; lose someone you love and gain a child thats a burden and a reminder of who you lost. hes much harder on himself, and i think thats partly because he never got to meet his mother, so he didnt get to experience how excited she was for his birth, he didnt get to experience first hand how much he was loved by her even before he was born. giann and austin got to experience this, and, even with all the bumps in the road, they continue this love for marius. in a way, it's a form of remembrance too. but marius had it different. what he knew was once upon a time there was a perfect family, and then he came along, and grief loomed over them like a shadow theyll never be rid of. marius feels like he was a thief. marius feels like he stole life of his mother.

semi-related: i actually have an hc that marius' mother did not die during childbirth (and thus not on marius' birthday), because canon never confirmed that it was during. instead, canon just said that the strain of giving birth was too much for her deteriorating health, so it's not without the realm of possibility that carenina lived for a few months after childbirth before passing away.

why i have this hc is because:

1 ) i hc she was the one who gave the nickname "king". she'd whisper it to him delightedly, boop his little nose and tease him for being a pampered little baby, calling him "my little king" as she cared for him in her last days.

2 ) i just want carenina to have met marius, even if marius cant ever remember it. i just think it would be nice, and that it would be fitting. one of the last moments she had was cradling her beloved son in her arms, and she was at peace when she went

she was full of love and had no regrets. to her, this wasnt a "trade" either. this was her choice, and she was glad to have made that choice.

but of course, marius cant remember the experience, and he thinks otherwise. to him, being born was his first sin among many.

[wittyvitale]

Untangling the Knots (A Fluffy Castlevania Nocturne Fanfic)

Summary: During the day, Maria was flourishing in Paris, truly in her element. But nightmares plague her in the evenings, and Alucard is the only one who can hear her sobs. When the moment presents itself, Alucard asks Maria if she would like him to comb and style her hair, similar to the way her mother once did.

So Alucard braids Maria’s hair, talking about families and Belmont ancestors in the process. Season 2 spoilers.

*

Author's Note: This came about from a sleep-deprived tweet I made at 5am this week. I don't know what's going to happen in season 3, but I do love the idea of Alucard, Juste, and Maria being a found family (2 grandpas and their granddaughter.) And I've missed writing dialogue for Alucard. Hope you enjoy!

*

During the day, Maria flourished in Paris, truly in her element. She led riveting revolutionary meetings and engaged in robust debates, passionate about the direction in which the revolution was heading. Maria barely had time to think of anything else outside of her itinerary. And honestly, she was happy about that.

Evening was a different story entirely. The same nightmare took hold when Maria slept. Always about her mother. Always about the last time Maria saw Tera.

Goodbye, my darling girl.

That one line ended every one of Maria’s dreams. The voice was loud, mournful, grieving. Maria always woke up in a cold sweat, taking a few seconds to remember where she was. She would eventually realize that they were just dreams, shadows of events that had already happened. But just as quickly, Maria also remembered that her mother was gone. Upon this realization, Maria sobbed quietly into her pillow until sleep claimed her once again, trying to be as quiet as possible so she wouldn't disturb the other inhabitants of the apartment.

Having a vampiric sense of hearing, Alucard could always hear Maria’s sobs. His heart hurt for the young girl, empathizing with her pain in a way that most others could not. But he was still getting to know her and didn’t want to be overbearing. He could also discern that Maria didn’t want anybody to know that she was crying at night. He’d occasionally ask her how she was but didn’t push further, hoping that Maria would come to either him or Juste whenever she wanted to talk.

One night, Alucard walked past Maria’s bedroom. He found the teenager sitting at her vanity, combing her long golden hair. She grunted in frustration as she hit a knot. She placed the brush on the vanity and buried her face in her arms.

“Tangles, hmm?” Alucard asked, entering her room. He twisted his finger around a strand of his own hair. “I’ve been there before.”

“They never used to be this bad,” Maria answered, lifting her head up. “I think it’s because I’m wearing my hair down more than I used to. I tied it up when I lived in Machecoul.”

Just mentioning her hometown made the girl tear up. She sniffed and rubbed a quick arm across her face. Alucard stood behind her, listening patiently.

“Mum used to do my hair all the time,” Maria said thoughtfully. “It was one of our favorite things to do together, her combing my hair while we talked about our days. I’d sit on her bed and she’d comb out my tangles. She was always gentle. I don’t know how she did it, but when she hit a tangle, it never hurt, and she always got it out. Now every tangle I snag hurts.” Despite her best efforts, a few tears slid down Maria’s face. “God, look at me crying about hair. This is so stupid.”

Alucard placed a comforting hand on Maria’s shoulder. “It’s not stupid at all, Maria. This was one of the ways you bonded with your mother. One thing I’ve learned after living for so long is that the seeming mundanities of life are actually the ones that have the biggest impact. Such memories should be treasured.”

Maria appeared to think this over, but couldn’t find the words to respond. She wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. Alucard looked at Maria’s hair in the mirror and smirked, an idea coming to him.

“You’re more than welcome to decline as we haven’t known each other for that long. But would you be open to me trying to get your tangle out?” he asked earnestly. Maria’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You know how to do hair?” she asked. Alucard chuckled and looked at his own locks.

“Oh yes. I have my own to take care of after all.”

Alucard thought he saw the ghost of a smile on Maria’s face. “Oh, I suppose that makes sense. I think I’d like that.”

Alucard grabbed the comb on Maria’s vanity and stood behind her. “Did your mother ever style your hair? Put it in braids, that sort of thing?”

“Sometimes. It’s been a while. But I liked it when she did.”

“Then I think I have another idea.”

*

Alucard combed Maria’s hair until the knot was out. He ran his fingernails through her locks a few times in a repetitive, comforting motion, ensuring that there weren’t any other tangles. The way Alucard combed her hair was very similar to the way Tera combed Maria’s hair; thoughtful, intentional, gentle. Maria closed her eyes, a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a while surrounding her. Once Alucard was satisfied that all of the tangles were out, he grabbed a brush with soft bristles. He ran the brush through Maria’s hair until it cascaded smoothly down her back.

“I think a French Braid would suit you,” Alucard started, cradling some of Maria's hair in his palm. “It’s very functional for battle, not to mention very pretty. And we are in France after all.” A playful smile graced his lips at the last sentence.

“All right,” Maria answered, her trust in the dhampir’s hairstyling skills growing. “The time my mum gave me a French Braid, it was easier to move around and fight.”

Alucard hummed in response and got to work, running his fingers through Maria’s hair once again and preparing it to be braided.

“My mother braided my hair too,” Alucard started. “But it wasn’t until Trevor and Sypha’s first child was born that I started braiding other people’s hair.”

Maria raised her eyes in thought, the names sounding familiar. “Trevor and Sypha… those are Richter’s ancestors, right?”

“Yes. And the two who prevented the extinction of the Belmont line.”

Maria’s eyes shone with curiosity. “Richter mentioned them a few times when we lived together. But I’d like to hear more. Do you have any stories that didn’t make it into the history books?”

 “Oh plenty.” Alucard chuckled. “Here’s one: Trevor and Sypha’s first child was a girl, Sonia. She was very much her father’s daughter. A strong child who took the Belmont mission very seriously. But she also loved her long brown hair. She never wanted to cut it, even though it always got in her face when she was training. Oh if her parents even made the suggestion to cut it, she’d throw a fit. That was when I got the idea to braid her hair. The first time I did it, she was very happy with the result. She showed everyone in the village and her battle skills greatly improved. I braided her hair several more times throughout the course of her life. I did the same with many of the Belmont descendants.”

“Wait,” Maria started, very amused. “So you’ve basically been the Belmonts’ hairdresser for the last 300 years?”

Alucard laughed in spite of himself. “I suppose you could say that. I’ve been many things to the Belmont clan. Uncle, teacher, companion.”

“Who else’s hair did you braid?” Maria asked, interest in this part of Alucard’s history thoroughly piqued.

“Let’s see… Sonia’s son, Trevor Belmont II. We all called him “Treffy” for short. His grandfather hated when we called the child “Treffy.” That’s part of why we did it, if I’m to be quite honest. Treffy inherited his mother’s love for long hair and never wanted to cut his. There were countless others too. Marie. Eliza. Lily. Matthew. Soleil. The Belmonts have always been passionate warriors, but they also care about their physical appearances. And they were well-aware of the effects their looks had on passerby.”

Maria snickered. “That sounds so much like Richter. He could be absolutely insufferable about his appearance. When he became a teenager, he always bragged about his muscles and his ‘handsome looks’ as he called them. He would show off to all the girls, thinking he was the next Casanova.”

“Typical Belmont,” Alucard snorted. “Though it seems Annette has had quite the effect on Richter’s maturity levels. I didn’t see that same childish bravado from him before he left with her.”

“Annette’s definitely good for him. I’m glad they found each other.” Maria agreed.

“And it looks like we’re done,” Alucard said, tying the last braid. “What do you think?”

Maria turned her head back and forth in the mirror. Her mouth hung open and she beamed. “Oh I love it!” she exclaimed. She stood up and walked around her bedroom. Maria drew a circle in the air and her white tiger Byakko appeared. “It’s much easier to summon creatures now that my hair isn’t falling in my face.” she drew another circle and Byakko jumped back into the Otherworld.

Maria looked at Alucard, tears brimming in her eyes again. But this time, Alucard could tell that those weren’t the same tears he had been hearing at night. To Alucard’s surprise, Maria rushed up to him and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Alucard. For everything.” She said gratefully. Alucard smiled and cradled Maria’s head with his hand.

“It was my pleasure, Maria. I’m glad I could make you smile. And I’ve missed braiding hair.” He answered.

A knock was heard at the door and Juste Belmont stood in the threshold.

“Hello, you two,” he said. “Everything all right in here?”

Maria nodded vigorously. “Looked what Alucard did!” she turned her head so Juste could see her braid.

“Well, look at you,” Juste said, admiring Alucard’s handiwork. “Is that the new style the girls are wearing in Paris these days?”

“Alucard is a master of braiding,” Maria replied, unable to keep the smile off of her face. Her eyes widened again and she looked at Alucard excitedly. “Alucard! Have you ever braided Juste’s hair?”

“Has he ever done what now?” Juste asked, eyebrows raised.

A devilish grin spread across Alucard’s face, his mind moving in the same direction as Maria’s. “I haven’t. I’ve been traveling more over the last hundred years, and I saw Juste sporadically. Perhaps that’s a Belmont tradition we can restart.”

Juste looked back and forth from Alucard to Maria, growing more concerned by the second. “And what tradition is that?”

Maria pulled out the chair in front of the vanity and beckoned Juste to come over. “We can tell you all about it.”

“Err…”

“Come now, Juste. I braided Maria’s hair and look how satisfied she is. I’m sure I can do the same for you.” Alucard encouraged.

Juste couldn’t deny that this was the happiest he’d seen Maria since they had all arrived in Paris. He’d been worried about her, just as Alucard had been, and Juste wanted to keep that smile on Maria’s face for as long as possible. He sighed and stepped towards the vanity.

By the end of the night, Maria and Juste had matching French Braids.

*

End Notes: Writing this fic made me so happy. I finally got to incorporate some of my Belmont headcanons that I wasn't able to fit in my other fics!