#got it twice now (harsh heart / stranger) and . :(

[petrichoravis]

Eternal Return. | s.r.

summary: you and Spencer have very different definitions of love.

word count: 2,6k

what to expect: spencer reid x reader, toxic relationship, gn!reader but written with fem!r in mind, mention of wanting to be hit, angst, reader is drunk for one millisecond, addiction but not of any substance but more as a metaphor, anger, fighting, suggestive towards the end but no smut, situationship needs its own warning, English is not my first language.

songs that inspired this fic: strangers - ethel cain, vortex - lizzy mcalpine, loving you will be the death of me - tom odell , limerence - lucy dacus

a/n: if you’ve seen this before, no you haven’t

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intro

When you look up the definition of the word eternal, many definitions will be presented to you.

One of them will be, that the word can be used to emphasize expressions of admiration, gratitude.

Another result will tell you that eternal can mean that something seems to last or persist forever, especially on account of being tedious or annoying.

Two things that seemed so opposing, that have the same name, but mean different things.

chorus

The neon lights made the glitter on your collarbone shine as you moved effortlessly around the dance floor. You felt truly alive for the first time in months.

A guy was eying you from across the club with hungry eyes, a girl was drooling, frozen in place as she watched your movements. God, it felt good to be hungered for, to be lusted after.

Spencer watched you, too, from where he leaned against the wall furthest from the dance floor. His eyes were always respectful, always so soft. He would never look at you like that. And as much as you knew this was hurting him, you just wanted it rougher, harder.

Both of you have been through your game enough to know how this would end, but it didn’t stop you from hoping that this time would be different every time.

Right now his eyes were sad, with his brows furrowed as he watched you dance with another guy.

You let the stranger’s hand wander lower this time, in hopes of pushing Spencer to the finality of his restraint. You wanted him to come over and rip the guy off of you. You wanted to be a possession.

But because Spencer was lovely, kind hearted Spencer, he watched from the sidelines as you moved your hips and let the guy kiss your neck.

It wasn’t that he didn’t hate what you were doing, he wanted to tell you to stop, to make you leave. It just simply didn’t feel like his place. He wasn’t confrontational—funny, given his job—especially not with you.

You got bored of the guy soon after and excused yourself to get another drink. It was Spencer’s opportunity to get you home.

Bumping into the people around him as he made his way towards you didn’t phase him at all, too focused on getting to you before you placed your order.

“I think you’ve had enough, love.” He whispered softly as he reached you. His hand caught on the small of your back.

“Doctor.” You slurred a little as you turned towards him. A seductive smirk adorned your lips. “I didn’t know you were here too.”

You came here together, but it felt like an unnecessary thing to mention in this moment.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s get you home.” He apologised to the bartender for the inconvenience of having to make a drink that won’t be needed and payed for it regardless.

A whine left your mouth as he wrapped an arm around your torso and pulled you out of the club. “You’re such a spoilsport.”

“You will thank me tomorrow.”

“I doubt it. That guy was really hot.”

The pause you make let Spencer know that you were waiting for a reaction, but he refused to give it to you.

Prison changed Spencer, not in the good ways, either. He learned to be violent, to be harsh, to take a punch and hand out one that hurts twice as bad. But he refused to take it out on you.

He led you to his car, opening the door and buckling you in when you were seated. When he rounded the car and got inside, you had already unbuckled the seatbelt again.

“Don’t do that, it’s dangerous.” He scowled.

“No, it’s not. It’s more fun like that.” You grinned at him.

“Fun?” He asked, his voice raising a little. It was getting harder to restrain himself. “You think it’s fun to become a Projectile? To be thrown from the car or shaken up within it, potentially dying?”

The harshness of his voice only made your eyes gleam. It was exactly what you wanted, a reaction from the usually so composed Spencer Reid.

“No,” you said with the tone that one would say dummy, “the risk of it is fun.”

Spencer’s hands clenched around the stirring wheel, closing his eyes and taking a seen breath to calm down he manages to reply without a trace of anger in his voice. “Well, we’re not driving home until you’re safe.”

You blew a breath out of your nose, but moved to reach for the seatbelt. “Fine. But like I said, spoilsport. You could really loosen up a little, Doctor.”

Choosing not to engage further, Spencer started the car. The drive was quiet and you occasionally threatened to open the window and let your head hang out to fight this boredom.

You sobered up a little on the drive, the water he always kept in his car and fresh air clearing your head.

When you arrived at your place, Spencer parked the car and got out without a comment. You thought you had almost done it, pushed him far enough, until he opened your side of the car and helped you out.

“God, you’re unbearably kind, you know that?”

“There is no such thing as too much kindness.”

You knew he ment it, too, and that just made you want to push him more, to make him break through his carefully crafted facade of gentlemanliness.

Sadly, you didn’t think it was a facade, he was truly just good.

He further proved it when he knelt down in front of you to untie your shoes as you entered your apartment. It was clear that he was mad, his silence spoke volumes where his usual ramblings should be, but he still took his time to ensure your comfort.

“Hit me, Spencer,” you said almost calmly. You almost sounded like you were begging for it. “Come on, I know you want to.”

“I would never hit you, you know that.” He said, taking off your shoe. His voice shook a little with the energy he had to invest into holding back his emotions.

He refused to put even a finger on you in those situations. He will always refuse. But it was enough, for a while you were sated by the quiet flame of anger in his eyes, by his clenching fists and need to leave the room. But not for long. Not today.

“But why? It would help you get the anger out. I’m sure you have statistics on that.” You pushed on.

“I’m not angry at you.” The muscle at his jaw ticked as he took your other shoe off, placing them onto the shoe rack.

You scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

He stood, then, closing his eyes to take a deep breath. He didn’t say anything else when he opened his eyes to look at you.

Spencer didn’t hate you, it would be easier if he did. He loved you so much that he would give you everything of himself, even if it would kill him. But he would not harm you.

The worst part was that he knew it might cost him you.

You looked up at him with siren-like eyes that almost made him get back onto his knees and give you everything you wanted.

No, that wasn’t right. He wouldn’t be giving you what you wanted, would he? He would give you what he wanted you to want. Tender love, worship.

But it wasn’t what you wanted and it wasn’t fair to both of you.

Still, Spencer’s love for you was strong enough to take it and he would gladly, for being in your life was all he wanted, to be able to love you the way you deserved to be.

He watched you watch him and saw himself in the reflection of your eyes. Like the repeating mirror effect. A good metaphor for your relationship, he thought.

“It’s late, we’re both tired.” He said quietly, the exhaustion of the night catching up with him. “Just come to bed and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

You just rolled your eyes, your feed stayed anchored in the same place. “Come on. You must be mad at me.”

Spencer’s jaw clenched and he looked at you. Really looked at you. Looked at you like he hated you, despised you. Like he would rather be anywhere else but here with you.

A sigh left his mouth as he closed his eyes to calm himself down again, but you wouldn’t give him a chance.

You just smirked, you had him where you wanted him. “He was all over me Spencer and I let him, I would’ve let him kiss me if you didn’t interfere. I would’ve let him do more, honestly. His hands felt so good—”

“Stop!” A bang as Spencer hit the wall with his flat hand. “Stop.” This time he said it as if he was in pain instead of seething with anger. His face didn’t look like he was full of hate anymore, the ugly emotion he never wanted to feel in relation with you was replaced by remorse.

“Yes,” he started, his voice cracking a little. He couldn’t look at you. “I am angry. Of course I hated his hands on you. I wanted to…” a shuddering breath, as if he couldn’t believe his thoughts. “But just because we’re…it doesn’t give me the right to pull him off of you, if him all over you is what you wanted.”

There is a short moment of silence where both of you debated what to say, thought about where this conversation would end. If this was the end, the push too far.

Stepping closer to him, you said, “What if I wanted you rip him off of me?” You were back to being sweet, now that you had gotten what you wanted from him. Sultry and smooth as you looked up at him through your lashes.

“Then you have a very wrong picture of me.” He mumbled, looking at you, then. All he saw in your eyes was the satisfaction of pushing him to express his anger. And as much as it made him feel wrong, a sick part of himself enjoyed being pushed and pulled by you.

“Maybe,” you purred. Of course you saw that part of him, too, even in the dim lighting of the hallway in which he thought he was hiding so well. “Maybe I know you better than you know yourself.”

Another step closer to him and his hands went to your waist automatically. It reminded you why you stayed despite your differences. Even the worst people—the ones who claimed to be indifferent to phrase and worship—wanted to feel like gods from time to time.

Spencer said nothing, his gaze never leaving you. His eyes searched your face for any sign of remorse, but he wouldn’t find any, he’s been here often enough to know that he shouldn’t hope. But nothing was stronger than a hurt persons longing.

He just saw satisfaction and lust. You had been given what you wanted and now you were greedy for more. You had gotten a taste of blood.

Spencer was too aware of the fact that you weren’t a good person and every time he would bring you up in a conversation with Penelope or any other team member, they would reinforce that statement.

But how could he listen to them? It’s not like he fell in love with your goodness. It’s not like he was goodness impersonated either, so how could he fault you for it?

“Let’s go to bed.” You murmured seductively, you lifted up one of your hands to brush along his stomach over his shirt and, with satisfaction, felt his muscles clenched under your touch.

He let you lead him to your bed, then, let you push him down onto it.

His gaze never left you from where he sat, watching you as a strap of your tank top slipped off your shoulder. You made a show out of climbing onto his lap, all seductive and confident. Your knees on either side of his hips as you finally sat down.

You grinned down at him, kissing his cheek, his jaw. Spencer gave a soft breath and closed his eyes.

This was like an addiction, every time he swore he wouldn’t do this again, he already knew that he would give into it at the slightest temptation. He simply didn’t have the willpower to deny something that felt so good.

One of your hands cradled the back of his head, letting your fingers weave through his soft curls. Until you his pulled his hair to tip his head back. Spencer’s mouth opened in another soft gasp, this one closer to a moan.

You leaned down to capture his lips between yours and his head went silent. He had no time to be ashamed of what he did in the hallway, no time to be angry when your tongue licked his lips like it was right now.

Big hands on your hips, holding onto you like you might slip away. You groaned into each other’s mouth as you rocked together, clothes wearing thinner until they were in piles on the floor, heavy breaths forming clouds in the air.

He wanted to resist you, tell you that this was a bad idea. Connecting sexual acts with anger could reinforce a cycle of conflict and intimacy is what he would say if he could remember how to speak. But he couldn’t and what did it matter now, anyway? That cycle had long been closed and whether or not he gave into you one more time doesn’t make a difference now.

I won’t give in the next time it comes to this, he promised himself.

Spencer’s body sighed your name as he let himself fall back onto your bed, the shape of him on the mattress welcomed him back as you climbed on top of him.

Who wouldn’t choose the devil they knew over the heaven they didn’t when the devil looked this beautiful?

outro

Both of you would take this moment as a victory. Spencer got to worship and love you tonight. Tell you, you were the most beautiful person he has come across in his short life on this planet.

And you would take it as a victory to have watched him break, hit the wall and look at you as if he wanted it to be you instead.

The next week, like every week, you would repeat this play. Both of you would always end up back with the other again and Spencer would always promise himself that this time would be the last.

But there will not be a last time, not in quite some time.

You would always find him in the right moment (or the wrong moment, if you will, it were his weakest moments that you seemed to be able to smell like a hound). In a bar or a club, maybe even in his apartment this time, the location didn’t matter.

Because you wanted the hurt, the raw skin, the taste of blood in your mouth. You wanted the part of love that kills. But you wanted it from Spencer.

And he wanted the nurturing kind of love. The one where there is trust, fleeting touches of fingertips against soft skin, kisses that feel like spring, a bed for two. But he wanted it with you.

The Eternal Return of two people who wanted to love the other, but had two very different definitions of the term. It’s not their fault that there is one word that encompasses so many different meanings.

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[slutt4ellie]

Fated hearts starts with fire

(Will most likely have more then one part!!)

Ellie Williams x Reader

masterslist

PART 2 // PART 3 // PART 4 // PART 5 // PART 6 // PART 7

Moving to a new city is tough, but it’s even harder when your roommate is a dick.

Summery: You moved out of your childhood town to peruse writing in NYC. While apartment searching you ended up finding a place 10 minutes off your campus, the one down side is you had to share it with a complete stranger.

Warnings -> Ellie’s just a complete dick, for good reasons! (sorta) / Alcohol usage / Mean!Ellie / Mean!Reader (sorta idk!) / I explained the clothes the reader is wearing twice but it doesn’t describe the reader being masc or fem! / WILL BE A SLOW BURN! / (Eventual smut ) / mention of previous relationships / toxic relationships /(Lmk if I missed anything else!)

WC: 4k!!

(Not Proofread!!)

DAILY CLICK 🇵🇸

You were beyond fucking nervous. 

You grew up in a small town since childhood and you’re currently standing outside your apartment in one of the biggest cities in America. New York City. 

Your parents thought you were “foolish” for chasing an imaginary dream which was writing. They constantly let you know that too, telling you most authors and writers go unnoticed by people with a greater talent and following.

Regardless it didn’t stop you from applying to a university in New York, and once you got in, you assumed it was a sign to pack up and leave the small city you called home for 18 years. 

Getting into one of your dream schools, packing up and leaving your parents, that was a few weeks ago and now you’re standing outside your two bedroom apartment. That’s right, two bedroom fucking aparment, it definitely wasn’t your ideal choice but when you saw an ad posted for a shared apartment for about 1.5k a month, you couldn’t exactly pass. 

Rent was already fucking expessive and now that you live in New York finding a place to live for under 3k well that was nearly impossible. So you quickly passed on the opportunity and decided you needed to step out for once and meet a new person, that being your roommate. 

You didn’t really know much about them other than the fact she was a girl, I mean you exchanged a few messages but to be honest she was dry, she only wanted a roommate because she couldn’t afford the apartment on her own and the person that previously lived with her had to move back to their hometown.

The fact she was a girl actually shared some comfort, I mean if it was a guy you would have been fine but trying to find something to relate on probably would have eventually killed you. 

So here you are, standing outside your new apartment with a key that the receptionist gave you, after you explained you were a new tenant that was moving. You weren’t a huge “people person", you had a few friends in high school which you still talk to often but other than that you were a homebody. You decided to nervously knock before entering the apartment which on the contrary seemed stupid since it was now also your apartment but it almost seemed respectful.

A voice followed the knock “Yeah it’s open you can come in!” That was your cue to open the door and your eyes were quickly met with peircing green ones. The girl had auburn haired with freckles that trailed her face, and a tiny scar on her eyebrow. “Who are you?” The girl said harshly looking you up and down which genuinely made you uncomfortable, but it’s not something you decide to mention. “I-I’m your roommate we talked. I’m-” You nervously held out your hand to shake which led the auburn haired girl to shake her head “I don’t have to know your name, we’re roommates, not friends.” Harsh, is all you could think. You just uncomfortably nod your head and let out a slight “Right.”

She just looks at the few boxes you had on the transport trolley and focuses her attention back on the tv as she plops back down on the couch. “Your room is down the hall on the left. Just put your shit there.” She sighs. 

I mean she's not the nicest person you’ve ever met but as of now you're sorta intruding on her space so you’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt and say that’s why she seems to be on edge with your presence..!

It took you only a few hours to get your room setup. Since you moved pretty from your hometown you didn’t have the luxury of taking big things. Like your bed, mattress, shit like that. So you had a room, but the normal committees that come with a bedroom unfortunately didn’t apply. 

You also knew you had to get food considering you had nothing, you just took an assumption that the auburn hair girl wasn’t going to be suddenly sharing and giving you a helping hand allowing you to take something to eat. 

You got dressed throwing on a jacket and jeans to accommodate for the coldish weather that was taking place in NYC right now. But as you leave your room and walk down the hallway you notice the girl now has a friend sitting beside her on the couch. The person who you’re assuming is her friend has long brunette hair, brown doe eyes, and a nice smile. “Ellie just come onnnnn! Come to the party, forget about Cat and actually go out!” Okay so the auburn haired girl's name is Ellie, looks like her mysterious persona is now gone. You thought to yourself. 

And you must have been staring for to long because Ellies green eyes now meet yours and your face flushes red as she speaks “Can I fucking help you?” As Ellie finishes her sentence the brunette nudges her hard muttering something along the lines of “You don’t always have to be a dick!”

Now that you feel your self respect has gone since you were caught staring like a deer in headlights, you just shake your head fast, and incredibly embarrassed. This ultimately leads you to leave the apartment fast just as fast as you entered and go to the closest grocery store you could possibly find..

That whole interaction had to be at least an hour or so ago because when you entered the apartment both hands cuffing grocery bags it was completely empty, the fact that Ellie and the brunette were talking about some party had you come to the conscience that they most likely went to it, which to be fair you weren’t exactly complaining. You’re almost sure Ellie hates you anyway so the fact you didn’t have to deal with her almost felt like a breath of fresh air. 

After putting away the groceries you sat down on the couch and pulled out your phone. There were a few messages from your parents and your very few high school friends reaching out to see how the move went.

Mommmmmm ❤️ 

(5:30pm) - “Hey hun, checking to see how the move went! You’re officially a city girl 😎”

You

(7:32pm) - “So far so good! Settling in well!”

Mommmmmm ❤️

(7:33pm) - “How's ur roomy? Must be strange living with someone who's not me and dad. 😂”

You

(7:35pm) - “Definitely weird, but she's nice! I’m gonna make dinner love u mom ❤️”

Mommmmmm ❤️

(7:35pm) - “Love you honey! Get something in your stomach. 😘”

You knew lying to your mom was sorta shitty but if you told your mom “Yeah my roommate is kinda a dick. She wouldn’t drop it trying to convince you that you 100% would need a new apartment and you’ve already accepted that 1.5k a month is the cheapest you’re ever going to find. So lying seemed like a smooth approach to the situation. 

Dad  

(7:45pm) - Your mother let me know everything's going well with the move. Good to hear.

You

(7:47pm) - Yep! Thanks dad. 

(Read)

That was usually you the most you got from your dad, he wasn’t very “Lovey dovey” as your mom would say which you tried not to blame him, your relationship wasn’t too toxic other then the writing thing. 

One thing you have been doing is texting your friends all day letting the know about the roommate situation and everything that’s been going on. 

You 

(5:20pm)- I don't wanna move in, I don't wanna move in, I don't wanna move in, I don't wanna move in

Jess 🤗

(6:30pm) - Youll be fineeee!

Alex 🙊

(6:33pm) - yeah youll be fine! 

You

(6:34pm) - Guys actually help

(6:35pm) - Come to nyc

(6:35pm) - Come to nyc

(6:35pm) - SHE'S MEANN. 

Jess 🤗

(7:00pm) - WHO?

You

(7:10pm) - MY ROOMMATE

Alex 🙊

(7:33pm) - tf is happening? 😭

 You

(8:00pm) - fuck so when I first moved in she told me we dont have to fucking know each others names because were “Roomates and not friends” 

(8:01pm) - then I was gna go buy groceries and i accidentally stared and she she asked me if I fucking needed something

Alex 🙊

(8:33pm) - HUH? 

Jess 🤗

(8:40pm) - WHAT DID U DO?

 You

(8:44pm) - NOTHING. 

Jess 🤗

(8:40pm) - praying for u! 😁

Alex 🙊

(8:44pm) - same here girl

That was the last message you and your friends exchanged. They tried to calm you down a bit but you never had someone dislike you. You weren’t at all popular in school so you often went unnoticed which was FINE. But actually having someone dislike you and be open about the fact they actually don't enjoy your company was sorta humbling in a way?

You didn’t wanna force Ellie to like you but you didn’t understand why she already deemed that you were annoying or something.The thing you kept on going back to was the fact it was manly her space weather or not you liked it, it was almost like you were intruding and I guess if she felt that way you couldn’t blame her. 

It only took around 12 until your heard stumbling outside your apartment. It was a few seconds after when the front door opened and a man and woman let themselves in without knocking. You would have probably freaked out but the girl was the same one that was sitting on the couch with Ellie and she gave you a quick smile. “Hi” She has a very drunk Ellie on her shoulder which she quickly lets her down on the couch and picks her words back up looking straight at you “I’m Dina, this is Jesse, we're friends of Ellie.” She smiles and nudges Jesse which leads him to shake your hand softly. You followed up by telling them your name with a smile before you looked at Ellies limpish body on the couch. 

“Is she okay?” You looked at her, Ellie seemed way less hostile while she was sleeping which was refreshing. Dina almost instantly nods looking at you. “Oh yeah, she's just- she went a bit overboard tonight!” Jesse sorta chuckles “Cat situation clearly got her worked up” Your mind couldn’t help but wonder, did she fucking lose her cat or something, is that why shes so unreasonably moody. I mean it would make sense? 

You just nod looking at the pair, I mean you didn’t know what the fuck to say and this led Dina awkwardly make split eyecontact with you which followed by looking back at Jesse. “Well! We should get going It’s late and all and we got morning classes”

“Fuck tell me about it” You chuckle looking at them before talking “It was nice to meet you guys.” You smile nodding looking at them and Dina and Jesse both smile giving you a nice “Yeah you too” 

You went into your bedless room laying down a blanket against the cold wooden floor and layed a pillow right above that. Your mind wandered that night, you tried not to pay much attention to your roommate or what her friends said but you didn’t have much else to think about. Class started tomorrow and as much as you loved writing you had an undoubting feeling your professors were not going to pass up the chance to give you some insanely long ass writing assignment. So thinking about what Ellie's friends said was unfortunately on your mind.

When Jesse said “The cat situation” it had your mind go straight to the fact she probably lost her pet cat or something. But the more you thought about it, that seemed a tad bit far-fetched considering the conversion Dina was having with Ellie as they were talking on the couch “Ellie just come onnnnn! Come to the party, forget about Cat and actually go out!” you just took the benefit of the doubt and wanted to say that most people would probably say “Forget about the cat” while referring to the pet cat! I mean unless Dinas grammar is just really ass. Cat is most likely a person. 

You quickly shake your head mumbling out a quick “This is stupid” it was 1am, and you're thinking about whether your roommates' friends were talking about a real cat or a person. Fuck you need to make some friends here, because if this is how you’re going to be spending your nights it’s going to get rough quick!

The morning was groggy as your alarm woke you up. You had classes that you needed to go to and you refused to let yourself be late to the first day. You got up throwing on a pair of pants and a sweater that will make sure you’re not freezing your ass off during the day. You left your room and just to your fucking luck Ellie’s leaving her room at the exact same time leaving the both of you with weird ass awkward eye contact. You assumed she must have gotten off the couch some time throughout the night considering she's now in her bedroom. Since you were both staring for about 10 seconds Ellie finally talks. “I heard if you take a picture it will last longer?” 

You tried to shrug off the comment but each time she spoke it was like nothing nice was going to come out of her mouth. You just turned on your heel shifting your gaze from hers, going down the hallway trying your best to not give her a reaction. It was better to be the bigger person consider it feels like your literal fucking roomates with a 13 year old boy. 

“You look shitty?” She says with a slight chuckle. Well that one did hurt. Manly because you spent time this morning making sure you looked presentable for the people you were going to face in class. You didn’t understand why she said it, but whether or not it was supposed to come out as a joke it hurt. “Did I do something or are you just like this with literally everyone.” You say avoiding her gaze. 

“Like?” She says, and this is now the longest you two have had a reciprocating conversation and it’s literally just insults. “Just a fucking prick” You say grabbing your bag and a protein bar. Luckily for you this time she didn't respond, her eyebrows slightly furrowed at your comment and you can tell it definitely struck a nerve. She just leaves the kitchen island and sits on the couch. And that was your invitation to also leave. You couldn’t be bothered to pursue this conversation any longer so you left and caught a taxi to your University. 

(Ellies Pov)

Yesterday

“I don’t wanna go to a fucking party man” Ellie groans looking at Dina as she continues to beg. “Ellie just come onnnnn! Come to the party, forget about Cat and actually go out!” Ellie catches your gaze and talks directly at you “Can I fucking help you?” Ellie says getting followed up with a hard nudge from Dina “You don’t always need to be a dick!” Ellie watches as you trip over your feet stumbling out of the apartment with a red face, clearly embarrassed. “What’s your issue?” Dina says, turning Ellies concentration straight back on her. “Nothing!” Ellie says, trying to defend her shitty behaviour. “You realize you dont always have to be fucking passive” Dina says looking at Ellie, as Ellies desperately trying avoid it. “I'm not being passive?!” Dina scoffs and puts on a deep voice trying to mock her “Can I fucking help you?” Dina says, looking at Ellie. “Literally coming from the same girl who sleeps with a dinosaur stuffed animal” Dina laughs, causing Ellie to defensively shake her head. “What the fuck! No I don't!” Dina nods and talks again “Ellie just come to the party she won’t even be there!” 

“Cat suddenly doesn’t come to parties?” Ellie shakes her head looking at Dina. “She won't be at this one! Just pleaseeee!!! School is gonna start then you’re going to complain because you missed this party.” Ellie cracks out a little smile and finally nod “Fuck okay okay! 

That led Ellie to the point she is now, in a taxi with Dina and Jesse. “It’s gonna be funn!” Dina smiles reassuring Ellie, which clearly doesn’t work because Ellies shakes her head “I think we got different meanings of fun Dina.” Dina shakes her and looks at Jesse and nudges him “Jesse you convince her. “Dude just put on a smile and once we get some shots in you it will be fine. We’re gonna have fun!” Ellie just smiles at the pair and nods. “Alrightttt!” They both smile at Ellie finally cracking a smile. “Yess!” Dina says. 

The night was smooth sailing for most of the time, when Ellie got some shots in her the tenseness of the night sorta just faded and it allowed her to actually enjoy the night. Ellie even flirted with a couple girls which was rare. I mean it didn’t lead anywhere because she 100% wasn’t ready for that, but it was nice. Especially after Cat. 

And just as Ellie thought the night was going well and she was talking to a girl there was a light tap on the shoulder and she was met with the same brown eyes that she spent almost a full year with. 

Fucking cat.  

“Hey sun..” Cat says. And Ellie couldn’t help but cringe at the words. Sun, that’s what Cat always called Ellie when they were dating, and now that they 100% weren’t dating, it sorta just felt like a fresh wound. Ellie is a bit drunk (Really drunk) but she quickly spits out some words “Don’t call me that Cat.” Cat almost seems dumbfounded at Ellies words, like she couldn’t process the fact Ellie didn’t wanna get called some corny fucking pet name. 

“Okay..sorry. It’s like I always used to call you that?-” Cat says looking at Ellie trying to meet her green eyes but Ellie refuses to make eye contact. “Yeah, fucking used to. Just fu-” Dina quickly jumps in noticing Ellies hands are clenched and that nothing well is going to resolve from this conversation. “Hey Els go get some air with Jesse!” Dina quickly suggest signalling jesse over with a tilt of her head which causes him to walk over “Go take Ellie outside real quick please” He just smiles and nods, taking Ellie by the shoulder as she stumbles over her feet.

“Cat stop trying to talk to her. It’s still fresh and you’re acting like you breaking up with her was some game, okay you two are over and you made that decision.” Dina says sternly once Ellie and Jesse are outside. And Cat shakes her head fast. “I-I’m not even acting like it was some game?” Cat says getting defensive “I said we should take a break!” Cat says looking at Dina. “Then you fucking kissed a girl infront of her!” Dina says now also getting annoyed. The fact Cat wasn’t cluing into the fact she hurt Ellie was getting old. “Leave Ellie the fuck alone Cat” Dina says leaving the house to go meet up with Jesse and Ellie. 

“Is she okay?” Dina asks, looking at Ellie as she leans her head on his shoulder. Jesse looks at Dina and shrugs. “Other than the fact she just threw up 3 times I think she's okay!” He chuckles sarcastically. “Deal with Cat?” He asks as him and Dina now hold Ellie up. “Fuck shes unsufferable, but yeah, I think she got the message this time.”

This is what leads Dina and Jesse to drag and Ellie back to her shared apartment with you. They quickly open the door without knocking and Dina instantly notices your slightly panicked face “Hi” Dina says with a very drunk Ellie on her shoulder, Dina lets down Ellie lightly on the couch and Ellies body falls limp.

This is when Dina clues in you two haven’t properly met. “I’m Dina, this is Jesse, we're friends of Ellie.” Dina smiles and nudges Jesse which leads him to shake your hand softly. Dina and Jesse quickly learned your name as you followed up by telling them with a smile before you decide to talk again.. “Is she okay?”

Dina heard how your voice was soft. She wanted to give you props for even caring considering what Ellie said earlier to you  “Oh yeah, she's just- she went a bit overboard tonight!” Jesse sorta chuckles “Cat situation clearly got her worked up” They both noticed how your eyebrows furrowed clearly thinking about something but they didn’t think it was important to mention.

Dina breaks the awkward ass silence saying “Well! We should get going It’s late and all and we got morning classes”

You nodded to her words and said “Fuck tell me about it” You smiled looking at them before talking “It was nice to meet you guys.” You smile nodding looking at them and Dina and Jesse both smile giving you a nice “Yeah you too” 

Ellie’s night was shit, she woke up on the couch around 4am and noticed Dina and Jesse were nowhere to be seen. Since she woke up at 4am she did make it back into her bedroom but regardless the next morning her hangover was horrible. As she leaves her room she notices you walk out at the exact same fucking time. Great! It was followed by an awkward stare. Ellie noticed you must have gotten up early because you were put together but she would say that. Considering her night was shitty and you both were looking at each other like a deer lost in headlights she comes up with the bright idea to say “I heard if you take a picture it will last longer?” I mean it was harsh but it was easy!

You turned on your heel without giving Ellie a reaction which left her puzzled. I mean she didn’t do it for a reaction but the fact you didn’t give her one was weird. She sees you walk to the kitchen island and grab your bag. Again Ellie’s mouth thought way faster than her thoughts. “You look shitty?” She says it with a slight chuckle. I mean she didn’t mean it but now she was curious if you would break. 

And this time you did. Your eyebrows furrowed and she saw how her words actually affected you. Your eyes just looked more sad when she said those words. “Did I do something or are you just like this with literally everyone.” Ellie quickly picks up on how you’re avoiding her gaze, which works in her favor because if you did end up making eye contact with her you would see how her eyes faltered for a split second showing an ounce of sympathy.  

“Like?” Ellie says trying to keep up this shitty tough persona which really makes her come off as “Just a fucking prick” It’s like you finished what she was thinking and she didn’t like it. Because it’s one thing to act like one but now that it was brought to her attention it was like something she just really didn’t want to hear. 

This leads Ellie to get embarrassed on the fact you actually did call her out, she quickly turns her head facing away from you which was on purpose and she sat down on the couch which faces the tv. She hears your footsteps getting closer to the door and way more distance. Then there's a final slam of the door. You’re gone now.

Ellie’s not even looking at the tv, just straight ahead, because not only does she have a new roommate. But you fully were willing to actually call her out without a second thought.

Which Ellie doesn't like. 

A/N -> HI! I feel like I have to apologize for literally leaving for like a month but I have had almost 0 motivation to write.

School has me really busy so it’s sorta just consuming all my free time. I also realized in my first fic I rushed to get the parts out which made the whole process of making them less enjoyable!

That being said for this one i’m not going to force myself to write I’m going to do it on my accord! (but that doesn’t mean each part is gonna take like a month btw!)

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this because I did enjoy making/ coming up with the plot. And I promise in future chapters it will get more interesting 😭 (let’s also not talk about how the reader didn’t know ellie’s name till they moved in, which I know is unrealistic asf!)

This is really just to start it off making sure the plot is understandable. 🫶🏽

[seoulfulbliss]

Park Jongseong (Part One)

Author’s Note: Mayhaps, this is a long one. So, it might come in 3 parts. Let me know what you think! DON’T COPY MY WORKS ANYWHERE. 

CEO! Jay x Estranged Wife! Black Reader 

Synopsis: A one-night stand with a handsome CEO leads to an unexpected derailment in your life plans. 

Content: Angst, talks of miscarriage, depictions of depression, bullying, neglect, pregnant reader, motherhood, smut, autistic child, ghosted friendships, Jay’s mother reaaaalllllyyyy needs to get a life, eventual happy ending

Word Count: 3.0k

Pt. 2

Obtaining a practicing license was no easy feat. It required long, grueling hours of studying and hard work for you to succeed. You had graduated from an accredited university with a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine. Then you had to pass the national assessment exam to even be eligible for a license. After long, countless nights with no sleep, you had passed that too. It was challenging, of course it was. People warned that it wouldn’t be easy. Then came the state requirements for licensure. And that was where the trouble began. 

Some regional areas required additional examination to assess your clinical skills and make sure you were up to standard according to their practices. It’s not like it was unexpected. You knew this. But being blindsided by whatever the fuck was going on with the state board was not on your to-do-list. The people you had to deal with had a severe case of stick up ass syndrome. The smug bastards wouldn’t accept your scores. You had tried to turn in your application and exams numerous times. Each time, it was denied. You couldn’t even understand why it kept getting denied. They never quite specified in a way that made sense. So you went to handle business in person. 

When you inquired about the dispute, the jackass behind the window just smirked and stated, “You just aren’t… up to our standards.” Application rejected. And you knew what he had meant, the harsh snicker of his colleague resounding in your ears. They held bias against your racial background. You were no stranger to looks of displeasure due to your race. While blatant racism angered you to high hell, sneaky discriminatory antics pissed you off further.

Where did people get the nerve to judge your capabilities, or character, based on the color of your skin? As if they themselves were any better. But it’s like your grandmother always said, right? “You have to work twice as hard to be considered half as good.” She was right. Not to worry though. You would hold your head up high walking out of this office, and best believe these people will hear a formal complaint from you. Were you going to file a discriminatory charge with the state? Absolutely. But for now, it was water off a duck’s back. No matter what, you would stay afloat. 

Later that night, you would go out with your friends to let off steam. And that would be the night you meet him. 

It had been completely coincidental. You were dancing with your girls when you stumbled your way to the bar for another drink. Tangerine whiskey sour. Your favorite. Apparently his too. From what you remember, he had been sitting in a private booth with friends getting drunk off the loss of his fiance. Apparently, she cheated and high tailed it out of there without so much as a single note. She just left the engagement ring sitting on the nightstand. And that was it. He had been nursing a broken heart. How did you find yourself privy to this information? He told you.

You had ordered your fifth whiskey sour, mistakenly picking up his when the bartender brought it out. It was no biggie to him though. Ever the gentleman, he let you have it as he waited for the one that was supposed to be yours. Intrigued by his sweet demeanor, you stood and chatted with him. It was the least you could do for accidentally stealing his drink. He just laughed though; he really didn’t mind. And that’s how you got to know businessman Park Jongseong. Though his friends call him Jay.

And heartbroken Jay, drunk out of his mind, let his friends convince him that the cure to any heart related ailment was finding somebody to sleep with. There you stood, laughing at his jokes, delighted at his humor and sympathetic at his loss. He was enamored with you. Your intellect shined in conversation. And he was absolutely obsessed with your legs in that dress. So, he took you to a five-star hotel, a deluxe suite. He had a membership. There, he worships your body. All. Night. Long. Because nothing was as poetic as physical intimacy to him. He knew exactly what he was doing. With his fingers, tongue, and dick. The whole nine yards really. Then the next morning came, and with it came the embarrassment of letting yourself loose to such an extent. So, with tail tucked between your legs in shame, you truck it out of there before he wakes. 

Though you tried to erase the encounter from memory, the sinful nature of your lustful thoughts kept you craving for the ghost of his touch. Damn, he was a great lover. And his greatness continued to outdo itself weeks later when you encounter an even greater conundrum. Because there on your bathroom counter glaring at you in horrifyingly pink lines, are the revelations of several pregnancy tests. 

All positive.

Your life felt like it was over. How could you possibly be pregnant at a time like this? You were still trying to obtain your license, fighting against a system hoping to oppress you. You had barely started your career. What even happened? The two of you had been careful, right? Maybe the condom broke. Or maybe somewhere around round three the two of you simply let that layer of protection slip. Either way, consequence was staring you in the face. Park Jongseong. You remembered the man alright. And you remembered the business card he gave you too. Tucked carefully in the seams of your wallet. Hidden away as a token of that sensual night. So you use it. 

Calling the number on the card was simple. Getting a proper response was not. On the other end of the line, a woman answers the phone. “State your business.” Bluntly formal. Okay. No biggie, probably his secretary. But when she starts giving you the third degree, wondering how you obtained this personal number, the claws are ready to come out. “Don’t call this number anymore unless you have business to tend to.” Then the heifer hangs up mid call. 

Which brings you to the lobby of Park Enterprises. The place is bustling with ambition and visionary prowess. Various displays repeat videos on loop. Showcasing the fundamental values and mission of his company. His entire business was founded on the principle of sustainable urban development to mitigate the effects of climate change. Impressive and smart. You suppose he wasn’t only well-endowed between his legs. But while that was impressive, larger issues were at stake. Like your lack of proper protection during sex. Shaking yourself from the lustful thought, you refocus on the objective. 

“How can I help you?” The chipper, young woman at the front desk questions. “I’m here to see Park Jongseong.”

“What business do you have with him?” She continues typing away as if multitasking were a part of the job description. 

“It’s kind of a private matter.” She pauses and properly looks at you. You know you aren’t dressed the part for a corporate environment, wild curls framing your face, vibrant yellow crocs paired with baggy sweats, forest green tote bag slung over your shoulder with a loose sweatshirt hanging haphazardly from your frame. You look like you just threw your clothes together. And in your rush to get here, you technically did. “Do you have an appointment?” Her eyebrow quirks. 

You know she’s just trying to do her job. But you can tell by the slight lift at the corner of her lip that she already knows the answer to that question. Still, you push on. You’ve got better things to do than stand here all day debating about appointments. “Not necessarily. But he did give me this in case I ever needed to get in touch with him.” You pull the business card from your bag and slide it over the counter to her. She regards it impassively before a look of surprise dons her face. Then, like magic, she is quickly picking up her phone and calling a line. Guess that did the trick, you thought. You grab the card and slide it in your pocket. 

You don’t pick up much of the conversation she is having with whoever is on the line. All you hear is a chorus of “Yes sir’s” and “absolutely’s” before she is hanging up. She regards you with a look of curiosity before snapping out of her inquisitive gaze. “Secretary Kim Yeonmi has stepped out, but Mr. Park is upstairs and waiting. Floor 20. The elevators are that way.” Then just like that, her attention has shifted back onto the work she was tending to prior. Dismissed, you slowly make your way in the direction of the elevators. Butterflies swarm dangerously in the pit of your stomach. This very important man took you for a wild ride several weeks ago. And now you are catapulting back into his life with life changing news. Nervousness was an understatement. 

You deliberate in the elevator the entire way up. It’s as if the universe is conspiring against you to speed things up for you to meet your fate. Because all too soon, the elevator dings, and you are stepping out of the metal box. Destiny beyond its doors. Everything about Park Enterprises is sleek. There’s a clean look to the environment. Black and white color scheme mixed with accents of mahogany wooden furniture. Modern regality permeates the atmosphere. The design did well to mimic his personality. Neat, well-kempt, simple, and sensible. 

It was something you had noticed about him when you first met. Even in his drunken stupor, he carried a quality of elegant control. Which is a reason it excited you to see him let loose in the bedroom. Shaking those lustful thoughts once more, you cross the chasm between your present and future. Walking past the vacant secretary desk, you stand at a pair of closed mahogany doors. Hesitantly, you knock. 

A few seconds of silence before the words, “Come in,” echo beyond the doors. That’s how you meet Jongseong again. Standing in front of his desk, in a heath gray suit with a black undershirt, is the man of your recurring fantasies. His jaw is tight, hands in his pockets. Body language seemingly tense. Rightfully so. This is an unexpected encounter. You gather your bearings to drop this bombshell. 

Just as you cross the threshold, “What’s the urgency of the matter for you to go and brandish a card that doesn’t belong to you?” What… was that?

Baffled by his direct line of questioning, you stop shy of your destination. “Excuse me?”

“The card.” He acknowledges the nature of it with a nod. “It’s only given out to personal business associates and people I deem of importance.” Wow. This Park Jongseong was different from the one who let loose with a few drinks. He was rude and blunt. Maybe his ex-fiancé really did do a number on him.  

“This card was specifically given to me by you.” He hums. 

“Interesting.” And he says it like he doesn’t believe you at all. Which is strange considering he, in fact, did give it to you. 

“Do you… not remember Club Daydream a month ago? We met at the bar. I mistakenly took your whiskey sour. Tangerine.”

He shrugs his shoulders with disinterest. “Vaguely. I’ve met a lot of women in the past few weeks.” 

You continue, trying to drown out the thought of what that meant. “Okay… um. You took me to XO hotel after giving me your business card at the bar. You talked to me about your ex—”

“Stop.” He interjects, hand held up as a visual sign of his interruption. “Don’t speak about her like you know anything.” From the heat of his voice, it is clear he is still disgruntled from the nature of that relationship. 

“Sorry,” You stutter, mind jumbled from the whirlwind of confusion. This version of Jay was giving you whiplash from the one you experienced. “I didn’t mean to overstep—” 

“But you did, and I’m starting to think this conversation is useless. Get to the point.”

Scoffing, your frustration begins to rear its ugly head. “Well, I’m trying—”

“Try harder. I have a 4 o’clock meeting—”

“I’m pregnant,” you blurt out. “A few weeks along. It lines up perfectly with the timeframe of that night.”

“How do I know you haven’t slept with anyone else?” Ouch. As much as you understood his logic, it still offended you to know he could accuse you of that so easily. “I’ll try not to be offended by what you just said. But if you must know, I don’t typically sleep around. I’m just starting out in my career and don’t have time for relationships or children. Besides, you’re the first guy I’ve slept with in a long time.” He observes you for a moment, taking in your body language.

“And what about the pregnancy test? Where is it? Have you taken more than one? Have you gotten a professional opinion?”

Overwhelmed, you step back a little bit at the rapid fire questioning. Reading the room, he pauses once again to look at you. Reaching into your bag, you pull out four pregnancy tests. “I’ve taken four of these at home. All read positive.” You hold them out in the space between you two. Pushing off the desk he began to lean on mid conversation, he steps closer to observe the tests. As proof of your midnight tryst, 8 pink lines stare back at him. He curses softly under his breath. “Let’s say, hypothetically, the baby is mine.” You bristle at the skepticism lacing his voice. “Why haven’t you gone to a professional to confirm it? Sometimes pregnancy tests can be faulty.”

“By giving four false positives?” Bafflement was an understatement. 

“I don’t know how these things work,” he hisses. “But what I do know is you need a professional opinion. Why didn’t you go to one to confirm this?”

“Because I literally just found out and didn’t want to freak out alone.” You rebut.

He chuckles under his breath in disbelief, then looks away. Sucking his teeth in frustration, he makes his way over to his desk where he picks up the phone. “Secretary Kim, cancel the rest of my meetings for the day.” Ah, he was calling the secretary who stepped out to run errands. There seems to be dialogue on the other side of the receiver. “Just do it.” He states, before hanging up the phone with finality. Damn, that was kind of hot. His eyes snap back to you. You stiffen at attention. His gaze sweeps over your form once more, before he sighs. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to my family doctor.” 

Forty-five minutes later finds you in the care of Jay’s family doctor, Paik Sunjae. His results confirm without a shadow of a doubt that you are pregnant. The look on the young CEO’s face is unreadable underneath the fluorescent lighting. He thanks the doctor and gathers himself before walking out of the office. Grabbing your things, you swiftly follow after him. 

In the car, you both sit in silence before you break it. “Believe me now?” The man in question shuts his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to repress the negative emotion oozing out of him. “If the timeline of events is as you say, then the child has to be mine. Meaning I now have to take full responsibility for you both.”

“Well, you don’t necessarily have to. I didn’t really intend on being a mother.” At the revelation of your words, he turns to look at you. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m still working on obtaining my practicing license. Being a mother was not on my agenda at such a young age. You didn’t even seem happy about the baby. So, why should I sacrifice what I worked hard for?”

Immediately, he sits at attention. “You are not getting rid of my baby.” The conviction in his voice added more layers of confusion to the man you were getting to know. “I… didn’t intend to get rid of the child. What I meant was that we can take responsibility together up to a certain point. Once the baby is born, I can give them to you and move on with my life.” 

“No. If we do this, we do it my way. I wasn’t raised to abandon the mother of my child. That being said, you’re moving in with me. And in a few days time, I’ll finalize our marriage certificate.”

“What?!” You exclaim. “Did you not hear what I just said? I’m too young to be a mother and my career is already on the line. Why should I pause that for you? And who said anything about marriage? We hardly know each other, and what little I do know about you isn’t exactly pleasant at the moment.” The man in front of you had done a 180 shift from the charming gentleman at the bar. And now he was demanding you marry him for the baby? 

“Regardless of what you think you know about me, having a child out of wedlock is a huge scandal. One I’d like to prevent from reaching the media. Besides, a child needs its mother. I can’t care for an infant by myself. Since we created the kid together, we do the leg work together. My home and my resources are open for you to oversee proper nutrition and care during pregnancy. Being my wife should be seen as a perk, not a chore. Plenty of women would consider themselves lucky for that spot.”

“So call them since you wanna be braggadocious.” 

He rolls his eyes with a smirk at the sarcasm dripping in your voice. “Trust me, this arrangement is for the best. You’ll see.”

A week later you were officially married. 

[engardeitsme]

The Hunted, Haunted and Forgotten - Part 10

[Prev] [Next] [Masterlist]

Pairing: Battle Maniac x fem!Reader

Word count: 5.8k

Summary: You make your way through a Puppet infested Krat and encounter some interesting characters...

A/N: ok hear me out..i kinda overpromised w this chapter ajsksk sry about that>< the plan was to make it a little longer to fit the rest of the barren swamp arc buuut then a "little longer" turned into 10k+ words and i didn't wanna subject you to that lol. so this is something of a set-up chapter now, and "only" 5.8k words,, but nonetheless-!! i put a lot of love and thought into it, and hope it's still an entertaining enough read~ xoxo🤲❤🐰

***

Part 10 - Irony of fate

Cerasani Alley was on the other side of a stone bridge lined with lanterns. But to get there, you first had to cross a small, poorly lit square, which (much to your chagrin) was once again packed with creepy Puppet standees advertising the circus event in honour of the Grand Exhibition. Fortunately, most of their faded grins were facing away from you, originally intended for the festival-goers heading towards the hotel. Still, you preferred to get a move on.

Although there was a decorative web of light garlands hanging above your heads, they didn't do much to illuminate the area; instead, they only added to the eeriness by swaying back and forth in the harsh wind, casting a flickering play of light and shadow over your surroundings. You kept thinking you could see movement out of the corner of your eye, but when you turned your gaze to a suspicious spot, you couldn't see anything. It made you so paranoid that at one point you thought the stone itself was moving, coming alive even, and that every flash of the dark rows of windows was due to the gleaming eyes of a ghostly creature watching you, lurking, waiting for the opportune moment when you would turn your back on it so that it could finally-

"Hello there!"

You flinched violently, twice, as Matteo suddenly materialized directly in front of you - directly directly, meaning that the tip of your nose almost brushed the fabric of his red scarf as he pointed his sword at the stranger.

"Whoa, e-easy-", the very same stuttered immediately. "Hold your horses, I'm just a humble merchant! I-I promise!"

The Rabbit remained motionless for a few more seconds, then you noticed him slowly relax (a little) and lower his arm again.

You too had recovered from your shock by now and cautiously peered out from behind the scarf wearer. The first thing you saw was Vito loosening his attack stance as well. Then your eyes fell on the "humble merchant" in front of you, a man in dirty clothes with a tattered green scarf around his neck, who seemed to have jumped out of his rain-protected hiding place as soon as he saw you. He held a lantern in one hand, a thick bag in the other, and had a large wooden box on his back. Greasy black hair peeked out from under his cap, but by far the most striking detail about him was his face, which was almost completely wrapped in yellowed bandages. Only his eyes were exposed, along with an opening for his mouth. It wasn't hard to guess what was underneath, especially when he started coughing the next moment. The sound sent a cold shiver down your spine.

"Oh, but see for yourself!", the sick man said hoarsely. "You are most welcome to take a closer look at my selection. It may be small, yes, but I assure you it has everything a Stalker's heart desires! Only while supplies last, though." He chuckled while eagerly putting down his lamp and bag. "You're in luck, too! I've got quite a few festival offers right now that will surely knock your socks off...!"

However, as soon as he had shed off the massive box, Matteo suddenly turned away and walked towards the bridge, paying him no further attention.

At first, the merchant just stared after him in stunned silence. Then he laughed nervously and turned his attention to Vito instead. "D-Did I say offers...? Ah, force of habit, force of habit! It's all on the house, naturally! The esteemed gentlemen- err, and lady of course, are absolutely free to take whatever they... want..." He trailed off when the larger Rabbit walked past him as well.

You saw him swallow. Then his (now almost pleading) eyes met yours, but in the end you too had to disappoint him and could only offer an apologetic shrug before quickly following your two companions. You felt sorry for the guy, as he probably didn't see a lot of customers these days... or people in general. But it wasn't as if you had any storage space anyway, let alone time.

One thing was for sure, though: He was persistent. For as soon as the three of you had entered the bridge, you could hear him hastily packing up his things again, only to catch up with you shortly after.

"If I may ask one teensy little question", he began, a little out of breath, "You came from the hotel, right? Does that mean the path is clear...? The Parade Master is finally-"

"We're here on personal business, not to do those toffs up here a favour," Matteo growled, still looking straight ahead.

The merchant's smile dropped again. "O-Of course, of course. It's just that... It's been quite a while since the last time a Stalker showed up here, you know? That's why I thought you..."

He broke off, raising his hands in defense as Matteo's head turned dangerously slow in his direction.

"...a-are here on personal business. Which does not concern me at all, because it's your business and not mine. Right, got it. Duly noted. Well, I... I guess I'll stay here then. Uh, just in case. So if you ever find yourself in the neighbourhood again and need a helping hand, you can certainly count on me!" He gave a forced laugh and finally stopped walking, raising his hand in farewell. "Bon voyage, gentlemen, until we meet again! ...Err, and gentlewoman, of course!"

As you crossed the bridge, you glanced back one last time at the lonely figure of the merchant, who was about to turn away with a muttered: "Rabbits, go figure. What can you expect..." and a dismissive gesture of his hand, before shuffling back to his original spot.

You bit your lip as another wave of pity washed over you, but then you quickly pushed it back where it came from. The whole city was chock-full of tragic fates by now; there was little point in dwelling on one in particular, especially when there was nothing you could do to help and it would only make the rest of your day feel even shittier than usual.

At least he's still doing well enough to rip people off, you tried to make the situation more bearable in your mind - which didn't even work half as well as you'd hoped.

But then you marched through a rusty gate and immediately found yourself in the middle of Cerasani Alley, officially making your remorse fade into the background.

As soon as you saw yourself surrounded by the gapless stone buildings rising into the sky, the air suddenly felt even colder. You couldn't help but imagine that you were stepping into a giant stone mouth. Ready to be digested by whatever was roaming these streets...

You quickly drew your knife. Although your injured shoulder rather limited your fighting ability, the familiar weight of the weapon alone made you feel a little safer.

Fittingly, the next moment your eyes fell on a corpse on the ground. Not the first one you had come across today, but the first one that held your attention, thanks to the incredibly fancy suit the guy was wearing. He must also have been a visitor to the Grand Exhibition, an event intended to welcome the international community and showcase the latest achievements of the Puppet industry - a resounding success, really. That is, if one would ignore the unfortunate side-effect that in the end there had been no one left to spread the good news to the rest of the world and attract the much hoped-for investors.

You were still unable to take your eyes off the dead man. Time and rain may have washed away most of the blood (and, thankfully, the stench), but that only made it more obvious how badly his body had been mutilated. Especially the face...

Which looked strangely familiar all of a sudden, with the prominent chin, the dark stubble and thick eyebrows above bright, sightless eyes...

The only thing missing was his...

You quickly looked away when you suddenly saw your father lying at your feet.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. Your heart was pounding in your throat, even though you knew this was just nonsense, made up by your stressed mind. Your father had no business being here, his corpse had no business being here. No, he had met his end on Rosa Isabelle Street, where the Puppet Frenzy had started, in a completely different part of the city. Which was actually why you couldn't help but be a little disappointed that the Rabbits had decided on this "shortcut" to the Barren Swamp. Had you gone via Elysion Boulevard, you would inevitably have ended up on Rosa Isabelle Street, too...

Not like you were hoping for much. In fact, you didn't even know what you were hoping for in the first place! It would be silly to think there was any chance of finding your father after all this time. After all the chaos and destruction. But maybe that was actually the point, not finding him... And thus (paradoxical as it may seem) finally getting answers, however vague, to the never-ending "what ifs" that had become such loyal companions over the past months. You would never have made it to Rosa Isabelle Street to look for your father, not on your own anyway, even if the Rabbits hadn't sealed off the Malum District. You simply hadn't been strong enough.

But what if I'm wrong? What if I was strong enough? What if I had at least tried? Dared to be brave for once in my life and think beyond the obvious possibilities...?

You had told yourself over and over again that it probably wouldn't have made a difference. That if by some miracle you had made it to Rosa Isabelle Street, you would more than likely have met your own end in all the chaos. At the same time, that was exactly it: "likely", "probably". You couldn't say for sure - and now, you would never be able to. But it might have brought you a little bit of closure at least to have seen the Rosa Isabelle Street of now. And to have definitive proof that there really was nothing that could be done for your father...

You hadn't even realized you'd been holding your breath until you let it out after passing the body. At the same moment, you noticed that Vito had stopped and turned towards you to sign something. You didn't recognize the words, but could guess their meaning. So you just grimaced - until you remembered that he couldn't see your face - and then said, gesturing dismissively: "It's nothing. I'm coming."

You could well imagine him raising a skeptical eyebrow (rightly so; you were a piss-poor liar after all), but he seemed to realize you weren't in a chatty mood, so thankfully he left it at that. Then he simply waited until you had walked passed him and brought up the rear of your little party.

And not a moment too soon.

Because as soon as you walked through an archway, you were suddenly confronted with your first enemies. All of them Puppets. Mostly Butler and Maid Puppets ('The most loyal servant' indeed, you thought dryly), armed with various dangerous household objects such as knives or pokers, but you also saw one wielding a candlestick and another holding a broom. Of course, Puppets of this sort were not uncommon up here, as they had run everyone's household. But thanks to the Grand Exhibition, their presence on the streets had also increased, which only contributed to the rapid collapse.

You wondered if the Puppets' murderous campaign through the city, and the fact that, as a result, most people had not died of the Petrification Disease, had prevented a major Carcass outbreak up here. Or if the phenomenon had been confined to the poorer regions of Krat from the very start... Either way though, you were quite grateful for this circumstance. It was disconcerting enough to see your father lying on the ground among the many corpses of the festival-goers; you could really do without also seeing him stagger towards you, undead, and ready to munch on your face...

Naturally, your companions got rid of your Puppet opponents with routine ease. Matteo didn't even seem to look at what he was doing, acting purely on instinct, almost to the point of showing off. Consequently, your knife didn't get much action this time around, but for once you didn't mind being on the sidelines. Especially as it only took a few minutes for the Rabbits to clear your path.

By now you were standing on a wide road that led to a large square further ahead. You knew this could only be Krat Central Station Plaza. You hadn't been here much before, the last time being years ago at this point. But you had thought about this place often enough in recent times, especially after the whole thing with the train tickets. It was strange to think that it hadn't been that long since you'd imagined yourself crossing this square... to escape (among other things) the very men who had brought you here now.

I guess that's what you call the irony of fate...

Your mouth pressed into a thin line as Vito suddenly made a loud noise to get your attention. Or rather Matteo's, who immediately turned around. His brother raised his sword and pointed it at a building to your right, a clothing store. It was only half-barricaded, as if the owners had been interrupted and left mid-construction, so you could see pretty dresses and hats neatly lined up through a broken window.

You frowned in confusion, but then Matteo said: "Later, on the way home. I don't think she'd appreciate a dress soaked in swamp."

"Giulia?", you asked, although the answer was pretty obvious now.

He nodded anyway, before turning away again. "She thinks she deserves a 'reward' for taking it easy these past few weeks."

For a moment you thought you heard a smile in his words, despite the usual sarcasm... But that could very well have been your imagination. Still, he didn't seem to mind granting her this wish by the looks of things, which made your own lips curl upwards. The girl really had her brothers wrapped around her little finger.

However, as quickly as your smile appeared, it disappeared again as soon as you entered the Krat Central Station Plaza.

You hadn't been back to the upper city since the disaster began, had only heard of the horrors that had taken place up here. But if this place was any indication, it had been even worse than you had imagined.

The square resembled a battlefield, no, carnage. A massacre. After all, a battlefield implied that there were two fighting parties, but the many human and animal corpses proved the exact opposite. They conjured up images in your mind, images of a veritable sea of people streaming towards the station in panic. A single mass of writhing bodies, pushing each other out of the way in fear and agony, climbing over each other, driven by a single instinct: to survive. There were dozens of wrecked carriages, all empty, with blood-stained open doors, dirty suitcases and other luggage strewn about; the occupants must have quickly realized that this was no way forward and that they were better off joining the crowd. In a situation like this, status and money played a rather subordinate role.

You grimaced as you passed another dead horse and quickly looked elsewhere, beyond at the buildings that lined the square. Dozens of illuminated windows made it look like half the city was still alive, but that was probably rather a sign to the contrary. After all, you highly doubted that after everything that had happened here, anyone would be stupid enough to leave their lights on and draw extra attention to themselves.

Your gaze slowly wandered further, eventually landing on the statue of Valentinus Monad, former leader of the Alchemists and founding father of the city. He had taken up position in the very center of the square, facing the station with a stone arm outstretched, as if to welcome visitors to the city. A shapeless piece of cloth - a sack? - was dangling from it on a rope. At least until you got closer. Then you realized it was actually a human corpse hanging upside down.

The grotesque sight hit you so unexpectedly that for a tiny moment you didn't pay attention to where you were going - and promptly tripped over a loose brick. Your breath caught in your throat as you lost your balance and fell forward-

Only to be grabbed by the arm and pulled upright again.

Heart beating wildly, you turned your head to Matteo and said: "Phew, thank you. I thought I-"

But then he let go of you again and just walked away.

"...ookay. Not that important, I guess", you muttered, slightly offended.

At least until two Puppet dogs suddenly jumped out from behind a broken carriage (where they had obviously been lying in wait for you) and you watched as the Rabbit killed them in one fell swoop before their mechanical paws had even touched the ground.

Which made you feel extremely stupid.

All right, well, maybe some things were indeed more important than others...

In the meantime, Vito got rid of a few more Butler Puppets that had been disturbed by the commotion. Eventually, though, the last pair of glowing red eyes went out and you were able to continue on your way, soon reaching the station building. Again, you couldn't help but think of the incredible irony...

The huge clock above the entrance was out of sync, but it was still working; which wasn't surprising, since the rest of the power grid was still functioning as well. Though the question was, for how long... You shuddered at the thought of a pitch-black Krat filled with bloodthirsty Puppets and undead monsters, and sincerely hoped you would never have to experience that.

And for once, you could be in luck!

Hmm, what's gonna happen sooner: the power going out, or the Petrification Disease paralysing my organs...?, you pondered. Too bad about the timing. I bet in the good old days that would have made quite a sum at the bookie's...

As soon as you realized how macabre this thought was, you shuddered and spontaneously decided to keep your thinking to an absolute minimum for the time being.

With that in mind, you turned to Matteo. "So, how is this a shortcut to the Barren Swamp again?"

At the same moment, you arrived under the canopy of the station entrance, heading straight for the big door.

"You'll see soon enough."

You stopped walking and glared at his back. No answer is also an answer, I guess...

Then you had an idea.

You turned to Vito and asked: "So, how is this a shortcut to the Barren Swamp again?"

At first, the big Rabbit just looked down at you without saying a word. Then he chuckled and signed something prompting a heavy sigh from behind you.

Music to your ears.

"Behind the last platform is an underground passage that leads directly to the swamp", the scarf wearer finally revealed. "There, shortcut. Happy now?"

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. "A tunnel connection? That's news to me..."

"It was used for logistics", Vito explained through his brother. "Before the Ergo discovery, there was a coal mine on the other side."

That did ring a bell, albeit a faint one; perhaps you had heard of it in your short time at school. That would certainly explain how the Rabbits knew about it as well, though as former Stalkers, they probably knew every nook and cranny of the city by this point.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't know about it", you said aloud. "It wasn't like I ever went deeper into the swamp. My workplace was right at the start, next to the tram station." This made you remember something else. "Although... I was quite happy about that, to be honest. There were all sorts of rumours and horror stories about a huge 'swamp monster' roaming around somewhere."

You laughed at the absurdity of it all, until you suddenly realized that there were Carcass monsters now too... And when the Rabbits only exchanged a quick glance, but otherwise left your words uncommented, you fell silent again.

Something that would have happened anyway now that you'd entered the station - and only then grasped the true significance of there being no rain inside. Even your shudders shuddered when you saw all the blood that seemed to cover every available surface, glistening in puddles on the tiled floor and in splatters on the walls. Its source was usually not far away, lying on the floor or leaning against the wall, while the perpetrators could be heard making their designated rounds a little further away.

It was hard to imagine that you had been looking forward to coming here not so long ago...

You followed Matteo away from the door and towards a staircase, but stopped again in amazement as soon as you saw the entire lobby spread out before you (despite the many horrors that marred the sight). It had been so long since you had last been here that it felt like you were seeing it for the first time now. The room was gigantic, ending in the magnificent dome that could be seen from the outside. Ornate columns, balustrades, frames and archways decorated the gray walls, sometimes covered in gold. Directly above your heads hung an oversized chandelier, which on its own would have illuminated half the room probably, but was supported by various sconces and lampposts mounted in perfect symmetry on the banisters. A few wooden benches, arranged around the large, golden statue on the other side of the room, invited weary travelers to linger, and you were sure that had your situation been different (and had this place not been overrun by bloodthirsty killer Puppets...) you too would have gladly accepted the invitation and marvelled for a while.

But your situation was no different, unfortunately. Something that was again impressively demonstrated to you the very next moment, when Matteo arrived at the bottom of the stairs and promptly plunged his sword through the skull of a Conductor Puppet.

It was dressed in all blue and seemed a little taller than the previous Butler Puppets, which wasn't too surprising, however, as they were also the station's former security guards. Or maybe it was just its tall hat that made you think so.

Vito, meanwhile, had also hurried downstairs, not wanting his brother to have all the fun, leaving you alone at the top of the stairs... where you suddenly heard a strange noise behind you.

Startled, you spun around and raised your knife in front of your body, expecting to see another Conductor Puppet that had somehow managed to move quietly enough to sneak up on you...

Only to pause in surprise when you found yourself face to face with a Stalker. Their mask was in the shape of a bear - or a weasel?? - and looked as if it had been hastily patched together. Wires, light in color and so thick they resembled twigs, protruded from the ears and mouth area. The fabric of the mask reached down to the Stalker's neck and covered their shoulders like a leafy collar. The fact that it was tied around their neck with a rope made it look like a sack that they had put over their head and then simply cut into the desired shape. Apart from that, they wore a long coat of worn brown leather and carried a small backpack, as well as a fiery red axe in their gloved hand, which looked anything but harmless.

Yet you couldn't stop staring at the bizarre mask when the Stalker finally said: "You lost, little lamb? Hand over all you've got!"

That was probably meant to scare you, but it only made you more confused. Because judging by the nasal-sounding voice, you were dealing with a teenager here, someone around Giulia's age at most. 'Little lamb' my arse... You were almost the same height even!

"Got beans in your ears or something??" The girl(?) took a threatening step towards you. "I said, take out your pockets or you're not gonna like what happens next!"

You raised an unimpressed eyebrow and lowered your arm. "Do I look like I have anything of value on me?"

"W-Well..." She paused and gave you another subtle once-over (that wasn't subtle at all). "No, but... looks can be deceiving! I should know, I may not look it, but best believe I'm tough as nails-"

"And clearly have no idea who you're talking to", Matteo suddenly said, before stepping next to you. At first glance he seemed calm, but then your eyes fell on his hand, still tightly gripping his sword... "Otherwise we wouldn't be standing here. We are the Black Rabbit Brotherhood, that ring any bells?"

The Weasel Stalker seemed to hesitate for a moment... but then she just stuck out her chin and replied: "I know who you are. But I don't care. Rank, title, status... It's all meaningless in a city ruled by death. Survival is all that matters."

Though she'd barely finished speaking when Vito appeared on your other side and startled her into taking a few steps backwards. A blunder she quickly tried to cover up by clearing her throat, but that only made it more obvious.

'Tough as nails', huh?, you thought, amused.

Something Matteo agreed with. "Big talk from someone wearing a rookie mask - if it's even yours. Maybe you just nicked it, that would explain a lot. Why I've never met such a pea-brained Sweeper before, for example."

His accusation seemed to have struck a nerve. You saw the hand holding her axe begin to shake with anger before the girl snarled: "It's my mask. I earned it, fair and square. And I'm gonna give you 'pea-brained' between the eyes, you arrogant, snooty-"

It was as if Matteo had been waiting for this - and he probably had.

In the blink of an eye, the Rabbit had suddenly bridged the distance between them and knocked the weapon out of her hand with a single swipe of his sword. Accompanied by a piercing Clang!, it slithered away while he sent the surprised girl to the ground with a well-aimed kick and grab combo. She let out a loud "Oof-!" as her back collided with the hard tiles of the floor, before going quiet as a mouse at the sight of the sword at her neck. Something you could relate to all too well...

"W-Wait-", she began in panic, but the Rabbit ignored her.

"What was that?", he hissed. "Fancy repeating that? Sounds to me like someone here needs a little refresher on respecting your superiors."

As much as you had marvelled at the ease and speed with which Matteo had incapacitated the other Stalker (even if it was "only" a rookie), you were far from agreeing with this sudden escalation. So you gave Vito an alarmed look... and blinked in disbelief when he just shrugged his shoulders in return.

Meanwhile, Matteo was just getting started, by the looks of it.

"What, cat got your tongue?", he taunted. "For someone who deals in death, you're awfully quiet all of a sudden. Not very Stalker-like, if you ask me... Surely you weren't just lying about your mask to save your own skin, right...?"

The girl let out an audible gasp as he increased the pressure of his sword on her throat.

Something that immediately made you blurt out: "Matteo, stop! She's just a kid!"

At first it seemed that in his madness he hadn't heard you, or that he was simply ignoring you as well. But suddenly he leaned forward and growled: "Don't ever mess with a Rabbit again. Don't even think about it, especially not when I'm around. Got it?" The girl nodded hastily, which made him straighten up again, seemingly satisfied. "Smart. Maybe there's a Sweeper in you after all."

You breathed a sigh of relief when he finally removed his sword from her neck. Then he turned around and walked back towards the stairs without another word, while you rushed in the opposite direction.

"You alright?", you asked as soon as you reached the girl.

She sat up, one hand on her neck, her gaze fixed on Matteo's back until he was down the stairs and out of sight.

"Jerk...", she muttered. Her dislike for the scarf wearer hung so heavily in the air that you thought you could touch it. When she remained silent after that, you started to think that maybe she hadn't heard you... But then her head gave a little twitch in your direction and she replied: "Yeah, it's nothing."

You watched as she picked herself up from the floor (ignoring your outstretched hand) and, once back on her feet, looked around for her weapon. Eventually she spotted the axe lying in a nearby corner and went to retrieve it, adding over her shoulder: "Though I am not a kid, just so we're clear. And I'm also not stupid, which is why I waited until your two colleagues were busy with the scrap-heaps before I came out of hiding. How was I supposed to know that maniac would go all crazy on me..."

"Yeah, he... does that sometimes", you agreed with a wry smile, but had barely finished speaking when the Stalker suddenly let out a wailing noise.

"Why does this keep happening to me?? Not a single soul, not anywhere, for days. And then finally someone comes along, and it's the bloody Brotherhood! Ugh!" She kicked the nearest wall in frustration. "Everything's wrong and horrible, and everyone else is either dead or gone. What can you even do in a situation like that? The whole city's upside down!" She groaned. "All I want is a full belly for once, is that really too much to ask?? Ooh, what I wouldn't give for a simple piece of stale old bread right now...!"

You had already opened your mouth when she jerked her head in your direction, making you jump. "You sure you didn't bring any food...??", she added in a whiny voice. "I'll settle for half a slice of bread! Hell, give me the breadcrust, I'll take that too!!"

Unfortunately, as sorry as you felt for her, you had to disappoint her on all counts, which she commented on with another groan.

Before a sudden thought struck you...

"I don't have any bread with me, but... I might have something better", you said, reaching into a pocket of your coat and pulling out the coin that you'd received from the Rabbits just after you'd negotiated your deal - and that probably wasn't yours to give away, but...

Ignorance is bliss, right?

And so, the next moment, it soared through the air and then landed in the hands of the surprised Weasel Stalker.

"It's called the 'Smiling Bunny Mark' or something", you anticipated her questions, "and gives you exclusive access to all sorts of things. Makes quite an impression... especially on merchants. Speaking of which, we actually passed one on the way here, as luck would have it." You pointed your thumb in the direction of the entrance door. "He set up camp not far from here, between Cerasani Alley and Hotel Krat, just behind a small bridge. You can't miss it, really, thanks to all the circus stuff."

The girl was silent at first, just looking back and forth between you and the small item in her hands. "And you... give it to me. Just like that. Why?", she finally asked incredulously. "There's a catch, gotta be."

"No. No catch."

"Wh- I tried to rob you!"

You shrugged. "I think after what my... esteemed colleague just pulled, we're even. And, well. I won't be needing it much longer anyway."

Which was nothing but the truth. After all, you only had a few more treasure hunts left after today (a fact you were all too happy to ignore...). And even if the Rabbits didn't want the Bunny Mark back afterwards, what good would it do you, so close to the end...? You'd rather it was in the hands of someone who could actually use it than gathering dust in your apartment.

And yes, maybe you did still feel a little bad about leaving the merchant out in the rain earlier. This way he got some company, and the Weasel Stalker got something to eat! Win-win!

"If the merchant thinks it's a fake, just remind him that in that case you'd be the one in trouble, not him. That should do it."

"I...", the girl began, obviously at a loss for words, "This is... I can't just..."

But then you suddenly heard Matteo impatiently calling your name (you were surprised he'd waited so long...) and quickly cut in: "It's nothing, really! We survivors gotta stick together, no?"

Walking backwards towards the stairs, you waved one last goodbye to her, before finally turning around, a warm feeling in your chest.

You had almost forgotten how good it felt to help someone in need. In recent weeks, this had fallen a little short, partly because you had been relatively busy with the treasure hunts; but also because the grim prospect of your imminent demise had often made you forget that there was an outside world. Outside your own four walls, your own brain. It might also be pretty dark these days, true, but where there was shadow, there usually was light; selfless love and genuine humanity. You just had to know where to look, dare to look.

Something you now vowed to do more often again in the short time you had left on this earth. Of course, your sickness would make this a little difficult... but you would find a way, you always did.

The thought alone put a spring in your step, and you practically skipped down the rest of the stairs to find Vito and Matteo waiting at the bottom, the latter with his arms crossed.

"You finally fulfilled your quota of good deeds for today?", he mocked.

But instead of letting him get to you, this time you just smiled and said in a sickly sweet voice: "I agreed to spend the day with you, didn't I? You're welcome, by the way~"

At first there was only silence.

Then Vito burst out laughing, while Matteo just muttered a short "Whatever" and turned away. You couldn't see his annoyed eye roll, but you knew it was there. And so you were still grinning when the three of you finally reached the end of the lobby and stepped through an open door onto the platforms.

***

spent quite some time on the robber weasel convo bc i was scared i made matteo ooc by having him "show too much emotion", and honestly?? that already tells you everything there is to know about this guy's mental state loll😭😭 (in the paraphrased words of the brilliant @asayamas "GO TO THERAPY DUDE!!!")

thank you sm for readingg, i hope you enjoyed it!! feedback is welcome and very much appreciated~

[hongjoongspoetry]

A Second to Forever | Teaser

🍄 Summary: The countdown on your wrist was getting closer to its end and the jitters of finally meeting your soulmate were rendering you an anxious mess. It was a moment you had waited for your entire life — the chance to put a face and name to the person you were destined to meet — and it made you think of different ways to escape fate. After a series of comedic events where everything that could go wrong, did, you met your soulmate. In that instant, everything changed. The encounter was filled with sparks of attraction, warmth and genuine connection, leading to a tender first interaction that left you both feeling enchanted.

🍄 Pairing(s): Fairy!Seonghwa x Fairy!Reader

🍄 Genres/Tropes: Soulmate AU, non-idol AU, fantasy AU, fluff, humour

🍄 Warnings/Tags: female reader, no use of (Y/N), use of magic, water manipulation, flower manipulation, more to come...

🍄 Wordcount: Estimated 7K

🍄 Author's Note: Click the image for a better resolution (Tumblr I hate you). Thought it'd be cool to make a lil teaser for the next part of our Cherry Blossom March Event!!! As always, this is just a draft and minor changes can still be made before the entire work is published. I also want to take the time and say thank you for all the love and feedback I've received on Jongho's fic <3

Masterpost Event taglist

As if sensing your chasing figure, the wind picked up and pushed the leaf further away. Like a game of cat and mouse, the blade would land on the ground and then jump a few paces whenever you’d get too close. It was taunting you and that alone made you more determined to capture it again. The thought of Wooyoung casting a spell on it back in his shop didn’t sound too unbelievable. The more time you spent with the wizard, the more of his foxy personality broke through his innocent act. 

“Come back here,” you hissed and chased the lively leaf while successfully avoiding collision with the other pedestrians.

A brilliant idea flashed before your eyes and everyone watched in awe as your blue wings fluttered to life, and lifted your figure off the ground.

The leaf brushed off your command and continued its path further and further away from you. There was actually no point in retrieving it, but you realized you felt much better not having to look at your timer than when it was visible for everyone to see. Even now, as you were losing your mind trying to get it back, you didn’t think to glance down at your wrist.

Entirely occupied by the stupid part of a random plant Yeosang summoned, you didn’t realize your timer was rapidly coming to an end. Your wings flapped rapidly, propelling you forward. Victory filled your veins as you inched closer and closer to the blade. The harsh wind stilled and the leaf fell limp on the ground just as you touched down with the soles of your feet. You ran the last stretch with your arm extended and fingers spread, ready to capture the green piece. A noise of triumph escaped your mouth as you grabbed the end of the blade.

“I got you!” 

What you didn’t expect was for the leaf to be pinched between a thumb and forefinger, twice the size of yours, at the other end. You traced the path up the stranger’s arm and gazed into the most beautiful pair of brown eyes you could ever imagine — round and wide, akin to a surprised bunny. A bubble you weren’t aware of burst in your ears and all of your thousands thoughts stored in various chests scattered in the vast space of your mind were reduced to nothing. Your breath was trapped in your throat, yet you didn’t feel the need for air as long as you kept staring at the stranger. A soft breeze — nothing like before — brushed against your bodies and a rain of cherry blossoms followed. The petals landed in the stranger’s hair and blended with his baby pink strands. The man was breathtakingly beautiful and your heart squeezed in content of being the center of his attention. 

“Hey,” he said and your insides nearly collapsed from the combination of his slight rasp and soft-spoken tone.

His raspberry-colored lips curled upward and dethroned the sun as the warmest source of light in the galaxy. The fairy who couldn’t go a day without speaking was for once at a loss for words. 

“Hi,” you squeaked out and hastily rose to your feet, letting go of the oh-so-important leaf.

© HONGJOONGSPOETRY 2025. All rights reserved. Copying, editing, reposting or translating my work is not allowed.

[hayffiebird]

Taste of Strawberries, chap. 54

Hayffie Post-Mockingjay (Canon divergence) Multi-chapter, Rated M SUMMARY: Four years have passed since the end of the war when Effie becomes a fixture in Haymitch’s life once again. An old friendship is rekindled. Will it lead to something more? Meanwhile, Panem has entered a new era. The rebellion’s over, the borders are open but in the shadows, anger and mistrust are smoldering. Something which will affect Haymitch and Effie’s life in a way they never saw coming. READ MORE

Author’s note: Slight TRIGGER WARNING for this chapter. Nothing explicit though.

SOTR SPOILER ALERT!!

Did you guys read the new Sunrise on the reaping chapter 1 excerpt? Excited and/or freaked out? 😉 What did you think of the new details and the new canon names?

We won’t get a Leonore Donner for Maysilee’s sister but at least we got Lenore Dove for Haymitch’s girl, so that’s close enough. 😊 You might notice there’s a tiny none-spoiling easter egg from SOTR in this chapter. See if you find it. 😉 END OF SOTR SPOILER!

I also wanted to remind you of the edit I did like a year ago: Haymitch only slept with two people in his life in this fic. His girl and Effie Trinket. So, no drunken Capitol hookups with strangers during the Games for our beloved mentor. This builds on what Haymitch told Katniss during Finnick’s propo in Mockingjay, about F being sold while H wasn’t.

I will be reading SOTR with my heart in my throat for yet another reason, because what if Haymitch lied about it? There’s a very real possibility that he did, but hell it never even crossed my mind before (kudos to @effieotto for bringing that headcanon into light on Tumblr recently) but still, this 2012-born and 2015-published story will follow what Haymitch said in the trilogy. It’s too much to go back and change it now, again.

Chapter 54, All we used to be

“Have you slept with a lot of men?”

The honesty behind the question was so Haymitch. Effie had to admit she appreciated his direct ways. His ability to ask something deeply personal without any trace of judgement. Direct, yet compassionate. A rare gift in a world filled with sharp tongues and no mercy.

Seated comfortably against the pillow fort she’d made of the bed, Effie reached for her cup of milk. Warm milk with spices.

Save for the woolen blanket and the soft, knitted socks – all “borrowed” from Haymitch’s guestroom – she was stark naked.

Fingers curled around the handle of the mug as she contemplated her answer.

“Yes … and no.” She warmed her hand against the china. Sought comfort in its gentle heat since she didn’t have Haymitch’s body at her disposal. Only his voice over the phone. “I mean, by district standards, I guess so. But if you ask someone like Plutarch or Flavius or Fulvia Cardew, they’ll tell you I’m a complete bore.”

“Ever been with a woman?”

“Um … once or twice.”

“You and Annabel?”

“No”, laughed Effie. “Although it was her stories that made me want to try. A lot of people in the Capitol are bi. Or pan. Cressida for instance. But Annabel, she’s been into women exclusively, from the get-go. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who loves lady parts as much as she does. She’s always been very vocal about it too, so naturally I was curious. And it was nice. No question about it. Women are gorgeous. I don’t fancy myself 100 % straight, but I’m afraid I do love men too much, for some reason. And those earth-rattling orgasms Annabel spoke about, I only ever experienced them with you.”

“Oh, you poor girl”, Haymitch yawned. “If I’m the best you’ve ever had, I feel sorry for ya. I really do.”

They were several days into April now. The air crisp with the freshness of spring. At daybreak – in just a few short hours – a delicate blush of pink and lavender would spread across the Capitol skyline, chased by the golden warmth of the sun.

The lingering touch of winter was still present, but it was like the breeze grew more playful than harsh this time of year. Snowmelt from the mountains fed the rivers and streams and there were budding leaves everywhere.

Yes, Effie loved springtime! Always had. She only wished Haymitch had been here to share it all.

Or better yet, that she and the twins could visit him.

A proper stay in District 12. For Amy and Ian’s birthday at the very latest.

Their second.

She would have liked to go as early as May. For Katniss. Effie positively itched to plan the girl something special for her big big big day.

But she wasn’t so clueless that she didn’t realize it would be a thankless job. Pearls before swine, honestly. Katniss would just run for the hills, well the woods. Her and Buttercup. They’d hide out there for all of May 8.

And Haymitch said Katniss and Peeta were thinking about going to District 4 anyway. They hadn’t seen Mrs. Everdeen in ages. Nor Annie, Johanna and Finn.

But even without a party, Effie had bought her a gift at least. One Katniss might actually value.

Seeds. For her and Peeta’s vegetable garden. Several neat packets, ready to use. Carrot seeds. Seeds for tomatoes. Peas, radish, lettuce. Boxes of spices too, for cooking. Cans of condensed milk and some fine, organic ground cocoa. So that the girl may brew a pot of the hot chocolate she loved so much.

All district brands. Nothing that said Capitol. She didn’t want to upset the girl on her own birthday.

Effie had herself a final sip of milk and settled the cup on the nightstand.

“Why is that such an odd concept?” she said, in answer to Haymitch’s earlier statement. “You being a great lover?”

“Cause I didn’t know shit before you”, Haymitch said. “You had to teach me everything.”

“That’s how I know, silly”, Effie said. “You were willing to do the work. And I didn’t teach you everything, mind you. Only roughly 80 % of it. Sex isn’t some innate gift. It takes practice. At least you admitted you were clueless. Most men won't. At least not the ones I’ve met. And the more conventionally attractive, the worse they are in bed for some reason. It’s like they don’t have to try as hard. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to polish myself off in the shower after cutting a guy short because he was so bad at it.”

“Picky.”

“100 %. If a man can’t be bothered to find my clit, even when offered a map and compass, I’d rather just get up and make myself a sandwich instead. Much more satisfying. And just so we’re clear”, she added, “you were never bad. ‘Room for improvement’ does not equal ‘awful’. Even when you were so butterfingered it was positively endearing, I loved the things you did to me. And our bed lessons remain some of the best conversations I’ve ever had in my life. ‘For REAL??’” She mimicked his voice, chuckling. “That’s my all time favorite. When I told you the clitoris is twice as sensitive as the head of the penis.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that.”

“You even got me off without your fingers for aid, our first time. That really floored me. Because up until then, I just barely knew I could come from a guy’s thrusting alone. Then again”, she couldn’t help but tease, “pining for each other, year after year after year, certainly work as a brilliant form of foreplay. All that pent-up sexual energy. And I love that, ever since we became lovers, it’s become a dare of sorts. You wanting to outdo yourself, every time.”

“Mm, you certainly made sure I didn’t excel with any of your fellow neighbors.”

“Come again?”

“Well, did you or did you not cockblock me all throughout the Games?”

The words curled Effie’s lips.

“That I did. And would again. No need to thank me or anything.”

“No, of course not. Who wouldn’t wanna die a fucking nun?”

“You’re no nun!” Effie laughed. “What do you call this? A prayer circle? And let’s be honest here. We both know you didn’t really want to sleep with any of those women. Right?”

“How would I know?” Haymitch said. “I hardly remember ‘em, do I?”

“That’s exactly my point”, Effie retorted. “If you’re so blind drunk you get blackouts, you have no business getting naked with someone in the first place. As I’ve already told you. A hundred times.”

“I really didn’t get any tail back then? Not even once?”

“Correct.”

”How the fuck did you pull that off?”

“Language.”

“I’m like twice your size, Eff. Why didn’t I just … throw you over one shoulder, lock you away in a closet?”

“I’d like to see you try, mister.”

“You called the peacekeepers on her? On me?”

“No. Well, yes. Sometimes. But I knew a better way. A more effective course of action to get you back to the penthouse safely.”

“Alright. Enlighten me then. How’d you do it?”

“Easy”, Effie beamed. “Piece of cake. Whenever you were drunk and confused and some lady drooled over you, getting you drinks and refused to take no for an answer – my no, that was – I just pulled you aside and said, ‘Alright, Haymitch. If you need it that badly, I will sleep with you’.”

“Really?”

“And boy did it light a fire under your butt! I had to hold you by the scruff of the neck, waiting for the elevator, or else you would’ve scrambled those twelve stairs on all fours. My poor sweet. So excited. Every time. You pulled me by the hand, into your room. There you started squeezing me and cover my neck with sloppy swamp kisses, only to stop short when you realized I didn’t reciprocate. ‘You don’t wanna get it on, Eff!’ you whined. ‘I never said I did’, I replied. ‘But I am an escort so …’”

“… ‘so I guess I must accept this as part of my job description’”, Haymitch filled in, remembering. “Damn! How many times did you pull that trick on me, Trinket?”

“Oh, too many to count. Because it worked like a charm. Bulletproof! I knew you could never sleep with someone who didn’t want to sleep with you. No matter how drunk you were. And I also knew that in your current state, you’d never find your way back there again. Not without my help. You were so sulky about your ruined one-nighter anyway, you just collapsed on the bed and passed out and I made sure you didn’t sleep with your shoes on.”

“Well played, sir. Well played.”

“Thank you”, Effie grinned with an elegant bow. But she quickly sobered. “I just didn’t want you to get hurt. The thought that someone might take advantage of you while you were passed out drunk – I couldn’t bear it. Had you asked me come morning: ‘Remember that woman last night? What’s her name? Can you get me her number?’ then it would have been another situation entirely. But you never did.”

“Course not.” Haymitch drew a deep sigh. “Alright. Fine. You win, sweetheart. You’re the only piece of Capitol ass I’ve ever really wanted to put my hands on.”

“Oh, God”, Effie grimaced but giggled. “That’s so cute and gross at the same time.”

She gave a light stretch. Glanced at the alarm clock. Goodness, it was so late. Or early. She would fall asleep at the breakfast table.

“Did we …”, Effie said but trailed off.

“What?”

“Well … if you don’t mind me asking … was I your first? I wasn’t, was I?”

“No.”

“Then what did you see in me? Why was I so special?” Feeling the conversation treading onto dangerous ground – lots of emotional mines hidden in the soil - she answered herself quickly. “Well, I am exceptionally attractive. Classy too.”

“Don’t do that”, Haymitch said. Serious now. “That’s not the reason and you know it.”

“I don’t know it.”

Silence. Five seconds. Ten.

“It’s because …” He paused again. And just when she thought he wasn’t going to answer, he said, “Because when I’m with ya, and all my other bullshit calms down, you make me feel like ‘life’ … maybe isn’t just a sentence I have to serve.”

“Oh, Haymitch …”

“Yeah … and you’re super fine. Especially without your clothes on.”

Effie laughed.

“Preaching to the choir, handsome.”

She tugged the blanket tighter around herself. Snuggled in.

“Can you play something? Something lovely, just for me?”

“No”, Haymitch groaned.

“Why not?” she said, unable to hide her disappointment.

“You conk out whenever I play.”

“No, I don’t! Not all the time. And tonight, I am extraordinarily rested.”

”You say that, then two minutes in you’re snoring your little head off.”

“No, no, no. Not if I really really try. I’ll enjoy it, sitting upright in a chair. You can’t fall asleep, sitting upright in a chair. Please, Haymitch. Pretty please, with strawberries on top? I bore you two children. What’s one teeny tiny little song?”

“Oh God”, Haymitch groaned. “How long are you gonna milk that?”

But he indulged her. He always did.

“Fuck the floor’s cold.” The old boards creaked on his way to the nursery – where the grand piano lived. “The things I endure for ya.”

“What happened to the socks I bought you?” Effie asked. “What does it matter if they’re pink? I won’t tell anyone.”

“Pink’s fine. They’re itchy.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Oh, OK.” She could practically hear him roll his eyes.

“Alright, alright. I’ll talk with Hazelle. See if I can order some of the ones she make.”

Wrapped in her blanket, Effie got out of bed too. As promised. Her eyes lingered on the hard chair, by the table under the window, and then she sank into the welcoming embrace of the rocking chair instead, feet tucked in beneath her.

She adored this piece of furniture. Had had it for as long as she could remember because, miraculously, it survived the war.

When she was little, it was her pirate ship in full storm.

As she grew older, she used it for reading. Glamorous fashion by-monthlies, several publications about architecture and her beloved Capitol Girl Magazine.

And later, when she had children of her own – Alex, Amy, Ian – it was the perfect place for nursing. Because if there was one thing her three babies had had in common, it was that they loved the gentle rocking of the chair, when settled to her breast.

While she was still pregnant it was a good place for resting too. Her back. Her swollen ankles.

And then there was Haymitch. All the memories connected to him.

One day, while they were still going out, she made the bad decision of telling him all about her reading habits in that very chair.

“A spot of tea, a blanket, a fresh magazine that I’m the first to ever leaf through. It’s become a holy ritual of sorts.”

Big mistake. You didn’t share such tidbits with Haymitch Abernathy. He never let you live it down.

Because the next day, when she tried to do just that – rocking chair, blanket, tea, magazine – Haymitch stalked in and out of the room at least ten times. Dressed in nothing but a pair of underpants she bought him, with lemon wedges stamped across his butt, and some pretend excuse on his lips.

“Sorry, looking for my razor.”

“Sorry, I reckon this bedspread looks nicer than the old one, yeah?”

“Sorry, my hands are a little dry, I just came for my bottle of lotion.”

“You don’t own a bottle of lotion!” she finally said, fed up. “Get dressed, it’s almost noon!”

“Why? You fuckin’ love this, can’t get enough of it.” He gestured toward his hairy chest, pouchy belly and even hairier legs. Head tilted, he eyed the magazine. “Ooh, is that Capitol Cowturd?”

”Couture!” Effie exclaimed. “Capitol Couture, not … hey, get off! You’re squashing me!”

But she spoke to deaf ears. Haymitch had flopped down on her lap and now made himself comfortable. With one arm around her shoulders, he flipped through the pages with his free hand.

“This magazine’s so relevant”, he said in awe. “Thank God you have a three-year subscription.”

“Don’t make fun”, Effie said and gave his shoulder a playful slap. She squirmed under his weight. Groaned.  “Goodness. Have you been in the cookie jar again? I can’t feel my legs. You will turn them all black and blue. Can you get off me, please?”

“Nope. I like it here.”

“I didn’t even get a kiss”, she pouted. “I always kiss you when I’m on your lap.”

Haymitch grinned and immediately let go of the magazine. Cupped her cheek instead.

But their lips had barely grazed for a second kiss, before his hand darted to her waist and tickled her in the side.

“Stop!” Effie squeaked. A sound that immediately deteriorated into a mad giggle. Haymitch’s fingers flew over her ribs, to all her sensitive spots and Effie smacked his hand away, laughing. “Manners!” The magazine dropped to the floor and she pulled him to his feet, toward the bed. “I’ll show you how to treat a lady properly!"

Haymitch grinned.

“Yeah, you will!"

“OK.” His voice fluttered to her from over the phone. The stool groaned as he settled in front of the piano. Flexed his fingers until the joints popped. “Whatcha wanna hear, sweetheart?”

“Oh, everything you play is delightful”, Effie said. “You pick. Maybe something fitting tonight’s mood?”

“Alright.” A moment’s pause. Effie could just picture him, in the twins’ glade of a nursery, fingers poised over the ivories.

She nestled deeper into the comforting embrace of the chair. It creaked softly with every sway and she closed her eyes.

To enjoy Haymitch’s music to the fullest. Not because she was sleepy.

And Haymitch played. Just for her. By your side. She recognized the song from the radio. Tender and slow, like the opening of a love letter.

The screen of her phone glowed faintly as the melody unfolded. Swelled. Filled the bedroom, and her heart.

Music that told her of what still lay unspoken, in the spaces between their words. Each note a whisper of reassurance. A promise that they were never truly apart.

The rocking chair swayed with a soothing rhythm. A cradle of comfort. Drowsiness settled over Effie as her breathing grew slow and steady.

Before long, she let out a contented sigh. Surrendered to the gentle pull of sleep – where dreams were peaceful and free of fear.

The wick of the last candle, now a mere stub, struggled to keep the flame alive. It panted with a quiet determination, but the shadows crept closer.

And then, with one final, faint flicker the flame surrendered. A wisp of smoke curled gracefully toward the ceiling, before it vanished as well.

Author’s note: Oh, those poor sweethearts, living in a soap bubble of happiness.

By your side is a real song. Performed by Sade. Haymitch’s love serenade is a slower, longer rendition of a piano version I heard on YouTube. “Sade – By Your Side, Piano Cover” by YifanMusic.

The lyrics are absolutely lovely, and very fitting I think, for both Haymitch and Effie’s heart of hearts.

[aimberive]

To beg? Fuck you, I will say, taking a wary step back as you approach closer. You don't need to ask me twice, though, I will beg whether I like it or not- what can an innocent, naive girl like me do? I can put up a fight against that handsome, tall stranger who startled me at the middle of the woods out of nowhere; l've seen him before, driving in his motorcycle around town and drinking at that pub I go to with my friends. And... at his home, when he was taking his shirt off at night. No- I'm not a stalker or something creepy like that, I just happened to be there, going for a walk as I always do after work, as I do now. You walk towards me slowly, hands in your black trousers, the black t shirt to your body and your cocky smile under the twilight's light in the middle of the woods is screaming alluring and dangerous in the same fucking time. Should I run, scream or put up a fight? I can bite you and scratch you and kick. Your eyes trail over my frowned brows, you chuckle as you're reading my expressions, as if you're reading my thoughts, not even flinched by the idea of me resisting. And than, a realisation hits me- running away is useless, biting and kicking won't be enough. My heart is pulsing so hard it feels like the blood is filling my ears. I feel dizzy, the adrenaline rush is making me freeze. What did he say? He was watching me for a while now? He saw my naked body as I showered? broke into my house and watched me in my sleep? But only as a revenge? Because I was stalking him- no! You got it all wrong, I will mumble in fear and flutter my eyelashes innocently, blush covering my face as I take a few more steps back with fear. But suddenly his mood changes and he is right in front of me, pushing my back to a tree and pressing his body to me. Don't lie to me, brat, he will pull my hair back violently. His hand will caress my cheek, slowly going down towards my shirt. His fingers are cold and he trails them up to my hard nipples before he squeezes one of them and a moan escapes from my lips. But than I will start crying at once. A tear? Why the fuck are you crying? His voice will be cocky and dark, isn't this what you wanted?No! Fuck you! I will try to resist, spitting in his face. Slap. My cheek is red, I am silenced, won't dare to move or nearly breathe. I will fuck you, he will whisper, forcing me to open my lips with his harsh fingers around my neck, pulling me closer to his face and licking the saliva out of my tongue before he spits in my mouth, but first, my helpless brat... his dark eyes will stare into my soul as he will send his fingers into my wet panties and whisper-

beg.

[roomsofangel]

CHAPTER ONE

synopsis you spent your entire childhood and teenage years being what your mother wanted you to be — and so when you finally strike a deal and made a bet with the woman, you are determined to prove her wrong and that your passion for art could be turned into a living if you just tried hard enough.

however, things might have just gotten harder when you cross paths with the lead vocalist of an uprising rock band who seems to be nothing but a charming thorn in your side

wc 2.0k

warnings not really any!

reblogs & comments are very appreciated and also help out a lot! thank you for reading and giving my work a chance ♥️

a gentle sense of dread filled your chest as you hastily packed up your paint-smudged supplies after the art class you insisted on taking to hopefully better your skills for your overflowing passion. your mother always claimed it was a waste of time, trying to get you to venture off into the field of medicine but you always told her to let you at least try.

so, while you carefully wrapped your brushes in their familiar protective cloth and shoved them into the depths of your bag, you tried to keep your unease at bay. you had a few months until you and your mother decided which route your life will take — whether painting and music would be the way your heart will go to make a living or if you had to snuff out your spark and do what she wanted. a deal just to get where you are now and an attempt to prove her wrong.

the smell of oil paint clung to your fingers despite several washes in the sink, and you made a mental note to bring some hand sanitizer next time. you glanced back at the canvas, half-finished but bursting with color. maybe you could add just a tiny bit more to the whites and the sides, the corners looked as if it needed more of a pop. you sighed, running your fingers through your hair, your muse was running thin and you didn’t have time to recharge it when you had plans with yeosang tonight.

and speak of him, he shall make himself known. without missing a beat, your phone buzzed in your pocket and you took it out to read the text he had sent

yeosangie: still coming tn? gonna be short staffed and i’d die without you!

you pressed your lips together, laughing lightly to yourself as you read his dramatic text. the plans in question were you helping him bartend an event the pub he worked at was having, a new rising rock band would be playing there tonight which meant more business. in a way, in hindsight, meant a good deal but being understaffed out of all days made you watch your best friend lose his mind even before getting there.

you didn’t have any mixology skills, hell, even making hot chocolate at times came out different and at times.. watery, you surely did not have any sort of touch that could make any pleasing but yeosang insisted and you’d be just taking down anything being asked for and serving while he did the mixing and preparing.

you: yes sangie, i’m still coming lmao don’t be so dramatic!

yeosangie: ugh i’m being realistic!

with another light laugh, you shoved your phone back into your pocket and got up, making sure you had all of your things before heading out of the building. it was sunny, having to use your hand to shield your eyes while you made your way to the parking lot. you could feel your phone buzz again, assuming it was yeosang again but you weren’t able to think twice of it when your arm bumped into another

“watch where you’re going,” the voice was a bit harsh, not glancing back to where you were. you turned to their direction, he seemed in a rush to get inside which made you scowl. of course you all had places to be, but why did he get a pass to be rude?

“asshole,” you muttered under your breath, not wanting to let the blonde stranger dampen your mood and continued the route to your car

“he could have been having a bad day.” yeosang suggested while leaned back against the glass door, watching how you paced back and forth. you paused your movements to point over at him, “i was too but you don’t see me going all,” you cleared your throat and shifted your body to mimick how the stranger was, “watch it,” letting your voice drop a few octaves

yeosang pressed his lips together, as if trying to stifle his laugh, “is that how it went?”

you deadpanned, looking at him, “thats beyond the point!” you then groaned

sure, you weren’t entirely an asshole, you would have understood if the stranger had a bad day. but dear lord, all of your understanding went out the window the second he opened his mouth and you were glad you’d never see him again. “what do i gotta help with tonight?” you decided to steer the conversation before you got yourself too fired up again

yeosang clicked his tongue, lifting himself off the door so he could get behind the bar, “help me serve them, simple.” he shrugged, “i underestimated because this place is gonna be packed.” he cringed

“who even is the band anyways?” you asked while bringing in a box of different liquors, huffing as soon as you set it down onto the countertop, dusting your hands off on your worn-out jeans

“halazia,” he replied with a shrug, “wooyoung’s new project,” he added in and you laughed a little

“another one?�� you tilted your head

yeosang nods, “but this one actually pulled through.”

and you nodded back as a response. you knew wooyoung the same amount as you knew yeosang, the two were practically a two for one deal and wherever yeosang went, wooyoung followed. it wasn’t a surprise that yeosang found a way to have wooyoung’s new band to play here, part of you also felt proud of the fact after the many attempts, wooyoung finally achieved what he strived for.

yet, another part of you hated how jealously bubbled in your core. when was it your turn?

the club was alive with the sound of loud rock music that played, the walls were practically shaking with each booming note. you could feel the bass in your chest from where you were behind the bar, hurriedly serving drinks to customers that were definitely not making it easier. shit, you swore you had a few spilled on you and felt sticky.

yeosang helped pour shots and took majority of the drinks to make while the crowd was wild, jumping and moshing to the music, you could have sworn you saw a few stage divers and crowd surfers. the smell of sweat and alcohol was thick in the air, yeosang glanced over at you as he handed over a tray of shots. "you holding up okay?" he yelled over the music.

you nodded, a bead of sweat dripping down your forehead. "i’m managing!”

you didn’t get to see the band or say hello to wooyoung as you maybe hoped, and you doubted you’d be able to enjoy the music with how business was being. “i’m glad you’re here! i would have definitely died,” yeosang said as he let out a breath, moving past you with a tray of filled to the top shots to a group

“oh yeah, i guess you were being realistic after all,” you poked fun as you ran your hands through your hair, ruffling it a bit and wiping the sweat with the back of your hand after while you heard him give an ‘i told you so!’

as you continued on, you could hear the loud vocals that were hitting you in the chest — you managed to steal a few glances to the stage where you noticed the band certainly deserved the hype, wooyoung knew what he was doing this time, you assumed he learned from past mistakes. speaking of, there he was in all his glory playing the bass with his signature charming smile as he mouthed the lyrics and interacted with the crowd, drenched in sweat and water he poured on himself during the last song

but your eyes couldn’t stay on him, oh no, your sight kept falling onto the lead vocalist who played the bass and belted the lyrics, the vein in his neck showing just how much power he was pouring to the crowd. “who is that?” you voiced over the music, leaning towards yeosang who followed your gaze

“kim hongjoong,“ yeosang answered as he let out a breath, relieved to be able to rest for a moment. “only spoke with him a few times, closed off guy but powerful as fuck on stage.”

you nodded as you let your gaze linger back to him, how free and at home he looked as he sang, “this is a wasteland, my only retreat.. with heaven above you, there’s hell over me.”

you couldn’t remember how the rest of the night went, most of it was a blur when you began helping yeosang pack up, “so how was that?” he amused, zipping up his bag as he glanced up at you

humming, you let out a breathy laugh, leaning back against the wall, “it was.. something.” you folded your arms over your chest, “we’re just waiting for wooyoung now, huh?”

and yeosang replies in a nod, “as usual.”

as if his name was a summoning ritual, wooyoung’s loud laugh became more prominent from the back, and there he was walking in with three others — one being the blonde you found yourself drawn to more than you’d want to admit

“ah, there’s my favorite artist!” wooyoung beamed as he ran over, leaving the three behind to rush over to you with his arms out

“hey woo,” you greeted with a smile as you let him engulf you in the tightest hug, the smell of his cologne suffocating your nose, it was safe to say he drenched himself after the show and you could see he was still lightly glazed with sweat. “alright! off! you’re still sweaty,” you exaggerated while giving him a tiny shove

wooyoung replied with a laugh and dragged out whine, “a little sweat never hurt anyone,” he huffed before ruffling your hair

“oh, yeah guys this is seonghwa and mingi,” wooyoung first introduced the two that caught up, seonghwa having some of his hair up and the rest down, his hair strands more pulled out at the front to frame his face, he certainly rocked that choker better than anyone you knew while mingi looked as if he was made for this genre

“nice to meet you,” seonghwa greeted with a polite grin, bowing as you smiled in response

“yeah, thanks for coming too,” mingi smiled

while you listened to them all talk, wooyoung being the one you heard the most, your eyes wandered to the back where you saw hongjoong on his phone, cigarette between his lips as he stayed apart from the rest. you weren’t sure why he was alone, eyebrow raised.

but your chest felt a bit heavier and breath hitched when he tilted his head and shifted to meet your gaze, blowing the smoke in the air. how could he make death look so marvelous?

“yah! joong, you can’t smoke in here, i’m not getting in trouble because of you,” yeosang broke the trance you were in as he scolded the blonde who rolled his eyes and took another long drag

“fine,” he exhaled, glancing at you before making his way out, blowing out the smoke as he pushed open the door and walked out

turning your attention back to the group, your brows furrowed together, “is he always like that?” and you wanted to simply ask if he was always an asshole but for the sake of being civil…

seonghwa sighed, “he’s not so bad, he just had a tough morning.”

mingi snickered, nodding while wooyoung groaned, “yeah but he made practice ten times more hard! all because of that girl he bumped into,”

“ah, sounds like your morning, y/n” yeosang humored as he grabbed his jacket

and you wanted to scowl, eyes glancing back to the window where you saw him focused on the nightsky, exhaling the smoke that he inhaled. “so he’s the asshole stranger.”

of course, makes sense.

“he’s not so bad once you get to know him,” seonghwa repeated with a reassuring smile

you shrugged, “and pigs can fly.” you muttered because certainly first impressions matter to you and with the pretty rockstar, he managed to have two and failed them both miserably

you just hoped you’d never have to see his stupid pretty face again.

masterlist . . next

[bradshawssugarbaby]

Everything About You - Two. (Bradley Bradshaw x OFC)

a/n: Here's part two of my 13 Going on 30 x Top Gun: Maverick AU fic! I'm pretty proud of this one, I'm not going to lie.

pairing: Bradley Bradshaw (AU) x Danielle Lucas (OFC)

content/warnings: mentions of character deaths.

word count: 2.5k

You woke up the next morning with a sense of disorientation. Something was…different. Something you couldn’t put your finger on. Blinking against the morning light streaming through your bedroom window, you rubbed your eyes and stretched, trying to shake off the lingering effects of an unusual dream. However, as your surroundings came into focus, you couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

The room looked different—unrecognizable. Your pale-pink walled bedroom with all the decor of a 90s teenager was gone. Replacing them were beige painted walls with white trim, and where boyband posters once sat were now framed photos of simiplistic wall art. The inflatable chair that Bradley always teased you for was nowhere to be seen, in its place now sitting a vanity with a clear acrylic chair. Panic surged through your body as you glanced around, heart racing. Was this some sort of prank? A bad dream? 

Slowly, you swung her legs over the side of the bed, cautious as you stood up. You continued to glance around the room, covering your mouth to muffle your astounded gasp as you saw a sleeping figure laying next to your spot in the bed, its short blonde hair sticking out every which way from under the covers, a large foot sticking out at the other end of the bed. 

You stumbled out of the room, still in a dazed state of shock as you searched the hallway for the bathroom, rubbing your eyes and trying to convince yourself it was just a dream. The bathroom was nothing like the one you’d remembered - the harsh lighting and vinyl flooring of your parents house had been upgraded to a warmer, soft glowing overhead light with ceramic tile at your feet. Two toothbrushes sat in the ornate holder on the counter of the marble sink. You frowned as you rubbed your eyes again before turning the cold water tap on. Splashing the cool liquid over your face, you blinked twice before looking up into the mirror.

What you saw left you breathless. Staring back at you was a 30-year-old woman, not the 13-year-old girl you were when you went to sleep the night before. Shock and disbelief washed over you as you took in the unfamiliar new features of your face. You raced out of the bathroom, running to look for something, anything that could explain what was going on if you didn’t wake up from this dream first. 

While you frantically searched the kitchen for any indication as to what could be going on here, you heard a set of footprints stomping down the hall, heavy as they headed towards the kitchen. A tall, well-built blonde haired man stood before you, pulling a t-shirt on over his head with a smile. 

“Mornin’ sweetheart, you ok? You look…different.” He said, laughing slightly as he began making himself a coffee.

“Huh?”

“Dani, you ok?” His brows furrowed as he looked at you now, appearing concerned for you. 

“How do you know my name?” 

You stared at the blonde stranger, unsure if you should run away screaming or phone the police. Yet, somehow, it felt like he belonged here. There was a strange sense of worry on his face, contorted into a frown as he looked at you again.

“Babe, did you hit your head or something?” He chuckled awkwardly, shaking his head, his seafoam coloured eyes looking up at you in confused bewilderment.

“No? I mean…I don’t think so.”

You frowned as you sat down in the chair at the kitchen table, feeling confused and defeated. You had no idea what was going on or how you got here. Last night when you fell asleep, you were 13, and miserable. This morning, you’re a full-grown adult in an unfamiliar apartment with an equally full-grown man. The blonde man sat down across from you, raising an eyebrow.

“Dani, babe, what’s going on? You look anxious about something,” he frowned for a moment, in thought, “Are you pregnant? ‘Cause if you are, I mean, I’ll support whatever you decide.”

“No!” you shrieked, almost horrified at the notion, forgetting that you were in the body of an adult, “Absolutely not. I’m definitely not pregnant,” you affirmed, shaking your head quickly.

“Ok, well, that’s good, I guess. Doesn’t explain the weird behaviour though.”

You studied his face for a moment, it seemed familiar, but you’d never seen him before - at least, you’d thought you hadn’t. His sunkissed tanned skin was flawless, the odd freckle dotting him here and there. His honey coloured hair was tousled and messy, but yet, he looked fresh off a runway. You raised an eyebrow at him before shaking your head, putting a hand to your forehead and laughing.

“Sorry, uh, who are you?”

He frowned for a moment, almost insulted that you were asking him such a question.

“Jake…your boyfriend?”

“Right! Right…uh, Jake, how…how old am I?”

“Ok, Dani, I think you hit your head pretty hard, should I take you to a doctor?” 

“No! No, I’m fine, I promise. I just…” you sighed, shaking your head. He’d never believe you. You’d never believe you, but you had no choice but to try and tell him what you remembered, “Promise you won’t think I’m insane?”

“I promise I’ll try not to?” 

You began to tell Jake everything you could remember. The day at school, the party, Alexis, the fight with Bradley - everything. He listened patiently, nodding his head as you rambled, trying to process your every word. He laughed when you were done explaining, clearly unsure how else to react. 

“Alexis? You mean your friend Alexis?”

“We’re…we’re friends?” 

“Yeah, you were out with her last night. Well, my last night, I guess. I’ve never heard of this Bradley guy before.”

“You haven’t?”

Your face fell for a moment, sighing as you realized that your fight with Bradley must have created some sort of permanent issue between the two of you.

“Wait…how old am I?”

Jake shrugged his shoulders and laughed as he answered, clearly going along with whatever issue you were currently going through. 

“You turned 30 yesterday, babe. Oct. 24, 2014.” 

“2014?!”

“Yeah. last I checked.”

“Jake,” you frowned, speaking softly as you looked at him, “Do you think you could help me find Bradley? I really need to talk to him.”

"Okay, Dani, first things first,” Jake sighed softly, “The world has changed a lot since you were 13. One big thing is social media. It's like this massive online network where people connect, share updates, and, well, basically live their lives in the digital realm. If you wanna find Bradley, this is going to be your best bet."

You listened intently, feeling a mix of fascination and overwhelming confusion. "Social media? You think I could find Bradley that way?"

"It's a way for people to stay connected, share their experiences, and even find old friends," Jake explained patiently. "Think of it as a virtual scrapbook of your life that everyone can see. And, lucky for us, it's a great tool for finding people. We just need to figure out which platforms Bradley might be using."

As Jake continued to unravel the concept of social media for you, he could sense your growing eagerness to navigate this unfamiliar terrain.

"So, what do you say, Dani? Ready to dive into the world of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? We might just find Bradley and, who knows, maybe even get some clues about how you ended up in 2014."

Encouraged by Jake's optimism, you nodded to yourself, ready for the challenge. "Yeah, let's do it. If this is what it takes to find Bradley, then I'm all in."

Jake pulled out his smartphone, swiping his finger across the screen. The sleek device, with its touch screen and array of icons, caught you completely off guard.

"Wait, what is that thing you just pulled out?" You asked, a hint of confusion in your voice.

"Oh, this?" Jake chuckled, holding up his smartphone. "It's a smartphone, Dani. It's like a mini-computer that fits in your pocket. I can do all sorts of things with it, and one of the most useful features for us right now is accessing social media."

You squinted at the unfamiliar device, trying to comprehend the technological leap that had occurred since you last remembered.

"Social media on a tiny computer? I'm not sure I follow."

Jake grinned, ready to demystify the modern gadget for his bewildered girlfriend. 

"Okay, imagine this is your phone, right? You can use it to connect to the internet and access platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We can search for Bradley and see if he's on any of these. It's like a digital detective tool, Dani."

As Jake navigated through the smartphone's features, you couldn't help but marvel at the technology in Jake's hands. The concept of a phone being more than just a device for calls and messages was mind-boggling.

"Technology has come a long way since 1997," Jake remarked with a smirk. "Now, let's find Bradley and get some answers, shall we?"

With newfound understanding and a mix of curiosity and determination, you braced yourself for this journey into the digital realm, armed with a smartphone and the hope of reconnecting with a friend lost in the folds of time. The search through social media profiles became a digital journey, a maze of interconnected lives waiting to be explored. With Jake's smartphone in hand, you felt the weight of anticipation as together, you navigated through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Each tap and scroll brought you closer to the possibility of finding Bradley, a familiar name amid the vast sea of digital identities.

As Jake typed "Bradley Bradshaw" into the Facebook search bar, the screen filled with a cascade of profiles, a mosaic of faces and names. The challenge was to discern your Bradley from the myriad others who shared his name. Your eyes scanned each profile picture, searching for the familiar features she remembered from their shared past. The seconds felt like an eternity as they sifted through the virtual crowd.

Transitioning to Instagram, Jake explained the platform's visual nature. 

"Photos can tell a story, Dani. Let's see if we can spot Bradley in the midst of these snapshots." 

You dove into a collection of images – sunsets, cityscapes, astonishing meals and smiling faces. The process was like peering through a digital album of moments frozen in time.

Twitter had presented its own set of challenges, with the endless stream of tweets and hashtags. You wondered if Bradley's voice could be discerned in the brief, text-based snippets. The hunt continued, a shared determination pushing you forward despite the uncertainties that lingered in the digital expanse.

It was amidst this digital quest that your eyes caught a glimpse of familiarity. A profile picture, aged but unmistakable, drew her attention. 

“That’s him!” you said quickly, almost in disbelief as you looked at the image before you.

The moment was surreal as you tapped on Bradley's profile, feeling a rush of emotions at the prospect of reconnecting with a friend she thought she had lost to the echoes of time.

As the profile opened, a digital portal to Bradley's life unfolded. You scrolled through the curated moments, capturing glimpses of his journey through the years. The sense of relief and joy overwhelmed you, grateful for the technological marvel that had bridged the gap between past and present, connecting you to Bradley once again across the ever-changing landscape of time and technology.

As you navigated through Bradley's social media profile, you were met with a visual narrative that encapsulates the journey of her childhood friend from adolescence to adulthood. The striking contrast between the awkward, lanky teenager with braces at 13 and the successful and handsome 30-year-old journalist is accentuated by Bradley's prominent mustache, a distinctive feature that now graces his mature face.

The scars she remembered on his face had long faded, nearly unnoticeable now. His amber coloured eyes were covered by a pair of aviator sunglasses, and a Hawaiian print shirt with a tropical colour palette hung off his shoulders, with a tight, fitted white t-shirt underneath, his light denim jeans hugging his figure.

 The mustache adds an air of sophistication to Bradley's appearance, an unexpected yet charming detail that enhances his overall appeal. You found yourself captivated by this newfound aspect of Bradley's identity, appreciating the subtle changes that time has etched on his face. As you absorbed the images of a confident and accomplished Bradley, the mustache becomes a symbolic marker of his growth and identity, weaving a unique thread between the past and the present. For a moment, you realize, he’s the spitting image of his dad - a man you never got to meet, but remembered vividly from photos scattered around Bradley’s childhood home.

“That’s him?” Jake asked softly, raising an impressed eyebrow as he looked at the pictures with you.

“Positive. He looks just like his dad. Or at least, what I saw of his dad. He died when Bradley was little, before I met him. His mom was the nicest lady though, she always made a point of inviting me over for dinner. She sort of treated me like the daughter she never had, I guess? It’s weird though, I don’t see any sign of her.”

Jake shrugged his shoulders and laughed softly.

“I don’t have my mom on my social media pictures. Maybe she doesn’t like having her picture taken? Or maybe they got in a fight and don’t speak?”

“No, no, something…something feels off.”

“Want me to search her name?” Jake offered.

“Carole Bradshaw. With an e.”

“Got it,” Jake nodded as his fingers typed quickly into the search bar. His face fell as he read the screen, shaking his head slowly as he looked at it.

“I hate to break it to you, hun, but…you should read this.”

As Jake handed you his phone, you could see his demeanor shift from one that was positive and upbeat, to a much more solemn, saddened one. Your eyes scanned the screen, and as you read the words before you, you felt your stomach lurch, twisting and turning in a way that made you nauseous.

“Oh my god,” you shook your head, shoving the phone back at Jake as you abruptly stood up, trembling with upset and anger with yourself. 

“Babe, it’s ok, you didn’t know, and it happened 13 years ago,” Jake said reassuringly.

“I should have been there for Bradley. He was so close to her, and he and I haven’t spoken?” “Well, I met you at 19, and you’ve never mentioned him over the last 11 years I’ve known you. Alexis would be the better one to ask though. You said the two of you have been best friends since eighth grade.”

“Can you take me to Alexis please? I have to ask her something.”

[sweetbbyshion]

wondering why (chapter 1)

-> Touya Todoroki (Dabi) x Fem!Reader

Summary: "How can I hit rewind so I could find a single reason why you would leave with no goodbye"

Touya walked into your life with no warning and settled himself in your heart. But how do you expect to build a relationship based on lies and betrayals?

warnings: mentions of abuse, blood and wound descriptions, mentions of alcohol, don't invite strangers into your home please

masterlist -> next chapter

Touya Todoroki was dead.

That's what Dabi repeated to himself every day in front of the broken mirror of his shitty bathroom. He went through hell and back in his old house and even years after he felt like he never left. The memory of his dad’s screams would wake him up in the middle of the night, ready to set the room on fire to protect himself from the man that was about to beat him up in his dream. Dabi felt pathetic whenever it happened. He wasn't a little kid anymore and Endeavor couldn't hurt him now but the nightmares never left him alone.

Dabi walked every day on this Earth on the verge of death. Heroes were always trying to get him, the League couldn't be trusted and even his own body wanted to destroy him. The embarrassing amount of times Dabi laid half dead in a dirty alley, crying because he felt like he was burning inside out, were too many to count.

His reflexion stares back at him, dry blood on his cheeks and he knows he would have dark circles under his eyes if his face wasn't all fucked up. His left side, just below his ribs, hurts and Dabi knows he should get some medical attention. Maybe the League should try to get someone with a medical quirk to work with them. He wonders if they could fix his burns. He asks himself if it was possible for him to live a normal life once again if his burns got healed totally.

A harsh knock on the door gets Dabi’s attention. Twice’s voice is heard outside the room, letting him know Shigaraki is waiting. Dabi is quick to clean his face before leaving. It hurts when he walks but he ignores the pain when he steps into the room, leaning against a wall to hear Shigaraki speak. It's a boring meeting and Dabi only hears that he has to kill somebody. He tried to make someone else go, “I have shit to do”, but he doesn't have much luck, Shigaraki is set on forcing Dabi to go.

So Dabi tries not to think about pain as he walks through the shadows, carefully following his target. It's dark, his hoodie doesn't do much to stop him from getting wet because of the rain and his left side still hurts. A sharp pain hits him and Dabi has to lean on the wall, holding his side as he bites his lip as hard as he can to not let out a noise. When he looks back up, his target is gone. He resists the urge to punch the wall he's leaning on and takes a deep breath, hissing when his side throbs. He isn’t in the mood to deal with Shigaraki right now so Dabi sits on the floor, head leaning back against the wall as his hand grabs his side. These were the times Dabi would think that maybe everything would be easier if he just got caught. There was no way the heroes would kill him, they are not like that, but would the torture he would have to endure worse than the life he is living right now? Is there much difference? At the end of the day, he is tired of running. But even if he regrets most of his life decisions, he doesn't regret escaping that hell. Even though he had to leave his siblings behind.

God, he wonders how they are doing. He wasn't strong enough to check on them after he left. He knows Shoto was studying to be a hero, he had the opportunity to see him when the League kidnapped one of his classmates. It was notorious how strong his younger brother had become. The burn mark around his eye got Dabi worried, he can only pray that Endeavor didn't do it. Besides that day, he never saw Shoto again. Or Natsuo and Fuyumi. He hopes that Natsuo isn’t still mourning him, that Fuyumi followed her dreams without anything holding her back. They were good kids, they certainly didn't deserve to live with Endeavor. Dabi really wants them to escape one day, like he did.

Dabi closes his eyes, feeling the cold rain cool his skin. Maybe everything will end today. It is hard to live so many years in pain, skin itching every moment of the day and his brain so fucked up to the point where Dabi doubts he could live a normal life. Despite everything, he isn't sure if he wants to die like this - alone in the rain, without someone holding his hand. He always knew love was too much for him but, somehow, he always thinks about it whenever he is close to dying. He doesn't expect someone to fall for him, not when he looks the way he does, not after all the shit he did and all the mental baggage he carries. Dabi doesn't deserve love or anything related to it but he can still dream about it; about a true love that would look past all of his flaws; about a warm touch holding him at night after another harsh nightmare; about someone who would listen and comfort him while he cries over his dad, his wounds, his choices. But no matter how much Dabi wants someone to love, he is still a villain. He doesn't deserve it.

“Are you ok?!” a gasp is heard and suddenly the rain isn't hitting him anymore. He opens his eyes and stares up. Dabi never believed in the afterlife, even if it didn't exist he would be still going to hell, but right now you look like an angel, holding a white umbrella that you moved to protect him from the rain. “I’m calling an ambulance.” You kneel beside him, clumsily trying to dial the number and hold the umbrella. Dabi quickly reaches for your wrist to stop you. “You can't call an ambulance. I can't be seen like this.” You look at him confused and try to convince him that going to the hospital would be better. “You have to promise me that you won't call for an ambulance.”

For some unknown reason, Dabi hates the sad look on your face. He almost tells you to call the damn ambulance just so that look goes away but he's interrupted by your hands grabbing his arm and trying to pull him up. Your hands are warm despite the cold, Dabi wants to pull you closer to feel more. “Come on. I live nearby.”. Dabi would laugh if it wasn't for the sharp pain on his side. Were you stupid? Must be if you're inviting a random stranger into your home. Still, Dabi lets himself get pulled up and you drop one of his arms around your shoulders. The white umbrella is forgotten on the floor as you take small steps, trying not to fall with the weight of the man on top of you. Dabi noticed how you got closer to him, perhaps trying to get a bit of his body heat because of the sheer cold and constant rain falling. Surprisingly, even for him, Dabi lets you (and if he makes his body temperature just a bit higher, that's for only him to know.).

“I could be a villain, you know?” he hinted. He wants to scream at you to get away, he can hurt you. You simply laugh, completely carefree as you keep leading him to your home.

As you mentioned before, your apartment really isn't that far away. You're on the first floor which makes things a lot easier, not having to carry Dabi for longer. He leans against a wall to let you unlock the door and quickly you're back to his side to help him. You make him sit on the couch, totally ignoring the fact that his blood will ruin it. He watches closely as you go back to lock the door and then sit next to him. Dabi barely registers your voice telling him to take off his shirt so you can see the wound. Surprisingly, even for him, he does what you told him but he regrets the moment your eyes widen at the sight of the dark purple wound on his side, visible even through his burn marks. Your fingertips touch it, so softly that he barely notices it.

“I don't know what to do.” you murmur, your eyes never leaving the wound with your fingers still caressing it like you want to take away the pain like that.

“Then why did you bring me here?”

“I couldn't let you stay there. What if you died?” you say, pulling back your hand. Dabi holds himself back not to grab your wrist and bring your hand to his body again.

“So you would rather I die here?” Dabi doesn't like the feeling he gets when you look up and your eyes are shining with unshed tears. Your lower lip trembles a bit and you reach for the phone in your pocket. He sees you type ‘how to treat bruises’ on google and he has to hold back a laugh. “I can just call my… friends and they’ll pick me up.” You look up from your phone, those tears still in your waterline, threatening to fall at any moment. You pass him your phone without any signs of reluctance and walk to the kitchen to give him some space.

Hesitantly, Dabi calls Shigaraki and, in a low voice, admits to his boss what happened and where he is right now. He finds himself borderline begging Shigaraki to not do anything to you, after all it didn't seem like you recognized him. Either way, they couldn't risk it anymore and someone aside from the main group was assigned to pick him up from the house. Dabi regrets giving your address as soon as he hangs up but he makes sure to let Shigaraki know that you should be left alone as soon as he sees him. Your head peeks to know if he is done and when you see the phone next to him on the couch, you make your way over holding a tray with sandwiches and a cup of water. You place it on the table in front of him and tell him to eat something before leaving.

“What's your quirk?” he asks curiously as he takes a bite of the sandwich.

You go back to playing with your hands and looking away as you reply “I don't have one.” Dabi almost chokes on the food going down his throat, eyes wide when he looks at you. He thought that maybe you had a strong quirk, that was the only reason you would bring a stranger into your safe place. But now, he is sure that you're really stupid if you brought him here without even having a quirk. “What's… what's yours?”

“Blue flames,” he mutters.

“Woahhhh.” you breathe out. “That's such a strong quirk. Are you a pro-hero?”

This time Dabi really laughs, ignoring the pain on his side. A pro-hero, sure. “You could say that.” He jokes. To be fair, he was doing everyone a favor so he might as well be considered a hero. You stare intensely at him and for a second Dabi thinks you might have recognized him. But, as he pays more attention, he realizes that your eyes are kind and soft. It's more or less like you're memorizing his face, making sure you get everything. He looks at you with the same intensity, Dabi thinks he doesn't want to forget about you either, for some odd reason. You're about to say something more when a knock on the door catches both of your attentions. Dabi quickly gets up, he doesn't want you meeting anyone else from the League. “Hey.” he calls out for you, hand on the doorknob. “Thank you.”

With those final words, Dabi leaves through the door. As he walks to the car with one of the League's villains, he wishes he could see you again. It's probably impossible and dangerous. You were so nice to him that he can't imagine what he would do to himself if you got hurt because of him. But months pass before he sees you again.

The next time you see the man happens five months after the first encounter.

You figured that he would look for you once he got better, there was a connection there that you thought he felt too but apparently you were wrong. You know it was dangerous to let a stranger inside your house but you felt something. Your gut was telling you (more like screaming) that you could trust him.

Even though you missed him, for some strange reason, you didn't try to look for him either. How could you when you didn't even know his name. You caught yourself passing by the alley multiple times, in hope that you would find him again but that wasn't successful. Then, you pondered about asking your friends but there was always something holding you back. So you chose to stay still and continue to live your life, in hopes that you would see the dark haired man once again.

Your routine was the same as always. Wake up, go to university, study, go back home, sleep. Sometimes you would break the monotonous routine just to hang out with a couple of friends but most of the times, you just wanted to go home, lay in bed and spend the rest of the day wondering what went wrong in your life that made you unable to have enough social battery to hang out with people that genuinely like you. A part of you screamed that maybe you were hoping that the man would go back to your house and you wanted to be there to see him. You feel as if you live everyday waiting to see the man that made your life a bit more interesting.

The meeting happens out of nowhere. It's a late Tuesday afternoon, the sun is setting in the horizon and you're walking to a nearby café to meet up with a couple of friends before going out for dinner with them. Your eyes are set on your phone as you quickly text the group chat that you're almost there. Before you are even able to send the text, a hand covers your mouth and pulls you to the familiar alley. You try to scream for help, squirming in their embrace but to no avail. Before you can start punching the person that decided to kidnap you, they turned you around swiftly. The scream dies in your throat when you see the recognizable blue eyes. He lets you go with a chuckle, watching you stutter a few words and in a mental fight with yourself to decide whether or not you should hug him.

“Your name!” You blur out, making you want to hit yourself. “What's… your name?”

The man stays quiet for a bit, you can't read his expression but you wait patiently for an answer. “Touya.”

Touya. The pretty man you met finally has a name. Touya. You catch yourself repeating the name in a murmur, hearing how it rolls off your tongue. You tell him your name and he does the same. You never liked someone saying your name as much as you liked Touya saying your name. You want to keep hearing it, you want to hear his voice, even if it's just random thoughts that come to his mind; you never want him to shut up.

“How's your wound?” You decide to ask before you say something you shouldn't say out loud. Touya simply grabs the hem of his shirt and pulls up, just enough to show you the area where the nasty bruise was. It's totally healed, as you expected to be after five months. He doesn't keep his shirt up for long but it's long enough for your heart to skip a beat at the sight of the naked skin and short enough to not let you reach out and touch him like you did back at your house. You look back at him, observing the blue eyes that pull you in every time you look at them. It always feels like he can see all of your secrets but you don't look away, ever. You let yourself be the most vulnerable you have ever been whenever he looks at you like that.

Your phone ringing drags you out of your moment with Touya. One of your friends is calling and you see that you're already late to meet them. You wish you were selfish enough to cancel on them just so you could talk to Touya a bit more, but you can't be that person. You look at the man standing in front of you with an apologetic smile. “I have to go.” you whisper, if you said it too loud it would make it too real and you don't want to think about leaving Touya after seeing him again after months.

He nods, understanding and places his hand on your head ruffling your hair a bit. “Don't look so sad. How about I pass by your house tomorrow night?”

You're certain that your eyes shine with excitement as you nod repeatedly. “I’ll be waiting for you.” You say, again denying a call from your friends as you send a quick text saying you're almost there. “See you, Touya.” He waves as you start running to the café. Your hair is a mess and you're out of breath the moment you meet your friends but you couldn't feel happier, your heart beating so fast to the thought of Touya going to your house tomorrow. Your friends question you but you don't answer, just letting them know something unexpected happened and it took you longer to get there. They eventually let it go as the night passed by but you couldn't stop thinking about Touya.

Time was taking too long to pass, you wanted it to skip to tomorrow night just so you could see Touya again. Maybe it would be a good idea if you asked him for his number.

The night passes slowly, you barely pay attention to the conversations as you keep reminding Touya’s touch. You still felt a tingling sensation on your body from when he grabbed you. Were you in love after meeting him merely two times? You couldn't be, right? You only just learned his name but you have never felt so interested in someone like you were interested in Touya. There was something about the man that kept pulling you in, that made you want to learn more about him. For some reason, something inside you kept telling you he was hiding something but you chose to ignore it. If you tried to look into it too much, you would certainly ruin the image you have of Touya and it would all stop feeling like a fairytale. Your heart aches at the thought.

Your friends invite you to go to a club after. You try to come up with an excuse but they can be persuasive. At the end, you accept the request but you tell them you won't be staying long. Luckily, the club isn't that far away from your house either so you let yourself drown a couple of drinks with your friends, letting your body loose on the dance floor. Nonetheless, you kept looking around the room in hope that you would see Touya.

Maybe if your life was a movie, he would, coincidentally, show up at the club. You would dance together, his hands holding your waist as he keeps saying he can't dance. You would throw your arms around his shoulders, getting a little bit of confidence due to the alcohol, and swing him from side to side so he’s dancing with you. That would make Touya laugh, so carefree and beautiful that it would leave you hypnotized. At the end of night, he would start blaming your actions on the alcohol and would make it his responsibility to take you home and make sure you got there safe. You would be sobered up by the time you're almost home. Touya would notice you're cold and he would lend you his jacket, then throw his arm around you to bring you close. You wouldn't kiss him when you got home but you would peck his cheek and watch him blush as you close your door. But, obviously, that won't happen because by the time you decide to leave, around four in the morning, Touya is nowhere to be seen and you're left walking back home alone, in the cold night.

You struggle to unlock the door, your hands shaking just like your whole body. You fumble a bit with the keys until you finally hear the click signaling the door is unlocked. You push it open and get in, discarding your shoes as you lock the door behind you. If it was any other occasion, you would simply change clothes and go to bed but you can't afford getting sick when Touya is visiting tomorrow. So you push yourself to take a warm shower and drink some tea before putting on the warmest pajamas you own and hide under the covers, not letting any cold in. You fall asleep like you spent the whole night - thinking about Touya and the few moments you shared with him. You fall asleep creating all kinds of scenarios for the next day, what you can say or do and how to react depending on what Touya will say or do. You were excited yet terrified because of how fast you were falling for this guy you barely knew; even more scared that it wouldn't be reciprocated.

[winters-mistress]

to the girl with the broken heart

"Right, so we all know why we're here. What I want to know, Cirilla, is what do you want out of this conversation?"

Ciri rolls her eyes. "First of all, I want to know why she's here. She's got nothing to do with any of us." she glares over at the dark haired woman sitting across and away from her. "Why would I talk about anything that's happened between us all when there's a stranger amidst? What happened to the order of protection?'

"Cirilla, Yennefer is having Geralt's baby. She lives with you two, and they've been together for months. The order of protection cannot stand against her when she permanently lives with you."

She rolls her eyes again. "I know why we're here, but I question the point of it all. He's made his choices, and we have to live with the reprocussions. Talking won't solve anything, it won't bring back anyone, it won't get rid of anyone. So what's the point?'

"Ciri-" Geralt leans forward on the couch directly ahead of her, as if to take her hands in his.

"Don't touch me." she recoils, fixing her glare onto him. "You're the last person that should be trying that."

He winces as if her icy words had slapped him across the face. "Princess, we're here to try and figure this whole situation out between you, me, Yen and your caretakers-" he makes eye contact with the man who's sitting at Cirilla's side. "to see if we can find a way where everybody's happy."

"Well, you can't." She snaps. "You know what happened to me twice, you know what happens to kids like me when things like this happen. So I'd like you to explain to me why I should be happy about it." she fixes her glare on him. God, Geralt had never seen Ciri's grandmother, but he had seen pictures of how harsh the woman's glare was, and right now Cirilla is all Calanthe.

"Because we aren't like them. Ciri, we both love you. We both want to take care of you, we would never dream of hurting you."

"And look where we are now." She silences him with just one sentence. The girl looks up at her new (old?) caretaker, fixing her big green eyes upon the man. "Can this be done now? Can I go?"

"Ciri, no." his Irish accent is prominent as he reaches over to put a hand on her shoulder. To keep her where she sits and keep her grounded. "We all think it's in your best interest to work this out."

"Mike, what is there to work out?!" she snaps once again. "We were fine, we were happy. And now we're not, she's here and she's having his baby. I can't live with them because of it. And may I remind you that this was a condition we all talked about before he even fostered me. Done. Fine. What is there left to say?"

"Would it hurt to explain why you don't want to live with a baby? Why does it make you so upset?" Mike asks, adjusting the pink and white checkered shirt he wears as he sits back down next to Ciri.

She stays silent.

"Honey, I promise you we're willing to do anything to make you comfortable with this." Yennefer says, and Ciri's eyes shoot towards her. The fire returns.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then move out." she snaps. Yennefer opens her mouth. "Leave him and I alone. He told me that he fostered an older kid because he couldn't handle a baby. That's why we were matched, I can't live with a baby, and he promised that he couldn't either. It was a big condition in my file, and you two thought it was a good idea to-" she points at Yennefer's swollen stomach. "-so explain to me why fucking up my head again is a good thing."

"Language, Ciri." Mike puts a hand on her leg. "I know your angry, but that language is unacceptable."

She rolls her eyes.

"I don't want to make you upset, but you don't get to tell us if we can or can't get pregnant." Geralt says, straightens his back. "And I know what I said a few years ago, but Cirilla, things have changed. I was on my own when I took you in, but now I have Yen." He pauses, taking his girlfriend's hand. Ciri's eyes darken, with hurt and fury. "And you do too. I know what you went through, why you don't want a baby around. But you're ours just as much as he is. We both love you and want to help you through this."

She exhales, her chest aching suddenly. Her stomach churns with betrayal and anxiety.

Geralt swallows as she stays silent, not sure if he's said the right thing or not. Ciri quiet was Ciri unhappy.

"Would it help to say why you don't want the baby around?" Yennefer is quiet.

She rubs her eyes. "Don't tell me you don't know. He's obviously told you."

"No, all I know is that you would have a hard time with a baby around."

"And that wasn't enough to think twice before getting pregnant." she laughed angrily, rubbing her eyes. She swallows thickly, but tears burn nonetheless.

"We talked about it a lot, Cirilla. I promise. But like I said, it's only our choice if we wanted to try for a baby, nobody else gets a say. We want to help you through it, we didn't want it to come to this." Geralt leans forward again.

Ciri remains silent.

"Would you feel comfortable telling Yennefer why you're having a hard time with the baby?" Mike asks the girl, once she doesn't say anything again. "It might give her a deeper insight on how to help you through this."

"And who says I want to be 'helped through this'?! All I want is to have a foster parent who doesn't have a baby, and if that doesn't work, to age out and figure everything out after that. That's what I want, I'm sick of you all thinking you know better about what I want than I do!" she snaps, standing up. "This is pointless, we had terms, and those have been broken, so all I want is to get the rest of my stuff and get my room back and wait for somebody who will actually put me first! Look at you, a perfect family of three, mother, father, son. A perfect trinity, you don't need me anymore, so let's just save us all this trouble and get it over with."

"And that would make you happy, would it? Never seeing me again, Vesemir, Eskel, Lambert, Coën, Jaskier?" His voice rises as he does.

"Geralt!" Yennefer hisses. "Yelling isn't going to help."

He exhales, trying to calm himself, quiet his voice. "Ciri, I love you to death. You make me so happy, and it kills me to see how upset you are. All Yennefer wants to do is love you, she's not one of those online forum stepmothers who wish the kid would disappear or blames the kid for everything. I wouldn't bring a negative person around you. You know that, and I understood why the baby is hard for you. If you truly want to leave, then I won't stop you. But wouldn't it be better for you to spend however long with a family instead of being by yourself in foster care? I love you to death, Princess, and it would kill me to have you not in my life anymore."

Ciri sniffles, following as Mike takes her by the hand and pulls her to sit down. Geralt follows. He looks at her imploringly, eyes big.

"Do you want to have a minute?" He asks.

"No." she whispers.

"Honey, this is us putting you first. If we didn't love you, why would we go through all this to keep you with us? The three of us, we're a family. You, Geralt and I. You don't have to call me mother, you don't have to call this baby sibling. All I want is to have the opportunity to love you, because you made me a mother. Not this baby, you. Do you remember when we met? When you were so scared I'd take Geralt away from you, but you were still brave enough to try to be nice to me?"

She says nothing, just looks at her.

"I know this is different, all you've known for thr last couple years is him. You've been through tragedy twice over, and although I don't know why you're so upset about the baby, we want you to feel secure at home. About your place in this family, because you're always going to have a place with us."

She sniffles. "What do you think happens to kids like me? Orphans with nobody left to turn to? We get fostered so broody couples get their fill, but what do you think happens when they get a baby of their own? We get dumped back where they found us! What do you think happened to me when I was with Lija, and what happened with Zola and Yrga? They got pregnant, and I got dumped back into foster care. People like me get used and left behind, and it happens to all the kids who get a lucky break to get away from places like this. So forgive me if I'm not thrilled for it to happen again."

"I think it goes without saying that Ciri's got a few abandonment issues, because of previous foster placements. It's common in our children. Ciri was placed on medication after her previous placement fell through, we were all under the impression it would be a foster to adopt situation, as Mrs. Sodden desperately wanted a daughter. She got what she wanted, but Cirilla was the sacrifice."

She sniffles, looking down onto her lap, twisting the silver and emerald ring that belonged to her mother.

"Is that what you thought we'd do to you?" Geralt asks. "Have we not built up trust over the last couple years? I mean, we've been through your previous fosters, but I thought you trusted me more than that."

"Geralt, don't guilt trip her. This isn't about you, this is about Ciri's insecurities." Mike scolds him.

"Sweetheart, we'd never do that to you. We love you, you're ours just as much as this baby is. Moreso, because you made us parents long before this baby came along. We love you, girl. You're stuck with us, we promise we'd never cast you aside. Those people who did that didn't deserve you, you mean everything to us. You can't get rid of us that easily, Ciri."

[mrobson]

it’s my top singles of 2023!

100. Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Like A Grudge

099. YUNGBLUD - Hated

098. Beverley Knight - Systematic Overload

097. Alec Benjamin - Different Kind of Beautiful

096. PNAU. Bebe Rexha & Ozuna - Stars

095. Becky Hill & Chase & Status - Disconnect

094. Ava Max - Choose Your Fighter

093. Maisie Peters - Body Better

092. Måneskin - HONEY (ARE U COMING?)

091. Sigrid - The Hype

090. Sam Fischer - Hard To Love

089. Fred Again… & Obongjayar - adore u

088. Carly Rae Jepsen - Shy Boy

087. Kenya Grace - Strangers

086. Loreen - Is It Love

085. Zara Larsson - End Of Time

084. Zach Bryan & Kacey Musgraves - I Rememeber Everything

083. Tove Lo - Borderline

082. Alessandra - Pretty Devil

081. Paramore - Running Out Of Time

080. Rita Ora - You Only Love Me

079. Nothing But Thieves - Keeping You Around

078. Sam Smith - Man I Am

077. Alessandra - Queen of Kings

076. Maisie Peters - Run

075. Troye Sivan - One Of Your Girls

074. Jason Mraz - You Might Like It

073. Stormzy & RAYE -The Weekend

072. MUNA - One That Got Away

071. Anne-Marie & Shania Twain - UNHEALTHY

070. Jason Mraz - I Feel Like Dancing

069. Mimi Webb - Freezing

068. Jessie Ware - Freak Me Now

067. Jonas Brothers - Waffle House

066. Conan Grey - Never Ending Song

065. Sigala & MNEK - Radio

064. Taylor Swift - All Of The Girls You Loved Before

063. Paramore - C’est Comme Ca

062. Kelly Clarkson - mine

061. Tove Lo - I like u

060. Dylan ft. Bastille - Liar Liar

059. Zara Larsson - Can’t Tame Het

058. Jonas Brothers - Wings

057. Chase & Status & Hedex ft ArrDee - Liqour & Cigarettes

056. Romy - Loveher

055. Tate McRae - greedy

054. Conan Grey - Killing Me

053. Niall Horan - Meltdown

052. Billie Eilish - What Was I Made For?

051. Dagny - Same Again (For Love)

050. Jason Mraz - Feel Good Too

049. Tori Kelly - missin u

048. Becky Hill & Lewis Thompson - Side Effects

047. Kylie Minogue - Padam Padam

046. Leigh-Anne - Don’t Say Love

045.Jessie Ware - Pearls

044. Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding - Miracle

043. Troye Sivan - Got Me Startec

042. Måneskin - BABY SAID

041. Kelly Clarkson - roses

040. Maisie Peters - Lost The Breakup

039. Dopamine & Sigala - Feel It Deep Inside

038. Nathan Dawe & Bebe Rexha - Heart Still Beating

037. Zara Larsson & David Guetta - On My Love

036. Ed Sheeran - F64

035. Ellie Goulding - Like a Saviour

034. Loreen - Tattoo

033. Calvin Harris & Sam Smith - Desire

032. Fall Out Boy - Heartbreak Feels So Good

031. Rita Ora - Don’t Think Twice

030. Purple Disco Machine. Duke Dumont & Nothing But Thieves - Something On My Mind

029. Alec Benjamin - I Sent My Therapist To Therapy

028. Måneskin ft. Tom Morello - GOSSIP

027. Dagny - Heartbreak In The Making

026. Fall Out Boy - Love From The Other Side

025. Doechii - What It Is

024. Bimini - Rodeo

023.Jodie Harsh - Hectic

022. Charli XCX - Speed Drive

021. Alok. the Chainsmokers & Mae Stephens - Jungle

020. Nothing But Thieves - Welcome To The DCC

019. Romy - The Sea

018. Charli XCX & Sam Smith - In The City

017. Joel Corry, Icona Pop & Rain Radio - Desire

016. Regard & Ella Henderson - No Sleep

015. Carly Rae Jepsen - Psychedelic Switch

014. Romy - She’s On My Mind

013. Christine & The Queens - To be honest

012. Cian Ducrot - Heaven

011. cassö, RAYE & D Block Europe - Prada

010. Olivia Rodrigo - vampire

009. Everything Everything - Cold Reactor

008. Bebe Rexha - Call On Me

007. The Blessed Madonna ft. Jacob Lusk - Mercy

006. Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer

005. Swedish House Mafia - Ray Of Solar

004. Troye Sivan - Rush

003. Nothing But Thieves - Overcome

002. Jessie Ware - Begin Again

001. Romy - Enjoy Your Life

[casspurrjoybell-27]

Claimed by the Beast - Chapter 8b

*Warning: Adult Content*  

Strictly Physical - Part 2

- Knox -

"We've never had a break-in, so I would have to agree this is the safest place for him."

Gavin takes another drag of his cigarette, getting one final smoke in before Josie returns to his side.

"And... you know, if The Jackals ever take an interest in him, they can't do much because he's ours. We can use the situation to our advantage."

"He's mine," Knox clarifies, his jaw tight and fists clenched.

"And I'm not using him as a pawn."

Gavin pauses for a beat, quietly analyzing Knox's reaction.

"I hear you, brother. Since you're claiming him, I give you my word that he'll be protected at all costs. The club's resources are now his resources. Use them however you wish."

"Thanks."

Knox and Gavin shake on it, making things official.

He then has the bartender fix him up a drink to relax the nerves that Everett set fire to earlier.

The members who'd been eavesdropping cheer loudly in the background for Knox.

He's been alone since he got here, by choice and it's nice to see the grump finally take an interest in someone.

The real question is if the kid will be enough to tame Knox's inner beast.

After all, two are one in the same.

"I need to ask you about assigning a few guys to keep watch over his parent's and friend's houses," Knox adds. "Do we have any men to spare right now?"

Gavin nods.

"Pick whoever you want for the job. If they have a problem with it, send them to me."

"Will do."

"Hey, I ain't trying to bust your balls or anything like that but I've got to ask you this."

"What?"

Gavin shifts in his seat and lowers his voice.

"Are you falling for this kid?"

"No. It ain't like that at all. I'm just trying to keep him alive," Knox says.

Whether he fully believes that, well, it's still up for debate.

"Shit, now you're giving me that fucking look. I'm sick of it."

Gavin smiles.

"What look?"

"The same look your Ol' lady has been giving me since she first met Everett."

Knox downs the rest of his drink, welcoming the harsh burn that travels down his throat and settles into his chest.

"I am not falling for him. I don't do relationships and I damn sure don't do love. If anything, I'm one mistake away from fucking him. That's it. Strictly physical."

"Interesting. He's not your usual type, though, is he?" Gavin asks.

Knox shakes his head in response.

"You may not be falling for him but that doesn't mean he ain't already falling for you."

Knox scoffs at that.

"I'd be able to tell."

"Not always," Gavin smirks.

"When I first met Josie, I told myself she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Lust, I thought, was what drew me to her after we rescued her. I hadn't realized it was love until another bastard tried to steal her away from me. It struck me then that I couldn't live without her. That I had to make her mine."

"I think this conversation is getting off track," Knox mutters.

Gavin laughs loudly, waving a dismissive hand.

"I say all that to say be careful with the kid. Love is a beautiful thing but she can also be a ruthless bitch. She'll sneak up on you when you least expect it and won't think twice about ripping your heart out and shitting on it. Believe what you want but one thing you can't turn off completely are your feelings."

"Whatever you say, man." Knox has never been one to partake in emotional ass discussions, so he takes Gavin's words with a grain of salt.

After wrapping things up downstairs, he returns to his bedroom to find Everett and Josie cackling on the bed with a book between them.

They look like two best friends despite being strangers still.

"Am I interrupting?" Knox asks, stepping further inside.

"Yeah, actually. We were just about to get to the part where the monster uses his eight tentacles to..." Josie quiets when Everett playfully slaps her leg.

"Sorry, Knox. You, uh, wouldn't understand." 

Knox chuckles.

"Not sure that I want to."

"When I find the sequel, I'll lend it to you," Josie tells Everett before departing.

Knox locks the door behind her.

"What kind of filthy smut are you reading over there?" he asks.

"The kind you wouldn't be able to digest," Everett answers.

He bookmarks his spot and then sets the book aside, giving Knox his undivided attention.

"Did the talk with your Pres go well?"

"It did. Consider this your new home."

Knox walks over to the bed and sits next to Everett, his pulse racing as his mind replays their thrilling slip-up from earlier.

"About that rain check you owe me..."

Everett rolls his eyes, blushing.

"I don't recall either of us setting one."

"I just did and now I'm here to collect."

Knox is quick with his movements.

Everett squeals when he's snatched up and placed on Knox's lap, his hands resting on the man's bare shoulders.

"I like to finish what I start, kitten. Are you going to deny me?"

"I should."

Everett's heart thrums fast against his ribcage while his eyes focus on Knox's mouth.

"Do you want me to deny you?"

"What I want is to know what the inside of your mouth tastes like..." Knox whispers with a slight edge in his tone. "I want to know how tight and hot you'll feel around me when I'm buried deep inside you. Tell me you don't want the same and I'll call you a fucking liar."

Everett's breathing turns shallow, his hips instinctively jerking forward as Knox purposely shifts beneath him.

"I hate you so much."

Knox chuckles.

"And?"

"And..." Everett says. "I want the same."

[explicit-tae]

Public Enemy (Part 5)

Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 6 | Part 7

Pairing: Hoseok x Reader

Genre: Smut, Angst, Mafia! Hoseok

Word Count: 6,463

Warning: edging, sadistic behavior, sex toys, dirty talk, dom!hoseok, manipulation, whipping, oral (f&m receiving), binding, reader was snatched from the street :( ,

Description: You wonder where Hoseok goes off to when his work phone calls at all times of the day and night. It’s a bother - especially when the two of you are on a date. You suspect he’s cheating on you and decide one night to follow him and witness just where he scurries of to.

"What's the word, baby?" Hoseok hums, his voice as sweet as ever as he ties the bonds against your wrist, bringing it behind your back (that laid flat against the bench).

You licks your lips, salivating at the sight of your boyfriend. His smile was kind as his eyes, but the way he stood above you fully clothed while you laid naked - legs wide open, ankles bound to the sex bench. "Strawberry."

It was a habit between Hoseok and you to choose a random and easy word - now it being Strawberry - as a safe word in case everything got far too much for you to handle. You rarely say the safe word, only having said it twice when the overstimulation got far too intense.

Hoseok smiles at you in response, the dark and twisted smile you enjoyed. Hoseok was a sweetheart, truly. He showered you with attention and love, always bringing you random gifts just because. He texted you throughout the day while he was at work, always making sure he responded within five minutes, and if he didn't, he'd let you know before hand he would be occupied and unable to.

But there were two sides of Jung Hoseok - the sadistic side you adored about him. It was like a flick of a switch. The first time Hoseok suggested he tied you up, he had apologized soon after at the thought, claiming that he would never degrade or take advantage of you. You agreed, mainly because of how cute and sympathetic he was about it. Now each time, you didn't mind being tied up, gagged and fucked into oblivion by the man.

Today was no different. Hoseok was a wealthy man and managed to set up a room outside of your shared bedroom just for the act of sex. It was a dark room only dimly lit. It displayed a full length ceiling mirror in which Hoseok would force you to look upon as he fucked you. Hoseok was no stranger when it came to toys - handcuffs, ball gags, vibrators and even dildos.

You laid upon the sex bench fully tied up, your legs wide open. Hoseok's fingers slap your clit. You jolt at the sensation it brings you. He enters his fingers inside of you roughly, you already dripping for him makes it easier for him. He pumps inside of you at a harsh and speedy pace. Your walls are clenching around his fingers and the sounds coming from your pussy are nothing but wetness - the sweet melody of your whimpers just added fuel to the fire.

You clenched your eyes shut as Hoseok rams his fingers inside of you. His thumb rubs against your clit as he does so. Your legs are shaking, aching to shut them tightly but aren't able to close them. "I'm going to cum." you whimper, eyes snaping shut and breathing heavy.

"Yeah?" Hoseok asks, his eyes scanning the way your pussy clenches around him. When he witness your nod, he chuckles and releases his fingers from inside you, slapping your clit harshly.

You scream out, back arching at the sudden release of his fingers. Hoseok comes behind you, stroking your hair. He gives you a dashing smile that makes your heart flutter. He proceeds to yank your hair back, forcing you to stare into his eyes. His lips connect to yours and you feel three of his fingers enter you once more.

You moan against his lips as he proceeds to fuck his fingers inside of you. Your neck begins to ache at the position Hoseok holds you, but you don't mind it. The way his fingers are pleasuring you are enough of a reward for being good for him.

Hoseok releases your lips from his, his tongue poking out to lick your cheek. His eyes stare into yours, fingers having no intentions of stopping the brutal pace.

You shake your head, stomach churning. Hoseok releases his pumping fingers to place them onto your clit. He rubs your clit hastily, smirking at the way you proceed to scream out at the overstimulation. "You're so slutty for me, baby." he chuckles, eyes darkening. "Your pussy's so wet for me. It's always so wet for me when I treat you like the whore you are."

"Please." you groan, sweat on your forehead. You could feel your high coming.

"Please what, baby?" Hoseok hums, his fingers not stopping their attack on your clit. "Do you want to cum?"

You nod your head fast. You lick your lips, your high coming any second now.

Hosoeok slaps your clit again, laughing out. "You'd thought I'd let you cum?" he mocks, head shaking. "A whore like you doesn't deserve to cum until I feel like you should."

You cry out, tears falling. Hoseok walks around you, humming as he grabs the toy from the wall shelf. He comes back, still humming. He holds the toy - the large black vibrator - and smirks at you. He turns it on, the chattering sound of the vibrator was mocking you as he inches it closer to you. He leans down, the vibrator circling your clit. His free hand brings his fingers back into your clit.

Your throat releases another scream. The vibrator against your clit feels heavenly - the fingers pumping your walls were added flare. It's what you adored about Hoseok, the pleasure he gave you (even if he was teasing and edging you on) was amazing. It was the first time you told him you loved him a few years back - something he still laughs about until this day.

Your bound wrist tug against the ropes, your back arches and jolts. Your eyes are now rolling to the back of your head and your head is shaking from side to side. Breathing hard, you're stuttering out nonsense - nothing but uncoherant murmurs.

Hoseok removes his fingers and the vibrator from your clit. He marvels at the tears streaming down your face and the screams of pleas - begging him to allow you to cum. He could record your moans and pleas and replay them time and time again and still never get tired of it. You were a beauty - allowing him to tease you for his own sick satisfaction. His cock was heard inside his jeans, seeking its own release.

Hoseok turns off the vibrator and places it upon the shelf once more. He grabs ahold of the leather whip - nothing that would hurt you too bad. But you were one of the same as him, after all. You enjoyed the act of pain. You enjoyed when he'd slap your ass until he left marks - leaving it swollen and wanting more. You'd beg him to keep hurting you - pleading for him to slap you, pull your hair and to do whatever he desired.

He loved you - and he loved what you allowed him to do to you.

Hoseok brings the whip and slaps it down against your body, hitting your breast, stomach and clit. You jolt, eyes wide but lip biting back your moans.

"It's incredible, Y/N," Hoseok slapped the whip against your clit again, and proceeded to. Your moans increase by each slap. "how much you'd allow me to use your body. My little masochist."

You hum in satisfaction. You know your clit would be swollen - just how you'd like it. Hoseok comes closer to you, the whip slapping against your clit. His free hands come to twist and pinch your nipple.

"You like that, don't you?" Hoseok snickers. "You're such a whore, Y/N. My little whore to hurt, right?" Hoseok tugs on your nipple tightly without warning.

You release a scream, your pussy clenching around nothing. "Y-Yes!" you managed to grunt out. "I'm you're whore."

Hoseok beams. "I know." he retorts. He throws the whip to the side and plays with his pants. You hum, waiting for whatever he was about to do next. You were ready to get fucked - either through between your legs or your throat, whatever he preferred.

Hoseok releases his cock, throwing his pants off without a care in the world. He reaches for you, your mouth already open to take him. He places the tip against your tongue, tapping it against the soft flesh. "You're so hungry to suck cock." Hoseok disclosed, sucking in a breath when you lick along on the tip of his cock.

"I want you to fuck my mouth." you declared, teary eyes pleading up at him.

Hoseok shudders. You were gorgeous just for him, and you understood he'd do anything for you, even if you were the one bound.

Hoseok pushes his cock into your mouth that widens to take him all. He thrusts inside of you, your mouth - warm and wet - feels marvelous around him. His hands tighten into your hair, gripping it as he thrusts deep into your throat.

You could feel yourself leaking onto the bench at this moment. Hoseok was never one to hold back when it comes to sex - and you never minded if he did or not. You relished at the pain and sexual torture Hoseok displayed. You would've never thought you'd enjoy pain, but with Hoseok you adored everything he did to you.

"Fucking bitch." Hoseok moans out, his cock twitching inside your mouth. He could never last long when it came to being inside of you. He slaps your cheek. "I'm going to cum. Should I cum in your throat or on your face?"

You hum, even though it's nothing but incoherent with a cock in your mouth. Hoseok thrusts for a few more seconds, his breathing quickening. He releases himself from your throat and pumps the flying cum onto your face. He rubs it into your skin, around your cheeks and onto your lips.

A loud ring brings the two of you out of your bliss. Hoseok releases a groan. He takes a few steps back and rummages through his pockets. "I thought we said there were no phones allowed here." you hiss.

"You know I can't leave my work phone, baby." Hoseok sighs. He lifts his phone and glares at it. "Shit." he hisses at the familiar name on the phone.

You watch in disbelief, still bound with cum dripping down your face, as Hoseok answers the phone and brings it to his ear.

"What?!" Hoseok hisses lowly to Taehyung.

"No hello?" Taehyung retorts. "Rude."

"I'm about to hang up. It's not a good time." Hoseok threatens. "What do you need?"

"Shin should be done within the next 30 minutes. In an hour I'm expected to meet him to get my money." Taehyung speaks. "We need to act fast on the plan."

Hoseok clenches the phone in his ear. "Where's Jimin?"

"Dealing with his girls."

"Jungkook?"

"Brooding." Taehyung sighs. "Something about getting ignored. I don't know or care...you're my last hope, Hyung."

Hoseok releases a deep sigh, his nerves kicking in. He clenches his teeth. "You owe me for this." he curses. "I'll be there in 10."

Hoseok enters, an annoyed expression on his face. "I have to go to work." he murmurs sullenly.

"You're fucking with me." you claimed. He wasn't, his face said it all. "Now? It's the middle of the night!"

"I know, baby!" Hoseok plays with the rob around your wrist until they loosen. "But you know I have to. It's important." He does the same to your ankles.

"It's always important." you roll your eyes. You sit up on the bench, taking the rag from Hoseok's hand when he passes it to you. You wipe your face, disappointed in, yet again, another cock block. "What do you even need to do?"

"Do you want me to bore you with work?" Hoseok grins. He grabs his pants and puts them back on. "I'll be back in no time, okay baby?" he kisses your forehead. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

You shake your head, not saying anything when he and you walk out of the dark room. You're still naked when he finds his car keys and runs out the door.

You're now fuming at the audacity of Jung Hoseok. As long as you two have been together, he was vague on what he did for a living. You knew he was in foreign exchange - he displayed the many new luxury cars he had bought and sold throughout the country and even outside of it. But, that doesn't explain the random phone calls on the work phone he had. They came whenever - and he'd drop everything to go attend it.

Your mind was telling you he was cheating. Yes, you loved him and you knew he loved you, too. But, he was a man after all. And men could smile in your face one moment and then be off with another woman in the next second - it was in their nature. No matter how many times you consoled yourself that he wasn't like that, you had no other explanation for his actions.

So you were quick to fix yourself up and go out the door, your phone following his. You managed to grab ahold of his personal phone while he slept, not finding anything on it. His work phone, however, had a passcode while his personal had not. You shared his location with your phone and tracking him down was easy.

You laid low, making sure your lights were off. This was crazy, sure. But you needed answers and Hoseok was not going to be the one to give any to you. So yes, you did follow him and park a few cars down to see him and another man - both masked - approaching another man.

Your eyes widen as Hoseok brings out a gun and points it at the man. The other man proceeds to slap the victim who falls face first onto the ground. You proceeded to witness your boyfriend and an accomplice attack this man, frightened and frozen.

You duck down when you see them grab whatever was in the doffle bag, you assume a large amount of cash - what else would they be taking? They proceed to scurry off, not caring if the man was left in a bad position or not.

Your breathing quickens and one things for sure - Hoseok was not the man he said he was and you needed to leave as soon as possible.

You haven't seen Hoseok in little over a month, that same night after witnessing him and an accomplice rob a man - who ends up dead - you packed whatever you could and made your way out. You managed to ignore whatever calls Hoseok made to your phone and refused to open any messages or listen to any voicemails. They came in at all times of the day and night, the words getting menacing as the days pass. There was nothing left to be said to him - you didn't know the man he truly was. You had no desire to stick around after witnessing him rob a man.

You missed him, as ashamed as you were to admit. He was the man you loved - even after witnessing him being another side of him. Sure Hoseok was a different man during sex - more dominant than ever. However, sex and everyday life with him was different. You witness the man scream at the top of his lungs because a cockroach flew at him.

Yet and still, you felt as though you didn't know who he truly was or what he did for work. You never questioned him but was it idiotic to think he had a legal job with legal money coming through?

After your conversation with the detective you had left the police station with your head low, avoiding everyone. You were jumpy to say the least, always looking over your shoulders expecting to see Hoseok - the menacing glare you used to love now frightens you.

You no longer had the car - it was Hoseok's after all. After you packed whatever you could, you parked the car back at his home and dropped off the keys, making sure you didn't forget to place the house key next to it. You didn't have a lot of bags so walking from Hoseok's home to your brothers apartment wasn't much - even if it did take you about half an hour. It's the same home you once lived in prior to moving in with Hoseok. Your brother being in the military basically made it your home - and you were glad Hoseok didn't know where you resided.

You walked to the places you needed to be now. It reminded you of your life prior to meeting Hoseok. You got far too comfortable with allowing him to fund your lifestyle - even if you didn't need it. But, now that you were back living on your own, you'd grow into the independance you once had.

At first it was different. You were alone in your brother's large home with nothing to do. You didn't necessarily have to work - you had a big bank account thanks to an inheritance. But, with nothing else to do you decide to find a job away from crowded areas. You wanted to avoid Hoseok and where he'd be at in general.

That's how you find yourself working in a quiet book store with little to no customers besides the same familiar faces. You organized books in alphabetical order, dusted book shelves and stock new releases. You wouldn't lie and say the job was interesting, but it stopped you from being home.

You got off at night and walked home, making sure that you walked in plain sight. The first few weeks of you doing this, you felt normal. The walk from work to back home wasn't long and in ten minutes you were there. However, as the weeks led on you felt uneasy. You couldn't explain the way you felt, but it was as though you were being followed. Your discernment was almost never wrong, especially when you heard footsteps behind you seemingly closing in.

You start to run, your heart pumping. You could hear the footsteps running behind you. You aren't sure what your plan was to do but to run as fast as you could. Your mind is swirling in the possibilities of being caught by the mysterious person following you. You weren't prepared and didn't have anything to protect yourself. You felt foolish at least not having pepper spray to defend yourself.

You release a scream that's muffled when you feel arms wrap around you. You're kicking, an attempt to get the arms off of you but there's no use. You're being dragged from the lonely sidewalk and you feel tears swell into your eyes. Your ears hear tires screeching to a halt and soon you're being thrown into a vehicle. You tried as hard as you could to get out but are left with no choice when the man roughly shoves you down and soon the car is moving.

Before your eyes could adjust to your surroundings, you feel something wrap around your eyes, blind folding you and leaving you temporarily blinded. You remain quiet as the men around you drive and speak in low, hushed tones. You don't speak and find it useless to - they were determined to do whatever they wished to you.

Your life seems to flash before your eyes. You regret getting a job somewhere far from the city and leave you in this position to be taken in the middle of the walking home. You feel foolish for not purchasing a car to take you to and from work and over all...you feel foolish for thinking you'd get far in life trying to do everything alone.

"Is she asleep?" you hear a man's voice say after what feels like hours. You weren't asleep but remaining quiet felt like the better option than crying and screaming like you desired.

A rough shake makes you jump out of your skin. You're still blindfolded when the car comes to an abrupt stop. You hear the car turn off and the doors open before you're being snatched up. You yelp, almost falling if it wasn't for the unknown man catching you. "Walk straight." he says, the voice deep and smooth.

You do as you're told, trembling. You still don't know your surroundings due to the fabric around your eyes, but you do your best in walking. You're stopped by the unknown man again who grabs your shoulder. He swiftly pulls the fabric from your eyes and pushes you forward.

Your eyes adjust to your surroundings. It appears as though you entered a dressing room, a sea of people - mainly women, enclosing the large room. Full length mirrors and vanities face the walls, women crowding it and doing their make-up and hair.

"Ah, you're finally here!" a woman who appeared a few years older than you say. She takes your wrist and drags you along. "We've been waiting for you. You have to get ready and speak with Jimin-ssi."

"There must be a mistake-" you attempt to pry your wrist from her but she doesn't move. You didn't know Jimin - or know where the hell you've been taking. But it dawned on you quickly that whoever brought you here had nefarious motives. The women dressed in lingerie - different types. Some more revealing than most, some role-play types and even skin-tight leather of a dominatrix roll.

"No mistake, babe." the woman giggles. She takes you behind a few curtains where not many women are seated. She releases a sigh. "Jimin-ssi stated that he was waiting for a newcomer. Said she owed a debt and..." she eyes you up and down. "I'm sure that's you."

Your eyes widen. You owed nothing to anyone by the name of Jimin. Your heart pounds from your chest and you frantically shake your head. "He must got the wrong girl, I-"

"Please." the woman sighs out. "It'll be easier if you just go in and meet him, okay? Even if you think he has the wrong girl, he'll be the judge of that."

You try to fight against the remaining woman around you who forces your clothes off and scoffs at your regular bra and panties underneath. "You need something more..." the woman turns away from you, her eyes scanning the rack of lingerie. "more daring. Try this."

You don't try it - but that doesn't mean the women don't do it for you. You felt utterly violated at the moment, being forced into lingerie to see a man that claimed he was owed a debt. The lingerie itself consisted of nothing but harnesses. Your breast, ass and damn it, your crotch, was out. "I'm not wearing-"

"Put this robe on." one woman shushes you, throwing you a silk rob. You do hastily, enjoying the little warmth and privacy - not much - the rob gives you. "Follow me. I'll show you to Jimin-ssi. Remember, he's the boss, alright? If you aren't the girl then you'll be released-"

"Released after being kidnapped and violated?" you snap, eyes narrowing at the woman.

"It's not our fault, babe." the woman shakes her head. "A lot of people try to run from their debts. Jimin-ssi knows everyone that owes him money." she takes you to a large iron door, the glass behind it stained for privacy reasons. She knocks three times before turning to you. "If we're wrong, trust me you'll be released and compensated."

You weren't convinced. Behind the door you hear the word 'Enter' and the woman gives you a curt nod before twisting the knob on the door and opening it. She gently pushes you inside and closes it behind her. The room itself was dim, the velvet, burgundy curtains hide the large windows. You see a man seated at a desk. He raises his eyes at your arrival and he lets out a joyful laugh. "Y/N-ah. You're here."

You cross your arms over your chest uncomfortably. He spoke as if he knew you and you never saw this man a day in your life. He was attractive, sure, but he was nothing but a glorified pimp. He stands, slowly strolling around his desk. His hair appears freshly dyed into a bold platinum color and he wears a royal blue velvet suit.

"You have the wrong-"

"I have the right one." the man interrupts you, waving his hand dismissively. "You were a tough one to find, I'll admit."

You raise your brows.

"I barely got into this much stress with my own woman. Nonetheless," Jimin claps his hands together. "You're needed elsewhere."

"I said you got the wrong girl!" you hiss, heart pumping. You weren't about to be sold off to a brothel when you owed no one money of the sorts.

"Nonsense." Jimin smiles - it was a sickening sweet yet sinister smile. He reaches you in seconds and wraps a tight hand around your shoulder. "Follow me."

You shove him away from you but it does nothing but make Jimin grab your bicep and yank you along with him out the door and down the hall. The looks you got from the woman you passed told you that not many people went through this with Jimin.

You reach a dark wooden door when Jimin releases you. You take a few steps away from him, ready to run if needed.

"Y/N."

You feel your blood run cold at the familiar voice behind you. You don't turn right away, your mind asking how in the world you got yourself back into this mess that was Jung Hoseok.

"Ah, Hyung." Jimin claps his hands. "You're supposed to be in the room."

Your head snaps around to face Hoseok. He appears the same, dressed casually - even for a place like this. Your hands clench into fists. "You're the reason I was kidnapped?!" you hissed at him.

"Kidnapped?" Hoseok tilts his head, eyes flickering from you to Jimin. "I didn't-"

"Blah, blah." Jimin rolls his eyes. "Get in the room and start fucking please." Jimin was done with Hoseok's brooding due to not having you around - all the attempts to find you ended with nothing. It was his own fault for thinking you deserved privacy, he should've chipped your phone when he had the chance.

"Jimin..." Hoseok sighs. When he got the call from Jimin to come to Persona immediately, he thought it was something other than you wearing nothing but a robe and appearing utterly terrified. "What's going on?"

"Is she not your girlfriend?" Jimin squints his eyes. "The one you been crying for weeks over?"

Hoseok clicks his tongues.

"We don't have all day, hyung." Jimin rolls his eyes impatietnly. "I'm tired of seeing you and Yoongi-hyung sulking over pussy. If you'd listen to me, you would've chipped her phone and took away all her resources."

Your eyes widen. You're taken aback - just what kind of man did you get yourself into? Jimin spoke as if what he was saying was normal - and the act of Hoseok not doing it was a reason to throw it in his face.

"Get me the fuck out of here." you hiss at Hoseok. You were cold, shivering at this point, and didn't need to hear anything from the glorified pimp any longer.

"Hm." Jimin raises his brow. He glances at Hoseok then at you. "I guess you better do what you're told, Hobi-hyung." Jimin shrugs. He knows his hyung enough to know that he's a ticking time bomb. "I'll be in my office when you feel like crying to me again."

Jimin's footsteps died down and all Hoseok could do was look at you. You're fuming at him, rightfully so. He had no intention of Jimin stepping in and kidnapping you and sending you here. He would've preferred if Jimin told him he knew of your whereabouts.

"Y/N-"

"Save it." you interrupt. "Just take me home. I left you for a reason and this stunt-"

"What was the reason?" Hoseok speaks over you, eyes darkening. "I called you. I messaged you and you ignored them all."

"Can you fucking blame me?" you snap. "I'm in a fucking brothel, Hoseok! You killed a guy for fucks sake!"

"Killed a guy...?" Hoseok scans your features. "What are you talking about? I didn't kill anyone." Recently.

"That drug dealer in the news." you cross your arms, examining his reaction. "I saw you and someone else robbed him. All of a sudden he ends up dead? Who else-"

"You followed me?" Hoseok's voice was deep and firm. He was upset - something he had no right to be. He wasn't kidnapped, blind-folded and stripped of his clothes. "That was business. I didn't kill him."

You scoff. "Sure." you weren't convinced - but at this point it didn't matter. The man was dead and you were determined to get away from Hoseok and remain that way.

"I'm serious." Hoseok takes a step closer to you. "I wouldn't lie to you."

"You have already. I don't even know you." you snicker at him, but regardless, you're hurt. You loved Hoseok and learning of what he does and who he truly is, it makes you feel foolish.

"You do know me." Hoseok is in front of you in a matter of seconds. "I'm the same man I've always been. I've never been treated you bad."

You gulp. He was telling the truth - he was nothing but good to you. Great, even.

"Come back home." Hoseok pleads, his eyes staring deeply into your own. "We can forget-"

"What exactly do you do for a living?" you had to know. After what you witnessed a month prior, you were sure that wasn't his first time. He and the man were far too comfortable.

"Y/N...baby..." Hoseok sighs. He didn't need you knowing and ultimately being afraid of him. The less you know the better. "Please don't make me do this."

"A man is dead." you deadpan. "I'm basically naked in a brothel after being snatched off the street after work. Are any of these girls here because they want to?"

"Yes!" Hoseok rushes. "Jimin doesn't get his girls that way. They're here because they want to. This isn't a regular brothel Y/N. These girls get paid millions of won each time." Hoseok doesn't want to explain his job to you, but he didn't need you assuming that they were monsters kidnapping unwilling women. "Jimin is...he's different. I never knew he'd do this, baby. Just come home with me and I'll-"

"I want to go home." you clench your fist. "Not with you."

Hoseok's shoulders lowers. "Why won't you listen to me?"

"I don't want anything to do with you, Hoseok! Why won't you listen to me?!" you yell, anger rising. You've never yelled at Hoseok before and it catches you off guard just as it does him. His eyes darken, a familiar shade that you've only seen while being intimate. "Hoseok-"

"I've been good to you, Y/N. I could've had you chipped like a bitch like my brothers wanted me to." Hoseok spats. You take a step back at the venom in his voice. "I could've dragged you out of here by your hair and forced you to stay with me. I'm giving you a choice."

Your eyes narrow at him. Hoseok stands tall, his glare returning just as frightening. He wasn't going to allow you to leave him again - no matter how pissed you were now.

"My choice is to get dragged out of here and chipped like a dog or what?" you retort. He wasn't being rational, and you wanted nothing more than to leave his presence all together.

"You stay here." Hoseok shrugs. "You're already dressed for the part."

Your face falls. Your lip trembles at his words. "You're lying." you murmur. He wouldn't leave you here - he couldn't.

"The choice is yours." Hoseok says. He steps forward until he's directly in front of you. You can smell the familiar freshly clean scent of clementine and lavender - an aroma that fills your nostrils and made you almost mold into him.

"Fuck you." you murmur. You turn your face away. He wouldn't leave you here - you were sure of it. He was bluffing to get you to come with him and you weren't entertaining him.

Hoseok chuckles. "Okay." he says. He snatches your forearm and yanks you towards the door - the room in which Jimin was once going to have you in. He opens the door with a slam and throws you inside. You stumble in, shocked at the sudden action. Before you can say anything, he slams the door shut.

You run towards the door, banging against it roughly. You yell obscenities at him, demanding he let you out. The door doesn't open, and after what feels like hours you're crying, exhausted. Your heart is beating out your chest and you knew you were a mess.

You don't see Hoseok for a few days - you know time simply because a few women have arrived to allow you to eat. You pleaded for them to let you go but none of them listened - all claiming you'd soon come to your senses and love the brothel.

The room you slept in was extravagant. Large with tall ceilings, clean with ceiling lights that turned on or off when you clapped - a feature you never knew was real outside of television. The bed is laid in the middle, a queen size bed with luxuriously comfortable sheets and bedding. Each morning you left the room to shower - but didn't receive anything else besides the same harness you wore. It was as though you were made to be uncomfortable.

A knock sounds on the door before you hear someone enter. It's a regular woman who has been helping you "adjust", her name was Yong-sun. She gives you a curt smile before motioning you to follow her. She leads you to another room where more women are leaving as you enter.

"Why am I here?" you ask lowly.

"You have to receive your tattoo." Yong-sun says. She leads you to a chair where a man is seated, waiting for you to seat yourself.

Your eyes widen. "What tattoo?"

"...all the girls get a tattoo when they work under Bangtan." Yong-sun murmurs. "It was in the contract."

"I didn't sign a fucking contract!" you hiss. You weren't getting branded - you weren't even here willingly. "Where's Jimin?"

"Jimin-ssi is-" you don't wait for her to finish. You're making a run for it down the carpet halls, other staff and women watching you with curious eyes as you do.

"Y/N-ah. Jimin-ssi is in a meeting! We can't-"

You continue to run to his office, not caring. You wanted out of this and you refused to be tattooed. This wasn't normal - this felt like a cult.

You reach the familiar ironed door and don't bother knocking. You slam the door open. Jimin was indeed in a meeting with other men - one of them being Hoseok.

Hoseok turns to look at you. "Y/N." he says.

"Get me the fuck out of here!" you screech at him. He is seated between a few unfamiliar men.

"You wanted to stay." Hoseok deadpans. "Have you got your tattoo yet?"

You're furious. And when you're upset, you don't think rationally. You lunge at Hoseok, throwing whatever punches you could at him. You land a few before he manages to stop you, barking at you to stop.

Jimin tsks, shaking his head. "Sexual frustration." he says, eyeing Taehyung across from him. "I told them to fuck it out."

"Fuck you. You're all fucking crazy!" you screech, but the men don't move a muscle.

"Heard that before." one man murmurs, scrolling on his phone. He's tall, his long legs stretched out.

"Let me go home!"

"You are home." Jimin laughs. "Now, you need your tattoo-"

"I'm not being branded!"

Hoseok yanks you away from lunging at Jimin who doesn't flinch. He finds the situation amusing. Hoseok was the one who would claim that the rest were crazy for dealing with women who would harm them - yet here you sat fighting Hoseok without a care in the world. The irony.

Your mouth claps down on Hoseok's arm when he attempts to wrap them around you. You feel the iron taste of blood in your mouth just as Hoseok hisses.

"Did she just-" one man murmurs.

"She did." another sighs. "Hyung is gonna be pissed."

Hoseok yanks your hair, dragging you out of the office. His brothers watch with wide eyes - but amusement nonetheless. "It's what he deserves." Jimin shrugs.

You're kicking and screaming in Hoseok's arms as he takes you to the familiar room. You grab ahold of him so he doesn't slam the door in your face again. Yong-sun is behind him, eyes wide at the ordeal.

"Hurry up and tattoo her." Hoseok demands with a low growl. He glares at you.

"No!" you kick, but Yong-sun didn't work for you. Bangtan were signing her checks after all. She attempts to hold you down but you do nothing but kick her.

"You'll be ready to work once you have your tattoo, Y/N." Hoseok holds you down himself, ignoring your screams and soon pleads for him to release you. "You chose this life inside of being with me."

The man inches closer to you. You are unsure how he manages to bring the tattoo gun onto your ankle and tattoo without messing up - but he does. It takes 10 minutes for him to do so, but once he is done - you're crying real tears. You've stopped struggling 5 minutes in, accepting your fate.

Yong-sun and the man leave and now you and Hoseok are in the room alone. He hates to hear you cry, but he remains silent.

"I'll be going, Y/N." Hoseok murmurs, turning away.

"Please don't leave me, Hobi." you cry, reaching out for him. "I want to go home with you."

Hoseok smirks to himself. He's got you where he knew you'd be. He turns to you, leaning down to wipe your tears. "Are you sure?" he questions. "You won't leave me again, right?"

You shake your head. The traumatic experience was enough for you to never want to leave the house again.

Hoseok kisses your forehead. He hugs you close to his chest. "Of course you can come back home, baby." he hushes, rubbing your back. "Let me tell my brothers I'm taking you home, alright? Stay here. I'll be back, I promise."

You sniffle, bringing your knees to your chest when Hoseok leaves, shutting the door gently behind him. Your eyes glance down to your ankle, your blood running cold. The tattoo itself had nothing to do with Bangtan and everything to do with Hoseok himself. The tattoo seemingly stared back at you mockingly, the Hangul letters spelling his own name.

I feel like this one was lacking something but as of now - it'll do the trick :')

@silversparkles11 @juju-227592

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - June 18th

I read so much this week!!! And so much was delightful I’m super excited about this list! I did re-read Bulletpoints this week which is 100% reflected in my fic reading as well. Enjoy that.  

Check out this week’s reads and be sure to leave your author a comment/kudos! 

~*~ 

Time, Space, Flesh by veryvincible 

“I’ve got a hotel room,” Tony said.

“And if we’re seen?”

Tony’s response came quick, too confident. He’d given the same spiel many times before. “Oh, you know. Good friends. Had a bit to drink. Maybe we’re French— you know how it is. Besides, we’ve been here for how long, now? If anyone was going to notice you, you’d think they’d have done it by now.”

The Day Before Tomorrow by lastdream

Less than twenty-four hours before the Iron Man's last fight, Steve Rogers gets an evening to himself.

Icebreaker by Sineala

Months after Tony is murdered on a strange, starless world, a world almost no one remembers, Steve plummets from a drone plane into the cold waters of the North Atlantic. He's fully expecting not to survive -- but instead he wakes up on another new world, where he meets a very familiar stranger. And it turns out the two of them have a lot in common.

Not Your Reality (The Time-Out Remix) by Veldeia

An unlikely visitor crash-lands at Natasha Stark and Steve Rogers' doorstep on the eve of their wedding. Just who is this alternate universe Iron Man?

Marriage and Mate Chases by NotEvenCloseToStraight

A Regency-ish AU:

Strict, stern Alpha Captain Steve Rogers is firmly in control of himself, his army, and his life and intends to marry an Omega who shares the same ideals while wild, flighty Omega!Tony loves to flaunt Howard's rules, society's expectations and has no intention of settling down.

An arranged marriage forces Alpha and Omega together, but Steve's constant disapproval and Tony's refusal to compromise leads to anger and arguments, missed heats, harsh ruts and a lack of bonding bites. Vicious rumours fly about the Omega's fidelity and the Alpha's ability to control his mate and when Steve runs away to war to distance himself from his unpredictable husband, Tony turns to new friends and illicit activities to hide his hurting heart.

Steve returns from war a changed man ready to be a good husband, dedicating every minute of every day to winning Tony's heart back, but Tony is tired of being ignored, busy with his own projects and unwilling to give the Alpha another chance.

With outside forces plotting to ruin what little happiness they have, are Steve and Tony doomed to be unbonded husbands, married but never truly mates?

Some Dragons Are Famous Dragons by Eudoxia 

Bucky's not surprised when Steve beings home stray cats, dogs, and even a raccoon once, but a dragon?

Really, Steve? A dragon?

A dragon that likes to steal tools and watch the news about missing persons, too.

Anthony and Natasha by TheCityLightShow

On Steve's sixteenth birthday, as was the norm, he woke up with a name on his wrist, etched beautifully into his skin. In blocky, scruffy handwriting now sat “Natasha Stark” on his left wrist.

It was elegant handwriting, but not in a way that anyone other than Steve would share the notion.

Now, he's out of the ice, and he lifts his wrist to his face as his vision swims for a second. Oh thank god, he thinks at the sight of the black blur that mars his wrist, and then his thought processes stutter and screech to halt because it's changed.

The handwriting is still the blocky scruffy script that he loves, that holds comfort for him in the cross of the t and the arc of the r, but it's not Natasha. It doesn't say Natasha Stark any more.

No, the name on his wrist is Anthony Stark.

This time – this new time, Director Fury explains to him, this time sixty seven years in the future – this time he will find him. Whether they're ninety like he should be, or closer to his actual age, Steve won't make the same mistake twice.

 He doesn't tell SHIELD that the name in their file is now wrong.

Emergency Protocol by navaan 

In New Avengers V1 era, Tony and Steve discuss the Avengers Protocol for Bang or Die situations. It's awkward. It gets hot - and then it gets out of hand but maybe they're getting to the heart of something that they should have discussed a long time ago.

You could have my heart, and I would break it for you by Missy_dee811

The mission they’d been on had been an abject failure. Even if the rest of the Avengers had been able to stay on task, it wouldn’t matter. Two of their own were missing: Iron Man and Captain America.

Sacrifice the Gift by hollyandvice (hiasobi_writes) 

When a biological agent nearly takes the life of Captain America, Iron Man risks everything to keep his friend alive. Now Tony Stark needs to deal with the fallout.

Sleepwalking by NotEvenCloseToStraight

Every year on Tony Stark's birthday, his soulmate Steven Grant Rogers crosses time and distance to spend the day with him...until the day the Valkyrie goes into the water in 1943.

Fifty years in the future, Tony starts a desperate search to find Steve beneath the ice, racing against time and fate to bring his soulmate into the newest century so they can finally be together.

like daylight by ohjustpeachy

Because through all of it, the slammed fists and the miscommunications, the people he invited into his bed and kicked out in the morning, he never thought that it would be Steve Rogers in the end.

Or, Tony thinks back on past relationships and why they never worked out.

Nothing Else but Miracles (An Ancient Secrets and New-born Dreams Remix) by Muccamukk

In the rough and tumble of the Lower East Side, the only constants in Steve's life are the solid black letters of the name on his wrist. Because even with the law and society against them, his world falling apart piece by piece, and his search for his soulmate taking him to stranger and wilder places, Steve has faith that finding Tony Stark is only a matter of time.

my one and only by meidui (orphan_account)

Tony has been self-conscious about his laugh lines lately, but Steve always takes his hands and kisses his face, telling him he loves them. It’s the truth. Tony looks so beautiful with them, and they remind Steve of what a privilege it is to grow old with him.

A bullet to mend our hearts by tonymystark

Tony is stuck in a time loop; he keeps getting thrown back to their fight in the quinjet before the whole invasion. He finally figures out how to end the loop.

Safe Haven by gottalovev, zappedbysnow

It's been three months since the Battle of New York. Four since Steve woke up in the future. Everything is still too fast, too bright, too glib. And then, as if it wasn't enough, Steve is dragged through a portal into an alternate universe. Other Him is happy, though, and that feels like hope.

No Good Deed by raeldaza for merelydovely 

Steve’s not happy in the future. Tony gets it in his head that he’ll be a good friend and create a time machine to send Steve back to the 40s.

But as time ticks on, and Steve and Tony grow closer, do either of them actually want Steve to use it?

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy

Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD.

This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man.

Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Bright Things and Fair by sheron 

The course of true love never did run smooth — and neither did time-travel to retrieve the Tesseract. When circumstances outside their control force Steve and Tony to spend more time together in the 1970, they do what two people with their history do under the circumstances: work together and try to get through it without unnecessary feelings getting in the way. Falling for each other is definitely a bad idea, isn't it?

[hufflesight]

hi! if you can, may i please have a kaz brekker x wife!reader where the dregs are very protective of her cause she's kaz's wife and one day someone's being a creep to her and like they're all just protective of her, including kaz?

thanks love

Description: Kaz defends his wife from a drunk asshole.

(YAY A REQUEST PLEASE SEND SOME IN YOU ALL HAVE SUCH GREAT IDEAS)

Warnings: Harassment, a minor bit of violence, language ig?

Words: 1,063

Marrying Kaz Brekker had been the most joyous and strangest event of her life. The "ceremony" had been small, taking place in a back room of the Slat with only the five other crows in attendance. But as they looked at one another, as Kaz promised to protect Y/n against all the horrors of the Barrel, she'd never loved him more.

However, she'd quickly learned that the horrors of Barrel doubled in size when on was the wife of Kaz. After being kidnapped twice and having to fight her way out of numerous abandoned buildings merely because people figured she had information on her husband, he'd considered having Inej follow her multiple times. She hated the idea, though, and merely honed her skills, until she could bring down even the Wraith if it was required.

Something she couldn't prepare for, though, was the other men, who would pull her over to darkened corners of the club and whisper into her ears until she managed to escape.

She could handle kidnappings, but she could only take so many creeps. And that was what the rest of the crows were there for.

---

The sun was starting to set, the golden light glistening and shimmering as shadows lengthened. Inside a bustling Crow Club, Y/n sat at the only table with a window. It was her favorite spot; and ever since marrying Kaz, no on dared sit there. There were no drinks in front of her, she was merely sitting and staring out of the small, dusty window. It'd been a long day of planning, one that had been proceeded by a restless night worrying. The heist they'd been working on for weeks now was coming up. It had reached the point where neither Y/n nor Kaz had any free time, studying every document and note, checking to see if there were any weaknesses.

Y/n would never understand people who called Kaz heartless; even when it was Kaz himself. Seeing him staying it up long past sunset to ensure the plans had no possible dangers for the rest of the crows always warmed her heart, no matter if he had a hard time expressing it outwardly. With Kaz, it wasn't what he said, what he did, that mattered, it was why. That was what Y/n had learned after years of working alongside him. After years of loving him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand roughly grabbing her arm. She jumped, shoving the hand away before even turning to see who it was. Kaz would never grab her like that, and the hand certainly didn't feel like anyone else she knew.

So she wasn't surprised when she turned to see a strangers face mere inched from her. Jumping off her chair, she backed up from him.

"Hello pretty," the man's words were slurred as he advanced toward her on unsteady feet. Definitely drunk, then. "You're Brekker's girl, aren't you... a shame, really."

Her hands felt the corner of the room behind her, and she swore quietly under her breath.

"Y'know... you c-could... get a real man... I'm sure that bastard doesn't treat you right-"

The irony of the man trapping her in a corner speaking to 'treating her right' didn't pass her, but she was slightly preoccupied. The man's acrid breath stung her nose as she prepared to punch him the second he got in range of the fist she'd slowly been curling.

She never needed to, though, because just then a cane came up to rest just under the man's chin.

"Back away from my wife." Kaz's voice was rough, harsh, but nothing would ever be able to stop the rush of joy than ran through her every time she was reminded that he was her husband. Her eyes fell to the small ring resting on his finger, and a smile lightly lifted on her face.

The man backed away, his eyes never leaving hers, causing her to shiver. But a second later, Inej appeared by her side, making sure she was okay, that nothing had escalated. After reassuring her friend everything was fine, her attention drifted back to Kaz, who had finally lowered his cane.

"Do you want to explain yourself, or should I? Because to me, it appears you were backing my wife into a corner." He said, glowering at the man, who was shrinking back slightly.

"Trust me s-she was... liking it-"

Kaz snorted. "She was about to hit you." His voice lowered in pitch and volume as he continued. "You should be thanking me, because trust me, my girl can throw a punch."

The man took one look at Kaz, before sprinting toward the exit, surprisingly steadily for a man who had mere minutes ago tripped on his own feet. There wasn't any fear of him getting out, though, as only seconds later he was stopped by the barrel of Jesper's gun on his forehead.

"Yeah, mate, I don't think Kaz was done with you yet."

Jesper guided the man back to where now the entire group of the crows was waiting to see just what Kaz would do.

"Now, Y/n, my dear?"

Y/n looked up, meeting Kaz's eyes. "Yes?" She asked innocently, despite having a pretty good idea of what Kaz was about to ask her.

"Do you want to punch him, or should I?"

"You can do the honors."

He nodded, but this eyes lingered on hers for a second. Checking if she was okay, she realized. She made a tiny nod back, and Kaz turned. Mere seconds later, a bruise was forming on the man's cheek.

"If I ever see you again anywhere near this place, you're going to regret it, alright?"

The man nodded, his eyes large and in pain. Y/n felt no sympathy, though; she was pretty sure she'd seen the same man harass other woman around the Barrel. He'd just finally been caught by someone who wouldn't put his word above theirs, though.

As the man staggered out, Nina yelled after him, "And stay out!"

"wasn't that implied in Kaz's threat?" Matthias asked teasingly.

"You-" she paused, "Shut up,"

As the group descended into chaos, Kaz walked over to Y/n. "We should improve watch for men like him." He said, as his gloved hand slowly drifted into hers.

"We should." Y/n said, weaving their fingers together.