#gonna have to chill for a second before i will actually be able to sleep

[cosmicallyavg]

sleep paralysis can fuck right off

[achilles-rage]

thirteen crows: chapter seven

summary: buck and eddie continue to keep you company, until you find something interesting at buck's apartment.

word count: 3.0k

previous chapter

series masterlist

a/n: the second last chapter already, that’s so crazy😵‍💫 i love how this turned out and i’m so sorry for the cliffhanger but it had to happen hehe. enjoy<3

warnings: stalking, slight noncon, buck being crazy (cutely<3), no use of y/n, fem!reader, plus size!reader, race inclusive!reader

As the weeks go by, you start to feel less on edge about your situation. People are still dropping dead around the city, and you’d be lying if you said the details of the murder didn’t cause chills to run down your spine, but you don’t know any of the people. For some reason, you find it a little bit easier to sleep at night knowing this.

Buck and Eddie have been a tremendous help to your feelings of comfort and safety, too. Not only do they walk you home from work every night, except for when they’re working, of course, but one of them makes sure they’re at your home or you’re at theirs most of the time.

Tonight, Eddie’s at your house while Buck babysits his niece and Christopher. He’s made you dinner; nothing special because he’s not nearly as skilled in the kitchen as Buck, but you appreciate it nonetheless. You park yourselves on your couch, your leg partly over his as you sit cross-legged beside him, which is making it painstakingly hard for him not to pull you over his lap and press hot, open mouth kisses down your neck.

“There’s more here. You want any sweet- heart?” you hear him ask loudly when he goes to the kitchen to get you both some water. You’re so engrossed in the show you put on that you don’t think too hard about the pause between sweet and heart. You smile, shaking your head, although he’s not able to see you from the kitchen.

“No, thanks!” you yell back, and Eddie can’t even answer. His hands are gripping the side of the counter as he bows his head, taking deep, steady breaths. He almost fucked up. Like, really fucked up. His jaw is clenched as he tries to calm himself down; he knows you’ll get curious if he spends too long in the kitchen. But he knows how badly it would’ve gone if he let his words actually slip, which makes it hard for him to slow his racing heart.

He remembers the realization on your face when they called you sweet girl as they killed Isaac. He knows that you’d put two and two together. You’re their smart, sweet girl, of course you’d fucking put it together.

After a minute, he comes back into the living room with two cups of water, and you thank him absentmindedly, barely even glancing at him before your eyes are back on your show. He lets out a long exhale as he lowers onto the couch beside you, extremely grateful that you hadn’t caught on.

He knows he’d be able to come up with a plan, but he’s extremely happy that he doesn’t have to now. He’s enjoying his time with his sweet girl, and he doesn’t want to cut it short by using one of her own knives to shut her up. The thought does make his dick twitch though, and he grips his fork tighter as he pictures it.

When you’ve both finished your dinner, he pulls your legs onto his lap, patting the top of your thigh gently as he gives you a soft smile. You feel the heat rushing up your neck as you feel his fingers grazing your inner thigh, but you smile back at him anyway.

“Thank you for being here.” you say in a quiet voice after a little while. He looks over to see you laying back on the couch, legs still over his lap, and fighting hard to keep your eyes open. He chuckles softly, and he can’t resist the urge to reach a hand over and cup your cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb over your skin gently. 

He smirks when he sees you lean into his touch, and he’s not sure what he likes more; your eyes full of terror, or you looking so soft and safe with him here.

“You don’t have to thank me. We told you we’d protect you, and that’s what we’re gonna do.” he tells you, his voice slightly rough even though it’s full of care. You smile, and your eyes finally close as you rest your head completely on the backrest of the couch.

“I’m losing you here, honey. You should go to sleep.” he teases quietly, hand still caressing your cheek. You smile, although your eyes are still closed, and nod, mumbling a soft “okay” before you stand up slowly. 

He helps you get to your bedroom, then when you’re happily tucked into bed, he turns off your light and goes back to your living room. He takes your dishes to the kitchen and cleans up the mess, moving silently as he tries to distract himself from your plush body in the next room.

He groans softly when he goes to check on you an hour later, and if he didn’t already have a plan, he’d call Buck and tell him to come over right now so they can have their way with you.

He knows they can’t, though. He told you earlier that he was going to spend the night, and if the two masked men snuck into your apartment while Eddie was supposed to be there, he knows that you would either never trust them again, or you’d figure them out, or both.

So, he goes back to your living room and makes himself comfortable as he lays on your couch. If it were up to him, he’d be in bed with you, arms wrapped firmly around your soft middle. He knows he can’t, though; he doesn’t want to move too quickly.

As if someone decided to answer his prayers, he hears your frantic voice from the other room, calling his name.

He’s in your room in an instant, sitting beside you on the bed as he cups your cheek and rubs his thumb across your skin again, shushing you softly. He tries to act concerned as he takes in your tear-stained face, but he loves the sight, and when you ask him in the sweetest voice he’s ever heard if he’ll stay with you, he smirks.

He lays beside you, getting under your blankets and wrapping a large arm around your waist, pulling his chest flush against your back. When he’s sure you’re asleep, he whispers in your ear in a gruff voice.

“Good night, sweet girl.”

The next morning, your bed is cold, and when you sit up, you see the note on your bedside table. If it weren’t there, you’d assume you dreamed the entire night. Eddie’s always so sweet, of course, but he was so good to you last night. You feel a little embarrassed about asking him to sleep with you, but after the dream you had of the men terrorizing you, you certainly don’t blame yourself.

You feel a little more on edge this morning, though, even though Eddie’s note told you that Buck would be coming by later in the afternoon to keep you company. Last night, you could barely tell what was a dream and what wasn’t. You swear that as you were about to fall back asleep, you could hear the men’s voices, and the name they call you, although you know it couldn’t be. Eddie was right there.

You feel like your dreams are bleeding into your real life, and for the rest of the day, even after Buck comes over, you feel a little extra jumpy. Buck hardly notices though. He’s so excited to have you taste test his improved brownie recipe that he doesn’t notice the way you jump when he drops his phone right in front of you.

Almost a week later, you’re at Buck’s apartment. It’s almost sunset, and you’re still sleepy from staying up so late. You’re still in your pajamas, and your eyes feel heavy with sleep as you lounge around his place.

You worked the night before, an earlier shift than the closing ones you’re used to, and when Buck got you back to his apartment, he insisted on having a “sleepover,” as if that wasn’t what you’ve been doing for the last few weeks. When you got to his house, he made you shower and change into pajamas, and when you went down to his living room, he had popcorn, chocolate, chips, and sour candies spread across the coffee table. 

Your heart had swelled at the sight of him looking so proud of himself, and you couldn’t help snuggling up to him when you sat on the blanket-covered couch beside him. Your head stayed in place on his shoulder the entire night, and by the end of the first movie, his hand had made itself firmly at home on your thigh.

You both stayed up until almost 5am, and when you woke up the next day, well into the afternoon, his head was laying back at an awkward angle on the couch and your head was resting in his lap. 

Now, you’re sitting at his kitchen table, one leg crossed under the other as you text Tara, laughing silently about how her closing shift went with the new guy that was nice, as it turned out, but extremely stupid.

“Oh, before I forget; did I leave my sweater here a few days ago? The blue one?” you ask Buck after a few minutes, tearing your eyes away from your phone and looking over to him making dinner.

“Uh, yeah. It’s in my closet. I washed it for you. You got pasta sauce on it.” he tells you, turning and giving you a fake disappointed look as he says the last sentence. You roll your eyes, laughing softly as you stand up from the table.

“Well, thank you.” you begin in a sarcastic tone, “I’m gonna go grab it.” 

Before he has a chance to respond, you’re dragging yourself up to his loft, still feeling a little groggy from staying up so late and sleeping through half of the day.

When you pull open his closet doors, you don’t see your sweater anywhere. Since you don’t want to distract Buck from dinner, you begin to move the clothes around, hoping that maybe your sweater had just fallen off a hanger or is hidden under some of his shirts that are hanging up.

You’re halfway into his closet now as you get on your knees, moving the various articles of clothing on the hardwood floor when you see a sliver of a very familiar mask. Your stomach drops as the shirt you’re holding finally moves away from the mask completely, and you drop the shirt as you kneel there, frozen.

It has to be a coincidence, you think. It can’t be Buck; he’s Buck. 

Buck continues to absentmindedly get dinner ready as you go upstairs, and not even a minute later his eyes widen as he remembers what’s shoved in the back of his closet. His grip tightens on the knife he’s holding as he darts towards the stairs, taking them two at a time as he races to his room.

You whip your head around when you hear him coming up the stairs and get up quickly, but not before Buck gets a perfect peek of you kneeling down from behind, your ass on display for his eager eyes.

Buck can see the uncertainty in your eyes as you stand up, and he knows you’ve found the mask. He takes a step closer, and his eyes darken as he sees you take a step back, a quiet chuckle escaping his throat as he takes in your sheepish demeanour. 

“You weren’t supposed to see that, sweet girl.” he growls as he takes another step closer. He knows he should play dumb, should make up a harmless story about it; it’s what Eddie would do, but he can’t help it. The look in your eyes is so close to fear, and it only makes him push further.

Tears form in your eyes when the realization hits you. The other night when Eddie was over, it wasn’t you dreaming. He had been the one to say it. You can see the predatory look in Buck’s eyes as he stalks towards you, and although you try to move away from the closet and further away from him, he’s still blocking the staircase. 

You let out a soft whimper as your back hits the wall behind you, your whole body shaking as you watch him cross the distance between you. 

When he finally gets to you, you have to crane your neck up to look into his eyes, your lip quivering as you speak.

“No. It can’t be you.” He smirks, his empty hand coming up to rest against the wall beside your head as the one with the knife slowly drags the blade across your neck and down towards your chest.

“It is, baby. Surprised?” he purrs, then leans down towards the crook of your neck as he inhales your scent. You shudder, turning your face away from his as tears fall from your eyes, and he chuckles again. The sound of his dark laugh makes your blood run cold, and in a split second, you’re darting around his large frame and trying to run for the staircase. 

You need to get out of here. Now.

He grabs the back of your shirt before you can get far, however, and you yelp loudly as you’re pulled back against his hard body. You thrash against him, your frightened whimpers echoing through his apartment, but as soon as the knife moves up to your cheek, the sounds die on your lips. 

“There we go, sweet girl. We’re not gonna hurt you. Not if you’re good for us.” he whispers in your ear, his other arm firmly around your plush middle. Your legs almost give out as you realize that you’re not getting out of his strong grip, and even if you do, you’re sure he isn’t planning on merely scaring you with that knife.

“Then take the knife off my neck.” you try to say sternly, but your voice comes out in a shaky whisper. He nibbles on your ear, a smile making its way onto his face.

“If I do, will you run?” he asks in an almost cocky tone. You shake your head quickly, and he smirks, lowering the knife from your neck hesitantly.

“You promise you’re gonna be good for me?” he asks, his breath tickling your ear and making you shiver.

“Yes.” is all you say; it’s all you can force yourself to say. You’re sure that if it wasn’t for his strong body behind yours, your legs wouldn’t be able to hold you up right now.

He throws the knife onto the bed a few feet away, then turns you in his grip, holding your hips firmly as he presses his body against yours.

You search his eyes for any signs of softness you’ve grown used to as he studies your face, but it’s long gone by now. His eyes are filled with lust, and he has a devilish smirk as he leans his head down to capture your lips in a desperate kiss.

You freeze as you feel his lips working against yours, and it’s not until he lets out a low moan that you finally kiss him back, brain cloudy as you give in to him. You know there’s no way out now, so you might as well go along with his actions.

You hate to admit, but he’s an amazing kisser, and you immediately know who the more eager kisser was between the two masked men when they were in your apartment. You can’t help the whimper that escapes your mouth as he slips his tongue into your mouth, and one of his hands moves up to your jaw to tilt your face further up into the kiss.

“Do you know how long I’ve wanted you like this?” he murmurs against your lips, and you moan again at his words. You can feel the guilt eating away at you as you feel the familiar feeling of desire in the pit of your tummy and the pool between your thighs, and you hate yourself for being so turned on by how desperately he’s kissing you.

He’s just so attractive, and he’s so eager to have his hands and lips on you that you can’t help the inappropriate thoughts filling your brain. 

“I knew when I saw you at work that I had to have you.” he mutters, pulling back just long enough to take in your tear-stained cheeks and heaving chest.

As he leans back in to place kisses on your neck, you suddenly snap out of it. He killed Grace. And Isaac. Right in front of you.

You continue to let him kiss you, however, and when his grip loosens on you for a split second, you’re pushing him away and racing towards the stairs again. His brain is so fogged over with his need for you, that it takes him a second to respond. He grabs the knife off the bed and follows you down the stairs, an angry expression on your face.

You make it all the way to the kitchen before he’s on you again, grabbing your hips and throwing you to the ground. You yelp in pain as you hit the ground, but roll over quickly, trying to fight him off you as he kneels down to straddle your hips. 

He dropped his knife in the struggle to pin you down, so when he’s finally over top of you, looking down with a devious smile, he has to improvise. 

You feel the air ripped from your lungs as his hands go to your throat, tightening more and more as he watches you struggle to breathe. You’re still thrashing in his grip, but he keeps his hold strong until your movements become slow and sloppy. 

As your eyes flutter closed and everything goes black, the last thing you see is him leaning down to whisper in your ear, and the last thing you hear is his rough voice saying “just let us take care of you, sweet girl.”

next chapter

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[hooman-tree]

The Overthinking Embodiment Of Anxiety / Leo x Gender Neutral ! Reader .

THERE WERE MANY TIMES THAT LEO WOULD GRIMACE AND SHRIVEL UP INTO HIS OWN EMBODIMENT OF EMBARRASSMENT. But, him asking for [Name's] number in the stupidest way possible has got to be at the very top of his list. That was pretty much the only thing circling through his head, as he was currently screaming into his pillow profusely. Which was luckily muffled out.

He was currently freaking out, because somehow: Leo just happened to not only fail at leaning against the locker to the ‘awesome rizz’ he claims to have, as school today. But, he also couldn’t stop himself from stammering over his words.

In all honesty, he was one second away from puking onto [Name]. However, a quick: “I’m gonna…gonna be sick. I’ll be in the bathroom, if you need me!” managed to only further embarrass Leo, as he wasn’t able to meet up with [Name] for the rest of that day and apologise profusely for what it did.

Right now, he was still screaming urgently into his pillow, until Raph threw a pillow at him and urged him to ‘shut it up, and go get some sleep’. It was almost 3AM, and his brothers couldn’t even use their phones properly in peace to just roam about the Internet, because Leo’s screaming was consistently ruining Donnie’s Attack On Titan binge-fest Marathon, Mikey’s podcast of his favourite comedians and Raph’s blasting music that he raised up to deafen himself from Leo’s stressed out antics.

Thankfully, Leo stopped his screaming session, as soon as he felt his phone vibrate and ping from a notification popping up. He didn’t really think much into it, thinking it to be a Netflix notification. But, him choking on his own spit just proved it wasn’t even that: [Name] had sent him a message.

Almost immediately, Leo was staring intently at his phone: hesitantly clicking the notification and his phone opened up onto the messaging app.

[Name]: wassup Leo, you good after puking and throwing up in the bathroom? 😭

Leo grimaced at the teasing message, rest his head onto his other pillow, an audible sigh left him, staring up at the ceiling. “They definitely laughed after that…” With a reluctant sigh, Leo responded back.

Leo: heya [Name] & i’m all chilled out now, thanks for asking! and, sorry about that 😕 i got nervous and freaked out there

[Name]: dw mate, it’s all good & hey, at least we can chat here and still laugh abt it together later on 👍

Leo blinked mildly, clutching the phone tightly to himself, his legs wiggled about for a mere second, not able to contain his excitement. A dazed grin appeared onto his face, happily and quickly responding to [Name].

Leo: that’s sound great & i was actually wondering about something i wanted to ask you @ school before, but couldn’t today 😶

[Name]: aight👌, shoot the question @ me then man

This was when Leo kept on constantly typing for a really-really long time, to then just delete major parts of his prolonged paragraph he was wounding up in the text box. He gritted his teeth and slanted them, a nerve-wracking feeling swelled up inside of him, before he finally deleted his whole paragraph and then sent:

Leo: it’s nothing, dw

goodnight, [Name]!

[Name]: goodnight dude!!

Leo sighed, turning off his phone and he laid comfortably on his bed. He felt immensely disappointed in himself for chickening out at the last moment. But, he then remembered:

He got [Name’s] number and even managed to chat with them for a good amount of time, without even sending any stupid typos he overthought on himself to make.

A sigh of relief whipped out of his mouth from that, smiling softly in his sleep. Leo was fine with just trying to go on a date hangout with [Name] again, next time.

He’d have better luck asking them out successfully, next time.

[the-s1lly-corner]

can you make headcanons for all the tadc cast with a reckless reader?

also, have a good day :)

-daz

TADC cast x reckless! reader!

last post for this batch! ill get right back to answering stuff soon! my cinnamon roll dough is almost done with its first rise and ill have to shape them soon! also gotta make the frosting..! short post since the base of one of my thumbs is getting a lil sore idk if its because ive been typing so much these past few days or if i just slept on my hand wrong; maybe both

CAINE:

youre in luck reader! you cant really get hurt in the digital world...! well, not... traditionally.. you can definitely still feel pain, thats for sure, but i dont think your digital body has any bones to break or skin to scrape..! so hey at least you can kind of be as reckless as you want without consequence...! except, there are consequences. caine is not at all happy at your recklessness.. i mean sure yeah some of his IHAs can be more... intense, i mean zooble almost got turned into a gloink, but..! i think he tones down his adventures just so you wont throw yourself into the danger

POMNI:

tries to stop you but her words fall short as you run in yelling into whatever the threat is without a second thought. "i- wait- er..." and youre gone, leaving pomni to hurry and try to catch up with you. she probably has to drag you to safety, assuming this isnt a case where you got all glitched up by an abstracted circus member.. shes gonna have to work herself up to get you to chill out; perhaps ending in a whole emotional thing where she just. explodes? perhaps

RAGATHA:

just because you cant get hurt doesnt mean shes not going to fuss over you. if there were a need for it i think she would keep a pack of Band-Aids on her. however, because you guys cant get hurt in that way, she tries to keep you in bed when you inevitably get knocked a little too hard and need to rest it off. dont even think about trying to get up out of bed, shes going to give you this stern look that only a few percentage of people can muster.

you know the look

the stern one

scolds you too if you get caught up in something real dangerous

only really softens up if you threw yourself in danger for the sake of another person, because i think ragatha would do the same

JAX:

"bet you cant make that jump"

"bet i <> can!"

que you absolutely eating shit after you fail to make that jump, comically flipping over yourself and face planting. you probably have cartoon birds circling around your head. jax laughs at you before eventually coming over to help you up. he will not let you live this kind of stuff, down

KINGER:

he gets so so scared when youre not in his sight, i think if he knew you were willingly throwing yourself into harms way? this man would have a heart attack! like really, or he would if he still had his organs and stuff...if he could he would keep you in his pillow fort with him forever... but he cant, so he has to settle with following you around with meek attempts to try to stop you

ZOOBLE:

zooble would do similar stuff as jax, but when you actually. go to do the dangerous thing they just pull you back. "dude. i wasnt being serious"

bro has to keep you on one of those kid leashes because your first instinct someone says "bet" or "no balls" or anything in that vein, you need to prove yourself

GANGLE:

her comedy mask probably falls off from the sheer shock from how easily you just. launch yourself into things. on one hand she worries for you, but on the other hand she cant help but feel a little jealous; i mean shes just ribbon and a mask, shes not really... tough... strong.. durable... she wants to be able to run around and do the things you do but theres that fear of being immediately broken down or overpowered, you know? didnt mean to get silly there; anyways i think she would try to keep in you bed to sleep off the soreness, like ragatha

[dnpg-hiatus-survivor]

the air has shifted. i was able to sleep but still when i awoke my heart was pounding and i can’t breathe. because of… dan and phil.

maybe this doesnt mean anything. maybe im just a crazy phannie (well thats true no matter what happens but still).

however, this has happened to me before. twice. let me tell y’all about those times.

the first time, i want to say was august of 2016 (could be slightly off). i had been watching dan and phil for over a year but i was still pretty new to the phandom as a space. i was at my grandmas house just chilling upstairs when this photo hit the tumblr scene:

and oh. my. god. my stomach dropped. my heart started racing. i was pacing around the room going holy shit holy shit holy shit. this photo was a big deal at the time. it was dan’s first time letting his hair be natural at a m&g or youtube event. and, it was the first time ever we had seen dan wear nail polish.

when i woke up the next morning, i still couldnt breathe. the main thing is that i was surprised how much hold these youtubers had over my heart like jesus christ. but more importantly…

the. air. had. shifted. and i knew it.

this photo, to me, is the beginning of the soft launch era. it was after this that we got the halloween baking monster pops video, which entered our post baking universe. and it was after that we got the first gamingmas. but this photo, was the start of it all. the start of dan and phil tearing down the wall just a little and starting to be more themselves on camera.

the second time, is a bit more obvious of a shift. it was june 2019. the june video had been talked for over a year at this point. we weren’t really sure if it was happening or not. what it was. but we all had… ideas. but oh my goodness, the entire first 13 days of that month. i was just buzzing. i was freaking out. and i didnt know why!! well… i knew why. but surely two youtubers could not make me feel this way for two weeks straight. oh yes they could actually.

when this tweet happened:

holy fuck, i think i shit myself. i felt the air shift. like in real time. i could barely talk because my heart was pounding so fast. i was playing truth bombs with my friends (because yes i am the #1 phannie) when i read the tweet, i dropped my phone and started tearing up whispering “oh my god its happening” over and over again. did they think i was crazy? yep!

but y’all… the. air. had. SHIFTED.

anyway long speech over. what was the point of this. to tell you that my phannie brain is convinced that something is happening. the air has shifted. i know it has. it has before. what does that mean for dan and phil? i don’t know yet! we’re just gonna have to see :))

[xsweetcatastrophe]

You broke me first

part 27

cill: bad news.

zoe: uhoh. what?

Zoe hated text messages like this. It’s bad enough he was leaving soon, how much worse can it get?

cill: it was more than just a wardrobe fitting.

Zoe: ???

cill:

Zoe laughed at the picture, staring at the signature pesky haircut he’s been subjected to all this time during this series. He hated it, he hated the upkeep, and he hated growing it out. Zoe knew he was relishing in the last couple of days of his normal hair before the inevitable happened.

Zoe: wow they really went short on the sides! Better wear a hat you’re gonna catch cold over there.

Cill: i’ll be living in hoodies with the hood up for the foreseeable future.

cill: how you feeling, bunny?

Zoe had taken a sick day from work today. She didn’t feel good, had the chills, and had zero appetite. She was camped out on the couch with a cozy blanket, a cup of tea and the remote while being under the care of her trusty live-in nurse - Scout, of course.

Zoe: a bit better. definitely a lot better than this morning. Scout has been taking care of me. Might actually take him out in a bit and get fresh air.

cill: don’t go outside if you’re sick. i’ll do it when i get home. did you eat anything?

Zoe’s heart still fluttered when he said home. THEIR home, where they live together, even if it’s just the time being.

zoe: i had some ramen noodles for lunch. maybe ill take a bath. i want to change the sheets too just in case whatever i have is contagious, dont need you getting sick.

cill: i’ll take care of the sheets and Scout. you just rest and take a bath. when i get home we’ll talk about dinner.

Zoe: can i suggest a pizza?

cill: not a chance.

zoe: worth a shot.

Zoe smiled and put her phone down on the couch. She looked at scout who was laying the couch by her feet sound asleep. She sighed and was hoping he’d want to go out.

“Scout… hey, wanna go out, boy?” Zoe whispered, nudging the sleeping dog with her foot.

Scout yawned, looked at her, and rolled over and went back to sleep, facing away from her.

“sheesh, okay then,” Zoe mumbled. she peeled back the blanket she was under and stood up to stretch. She was still in her pajamas, which was a baggy band t-shirt that came down to just above her knees. She hadn’t showered yet, was sure she smelled gross and she definitely felt gross. She made her way to the linen closet and pulled out a fresh towel and made her way to the bathroom.

She hasn’t been able to take a bath since she took a bath at Cillian’s in his ginormous, pristine, white bathtub. Her bathroom seemed small and dirty, and didn’t seem as relaxing as Cillian’s bathroom felt. But, she knew the warm water would make her feel better, so she decided to make the best of it, as she turned on the hot water faucet. She decided to grab a bath bomb and a lavender candle to make it more cozier.

She stripped off her T-shirt and panties and lowered herself into the warm water after dropping the bath bomb in. She had the candle lit on the corner of the edge of the tub and she was already starting to smell the lavender fill the room. She cursed herself for forgetting a second towel to fold and use as a pillow for her head, so her dirty T-shirt would have to suffice.

She relaxed and lowered herself even lower into the water, exhaling and closing her eyes. Her tub made Cillian’s look like an olympic sized swimming pool, and she had to bend her knees out of the water.

“If i close my eyes and pretend im anywhere else, its not so bad,” Zoe thought, feeling the water gently slosh around her legs. She heard the jingle of metal on metal, and she opened one eye to see where it was coming from. She was greeted by two big brown eyes staring back at her from the bathroom door.

“don’t tell me NOW you wanna go out,” Zoe said to Scout. Instead, he nudged the door open farther and made his way into the bathroom, peeking into the tub. Zoe pat his head, thinking he wanted some attention. Once he realized she was wet, he cowered away from her hand. He instead circled on the rug outside the tub and lay down, seemingly wanting to nap close to her.

“awww,” Zoe said softly, closing her eyes again. “good boy.”

-

“hey.. baby.. hey.. HEY,”

Zoe jolted awake, water sloshing over the edge of the tub. She opened her eyes to Cillian kneeling next to her on the outside of the tub, hand gently shaking her shoulder.

“I forget you sleep like a rock. I was calling your name when i came home, and i found you in the bathtub like this,” Cillian laughed.

Zoe sat up and awkwardly stretched, her neck now in pain from the awkward angle.

“I didn’t think i’d doze off, I just wanted a quick dip to warm me up”

Cillian looked at his watch. “well, you texted me saying you were taking a bath 2 hours ago, and that water is barely warm anymore,” he said, standing up and grabbing the towel she had placed on the vanity earlier. he opened it in his hands and walked towards the tub. “come on, up.”

Zoe stood up and started shivering almost immediately. Cillian was quick to wrap the towel over her, rubbing her arms to warm her up. He then opened his arms and took her into them, holding her against his body.

“Can’t have you drowning on me, I’d miss you too much,” he said into her hair, giving her a kiss to her temple.

“I miss your bathtub in your old house,” Zoe mumbled. “That was heaven.”

“I’ll build you a bigger bathtub in the new house,” Cillian mumbled back.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just hard to come back to what you’ve always known once you had a taste of luxury, that’s all i’m saying” Zoe replied.

“well when we’re in the new house you won’t have to worry about taking baths in small bathtubs again,” Cillian said giving her a quick kiss. “I stopped at that restaurant you like in the next town over and brought home some soup for you, and something for myself. I’m gonna walk Scout to the corner quick so he can pee, you get changed and meet in the living room, yeah?”

Zoe smiled. “thank you. that sounds good.”

Cillian walked out of the bathroom towards where Scout was and grabbed his leash while Zoe made her way to her bedroom. She grabbed some new underwear, some sweatpants and one of Cillian’s old T-shirts that would be extra baggy and extra comfortable. She put on some socks and made her way to the living room where she saw the takeout containers on the coffee table.

Zoe went to grab some bowls, plates and utensils and placed them on the coffee table. She grabbed bottle of water for herself and Cillian and made herself cozy on the couch.

While she was trying to find something to watch, Cillian came home with Scout. Scout ran to his basket of toys and pulled out a plush giraffe and began shaking it.

“Dog has so much energy, i swear we RAN home,” Cillian said, kicking off his shoes. He made himself comfortable next to Zoe and started unwrapping the containers.

“How did everything else go today?” Zoe asked, ignoring his shaved head. She already knew how that went.

“ummm…” Cillian started, hesitant to continue. If he was trying to hide something from Zoe, she picked up on it immediately. Something was up.

“what?”

“Well, for one, your magazine called. They said I have to do the interview all over again, with someone else,” Cillian said.

“that sucks, did they tell you who?”

“Some girl named Cindy? Cynthia?”

Zoe groaned. “great. good luck with that one. Where i ended up in bed with you by accident, she’ll try and sleep with you for real,” Zoe said.

“I think it’s over Zoom so you have nothing to worry about,” Cillian laughed.

Cillian cut up some chicken and took a bite. After swallowing, he continued.

“there’s uh… there’s more”

Zoe sat in silence, waiting for him to continue.

“My manager, Mary, is going out on maternity leave, and we’ve been having a hard time trying to find someone in the interim, but her and Hannah went to the same college or sorority or whatever, and she volunteered to do it while Mary is out. So Hannah is gonna be glued to my hip for the next couple of months. And apparently … I’m leaving for London on Monday.” Cillian said the last part very fast and very softly.

Zoe could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

be cool, be cool, be cool.

“oh wow… monday? that’s … in 3 days.” Zoe said.

Cillian put his fork down and grabbed her hand.

“I know, love, but it’s not permanent you know that. and we’ll talk every day. multiple times a day. I’m coming back.”

“i know.” Zoe said, forcing a smile. “I’ll coordinate stuff for the house for you while you’re gone, with all the furniture deliveries and stuff.”

“I appreciate it. thanks love. I already made you a key” he said, digging into his pocket.

“Assumed i’d help you move while you’re off being Tommy Shelby?? how’d you know i’d say yes to helping?!” Zoe joked.

Cillian smiled. “I was making you a key, regardless.” he leaned in and gave her a kiss, placing the key in her hand.

“So you and Hannah are gonna be quite the team…” Zoe continued.

“Yeah,” Cillian replied, “I had no idea she had managerial experience. But she started in the industry as a manager and pivoted into PR, so..” he continued, shrugging his shoulders.

“Cillian and Hannah, the dynamic duo,” Zoe said, taking a spoonful of soup.

“Yea,” Cillian chuckled, grabbing another mouthful of food.

“I mean, hey, what could go wrong?”

tags: @lau219 @shopgirl6us @cillianmurphyvevo @borntodiemp3

[edith-is-a-cat]

Who would you take on Vacation? (Twst)

This was something I typed up in discord and broke the character limit Two types of vacation: Chilling - just a vacation where you aren't really bouncing around and mostly going places like hot springs, places chill like that. Mainly on vacay to chill and vibe Experiencing - BOUNCING AROUND PLACE TO PLACES, COME ON LETS GO its the asscrack of dawn You do things like have a big plan and you gotta stick to that plan (but yes rest is built in)

The people I would take on a chill vacay and why - Idia - He will not be waking anyone up early, in fact I bet he would be fussy if anyone woke him up before 10 or 11. He would be down to chill places and just play or his phone/switch/ect. (He might also be fine with being payer for the trip) Ortho - Ortho has access to google and a database that probably bigger than the sun at all times. He would be the best for finding places to chill out. Cater - HE WOULD KNOW EVER NEAT LITTLE SPOT. He'll probably also be a sleeper but he will just be able to turn a corner and point out the best restaurant or cafe ever (xoxo to social media) Jamil - STRAPPING THIS POOR MAN TO A BED AND MAKING HIM SLEEP-- he needs to be here he needs rest. Silver - Plan: laying him over Jamil so they both sleep. Riddle - Needs and entire break from his dorm and mother.. No Riddle you will not be calling her every night in fact I will be taking your phone away at night, now do you want a strawberry tart? heard there is a lovely bakery just down the street from the hotel Ruggie - LAY DOWN YOU AIN'T GOING TO BE REPAYING ANYONE RUGGIE YOU GONNA BE CHILLING ISTG Epel - There will be no Vil or Rook to tell you what to wear or do now you can lay back and take a nap (he will just die if we find any place to cuddle cows) Leona - He will love this he will be sleeping everywhere and anywhere (add him to the Jamil pile)

Experiencing - Trey - Well planned and keeping the next two in line Ace - He will complain about be woken up at seven but he will be so happy when we go to an interactive museum (He's running around with Deuce like two little kids) Deuce - Will not complain about be woken up early he is actually VERY excited Kalim - Bouncing off the walls (he loves new experiences) Though we may have to put him with relaxing with Jamil (poor Jamil he will never escape him) Octrio - Azul Is basically here to keep the tweels on a leash and you can not tell me he is the best person to haggle for prices. The tweels are just excited to be on vacay especially Floyd he wants to see EVERYTHING but will complain about being woken up at 7 Vil - HE IS OUR MAIN PLANNER HE KNOWS EVERYTHING AND WILL BE TAKING PICTURES EVERYWHERE Rook - Vil's camera man, when he gets back to NRC he will write an essay about how beautiful this experience was Malleus - Absolutely loving experiencing new things (he is sad he keeps spooking everyone he walks by) Lilia - He Is a bouncer he is very excited to see everything and he is able to keep up Jack - Watching over all the other freshman and enjoying his time Sebek - If Malleus weren't here he would be paying attention the the tours but sadly Malleus is so guess who is worrying every two seconds. (Where is grim? HES ON ALL VACATIONS BC HES MY SON)

[strawberrickys]

hi I saw u write for epex too and I'm absolutely in to them these days. if u don't mind could u write epex members when u fall asleep on them (before dating)

aaa plz i love epex 😭 yesyes this is so cute

im doing this in bullet points, hope you don't mind ❤️ if you wanted headcanons or if you want me to elaborate on any of them plz don't be afraid to ask! — not proofread, lowercase intended

─────────────────────

epex — falling asleep on them !! (pre-relationship)

×× 곽 다윗 —★ kwak dawit ! wish ···

• will let you sleep unless you look uncomfortable 💀

• hes probably used to his members leaning on him and sleeping on him all the time but.. you??

• oh he's a wreck

• wants you to be comfortable and if it looks like you're in pain even in the slightest he will move you or wake you up

• overall just wants you to rest well, doesn't care that you're leaning on him

×× 금 동현 —★ keum donghyun ! keum ···

• 100% confused and WILL wake you up 💀

• "do you want to sleep? i can come back another time"

• vv worried and wants to know if you're getting enough sleep

• if you tell him you are actually tired he would be so conflicted

• he wants to spend time with you but he wants you to sleep

• prob just ends up letting you sleep on him after, win-win lol

×× 서 경민 —★ seo kyungmin ! mu ···

• will not intentionally wake you up but the second your head hits his shoulder he tenses up enough to scare both him AND you 💀

• will apologize and let you sleep on him ☹️

• WILL take photos of you but will 100% delete them if you don't like them lol

• texting EVERYONE for moral support

• "omg omg guys they're sleeping on me what do i do help help help" but no matter what anyone says he's not gonna move you until you wake up

• has ruined your sleep before, will not let it happen again 💀

×× 조 민우 —★ cho minwoo ! a-min ···

• confused but will let you sleep

• will 100% just. look at you.

• not like out of adoration but like why are you sleeping in the middle of the day and why on me look (out of adoration too)

• eventually understands because he's had his moments too

• might look at something on his phone and laugh a little too loud 💀

• will apologize even if you don't hear him or wake up lol

×× 김 현우 —★ kim hyunwoo ! baekseung ···

• nervous and will tell everyone who walks in the room to be quiet 💀

• will make sure you stay asleep because he wants you to rest and he needs to calm down

• will be vv sweet and will ask one of the members to bring you a blanket or something

• he won't hear but said member will walk away grumbling about how whipped he is

• v soft and just wants you to be warm and happy ☹️ need

×× 권 예준 —★ kwon yejun ! ayden ···

• will try to wake you up, ultimately fails, doesn't try again 💀

• "why me and why now." FEAR. someone help this boy 😭

• thinks that you meant to fall asleep on him and will get delusional /lhj

• will not be able to function until you wake up, whatever he was doing has been long abandoned

• might fall asleep too ngl 💀

×× 서 예왕 —★ seo yewang ! yewang ···

• takes him a second to realize what's going on but will let you sleep lol

• will try to wake you up but when you don't he won't push it

• if you're tired, you're tired, and he wants you to rest

• (so you guys can actually hang out 😭💀)

• will watch you and will make sure you're still sleeping and not just leaning on him to make him nervous 💀

×× 이 재호 —★ lee jaeho ! jeff ···

• you have broken him. congratulations.

• the most scared of them all a literal chill would run down his spine I think 😭

• would be 100% still and would NOT move

• will totally wake you up out of fear plz help him ☹️

• he'd wake you up like yejun but will not give up until you wake up 💀

• will ask you why you fell asleep on him but totally didn't mean to lol

• his ears are bright red please dont mention them he already knows

─────────────────────

thank you for reading this far! ❤️ feedback, likes, and reblogs are always appreciated.

— strawberrickys, 2023.

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 22: Take it out on me

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: NSFW, language, unprotected p in v sex, fingering, blowjob, oral, squirting, spanking, creampie

* Word count: 5,523ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all

Special mention: @lexixstewart & @deanscroissant and the friends who don’t have tumblr for giving this a look see as well!

Author's note: Let's goooooooo! I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! Also I just realized this is a heavy smut chapter 😅. Hope y’all enjoy it! It chills out after this lol. I promise lol.

Stella moved around and got comfortable with a quiet groan. She tucked herself back into the solid form behind her and breathed deep, falling back into sleep. Kayce noticed the movement and was quickly reminded of the night before with his best friend behind his closed eyes. He had been awake for some time now, enjoying the peace that came over him in the quietness of Stella’s bedroom.

He opened his eyes and maneuvered himself to be able to look down at her. She faced away from him, but they didn’t stop him from his inspection. She looked beautiful. His marks along her tanned skin from being out in the sun made him smirk and his dick started to stir. Her hair tie was fighting for its life to hold on to the hair that had slipped out during their romp in the sheets.

If he was honest with himself, he was speechless. They’d gotten close to this when they were younger and fooling around, but it was always interrupted. Wrong place at the wrong time, he always told himself.

Now however, they were older. Unattached. He needed to drown in something that wasn’t going to judge him or think he was dangerous. He needed someone that had always been there and never turned away. In the past he would have said Monica without a doubt in his mind. As of her decision to leave him and take their son with her, Kayce was second guessing how true that actually was.

Stella had always been there for him. She always had his back. She even stood up to his father for him. More than once. He couldn’t believe he had been so blind. He placed a kiss on her shoulder. In response she turned to face him. She moved around to find a comfortable spot on her ear. He smiled at the action. He reached his hand out to touch her side and softly trace the doe tattoo there.

“That tickles.” Stella’s sleepy, muffled voice floated up from between them. “You know how I feel about soft touches.” She groaned, wiggling around and scratching her eye before opening them.

When her brown eyes met his, Kayce chuckled low in his throat. He in fact did know that Stella always said, ‘if you’re gonna touch me, just touch me.’ She had never been a soft woman in that regard. “Yeah yeah.” He grabbed her shoulder from behind and pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

Stella repositioned her head and draped an arm over his side. She rubbed back and forth in a relaxing motion. It would have been if his cock wasn’t waking up to her being pushed up against him, naked. “What time is it?” She asked lazily.

“I have no idea actually.” He looked at the light coming in the window. “Looks early still.”

“I don’t even know where my phone is.” Stella scrunched her face up. “I actually don’t know where a lot of shit is at the moment.” They laid in comfortable silence. Both of them thought of what the hell they’d gotten themselves into with this. Stella would be a fool to not admit she hadn’t fantasized about this exact thing happening a time or two.

“We’ve got a full day.” She sounded annoyed.

“We do, but not for a little while.”

“So we don’t have to face reality just yet?” She stretched her hand out on his side.

“We’ve got time.”

She paused, feeling his slowly growing erection against her inner thigh. “I think I like how your mind works, Kayce Dutton.” She smirked.

Kayce leaned toward her. He pulled her hair tie the rest of the way off with his free hand. “Is that right?” He questioned smugly. Running his fingers through her hair, he secured his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss.

A small sigh of contentment escaped from Stella. Her leg raised and she hooked it across his hip as if it was second nature to her to open herself up to him. Kayce ran his hand down her side and placed his hand on her behind. They never broke contact, mouths battling for dominance. He propped his foot up to keep her leg on his thigh.

With her spread open, it was convenient for him to reach down and sink his fingers into her wet cunt. His fingers came back out coated in her slick. He ran his middle finger around her clit and she broke free of his lips to let out a low moan. His skillful fingers traced a pattern back down to her opening and dove back in. This time he curled them in a rhythmic pattern, middle finger leading the way, and tapped the front wall of her vagina.

With one hand on his chest and one on his side, Stella gripped him tight. “Fuck,” she huffed out.

“That’s it, baby.” Kayce coaxed her. “Give it to me.” He curled his middle finger inside her and brought his thumb to her clit, massaging them in time.

“Oh god, Kayce.” Stella pushed on his chest moving her center closer to him.

He felt her pussy start to twitch around his fingers. He rapidly pulled his hand away. Stella let out a disappointed sound. They locked eyes and there was a gleam in Stella’s, that on any other day would have Kayce telling people to run for the hills.

Stella quickly detangled herself from his limbs and sat up. She ran a hand through her hair, tossing it to the side. Gently she pushed Kayce’s leg down. She let her hands explore his hips in the soft morning light. His cock standing at full attention in her face. She looked up at him through hooded eyes and licked her hand and wrapped it around the base of his cock.

Kayce let out a hiss through his teeth. “You wouldn’t.”

Stella hummed. “Oh but baby, I would.” She leaned over him fully and enveloped his dick with her mouth. She went down as far as she could without choking herself. Kayce moaned and his eyes fluttered shut for a split second before he snapped them back open, wanting to see the magic happen. Stella swirled her tongue around just above her hand and pulled back, bringing her hand up to his swollen head.

“Fuck,” Kayce dragged the syllable out. He reached out and tucked his hand in her hair as she slid her mouth back down on him further this time. She braced her hands on his hips and went as far as she could. She felt her throat close and Kayce held her mouth on him for a few seconds before allowing her to pop back up for air. She went back to using her mouth and hand in tandem. She brushed against his balls and he shot up causing her to jump back.

He leaned back against her headboard and waved her to his lap. “Now.”

Stella was more than happy to follow the order. She crawled over to him, put her knee next to his hip and hiked the other leg over. Kayce reached down and grabbed his twitching cock and ran it between her folds. She was posted up just high enough that his head could touch her. “Sit down.”

Stella placed her hands on his shoulders. She leaned in to kiss him as she sheathed his cock fully in her wet cunt. They relished in the feeling, both full in different ways. She lifted her head and they locked eyes. Kayce grabbed her hips and slowly started to grind her center onto his. She followed his pattern and took over the work. Kayce licked his finger tips and placed his hand between them, reaching for her clit all while keeping her gaze.

“Shit, Kace.”

“Yeah Stell, I know.” He panted. “Take it.” With his blessing Stella started riding him. He helped her hips hitch up and let gravity slam her back onto him. Each time he connected, Stella let out a moan. Her head flung back and she reached up to play with her nipples, lost in the feeling of him.

“Oh fuck me Kayce,” she gasped.

He sat up and wrapped his arms around her. He twisted them and pinned her underneath him. Leaning down to kiss her, he readjusted his hips. His pace started slow, but picked up momentum as the minutes went by.

He straightened one of her legs out, but kept the other against his chest. “Oh fuck, Stella.”

“Yes Kayce, oh fuck yes. Please please please,” she pleaded breathlessly. “You’re so deep, oh fuck.”

Their hips slammed together at an outrageous pace. The wet slapping noise just edged both of them further. Stella reached down to pet her clit and that caused her pussy to grip him tighter. “God damn it!” Kayce yelled. His cock drove into her erratically.

“Oh fuck,” Stella gripped him tight with her arms and held on for dear life. The orgasm started to rip through her and her breath left her completely. Kayce’s motion stuttered and she felt the hot come start to slip out of him. She moaned at the fullness. “Oh shit Kayce, yes!”

“Stella,” he choked on his own words, “christ. It’s still going.” He grunted from the effort of his orgasm.

Stella was blissed out from the sounds he made. She felt his load start to seep out of her as he continued to gyrate his hips into her. She encouraged him to keep going. “Fuck that’s it, baby.” She could feel a rebound orgasm creeping up. She gasped for air as the intensity gained traction. “Oh my fucking god,” her eyes rolled back in her head and she moaned out Kayce’s name loudly. Her body convulsed as her orgasm ripped through her.

Kayce held onto her, guiding her through it. “That’s it baby. Come back to me.” When the twitching slowed for both of them Kayce released her other leg and he leaned down to her, softly touching her face. Stella finally opened her blurry eyes and Kayce was able to breathe again. “Welcome back. Was afraid I’d lost you.”

Stella laughed quietly. “I thought I almost lost too. Jesus Christ,” another laugh puffed out of her, “I think I blacked out.”

The pair laid there gazing at each other in the post coital glow. She would be content to lay her with him forever and forget the world. Stella grumbled at the thought of leaving the bed. “We should probably get cleaned up. We still gotta go get your dad.”

“And I’m immediately soft.”

Stella let out a hearty laugh and lightly hit his chest. “Shut the fuck up, Kayce.”

“You go clean up first. I’ll find my phone.” He gently directed her.

She gave him a mock salute and sat up, scooting to the edge of the bed. When her feet touched the floor, she stretched her arms upward. She winced in pain as her bruised ribs grounded her in reality. Kayce grabbed her attention.

“Hey.”

She turned to look over her shoulder at him. “Yes?”

He smirked. “Nothin’. I just wanted to look at you before you walked away.”

Stella rolled her eyes and laughed. She turned away feeling her cheeks heat up, not used to the attention from him in this manner. “I’m gonna grab a quick shower.” Wandering around her room, naked and glowing, she picked out clothes. She picked up her glasses that she’d thrown haphazardly the night before. Stopping in the doorway she looked back at her best friend. “Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone, ya hear?” They shared a laugh and she waltzed away.

Once in the bathroom, she flicked on the light ready to survey the damage. Her hair was wild and her cheeks and chest were rosy. There were traces of Kayce all along her chest and neck. More specifically her shoulder. ‘That’s definitely gonna bruise up. Shit.’

She turned on the shower and while the shower was heating up, she brushed her hair out. She tested the water and hopped in, taking care to wash the sensitive bits and make sure everything was cleaned out properly. Especially after this morning's turn of events.

True to her word, she only took about 10 minutes. Once out, she toweled off and got dressed. Coming out of the bathroom she was met by Kayce at the top of the stairs. His eyes dropped to her shoulder and back up.

“Am I witnessing Kayce Dutton blushing?” Stella teased. “It’s fine, I’m gonna have my coat on anyhow. And I have a hoodie for later.”

He silently tried to get his panic to slow down. “My dad’s ready.”

“Well let’s go then.”

Kayce swung the truck around to the front door of the hospital. John was already walking out. Stella went to reach for the truck door to hop out, but John beat her to it.

“Stella?” John looked between his son and his son's best friend. Something was different. He squinted in suspicion.

She grinned sheepishly at him. “Hi sir.” Stella figured he must not have remembered that she had been with Kayce last night. John backed up a few steps to let her hop out. “You were much quicker on the draw than I expected.”

He smiled at her. “Gotta keep you on your toes, kid.” She slid out of the truck and onto her feet. Secretly standing behind John just long enough to make sure he didn’t fall getting in.

“I think you’ve done enough of that over the last few days.” She laughed. Kayce and her made eye contact around his dad’s head. Kayce subtly nodded his thanks. Stella smiled, shutting the door behind John and opened the back door to hop in.

Things were quiet for a while. Stella watched Montana zip past through the window. John squirmed in his seat and groaned. He cleared his throat. “So Stella, did my son force you to come along?”

Stella and Kayce looked at each other through the rear view mirror. “No. I came with him from the jump yesterday. Well, I got his truck and then I met him at the hospital because he went with you obviously.” She moved her gaze to stare at John's headrest.

“And you sat with him?”

“Yeah?” Stella tilted her head. Not sure what he was getting at. She shrugged as if he could see her and continued. “Then I took him back to my house to let him get some rest like you asked. Since it’s a little closer than the ranch. And well here we are.” There was gruff, but quiet ‘thank you,’ from the front seat. She chuckled. “It’s no problem, sir.” John grumbled at her. “John,” she corrected, remembering he wanted her to call him that. It was hard to get used to.

John was ticking off things he noticed between the duo. Longer looks, Stella had a permanent flush across her cheeks. Something had definitely changed. John went back to moving around and groaned every so often. Kayce and Stella glanced at each other before Kayce asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. It just hurts to sit.”

Stella felt the truck swing and hit a pothole. She gave Kayce a sharp look in the mirror.

“Sorry. Didn’t see that one.” Kayce mumbled. The vehicle swerved again and hit another one. Stella cleared her throat. Kayce looked at her in the mirror.

“Jesus, son. Are you aimin’ for ‘em??”

Kayce had enough. “If you know a smoother way back, let me know and I’ll take it!”

“Just,” John decided what he wanted to say. He pointed up ahead. “Pull over right here.”

Kayce abruptly moved the truck and pulled over next to an open gate. John’s door flew open and he slid out as quickly as he could. Kayce leaned his head back against his headrest. “Fuck.”

Stella leaned up in between the seats and propped her elbows on them. She mumbled softly, “you were definitely hitting them on purpose.” Stella poked his shoulder. “Why?”

“I dunno, Stell.”

“You’re upset. I get it,” she sighed, “but maybe a conversation instead of causing him physical pain would have been better?”

“Not with him. Especially when his mind is made up. You know that.”

“Unfortunately I do. Go talk to him. I’ll stay back here.” Stella gave his arm a squeeze and sat back.

Kayce got out of the truck and slowly followed after John. They heard Stella prop her door open. She was being nosy, but only to make sure if it escalated she could jump in.

“Maybe it’s a little soon to come home?” Kayce asked his dad.

“Yeah well I could say the same to you.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means you don’t fight, Kayce. Understand me? If wranglers get worked over, then wranglers handle it.” John coached.

“How am I supposed to sleep in the same room with men I won’t defend?”

“You aren’t.” John heaved a breath as he tried to regulate the pain. “I’m gonna fix that problem too.” He walked farther forward. Stella’s eyebrows scrunched together.

“What, you gonna walk home now? I don’t even know who’s field this is.”

“Me neither.” John chuckled humorlessly. “10 years ago I did. I think I finally, finally understand you son.”

“Yeah, well if you wanna explain me to me, I’m all ears.” Kayce tossed his arms outward.

“You know, there’s being scared to die, son, and knowing it’s coming. When you know it’s coming, tomorrow stops factoring into your decisions because you know you’re never gonna see it. Then you, then you live. And you realize you ain’t dead, and you’re not gonna die. And now you gotta face all of them decisions you made. And outta all of that, you gotta figure out how to let yourself start living again.” John advised.

“I don’t know how to do that.”

John laughed. “Yeah. Well. Shit I don’t know.” He softened his harsh tone. “I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out.” He wheeled around to go back to the truck.

John observed Stella’s door propped open with her foot and watched her lazily scroll through her phone. He stopped short and glanced at Kayce. “Did something happen there?”

Kayce almost choked. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Kayce looked around. “I did, but what do you mean?” John glowered at his son. Kayce put his hands on his hips, looking at the ground. “No, nothing happened.” John grunted a response of not believing his son at all and moved to get into the truck.

The truck finally pulled into the long driveway to the ranch. It was a dreadfully silent drive after John and Kayce talked. Kayce slowed the truck down when he spotted Walker coming down the way with his bags in his hands.

Kayce rolled down his window all the way. “Where you headed?” Stella leaned up against the seats again to listen.

“I quit.” Walker stated simply.

“How come?” Stella asked.

“I’m a cowboy. And that’s all. You know what I mean?” Stella shook her head. She had felt bad he had been press gained into doing dirty work when he was just trying to turn his life around.

“You know that’s all we need from you.” Kayce explained.

“That’s not all you needed the other night.” Walker argued back.

“The other night won’t happen again.”

Walker scoffed. “You say that, then someone else says somethin’ different. Can’t figure out who runs this deal.”

John leaned toward Kayce’s window with a grunt feeling his stitches pull. “I run it. And he runs it. You don’t listen to nobody else. Head on back to the bunkhouse.” Walker glanced around, unsure of the mess he had gotten himself into. John prompted him again. “Head on back.” He paused, looking annoyed as ever. “Drop Stella off and take me to the house. We’re makin’ some changes.”

They drove up and around the bend and pulled to a stop outside the barn. Before Stella exited the vehicle she stared at Kayce questioningly. He shrugged, not too sure where his dad was going with any of this.

“I’ll be here when you’re done.” She let him know and slipped out of the truck. She looked at John through his window with a smile. “I’m glad you’re on the mend. If you need anything, holler.”

Up at the house, John had Kayce in his office. He pointed to the papers he laid out in front of him. “Alright just, uh, just sign these two at the bottom. I’ll have Beth fill them out.” He pulled a badge out of a box on his desk. “Here. That was Lee’s.”

“When do I start trainin’?” Kayce asked.

“Soon. But let’s, lets get this bunkhouse thing figured out first.” He looked down as Kayce walked off. “You haven’t mentioned her, Kayce.” John leaned up against his desk with a groan. “Not once. Or Tate. Or why you’re not with ‘em. And then all of a sudden there’s something different between you and Stella.”

“What’s talkin’ about it gonna do?” Kayce splayed his hands out and then slapped his thighs.

“It’d help you form a plan to get them back.” John advised.

“Plans not gonna change the way someone feels.”

“When Lee ran this place, he was honest, and he was fair with everyone. That’s what I need from you. But you can’t be that way with others, son, until you’re that way with yourself.” John gave him the suggestion.

“I miss ‘em.” Kayce admitted and teared up. There was a moment where he second guessed himself because of what happened between him and Stella. He knew he missed them. He knew he wanted his son around. Other than that he didn’t know what he truly wanted anymore.

“What happened?”

“You happened, dad. Then everything happened.”

John caught his son one more time before he left. “Kayce, send Rip up to the house.”

Coming down the hill he caught sight of Stella running in panic to the bunkhouse after Rip. Kayce shouted after her. “Stella! What’s wrong?”

“Rip is out for blood!” She yelled over her shoulder.

Both of them ran through the door. Stella yelled as she squeezed through Jake and Ryan, “make a hole!”

Kayce stomped forward grabbing Rip by the collar, holding him back from attacking Walker. “Hey wait! Rip! Come here!” Kayce groaned with the effort it took to hold Rip back. “My father wants to see you.” Rip tried to jump forward again. Kayce shook him. “Hey hey. Now.”

Stella stood back with everyone else as Rip stormed out. Lloyd had cornered her behind him in the kitchen in case things got bad. She placed herself next to him and asked, “what the hell jumped up his ass?”

“Walker was out of line today. Pulled a knife on Rip.”

“What?!”

“Yeah it was almost real bad.”

“Do y’all need anything?” Stella watched Kayce leave.

“No, other than Rip and Walker to not kill each other.”

Stella chuckled. “If I find the remedy to that, you’ll be the first person I call.”

Jimmy approached Stella. “You wanna watch football with us in a little while?”

She looked around and caught Avery’s eye. They shared a smile. Stella thought it sounded like a great idea. “You know what? Yes, I’d love to.” Ethan raised up from his spot on the couch. “I can grab a chair, Big E.”

“No, take my seat. It’s only right.”

Ethan didn’t talk much, but he was always so sweet to Stella. “Thank you.” She smiled at him and took the seat on the farthest end of the couch. Colby took the spot next to her, and Jimmy plopped himself on the opposite end of the couch. Her brother and Ethan took chairs at the back of the couch. Lloyd and Ethan sat at the table. Walker and Cowboy kept to themselves in the bunkroom.

Jimmy decided this was the time to ask a bunch of stupid questions that none of the guys felt like answering. Colby obliged him, but started to threaten Jimmy when he brought up Colby’s mom. Stella pulled both legs up onto the couch and got comfortable as Lloyd told them all to shut up. She giggled.

The door swung open wide and Rip came in with bags in his hands. He dumped them by the table and everyone got quiet. It was almost as quiet as when Avery showed up. He moved around the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. “The bobcats look good,” he muttered while looking at the tv.

Everything seemed to snap back to normal. Friendly conversation picked back up between everyone. Stella went over to Rip. He glanced up at her from his seat. “So what're you doin’ in here? With bags?”

His face hardened with a scowl. “Ask Kayce.”

Stella frowned and made a quiet exit from the bunkhouse. Taking a turn to the left, she rounded the corner and saw Kayce’s truck parked out in front of the lodge. Rip’s place. Her brows pulled together. She moved up to the door and pushed it open. Kayce was standing in the kitchen.

“Kayce what the fuck?”

“What’s wrong?”

“What’re you doing here and why is Rip in the bunkhouse?”

“It was my dad’s decision, Stella. Ain’t nothin’ I can do about it.” Kayce leaned back against the counter.

Stella’s eyes widened. She squinted at Kayce. Furious. “You could’ve said no!”

He raised his voice slightly. “I can’t do that when he wants me to learn how to run this place.”

“There are plenty of other out buildings you could’ve moved into! The trapper cabin, Lee’s cabin,” she listed. “Any of them, yet you chose the foreman’s cabin!”

“I didn’t choose it! My dad did! He made me foreman. And the foreman should stay in the foreman’s house.”

Stella’s mouth dropped open. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ joking.”

“What?” Kayce stopped leaning on the counter. He felt a fight brewing. “You think I can’t do this? I watched my dad and grandpa do it from day one.”

“Kayce, that’s not what I’m saying. Don’t put words in my mouth. The part that bothers me is you knowingly helped kick a man out of a house he’s lived in forever and a day now. Just because your dad said so. How are you okay with that?!” She got up in his personal space. “You and I both know,” she poked his brand scar, “you’ve never listened to your father. Ever. And even when you have, it was barely.”

“I’m tired of fighting it, Stella. Everything has fallen apart. I have to build up from somewhere.”

She laughed out a scoff. “Wow. I never thought I would live to see the day that you turned belly up to your dad.”

He glared down at her. Everything his dad put into his head today ran through his mind all at once. His breathing picked up. He threw caution out the window and grabbed her head with lightning speed. Stella struggled against his chest, but didn’t try to break the kiss. Kayce pushed her backward and backed her up against the back of the couch.

Stella bit his bottom lip and he let out a growl. He released her face. She tried to start yelling again, but Kayce went in for the kill. He didn’t care that the door was unlocked, he didn’t care that the shades weren’t drawn and they were in clear view of anyone who might walk past. He needed her. Now.

Their mouths latched onto each other and they battled for the upper hand. Kayce reached down between them and undid her belt along with the button of her jeans.

Stella almost growled. “God damn it, Kayce.” She was so pissed at him, but intoxicated by him at the same time. She reached down to undo his shirt buttons. When she got to the second layer that was just a t-shirt, she groaned. “Why do you have to wear so many fuckin’ shirts?”

“To make you work for it, sugar.”

Stella rolled her eyes, but pulled the second shirt off of him. She trailed her hands from his shoulders, just to the top of his pants. “God I fuckin’ want you, but you piss me off,” she exhaled. He removed her shirt in one motion, her glasses got caught in her collar and went along with it.

He laughed. “I’ll make it up to you.”

He took her in, standing there full of rage and in her bra and unbuttoned pants. He loved the lace bralettes she wore, even though he’d only seen it in full once. They were attractive, but left enough to the imagination. He decided he wanted it to stay on. He carefully exposed her breasts. He leaned down and took a nipple into his mouth. Stella propped her arms on the back of the sofa and threw her head back. Kayce’s tongue swirled patterns around her nipples one at a time. Since she was being a brat, he bit her nipple a little harder than he normally would.

Stella squealed. “Fuck!” She slapped his shoulder in reprimand.

While he was busy with her top half, she wiggled her hips enough so that her pants fell. She grabbed his pants by the buckle and hastily undid them. She slid her hand beneath the waistband of his underwear and wrapped her hand around his hard cock. It pulsed in her hand with his heartbeat. With a soft grip, she pumped him and felt him harden with her manipulation. She bit her lip. “Kayce, fuck me,” she requested.

Kayce didn’t need to be asked twice. He unlatched from her breasts and pivoted her around. He hoisted her up on the table. He instructed her, “lay back.” He brought her to the edge of the table and pulled her boyshorts off. This was the first real look he’d had of her. “Shit,” he panted.

He placed her legs on his shoulders and dove in. He used his fingers to spread her open for him. Securing his mouth on her clit, he felt her tense. He gently put his hand on her lower abdomen to keep her still. Using his other hand while his mouth sucked a pattern on her center, he brought his free hand up and let his middle finger lead the way into her. He continued tasting her, but pumped his fingers into her rhythmically. Every now and again he would curl them in a come hither motion.

“Oh fuck,” Stella moaned, breathless. She grabbed at his hair while his tongue and fingers drove her insane. The slurping noises that emanated from in between her legs were sinful. Her chest and cheeks went red from the embarrassment. Kayce hit a particularly sensitive spot with his fingers and she gasped. “Jesus Christ, do that again!” He repeated the motion and Stella started to lose control of her lower half. Her slick cunt throbbed against Kayce’s mouth and hand. The feelings and sounds overwhelmed her. Her moans caught in her throat.

His head popped up from between her thighs. His nose and mouth were flushed red from the assault. He rubbed her clit furiously and her moaned finally broke through her. Liquid hit Kayce’s hand and he smiled. “Atta girl, c’mon.” He worked her until she convulsed from his touch.

Stella was breathless. “Fuck I didn’t know I could do that.”

“C’mere.” He helped her off the table and he bent her over the back of the sofa. He couldn’t decide where he wanted her. He just knew he needed her. He pushed his pants off with urgent need. “I need to be inside you.” He grabbed his cock as it jumped at the sight of her bent over for him. Stella trembled at the feeling of his gaze on her dripping pussy. She wanted to be embarrassed by how hot she was for him, but that thought flew away when Kayce thrusted all the way to her cervix. “Fuckin’ hell,” he said through his teeth.

He propped one of her legs up on the couch and hammered into her waiting cunt. He didn’t even give Stella a second to catch her breath. Every thrust seemed deeper than the last and stole her breath from under her. She moaned every time he hit home which spurred him on. “Look at you,” he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back to look at him. “So good, Stella.” He gave her ass cheek a slap.

“Ooh fuck, ye-es!” She hiccuped in between. “Fuck me, Kayce. Take it,” she cried.

Kayce pulled out of her tight cunt, needing a second to breathe or he’d lose his shit right there. He brought her leg down and turned her around. He leaned her back against the couch and propped her ass on the edge. He lined up his cock and sank back in. Stella used his shoulder to hold herself up and wrapped a leg around his hip. He grabbed it to hold as leverage. That was all the convincing he needed.

He grabbed her other leg behind the knee and pounded into her feeling the release getting closer. Stella moaned his name and pleaded with him repeatedly. She wanted to come just as bad.

“Kayce, fuck,” Stella wasn’t able to form a coherent thought. She was reeling from how hard he was hitting her. It felt like he was in her stomach with every thrust. She reached her fingers down to her clit. She rubbed in time with his thrusts.

“Fuck I’m gonna,” the ferocity of her orgasm cut her off.

Kayce groaned as she tightened around him. His thrusts sped up as he felt his release shoot out in hot streams in her cunt. “Ahh fuck, Stella!” His hips stuttered as he lost momentum.

As Kayce slowed, Stella’s head dropped back against the couch as she heaved. “Fuck,” she exhaled as he pulled out of her.

“You okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

She leaned up on her elbows and chuckled. “No. I’m okay, but I’m gonna go take care of,” she glanced down at her center, “this.”

Kayce backed up and Stella planted her wobbly feet on the ground. “You know this doesn’t negate the fact that you kicked Rip out of his house, right?” She felt his cum start to leak out of her. She made her trek to the shower quickly before any of it could hit the ground. “I’ll be back.”

Feeling refreshed, Stella stepped out of the bathroom in her towel. On the bed she spotted clothes. They were his. They were probably for after his shower. She looked around, but didn’t see Kayce anywhere. “Kace? Where'd you go?” She heard the fridge close. She wandered to the doorway and looked out at him. “Are those clothes on the bed for you?”

He spun around. “No. They’re for you. I’ll pick some out now to go shower.”

His answer was clipped. He was still annoyed at her. Stella backed up out of the door to let him by. She reached out and grabbed his arm. “Hey, wait,” she whispered. He halted and looked down at her. She reached up to tuck some hair behind his ear. “I’m sorry for taking it out on you, but your dad really gets on my nerves sometimes with the way he does shit, you know?”

He gazed down at her in silence. Bending down, he kissed her softly. “Yeah me too, Stell,” he sighed. “Me too.”

She let him go and quietly got dressed. She curled up in the bed on the side closest to the wall.

By the time Kayce opened the door and turned off the bathroom light, he found Stella fast asleep. He smiled sadly at her. He didn’t know what to do and she was stuck in his mess, yet again. Rip’s words from a few weeks ago came back to him.

He rolled his eyes and went and climbed into bed next to his best friend. They would figure it out.

[reds-skull]

Not Alive, Nor Dead

[PREV PART] [AO3]

This is (probably) the shortest chapter I've ever posted. Just didn't feel right to start another day.

Also my brain is actually melting from uni work please save me

Someone is screaming his name. A voice, loud and muted, clear and rough.

Ghost groans. Colors burst behind his eyelids.

“SIMON RILEY”

He opens his eyes. The world is a mess of fog and stardust. Ladder-like patterns swirl around him.

“Reaper…” he whispers.

“GET UP”

Ghost tries to take control over his shaking limbs. Pain flashes like lightning down his arms, as he slowly pushes himself off the ground.

He looks up at his Reaper, frowning. The realm… it’s… different.

Little moths inhabit the Reaper’s domain, flying around the patterns it creates, landing on its shoulders.

“What happened?” Ghost’s voice quivers.

His Reaper lowers its head to watch him closely, “I WARNED YOU OF THIS. YOU REFUSED TO LISTEN. BARE WITNESS TO THE RAMIFICATIONS OF YOUR ACTIONS.”

Moths startle as his Reaper gestures around them.

“YOU LET THE REVENANT OF DESTRUCTION JOIN YOUR VOID, SIMON RILEY.”

Ghost’s head is thumping a rapid rhythm, and he struggles to comprehend, “what does that mean?”

The Reaper’s eyes glow red, the air around him chills.

“IT MEANS HE HAS REIGN OVER YOUR LIMBO. HE, AND ONLY HE, IS ABLE TO SLAUGHTER YOU THERE.”

The moths swarm around the raging being, their fire casting terrifying shadows over bioluminescent skin.

“FEAR NOT, SIMON RILEY. YOU HAVE STOLEN SOMETHING FROM THE REAPER OF DESTRUCTION AS WELL.”

The world around them starts collapsing, Ghost hypnotized by the Reaper’s eyes, 6 red dwarves exploding in the never-ending universe.

“YOU STOLE LIGHT.

A SWORD AND A SHIELD.

I WILL KEEP YOU ALIVE

FOR NOW

DO NOT FAIL ME, REVENANT.”

Someone is calling his name. A voice, warm and soft, desperate and calming.

“-Simon!”

He hums. Something is feeling his shoulders, neck, lips… the touch is warm, it pulls him back to sleep.

“-Please, please… wake up…”

It sounds so achingly like home. Flames ignite in his chest, and Simon smiles, “Johnny…”

“-Oh Reapers above, thank god!-”

Simon drifts away again, following a lilting voice to a dreamless sleep.

Ghost feels weightless. Almost like he’s still sleeping.

“How far until the safe house?” 

Someone sighs, “3 clicks.”

There’s a hand on his left arm, he notes.

“Bloody hell… we’re too exposed with 2 fuckin’ corpses floating around us.”

“Don’t call them that, hermano… what if they’re really-”

“They’re not dead.” the other person grounds, “Soap wouldn’t be able to drag himself that far otherwise-”

Soap. Johnny. JOHNNY.

Ghost snaps his eyes open, taking the (moving?) night sky for half a second, before snarling and thrashing around.

“Bloody-!” The hand on him retreats, and Ghost drops to the ground with a gasp.

The pain that shoots through his entire body momentarily blinds him. “Fuckin’ hell…” he mutters through clenched teeth.

“Ghost?! Shit, are you okay?” his eyes finally focus on the figures in front of him.

Gaz is crouching, one hand hesitantly reaching for him, the other on a prone person, floating midair just like Ghost was up until a few seconds ago.

Rudy pops up behind him, relief obvious on his features, “are you injured, Fantasma?”

“Where’s-” Ghost hissed as he lifts from the ground, Rudy rushing to support his back, “where’s Johnny?”

Gaz steps to the side, bringing the floating man closer.

“He… hasn’t woken up since we found him.” Garrick gently moves Soap down to the dirt, “only injury I could find on him is this…”

Gaz lifts Soap’s left arm, streaks of black covering his entire forearm, as if someone clawed at it.

Ghost lowers his head, breathing heavily. Limbo, Johnny, his victims scrambling to take his fire-

“YOU STOLE LIGHT.”

“It’s my fault.” Ghost covers his eyes with a trembling hand, “I sent him to Limbo… he was too far to reach… I-” his breaths come out quicker and quicker, “he’s not gonna-”

“He will be alright, Ghost.” Gaz firmly says, “when we found you, you were together. Soap got all the way from the compound to you before passing out.” he sounds so sure, Ghost can’t tell if he’s trying to convince himself as well.

Ghost removes his hand to look at Garrick, who offers him a hand, “c’mon. Rudy knows a safe house not too far from here, maybe the others made it out as well.”

He takes the hand, lifting easily off the dry earth. Rudy supports him when Ghost almost falls back down, his touch cool compared to Las Almas’ air.

Ghost bares his teeth, muttering, “what happened?”

“After you and Soap destroyed the entire compound?” Rudy takes some of his weight as they start walking, “Graves and his Shadows appeared behind us. They tried to capture us.”

“Rounding us up like fuckin’ cattle” Gaz growls.

Ghost groans as his leg gives out, Garrick instantly reaching to help him up, “how did you escape?”

Guilt paints Gaz’s face, “Price ordered me to get you two. I tried to take him with me, but… he refused.” Gaz tilts his head down, hiding his eyes under his baseball cap, “I found Alejandro and Rudy on the way. I was too late.”

Rudy clicks his tongue, “you did what you could, hermano. Ale was pushing me away. Pandejo always tries to save me first…”

A heavy weight in his chest pulls at his insides. “Any… casualties?”

The two men supporting him are silent for a few seconds, “we don’t know.”

They remain quiet as they continue to make their way to Alejandro’s safe house. Ghost’s mind is a cacophony of screams, each thought competing for attention.

Could Graves really kill several dozen of trained revenant operators? How could Ghost not see it, why didn’t he follow his gut for once, and cut off the snake’s head before it could bite?

A voice shouts louder than the rest, mourning his teammates, his friends. Johnny.

He grits his teeth and pushes on.

Ghost has almost forgotten true despair. How lucky he is, life has a way to always remind him.

The safe house’s windows are dark when their little group reaches it. Gaz and Ghost look at Rudy, whose face sours the closer they get to the small building.

Ghost can’t see any tire tracks, footprints, anything to suggest any human has been present in the last couple of days.

“Ale set up some pressure plates at the front doors”, Rudy murmurs, voice lifeless as their surroundings, “I’ll… go take care of that.”

The Vaquero walks ahead, steps more assured than his spirit. Ghost takes the moment to glance at Johnny. He hasn’t moved an inch since Ghost woke up. According to Gaz, he found them over 3 hours ago.

Ghost shoves away the thoughts, that yell that he will never wake up. That it’s all his fault.

The latter are not wrong. He just can’t think about that right now, not without losing what little composure he gained.

Gaz tries to give him a reassuring smile, and Ghost sharply nods in return. He doesn’t know what he would’ve done if they didn’t find them, if Ghost woke up and all he had was an unconscious Johnny by his side, baring the mark of his violence.

Rudy waves at them, signaling the way in is safe. Ghost collects his thoughts and drowns them under the physical pain of walking. At least it makes for a great distraction.

“Nobody was here, Rudy.”

Gaz left Johnny on a moth-eaten couch, now standing in the eerily quiet hallway, watching Rudy rush from room to room, attempting to find any signs of life.

Ghost let himself down next to his Sergeant, when his legs started shaking so much he couldn’t stand anymore. Pain still pulses down his limbs with every heartbeat, and Ghost tries to focus on that instead of Johnny’s weak exhales.

Rudy eventually stops, returning to the room they’re all in, eyes tired beyond his years, breath fogging the air more than usual. He looks like he’s barely hanging on at this point. Ghost is sure they all do.

Ghost takes stock of their situation - all Los Vaqueros missing, the Captain, Commander Karim and Keller, status unknown. Location, unknown. Laswell, possibly collaborating on the betrayal. Shepherd, highly likely, not confirmed.

Graves, turned hostile. 

Gaz is tired, he’s been using his powers for hours now. Even if it’s a small task, arms start hurting after you just hold a glass of water after several hours.

Rodolfo… he’s not in any state to fight, exhausted and shaken from the whole affair.

Johnny’s broken. To what extent, only time will tell.

“We can’t make any moves at our current state”, Ghost tries to sound as commanding as he usually does, “we need to rest and recharge. Take turns on lookout, in case anyone tailed us, hostile or not.”

Garrick nods, returning a “yes sir”, but Rudy stares at him for a few moments, conflicted. Eventually he sighs, looking away and heading towards what seems like a storage room.

He comes back out with a pile of blankets and pillows, calling Gaz over to take a pair, and giving Ghost two.

“For Jabón.” he explains as he walks to one of the windows, dragging a chair behind him, “I’ll take first watch. Rest easy, hermanos.”

Ghost feels the blankets for a moment, finding the softer one and wrapping it around Johnny’s still form, with gentleness that is outside his nature. He lifts Soap’s head to slide a pillow underneath, and pauses.

Johnny’s face is lax, unmoving and emotionless, in a way that is so unnatural, Ghost keeps waiting for the moment he opens his eyes, announcing the whole thing as the world’s worst prank.

He takes Johnny’s left arm in his, examining what Limbo left for him as a memory. Fingerprints wrap around his skin, cool to the touch when Ghost brushes over it.

Ghost then remembers Graves’ daft monologue, when shock and rage prevented him from truly processing what he heard.

 “I’ve always wondered just how strong Soap is… after the carnage he left in Verdansk”

He caresses charred hands, their flame extinguished. Like water trickling down his spine, the pieces that make up Soap’s Reaping fall together.

There was never an explosion in a factory, was there, he wants to ask Johnny.

Soap killed Konchar, he got his revenge. The cost, the citizens of Verdansk. 

Johnny is more destructive than any of them could imagine. Ghost looks back at every time he watched his Sergeant using his powers, how hesitant he was of them, almost scared.

He wasn’t afraid to be too weak. He feared he was too strong, terrified of hurting, of hands made for senseless violence.

Hands akin to his own.

Ghost doesn’t sleep. His heart does not calm, his mind doesn’t quiet down. He watches the sun rise, grey skies casting soft light over the barren rooms of the safe house, Rudy long fallen asleep in his watch.

A new day greets Ghost, alone. 

The hurt gotta hurt for the comfort to be good.

[painedpen]

Hi, i wanted to ask about your Mondo Oowada headcanons and platonic pairings :) i want to hear a rant, so dont worry about rambling

Okay so I’ve already answered an ask about my Mondo hcs, so now we’re gonna talk about my Kiyotaka hcs because he’s my second specialest little guy.

Fluff:

- Taka only really relaxes when he’s at home. He lets himself slouch and put his feet up while he works on a project. His manner of speech is much more casual when talking to his father. All around it’s the only time he can truly be peaceful.

- Takaaki’s grandfather came to the country from Spain, and thus the whole family is fluent in Spanish. This, of course, includes Taka. He speaks so fast it’s almost impossible to understand him when he’s speaking Spanish.

- His dad read somewhere that ear piercings could help soothe migraines, and decided to take Taka to get a couple for his birthday. Taka refuses to wear his ear cuffs anywhere outside the house, but he likes them because they make for good tactile and audio stims.

- Obviously autistic. Like c’mon.

- He is Very Normal about martial arts and weaponry. He researches extensively, and practices extensively as well. Because of this, he has a bizarrely wide knowledge of how to kill or seriously maim people.

- He actually spars with Sakura quite a bit. While he definitely can’t beat her, she enjoys that Taka is a bit more of a challenge than other people.

- Because of poverty and such, he was never able to afford good ingredients, so he only knows how to cook very basic dishes. He’s the best at making those basic dishes, though.

- You want ramen but don’t have the energy to make it yourself? Go to Taka, cause his ramen will have you meeting God so you can spiritually high five Her.

- You do have to specify not to put a crazy amount of spices in it though. He and his dad have so much spice tolerance it’s honestly concerning.

- He tries so hard to be well behaved, but growing up with Takaaki has had its side effects. Taka’s startle response is to excessively swear in Spanish. He’s mortified with himself every time.

- Honestly he’s so much more chill when he’s not in a professional environment. If you’re not at school or work he doesn’t give a shit if you swear or whatever. Just don’t do it in front of kids and he’s fine.

- Protesting king. Oh, it’s against the rules for people to wear their pride pins? Guess who’s walking down the halls wearing a rainbow flag as a cape? It’s Kiyotaka Ishimaru, motherfucker.

- Has probably been detained before due to involvement in protests. He’s always peaceful, but if the attending officers get a bit too eager, he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.

- Can leap over an eight-foot-tall fence in a single bound, and will at the slightest hint of provocation.

- If he’s too focused on his work, the filter between his brain and mouth will forget to work. It’s honestly so entertaining because he’ll just say whatever comes to mind, no matter how insulting or rude it is.

Angst: (CW for Violence, Child Abuse, Scars, Eating Disorders)

- Okay here we fuckin go.

- Taka has more scars than anyone else in his class. Some are from his grandfather (more on that later), but most of them are from his grandfather’s enemies.

- As everyone has already guessed, Toranosuke wasn’t all that great to Taka. He would spend weekends babysitting sometimes, and would force Taka to study for days.

- He would lock Taka in his room and wouldn’t let him out until he decided that Taka had done enough. Sometimes Taka would go the whole weekend without any food.

- At one point, Taka tried to sneak out to get something to drink, but his grandfather caught him. Long story short, that’s how he got that huge scar on his shoulder.

- Taka dissociates while he studies now. He absorbs the information, but he’ll be mumbling to himself about “yes, sir… I’ll do better, sir… sorry sir…” even though no one else is in the room with him.

- This boy has had more pints of coffee than hours of sleep in his lifetime.

- He will mix black coffee and five hour energy and down the whole thing in under a minute. Everyone who knows him worries for his health.

- He obviously struggles with nightmares, so he’ll study or work out to avoid sleeping most nights. He normally stays awake until he collapses from exhaustion.

- Touch used to be a huge No for him. Even Takaaki could barely pat him on the shoulder for a long time. When Makoto first held his face, Taka started sobbing.

- Sometimes he’ll genuinely forget that people can be kind. When he sees someone doing something nice for him or others, it kinda knocks the breath out of him because “That’s so strange… I forgot people had the capacity for it…”

- Will straight up not eat for days. He got so used to being without food as a child that having three meals a day will actively make him sick.

- He does not trust teachers in the slightest. He’ll be respectful to them, but he’d rather bite off his own tongue than ask one for help.

- This is mainly because of his middle school days. Other students would beat him to a pulp, and the teachers would just stare at him, in a puddle of his own blood, and walk away.

- There was one teacher who did something worse than that, but I don’t feel comfortable going into details at this moment. Use your imagination, it’s probably as bad as you think.

Platonic Pairings:

Kiyotaka + Sayaka:

- I’m so smart for this just let me explain.

- Sayaka asked him to teach her how to do several Latin dances, and they’ve been best friends ever since.

- They really relate to each other in the sense that they both have had to work extremely hard in order to achieve their goals. They both believe that hard work can achieve anything.

- The entire idol group loves Taka, but Sayaka is the only one he sees everyday.

- He hangs out with the lot of them very often, and they help him loosen up a bit.

Kiyotaka + Aoi:

- This one is so obvious.

- Hina is Colombian, so she was ecstatic to find another Spanish speaker in her class. She constantly clowns on Kiyotaka’s accent though.

- They’re both so passionate about the things they care about it’s so cute to watch them interact.

- I think Taka is one of the only people that can keep up with Hina’s energy level consistently.

Kiyotaka + Kyoko:

- They are childhood friends.

- Think about it. Taka’s dad is a detective, so is Kyoko’s grandfather. Kyoko’s grandfather is too smart to fall for the whole “all Ishimaru’s are evil blegh!” thing.

- I’m saying they hung out when they were little. I’m right too.

- Taka helps Kyoko express her emotions more clearly while Kyoko helps Taka calm down and focus his mind.

Kiyotaka + Peko:

- Top tier sword bros.

- Taka saw Peko training one day and promptly decided that she was the coolest person to ever exist.

- Peko admires his true passion for the art of swordplay. He reminds her of herself when she was younger.

- I’m making Peko sound like an old woman here please excuse me.

- Taka admires her so much it’s so cute. He calls her Shishou until Peko asks him to stop. After that he sticks to Peko-Senpai.

Kiyotaka + Gonta:

- Sobbing crying throwing up punching the air.

- Gonta wants to be a gentleman and Taka is one of the best people to go to for lessons in etiquette.

- They are autistic together.

- Gonta calls Taka Senpai exactly one time. Taka starts crying cause he’s so honored. Gonta thinks he hurt Taka’s feelings. He never calls Taka Senpai again.

- Taka liked bugs as a kid, and still kinda does, so he and Gonta get along so well.

*Insert autism creature Yippee sound byte*

[taffycandyqt]

hi, just saw requests are open! can you write a oneshot where 2012!raph comes down with a stomach bug and his brothers and splinter help him through it?

I'm gonna me honest when I first got this request I was at such a loss for what to write, but then the idea to have Raph and Splinter have a heart to heart came to mind and I just 🫢

TMNT 2012

Fluff! Comfort

Platonic family stuff (none of that nasty fam shipping)

Warnings: mentions of vomit and throwing up, slight angst

Raph comes down with a stomach bug and his family does everything they can to help him.

It was Mikey's fault.

How? I don't know.

But after waking up in the middle of the night to hurl his guts out in the toilet, Raph figured that one way or another, it was Mikey's fault.

That morning he wasn't feeling any better but he'd rather go to morning training with a broken leg then miss something important. How else was he supposed to stay better than Leo?

And that mindset, is what leads us to the current moment. Leo standing in front of Raph, ready to fight, while he pukes onto the floor. Splinter immediately stopped the lesson to check on him, while Donnie froze, Mikey gagged, and Leo asked Raph if he was okay.

"My son! Raphael, what happened?" Splinter asked. Raph however could not answer. Even though he was no longer vomiting he couldn't stop gagging. Eventually, he was able to stop but it took a second.

"I-I'm fine sensei. I can continue."

"No."

"Sensei, I swear I'm okay!"

"You may be okay, but the mats are not. Go rest. Donatello, Michelangelo, go get cleaning supplies to help me with this mess. Leonardo, make sure Raphael gets to bed."

"Aw sensei, do we really have to clean that up?" Complained Donnie.

"Yeah that straight up nasty dude." Mikey agreed.

"Would you rather take your brother to sleep?"

The pair looked over to Leo and Raph as they fought. Raph getting violent trying to keep Leo off him even to the point of using his sais. While Leo was trying to push him out of the dojo and convince him that a little rest wouldn't kill him. At that moment a chill ran up Raph's spine and he chucked up a little bit more of his breakfast onto Leo's foot.

"I'll go get the disinfectant." Donnie stated and Mikey followed after him.

After everyone finished with their respective chores Donnie talked to Raph to get a synopsis on his symptoms. Though he couldn't call them symptoms because that would imply Raph was sick.

And Raph never gets sick. (🙄)

Afterward Donnie shuffled to his lab while doing some research on his computer to start on some medicine for Raph.

Splinter was in the kitchen making Raph some rice porridge. It was light on the stomach with a mild taste so Splinter hoped he would be able to keep it down.

Mean while Leo was trying to keep Mikey out of Raph's room so he could sleep. Mikey insisted the best way to get better was for a bro to read you comics till the awesomeness of the characters scared the sickness away.

"No."

"Awwwwwww come onnnn Leo! It's what he needs dude!"

"What he needs is sleep, if you really want to help go help Splinter make him food or Donnie with the medicine."

Was it a good idea? Maybe not, but at least it would stall Mikey for a little bit.

"I can't sleep if you all are YELLING OUTSIDE MY ROOM!" Raph shouted. And with that Leo was dragging Mikey away from Raph's door in the direction of the Living room. At that moment Splinter was walking towards them with a bowl in hand.

"My sons, how is he feeling?"

"He being moody, so that's good at least." Answered Mikey. This earned him a light smack on the head from Leo.

"I got him to bed but I don't think he's asleep yet." Leo finally spoke, giving an actual answer.

"I see." Was all Splinter said before continuing in the direction of his sick son. Upon entering his room he found Raph not resting but rather sitting on the side of his bed, lights on, fiddling with his sais. Raph looked towards the door with an unhappy expression as Splinter entered.

"You should be resting."

"I told you I'm fine."

"Someone who is 'Fine' would not vomit for no reason." as Splinter said this, he sat the porridge on his desk table while he took a seat on the rolly chair across from Raph.

"It was probably Mikey's breakfast or something." Raph stated a tad agitated.

"Oh? None of you brothers seemed to suffer from the same issue. Did Michelangelo not make them the same breakfast?"

"I DON'T KNOW MAYBE HE USED ROTTEN CRAP IN MINE!"

"Why would your brother do that?"

Raph didn't respond to this. He looked away mearly shrugged. Deep down he knew it was ridiculous, to blame Mikey, but this whole situation just felt so dumb. He hated being treated like he was weak. He hated all this attention. Did he want Splinter's attention? DUH! But not like this. He wanted the attention he gave to Leo. To be treated like he was understood. Like he was enough. Like his flaws didn't matter in the face of all his strengths. But no. No matter how hard he worked the only time Splinter treated him like he mattered is when he's a problem. Is when is need to be fixed.

"Raphael, why are you so reluctant to admit you are sick?"

"..."

"My son, everyone gets sick. It is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Easy for you to say." Raph said, not meaning to speak that out loud.

"And why would you say that?"

"Uuuuuuh..."

"Raphael, I cannot understand how you are feeling if you never tell me."

Raph scoffed, "I have told you. I've told you over and over. But it's always the same. Control you anger Raph, it's self destructive, it hurts you and everyone around you. GREAT! Who new that the best way to CONTROL YOUR ANGER WAS TO JUST CONTROL IT! WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT! But ohhhhhhhh because I don't know how to control my self like Mr. Perfect fearless leader Leo I'm just a mess. I'M 'TEMPERAMENTAL' AND 'MOODY' AND 'IMMATURE'. SORRY?! YOU ALWAYS TELL ME TO CONTROL MY ANGER, BUT HOW!?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING IN YOU IS JUST BUBBLING BELOW THE SURFACE?! ITS LIKE WRAPPING A WATER BALLOON IN TISSUE PAPER! DOES THE TISSUE PAPER COVER IT? YEAH! BUT ALL IT TAKES IS ONE NEEDLE AND IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MANY LAYERS OF PAPER YOU HAVE IT WONT MATTER CUZ THE BALLOON WILL STILL BURST AND EVERYONE WILL GET WET AND IT'LL BE ALL YOUR FAULT EVEN THOUGH YOU TRIED TO COVER THE BALLOON BUT ALL YOU WERE GIVEN WAS FRICKIN TISSUE PAPER! AND IT'S NOT LIKE YOU MEANT TO POP THE BALLOON BUT SOMEONE SHOVED A NEEDLE ON YOUR HAND AND KEPT YELLING AT YOU TO POP IT EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T WANT TO BUT THEY KEEP YELLING AT YOU TILL YOU JUST DO IT JIST SO THEY'LL SHUT IT BUT NOW EVERYONE HATES YOU AND YOU HAVE TO KEEP DOING IT ALL OVER AGAIN OVER AND OVER BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON EVERYONE HATES WATER!

Raph huffed to catch his breath but he wasn't done.

"I know I'm not your favorite. but being sick just makes it more apparent that the only time I am a priority is when I do something wrong."

"My son..." Splinter was at a loss. He hasn't realized just how much weight Raph was carrying hand how his treatment of his brothers in comparison him had effected him.

"I am sorry."

"W-what?"

"I have always done what I believe would be best in order to raise you and your brothers. However I had not realized how greatly you were struggling and how my response to your struggle had effected you emotionally. You are not a burden Raphael. You are my son, my family, and I love you. I am sorry that I made you feel less important that you brothers and I'm sorry if my actions made it seem as though I favor Leonardo over you. I have always been proud of your skill and impressed by the speed of your progression. That is why I pushed you so hard in regards to your anger, as I could see how it was holding you back from tapping the true potential I see in you. From now on a will make a better effort to understand your needs so we can work on your struggles together."

Raph was speechless. He genuinely believed that Splinter didn't care about him as much as he did Leo or the others. He had waited for so long for someone or something to prove him wrong, and he was so happy it finally happened. As Splinter embraced his son Raph began to cry. He cried hard and afterwards he felt refreshed. He felt lighter now that his mind was clear and he had finally said all that he's always wanted to.

"I think I'm ready to rest now sensei."

"Good. Sleep well my son."

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

I'm not gonna lie, getting an idea for this one was hard and I avoided it for so long😭 but once I got it rolling I'm actually kinda happy with how it turned out.😍

[whosmuts]

// ... so Gale is going to be coming over here because. well. Gale. I'm going to be writing like ... two, maybe three variants of him bc I have like a few different Gales for different reasons xD Info under cut, as well as general info on how Gale is going to play out.

Gale 1 is my 'standard' Gale. He is a trans man; but he has been through a lot of magic 'surgeries' and will present at first glance like a cis man. The changes were basically seamless. The issue is... Gale. He couldn't resist, when he was having his magic bottom surgery, to make a few... choices. So whilst, much like Caedes he's able to change his cock temporarily on a whim? His standard cock is a little... weird. He's large but not unnaturally so; he has a few ridges and a knot and can knot your character. He also has quite a ... large output. He can modify all of this and if he hasn't slept with your partner before he'll likely disguise his cock to a more natural human one. He does sometimes regret letting his horny brain steer his body design so much. Mystra always made him hide it away so it's been a long time since he's had sex au naturel.

Gale 2 is also a trans man but he's kinda 'earlier' in this process and hasn't had bottom 'surgery' yet. It's questionable whether he will in this universe, because it's been so long. He got too caught up in his studies and magic and Mystra so just... never got around to it. He's also used to magically summoning a cock and is very insecure about his basic body plan, but if he trusts someone enough he would let them see him as he is. Please use masc terms for his genitalia in this situation bc otherwise his brain gets kinda fucky. Gale 3 is the one you are much less likely to encounter, and this is bc this is my 'in game' Gale. He's a cis guy, but he's also in a relationship w Caedes; and he's very much monogamous. (Caedes is actually really chill about Gale sleeping with other people, generally, but Gale is the one who has issue with it.)

Things that are consistent: sO! Gale is a sub. Like. Massively submissive. He loves giving up control. When he's newly with a partner, he will do his best to show himself as impressive - big magic, grand acts, trying in some way to be a strong masculine partner. But the second you try to get control off him, you'll have it. As much as he enjoys getting off, Gale is immensely focused on the other person's pleasure, and will often neglect his own. Look y'all know his issues they're gonna reflect here --

He's also uh. Mad kinky. Gale will do most anything for another partner, including summoning tentacles, using illusion magic to throw together whatever fantasies they want, he'll work super hard for it. It's actually harder to just .. get him to be himself, human, than it is to get him to use magic ripp. However, he's not above casting spells for himself. Obviously on the road this is a little harder, but trust me when I say he spent a lot of time in his tower tangled up in some certain black tentacles... He also loves ... well. A lot of things. Hypnosis. Tentacles. He loves loss of control. Shibari and being bound. There'll be more. I imagine he's going to be into most things at least a little bit, and he loves kink, but even just being in a 'normal' sex setting, just grab his hair and bite him a bit and he's going to be melting.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

so can you tell us anything about the second aftershock oc child which would end up inheriting earth

Listen he's currently in limbo until we see how the Geo stuff pans out cuz I dun wanna make another probably impossible kid.....BUT-

*jazz hands* very quick sleep deprived sketch GO

His name is Adrien Cole, which you may already know if you've been following the next-gen stuff!

He's adopted by Cole (most likely during his ~Wu Quest~ that we won't get to see rip, hence the last name) when he's 4-5 years old (still kinda waiting on some more DR info before locking that in) after being orphaned as a result of The Merge, but regardless of when he's adopted, he's still about five years younger than Cam.

Jesse: Who is that?!

Cole, sipping a smoothie: Our new son :3

Lloyd: My god he's collecting children like Pokemon, somebody stop him

Kai: At least that one didn't appear out of thin air

Jesse: ...I think he still kinda did!!!

...okay, it doesn't actually happen like that, as after their reunion post-merge, Cole and Jesse did discuss adopting another child (as Cole still felt terrible about missing a solid chunk of Cam's childhood). It just happened a little sooner and more abruptly than Jesse planned for. Cole was off on his quest and this sad, lost, merge-ruined child just started following him because he seemed like a safe person to be with ;w;)/

And Cole's not gonna turn away a child in need

It takes Adrien a really long time to warm up to Jesse, and even longer to call Cole or Jesse any form of 'Dad', but he's 100% all in on having Cam as a sister.

(And Cam is so excited to have a sibling that she doesn't even care if he's a sourpuss for most the time. He finds her constant zeal for life overwhelming, but refreshing. She's always teaching him new things when she asks without teasing him, which he appreciates)

He's not as energetic as Finn, Quinn, Blaire, Luci, or his sister, but not nearly as uptight Blythe, Seven, or Briar either. He is, however, a lot quicker to get upset with things than anyone else, and is probably the deadpan snarker of the group. Think Kid!Lloyd if he went all in on his emo and/or goth phases snksnksnk

He's a punk drummer! And a painter! But unlike the rest of the family he has a horrible case of stage fright + public speaking, so don't ever expect him to willingly show off....Unless Briar is around (one thing he can relate to Jesse with: having a hopeless crush lmao).

He and Finn have a similar dynamic as Cole and Jay, which Kai thinks is the funniest thing ever. He also gets competitive in physical activities with Quinn and Blair, and he bullies Blythe all the time for "being a nerd" (and is only nice when Briar scolds him for it). He and Seven are chill besties, and Lucina terrifies him (but he'll never say so).

Cole only gives up his powers to Adrien when Adrien says he's ready for it, but Cole does kind of want to do it ASAP, because he fears waiting too long will yield the results of what ended happening to his mom. On the other hand, with all the chaos going on during DR and beyond, Cole fears that he won't be able to protect his family or friends without his powers/strength and that makes him hesitate (even if they have the Blue Crystal exploitation).

Adrien, however, has exceedingly low attunement with the Element of Earth, due to a) his personality and b) not actually being a Descendant, and struggles with his powers even after he get them. His superstength isn't consistent, either (which scares the hell out of Jesse, because what if an accident happens—) but his Vibration Tracing is leagues better than Cole's is/was (to the point of being able to see just with vibrations in the earth. Like Toph, but not quite as cool).

ALSO his weapon is twin sickles which are not actually designed for fighting but are still enough to freak a person out when combined with superstrength hell yeah. it's basically Cole's Scythe + Jesse's Twin Naginata

ALSO he has pink in his outfit not just to rep his other dad BUT because in some older color schemes for Cole he has pink in there especially in his NRG form and I wanted to shoutout to that-

When he uses his equivalent of Earth Punch, instead of getting new markings, the scars along his arms glow instead. Where did the scars along his arms come from? I dunno! Accident as a child, weird birthmark, did it himself.......it's pending.

Anywaaaaay, that's about all I got for now. I didn't want to develop him too much if he was going to be doing even less than every other kid anyway :V

. . .

Adrien: Sooooo. ...were you adopted too, orrrrrr...?

Cam: I consider myself a ✨Bio-Magical✨ miracle child~

Adrien: Andddd I'm not gonna dig into THAT

[clumsy-jiminie]

ʙʀᴏᴋᴇɴ ᴄᴏᴅᴇꜱ | ᴊᴊᴋ | ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

◦ ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ :: mafia!jeongguk x mafia!female reader

◦ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ :: 18+

◦ ɢᴇɴʀᴇ :: mature content, angst, smut, mafia!au

◦ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ :: 11.4k

◦ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ :: cursing, pda ( very light ), use of weapons - guns, violence - fist fighting, choking, mc gets backhanded, non-major character death, fear of falling, mentions of domestic abuse, use of pet name - kitten, mild description of a panic attack

◦ ɴᴏᴛᴇꜱ :: this chapter took me FOREVER to write. I think I lost steam a couple of times while writing and started thinking about other stories to write or chapters far off in the future. it was rough man lmao. I gave up on pre-writing as well. the chapters will come out when they come out 😭 (( but I will try to aim for fridays )) I hope you enjoy! 

if you have any questions, comments, or concerns PLEASE don't hesitate to message me or send me an ask! my inbox is always open. 💖

◦ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱ-ᴘᴏꜱᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ

↠ ɴᴇxᴛ :: ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ :: ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪɴᴅᴇx ↞

Just like you thought, Jeongguk dropped you off at your room after an intense make-out session. He kissed you good night and walked down the hall, returning to his room. Maybe tonight, you'd be able to get some real rest. You did have an extremely productive day. You crawled into bed after changing into some pajamas. Your bed never was this comfortable before. In no time, you were fast asleep.

You woke up to the sounds of muffled yelling. It sounded like Seokjin and Solar were having another experimental night. As you sat up while rubbing your eyes, you realized one of the voices sounded a little too deep. You sighed deeply, having only an hour of sleep at most. Feeling fully awake, you hopped off your bed and briefly walked to your door. You cracked it open, peeking your head out into the hallway.

"Get the fuck out!" Seokjin yelled.

Their door then opened. "With fucking pleasure!" Hoseok yelled back. Your eyes widened, chills running down your spine as you opened the door. You leaned against the frame, overthinking your breathing as it may have been too loud. You've never heard Hoseok actually yell before. It didn't help that the house was quiet, with the odd creaking of the old floorboards settling into place. Hoseok soon stepped out into the hallway. The dim glow from the hallway window barely illuminated him. He turned his head, looking into the room. "If you just asked me to leave, we wouldn't even have this issue. You're completely inconsiderate."

Then there was a groan, assuming it was Seokjin, before the door slammed in Hoseok's face. Hoseok snickered, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He began frantically typing away, cursing as he shook his head. He glanced up for a second, his eyes meeting yours. You inhaled as he took a few steps toward you.

"You OK?" You asked softly.

He nodded his head, "Just fed up, honestly."

"Totally understandable…" You shifted awkwardly for a moment. You were still sour about him decking you in the face, and him moving on as if it didn't happen didn't help. It's been nearly two weeks since, and you still don't know how to feel about it. You know Hoseok was doing his job, but that didn't excuse it from hurting. At the same time, you kinda wish you wouldn't have put him in that position, either. But for the past week, you've listened to that same door open and close, followed by angry footsteps until they faded out. That couch was comfortable but not enough for anyone to sleep on consecutively. You could dislike him as much as you wanted to, but you weren't cruel enough to deny help to someone in need.

"You want my room?"

Hoseok raised an eyebrow inquisitively before chuckling softly. You were indeed something special. You have no reason to be nice to him, especially after what happened. But here you were, offering the very little you had.

"And where were you gonna sleep?" He questioned.

Your eyes widen, glancing away from him for a second, "Uh…." You quietly cursed under your breath. Hoseok smirked, making a whip sound with his mouth. A smile grew on your lips despite the heat rushing to your cheeks. "Shut up, this isn't about me…," you whispered, though your tone was more playful than harsh.

"I'm just saying," you could hear the grin in his voice. Mr. Know-It-All. "But I'm fine. I'm gonna get a room for the night."

"OK, good. That's much better than being on the couch."

"I'm assuming you're still going to his room, though."

Your face started to burn once again as you pushed at his chest, causing a soft laugh to erupt from him. Hoseok was right anyway. If you were being honest with yourself, it didn't even take loud obscenities to make you escape down the hall. A pen could've dropped, and it would've been enough reason to sleep in Jeongguk's bed. He walked ahead of you, knowing your footsteps would follow in the same direction. Then he stopped, which prompted you to do the same. He turned around to meet you. Even in the dark hallway, you could see a prominent frown on his face.

“Y/N…” Hoseok startled quietly. He hesitated, causing you to tilt your head to the side slightly. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I didn't want to hit you that day. I hate hitting people or any kind of violence, so I drive the cars solely. I just kinda panicked and didn't know what to do. If I didn't return to the house, or without you, I…" He trailed off, his eyes now looking past you as his mind wandered to the different endings playing in his head. All of them ended badly.

Just as you expected, it was a part of his job. He wasn't like Taehyung, who seemed to get a buzz from hitting you. The fact that he even stopped to apologize made you realize how this was affecting him more than you. A non-violent person committing violence in fear of his boss? If you were in his shoes, you wouldn't have thought twice. "It's fine," you said. "I get it. You had to do what you had to do."

"You sure? I mean, you don't have to forgive me. I wasn't looking for that. I just wanted you to know that I am genuinely sorry, and it won't happen again."

You stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. Where you came from, apologies were scarce. Your father barely made a mistake; it was still your fault if he did. Your various stepmothers soon adopted that ideology as well. I'm sorry became a term to always fall from your lips and never anyone else's. You always thought people apologized only to be forgiven, but Hoseok doesn't want that?

Hoseok watched as the wheels turned in your head, his lips forming a sad smile. He touched your shoulder, bringing you out of your thoughts. "Have a good night, Y/N." He nodded before turning around and walking towards the staircase. He left you with your thoughts, trying to figure out why he wouldn't want to be forgiven. His apology sat in you weirdly because of this. Could it be that he valued this blooming friendship more than being pardoned? Was he going to allow you to take whatever time you needed, and he would be there with his sunshine smile and teasing words?

You sighed, deciding this was a topic to further process after some sleep. You continued on the familiar path to Jeongguk's door. You developed a special knock so he would know when it was you on the other side. You tapped your knuckles against the wooden partition twice, then, after three seconds, you knocked once more.

Jeongguk opened the door right away. "Took you long enough."

You raised an eyebrow slightly as a smirk formed on your lips. "Says the one who opened the door in half a second."

Jeongguk rolled his eyes as he smiled lazily, making your heart skip a beat. This man. He stepped to the side to allow you to walk in. You took steps to his bed, a trail you could do in your sleep.

"You know I only come here for your bed, right?"

He snorted, "Yeah, OK."

As you crawled into the side closest to the bathroom, he got in on the opposite side. The weather was getting warmer, so Jeongguk only had a thin blanket on his bed to keep the both of you warm.

"It's the truth," you said after hearing the disbelief in his voice. "This bed is like a slice of heaven."

As you stared at the wall, trying to make sense of the artwork hanging on his walls, you lazily felt his arm drape over your midsection. The gap between you two was way too wide for either of your likings. He moved forward while pulling you back into him, your back becoming flush with his chest. It was this. This was the tiny sliver of heaven that kept you coming back almost every night. Feeling how your frame fit into his so effortlessly. How his arm ensured you were close and protected. Feeling his hand slip underneath your shirt just so his fingertips could caress your smooth skin. Heat ran to your cheeks for the umpteenth time tonight. What were you, some middle school girl? Blushing at such a simple act like he wasn't the same man to have your panties around your ankles earlier. His nose then brushed against your nape, indicating he was getting comfortable. It would only be a few seconds before he fell asleep.

Jeongguk hummed contently, inhaling your semi-sweet scent. After everything today, this was the only way he could see ending it. He's been up since he dropped you at your room, waiting for you to come crawling into his bed complaining about some noise. Maybe you were a light sleeper, but considering how often you slept through his alarm, maybe not. You both grew accustomed to this — the cuddles, the warmth, the impromptu kisses, the softness.

"Whatever you say, smalls."

The way his breath tickled your skin left it aching for more. You inhaled deeply, convincing yourself to keep those thoughts away. You placed your hand over his own, intertwining your fingers with his as you let your eyes flutter shut. Like this, it took only a short time for both of you to fall asleep.

Jeongguk's alarm went off like it does every morning, and you ignored it like you do every morning. As Jeongguk sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he noticed how much you moved in your sleep. Though you started spooning, you winded up laying diagonally across Jeongguk's bed. One of your legs was intertwined with his own while your arm and pillow were barely even on the mattress. He stared at you, perplexed about how one could be comfortable while you slept peacefully. You looked pleased, at least. Your hand was underneath your shirt, exposing your midriff and panties to him. This girl, he thought to himself. He glanced at his phone screen; if only he had more time, he knew you wouldn't have minded being woken up to a few well-placed kisses. He untangled himself from your legs, causing you to whine as the bed moved around too suddenly. But as soon as he got up and it settled, you quickly returned to your deep slumber. He looked at you for a moment — your hair sprawled out all over the place in combination with your light snoring was enough to make the corners of his lips smile. He walked over to you and brushed the hair out of your face before kissing your forehead. You hummed quietly, lips forming a half smile before fading. He grabbed a random shirt from his drawer before leaving his room.

"Morning," Jimin said, startling Jeongguk as he barely got the door closed. He looked at the man across the hall, leaning against his door frame with his arms folded over his chest. He noticed a slight tone to his voice like he was annoyed Jeongguk ever got out of bed.

"Uh, good morning," Jeongguk replied somewhat awkwardly as he pulled the shirt over his head. He started walking towards the staircase, and Jimin joined him.

"Had enough rest? I didn't hear you come up until late." His demeanor didn't change in the slightest. What could've Jeongguk done to make him so annoyed when he just woke up?

"Yeah, Y/N and I were discussing some things." The topic at hand was about how good your lips felt against his, mixed in with a bit of temptation to repeat the activities that took place earlier that day.

"Mhm, I'm sure there was a lot of talking between you two."

Jeongguk stopped in his tracks, staring at the back of the blonde's head as he walked down the stairs. What was his issue this morning? He wasn't so concerned about Jeongguk's sleeping habits before, and he usually doesn't have that much attitude in the morning. With pinched brows, Jeongguk continued down the steps and into the dining area. Namjoon was already sitting at the head of the table, waiting for everyone to take their seats. Namjoon was quick to give out assignments as breakfast was being served.

"Oh," Namjoon voiced before swallowing. "JK, Y/N still needs clothes, right?" The younger nodded, humming in agreement while his mouth was stuffed with pancakes funded by Seokjin. "Take her to the mall today, and use the same card as yesterday." Jeongguk nodded again, smiling to himself slightly. He enjoyed his one-on-one time with you, and not only because you were very attracted to one another. You were fun to talk to and tease. He loved seeing your cute, pissed-off face. You really thought you were intimidating like that. It was also a plus to have the night end like yesterday, with you pushed against the car, unraveling under his touch.

Jeongguk was huffing and puffing quietly as you walked through the mall. He trailed begrudgingly behind you and Jimin, half listening to you two as you caught up. Jimin has been going out on many assignments, sometimes with Namjoon even, which left him completely exhausted by the end of the day. Last night was your first time around him since the dinner party. The crowded mall only aided his irritation, not allowing him to eavesdrop appropriately because of all the outside noises. If he had to guess, Jimin was probably sweet talking you. Telling you how great the food was last night, making you blush, saying how you need to cook for him again. He really knew how to get under Jeongguk's skin, especially when it came to you.

You glanced over your shoulder to peek at Jeongguk, giggling once you noticed his signature angry pout. "What's wrong, Ggukie?"

"Nothing," he pouted. God, you were gonna kill him with that nickname. His heart can't keep racing like this whenever it leaves your lips.

You shook your head with a smile planted on your lips before leading the two men into a store you would frequent. It had cute basics for a low price. Despite growing up wealthy, you were never one to seek out name-brand clothing solely for the name. If it was cute, you'd buy it, but if you found something more appealing at a cheaper place, you would catch yourself debating if the name-brand item was even worth it. You stood towards the side of the entrance to avoid blocking traffic flow. Jeongguk stood beside you, and Jimin stopped in front of you both.

Jeongguk then eyed Jimin. "Why did you have to come?" He asked bluntly.

Jimin's brow furrowed as he looked at him. He raised his shoulders, shrugging a little. "Just a precaution. You guys took four hours just to grab some groceries."

Was it really that long? You thought to yourself.

"OK, but have you tried going grocery shopping? It's a lot, especially when you have to feed a football team." You sold the lie well, your poker face not wavering even under Jimin's intense stare. Jeongguk let out a small chuckle as Jimin rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, alright. Namjoon just wanted me to keep an eye on you two."

"For what? We don't need a babysitter," Jeongguk commented.

"Exactly. We're grown," you co-signed, standing a little closer to Jeongguk.

Jimin's eyes danced between both of you, shaking his head once he decided being tag-teamed wasn't worth it. He may have suggested to Namjoon that a third set of hands would make things go as quickly as possible, only after the events of last night. He knew that it didn't take that long to go grocery shopping. He was incredibly familiar with it since Seokjin declared him his errand boy. To think that you guys were slick. Like he didn't notice the longing stares or the late-night talks you seemed to have. After Jimin walked away, you and Jeongguk approached a clothing rack. You wanted to avoid anything flashy or actually cute, considering you would spend who knows how long in the house. You just needed some comfy clothes, and some clothes for when the weather got warmer.

"What about this?" Jeongguk asked as he held up a pair of grey shorts.

You looked at the shorts briefly before narrowing your eyes at him. "Fuck no, those would be panties on me!"

A slight smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he wiggled his brows at you. "That's the point."

Your jaw dropped slightly, reaching out to playfully slap his arm that held the shorts. "Shut up!" Jeongguk chuckled as you turned away to resume looking for yourself. "Find me some sweatpants or something…."

"But you look so good without pants," he mumbled.

Your eyes went wide for a second while heat rushed to your cheeks. "What?!" You exclaimed, glancing at him. You heard what he said but wanted him to repeat it for confirmation. Was he bold enough?

He raised an eyebrow slightly, accepting your challenge as he approached you. How he maintained eye contact with you made you a little weak in the knees. "I said," he started, his tone low.

"Is this gonna take long?" Jimin's voice suddenly bouncing in your ears startled you. You backed away from Jeongguk, causing you to bump into Jimin. You glanced up at him, quietly apologizing as you resumed your place between the two men.

"No," you answered, "I just need some essentials."

Jimin then proceeded to hold up a crop top and shorts combo. The texture of the fabric was plush, like a blanket, and the color was a pretty pastel blue. "Do you like this?"

"Yes!" You chirped as you reached out to touch it. You could already imagine how it would feel on your skin. "This is so perfect."

Jeongguk rolled his eyes, and Jimin smiled down at you. He then held up the same pair of shorts from earlier. "But these are too short?!" He said, causing you to turn your head towards him. "They're practically the same length!"

Jimin pressed his lips together to form a line capable of holding back his laughter while you rolled your eyes. You sighed deeply. "The material matters too!" You exclaimed as if he should know this. "These," you tugged on the shorts Jimin was holding, "have a thicker fabric!"

"It can't matter that much!"

"My ass would devour those," you deadpanned as you reached out to grab the other pair of shorts. You pulled at the material before glaring at the man. "Look! They even become see-through when stretched!"

"So don't bend over," Jeongguk shrugged.

"Are you gonna pick up everything I drop if I get them?" You questioned while raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jimin chimed in, "you gonna be her hand and foot boy?"

Jeongguk glared at you and Jimin while you guys laughed.

"You know what?" You said before grabbing the shorts from Jeongguk and putting them in the growing pile. "I'll get them just to see that happen," you grinned.

Jeongguk rolled his eyes, fighting the corners of his lips to not mirror your contagious smile. "You guys are both assholes."

"Aww, but you like it," you said playfully. Jeongguk huffed quietly, finally letting a smile form on his lip as he turned away from you. The three of you continued to search around the intermediate area. Occasionally, one of the men will call out your name for approval for something they picked out. Soon enough, you had a small pile growing. Jeongguk's phone ringing caused you to turn your head towards him.

"Hold on," he said while digging in his pocket for the device. He glanced at the screen with furrowed brows. "I gotta take this." He mumbled before walking away. Jimin watched you watch Jeongguk, eyes lingering a little longer on the man as he walked away before returning to the clothing. What was this build-up inside of him? It was heavy in his chest and exceptionally annoying. He shook it off for now, deciding to revisit it later.

"So, the grocery store was packed?" Jimin asked.

"Eh," you shrugged while looking at a shirt, "not really. There was just a lot of stuff to get."

"Were hickies on that list as well?"

Your eyes grew wide, gulping as your face began to heat up. Your hand subconsciously went to your neck, feeling the particularly tender section of skin. "It's a mosquito bite…"

"Bullshit," Jimin chuckled, that feeling growing inside him. "I know too well what a hickey looks like." You inhaled deeply, accepting defeat as you nodded and resumed looking. Your mind searched for ways to bribe him instantly. He had to know that you guys hooked up at least once now, and you couldn't see why he would keep that to himself. "You know he's not a good guy, right?"

That was the last thing you thought he was going to say.

"Well, neither are you," you replied casually.

Jimin glanced away from the clothes to look at you, taken aback for a second. “I…uh…”

"You're in the mafia," you continued despite his stuttering. "I'm sure you've both killed people, stolen from people, and sold drugs. That doesn't necessarily make you good either."

The corners of Jimin's lips formed into a slight frown. "Yeah, sure, but some of us do it because we don't have a choice. Some of us are forced into it."

You froze briefly, his words hitting a little too close to home. You looked up at him with those eyes that made him weak in the knees. Could it be possible that he didn't want this life either? But he seemed so comfortable here, doing whatever Namjoon asked with ease.

He cleared his throat, abruptly stopping your thoughts. "That wasn't my point." He regained his confidence with each word. "He's not good in relationships."

Why was he telling you this? It's not like you had feelings for Jeongguk. He's just…, nice sometimes and really good at sex. Sure, he's also kinda funny, handsome, protective of you, comes to your defense, makes sure you're OK…

Shit.

But he's an asshole. He kidnapped you. And is forcing you to work with them while they hold you captive. Plus, he says some inconsiderate things and riles you up on purpose. You glanced in his direction again, quietly hoping he would give you some weird look to confirm your doubts. But instead, as soon as your eyes lock, he offers you a smile and a little wave with his free hand, making your heart flip.

Shit.

You looked away from him. "We're not dating." It was more of a reminder to yourself than a response to Jimin. You focused on the clothes before you, feeling the fabric between your fingers.

"Well, you surely aren't just friends," Jimin countered.

Your eyes shifted to Jimin, brows furring slightly. "Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Because I consider you a friend!" He answered quickly. "I don't want you to get hurt…" His tone then softened, eyebrows pinching upwards slightly as he looked down at you.

Your features softened as well, glancing away. "No one will get hurt because no feelings are involved."

Jimin sighed loudly, looking over at the cause of this conversation. He's seen so many girls go down this path and end up destroyed. So many radiant smiles were dimmed because of this man. He couldn't let that happen to you as well. "You sure?" He asked while he returned his gaze to you.

You looked over towards Jeongguk one last time. He was still on the phone. You could see his brows squished together as he tried to focus, pressing his lips together. You gripped onto the clothing in your hand as you looked away. "Yeah," you almost whispered, uncertainty hovering around the word, "I'm sure."

After a few moments of silence, Jeongguk rejoined you two. He instantly felt how different the energy was compared to when he left. There was tension, leaving him to wonder what you guys talked about while he was away. He placed a hand on your lower back, forming goosebumps on your skin. "You almost done?" He asked you in a gentle tone. "Or do you wanna go to a different store?"

Your eyes met with his for only a second before you looked away. You handed him the pile of clothes you accumulated while you've been in the store. "This should be fine. Let's go." Jeongguk barely heard you. He had to put the pieces together as you walked towards the register. Jeongguk looked at Jimin, exchanging the same look of concern. Jeongguk followed after you, causing the other to sigh. It was like watching the same movie with new characters repeatedly.

Once Jeongguk finally caught up to you, he stood by your side. "What's wrong?" He whispered, looking down at you.

"Nothing," you said quietly. You avoided eye contact with him altogether, staring at the ground instead.

Jeongguk didn't accept this, though. His brows furrowed, shifting the pile of clothes to one arm. With his free hand, he cupped your chin and tilted your head upwards. Once your eyes locked with his, it suddenly felt like a damn burst open. All your feelings for this man you've been shoving away overflowed, spilling into every crevice of your being as you melted into his touch. Butterflies filled your stomach as you saw concern in his eyes, making you doubt if anything Jimin said was true.

"I know something is wrong." His tone was so genuine, sweet, and comforting all at once. "So, if you want, whenever you want to talk about it, I'm here."

You nodded once, allowing the corners of his lips to turn upward into a small smile. After he paid for the clothes, the three of you leave the store and walk towards the entrance you parked near. Jimin and Jeongguk were in front, leading while they discussed the details of something you paid no mind to. Instead, you silently followed behind, absentmindedly sipping the lemonade Jeongguk brought you while your mind wandered elsewhere. Feelings? For Jeongguk? You thought about it once, maybe twice. Sometimes when he kisses you, you feel things you know that aren't typical in a fuck buddy relationship. Warm and fuzzy things that make you feel like you're floating. But what were you? A cliche? A standard case of Stockholm syndrome? No. You refused. These feelings were a bluff. It was only because he was the only one providing you an endless stream of attention. A river of affection. **Anyone would feel what you were feeling in a situation like this. So many cases of captives falling for their captors and trying to justify what they do. You're just one of them. That's all. They never discuss how strong these feelings appear or how unbearable they could be. You wanted the sex; you've said that since the first time. You didn't like what came afterward. You didn't want your heart to race whenever he smiled at you. You didn't want goosebumps or chills whenever he touched your skin. You didn't want to get lost in his brown, doe eyes whenever he looked at you. You didn't— Suddenly, a sound pulled you out of your thoughts.

A gunshot.

Everyone around the three of you instantly went into a panic. The sound came from ahead of you, causing the crowd to do a 180 and push in the opposite direction. You froze, remembering what happened to you the last time you were found in the middle of a crowd. Jeongguk reached out to grab you, but several people pushed between the group. You found yourself separated from Jeongguk and Jimin. You flowed along with the crowd instead of trying to fight them. You caught glimpses of Jeongguk trying to push through to you. It was no use. He began to grow smaller and smaller. Jeongguk called out for you, your name breaking through the loud uproars of the crowd. The desperation in his voice was enough to make your heart pang.

You were carried away until the crowd slowly began to thin. Then, you could start slipping between people until you were out completely. You found yourself in a vacant area. It was eerie how quiet this area was compared to the distant screaming and footsteps from the chaos behind you. Ahead of you was the dim, red glow of an exit sign. It hovered over a set of double doors with a matching red push handlebar. This was it. This was your out. Your chance at freedom. Your opportunity at normalcy. Your chance to see your people again.

But how come you couldn't take a step?

You felt frozen once again. The bottoms of your sneakers were glued to the ground below you. What was this? A heavy feeling in your gut kept you in place by sinking your ankles into the linoleum tile. You had to fight it. You wanted freedom, right? It was right there in front of you. All you had to do was move. Just as you prepared to take a step, arms wrapped around your chest. They held you in a bone-crushingly tight grip, constricting your breathing as they dragged you away from the exit sign. The red glow grew dimmer until it was no longer legible.

Your body assumed autopilot. You grabbed the person's arms, raised your foot, and bashed your heel down hard onto theirs. They groaned loudly, pausing momentarily, allowing you to step to the side. You swung your balled-up fist into their groan until their hold released on you. As soon as you were free, you ran. You needed to find a more popular area or that exit sign, whichever came first. But two steps in, you felt a tug on your hoodie. You stopped and swung your leg back, spinning until your foot connected with their face. You took a few steps back as the man held his jaw, figuring he would be a problem as long as he was conscious.

You put your fist up, assuming the position Jeongguk helped you perfect while the man cracked his neck. He swung at you, causing you to duck and throw a jab at his rib cage. You wanted to avoid using your injured hand as much as possible, trying to dodge mostly but attack with the opposite hand whenever you had an opening. Your assailant noticed this, taking you by surprise when he faked you out. You naturally blocked with your injured hand, taking the blunt force. You winced as a sharp pain shot through your system.

Within the split second that your guard was down, he threw a haymaker toward your face. You barely avoided it, but the momentum caused you to stumble back. He took the opportunity to grab you by your hoodie before flinging you into the nearby barrier. Your back hit the metal bar, knocking the wind out of your lungs. You pushed yourself off the bar only for him to slam you back into it. The man threw another punch toward your face, further disorienting you before he wrapped his fingers around your throat. He applied pressure, squeezing to either knock you out or worse. The metal bar dug into your back as your airway quickly became limited. Your brain quickly tried to come up with a way out.

This man was big — easily over 6 feet and had to be at least 200 pounds of muscle. You wouldn't be able to break his hold on you. You knew you were on the top floor, so there had to be at least a two-story drop below you. Your body was already halfway over the railing. Your lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. God, you didn't want to do this. It was the last thing you wanted to consider, but you had no choice. You wrapped your legs around the assailant's torso and flipped both of you over the barrier.

Gravity aided you as it took all your strength to lift the man. The barrier dug into your spine, furthering your will to get him over the edge. Once it happened, it felt like a weight lifted from you. His grip on your neck loosened as he realized you had succeeded. Time slowed, and for a few seconds, you felt completely weightless as your body flipped in the air. It was utterly terrifying. Time returned to normal, and your hands caught fire, set ablaze with pain as they collided hard on the cold metal bar. The railing for the second floor came quicker than you could imagine. You couldn't help the loud whimper that escaped your throat. The wave of pain that started at your pinky and spread down your arm to your stomach was enough to make you nauseous. Your eyes welled with undesired tears as you tried to pull yourself up. You quickly stopped, feeling the surge of pain intensify. You inhaled deeply, shifting your weight slightly as you heard a deafening crash below you. When you glanced down, your once huge assailant looked too small to be recognizable. He lay on top of a now-destroyed kiosk. You noticed a red-stained bar sticking through his midsection, causing you to quickly glance away before the image was burned into your memory.

Jimin and Jeongguk found you just in time to witness you flip a man twice your size over the railing. A feeling of helplessness overcame Jimin for a moment. He instantly knew what to do when someone was shot or knocked out, but this? His brain went completely blank for a moment. Then, hearing a loud crash made him assume the worse. He stood there, frozen, probably longer than he should have before glancing to his side only to find Jeongguk had disappeared. As soon as Jeongguk saw you fall, he sprung into action. He searched for the nearest staircase or elevator, praying you had a plan. After hearing the crash, he stopped to search harder for a way to the second floor.

With Jeongguk gone, Jimin's curiosity fueled him to peek over the ledge. He sighed in relief when he saw your body hanging a floor below. You heard your name being called out, prompting you to look up. "Just hang on a little longer! We're coming!" Jimin yelled down before disappearing from your line of sight.

You could only let out an aspirated sigh, feeling your grip on the metal bar giving way. You tried to readjust yourself despite the pain, using your remaining strength to try and pull yourself up again. You failed, losing your grip for a second. The thought of the fall began to consume you. Your hands started to grow sweaty as fear spread to your fingertips. You kept slipping. You closed your eyes as you tried to focus solely on your grip, but your fingers gave out anyway. You shrieked, not ready to suffer the same fate as your attacker.

Then a hand gripped onto you.

You opened your eyes to see Jeongguk's face. He was heaving slightly, but his grip on you was tight. "I got you." Just like that morning on the roof, in that same protective tone. He had you. And as long as he was around, he made sure to have you. He had his fingers wrapped around your forearm as you did the same. He pulled you up with ease, helping you climb over the barrier. When you were on solid ground, your arms wrapped around his torso. The force from your body colliding with his caused him to stumble back a bit before returning the embrace. You were shaking as you quietly wept into his chest. You didn't care about the pain from your hands as you gripped the back of his shirt. He rested his chin on your head as he caressed your hair. He comforted you, silently telling you that everything was OK. That you were safe now. Even when your crying slowed to quiet whimpers and odd sniffles, he cradled you in his arms.

You soon heard Jimin's muffled voice. His words were of no importance to you. He said a couple of things before Jeongguk nodded his head. Stillness overcame the two of you after until he pulled away from you. As he looked down at you, noticing the cut on your lip, his hand gently cupped your cheek. You flinched, pain coming as quickly as it left. Jeongguk frowned deeply as a wave of guilt washed over him. If only he was a step closer to you — a second faster — you wouldn't have been put in this situation. He would've been there with you, helping you however he could. You wouldn't have resorted to such measures if you knew he was there.

"Let's go," he said softly. You nodded your head before he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. He led you towards the exit that Jimin walked out of.

"You were attacked?" Namjoon asked Jeongguk as he lowered himself onto the couch arm. He glanced at you occasionally as Seokjin tenderly assessed your swollen pinky. You held an ice pack against your lip, preventing it from swelling further.

"Yes," Jeongguk answered. His eyes were glued on you, watching like a hawk to ensure that Seokjin wasn't unnecessarily rough. "We weren't there to witness everything, but from what I saw, the man was huge."

"Why weren't you there?"

"We had lost Y/N for a second," Jimin said. "I believe whoever attacked her used gunshots to cause panic, separating her from us."

"So you think she was sought out?" Hoseok questioned.

Jeongguk and Namjoon locked eyes briefly, both thinking the same thing. "Could've been," Namjoon said vaguely. "She is a mafia princess."

"Who's missing," you added, glaring at Namjoon.

Namjoon furrowed his brows while returning the glare. "You really think people are searching for you?"

"It's not even about that!" You snapped while throwing down your ice pack. You pulled your hand away from Seokjin, prompting a frustrated groan from him as you turned to face Namjoon. "I wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for you!"

Namjoon quirked a brow, scoffing softly. "Oh, sweetheart, I think you meant that you wouldn't be in this situation had you given us the fucking code and location of the safe."

You quickly stood up, standing in front of the man. For once, you towered over him as everyone in the room watched silently. Jeongguk's muscles tensed, unsure if he should grab you now or try to let you handle your own problems. You were strong for your size, and watching you flip over men twice your size confirmed it for him.

You leaned in, getting the closest you have ever been to his face. You could see the hatred burning in your eyes, something you expected more from Taehyung than him. "Fuck you," you fumed through a clenched jaw. "I wouldn't even waste my dying breath to help your broke ass."

Jeongguk's jaw dropped as he looked at the two of you. Everyone else drowned in the uncomfortable energy that you've created. Before Jeongguk even could move a muscle, a loud slap echoed in the room. You fell to the ground, holding your burning cheek. But the pain didn't matter because all you saw was red. Before you could get up, Namjoon stepped towards you and grabbed your cheeks, squeezing them so hard that your lips puffed out. You tried to pull away, but he held you so tightly that it hurt.

"You forget your place," he warned harshly. "You forget that I would love nothing more than to have that arranged. To have your face underneath the heel of my foot." He burned a hole into your soul. He wasn't exaggerating, not even a little. You've been a nuisance since the day you got here.

Namjoon glanced up at Jeongguk, whose hand was already balled into a fist with eyes piercing his soul. Jeongguk desperately wanted to take a step, but did the actions outweigh the consequences? His instinct was to protect you, but who would protect him?

Namjoon returned his gaze to you, seeing the tears brim your eyes. "Keep playing with me and see where you end up." With that, he let go of your face roughly. Your head turned to the side as he straightened himself out. As soon as he took a step away, you sprung up, arms outstretching towards him, but your body was held back. You felt a familiar arm around your waist holding you in place as you watched Namjoon's back disappear from view. All you could do was scream, frustration pouring out from your vocal cords. It hurt, but you didn't care. He couldn't keep putting his hands on you like this. Your soul couldn't take it anymore.

Jeongguk dragged you towards the staircase, but you had no fight left for tonight. You let him, catching a glimpse of Jimin's sad eyes. You felt so embarrassed. Seeing the pity on their faces didn't sit right with you. You held your tears back until you reached the interior of Jeongguk's room, where they fell without hesitation. You balled, hands covering your empty face as Jeongguk picked you up bridal style. All he could do was soothe you for now — placing you in his bed and holding you as you drenched his shirt again. It reminded him of the first time you were in his room. And, like then, you didn't want to talk about it when your crying slowed. You wanted silence and the safety of his arms. He gave it to you without second-guessing, holding you until your quiet snores filled the room.

Nightfall arrived not too long after you fell asleep. Your head shifted from Jeongguk's chest to his pillow. Jeongguk couldn't bring himself to join you in slumber, though. There was something inside of him that didn't sit right. So he watched you for the time being. As he brushed a rogue strand of hair out of your face, faintly seeing how much worse the bruise on your cheek looked, that thing inside him snapped. This was Namjoon's fault; he did nothing for you besides watch. He wasn't there for you at all today. Though he could no longer do anything about the man from earlier, he could do something about Namjoon now.

Jeongguk carefully got out of bed, making sure not to disturb you. He left his room and went directly across the hall. He didn't bother knocking before turning the doorknob and letting himself in. As he entered Namjoon's room, he could feel the anger boiling inside him. Namjoon could piss him off until no end, insult him until he felt like nothing, or hit him until he was black and blue, and Jeongguk wouldn't care at all. But to do that to you? He wasn't going to let it slide again. After approaching his sleeping brother, he stared at him briefly before hitting his balled-up fist on his sternum. He didn't hit him too hard, just enough to shake him up. Namjoon stirred awake, desperately coughing for air as he sat up. He looked up at his assailant as Jeongguk grabbed his shirt collar, pulling him close.

"Next time you wanna put your hands on her, you'll be dealing with me as well." He growled as Namjoon's eyes widened.

Namjoon blinked at his younger a few times. "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"No, but keep playing with me, and I'll show you crazy."

Namjoon's brows lowered as he stared at Jeongguk. "You're not seriously in here threatening me over some bitch."

Jeongguk's eye twitched, his grip on the other's shirt growing tighter. It took everything in him not to swing and bust his lip so he wouldn't speak for a week. "Watch your fucking mouth," he hissed. "You know her name, so use it."

Namjoon's brows furrowed as he continued to eye Jeongguk. This type of anger from him seemed familiar to Namjoon. A distant memory suddenly formed in his mind, causing a smirk to play on his lips. His once confused look transferred to Jeongguk. "You like this one, don't you?"

Jeongguk's eyes widened, his anger melting into fear as he thought about Namjoon's words. He thought he was being discreet, with only Jimin and Hoseok genuinely knowing. Unless that one time that Taehyung caught him… No, he wouldn't have been stupid enough. He could only imagine the consequences now that Namjoon knows. With his sick mind, nothing is off-limits. Jeongguk couldn't let you fall victim to Namjoon's disgusting plans.

"I don't have to like her to have an ounce of respect for her," Jeongguk said confidently. "You never put hands on a woman. I would've thought that watching Dad beat Mom senseless was enough getting it through your thick skull."

Namjoon gulped, though the lump that formed in his throat failed to fade away. "Watch it," he warned. Namjoon had those memories and scars tucked away so well that he almost forgot. He would've thought Jeongguk did the same.

"No. You're acting like Dad would and wondering why she's not cooperating. It's honestly sad." Namjoon fell silent, giving Jeongguk some odd sense of power. For once, he felt like he was in control of the conversation. He wasn't a yes man or a verbal punching bag. He was calling him out on his shit, and Jeongguk had to suppress the smile that wanted to form on his lips. "I thought you were better than him."

Namjoon flinched a little as if Jeongguk's words slapped him in the face. He admired his father so dearly until his downfall. He looked up to him when he was in his prime. His father got what he needed to be done, and everyone respected him. Namjoon wanted to be like that, and he still does. He looked down as he reflected on his actions, seeing way too many similarities between the monster his father became and him. To have his younger brother tell him this made his ears burn.

The silence was enough for Jeongguk to know that a nerve was hit. Without another word, he walked away from Namjoon and left his room.

Taehyung burst through the front door. His hand was wrapped around a girl's forearm, dragging her behind him. The significantly smaller woman pulled against his hand, trying to pry his fingers off her arm. "Ow!" She squealed, feeling his grip tighten. "Let go of me!"

"Shut the fuck up," Taehyung growled as he pulled her up the stairs.

The girl resisted him as much as she could. She pulled, hit, and pried even as her arm stung and burned. She gave up, for now, figuring she could get him whenever he let his guard down. Taehyung dragged her to Namjoon's door, where he banged on it with his balled-up fist. Namjoon opened his door within a few seconds with Taehyung on the opposing end of his glare. Today was supposed to be an easy day. He had Jeongguk handling some of his business, giving him hands-on experience of how things were expected to run. He even had Jimin and Seokjin join the younger to ensure no problems. That's all he wanted; no problems. As his eyes landed on the petite woman standing next to the group's hothead, he could only sigh.

"What's the issue?" He asked begrudgingly.

Taehyung then pushed the girl, causing her to stumble a few steps toward Namjoon. "Tell him what you told me," Taehyung said. She remained silent, her eyes glued to the wooden floor. Growing frustrated, Taehyung nudged the girl once again.

"I don't have your guns," she admitted quietly.

Namjoon stared down at her. His eyes became engulfed with flames like her words were gasoline. His jaw clenched as his hands balled up into a fist. "What?"

"I…" She stood there, frozen, deathly afraid to breathe the wrong way. She didn't have to look at him to know how enraged he was. If there was one thing you didn't want to do was get on Namjoon's wrong side.

"How much money did I give you?" Her muscles tensed as her mind instructed her to remain silent. But her silence only further infuriated Namjoon. "How much fucking money did I give you?!" He yelled, causing both her and Taehyung to flinch. "Do you have a death wish? What could've possibly compelled you to think that returning to me empty fucking handed would've been a good idea?"

The loud sound startled you, causing you to wake up. You've been laying low for the past few days, as per Jeongguk's request. He suggested being out of sight if you couldn't be cordial. You almost laughed in his face at the request. You? Be nice to someone who put their hands on you several times? Ha, maybe when pigs flew. Even Jeongguk knew Namjoon was entirely out of line for what he did and agreed, but someone had to be the bigger person for now. So he made you promise, reminding you of his temper. Even though you wholeheartedly wanted to say, "fuck his temper," you saw the worry overcome his eyes. Then you had a weird little tug at the strings of your heart, ultimately making you agree.

You decided to do the latter, figuring it might be the easier of the two. Jeongguk warned you that he'd be out for a few days for some business Namjoon didn't want to handle. It's been quiet, until today at least. Muffled yelling leaked into your room. It uncomfortably filled you with curiosity until it forced you out of bed. Upon entering the hallway, you saw a small girl standing between two men. She flinched at every syllable that parted from Namjoon's voice. This did nothing to feed your insatiable need to be in the know. Should you make an attempt at being cordial? At least for a while, just until you figure out why there's so much yelling. Your brows furrowed as you approached them.

"What's happening here?" You asked softly. Namjoon instilled fear in you. You knew he meant every last word he said, and your goal was to make it out here alive. Play nice until you have an out, and once you are out, you can hurt him.

"Nothing that concerns you," Taehyung spat while glaring at you. Your eyes narrowed, taking a mental note to put him on that list, too.

Play nice, Y/N, you thought to yourself. "Well, if you didn't want the whole house to know, you would've dealt with this quietly, correct?"

"Go back to your room, Y/N," Namjoon said as calmly as he could. Jeongguk's words from the other night repeated as if they were just spoken.

Your eyes glanced at the woman before looking at Namjoon. "Maybe I could help," you offered as you folded your arms over your chest. Namjoon quirked an eyebrow at you, and before he could open his mouth in protest, you cut him off. "You interrupted my nap, and I would rather resolve this quietly." It was at least partially true.

Namjoon stared at you, not completely sold on your reasoning, but released a sigh as his arms folded over his chest. "This is our arms dealer. We gave her quite a chunk of our budget—"

"Which was way more than she deserves," Taehyung interjected.

"Just for her to return to us empty-handed. She lost our shipment and still had the nerve to come to us." Namjoon continued, eyes unmoving from the girl.

"I didn't lose them!" She looked up at Namjoon and you for the first time. Instantly, you can notice the reddish bruising around her eye. It was fresh, maybe a few hours old. She also had some of the same bruising on the corner of her mouth. The red pigment stood out against her fair skin, making you wonder how either of these idiots didn't notice it before. Her burst of confidence was short-lived, though, only being able to hold Namjoon's gaze for a few seconds. "They were stolen…"

"Stolen?!" Namjoon and Taehyung repeated.

"Oh, you stupid fucking bitch," Taehyung added.

"Hey!" You glared at Taehyung, who didn't hesitate to mirror your expression. "Completely unnecessary. Can neither of you guys see the bruising on her face?!" You took her hand, causing her to look up at you. You couldn't help but frown, imagining how she was put through hell to return to bullshit. The girl teared up as if she could sense your pity. "I'm sorry this happened to you," you said softly. You needed to be delicate; that's the least you would want if you were in her shoes. "Do you remember what they looked like? Maybe we could find them…"

She sniffled, shaking her head a little, "Barely, but I kinda remember where they took me after they stole my car."

You nodded your head, offering a small smile. "OK, we can work with that. If you remember anything else, you can let me know. We'll figure this out."

She tried to mirror your smile as she nodded, but it wavered and was soon replaced by a small sob. You didn't hesitate as you wrapped your arms around her, holding her small frame to your body as she wept. Namjoon watched as you handled things, pleasantly surprised. To think you could be valuable when you wanted to be.

"We give you too much money to afford any fuck ups, Soyeon," Taehyung said. "So you better pray these guys have our shit or—"

"Can you shut the fuck up? Just for a second?" You tried to keep your volume hushed, though your tone was as harsh as ever. "You need to learn there's a time and place for threats, and this is neither," you scolded.

Taehyung blinked at you. Was he more offended that you scolded him or that you were somewhat correct? "Don't think you can talk to me any fucking way because she's here. I will still gladly beat—"

"That's enough, Taehyung," Namjoon interrupted. Taehyung quickly pressed his lips into a line, silencing himself. Namjoon looked down at you as you rubbed Soyeon's back soothingly. "I'm gonna make a call. Keep her downstairs with you in the meantime." You nodded before he disappeared into his room. You pulled away from her, allowing her to wipe away her tears before leading her towards the stairs.

"If it was me in charge, I would've had your head on a platter," Taehyung said to your backside. You paused for a second; it took every ounce of self-control you had to not indulge in his stupidity. Freedom might be closer if you kept this up. As you led Soyeon down the stairs and to the living room, tears still quietly rolled down her cheeks. Once sitting down, you gave her a few moments to calm herself. It wasn't long before her sniffles stalled, and she leaned back into the couch. You took it upon yourself to ask her some questions — like how she knew Namjoon, how long she has lived around here. Just questions to get her a little more comfortable. She was born and raised here a year after you, and she and her friends fell into this business of selling weapons. She usually enjoys it, but recently the clientele has been getting ruder and more demanding. It wasn't like when her father used to run things.

"Men always try to take advantage of me because 5'2 and petite, and it pisses me off," she vented, her brows furrowed as her lips pulled down into a frown. "Like that shouldn't give them a reason to try me!"

"Exactly, and then you're seen as crazy and over-emotional because you played their game." You agreed with a roll of your eyes. Soyeon huffed, folding her arms over her chest. You continued to small talk from there, mostly about how disgusting the men of this generation turned out to be. She was a sweet girl, and you saw a lot of yourself in her. Sad you had to meet her this way. You were afraid to lose touch with her considering you had no means of contact.

As you joked, footsteps came down the stairs. Namjoon and Hoseok stood behind the couch in front of you. "You said you remember where they took you?" Namjoon questioned, looking at Soyeon. She nodded her response as you noticed her tense up a little. "OK, we have someone on the way who can take you there. Hoseok will be joining you." Hoseok did a little wave as the girl inspected him, eyes squinting at the brunette man with a soft smile.

"Is Y/N coming?" She asked as she glanced over at you.

Namjoon furrowed his brows for a moment. "That's not necessary."

"I'm not going anywhere without Y/N." She deadpanned as she sat up straight. "I'm supposed to trust being alone with your men? Your wanna-be King Pin already slapped me in the face, so who's to say what this guy will do?"

You noticed Namjoon's jaw clenched, causing you to raise an eyebrow. Interesting how he held back with other women. "I can assure you that Hoseok isn't that type." You and Hoseok made eye contact, pressing your lips together tightly. You didn't want to ruin the chance of her going by adding your own two cents.

"I'm not going without her," Soyeon said once again. The two stared at each other intensely as if they were now arguing silently. Something suggested to you that they do this often. They both had headstrong personalities, so it was inevitable.

Just as Namjoon narrowed his eyes at her, there was a knock on the door. Hoseok instantly walked over to open it. He grinned widely as a man walked in. Well, tried to. He barely stepped in before Hoseok wrapped his arms around the other in a tight embrace. The unknown man scrunched his face with disgust, his arms planted by his side until Hoseok released him. The brunette seemed content with his attack of affection, stepping away with a satisfied smile. The man who walked in joined Namjoon behind the couch. He had a black backpack on, which seemed heavy with how it weighed his shoulder down to one side. His Snow White skin made his dark hair and rose-shaded lips stand out. His midnight hair fell over his forehead, covering most of his eyebrows.

He eyed you as he stood by Namjoon. "This her?" He asked while pointing at you casually. Your brows furrowed for a moment, glancing at Namjoon for clarification.

"No, it's the one next to her." Namjoon said as both of their eyes landed on Soyeon. "But Y/N will be joining you anyway." He sighed deeply, reaching up to pinch the area between his eyes. "Find my shit, please. I need a fucking drink." And with that, he turned around and walked down the hall towards his office. He left you with Hoseok and the mystery man.

The man then pointed at you again, "So you're Y/N and…" Then he pointed at the woman next to you, prompting her to introduce herself. He then nodded, "Yoongi. Come on." He shook his head towards the door before walking out.

Both of you quickly got up and followed after Yoongi along with Hoseok. He was walking towards a van disguised as a postage delivery service.

You stopped for a moment, pointing at the truck. "Is that legal?"

"Does it matter?" Yoongi answered as he tossed the keys to Hoseok. "You're driving. Soyeon can sit up front with him and lead the way. Y/N can sit in the back with me."

No one objected, simply following his orders. Yoongi opened up the back door, allowing you to walk inside first. The back of the van was different from what you expected. It was decked out with technology on both sides. Screens were aligned on one side with a built-in desk and two chairs in front of it. The other side had two columns, assuming it was a power bank for the screens. As you crawled in, sitting in the first chair, you stared in awe at all the buttons. Now, you were no gamer, but every button looked screamed to be touched. You reached out to one.

"Don't touch that," Yoongi said while sitting beside you. He didn't even spare you a glance like he had eyes in the back of his head. He reached into his bag and pulled out a laptop. As he placed it on his desk and started typing away, Hoseok began to drive. Besides the faint conversation between the two in the front, it was quiet. You got bored quickly, and since you weren't allowed to touch anything, you gazed at the new face. His features were delicate — a button-like nose, medium-sized lips, and a jawline that wasn't too soft but wasn't too harsh. He was attractive. Anyone could see that. In fact, now that you think about it, everyone in this crew was so in one way or another. What were the odds?

"So, how long have you known Bangtan?" You asked, trying to fill the silence with more than the clicks of his keyboard.

"Only a few years." His voice was deep, nothing like Namjoon or Taehyung, but definitely close. It was also monotone, lacking an infliction of emotion. He seemed straight to the point, so it made sense.

"How come you don't live in the house then?"

"I never said I work with them."

Your eyebrows squished together as the car came to a step. Soyeon peeked from behind the curtain separating the driver's seat and the back. "We're here."

Yoongi nodded and flipped a switch, causing the monitors to turn on. You could see a gate of a mansion along with the front door on one screen, while the other two had views of either side of the property. You gazed at the screen, eyebrows furrowing as a weird wave of deja vu came over you. It fell quiet again as Yoongi went to work, his fingers swiftly typing away as you watched in awe.

"How long have you been doing this?" You were determined to get to know this man, especially considering he was a fresh face.

"Long enough," he deadpanned.

"Are you always this cold?" You retorted while frowning.

The curtain pulled back again, followed by Hoseok's face peeking out. "Don't mind him, Y/N. Pretty girls make him nervous," he grinned at the man.

"Ah, come on," Yoongi groaned, turning to look at Hoseok.

You giggled with Soyeon, surprised by how Hoseok could easily pull emotions from Yoongi. You even noticed the tips of his turning red.

"Aw, it's OK, Yoongi," you cooed. "Nervous guys can be cute."

He turned his head to look back at his laptop. "I'm not nervous."

You raised an eyebrow slightly, your smile softening. "Don't lie. Your ears will always tell the truth."

Yoongi then turned the chair to face you fully, his eyes meeting yours for the first time since you've been acquainted. His stare was intense, like a tiger gazing at his prey. His feline eyes left yours only to linger down the rest of you. Suddenly, your heart rate increased as the energy in the small area shifted. You were now in his world. The corners of his lips tugged into a faint smirk as he leaned in, resting his forearms on his legs. The chairs were already placed close, and he filled the gap between you two.

"Aw, kitten," he purred, stirring something inside you. "Who's nervous now?"

"Well played, newbie," you smirked. You inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of his cologne. Kitten. How it rolled off his tongue easily made you wonder if it was him or the pet name. You didn't think about it too much since Soyeon suddenly rushed to the back area. She stepped on Hoseok in the process, causing him to help.

She sat between the chairs, making herself more petite than she already was. "He's here," she whispered while staring at Yoongi.

"Who's here?"

"The guy who kidnapped me…."

You and Yoongi looked toward the three monitors. The screen showing the front gate was empty, and so was the one leading to the left side of the house. But on the camera showing the right side of the house, closest to the van, a man with a garbage bag in his hand stood. The green tint of the lens made it harder to see discernible features. Still, you noticed a cigarette between his fingers. Your palms suddenly grew sweaty, watching the man hold the toxic stick between his pointer finger and thumb as he took long drags. He tossed the bag into a growing pile of trash before leaning against the fence. Yoongi then zoomed in on the face while running something on his laptop. Your heart instantly dropped.

Hoseok glanced at the screen before looking at Yoongi. "Do you know who it is?"

"Nah, I'm running a scan now."

You tried to open your mouth to speak, but barely a whimper came out. Your throat burned so severely that it silenced you. All you could do was sit there, endlessly wiping your hands on your thighs as they never seemed to dry. Your heart was beating a mile a minute. Your body froze you to the seat, locking you in uncomfortableness.

"Is he walking over here?!" Soyeon asked as the man was suddenly getting close to the camera.

Yoongi glanced up, "Fuck. Hoseok, there's a hat and a shirt in the glove compartment! Put it on!"

Hoseok scrambled to get the disguise over his clothes discreetly before the man could see. He approached the car, banging on the window. Hoseok, startled, rolled down the window and looked at the man. "Um, yes?"

"Y'all got my package?" No. "It should be under Hyunwoo, Sohn Hyunwoo."

As if the voice wasn't enough, the name confirmed your worst thoughts. How… What were the odds that they would be the ones to steal your captor's guns? What kind of sick and twisted game was the universe playing? Yoongi mumbled the name to himself, typing it into a search bar as he did so.

"That's not him," Soyeon whispered after seeing a picture of a tall man with dark hair.

"Lemme check in the back real quick," Hoseok smiled at the man before he dipped past the partition. "Did you hear his name?!" He whispered while reaching for a random set of boxes Yoongi had stacked in a corner.

"Yeah, but it's the wrong guy."

"How is it the wrong guy?!" Hoseok whispered a little louder, panic painfully evident in his voice. "Who asks for someone else's packages?!"

You swallowed hard, your spit failing to soothe the never-ending burn in your throat. It was hard to breathe, like your ribs had been broken, and each inhale stung your side. Your leg bounced uncontrollably as you looked around for anything that could distract you. Your soul was screaming out for help from any of the three. Someone had to notice your quiet breakdown.

"I dunno! But Soyeon said that's not the guy!"

Hoseok cursed under his breath before returning to the front. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't see your package back there. If anything, contact customer service, and I'm sure they'll assist you from there." He said with a dazzling smile to the man.

The man rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Useless," he mumbled before taking another drag, "have a good night then."

"You too, sir."

The man walked away from the van, entering the cameras' view again. You watched him walk from one screen to another before entering the house. Hoseok returned from the front, peeling the shirt off of him. You let out a shaky sigh, your shoulders dropping as you finally felt like your lungs weren't being constricted. The burn in your throat was able to be soothed as you gulped.

"It's Jooheon," you said, rubbing your throat as the name fell from your lips hoarsely. You cleared your throat as you felt all eyes on you. "Lee Jooheon."

"You know him?" Yoongi asked the question everyone wondered.

Your eyes met his, feeling your throat threatening to shut again as you massaged it. Tears brimmed your eyes as you tried to force down the feelings that desperately wanted to resurface.

"Yes."

[twilightknight17]

Today (it’s not tomorrow til I go to sleep) on P3R, we spend a lot of time in Tartarus, I’ve got some questions about why everyone I know is such a mess, yet another couple is competing to be worse parents than Nyarlathotep, and six days of exams.

So with the Priestess down, we can get past that barrier in Tartarus, so up we go to the next set of floors. I was expecting more green hallways, but instead I got, uh…

Mementos was weird from the beginning, but like… it saved the REALLY weird stuff for a lot further down. This is area 2, and we’re stuck with Bigface and eldritch eyes.

When I reached another gatekeeper shadow, I got it! But then there was another one immediately after. :(

Disappointing Igor is the worst. But at least I figured out what the stupid dice’s weakness was, so I got it the second time. Everyone keeps talking about how Akihiko is going to be better soon and he’ll be able to help, so I guess we’ll head home for now just in case there’s more gatekeepers immediately ahead.

The takoyaki thief at the shrine is named Maiko, and she’s adorable. I really like her. ^_^

………….oh no.

Her parents are getting a divorce, and she is NOT doing well. And apparently they spend more time yelling at each other than talking to their kid and making sure she’s okay.

Minato doesn’t have the energy for righteous fury, but I do.

Mitsuru wants me to look at the command equipment instead of going on a rage-fueled rampage, so off we go. I dunno why she thinks we can fix it. Just let Ikutsuki do it.

…...that seems concerning.

It’s a video of Ikutsuki working on a report and talking to himself. He’s pondering the full moon shadow, and whether it’s a sign that “it’s starting”.

Apparently he also tells himself puns. This man...

You can’t actually tell Mitsuru about what you saw??? Like, did I fix it? Was this a plan to get me to see this video? Mitsuru, what even.

Ugh, fine, I’m gonna go study.

I’m finally a Regular Guy instead of a pathetic wet blanket.

In the next few days of school, Junpei texted and asked to hang out in the afternoon. I guess this is the new side-story things they added? It’s a little weird, though, because it shows up on the map like this:

It’s not a social link, though. We went to the arcade and hung out and talked, but there were no points or Velvet voiceovers or anything. Just chilling and playing some… uh… “very interesting games”. XDDD

It did up Junpei’s stats, so that’s good. But it’s not a social link. I am still stuck with Kenji as my Magician. X’’’D He’s not around, though, because pretty much everyone is knuckled down to study for exams. So I ended up spending a lot of time at the bookstore. Even though Bunkichi and Mitsuko make me sad.

My space is being invaded, though. By the French.

But just call him "Bebe".

I'd rather not.

I can’t actually start his link right now because he hangs out in the home ec room, and all the clubs are shut down for impending exams.

...is this gonna be on the exam?

I bought some food that needs to be refrigerated, and the mini fridge in my room spontaneously broke. However, the downstairs fridge is full. Which, like… guys. Who is using all these ingredients? It keeps telling me I can’t use the kitchen, so how have y’all filled the whole fridge?

Instead of going to Tartarus, we’re having study sessions to get ready for exams. It’s going, uh… well? I think?

And I’m spending more time with Maiko, because all my links at school are unavailable.

MINATO. WHY IS THAT EVEN AN OPTION.

…..man, I am so worried about this kid.

I made it through midterms and answered all the questions correctly because no one asked me about algebra! So hopefully that’s enough to get me a good grade and a reward from Mitsuru. Speaking of Mitsuru, I ran into her biggest fan in the hallway after my last exam.

Wouldn’t we all be happy?

I also ran into my fellow student council member, who can only say a little bit to me before freaking out because she can’t talk to guys. Minato’s dialogue options are golden.

Off to see Maiko again, only to get interrogated by this dude.

First of all, Minato’s in high school, so… neither? Second of all, who are you? You didn’t even introduce yourself. Maiko just called you “Stripey”. And I might know who you are, but Mina doesn’t. From his perspective, you’re just some other guy Maiko knows.

I’M SO WORRIED ABOUT THIS KID

Anyway, now that exams are done, Akihiko has been cleared to fight again, and apparently found another persona-user while he was in the hospital. But apparently, she also wouldn’t be capable of fighting.

This is why you don’t jump the gun, Akihiko.

So I guess next time, we’ll head back into Tartarus to see what Akihiko can do.

Random side note: I keep meaning to mention that they’re still wearing the SEES armbands. I’m wondering now what prompts the spiffy uniform upgrades to the shoulder-guards and stuff we saw in the trailers.

Second random side note: If hanging out with your non-social-link friends for side stories buffs their persona stats, I wonder what hanging out with Ryoji will do? Buff Than? Debuff the final boss? XDDD