#haven't done much digging beyond that

[so-i-did-this-thing]

Had a Facebook marketplace adventure today with @crowtoed to pick up an 1855-80s(?) era ship's compass for a shockingly good price.

[feyascorner]

Okay perhaps this sounds odd but imagine Astarion starts to disassociate while intimate with Tav and so he uses their established safe word, only to be bewildered when Tav actually listens to him and stops and asks if he’s okay and tries to comfort him because nobody has cared that much before 😢

OH GODS WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME (i love it) warning for suggestive content :)

For as long as Astarion's been genuinely intimate with you, for no other reasons but simply because of the affection the two of you hold for one another, he has always been in control.

It soothes him, in a way, to be on top. And as much as he enjoys watching you come undone beneath him, there's a more frustrating reason behind why he always feels the need to be the one to push you down onto whatever surface he deems decent enough at the time. From above you, he can see every little twitch in your body, every shift in your expression, and most of all, he can control what's happening, unlike his centuries spent as a seductive tool for Cazador's own needs.

He knows you're not like those fools. He knows you're different, and you're special to him. But the gnawing voice in the back of his head always forces him to pull you in, to hold you closer, to make love to you.

It's fucked up in so many ways.

"I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel."

But when you look up at him with those imploring, loving eyes, the voice seems to go quiet. He swallows the dryness of his throat, unable to think of anything but how wonderful your touch feels on his skin, and he thinks he could drown in this forever. He's putty in your hands, whether he wants to admit it or not.

"Well? Don't be a tease just standing there, darling."

In what feels like minutes, he's a mess. He's making sounds he shouldn't be making, fingertips digging into your hips as if they're the anchors keeping him from finishing too early. He breathes heavily into the crook of your neck, groaning when you caress the sharp tip of his ear between your fingers.

The only thing keeping him from spilling is the impending embarrassment he'd feel for doing so this early on in the night.

Then, everything stops.

"You're so beautiful," you whisper.

They're only words. They're not ones he's heard little of---in fact, he's heard it too much in the past two hundred years. In an instant, memories of the nights he spent under strangers, forced to shove his mind into its darkest corners just to get through their own pleasures, flood his consciousness. The sickening taste in his mouth afterward, and the need to rub his skin till it goes raw were not uncommon. It was routine. A sick part of his life that he'd rather forget.

You don't mean it the same way they did. They only said things like that because that's all they could say. They didn't know him as anything but the husk of a body he resided in. He knows you are saying the words to him. Not to his body but to the very person he is.

But the word comes spilling out his mouth, and immediately, you freeze.

You actually stopped.

Of course, you would. You're you.

"Are you okay? Did I do something?" you reach to cup either of his cheeks, and he stares at you as if you're a star that's fallen from the sky. He blinks, slowly.

"I don't know, I just---" he searches for words. "--you haven't done anything wrong, darling."

You wait for him to finish patiently. Gods, he doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve you.

"I only remembered something I'd rather not," he plasters a crooked grin on his face. "It's quite alright. We can continue now if I haven't ruined the mood."

You pull away from him, and he fears you'll leave.

Moments later, you return with a glass of water. Wordlessly, you hand it to him, and he only stares at it, confused beyond belief. Only once he notices the way you gesture to the glass does he drink it, and you finally climb back into bed, lying down beside him.

"Come here," you open your arm, motioning him to come closer.

"Darling, as much as I'm all for experimenting, that's a strange position to have sex in."

You smile, shaking your head. You don't explain any further, only continuing to hold out your arm.

Hesitant though curious, he slowly lies down beside you, his head just above your chest and slotted between the space below your chin. With gentle hands, you pull him closer and toss the blanket over both of your bodies.

It's warm. Strange, but warm.

"You don't have to wear a mask with me," you whisper.

His eyes grow wide, and his chest stills. He doesn't have many tears left after 239 years, but there's an unfamiliar squeeze in his chest that tells him if he were still 39 and alive, he might have. Astarion wraps his arms around your waist, burying his face into where he can hear the steady beating of your heart.

Later, when your eyes begin to droop, he mumbles.

"Tell me I'm beautiful again."

"You're beautiful," you say softly. "With or without your pretty face."

You might be imagining it, but you feel him smile against your skin.

[riki-riks-chick]

I have a really big hard thought, like imagine being at a party with your friends Heeseung and Jake while you see your ex-boyfriend kissing another girl, you start to feel bad and Heeseung and Jake get jealous and decide to treat you like you deserve it taking you to their place to make you scream their names and both of them overstimulating you at the point you cry for it. If you can write something like this would be the end of me

Also I would like to be 🌪 anon

Life Of The Party ┃L.HS & S.JY

jake and heeseung x reader

yn focuses more on her ex than hs and jy so they give her something better to focus on.

cw: smut! fingering, pussy eating, dirty talk, jealousy (slight), crying, dacryphillia, swearing, threesome, kissing (mxm and fxm), neck kissing/marking, overstimulation, creampie, unprotected sex, doggy style, missionary, parties, getting over a breakup, nipple/tit sucking, clit play, pleasurable torture, i think that's it

wdct: 3.6k

ty for the request this is the longest one yet 😁

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Third Person POV~

Being single seems to have given you more freedom. Your boyfriend cheated on you, and then you kicked him out of your apartment. You'd be lying if you said breaking up with him wasn't painful. Two years down the drain because your boyfriend cheated with some random girl. 

But you've sort of moved on.. You spend more time with your friends.. They make you happy, but part of you wants another relationship.

Your two closest friends, Jake and Heeseung, invited you to come with them to a party tonight. So you got ready and they came to pick you up. You weren't exactly thrilled, but Heeseung and Jake practically forced you, so you had no choice.

The party itself wasn't bad.. Everyone was nice and you even met a new guy. His name was Sunghoon you think, but the music was loud so you weren't completely sure. Either way he was pretty cute. 

You had a few drinks already to loosen up and not worry so much. Now you were sitting on the patio where fewer people were around. Just to breathe for a moment. Heeseung stepped out, sitting in the chair beside yours. "The whole point of bringing you here was to get you laid.. How can that happen if you're avoiding everyone?"

You sighed, downing the rest of your drink before setting the cup down. "I'm not really interested in getting laid.." You mumble, the alcohol starting to get to you. Heeseung groaned. "You're so stubborn.. Sunghoon was trying so hard to get in your pants.."

"He's not my type.. As much of a pretty boy he is, I'm just not digging it.." You reply and Heeseung sighs. "Tough.. What about Jongseong? He seemed to be into you.." He asks as you groan. "Heeseung, please.. Jongseong is hot, but he just got out of a relationship and I refuse to be someone's rebound."

Heeseung is beyond frustrated. All he wants for you is to get back into the lifestyle you had before you even dated that asshole. One night stands were fun.. Parties were stellar. You were just a different person then. A person that Heeseung misses dearly.

"Fine. I'm done trying to get you a good fuck.. But at least come inside and hang out with me and Jake.." He pouted, and you smiled, getting up. "Okay.. Come on.."

You walked behind Heeseung, letting him pull you  into the living room where Jake was playing beer pong with Jongseong and Sunghoon.

You sat down, taking the drink Heeseung had got for you before he sat down next to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. 

You glanced around the room before your eyes landed on the pair sitting on the couch opposite the one you were sitting on.

You thought you saw wrong at first, but low and behold, it's your ex and the girl he cheated with. His tongue is down her throat and she's on his lap. The whole view makes your stomach turn in disgust. 

After that, your whole mood is off. Jake is the first to notice, and without even confirming that you saw your ex kissing on that girl, he knows it's because you saw him. 

He doesn't blame you.. He knows that you haven't seen him since the breakup, so it's probably not easy, especially when he's with someone and you're hardly getting back to being yourself.

You excuse yourself, heading to the bathroom, and Jake calls Heeseung into the kitchen. "What's up, Yun?" He questions as Jake sighs. "She's clearly not happy right now.. That asshole just had to show up and show off his new piece right in front of her." He explains as Heeseung nods. "You noticed too?.."

Jake nods. "I think we could do something for her.. Because I'm honestly tired of that asshole getting more attention than us when he broke her heart and we've always been here.." 

Heeseung agrees, seemingly deep in thought of how they could make you feel better. He then whispers an idea to which Jake nods in agreement. "Let's do it."

They then head to the bathroom, knocking on the door as you open it. They immediately walk in with you, closing the door behind them. 

"What are you guys doing?.." You ask, shocked as Heeseung sighs. "We wanna take you home." He says plainly and you raise an eyebrow. "Why?.." You question as Jake steps in. "We noticed how you started frowning when you saw him.. I wanna know what face you'd make if it was just us.." He said, his tone slightly seductive. 

Heeseung chuckled, cupping your chin as he turned your head towards him. "We want what's best for you.. Just give us a chance to show you what you're missing, hm?.."

His tone is very persuasive, something that you definitely can't deny. And as much as this whole situation sounds wrong, you think it'll feel right. So you nod. "Okay.."

The two immediately beam at your response. Before you can register, they're pulling you out of the bathroom, not even bothering to say goodbye to their friends before dragging you outside and to the car.

Heeseung is driving, and Jake hops into the back seat beside you. You're quiet for the first half of the ride until Heeseung speaks. "Are you sure you wanna do this?.." He questions as you shrug. "I don't know.. Maybe I'm feeling adventurous right now.." You reply dully.

Heeseung pulls over, turning to face you in the backseat. "Y/n... I need you to be serious.. We're not going through with anything if you're not sure." 

You shrug yet again. "I don't know.. I've never had a threesome before.. I guess it's something to check off my bucket list." Jake chuckles at your reply, earning a glare from Heeseung.

"Are you absolutely sure you wanna do it?.. We're not gonna be gentle.." You nod in response. "I'm sure.. Question, though.. Have you two had a threesome together before?" You ask, already having a semblance of the answer, but wanting to confirm.

Jake nods. "Honestly, Heeseung and I have had multiple threesomes together.. You'd be surprised how easy it is to accomplish when a girl is that horny.." 

You shake your head with a laugh, to glancing between the two of them. "Well.. I trust you guys, so I'm down.. Let's have some fun."

Soon enough you're at their apartment complex, and Jake helps you out of the car before leading you towards their apartment front door where Heeseung is fumbling with the keys. 

Once the door is open, Jake lets you walk in first. You follow Heeseung into the kitchen, and he grabs three glasses, setting them on the counter. "If I'm gonna do this with you guys, I feel like we should be way more drunk.. That way we can blame it on the alcohol in the morning." 

You snicker at his words, taking the glass he handed you once he filled it partially with whiskey. 

You weren't a fan of brown liquor, but it was definitely an easy road to getting drunk faster. The three of you all stood around the kitchen island, exchanging small glances and short conversations.

With every sip from your glass, you relaxed a little more, letting loose so you could simply focus on the current situation.

You hadn't noticed how close Heeseung was, being the first to initiate intimacy as he wrapped an arm around your waist, pressing his lips to your neck.

You gasp softly, eyes shutting as you took in the feeling of his lips on your neck. Jake watched silently, downing the rest of his drink before rounding the counter to cup your cheek. 

He turns your head towards him, kissing you as you hum into the kiss. Their touch on your skin is like fire, but in the best way possible. You're already getting more excited and all they're doing is kissing you.

Jake pulls away, smiling at you as you turn towards Heeseung who leans in to capture your lips with his. His kiss is less gentle, you can almost taste the need building up at the back of his throat when he slots his tongue into your mouth. 

Jake takes no action, instead watching the two of you kiss, his hands on your hips and his head on your shoulder. When you and Heeseung finally part, he presses his lips to your ear. "Let's head to the bedroom.. As much as I'd hate to admit, I'm all too eager to see you naked right now.." 

You chuckle, pulling away from Jake, turning to face him instead as you kiss him again. "Then what's the wait?... Let's go."

Before you can even respond, he's pulling you towards the bedroom, stumbling through the door with Heeseung following slowly behind. He's not in a rush, not as much as Jake, but part of him wants to watch the two of you interact before he even gets involved.

Jake is quick to pull you close, kissing you, with more passion this time as he slides his hands beneath your shirt, wanting more of a connection. It's not long before he's pulling away to attempt to pull the shirt over your head.

Heeseung decides to intervene, not wanting Jake to steal all the fun. He turns your head towards him, smiling. "Strip.." The word falls easily from his lips, so seductively that you can't even think of disobeying.

You hum, putting on a strip tease as you slowly unzip your skirt, sliding past your hips before letting it hit the floor. Then, you brought the shirt up and over your head, letting it litter the floor. The last thing you remove is your heels.

"If you wanna see the rest, you're gonna have to earn it.." Your words are alluring and Heeseung finds it cute. He likes this side of you. He's used to the normal side of you where you're more direct and not at all teasing. 

He leads you to the bed, Jake following as you climb onto the bed, basically sandwiched between them. Heeseung kisses you again, seemingly unable to get enough of your taste. 

Jake on the other hand has better plans ahead. He kisses down your neck, trailing down past your chest and to your stomach. 

You moan when he rubs you through the silk of your panties, giving Heeseung further access to kiss you deeper. All the while, Jake's kisses get lower and lower, soon reaching your waistband.

You pull away from Heeseung momentarily to glance down at him, watching him grip the fabric before tugging it downwards. The second they were off, he slid a finger into you, moving it slowly in and out of you. You tilt your head back, biting your lip to hold back a moan.

Heeseung moves, sliding a finger in with Jake's as you let out a short gasp. They move they're fingers perfectly together and you're sure this isn't the first time they've done this. Their fingers press perfectly against your sweet spot, drawing needy moans from your throat as you watch their movements.

Jake takes the lead, leaning down to swipe his tongue against your clit before sucking on it.

Heeseung scoffs, grabbing Jake by his hair. "You're so eager.. Stealing all the fun.." The younger man pulls away from you at Heeseung's words, removing his finger from your hole. "Then join me.. No one's stopping you.."

Heeseung smirks, leaning down as he flicks his tongue against your clit, holding your right leg open while Jake holds the other.

Jake continues to move his tongue against you, his tongue moving with Heeseung's as they both sucked on your pussy.

You moan louder, having never experienced such pleasure. Both of their tongue on you is insane, and it feels amazing. Heeseung and Jake seem to be enjoying it as well, alternating between giving each other room to eat at your cunt and then going back to doing it together. It feels amazing, and you're already so close.

"Fuck..." You tug on Heeseung's hair, and he caresses your thigh, pulling away. "Just cum when you need to, baby.." He's now watching Jake take you to the edge, running his hand through the younger man's hair as Jake eagerly eats you out, his tongue flicking mercilessly against your clit.

You can feel the pleasure blooming hotly in your lower abdomen, and it's not long before you're spilling into Jake's mouth, coming undone on his tongue as he laps up every liquid that flows out of you.

Once you've come down from your high, he sits up, pulling Heeseung into a kiss to allow the older man to taste you as well. The scene is so hot, watching them kiss each other as comfortably as they would you. The way they grasp at each other. It's all so alluring.

Your orgasm has slightly sobered you, and now you're feeling shy. Jake and Heeseung are both fully dressed still, but you're completely naked, save for the bra covering your chest.

"Why am I the only one naked..?" You question as Heeseung smiles, trailing his hand up your thigh. "Because I wouldn't have been able to contain myself if these clothes weren't acting as a barrier.. But now that you're all prepped.." He pulls his shirt off, letting it hit the floor. "I can finally have some fun with you.."

Jake pulls you to sit up, moving to sit behind you as Heeseung smiles. "Hands and knees, baby.."

He undoes his belt while you take position, staring up at Jake as he kisses you, cupping your jaw sweetly. "Be a good girl, hm?.." He mumbles as he undoes his own pants, freeing his cock from the restraint of his pants.

You immediately take it into your hand, giving it a few gentle licks before taking the tip into your mouth. You moan in surprise when you feel Heeseung's cockhead press against you, sliding in slowly as you lose focus for a second, only continuing when Jake tangled his hands into your hair, easing you further down his length.

It was hard to focus. Heeseung's thrusts were slow, but cavernous, hands gripping your hips as you moan, swirling your tongue around Jake's cock.

Jake leans his head back, lips parted to release low moans as you suck his dick. The way you pull off every minute or so to breathe, the way you moan around him, and the way you stroke what can't fit. It's all to attractive for him.

"Fuck.. You're doing so well..." He praises as you take him slightly deeper, his tip pressing against the walls of your throat as you gag around him.

Heeseung quickens his pace once he feels that your used to him, fucking you faster, but just as deep.

This causes you to lose focus slightly, inhaling sharply as a shallow pain settled into your hips. Heeseung was rough, hips meeting yours with every drive, his cock entering you fully each time. The feeling has you seeing stars, moaning around Jake as you go from sucking his dick to wrapping your lips around him sloppily. He pulls you off, tugging on your hair to tilt your head back as he kisses you, tasting himself on your tongue.

You're drawn from Jake once more when Heeseung slaps your ass, wrapping his arm around you to apply pressure on your clit. You're a moaning mess, arms growing tired from holding yourself up. And Heeseung notices. He's been watching your arms shake for awhile now, wondering when you're gonna give up.

Before your arms can give out on you, Heeseung pulls you up by your arms, resting back on his heels as he continues to pound into you.

Jake takes the opportunity to shove your bra downwards, leaning forward to take your perky nipple into his mouth. He hums around you, eliciting a moan out of you as you lean back, letting Heeseung hold you flush against him.

You can feel your orgasm growing closer.. Heeseung's too. The way his hips move in an unsteady pace, and his fingers work your clit so easily. It's all too perfect.

"Heeseung.. Holy shit.." You whine, feeling a tightness in the pit of your stomach. He chuckles, pressing kisses to your shoulder. "Gonna cum?. Hm?.. Gonna make a mess on my cock?.." His words make everything feel ten times better, and Jake's mouth on your chest, switching back and forth as he sucks purple love bites into your skin.. It's heavenly..

It's not long before you cum, creaming Heeseung's cock as you tighten around him, paving the way for his own orgasm as he spills blissfully into your aching heat. His movements slow, and Heeseung pulls out, switching spots with Jake as he gestures for you to move closer.

You obey willfully, letting Heeseung kiss you gently before sitting against his chest, your legs spread wide open for Jake's entry.

The younger male is now shirtless. His pants still hanging loosely at his hips, and his erected length standing proudly, glistening dimly with your spit and his precum.

He situates himself between your legs, pressing his tip against your clit as you whine, still feeling sensitive. He ignores the twitching of your hips, rubbing himself eagerly against you as he let's out his own moans.

He eventually gets himself worked up, feeling needy and shoving himself inside you with a quick thrust. You're seeing stars again, feeling an intense pleasure that you're not used to.

Jake's movements are shorter and not as deep as Heeseung's, but it still feels amazing. Without forcing himself to deep, he still manages to hit all the right spots.

You're moaning with every brush against your sweet spot, head tilted back against Heeseung's chest. The older male is watching happily, unclipping your bra and pulling it off of you so he has complete access to your chest, groping your breasts and playing with your nipples.

You hadn't expected much going into this, but you definitely don't regret it. Everything feels incredible, and Jake and Heeseung know they're making you feel good.

With both of them touching you, it feels absolutely amazing, and your body is still sensitive from the previous two orgasms. Jake's pace is relentless at this point, growing faster and deeper as he presses his thumb to your clit, rubbing it in circular motions.

You start squirming immediately, legs making an effort to close, but Jake spreads them again, holding down one thigh using his other hand to rub your clit.

"Fuck... Jake.. Please." You whine, tears forming in your eyes as he fucks you harder. Heeseung wraps his palm loosely around your neck, tilting your head back as he whispers in your ear. "Feel good? Hm?.. Us fucking you senseless?" He voices teasingly, running his tongue over the shell of your ear. You whimper, the sound coming straight out of your throat as tears start streaming down your cheeks.

Jake chuckles, slowing his thrust as he reaches up to wipe your tears. "Is it that good? Or are you just weak?.." His words make you cry harder, squirming against them as Heeseung holds you down, sucking on your neck, creating more purplish marks.

Jake goes back to toying with your clit, and you're trembling, orgasm nearing at an impeccable pace.

"Cum.. Be a good girl and cum for us.." Heeseung whispers against your ear, sending chills down your spine as tighten around Jake, drawing a gritted moan from the back of his throat.

Jake thrusts a few more times before your coming undone for the third time tonight, whining and moaning as Jake continues to thrust into you, wet and lewd sounds echoing throughout the room.

"Please no more.." Your vision is cloudy from the tears, and it's almost hard to breathe. Heeseung turns your head, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. "Shh.. Just breathe.. You can take it.."

Though his words are encouraging and sweet, you can't help how overstimulated you feel, and Jake doesn't seem to care either. He's lost in his own pleasure, thrusting haphazardly as he chases his orgasm.

"I'm gonna cum, shit.." He grips your hips, rutting against you as he spills into you, painting your insides with his cum. Once he finally stills himself inside you, you let out a weak moan, whimpering when he pulls out.

"What a mess..." Jake smiles, running his fingers through the mess of cum coating your thighs and your pussy, sliding them into your mouth to make you taste it.

You whine around his fingers, sucking them clean as he pulls them out, leaning down to give you a soft kiss before staring down at you. "From now on, you belong to us.. Forget about that bastard." His tone drops seriously, and you nod in understanding.

Heeseung chuckles, kissing your head. "Good girl.."

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[youunravelme]

the worst wing-woman

author's note: just like all my other fics, we are existing in an alternate plane where tito was never traded. also i've never worked for the nhl, so i have no idea how accurate being a photographer is but guess what. idgaf. also sorry for the amount of italics in this fic, i have no self control apparently. and shoutout to my new friend @dani746 for helping me with this monstrosity.

summary: you've been in love with mat barzal for as long as you can remember, so what do you do when he asks for your help to win over your friend?

pairing: mat barzal x islanders photographer!reader

warnings: cursing and low self esteem

despite working for the isles for two years now, you still got nervous walking into work.

you weren't a stranger to the team, some of them you knew quite well. anders and marty being two players you were friendly with (mainly due to the fact that you were somewhat friendly with their wives). but there was always one player who eluded you, who you'd only ever had professional interactions with.

mathew barzal.

and it shouldn't be surprising, you were a measly photographer whereas he was the star player of his team, the winner of the calder trophy, an nhl heartthrob. why should he pay attention to you?

media day was one of your favorite days, mainly because it was the closest you ever got to holding full conversations with him. not that the conversations went anything beyond "look right here" or "great job, mat."

you didn't even think he knew your name.

the longest conversation you had with him consisted of him asking to see the photos you took and patting you on your back when he liked what he saw before he went off to talk to tito.

"you having a good day?" you nearly jumped a foot in the air when your staring was cut off by anders walking up to you.

"yeah," you said when your heartbeat returned to normal. "just busy is all." you held your camera up as if that was enough of an explanation.

anders nodded. "any of the boys giving you a hard time?"

you shook your head rapidly. "nope, they've all been on their best behavior."

"even barzy and beauvillier?" at the mention of their names, the duo turned their heads and locked eyes with you and anders.

you wanted to dig a hole and die in it.

"what about us?" mat asked, sauntering over with his best friend right behind him.

"you haven't been giving her a hard time, have you?" anders crossed his arms. and if you weren't panicking at the closing distance between you and mat, you might've noticed the shared smirk between the three hockey players in front of you.

"us?" tito asked. "why would you think that? we've only ever been angels."

before anders could ask you to corroborate tito's story, your name was called. you awkwardly waved to the three men before walking over to another set of props, ready to photograph another hockey player.

"done embarrassing yourself?" your coworker tyler asked.

you lightly shoved his shoulder. "shut up."

"seriously, you're not his type," he added. "he's not gonna go for you."

tyler might as well have stabbed you in the gut with how much his words hurt you, but you put a smile on and nodded. "yeah, i know. i know."

and you did.

you knew.

but you'd be delusional for a little while longer if it meant going to work wouldn't suck every day.

later that night, you found yourself at a bar with a group of your friends. you didn't want to go originally, but when alexa said she needed to go out to get over her ex, you felt like you had no other choice.

which is how you found yourself sipping a soda water in a booth while your friends danced and took body shots.

your gaze wandered around the bar aimlessly before you checked your phone for the time.

you'd only been there for an hour.

it took all self restraint not to bang your head against the table.

"having fun?" your head snapped up at the familiar voice only to see anthony beauvillier standing at the edge of your booth with a self satisfied smirk.

"i--"

"i didn't take you as one to go out drinking on a weeknight," he said.

you slumped into your seat. "i'm not. my friend alexa wanted to go out because her boyfriend just dumped her and she wanted a distraction."

anthony took the seat opposite of you. "and that is...?" he gestured at your drink.

"soda water," you answered. "i'm the DD for tonight."

"oof," he groaned before taking a sip of his beer. "that's rough."

you shrugged. "it's not that bad, i'd rather my friends get home safe than get drunk and show up to work hungover."

anthony nodded in a way that you'd seen other men do, the type of nod that comes right before someone looks around for someone more interesting to talk to.

"but what about you?" you rushed out, nearly tripping over your own words.

tito smiled. "what about me?"

"why're you here?"

he shrugged. "mat wanted to come out and didn't want to go out alone, so here i am."

mat.

you wanted to vomit.

"oh," you mumbled. "mat's here?"

tito nodded and gestured with his bottle to the bar. "he's over there talking to some brunette."

you followed with your eyes and when you finally locked eyes on him, you wished you hadn't.

he was talking to alexa, smiling at her the way you wished he'd smile at you.

maybe you could leave the bar and get hit by a taxi on the way out, that would be less painful than seeing the man you're in love with flirt with your friend.

"you okay?" anthony asked, nudging your leg with his foot.

you turned your gaze back to him and attempted to give him your most convincing smile. "i'm great!" you said before throwing your soda water back and coughing when the carbonation burned.

anthony didn't say a word.

when you looked back at the bar, alexa was nowhere to be found while mat was fiddling with one of his wristbands. you looked around to find alexa, thinking maybe she was in the crowd dancing or perhaps she was in line for the bathroom.

but she popped up at your table, sweaty and smiling.

"you good?" she asked before fixing her eyes on anthony who was sipping on his beer. "who's this?"

"anthony. i know him from work." tito gave her a small wave before taking another sip of his beer.

"alexa," she smiled before her attention focused back on you. "i actually met one of your coworkers, mat right?"

you forced a smile and nodded. "the one and only. what did you think?" though, to be fair, you didn't really want to know her opinion on him. not when you thought the world of him.

alexa shrugged and tossed her perfect hair over her perfect shoulder and gave a perfect smile that was a healthy balance of nonchalant and mildly interested. "he was alright, he knows he's attractive which is rather unattractive if you ask me."

tito choked on his beer while you stared in awe.

of all the words you'd use to describe mat, "alright" was not even close to the top 25.

"something funny?" alexa asked.

"nope," tito supplied, shaking his head. "nothing at all."

alexa looked at him, unconvinced, but didn't let it bother her. "i'm gonna go dance, you coming?" she asked.

you shook your head. "not really my scene."

alexa nodded and pranced off to the dance floor where the rest of your friends were grinding on strangers to the tune of some 2000s pop song.

"she's a delight," tito said.

you sighed. "she's practically miss america." you were too busy staring at her having fun to notice another person walk up to your booth until he was standing right in front of you with a question posed on the tip of his lips.

mat.

your mouth went dry at the sight of him.

"you know her?" he gestured over his shoulder to where alexa was laughing with one of your friends.

you nodded.

"are you two close?"

you shrugged.

mat sighed. "are you capable of speaking?"

tito spoke up. "mat, you just bombarded her without a single hello, chill."

mat pinched the bridge of his nose. "sorry, i just--she rejected me and i don't know why."

"you're too attractive and you know it," you blurted out before you could stop yourself. you quickly slapped a hand over your mouth like that would stop any other bullshit that might come out.

mat tilted his head and leaned in. "huh?"

"her words, not mine," you said like it would absolve you of any guilt.

"what do you mean by being 'too attractive' and 'knowing it'? how does that even make sense?"

you shrugged for what felt like the twelfth time that night. "alexa's not really into guys who are obsessed with their appearances. she just got out of a relationship with a guy like that," you explained.

mat ran a hand down his face before placing both hands on his waist. "so what do you suggest i do?" he groaned.

"i--"

he snapped his fingers and looked at you for what felt like the first time. it sent a chill down your spine that you had a problem suppressing. "can you help me?"

your mouth dropped open. "huh?"

"you're friends, right? can you help me win her over?"

you could list about a thousand other things you'd rather do. you could think of five just off the top of your head.

but he looked so earnest and willing and how could anyone possibly resist him when he looked at you like that--

"of course!" you smiled.

of course?! yes would've sufficed but now you've got him thinking you'd enjoy this. which you most certainly wouldn't.

oh who were you kidding? all attention was good attention when it came to mat barzal and you'd give anything to keep him looking at you.

"thank you!" he smiled before clapping tito on the shoulder. "ready to head out?"

anthony nodded before addressing you. "i had a nice time. see you tomorrow?"

you smiled and nodded, giving them both a small wave as they walked away. the second they were out the door, you thumped your head against the table.

playing wing-woman for mathew barzal.

what the fuck was wrong with you?

how to be a wing-woman: a guide

usually when you went to work, you kept your head down and stayed out of the way. occasionally, you'd run into anders or marty, or maybe even tito, who would say their polite hellos, but for the most part you stayed out of the way during practices.

you were looking at the photos you just took when someone banged on the glass. a quick glance (that turned into a double take) let you figure out it was mat based on the 13 on his jersey and the fact that you could pick him out of a crowd anywhere.

he waved and smiled (and you might've died inside). "can i talk to you after practice?"

you nodded frantically before gaining a semblance of self respect and slowing down.

"great! meet you outside of the locker rooms!" he said before skating away.

"what was that about?" tyler asked. you turned, not even realizing he'd made his way towards you considering you thought he was on the other side of the arena.

"what? can't i talk to the players?"

tyler laughed. actually laughed. "considering barzal has never so much as looked at you, i'd say him approaching you during practice is pretty strange."

your shoulders sunk at the weight of the truth. "if you must know," you started. "he wants to date one of my friends, so i'm helping him out."

tyler laughed again and walked away without saying another word while you scrolled through the photos you took again until practice ended.

you headed towards the locker rooms only when the last player had been off the ice for ten minutes, you didn't want to chance waiting around too long looking like an idiot.

as you waited, you made a mental note of all the editing you'd have to do when you got back to your cubicle. you got a few good shots earlier, but they'd need some tweaking before you sent them to the social media team. in fact--

"hey, what're you doing here?" you glanced up and saw anders, hair wet from whatever brief shower he took.

you shrugged, not sure if it was your place to give away mat's intentions. "just waiting around."

"for?" he pushed.

"barzy needs her to play wing-woman," tito said from over anders' shoulders. "he wants to get with her friend, but her friend isn't interested."

anders threw his head back and laughed. "barzy not getting a girl? that's fucking hilarious."

tito smirked. "tell him what your friend said" he told you.

"she doesn't like that he knows he's attractive," you mumbled.

if it was even possible, anders laughed even louder. "un-fucking-believable."

"what's so funny?" mat walked up, running a hand through his damp hair.

you said "nothing" at the same time anders asked "you got rejected, barzy?"

mat's face dropped before looking at you and tito accusingly. anthony sighed and nudged his best friend. "chill out, barz. she didn't bring it up, i did."

mat's shoulders relaxed before he punched tito in the arm. "dick," he mumbled.

anders looked between the three of you and sighed. "i don't have time for this shit," he said. "i'll see you later." and he was off down the hallway.

"so what's the plan for today?" tito asked.

"you're not included," mat said. his gaze focused on you. "can i have your number?"

you blinked. "what?"

mat laughed a little and you could feel heat and shame running up your spine. he asked you one fucking question and you had to go act like a weirdo. "so i can text you? i think we should sit down and create a strategy."

you nodded and read off your number as he typed it into his phone. "great," he gave you his megawatt smile. "i'll text you."

"okay," you breathed out as he walked away without a thought.

tito kept standing there, smirking to himself. "you're so fucked," he said.

you nodded because there was nothing else to say.

step one: talk him up

you and mat got lunch two days later on a saturday when he didn't have a game. it was rather surreal, sitting across from him in public. the delusional part of you was begging you to imagine this as a date instead of a meeting to set your friend up with mat.

when did your life turn into something so pathetic?

"okay," he started. "tell me about your friend."

you would rather do anything else.

"she just got out of a long term relationship with this guy named jared. he was a bit self absorbed which is probably why she didn't like you knowing how hot you are." you paused as the words left your mouth, ready to set yourself on fire if he reacted. but he didn't, he only leaned in closer to listen. "she uh--she likes daffodils and goes to the farmer's market at union square every saturday."

"but what's she like?" he asked. "what's her personality?"

how would you say she's the trademarked cool girl? the girl every guy wanted, that mat was one man in a long list of men who tried and failed to win her over.

"she's sweet and affectionate," you started. "she pretty girly on the outside but knows her way around a car. she grew up with three older brothers so she knows a fair bit about sports, just not hockey, but if you wanted to talk stats about football or basketball, she's your girl. in college, she held the record for fastest shotgun in her sorority."

you racked your brain for more information about your friend, but it was difficult under pressure to sum up someone you'd known since freshman year of college.

"what else?" mat asked.

"she's a bit of a partier, but knows how to settle down and just chill. she's a really good friend, like last year i dated this guy who was cheating on me the entire duration of our relationship, which i should've known about because he said he had to go on business trips all the time but he worked as a barista, and she held me while i cried for three days straight and even threatened to fuck up his car."

mat stared at you without saying anything in a way that made you want to sink into a hole, never to be seen again. "you dated a barista and thought he needed to go on business trips?"

you blinked. "that's what you got from that? me dating a shitty barista?"

he shrugged. "i heard everything else, but that was definitely the funniest part. how long did you date him?"

"six months," you replied quickly. "but that's not the point! alexa is going to play hard to get because she doesn't want anything too serious right now."

"great! neither do i!"

"but she's not a one night stand kind of girl anymore. so if you want her, you have to prove to her you can be serious enough for a relationship but not serious enough that you get clingy and overbearing and propose within six months."

mat blinked at you. "how the hell does that make sense?"

"believe me, there's a balance."

he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "and you would know this how?"

"well i uh--" you sputtered. your nerves were only encouraged by his light chuckling. "all girls know these things! we don't want overly possessive boyfriends but we also want someone to care. it shouldn't be that hard to comprehend."

"it's not," he defended. "just a little...complicated, don't you think?"

"alexa's a complicated girl!"

he sighed and ran a hand down his face. "okay so how do i show her i mean business but that i'm not looking to settle down and get married?"

"i guess i could talk you up to her in passing conversation?"

"what would you tell her? we don't know each other very well."

"i know more than you think!"

"please, share with the class."

shit.

do you confess that in the two years you'd worked for the islanders that you watched him borderline obsessively?

"well, i know you're good with kids, if your interactions with young fans is anything to go by. you don't like dogs, which is a bit of a red flag in my book, but alexa shouldn't mind. you're a fantastic hockey player, and a great teammate."

"is that enough to convince her?"

you grimaced and shook your head. "she's a bit more personable. she one time broke up with a guy because he was rude to waitstaff. she would want to know how you treat non millionaires and authority figures. for instance, how much do you tip a server?"

"25%," he replied. "but why does that matter?"

"alexa used to be a server throughout college and couldn't stand people who she knew had money but would cheap out on the tip because she didn't greet them fast enough."

mat opened his mouth, presumably to ask another question, when his phone started ringing. "shit," he mumbled. "listen, i gotta go. it was nice talking to you, i'll be in touch." he pulled out a few twenty dollar bills and put them on the table before getting up and walking away.

you waited for the server to come back before paying the bill and told them to keep the change before you got up and walked home.

when you got back to your apartment, alexa was already standing at the door, waiting to be let in.

"finally," she said. "i was wondering when you were gonna come home."

"you could've texted me," you said while unlocking the door.

she followed you inside and shut the door behind her. "i could've, but your phone was on do not disturb for some reason, so i doubt my texts would've gone through in time. where were you anyway?"

"getting lunch with a friend from work," you replied.

alexa groaned as she all but collapsed onto your couch. "please tell me it's not tyler. i hate how he treats you."

you dropped your bag by the door and headed back to your room, but not before calling over your shoulder. "he's not that bad, he's like that to everyone!"

"doesn't make it any better!"

you changed into some comfortable clothing before joining alexa on your couch. "did you have fun the other night when we went out to the bar?"

alexa looked at you weirdly.

shit. you must not have been as subtle as you thought.

"i did," she said. "but what makes you ask."

you shrugged. "i know it's been rough with your breakup lately, but i saw you talking to mat and you looked happy."

alexa groaned and sunk into the couch. "i thought we talked about this already. he knows he's attractive, it's such a turn off. you should've seen the way he was talking, it was like he knew that if he gave me a look, i'd be going home with him."

"well he's really nice, i promise! you should see him with kids at the stadium--"

"you mean the kids who idolize him? yeah i bet he's real nice to them."

okay, switch strategies.

"he tips waitstaff really well!"

"with what he makes? he better." alexa sighed. "listen, i'd be more impressed if he could tell me anything about you, but seeing as you've worked there for two years and he couldn't tell me anything other than your name the other night says all i need to know about him. so can we talk about something else?"

you nodded, ignoring the jutting pain in your chest at her words. you knew well enough that mat knew nothing about you, why would he? but to hear it come from the mouth of someone else stung.

getting them together was gonna be harder than you originally thought.

step two: get them interacting

you were dreading the next time you saw mat for the first time in your life. you were in your cubicle editing photos from the game that night to be posted tomorrow to distract yourself from the inevitable conversation you'd have to have with him. tyler, unfortunately got the shot that was posted immediately to the islanders' instagram account to celebrate their win over the rangers and he had no problem letting you know it. and while it was annoying, it served as a great distraction from your other problem.

"maybe you'll get it next time," he sneered as he packed his bag. most days you hated the fact that you were cubicle neighbors, but neither of you were powerful enough to request moving spaces. and even if you could, you knew it would just make you look hard to work with.

"have a good night, tyler," you replied, not even wanting to give him any ammo to use against you.

the door shut behind him with a click, locking you into sweet sweet silence.

until a minute later when your phone went off with a text message.

mat barzal: where ru?

mat barzal: wanna go to a bar with me and tito and you can bring alexa?

you scoffed. "you can bring alexa," you mocked under your breath. "like that's not the sole reason for you asking me to go out tonight." you packed your bag up and shot a quick text to alexa, asking if she wanted to go out. she replied with an immediate yes, asking where to meet you, which prompted you to reach out to mat who sent you an address in response.

which is how you ended up on a sidewalk in front of an incredibly busy bar with alexa next to you.

"i've never been here," she remarked. "how'd you hear about it?"

"oh, a coworker mentioned it," you said in what was hopefully a nonchalant manner.

she looked at you a moment too long before grabbing your hand and pulling you inside. "you find us a place to sit and i'll grab our drinks!" she shouted over the music.

you quickly looked around for mat and tito, the former who'd texted you the second they arrived. you saw a head of dark hair and immediately knew it was mat. you hurried over, panting when you arrived from having to shove your way towards them.

"you made it!" anthony said. you looked at him and mat, eyes bouncing back and forth between them, when you realized your first problem.

they were sitting on opposite sides of the booth.

which meant you would have to sit with one of them, and alexa would have to sit with the other. if mat had it his way, he'd sit next to alexa, but you knew your friend wouldn't have that. she'd feel manipulated and uncomfortable.

"is there a problem?" tito asked.

you gestured to the booth. "alexa will want to sit by me. she's still not convinced about you, mat."

mat, to his credit, didn't look shocked or offended, he just shrugged and moved to tito's side. "this work?" he asked as you sat down.

you nodded.

"so what's the plan? how should i approach this?" he asked.

"keep the conversation on her, when she tries to turn it on you or about your career, focus on other people, applaud your teammates, your coaches, but whatever you do, don't talk about yourself too much. she already thinks you have a big ego."

"to be fair," tito started. "he does."

mat didn't even dignify that with a response. "so keep the conversation on her and others, got it."

alexa found you a moment later and didn't do a great job covering up her disinterest in sitting with mat and beau.

"i couldn't find anywhere to sit," you explained.

alexa didn't buy it if her eyes bouncing around the bar to find empty tables said anything. but she sat next to you anyway, placing your drink in front of you.

"you remember mat and anthony from the other night, right?" you asked.

she just hummed and took a sip of her drink.

"so, alexa," mat started. "what do you do for a living?"

she stared at him and sighed. "i'm a vet tech," she said, but offered no other information.

"she especially loves the cats," you added.

"cats are great!" mat said a little too enthusiastically.

alexa drained the rest of her glass and got up, leaving the three of you behind.

the second she was gone, beau broke into laughter, slapping his own chest. "that was fucking hilarious," he said.

"yeah yeah yeah, laugh it up," mat grumbled, swirling his cup around instead of making eye contact with anyone.

"i'm serious, i don't think i've ever seen you fail so quickly. it's kind of amazing."

mat focused his eyes on you. "what did i do wrong? i tried asking about her life and she seemed wholly uninterested."

you shrugged. "i don't know! maybe she feels cornered?"

tito took a sip of his beer. "i think you need to workshop this. clearly, neither of you thought this through."

you groaned and rested your head on the table.

this was already harder than you anticipated.

step three: reevaluate and regroup

you met mat in a booth of a coffee shop after you got off work. he was staring at his phone when you walked in, completely unaware that you even existed.

which wasn't abnormal considering you didn't even think he knew who you were a few months ago. but the second the barista called your order out, his head whipped up.

you could've sworn time stopped at that moment.

you made your way towards him and plopped down in the booth opposite of him.

"hi," you smiled. "what's up?"

"i don't know what to do, she doesn't seem interested in me." he groaned into his hands before running one of them through his hair.

god he was so attractive.

you snapped out of your reverie. "listen, you've got what it takes, we just need to reevaluate our strategy. i think the bar thing was a bad idea, she felt ambushed and it probably set us back a little, but i have an idea."

he leaned his forearms on the table. "let's hear it."

"practice dates," you said.

mat blinked once. twice. a third time before he spoke. "practice dates?"

"okay hear me out," you said, pulling a notepad out of the bag you brought. "i have a list of things that alexa likes to do and i was thinking, you and i can do them and work on conversations and how to approach her. so when the time comes, you don't feel out of your element."

"who said i feel out of my element?"

you stared at him. "you said last night 'cats are great!' and expected conversation to flow naturally."

"okay so not my best moment."

"not even close." you sighed. "listen, i wanna help you, and i feel like this is your best bet in winning her over."

mat ran a hand down his face. "okay fine. what's the first date?"

practice date one: pumpkin patch

to be quite frank, you were nervous when proposing the idea, scared that he wouldn't be willing to sit in a car with you for three hours just to get to the pumpkin patch. and maybe he would find it childish.

when in fact, he said nothing about the long car ride, he even offered to pick you up from your apartment, and laughed when you offered to pay for gas. when you finally arrived, you jumped out of mat's car like an excited child. mat stepped out like he knew he was the romantic lead in a movie, suave and collected.

you two could not be more opposite of each other.

it took everything in you to focus on the task at hand, and not fall deeper in love with him. but how could you not? when he looked so boyfriend in a coat and flannel and beanie and jeans that hugged his thighs just right--

you were getting ahead of yourself. you were doing this for mat and alexa, not your own selfish ambition.

"so what's the plan?" he asked after locking his car with the key fob.

you shrugged. "what would you do if you were here with alexa?" the words tasted bitter in your mouth. it was such a painful reminder, knowing that this wasn't real and was in service to hook him up with your friend.

mat looked around and shoved his hands in his pockets. "corn maze?" he pointed. you must've made a face because he spoke up again. "what?"

"alexa hates corn mazes."

he paused. "to the pumpkin patch then?" you nodded and followed his lead. "so how did you meet alexa?"

"she was my first roommate in college, we shared the smallest dorm in history."

"that sounds like an exaggeration."

"says the man who never went to college."

he laughed. "i don't need a college education to identify a hyperbole when i hear one."

you gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. "a hyperbole? what a word."

"laugh it up," he said. "but i'm not a complete idiot, you know."

"never said you were. i just haven't heard anyone use hyperbole in a sentence outside of my english lit classes."

"well, you should know i'm full of surprises."

the two of you approached the pumpkin patch and started weaving between families and the occasional rogue toddler. mat had to tug you out of the way a few times when you about stepped on a child because you were gazing at pumpkins.

"if you don't mind me asking," mat started. "why are you helping me? you don't owe me anything. i feel like i'm taking advantage of your kindness."

you shrugged. "you wouldn't be the first one."

"what's that supposed to mean?" you looked up from the pumpkin patch to see mat's brows furrowed together and his mouth twisted in a cute frown.

"well, i mean, i've been told i have a habit of being a doormat at times."

"who said that?" his tone had changed to a softer one.

"huh?" you asked.

"who called you a doormat?"

you shrugged again, that seemed to be your go to move around him. you squatted down to look at a particularly fat pumpkin, inspecting all sides of it before you responded. "i've heard it all my life, some have said it in meaner ways, others have been nicer about it."

"i'm sorry," he said.

you stood to your full height which was still much shorter than mat's. "why? it's not like it's not true."

"what if i helped you?"

it was your turn to frown. "help me? with what? ice skating?"

mat rolled his eyes. "no, with confidence. maybe even get you a date."

you guffawed, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "what?"

mat pulled you out of the way of yet another child and kept his hand on your elbow until you were clear of the pumpkin roots. and if your heart stopped for a few seconds, that was your business, no one else's. "you heard me. you're young, single, and attractive and you spend all your free time at the office or DDing for your friends. we can work on your confidence and get you out there."

"i don't know..." though your mind was still focused on the fact that he'd called you attractive.

"what about that other photographer guy? tony?"

you cackled. straight up burst into laughter. "tyler? that's fucking hilarious mat."

"what?" the two of you continued down the patch, occasionally gazing at the pumpkins, but mostly just talking. "you two are always talking."

talking or being insulted?

you shook your head. "enough about me, we're here for alexa."

mat nudged you with his elbow. "actually we're here for me to win alexa over."

you kicked a small stone with the toe of your shoe and said nothing. the tragedy of your own personal situation wasn't lost on you, neither was the idiocy of your plan. what were you thinking, spending your free time with mat? to win over your friend?

it was textbook self inflicted torture.

"where'd you go?" mat nudged you again. "i lost you there for a second."

you bent down and picked up a smaller pumpkin. "what do you think about this one?"

"it looks fine. you're ignoring my question."

you juggled the pumpkin back and forth in your hands to determine if you liked it or not. "what question?" you looked up just in time to see mat roll his eyes, but he dropped the topic anyway.

the both of you walked over to the stall to pay for the pumpkin. you reached into your tote bag to grab your wallet, but mat was already holding out a five dollar bill to the vendor.

"you didn't have to--"

"do you wanna get some cider?"

you could've started drooling at the idea of drinking cider. "yes!"

mat chuckled and started walking towards the cider stand where a small family waited in front of you. "does alexa like cider?" he asked.

"what a random question."

"well you're not giving me anything to work with!"

you almost groaned. because he was right. you got caught up in the idea of hanging out with mat outside of work that you forgot the real reason both of you were there in the first place.

"she loves cider, especially when it's spiked. she also loves mulled wine." mat scrunched his face up. "not a fan?" you asked.

"warm wine? no thank you."

mat paid for the cider, going as far as having the cash ready before you could even order.

"you really don't have to keep buying things. i can pay!"

"oh this is all a bribe to get you to go through that corn maze with me."

your face dropped. "alexa doesn't like mazes."

"so i won't go with her next time, but you're here now and i wanna go."

you let him drag you along until you were in the thick of the maze. you let him guide the both of you through it like he knew what he was doing even though you were pretty sure you hit every possible dead end in the maze.

two little kids ran past giggling and smiling. "we found the end, mama!"

you almost laughed at the look of irritation on mat's face.

it took an obscene amount of time to get through the maze, and mat was in a much worse mood when it was all over.

needless to say, the ride home was quiet.

practice date 2: dinner at mat's

you weren't quite sure what mat was planning on making for dinner, but you were willing to bet the smell of smoke wasn't a part of the plan.

the scene when you walked into his apartment could only be described as chaotic. the smoke detector was going off and when you walked into the kitchen, mat was going between waving a towel under the detector and opening every window in his kitchen.

"you weren't supposed to be here yet!" he shouted over the noise before darting past you into the living room to open the windows in there.

you dropped your things on the counter and took over waving the towel under the smoke detector.

"what happened?" you asked.

"i suck at cooking!" he came back in the kitchen and took the towel from you. "i'm taller," he said like that was an explanation.

the beeping ceased and left the two of you in a hazy apartment. when you looked around the kitchen, you saw what had to be charred meat and veggies in a skillet.

"okay so when you cook dinner for alexa, don't. just hire a chef."

mat held up his phone. "or order pizza. you in?"

"do i get to financially contribute?"

he gestured to your belongings on the counter, one of which was a bottle of red wine. "you already did."

"you can't keep buying everything," you said. "it's not fair."

"why not? i'm the millionaire here, i'd look like a dick if i made you pay for anything. besides, when i date alexa, it's not like i'm gonna let my girlfriend pay."

girlfriend.

right.

that was the end goal for him.

you kept forgetting.

you cleared your throat and dusted your hands on your pants despite them being clean.

"you can go pick out a movie or something while i order the pizza?" mat suggested.

you had no choice but to nod and wander into his moderately decorated living room. it definitely still looked like a bachelor pad, but if a bachelor had enough money to hire someone to say he needed artwork, decorative pillows, and a couch that wasn't brown.

you were scrolling through netflix when mat came into the living room and plopped on the sectional beside you, shucking his shoes off. why he was wearing shoes in his own apartment was beyond you, but you weren't one to judge.

"you look nice," he commented, as if just noticing you for the first time that night.

you looked down at your own outfit. it was a pair of jeans and a nice blouse. "this?"

"are you wearing something else that i'm not seeing?" he teased.

before you could die of embarrassment, you switched subjects. "what do you want to watch? i haven't made a decision yet." you handed the remote to him, hating being the one to make the decisions.

he shifted on the couch so he was sitting up instead of lounging on the chaise and took the remote. "what's alexa's favorite movie?"

"birdbox."

mat did a double take. "she likes birdbox?"

you shrugged. "she's into suspense."

mat was about to select birdbox until he took one look on your face. you don't know what you looked like but it made him pause. "but are you?"

"why do you care what i like?"

"because you're here, alexa's not. i don't wanna make you watch something you'd hate." mat shifted on the couch. "why don't we work on those dating tips i talked to you about."

"oh i don't think--"

"why not?" he asked. "you're always so jittery whenever we talk about it."

oh.

was he referring to the other day after practice when he saw tyler tormenting you and mat misinterpreted that as flirty banter? mat had come up to you afterwards to give you pointers but you practically ran away.

"it's not that simple, mat."

"i think it is."

you threw your hands up. "well then, by all means you must be right."

"what's with the attitude?" he asked. "did i say something?"

it was a good question. one that shouldn't make you want to cry, but life felt overwhelming in all the worst ways. between tyler harassing you every second of every day and pretending like you weren't in love with mat so you could set him up with your friend, and taking photos for games and practices, you were exhausted.

"i'm not sober enough for this," you said before getting up and popping the cork on the wine bottle and drinking straight from it.

it was another thirty minutes before the pizza arrived and the both of you were well on your way to wine drunk, you more so than mat. who could blame you though? your life was a sad excuse for a single twenty-something and you were tired of thinking about it.

"truth is," mat started with a mouth full of pizza. "you just need to act like you're the best thing that's ever happened to this city. guys love confident women."

"and that's your biggest issue with alexa right now."

"wanna switch personalities?"

you laughed.

"what?" he asked. "what's so funny?"

"i'm trying to picture you without an ego and i don't think it's possible."

mat rolled his eyes but had a smile on his lips anyway. it shouldn't have made your heart pound the way it did, but you were weak for that man, you had been since day one.

so you switched courses.

"okay," you started. "how do i make get a guy to wanna date me?"

mats eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "you're serious?"

you nodded. "as a heart attack."

mat sat up on the couch and faced you. his eyes scanned your face like he was looking for something but couldn't find it. maybe he was looking for a reason to change the subject.

"alright," he said. "you gotta be confident, even if you don't feel like it. most guys don't mind a little insecurity, they find it kinda cute, but a guy who wants an insecure girl is a red flag."

"should i be taking notes or...?" you took a large sip of your wine and smiled when mat rolled his eyes again.

"secondly, you can't be hiding behind your camera all the time."

you guffawed. "i do not hide behind my camera!"

"oh give me a break, you totally do! you walk around like it's a safety blanket or something."

"because it is!"

"exactly my point! thirdly, chivalry isn't dead. if he's not doing basic things like opening doors, walking on the closest side to the street, and he's only talking about himself? run."

"what? he can't be a good person if he doesn't do those things?"

"if he can't do a basic kind gesture, he's not going to do larger ones. sorry. i don't make the rules."

you blinked. "but you kinda are making the rules for me, right now."

"you're such a smart ass, just like tito."

"is that a good or bad thing?"

mat shrugged and took another bite of pizza. "hard to say, i love tito most days."

love.

don't be an idiot and read into things.

"so," mat leaned back into the couch. "i gave you advice, it's my turn. how do i win over alexa?"

you thought back to the conversation you had with her a few weeks ago about mat. and one comment stuck out the most. "i think the biggest sin you committed was not knowing anything about me despite working together for two years," you admitted shyly.

mat's brows furrowed in that cute way they always did. "what do you mean?"

"she said she's not impressed by you being nice to kid fans or tipping waitstaff. she would be impressed if you knew anything about me because i'm not a hockey player."

mat recoiled as if physically struck by your words. "she thinks that low of you?"

"no she didn't mean to say you were--" you paused. "me? you think she has a low opinion of me?"

mat crossed his arms. "she just insinuated that you weren't important enough for me to know."

"no! that's not what she meant! she was saying that you think you're better than me."

"that's not even remotely true." and he said it so confidently, you almost believed him. "it's not, you know that right?"

you hesitated and you might as well have punched him in the gut.

mat said your name so softly like it was precious. like it was something special. "you have to know, i have never, not once, believed you were beneath me."

you gave him a small smile. "you don't need to explain yourself to me, mat."

he reached over and grabbed your hand, tugging on it lightly. "no. i need you to know, you are important to me."

your heart fluttered at his words, or maybe it was the fact that you were holding hands and you could feel the calluses rub against your own palm.

you could've stayed there forever.

"jesus fucking christ, why does it smell like something burned in here?" the front door opened and slammed sending you and mat sprawling apart like you hadn't been locked in a staring contest and holding hands. tito rounded the corner and crossed his arms, a smug expression on his face. "what do we have here?"

"nothing!" you squeaked out. "i was just leaving!"

"no you weren't," mat started, eyes wide with an emotion you couldn't place. "beau was just leaving."

you looked as confused as tito was. "what? no i'm not." you glanced back at mat who could not have looked more annoyed if he tried. "or i can...?"

"no!" you said. "i need to get going anyway. got work tomorrow, long day."

mat stood up when he realized there was no convincing you. "i can walk you out--"

"don't worry about it! i'm a big girl." you were leaving when you heard whisper shouting. you couldn't fully make out what they were saying, but before you shut the front door behind you, you could've sworn you heard them mention "liking her."

you did your best not to let the talking break your heart even more.

practice date 3: ice skating

you made mat pick out the last date but he hadn't told you what it was, just asked for your shoe size.

aside from that?

radio silence.

maybe you should've seen this coming. you'd talked to alexa a few days ago and she'd suggested that maybe you should put yourself out there more, find a date, find a boyfriend, find some happiness.

after practice, you found yourself scrolling through your camera roll in one of the seats in the arena when a pair of skates came into your peripheral. you looked up expecting to see a mop of black hair and hazel eyes.

but it was tito with a sheepish grin on his face.

"hey," he said.

you put your camera down and smiled. it was always good to see tito, with the exception of the other night. "hey, what can i do for you?"

anthony playfully rolled his eyes. "you don't live to serve us," he said. "i don't need anything, just wanted to say hi."

"hi!" you smiled even brighter.

"i was wondering, what're you doing friday night?"

you jaw dropped. and it must've been funny because tito threw his head back and laughed. "what?"

tito smiled at you and gestured towards you. "i was wondering if you'd want to get dinner with me on friday. i don't know what time you get off work, but i was thinking 6:30?"

you blinked. you blinked again. "are you serious?"

"why wouldn't i be? you're attractive, single, and i like your company. i think we'd have a fun time."

"okay," you smiled again. have you ever smiled this much in your life? you were unsure. "okay yeah, friday at 6:30 is perfect."

"great," tito grinned. "can i have your number?" you handed your phone over rather quickly, watching as he typed his number in and texted himself. "i'll see you," he said.

"bye tito!" you waved until he was out of sight. and even then, you continued to stare at the spot he was once occupying.

"what the hell was that about?"

you jumped about a foot in the air when tyler made his comment from over your shoulder. "jesus fucking christ, tyler." you placed a hand over your heart to feel how rapidly it was beating. "are you some sort of lurker?"

"what did beauvillier want with you?" he condescended.

"it's none of your business." you rolled your eyes when your phone buzzed.

mat barzal: come down to the locker room.

"who is that?" he asked, peering over your shoulder, but you stood up and started walking away.

the both of you headed down to the locker rooms, though you weren't really enjoying the company. tyler kept talking about your lackluster photography skills like the both of you didn't have the exact same job title.

you were rounding the corner when you saw mat leaning up against the wall, still in his hockey gear. tyler, being confronted with an audience, immediately departed. if you had to guess, he probably went back to his office to scheme how else to make your life miserable.

"hey," you said as you approached. "what's up?"

mat reached down and tossed a duffle bag at your feet. "open the bag," he directed.

you squatted and opened the zipper to see a pair of ice skates. you looked up at mat who looked pleased with himself. "what're these for?"

"you ever been ice skating?" he asked.

the short answer? no.

the long answer? once in second grade for a field trip.

"kinda?" you said instead.

mat laughed, like an actual laugh. there was a shiver that went down your spine at the very sound of it. "it's a yes or no question."

"i would say yes, but i was like eight."

"yeah, doesn't really count anymore. grab the bag, let's go." he walked off without a second thought, leaving you scrambling with the bag and rushing after him.

"what's the point of this?" you called after him.

"you told me to pick the last date, this is it!"

you stopped walking immediately. "mat, i don't know if this is a good idea..."

as if sensing your hesitation, mat turned around and walked back towards you. he rested his hands on your shoulders and squeezed lightly, ducking his head down towards yours. "i'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you, i promise. you have nothing to be afraid of."

"what if my boss sees? what if lou sees? i'm a lot more replaceable than you are."

mat scoffed. "first of all, you're not replaceable. second of all, it's gonna be fine. i'll take all the heat if we get in trouble, which we won't because it's not a big deal." he reached down and grabbed your hand that wasn't holding the duffle bag. "now c'mon."

he led you out to the bench where you sat down and placed your camera on the bench. "take your shoes off and put these socks on." he tossed a pair of socks at your head that you barely caught in time.

"but i'm already wearing socks," you said.

"these are longer, unless you want the boot to cut into your ankle."

safe to say, you put the socks on.

mat knelt in front of you to help put the skates on, tying them up so they were secure on your feet.

you wanted to swoon at the sight of him before you. thankfully, he stood up and helped you to your feet before you could start imagining anything preposterous.

like him proposing.

you watched as mat slid over the top of the bench railing and onto the ice. he turned around and looked at you expectantly.

"oh hell no," you said. "where's the door, i'll use the door."

he cackled as you walked and opened the door, but skated to you anyway to give you some assistance when stepping onto the ice.

"easy does it," he said, chuckling when your grip was practically crushing his fingers. "you're okay, i'm not gonna let you fall."

"it's not you i don't trust, it's me."

mat kept a grip on your hands and led you out to the center of the ice. on the way to the center, you slipped twice, a squeak leaving your lips. you quickly latched onto mat who only laughed at your death grip on his forearms.

"it's not funny," you whined. "i'm terrified."

"you're right, it's not funny. but it is cute." he removed your hands from his arms and skated away from you. "okay, now come to me."

he was easily twenty feet away.

you glanced down at the ice and then back at mat. you would've sat down if you knew how to without eating it. "mat, i'm telling you right now, that's not gonna happen."

"it's not that hard."

"you've been skating since you were a child. i have not." you attempted to take a step forward, but thought differently of it. "besides, how does this help you with alexa?"

"easy," he said. "if i can teach you to skate, i can teach anyone."

"so your idea of a romantic date is a girl busting her ass over and over for an hour?"

"not quite," he said, skating circles around you.

literally.

"you're being an ass,' you whined. "why did the one practice date you pick out have to do with hockey?"

"because it's what i love. and if a girl can't hang with it, our relationship is doomed to fail."

you rolled your eyes. "that's a bit dramatic. you can appreciate and love hockey without having to ice skate. thousands of fans do it all the time."

"but my girlfriend won't be just a fan, now will she?"

your heart sank at the idea of alexa and mat in a similar situation. alexa actually trying to skate and looking beautiful while doing so. you pictured them laughing as she slipped and mat catching her before she could fall.

"you okay? i lost you again." mat skated right up to you, leaving maybe a foot of space between the two of you.

"yeah," you breathed. "just thinking."

mat smirked and skated backwards. "uh oh. that can't be good. less thinking more skating. would it help if i pushed you?"

"no!" you shrieked. "it definitely wouldn't!"

but it was too late. mat was skating up behind you and placing his hands on your waist. "relax," he murmured. "i'm not gonna push you without a little guidance."

relax?

relax?

when his hands were on your waist and he was mumbling in your ear?

how the hell was anyone supposed to live, laugh, love in these conditions?

mat added a little pressure to your back. and suddenly you were moving. "that's it," he praised. "now just move your feet."

it was easier with mat's hands on you, the sensation forcing you to focus on the warmth of his palms than the fact that you were skating on sharp knives.

"see? this isn't so bad, right?"

it wasn't too terribly bad, truth be told it was just like roller skating, just ten times scarier.

"yeah," you said. "not too bad."

"so you're ready to go by yourself?" his hands starting slipping away, leaving a burning sensation in their wake.

"i--"

but he was already skating away. he stopped about twenty feet away and smiled. "skate to me."

"mat--" your voice shook at the idea. skating with him was one thing, skating to him was another.

"hey," he said quietly. "eyes on me, okay? i'm not gonna let you fall, if i think you're gonna fall, i'll catch you. i was the fastest skater in 2020, remember?"

you nodded. "just like roller skating," you mumbled.

"except better," mat added.

you took a deep breath and put one foot in front of the other, slowly but surely gliding towards him. you started picking up pace the closer you got to him.

"mat?"

"you're doing great!" he smiled.

"i don't know how to stop!"

mat laughed even as he caught you. his arms gripped your biceps and his smile was a mile wide. "you okay?" he asked.

you couldn't help but smile. "yeah," you breathed.

there was hardly any room between the two of you. your heart was beating wildly in your chest at the proximity, the rush of skating alone, who knew? you surely didn't.

you looked into his eyes and could've sworn his gaze dropped to your chin, but you were known for your hopeless romantic delusions, so maybe--

"hey!" whatever trance you were in ended when you saw a man in coveralls standing at the end of the rink. "time's up, i gotta clean the ice!"

"sorry!" mat called. "we'll get out of your way!" he gently took your hand in his and skated the both of you back to the benches.

mat helped you take off your skates and walked you back up the tunnel towards the locker rooms. the both of you stopped just outside of them, considering mat still had to shower and go home while you had the rest of the day to do your work.

"this was really fun," you said. "terrifying but fun."

"i'm glad you enjoyed it." his smile just about made you collapse into a puddle.

but you got a grip on reality and nodded. "well, i hope this helps with alexa, i'll try to talk to her in the next day or so, see where her head is."

mat's jaw clenched but he nodded. "i'll be seeing you."

"bye, mat."

you might as well have been on cloud nine by the time you got up to your office. you were in a different zone, focused on the way that mat's hands felt on your body, in your own hand. the feeling of euphoria wouldn't leave your body, you were sure of it. nothing could take that feeling away.

until you got to your desk and saw tyler.

who was sitting on your desk and using a paper clip to get the dirt out from under his nails.

"what were you and barzal doing?" tyler asked, moving off your desk, instead choosing to lean up against the cubicle.

you ignored him.

"i asked you a question," he said.

"i heard you, tyler. but i have work to do." you signed into your computer and plugged your camera in, ready to start uploading and editing photos from practice and the game yesterday.

“do you really think sleeping your way through the roster will help you get your pics chosen for the social media accounts?” he sneered.

you froze, your fingers hovered over the keyboard. "what?"

"i said--"

"don't repeat it." another voice joined in and when you turned around to see who came in, you were flabbergasted.

mat.

"barzal i--"

"where do you get off talking to her like that? talking to anyone like that?" he stepped into the room, chest puffed out.

in all of your time working for the isles, mat had never been much of a fighter, but he looked ready to pummel tyler if need be.

"mat, it's fine," you mumbled.

"no, it's not. is this how he normally talks to you?"

you said nothing.

that only seemed to make mat angrier. "you need to go to HR about this. this is workplace harassment. now apologize," he directed at tyler.

"for what? speaking the truth? is this how you think you can get ahead in life?" tyler said to you. "first beauvillier now barzal?"

you and mat both froze. in the corner of your eye you could see his jaw clench before he looked at you.

"can you do your work from home?" he asked.

you nodded. "i just have a shit ton of editing but i can do that on my laptop--"

"great. i'll take you home."

"but my boss-"

"if anyone has a problem with it, they can talk to me. let's go." mat was spinning on his heel and walking out of the room as quickly as he came in. you were unplugging your camera and logging off your computer, packing up your things, before sprinting after him.

"mat! mat, wait up!"

he stopped walking and looked at you, an unfamiliar expression in his eyes. "can you wait for me outside the locker room? i still have to shower and change."

you nodded. "why did you come upstairs anyway?"

"to give you the skates." you glanced down at his empty hands. "i forgot the bag, and by that point, i was too lazy to go down and get them without you."

the both of you continued your walk until you got to the locker room.

"i'll be a few minutes and then i'll take you home."

true to his word, mat was only gone for ten minutes before coming out freshly showered and ready to go home. neither of you spoke until he was pulling the car out of the parking garage.

"what did tyler mean when he mentioned tito?" mat asked after moments of silence. his fists were gripping the wheel tightly, though you didn't know why.

"tito asked me to dinner on friday."

mat's fists tightened their grip on the wheel and his jaw clenched so hard, you were afraid he was going to chip some teeth.

"oh." was all he said.

"something wrong? i just figured for once i wouldn't be hiding behind my camera like you said and i thought it would be fun, you know? we get along fine. why? do you think i shouldn't go?"

"no!" mat said quickly. "no, i just, it just caught me by surprise is all. i'm sure you'll have fun."

"and i can give you alexa's number if you want to ask her out! she's coming over tonight so i can talk you up now that i know more about you, make it seem more genuine."

"yeah," he choked out. "yeah, that would be great."

mat pulled up to your apartment a few minutes later and watched as you got out. "i meant what i said in your office," he said. "you need to tell HR about tyler's behavior."

"i will." you probably wouldn't. "thanks, mat."

he nodded as you shut the door and waited for you to go inside before driving off.

you walked up the stairs to your apartment and unlocked the door. as you shut the door behind you, you felt the weight of today bearing down.

tito asking you out.

the moments with mat.

the slut shaming comment from tyler.

when did your life get so dramatic?

step 4: get her to say yes

you had alexa over that night, armed with a million reasons why she should say yes to mat.

and the one reason why she should say no was locked deep in your chest. your happiness and affection for him shouldn't deter her.

besides, you would eventually get over your silly little crush, right?

right?

"so what's new in your world? i feel like you've been so busy lately. it's kind of strange," alexa said before shoveling a forkful of pasta in her mouth. it should've been disgusting, but she made it look graceful.

"oh you know, just working."

"is that why you were in the middle of nowhere a few weeks ago? work?"

"what?"

"i checked your location, you were on a farm. didn't realize the isles was doing photoshoots that far out of the city."

"oh they're not," you explained. "i was with mat, we were just hanging out."

alexa blinked. "since when do you and mat hang out?"

ouch.

but true.

you couldn't come out and say it could you? that the reason the two of you started interacting was because he wanted to date alexa?

no, you couldn't.

so you lied.

"oh, the social media team wanted me to get some information on mat, like a get to know you segment. they wanted something outside of work, so we were just hanging out so i could write this article on him."

a complete lie. you haven't had to write anything on anyone since your college journalism class. but alexa didn't know that. you never told her what you do all day for work. for all she knew, you could be running the tiktok account.

alexa raised an eyebrow. "and how did that go? was he talking about himself the entire time?"

"no!" you said. but then you paused, realizing that getting defensive would just look suspicious. "he told me a lot about how he doesn't like mulled wine and loves corn mazes despite being absolutely shitty at them. he loves his friends and hockey, obviously. he refuses to let anyone pay for anything while you're with him because he has money and likes to treat people. and he sticks up for the people that are important to him. and once you're in with him, you don't have to worry about your place in his life or how important you are because he will keep reminding you."

alexa stared at you. "are you sure you don't want to go out with him?"

you guffawed and hoped that it covered up your embarrassment. "what? no! he's clearly into you, and i think you should go for it."

"give me one good reason why."

"because he's kind, and nothing like your ex. he cares, legitimately cares about people and their lives." you sighed, not sure if you were convincing her. “it’s just one date, lex. if you don’t like him at least you got a free meal.”

alexa chewed her lip, letting you anguish in silence. "fine. you can give him my number and we'll set up a date. i trust you."

"fantastic!" you were already pulling your phone out. "he'll be so excited--"

"only if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don't have feelings for him."

you opened and closed your mouth. "i don't have feelings for him," you said with as much confidence as you could.

"honey..."

"no! i don't! if i had feelings for him, would i be going out to dinner with his best friend on friday?"

alexa didn't look fully convinced, but your date with tito was a welcomed distraction as she started rattling off questions about what you would wear and where he was taking you.

alexa left two hours later, meaning you could go to bed at a reasonable hour. as you laid in bed, you grabbed your phone and opened mat's contact, drafting a text to him.

here's alexa's number. managed to convince her you were worth a shot. xxx-xxx-xxxx.

you locked your phone and put it on do not disturb before you could see his response.

when you woke up the next morning, you saw mat had simply liked the message and left it at that.

by noon, alexa texted you that her date with mat was on saturday.

step 5: let the dates begin

friday came faster than you were anticipating. you kept your distance from mat, unable to look at him without thinking about how he was taking your friend out the very next day and that your interactions from that point on would probably be through alexa.

tyler kept his distance, must've been the threat of going to HR (that you still hadn't gone through with) that had him treating you like a human being with feelings.

as for tito, you probably should've been more excited for your date that night, but all you could focus on was how mat and alexa would fall in love and get married and have beautiful babies and grow old together.

and you would be the sucker who set them up because you could never tell mat no.

a slam against the boards startled you enough to look up from your camera to see tito standing there with a smile on his face.

"you okay?" he asked over the sounds of his teammates on the ice.

you gave him what you hoped was a convincing smile and nodded. but he rolled his eyes.

"we'll talk later," he said before skating away. you smiled and waved at him before you made eye contact with mat who was clenching his jaw. at what? you weren't sure. you even turned around to see if tyler had entered the arena, but you were standing alone.

like you always were.

you were headed back to your desk to do some editing as practice let out, but your name was called before you could get away.

when you looked over your shoulder, you saw tito doing an awkward half jog half walk towards you with a tired grin on his face. "hey," he said. "how do you think practice went?"

you turned to face him fully. "you're asking me? a professional asking some photographer how practice went?"

tito rolled his eyes. "oh c'mon. you've seen our practices, by now you should be able to determine whether or not it was a good one."

"well, no one fought each other, so i guess that's a win."

tito shook his head. "nah, that's when the best practices happen. when everyone's pissed at each other."

you smiled. "shows what i know."

"i think you know more than you think. you've worked here for awhile now."

"i've just gotten better at motion capture photography and following the puck around the ice. doesn't mean i know shit about hockey."

"don't think we don't notice you getting riled up during games when calls are missed."

you tilted your head and furrowed your brows. "we?"

tito shrugged and laughed to himself. "mat usually points it out before i can." you must've made a face because he added more. "it's usually on the bench, he's focused on the game when he's playing."

the both of you turn your heads at the other players walking down the tunnel. when the both of you caught sight of mat, tito smiled.

"will you send me your address? so i can pick you up?"

your attention snapped back to tito. "yeah! of course!"

he nodded and started his walk towards the locker rooms right when mat walked up to you. "what was that about?" he asked.

you shrugged. "just going over details for tonight. he needs my address to pick me up."

mat clenched his jaw again and looked down the tunnel, nodding his head. "that's tonight?"

"yep. at 6:30."

he wouldn't meet your eyes. instead, he looked at your shoes, your camera, the hallway, his teammates, but would never look at your face.

"you and alexa go out tomorrow, right? where are you taking her?"

he ran a hand through his hair and nodded at anders as he passed by. "yeah, we're going out to this sushi place. did you ever talk to HR?"

"well no but--"

"do i need to talk to HR?"

"he really hasn't been that bad lately--"

"because i threatened to tell HR on his ass. he's gonna get comfortable and start insulting you again. it's just a matter of time."

you nodded, feeling a lump in your throat form at the idea of mat scolding you, in front of his teammates no less.

mat sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "i'm not trying to fuss or tell you what to do, i just don't like seeing you treated like that."

"thanks, mat," you mumbled.

he still wouldn't meet your eyes, instead looking down the hallway to see most of his team in the locker room. "i gotta go, but um, good luck tonight. beau's a good guy."

with that he turned on his skates and walked away.

you felt every bit of pathetic as you watched him go.

that night, you settled on a pretty dress that wasn't too fancy, seeing as the only details tito had given you were that it was nicer than an olive garden but not a michelin star restaurant. you were strapping yourself into your heels when you heard a knock on the door.

your phone said it was only 6:15, but maybe tito was accounting for traffic. he never did specify when the reservation was.

"coming!" you called as you put your last heel on and made your way to the door. "i wasn't expecting you this early, you never told me when the reservation was--" your voice trailed off when you opened the door and saw who was standing on the other side.

mat.

he looked more disheveled than you'd ever seen him. it was clear he'd been running his hands through his hair repeatedly just by the strands sticking out every which way.

he still looked handsome.

"mat, what're you--"

"i think you're beautiful. and smart. and passionate about a lot of things. and i think anyone who tells you otherwise is an idiot, and i'd fight them if you'd let me." your eyes started welling up with tears. "i think you're perfect for me and if you'd let me take you out, i promise i'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you."

you blinked until the tears disappeared by sheer willpower, not willing to cry in front of him. "that's perfect," you said. "say that to lex and she'll be eating out of the palm of your hand."

you turned around to grab your bag and coat before you could see mat's face drop in confusion. by the time you turned back around, anthony was standing next to his best friend.

"you ready?" he asked, only glancing at mat out of the side of his eye.

you nodded and squeezed mat's arm as you passed; you couldn't help yourself. "get home safe, mat."

neither you or tito spoke until you got into his car. "what was that about?" he asked.

you shrugged. still not fully comprehending why mat showed up at your door in the first place. "he was telling me what he was gonna tell lex tomorrow, i think."

"really." he didn't sound convinced.

"why else would he show up?"

tito mumbled. "i can think of a few reasons."

after he parked the car, tito got out and opened the door for you while you were answering texts from alexa. he offered you a hand to get out that you took.

there were no sparks, no electric sensations going up your arm. just physical contact, just the warmth of his palm in yours.

he led you into the restaurant which was moderately fancy, like he said. the two of you were escorted back to a table in the corner, away from windows and therefore away from prying eyes.

like a gentleman, he pulled your chair out and helped you scooch up to the table.

"i can't remember if i told you this, but you look lovely," he said with a smile.

"thanks," you replied. "you look handsome." and you meant it. if you weren't in love with his best friend, in another life, you could see yourself falling for his blue eyes. and maybe you still could. mat was going on a date with your friend tomorrow so it was better that you just get over him already and--

"so how long have you been in love with mat?"

you choked on your own spit, and for a minute, tito looked apologetic. for his timing, you had to guess, not the question itself.

surely you heard him wrong.

"what?" you asked when you finally got your bearings.

"how long have you loved him?"

nope. you heard him correctly.

"i--"

he leaned forward, arms braced on the table. "you don't have to lie to me, i know. i've known for awhile."

"i--"

but the server came up and asked for drink orders. tito ordered a bottle of red for the table after asking for your thoughts.

you were still reeling from his question, safe to say you didn't have any thoughts.

"sorry," tito started. "i didn't mean to make you feel cornered, i just wanted to be honest."

"it doesn't look like you're the only who needs to be honest, it's me." you fiddled with the ends of your dress.

"why'd you do it? why'd you help set mat up with your friend?"

you shrugged. "i just wanted to see him happy. and i wanted alexa to find a good guy, i knew mat was one. they make sense together."

"even if it makes you unhappy."

"even if it makes me unhappy."

tito nodded, and looked at you like he could see something you couldn't. "let's forget about him for now and just enjoy dinner, eh?"

you gave him your best smile and nodded.

the rest of the night flew by. soon enough, tito was walking you up to your apartment and kissing your cheek before he left. you wished you felt butterflies, or something, but there was no special sensation. nothing to make you weak in the knees.

it was like a kiss from an old friend.

your phone buzzed with a text from alexa.

alexa: how'd your date go?

you typed out a quick response.

it was good. just got home.

you locked your phone and placed it on your nightstand before collapsing into bed. but your phone buzzed again. you thought about ignoring it, but if it was alexa, you didn't want her to think you were upset at her.

mat barzal: did you have fun?

you blinked before typing back.

yeah. tito's great.

not a second later, you got another text.

mat barzal: good. have a good night.

you fell back against your pillows and cursed at the ceiling.

step 6: let them fall in love

you woke up the next morning and stayed in bed until your bladder was about to burst. after the date with tito and the reminder that mat was going out with alexa tonight, it was all enough to put you back in bed as soon as you peed.

and you stayed there, flicking through netflix shows and wallowing in self pity. you usually weren't this pathetic, but the idea of alexa and mat getting cozy on their date that night was enough to warrant your sadness.

you'd pull yourself together by monday when you'd have to go back to work and see how happy she made him.

that's what you kept telling yourself, that at the very least, two of your friends would be happy.

by 7pm, you were sitting on the couch, waiting for takeout to arrive.

when a knock on the door signified your food arrived, you got up with your blanket burrito and walked to the door. you didn't even bother checking before yanking the door open and looking down at your doormat.

only to see a pair of shoes.

"what the hell," you mumbled. "i thought i said leave at the door...' your voice trailed off as your eyes lifted to meet a pair of hazel.

mat barzal.

he had your food in one hand while the other was in his pocket.

"mat?" you whispered. suddenly, you were throwing the blankets off your shoulders and behind you into your apartment where they'd be out of sight.

though it was then you realized you were in sweats and you hadn't done anything with your hair all day so you were probably better off with the blanket burrito instead.

"hi," he breathed. "here's your food." he handed it over, nodding when you murmured your thanks, and shoved his other hand through his hair.

you glanced at the time on the clock on your wall to make sure you weren't hallucinating. "why're you here, mat? shouldn't you be with alexa?"

"that's what i wanted to talk to you about, actually."

"oh no," you started panicking, your eyes widened. "did she not show up?" you turned back into your apartment and went to your phone, searching for texts from alexa to explain her absence. "i swear i thought she'd show. she told me she would and she's usually a woman of her word."

you turned around when your front door shut with mat standing in the middle of your living room, looking out of place and right at home somehow.

your phone was vacant of any text messages from alexa.

"no, she showed. i left early."

that caught your attention.

you set your food on the coffee table and turned around to face him.

"why did you leave early? was she rude? are you sick?"

mat shook his head. "no, i'm fine, she was fine. that's not why i'm here. i mean it is but that's--that's--i want, no i need to tell you something."

"tell me what?"

he rolled his eyes. "i'm getting to that." he started pacing your very small living room. you wondered if he knew how much space he took up in your apartment. you wondered if he cared how messy your place was. "i'm just gonna come right out and say it, and don't interrupt me this time." you nodded.

mat ran both hands through his hair for the twentieth time since he showed up. "when i said all those things last night, i wasn't talking about alexa. i was talking about you."

what.

but he continued.

"i'm not gonna pretend i've loved you this whole time, but i fell in love with you along the way. the way you kept analyzing every fucking pumpkin for the perfect one, or how you bring red wine to dinner unprompted because you can't not contribute to something, or the way you trusted me enough to take you on the ice and show you something i love, or how you laugh like no one has ever said something mean to you in your life even when i know that jackass tyler harasses you on the daily. you're kind to literally every person i've ever seen you interact with.

"but i hate the way you shrink yourself like you're afraid to take up space. i hate the way you act like alexa's better than you, like i couldn't fall in love with you when you're literally the most generous, kindest, passionate, and beautiful person i've ever met in my life. because i do love you. every fiber of my being loves you."

you blinked once. twice. and breathed.

"what?" you whispered as tears gathered in the corners of your eyes.

"i know you just went out with tito last night, and if you like him, if you love him, i get it. he's a great guy and you'd be great together. but i'm asking you to give me a chance, give us a chance. i've had fun with you the last few weeks and i cannot bear the thought of not calling you mine any longer." his chest was heaving as the words rushed out of his mouth.

you rounded the coffee table to get to him. as soon as you were in arms' reach, mat was pulling you to him. with your hips pressed together, your lips just a breath away, you spoke softly.

"please tell me this isn't a dream."

a small laugh escaped his lips and echoed over your own. "it's not a dream, baby. this is real. i love you so fucking much."

"i love you too, mat."

any words you had left to say were lost as he brought your mouths together.

you weren't sure how much time had passed before you separated from him with your hands pressed on his chest. mat tried to follow your lips, but you kept a firm hand on his sternum so you could speak.

"what about alexa?"

mat pulled back. "what about her?"

"you were on a date with her and just left her there?"

"i more than covered the tab if that's what you're afraid of--"

"what if she hates me?"

he laughed. like threw his head back and laughed before kissing you again. "baby, we were there for fifteen minutes and all i could talk about was you. she told me to come here and tell you the truth."

you smiled. "thank god for alexa."

"thank god for alexa."

mat led the two of you over to the couch where you immediately curled into him. he kissed the top of your head, seemingly addicted to having his lips on your body at all times. "you're fired, you know."

you would've pulled away had mat's grip allowed it. "what? fired from what?"

"the wing woman business. you're absolutely horrible at it."

"yeah, well i think it worked out pretty well."

he pressed his lips into your hair and mumbled. "yeah, i think so too."

[vorrentis]

M Reader x Momo - Forbidden Love (Part 3)

So, it's NOT the final chapter.

AN at bottom for explanation.

WORDS: 18151

===============================================

"Momo...I..."

Your words failed to escape as her words literally crushed yours.

"..."

"..."

"..."

You cleared your throat, shifting uneasily in your place. 

"Momo," you began, your voice soft and tinged with regret, "...I'm sorry, I-I didn't know you were-"

You gulped as Momo didn't respond.

"..."

"...I'm sorry I haven't been here for you as much as I used to, but you work, our parents have me tied down and-" 

"It's always about work with you," she said, her voice trembling, feeling a mixture of vulnerability and honesty, "is that honestly more important than me?"

"..."

Momo's eyes flared for a second till almost closed and she hugged herself while looking away.

"S-sorry, sorry I-I didn't mean to-..." Momo took a deep breath while you sat there.

You hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words to convey the depth of your emotions.

In those ticking moments, your brain went into overdrive. 

It was like a mental race, thoughts sprinting in all directions, the air heavy with unexpressed feelings as a rush of conflicting emotions surged within your chest.

In the hushed silence, your mind raced, thoughts colliding like a storm and each choice presented its own set of consequences, and the pressure to choose loomed large but as time collected, you felt the weight of the right choice settle, a realization echoing in your mind. 

With determination etched on your face, you took a deep breath, seizing the seconds to embrace the uncertainty that lay beyond.

"..."

"..."  

"..."

GRASP (Gently)

You reached out and took her hand, squeezing it to provide comfort as Momo turned to you, her eyes evident of her feelings as you swallowed your feelings and needed to say something back.

"I...I miss those times too, Momo. I can't tell you how sorry I am about you feeling like this. You know I never, ever want you to feel even a percent of what you're in now," Momo very slowly moved her head, "of course, I thought about us together. I truly do think about being with you daily Momo."

"..."

"And I never meant for work or any other responsibilities to overshadow us Momo," you continued, your gaze locked with hers, "My job or our parents aren't more important; it's just...complex, but trust me I want to be there for you to Momo. To cherish the moments we shared just like we used to. I don't want you to feel neglected or unimportant. You mean the world-no everything to me."

Her grip on your hand tightened, and a small, hopeful emotion came upon feeling it.

"..." you took a deep breath, "and I promised you ever since I could that I would be there for you no matter what Momo, first as a brother, but now as something deeper. I was there for you when you needed me the most before and I'll be damn if I left you feeling like this. I want to be there for you for as long as I can Momo. I'm sorry for you going through a tough time, but you don't have to worry any longer. I can't promise how quickly, but I'll be here. To be there for you to get through it together like we've always done."

Momo's eyes glistened with delight as a tear descended with her hold on your hand tightening.

You appear to have done the right thing as Momo quickly got on her knees and hugged you; nuzzling into your neck and digging her free arm around your neck with strength rivaling a boa.

"T-Thank you (YN)...you-you are the best..." she whispers in your ear as you hug back, no words needed from you.

The world outside ceased to exist, and all that mattered was the connection between you and her.

Though you felt the heaviness of the decision settling in, all decided in the blink of an eye.

But as the hug deepened, you could feel the unspoken words echoing between your hearts.

That's also when you realized that you two were still nude as Momo's naked body was pressing against yours and common sense returned as you cleared your throat.

"Uh, Momo, I hate to ruin this, but we should get dressed, no telling if any of the girls will come."

Momo pulled away, much to her dismay, but it was a more pleasant sight...

was adorned with an infectious grin that stretched from ear to ear. 

Her eyes sparkled with an inner light as if happiness itself had taken residence within her, revealing the depth of their joy, and a contagious warmth emanating from them.

There was an unmistakable sense of fulfillment, a silent acknowledgment that, yes, this was the right decision.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Mina and Chae are out walking too, but we're talking more about this."

You nodded as you two stood from their spot and went to gather their clothing.

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

TIMESKIP

14 Minutes Later

"So how close are we?" Mina asked Chaeyoung while fanning herself from the heat, "The heat is agonizing,"

"You should hear the water in a minute or two." Chaeyoung waved held hands hers and Mina's up and down.

After a long walk and lugging what's left of their lunch from their picnic, Chaeyoung decided to take Mina to the waterfall, the same one where you and Momo were at the moment.

"Good, I need to be in the water ASAP. You think (YN) and Momo are there?" Mina asked as Chaeyoung shrugged.

"Who knows, if they are great, if not, even better."

"How is that better?" Mina turned to her girlfriend who turned back to Mina.

"Cause we get some alone time~" Chaeyoung smiled as Mina rolled her eyes.

"We already had plenty before coming here,"

"Oh don't act like you don't want it too~" Chaeyoung's smile turned to a devilish grin as Mina pursed her lips, "knew it,"

Mina's response was side-bumping Chaeyoung as the younger one giggled back.

It was a few moments later in peace Mina started to hear something...

SHHSHSHSHHSHSHHSH

"And there's the water." Chaeyoung pointed forward and started to pick up the pace, "Come on Mina!" eventually dragging Mina forward as they were linked.

"Ah-Chae relax." Mina almost fell, but she picked up the pace to match Chaeyoung and another few moments later...

"Now this is a sight," Mina complimented as Chaeyoung stared with the memories of her family and herself being here long ago.

"It sure is...oh! And there's (YN) and Momo." Chaeyoung pointed at the two sitting on the shore, both positioned to be looking at the duel waterfalls.

"Hey! (YN)! Momo!"

The two turned quickly to Chaeyoung's voice and saw her waving fast and high as Mina was at her side.

You and Momo waved back, surprised at the sudden appearance of the two as you turned to Momo.

"Now I'm really glad we got our clothes on." You noted as Momo nodded while her sisters walked towards you both sitting where the water was to your mid-torso.

"I see you found the place." Chaeyoung started while being near the two.

"We did. It's pretty relaxing," You said to them as they dropped their bags near the water end.

"It seems like it," Mina answered, "it's truly beautiful,"

Looking at the two, you remembered what Momo said about the two being together.

Mina was one of Momo's closest friends from Sixteen till now and Chaeyoung was fun and energetic throughout the week, they do seem nice together.

"It's like I remembered," Chaeyoung took a look at the scenery and inhaled a large amount of the outdoor air, "I'm hopping in," Chaeyoung then grabbed the helm of her shirt and pulled it over, revealing her pink bikini top, "Mina?" 

"In a bit Chae."

"Alright, you two?" Chaeyoung asked dumping her shirt and started walking into the water.

"We're worn out," Momo said as you nodded, "now we're planning stuff,"

"Suit yourself, you better come with me Mina," Chaeyoung dipped her toes into the water as Mina smiled at her back, "and it's perfect~" 

She took off her sandals as Mina joined you two sitting, dipping her feet into the temperate water while Chaeyoung was already swimming away.

"Full of energy she is," Mina stated, but she talked in Japanese since the trio shared the same language, "so, what are you two planning?" Mina asked turning to you both.

"About (YN) staying in Seoul permanently," Momo answered in Japanese as well.

Mina took a look at you and then Momo.

"Really?" She repeated.

"Yeah," Mina turned to Momo nodding as she smiled afterward.

"Wow, well that's wonderful, but uh, but can you?" Mina asked you as you shrugged.

"That's why we're discussing. It's gonna require a lot of planning, it's not as easy as you would think. Especially in the position I'm in with our parents."

"Your parents? What's wrong?"

"(YN) is...well, we'll talk about it when we get back with the others," Momo capped the conversation as Mina nodded.

"Alright. Regardless, it does sound like it'll be some effort, but the eight of us can help too." She stated while you smiled at Momo's J-line partner.

"Arigato Mina," Momo said to her nodding back. 

"Mina!" Chaeyoung's voice echoed in the area. 

"Alright, I'm coming! The things I do for her," and removed her top to reveal a lilac floral bikini top, "at least the water isn't too cold," Mina slowly went in and within half a minute, she was swimming towards her girlfriend.

As Mina swam towards Chaeyoung, the sun cast a warm glow on the serene waters of the isolated water spot. 

The conversation about staying in the city permanently lingered in the air between you and Momo, creating a sense of uncertainty about the future.

After a few seconds of side-eyeing Momo moved her feet in the water, head hung watching the ripples being caused, you turned forward and let a silent sigh out.

Navigating family expectations and planning for a permanent stay in Seoul wasn't as simple as you made it be, or what Momo seems to think. 

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

TIMESKIP

"And here you go Tzuyu," you walked over to her side and placed a plate in front of her, "careful, it's hot," 

Tzuyu smiled at her well-prepared meal.

"Looks good," she turned to you, "thank you (YN),"

You nodded.

"No problem, but all the credit goes to Jihyo and Nayeon, they did all the work," you pointed at them towards the island table.

"And thank you for your instructions." Jihyo stated while cleaning up her section as Nayeon kept stirring the pot of curry, "And you better leave the recipe too."

"It's not much different from a Japanese Curry, it's my variation of it."

"Someone knows their cooking." Nayeon gave a grin as you turned from Tzuyu and towards the two.

"Google helps," you joked as they both smiled, "now then, you two can serve yourself, I'll clean up."

"You sure?" Jihyo asked.

"Go ahead,"

"Cool," "Thanks (YN)," both girls stopped their tasks and helped themselves to a plate, and started to serve.

You looked at the table after and the other seven girls were enjoying themselves, each one digging into the meal along with Momo eating, but slowly.

You let a silent sigh out through your nostrils.

Since coming back from the lake, Momo's energy seemed shot, not to the point of being miserable, but not the high energy she had the whole week, she was like another Tzuyu.

Understandable though.

The emotional baggage Momo had been carrying, the weight of decisions and plans, seemed to have taken a toll on her usual vibrant demeanor. 

As you observed Momo slowly consuming her food, you had a sense of concern for her.

The meal continued, laughter and chatter were filling the air, and the other girls, immersed in their enjoyment, hadn't noticed the subtle shift in her mood but you.

Jihyo decided to sit next to Momo as there was an empty seat.

"Momo tell your brother to send us more recipes, 'cause this is good~" Jihyo already took a spoonful on the way to the table as Momo nodded.

"He cooked this all the time, huh Otouto," Momo said from her seat as you nodded at her.

As they exchanged glances, she managed a small smile, appreciating the unspoken support.

"If anyone wants seconds there's more in these pans," You informed the girls. 

"Me!" "I'll get some more," Dahyun and Chaeyoung rose from their seats as you continued to clean up.

5 MINUTES OF CLEANING UP LATER

After seconds were served, you were lucky enough to have enough for two more servings, but now it wasn't the time.

You nodded to yourself and looked at the table of Twice sitting and finishing up their meals.

"Guess by the number of plates you girls ate, looking at you Sana," you pointed at the second J-line member while heading towards them.

"Hey..."

"You girls enjoyed it?"

"Very," "Yup," "I need the recipe (YN), I mean it." Jihyo pointed at you nodding back at her.

"I'll write it down for you in a bit."

"Thank you."

"But right now, there's something Momo and I need to talk about to the rest of you."

The atmosphere shifted as you addressed the group, their attention was now focused on the upcoming discussion.

"Everything okay?" Nayeon questioned with you nodding.

"Yeah, we told Mina and Chaeyoung this before coming back from our hike, but Momo and I had a serious conversation about me staying in Seoul permanently."

"Really?" "Ohh," "Nice,"

"Yeah, I think it's best if I stay here and be with Momo supporting her and you girls as well. It's gonna take some planning though." You added after and it was evident the girls were happy as most looked to Momo who was all smiles.

"So how long do you think till you can stay?" Chaeyoung wondered.

"Hard to say. It's not as simple as moving to another town, and my job is an obstacle along with-"

"Oh! Maybe you can work with our company," Chaeyoung added, "I'm sure our place could use someone like you (YN)," she pointed at you, "you have lots of responsibilities,"

You smiled at her description of your job.

AN: It could be any high-job

"That's not a bad idea," Mina stated, though none of the girls knew the extent of how ludicrous this can be.

"Well thank you, but it's not a job I'm worried about, but I appreciate it Chaeyoung. It's convincing my parents. And I do need perfect convincing for them to understand that I want to do this. It won't be easy."

Now the girls were confused.

"Wait? Why do you have to talk with them?" Sana asked and you knew her opinions of your parents from Momo's stories, "You could do whatever you want right?"

"They're still my parents." You answered back, but for most, it wasn't an ideal answer, but didn't want to say it.

One, however... 

"No offense and I do mean no offense," Jeongyeon spoke up, "why do you have to try to talk to them about it? I thought you weren't even close to them?" Jeongyeon spoke up.

"I mean, I'm not 'that' close, but I can't just leave them either." 

"That's stupid," Jeongyeon retorted.

"Jeongyeon." Jihyo's voice boomed as Jeongyeon pointed at Momo.

"Jihyo you know how they were treated behind Momo's stories. If their parents didn't care for them, why should he to them?" Jeongyeon brought the table as the girls were silent, though they shared the same opinion, "I'd tell them I want to be with my sister. Isn't that a good enough reason?"

Jeongyeon's direct and assertive stance echoed through the conversation, raising a valid point in the situation. 

Momo, caught between the two perspectives, wore an apprehensive expression shifting between you and Jeongyeon, not wanting to pick sides between one of her sisters or her brother.

"...she's right," you started as the girls turned to you, "you're right, it may be stupid, especially after everything, but that's exactly why it's difficult for me to leave. I've been with them since the start and with everything that's happened, you would think so, but for some time now I attempted to convince our parents to reconcile with Momo. They haven't at all spoken with her since the start of her training, training," you said twice, "and I can't leave without convincing them to forgive Momo."

"..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..."

"I thought after these years, we could be close like Momo and I wanted since we were younger. I know Momo got used to it, but I thought I could make that a reality that the four of us could hash things out and have dinner or camp or...something. And I know, if I tell them this, that's it, that slim dream we had is gone and I can't come to that. And despite the amount of times I bring her up, they won't even listen and move on, but I haven't let that stop me."

Your response carried a sense of responsibility, an acknowledgment that, despite not being 'that' close to them, you couldn't turn a blind eye to the struggles you faced. 

The girls were heavy hearing your reasoning.

"So I'm sorry Jeongyeon, it is stupid to think that it-"

"No," Sana spoke very quickly, "you're far from stupid (YN). It's not wrong for you to believe in that." 

The other girls nodded except Jeongyeon and Momo who stared at you.

Momo recalled what you said when they were at the lake outside the cabin, the conversation about being a family, she didn't know you were still trying till the waterfall location before Mina and Chaeyoung joined.

Imagine her surprise when she heard your reasoning of why it wasn't as easy to leave.

Jeongyeon, while sticking her to opinion, did feel for you, though she couldn't forgive what your parents did, or didn't do in this case.

You eyed Momo for a few seconds before your attention lowered to the table.

"...I'm gonna lie down and charge my phone." You hushed towards the end and didn't wait for an answer as you started walking away from the table as the girls behind.

"..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..."

The heavy silence that followed your revelation hung in the air. 

The vulnerability in your tone, coupled with the genuine desire for a reunion resonated.

Some of the others looked at you leaving and once you were gone from their sight, they turned to Momo eyeing the table.

"I'm sorry Momo," Mina spoke up, but Momo merely nodded and...

SCREECH

It didn't take a genius to know Momo was going to follow behind as she scooted her chair and headed in your direction.

Once gone...

"Poor (YN)..." Dahyun muttered as some nodded.

"Jeongyeon, you're better than that." Jihyo started watching Jeongyeon as her eyes were set on the table too.

Hearing her, the girls turned to their second eldest as Jeongyeon sighed and looked up at her leader.

"I didn't mean to be rude, honest. I'll apologize later, but you know I'm right Jihyo." Jeongyeon pointed at her as Jihyo exhaled hard through her nose.

"I didn't want to say it in front of him, but I'm with Jeongyeon," Nayeon started, "I understand (YN) for wanting what he wants, but from what Momo told us, it's not right to her that he wants to keep the ones who didn't raise them. If you ask me, I think it's too late for them," Nayeon stated.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think so too," Sana agreed, "even Momo says it's passed and she got to used to it."

"She used to get sad about it, but when (YN) comes to visit she's more happier than ever," Mina finished as Chaeyoung nodded.

"He's all she needs," Jeongyeon cut in, "I'm sorry for being negative, but he's making it more difficult than it has to be."

"Well look at (YN)'s side here," Dahyun spoke up, "it was easy for Momo to pass on because she had us to fill in for that family. I don't blame her one bit for not feeling the way her brother feels, but after leaving him, who did (YN) have to replace that role?"

The girls took in Dahyun's words.

That's true, the nine of them treated themselves as a family, even labeling Jeongyeon and Jihyo 'father and mother' along with their managers being aunts/uncles of the groups.

But for you, it was just your 'parents'.

It was no wonder for them as to why Momo was able to move on as you were still hinged.

"Well right now, it doesn't matter who is right or wrong," Jihyo started, "it's about finding a solution that works for everyone, even if we don't agree," Jihyo urged, her leadership shining through her words, "the same goes for (YN), family is important to him, even if he is a less-knitted one."

"..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..."

"But enough about them. Let's wait for them," Jihyo leaned forward, "it's not our place to meddle or talk about their problems behind their backs. Until they need our help, then we'll talk about it. If we're done eating, let's clean up." Jihyo sat up from her seat, shifting the focus away from the Hirai family, redirecting the conversation with a decisive tone. 

The room fell into a wordless silence after that; the scraps of plates, utensils, and water were heard as each member, while your problem was lingering on their minds, contemplated on the memories of their own families: the good and the bad.

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

SCREECH

It didn't take a genius to know Momo was going to follow behind as she scooted her chair and headed in your direction.

Following into the hall, she spotted the different doors and peeped into the first two on the right and left and didn't see you.

Going further to the next set of doors, she looked into her room and she spotted you sitting on the edge of Sana's bed.

No word was said as she stepped inside, closing the door behind and in the quiet glow of their shared bedroom, Momo sat next to her younger brother, who looked average after the explanation.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...You okay?" She asked as you nodded, "You know Jeongyeon didn't mean it when-"

"I understand. I'm not upset or anything. I told you I figured this would be their reaction. I just needed a minute," Momo nodded, "I get what she meant. Wouldn't surprise me if the others agreed with her." You answered, your eyes fixed on the floor.

Momo gently placed a hand on your arm, lowering towards your hand and gripping it, offering a warm closure. 

"You should have told me that you were talking to them about us sooner." She questioned and you nodded in response.

"Didn't bother to tell you since it wasn't going anywhere. I didn't want to hurt you more especially after you said if it's too late for that. I've been trying for a while, a long while..." You sighed, looking forlorn and then your sights set on your sister, "it was like you said with us sitting by the lake with your friends, I thought time would fix things and them looking back and thinking about what they did or didn't do in this case," your eyes lowered once more and then forward at the furniture of the room.

"but nothing...I'm sorry Momo, I know your opinion of them, but I didn't want to believe you were right about them. Deep down I truly thought that they might have changed and..." You shook your head, "I don't want to lose you Momo," your eyes adjusted to her once again, "I love you, truly I do, and what you said to me, believe me, I took it to heart but as I told you at the lake, once I tell them that I want to leave to be here, that's it, it's over. And the four of us are just-..."

Momo looked at you with a mixture of understanding and sadness, her gaze softening as you poured your heart out.

She leaned in, but instead of speaking, Momo brought her other hand up to your left cheek, stroking it softly, trying to convey her feelings through the warmth of her touch.

"I get it," Momo whispered, "That's who you are (YN), that's the (YN) I fell in love with," she noticed a raise in your lips, "I thank you for trying, I mean it. And I know it's not easy for you, and I appreciate that you tried to keep going on what we wanted. I don't blame you for thinking that things could change now, I thought like that too." Momo's smile dropped, "but," there it was, "I don't want you to be hurt (YN) while having a second chance with them could be great, I hope you understand that...well..."

"That it won't happen." 

You finished for her as Momo felt awful for hurting her brother, but she had to put it through.

She didn't say this at the lake but figured now it was best to voice her thoughts.

"...I'm not saying it won't. But at this point, I'm afraid that it's close to it. I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong or bad or a waste. I love that you're trying, but I don't want you to dwell on it for too long for us. Just like you mean the world to me," Momo continued, her voice softening with each word, "unfortunately the Hirai company means the world to them; then, now, and always."

You remained silent, absorbing Momo's words. 

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Momo's expression fell, thinking that maybe this wasn't able to go through.

"...if you want to stay with them (YN), I'd understand. If I knew you were like this then I wouldn't have asked you to-"

"Give me one more try."

You stopped her words.

"Just one, if it doesn't work out, then...it'll be you and me only."

Momo was split down in her emotions.

Fifty percent of her was jumping with joy, the other was devasted that you going to lose that link with their parents like her.

Trust her, she knows how that feels and she's ready to help you if that happens to you in any way.

"You sure?" 

"...yeah." Hearing that made Momo feel the opposite of what she wanted, "I need to know, for myself and maybe for them, that I did everything I could for this to work, and if not...then so be it."

Momo nodded slowly.

"And I'll help you in any way I can. I am sorry (YN)."

"Don't be. I was in denial."

"No, they're in denial." Momo corrected, her eyes reflecting a mixture of determination and concern, "I can't feel the way you feel (YN), but I'll do everything I can to make this workout. I owe it to you to give it my best shot."

You offered a small smile, appreciating Momo's sincerity. 

"Thank you Momo."

As the two of you delved into the challenging task ahead, Momo couldn't help but admire your resilience. 

The weight of the situation hung in the air, but there was an unspoken agreement to face it together.

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

TIMESKIP

23 MINUTES

CLING-CLANK 

SHHHHHHHHHH

"Here Jihyo," Jeongyeon brought four plates with her to the sink and placed them near Jihyo doing the dishes.

"Thanks,"

Jeongyeon nodded while stepping on the other side of her, picking up a dishcloth and started to dry some more dishes that Jihyo washed.

Meanwhile the other six girls were in the living room with the TV turned on watching some people running an obstacle course, but it was one of those joke type of runs.

Most likely Chaeyoung's way of turning the mood as she was the one to put it on.

"Jeong," Jihyo called her friend as Jeongyeon turned to her, wiping a cup, "do you mind checking up on (YN) and Momo?" 

Jeongyeon nodded and placed the cup on the side with the cloth.

"Sure,"

"And Jeong-"

"I know,"

Jeongyeon knew it wasn't just to check on them, Jihyo didn't need to say it as her leader nodded back.

She walked away from Jihyo and turned to the group as Chaeyoung and Mina were watching the screen, the other four on their phones.

Turning away from them, she headed down in the hall and locked eyes at the closed door of Momo, her and Sana's room.

Standing in front of the wooden panel, Jeongyeon exhaled, brought her hand up and...

KNOCK KNOCK

"Hey uh, are you two busy?"

"Coming," upon opening the door, Momo met Jeongyeon with a simple expression.

"Hey Jeongyeon," Momo greeted but her eyes showed a hint of concern as she noticed the pensive look on Jeongyeon's face, "what's up?"

Jeongyeon looked behind her to see her younger brother sitting on the bed.

"I would like to talk to (YN) for a minute. Alone if that's okay." Jeongyeon questioned as Momo turned to you already standing from the bed too.

"Sure," you said and headed towards the duo with a questioning expression, "be right back," you informed Momo as your sister nodded.

"It won't take long," Jeongyeon gestured toward the hallway, signaling for you to step outside for a private conversation. 

As they walked a few steps away from the closed door after you two left, Jeongyeon turned and you stopped, her lips pursed for a few seconds before taking a breath.

"I need to apologize for what I said," 

She began, her voice wavering slightly, "I came off too strong and I didn't help the situation. It was careless of me to say something like that and I'll be honest, it is difficult for me to understand. What Momo went through got to me and the others and hearing what you wanted got the best of me and, I'm sorry." She gave a slight bow and in return, you looked at her with a surprised yet understanding expression.

"Hey it's okay Jeongyeon," you started as she resumed form, "you don't have to apologize. I appreciate it, but I understand why you said so after what you and the others heard from Momo."

Jeongyeon felt a wave of relief wash over her. 

She had feared your reaction, but hearing what Momo said about you, she should have figured.

"So we're okay Jeongyeon. Trust me, I want to be with her to support her and everything and now we're planning something to find common ground here with my sister and our parents, but ultimately, I'm staying in the end."

Jeongyeon nodded slowly.

"Alright. Again, I'm sorry, I, well all of us want the best for Momo, and you too. "

"And I'm grateful for that. If anyone should be thanking it's me to you for caring so much about her. We're extremely lucky that she's with you."

Jeongyeon gave a warm smile.

"If anyone's lucky, it's Momo having a brother like you," now it was your turn to show a ginger smile, "and we're here as well (YN). If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell us. We want to help too."

You couldn't contain your joy knowing Momo was surrounded by a group of amazing friends who wholeheartedly supported her. 

Momo had always been a kind and caring soul, but seeing her with the other eight who appreciated and uplifted her was something truly special for you and her. 

It wasn't just about the number of friends she had; it was about the quality of the relationships she had formed.

And she couldn't have formed a better eight.

"I will," you smiled at her as Jeongyeon smiled back.

"So, we're okay?" She asked as you nodded.

"We're okay," 

Hearing that, you raised a fist as Jeongyeon smiled and fist-bumped back.

"Alright, thanks Jeongyeon, if you don't mind, Momo and I kind of need some more time to ourselves." 

"Say no more, we'll be waiting in the living room until then," Jeongyeon finished for you as you nodded.

"Thanks," and with a nod, you two headed back out, you into your room with a final nod to her as you entered Momo's room and Jeongyeon back to the living room.

Upon entering, she spotted the girls sitting still and turned to Jihyo's back who still doing the dishes.

"Hey," she alerted Jihyo once she got closer and she turned her head to her approach.

Jihyo turned the faucet off and turned her body to face her as Jeongyeon got on her side.

"How'd it go?" Jihyo asked as Jeongyeon gave a thumbs up.

"We're good. It didn't bother him. Seems like Momo is doing well too. They want their space though for now. Seems like they're discussing things."

"That's good," Jihyo responded as Jeongyeon nodded.

"It is. I'm sorry to you and the others as well," Jeongyeon gave a side pout, "I was harsh."

"It's okay Jeongyeon," Jihyo claimed for the group while she patted her left shoulder, "you had Momo on your mind. We don't fault you for that, just the approach wasn't it." 

Jeongyeon nodded.

"Hopefully whatever happens, it won't end badly," Jeongyeon stated, "I want Momo and (YN) to be happy."

"Oh I wouldn't worry. With what Momo told us, they had each other's support since at a very young age. And if doesn't go their way, then we'll be there for Momo as much as we can." Jihyo proclaimed as Jeongyeon nodded at the statement.

"Right, well, until then, these dishes aren't going to get done themselves," Jeongyeon pointed and returned to her original spot with the cloth as Jihyo nodded and assisted her in drying and putting them away.

On a lighter note, the atmosphere was more relaxed now, and Jeongyeon felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

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

CLICK

SQUEAK

"Hey," you said upon entering back into the room.

You closed the door behind you as Momo was lying on the bed, phone in hand but now sitting up and turned to you.

"Everything okay?" She asked and you nodded in response.

"She apologized for what she said at the table. I told her it wasn't necessary but thanked her."

"That's nice of her," you nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed with Momo.

"Yeah, you have an amazing group." You complimented as Momo chuckled.

"Hehe~ indeed I do." You nodded, "Hey so, I'm not too sure, but I think I have an idea."

"Hmm?"

"While on my phone, I googled something, and that led me to another thing and well I'm not sure if it's a good one or an idea at all." Momo pointed at her phone and shrugged.

"At this point, anything will be good, what'd you got?" Momo fixed herself on the bed for her legs to bend and turned to you.

"Okay, so our parents love their company, right? Like a lot?" You nodded, "And they still want to become a grand success right?"

"It kind of is already, our distribution is in all of Japan. Got to credit to them, they know how to run an efficient business," you answered.

"Perfect, so I was thinking, have you three had talks of expanding outside of Japan?" 

"..."

Momo saw your eyes flare.

"What if they want it to make it even more amazing as to bring their work here with you? Companies do that, right? Is that something you can do?"

"...Momo, that's a big-"

"Of course, it won't be as big as in Japan to start," Momo waved her hands to cut you off, "but seeing as how mom and dad made it to what it is now and not to brag but I am a big deal over here, it shouldn't be that hard to get a start if we plan this right, right? So I thought, what if this could convince them that you could stay here and be working under their name while being with me, or close to me, but that means we could see each other every day and you get to be working with mom and dad still. Plus they could expand their business to be more known, so that's a win-win-win for us four."

"..."

"Soooo, what do you think?" Momo asked leaning forward, a smile on her as you looked outward.

"..."

You stared away from Momo, cementing your last thoughts as you considered Momo's proposal.

"..."

"..."

"...I-I mean, saying is one thing, it's doing it another. Expanding here is a bold move, very bold." you finally replied, meeting Momo's eager gaze. "I mean we had a talk here and there but it was always about having a foothold in Japan and even then expanding was difficult but it worked out, but to Seoul...that won't be easy,"

Momo kept her gaze up as you stood up and started to walk a few paces.

"And while there are plentiful amount of businesses here, this isn't a next city over, it's a new country."

"..." Momo saw you turn and walk in the opposite direction as you voiced your thoughts.

"Plus we'll have to have a deep understanding of the market since preferences, trends, and competition are different from Japan. Also, the cultural differences between us might not directly translate to success in Seoul so we'll have to adapt our business model to fit local customs and deal with a new set of legal and regulatory hurdles with business permits, taxation, and intellectual property rights, among other things."

"..." Momo stared at the side of your head as you turned once more.

"Then we'll have to build trust and relationships if we get that far so local partners, distributors, and influencers are essential to gain credibility and visibility in this system so finding the right connections who could help us navigate the market effectively could be challenging since partnerships are already formed."

"..."

"But even if we pass all that, our parents will have to agree. And this will be a significant financial investment and given all that I said, it's going to have to be-"

You turned to Momo...

"And you're smiling."

"You seem to be already planning everything."

A low-tone sigh escaped your lips as your thoughts ran through like a train.

"Well, I'm not saying it's impossible, but even then it's a big 'if' Momo."

"Of course, I know that (YN). But I do feel this can go somewhere. I know it's a lot, but our business is anything but slacking. It is well known in all of Japan, and lots of businesses are with us. It's not like they haven't done this before."

"True, but it doesn't mean that would want to start anew. I'm not trying to sound negative or in denial, but it's a long and I do mean long shot here Momo."

"So was me taking a chance of being an idol, and look at me."

Momo wasn't fazed as she pointed at herself.

Her eyes reflected a mix of determination as you looked into them, searching for a sign, a reassurance that this leap of faith was worth taking and Momo's unwavering gaze spoke volumes.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

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

TIMESKIP

18 Minutes Later

"Hehe~" Sana grinned over Jihyo's shoulders.

Their leader heard and placed her phone down.

"Oh come on Sana..." Jihyo pouted.

"Texting Vor again~" Dahyun teased as Jihyo rolled her eyes.

"I'm just asking how he's doing, nothing much." She responded

"Haven't you been on the phone for twenty minutes now~" Sana poked Jihyo's shoulder as Jihyo sighed.

"And that's why Vor can't update," Nayeon grinned, "too busy with our leader~"

"Oh don't give me that," Jihyo countered and raised her phone, "Ms, 'back off, I saw him first' " Jihyo taunted back as Nayeon's smirk fell to a frown.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"This is sad." Tzuyu gave a shake of her head as Jeongyeon nodded.

"Alright moving on," Mina shook her hands in front as Jihyo and Nayeon huffed.

"How much longer do you think they'll be in there?" Chaeyoung asked looking into the hallway, already moving past the initial conversation.

"As long as they need Chae, it's not an easy conversation to have," Mina answered as Chaeyoung sighed in return.

"They'll be fine," Sana reassured, "I'm sure it won't be long-...oh right on time." Sana looked onward and saw you walking towards them.

"Hey everyone," 

Your voice caused the other members of Twice to turn too.

"(YN)," "Hey," four of them said.

"How are-" Jihyo was asking, but they all looked at Momo coming from behind you...

...pulling her luggage, which confused the others.

"Uh, why do you have your luggage Momo?" Nayeon pointed at her.

"Momo and I are heading back to Seoul." You spoke up and all gave quizzical looks.

"Is something wrong?" Jihyo asked.

"No. While there, Momo and I were discussing a plan that she came up with that could be beneficial to our entire family. It's quite a plan, but at this point, I'm willing to try anything."

Momo nodded in agreement.

"What is it?" Sana asked for the whole group.

"Well," you started, "Momo came up with an idea. I'm going to attempt to convince our parents to expand the business to Seoul."

The girls had immediate reactions.

"And if it works out in our favor; I could keep in contact with our parents as well as live near Momo, and our parents get exponential growth. So in Momo's words, it's a win-win-win scenario." You finished as Momo nodded with a smile, happy that this was happening.

The others well, were quite stunned at the sudden plan.

"Oh...wow," Mina muttered.

"That sounds pretty difficult," Chaeyoung stated.

"Will it work?" Tzuyu inquired.

"Don't know, it won't be easy, but I'm going to try to convince my parents of this and then we'll go from there. That's why we're heading towards the city to discuss with a firm that'll help us get information about it."

The girls looked at one another for a shared expression.

"I mean, even then, will your parents agree to this?" Jihyo's question was a tricky one as you shrugged.

"That's the trickiest part. Momo figured that since they love their business so much, this will influence them, though I haven't heard of talks from them about leaving Japan," you reasoned, "I won't be able to just say the idea to them like Momo did, they'll have to be convinced and my pitch to them will have to be spot on for them to even consider this. Not only that, they'll have to let me oversee it so...yeah, not easy." You topped it off as the girls weren't so keen on how much this was.

"Well...that's something I guess," Dahyun muttered.

"And what if it doesn't convince them?" Jeongyeon asked.

"If it doesn't...then I hope they understand that leaving is the best for Momo." You answered to Jeongyeon.

"You're going to quit then?" Jihyo clarified and you nodded and their leader looked to Momo, "Momo don't tell me you implied him to-"

"It's my choice," you affirmed, "nor what Jeongyeon said as well," you turned to Momo who nodded at you, "we had a serious talk at the lake before Mina and Chaeyoung showed up and," you turned to the others now, "Momo needed me more than I thought," the girls turned to Momo whose eyes downcast, "it's best that I remain here with her rather than leave and have her feeling...torn."

After hearing that, the girls turned to Momo. 

"Momo..."

"Is this true?"

"Were you that down?"

Momo took a deep breath, lifting her eyes to meet her group. 

"I...haven't been myself lately. I love you eight to death, I do, but," Momo then looked at you, "I need my brother twice as much here. I wouldn't be here nor be who I am without him and now, I need him more than ever," 

The others exchanged glances, sensing the gravity of the situation and Momo turned to her group.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't keep it from all of you but work has been getting to me and you know whenever I feel down, I talk to (YN) to cheer myself up, but talking isn't enough for me anymore. I need him now more than ever." 

They heard her and seconds later Sana quickly came further and hugged Momo, even pushing her a few inches back.

"Momo, gomen nasai. Kon'na fuu ni kanjite ita nante shirimasen deshita. Watashi, motto kizuku beki datta noni..."

I'm so sorry Momo, I didn't know you were feeling like this. I should have known better...

Momo returned the hug quickly.

"Kokorowaketa kutakunakattanda. Ayamaranaide, Sana."

I didn't want you to worry. Don't be sorry, Sana.

Then another member came in, more slowly as Mina joined the trio.

"Sore ni kakawarazu Momo, watashitachi wa otagai o kizukaimasu. Hitori de kakaekomu koto wa shinaide. Watashitachi wa anata ga shiawase de ite hoshī nda yo.

Regardless Momo, we look after each other. You shouldn't keep this to yourself. We want you to feel happy.

"Mina, kimitachi wa mousude ni watashi o shiawase ni shite kurete iru. Demo, (YN) mo issho ni ite hoshii nda." Momo spoke to the two.

You already make me happy Mina, all of you. But I also need (YN) with me too.

The MiSaMo trio were comforting one another as you smiled at the sight of the three who were together before Sixteen started. 

The sister's Momo never had.

"(YN)?" You turned and saw Jihyo waving her hand at her so you walked closer to the group remaining.

"Don't get us wrong, we want Momo to be happy, but are you really okay with this?" She asked upon being near them, "We don't want you to put a dent in your life or with your parents."

"Yeah, I'm sure. If they weren't going to connect with Momo since she started being a trainee and my words weren't going through then, what Jeongyeon and Momo said was true, I just needed to hear it. Plus Momo's well-being means more to me than anything, more than my parents after hearing her at this point. I said what I said, but no point in trying for knows how long and leaving Momo behind like that. So if my parents say no to this then I'll be fine knowing that they're doing well."

The girls didn't give much positive reactions, Jeongyeon the most as the guilt was building up on her.

As you spoke, the remaining group sat in contemplative silence, absorbing the weight of the decision.

The leader that she is, Jihyo leaned forward, her expression thoughtful. 

"Okay..." Jihyo could only agree with your words, "Just making sure that you're okay with it."

"I am," You nodded to her as Jihyo didn't like the outcome, but it wasn't her place to stop you.

"So what's the first step?" Chaeyoung asked.

"We're going to visit a firm to help us. I looked into it and it's a very reliable start. It's called Koisraup."

The girls never heard of it, but then again, they know nothing of business.

"But don't you leave in two days?" Nayeon asked.

"Yes. I'm not going to be able to come back for a while so this will be the only opportunity I get. I doubt I'll get anything done, but a couple of days of work is better than nothing and then I'll figure it out myself back home." 

"Well, I wish you well in that then," Nayeon stated and you appreciated the words.

"Is there anything we can do?" Jeongyeon now brought her voice in.

"Being there for Momo once I'm gone again," you turned to Momo, but the Misamo trio were gone from their spot.

'Probably went in a room.'

"she'll most likely need it after I leave," you and Jeongyeon exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them, "but it won't be for long this time."

"We got her," Jeongyeon stated.

"I know you do. Besides that, nothing else. No offense, but I doubt there's anything you can help me for now." You added.

"Really? Nothing?" Tzuyu asked as you nodded.

"Sorry Tzuyu, I would love your help, but in this area, I don't think there's much you eight will know."

"I guess that's true," Tzuyu nodded after hearing you.

"Wait, what's your job again (YN)?" Nayeon asked, "You move stuff around yeah?" She corrected herself.

"In lighter terms, yes, we move stuff around. Why?"

"Well, what about our company? Chaeyoung is right about working with us. Maybe you can talk to producer-nim about getting a deal with us? Our albums and everyone else's in the company sell a ton. Would be pretty big of you to score us~" Nayeon flaunted herself up...

...you smiled at her aid.

"Well that would be a great deal to have you and JYPE, but before we start talking about deals, the main focus is finding a location before setting a foothold. Plus I'll have to see what businesses are around, who's with whom, information like that, but I'll keep that in mind." Nayeon nodded. "And I'll be taking my rental car and I'll come back for you to drive you back," they nodded, "thank you and sorry for leaving early."

"Don't apologize (YN)." Dahyun quickly replied.

"At least we had fun for some days." Chaeyoung gave positive words as you nodded.

"It was, thank you Chaeyoung. Thank you all of you for allowing me to be here." You turned to each one as they smiled or nodded, "You're all great to be with."

"And you as well (YN)." Nayeon reflected as the others nodded.

"So does this mean we won't see you again?" Chaeyoung asked with a pout.

"You'll see me for a bit. Since I'm leaving Sunday morning, we'll be coming back for you girls tomorrow to drive back to your dorm since I'm bunking with you till my flight the next morning." 

Chaeyoung nodded.

"So we have one more night then," she pointed one finger up.

"Yes, we do. Alright, then let me get my stuff and we'll be on our way when they come back." You walked forward as the remaining members gave looks at one another.

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

TIMESKIP

SLAM

"Ready?" You asked Momo nodding as you started up the car and buckled yourself up.

"Be careful Momo and don't attract too much attention." Jihyo was near the passenger's seat speaking to Momo.

"Don't worry. We won't be stepping out of the car. I'll be hidden." Momo explained as Jihyo nodded.

"Good. Keep us updated, and if you need anything, we're just a call away." Jeongyeon added as Momo nodded.

"We will," Momo said to her group.

"And don't forget to take breaks. Make sure both of you get some rest too." Sana added as Momo smiled at their antics.

"We get it hehe, don't worry about us, I'll take good care of him," Momo answered as you rolled your eyes.

"Take care of each other," Jihyo corrected, "be safe you two."

"We will," "See yah,"

"Bye," "Good luck," "Be safe," 

And with that, the group exchanged a final round of well-wishes and reassurances before the car was in drive and you drove into the main road, Momo waving at the girls out her window as they continued to wave back before they left their POV.

"Well Otouto, it's you and me now." Momo stated while pulling her phone out, "I'll put the directions for the first spot...which is what?" 

"Koisraup."

"Ah yes, Koisraup...who was that again?" Momo questioned as you smiled.

"A business development and consulting firm. We'll discuss with them first about the administrative, legal, and tax implications here. From what I read, they'll guide us in what we need so hopefully we'll get a decent amount of info from them."

Momo nodded and typed in the location.

"Kois-there it is,"

Starting route to Koisraup

Continue on this road for # miles and take exit #

"Alright," Momo placed her phone in the middle of the two, "it's an hour and forty-seven minutes to get there. Road trip." Momo leaned back in her seat.

"Get cozy then...are you okay?" You asked as Momo nodded slowly.

"I am, much more now that this is happening." You smiled and nodded.

"Right, by the way, what did Mina and Sana talk to you about? You three left the room for a bit."

"Oh, they wanted to know if I was doing okay, like mentally," Momo answered as you figured as much, "they were worried about how long I was hiding it and if I needed to talk to our boss about it. I said I would be alright."

You side-eyed Momo as she was looking forward and you looked the same again.

"Glad to hear. I'm happy you have your group Momo," Momo nodded.

"Me too (YN)."

You nodded afterward.

"So, any plans for you girls? Any spoilers you can give?" You diverted the atmosphere into a more pleasant one as Momo turned to you.

She figured the business talk would be later, the ride is an hour and a half there.

"Well, there are some plans, there's even one with Sana, Mina, and I."

You raised your brows.

"Really? Can you tell me about it?" 

"As long as you keep it quiet,"

"You know me." You responded as Momo giggled.

"Okay, so our unit is going to be called Misamo, that's our names put together and the video is about..."

And so Momo started to talk about the plans of her and her group as you listened along.

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

TIMESKIP - 11 hours later

"Kuso jigoku..." you swore under your breath while you stretched your back on the couch.

"Take a break (YN)." Said Momo on your right, "We haven't had one since we left the cabin."

You glanced at the laptop's clock, realizing that it was getting close to 11 PM.

"Yeah, no good to overwork ourselves."

Momo nodded and was glad that you finally had a break, lunch didn't count for her as you also worked through that while she stared at the coffee table.

On it was her laptop that she lent to you, with a couple of folders of papers in each and an assortment of notes.

You two have been busy driving around Seoul, especially where most businesses reside such as Dongdaemun.

After consulting with Koisraup, which was pretty helpful in delegating what to do and where you can start, it was off finding sites.

Of course, a very select few buildings were up for sale and ready to be moved in, however, they were problematic as they weren't in the designated areas that you wanted.

The other hand was to buy the land itself; closer, but more costly.

Either way, it wasn't anything new, just extra steps...a complex few steps.

Doable? Sure you can see it.

The question is, can your parents?

"Gomen (YN)," you turned to your sister, "I wish I could help you more. I've been on the side just taking notes. You've been talking to these companies about everything."

"Hey don't talk like that Momo. You right here is support enough."

"Okay but it's only one of me, you have a whole army of workers to help."

"I do, but why would I want a bunch of boring people over someone as beautiful as you," you grinned as Momo playfully rolled her eyes.

Her quick faint smile was turned upside down upon looking over the laptop and then back at you.

"Still can't believe it's a hundred million Won to just start it all."

AN: Unless I'm making a mistake, that's legit the starting investment for a company to buy stocks to be a legal business in Seoul

"Same in Japan. That's business, it's a way to know that you have the money to do this and to properly ensure the government." You explained as Momo combed through her hair at the revelation. "Although, the market here is vast and intricate, much more than Japan, which is good. Lots of potential work and I mean lots and it's not just large but a larger portion of smaller business around meaning many goods are being transported thus needing quite a lot of what our work does."

"And what's the bad?"

"That everyone is set here and being new means we'll have to convince our way to these deals being done and we'll have to figure out where and who'll want to listen to us which isn't something I can do now."

"And you deal with this daily?" Momo picked up a document given by Koisraup.

"No. Only twice I had to deal with this when we expanded to other cities. Dad decided it was time for me to step up in bigger responsibilities. I do smaller, but everyday duties, like your manager, but replace you nine with branches of our building." 

"...do you like it?" She asked after a few seconds while you shrugged.

"It's alright work. It doesn't scream fun, but it's not boring."

Momo nodded slowly.

"...do you like working with Mom and Dad?"

"You know, you would think it'd be great, but..." you shrugged, "they're not easy to work with," you continued, "Mom has this meticulous way of planning everything, down to the last detail. Dad, on the other hand, is all about spontaneity and gut feelings. You would think it wouldn't work between but they mesh very well together. Hearing them discuss is, intense, in a good way. The way they think of everything and I mean everything Momo."

Momo nodded.

"And I respect them a lot. They built our empire from the ground up, and they're trying to find my place in it. It's a challenge, but challenges keep things interesting, right?"

She chuckled.

"Heh, I suppose so," as you sifted through the few documents on your desk, "and that's what they expected of me," Momo took a look at the laptop, "to be like them."

"As I said, you turned out better,"

Momo had another faint smile, but her response...

"...I'm not being selfish am I (YN)?"

Her response caught you off guard, but it didn't faze you for long.

"Sel-why would you think that?" Momo looked away from you, embarrassed of the matter.

"I want you here, I do, but throughout the day, I've also been thinking about what you said with our parents. I don't want to force you into doing anything that was also thinking that maybe I'm being-"

"No you're not," you stopped her, "there's nothing selfish about expressing your feelings," her gaze met yours, and you could see a mixture of uncertainty and longing in her eyes, but you offered her a reassuring smile, "we," you pointed at you both, "wouldn't happen if you haven't told me about the same our first night together. I'm glad you told me how you felt Momo, really."

Momo's eyes softened as she absorbed your words. 

The weight on her shoulders seemed to lift a little, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with gratitude and she reached out to gently cup your cheek, "I'm really glad you're doing this (YN). I mean it."

"You know I'd do anything for you onee-san," you assured her, your gaze locked onto hers, "Aishiteimasu," (I love you)

Momo let out a gentle breath.

"Watashi mo itoshite iru yo," (I love you too)

And as if on cue, you both leaned in, closing the distance between you.

The kiss was gentle yet filled with the depth of unspoken words. 

It was a promise of understanding and a celebration of the emotions that had brought you to this point.

Continuing with the moment, Momo brought her other hand up and she probed her tongue at your lips as the millisecond you opened; Momo explored your mouth as you both just moaned at each other's touch.

The kiss wasn't an overloaded sexual one, but a comforting one; one that declares your love for another.

You can hear the rumble of her moan vibrating through her naked chest against yours, feeling the gentle cadence of her breathing.

It wasn't long before you both lost yourselves in the dance of passion. 

The environment seemed to fade away, leaving only the warmth of the sibling's bodies and the sweet symphony of shared desires.

Momo's fingers traced gentle patterns along your skin, leaving a trail of electric sensations in their wake and the air was filled with a heady mix of anticipation and the taboo love the two shared that only the two of you understood, a language of intimacy, trust, and boundless affection.

Of course, it wasn't like that in a few moments...

Momo pressed her hand down hard on your shoulders and straddled you to have your back on the couch as Momo captured you on top, pressing her hands to the side of your head once more and capturing your lips.

Leaning back against the cushion, you embraced her tongue within your mouth, moaning past her lips as Momo nearly collapsed onto you. 

It was an otherworldly experience to be lip-locked with her, no matter how long or much it's been since that first day, it always felt incredible to have her body on you or the naughty feeling of her being your Onee-san gave you thrills.

Either way, the kiss soon ended and you opened your eyes to gaze back at her hues.

Momo pulled her face away with a grin.

No words were needed to know that you two were going to share a time.

"Guess that break will have to wait~" she didn't ask but stated while shoving her hands down between your legs and pressed against your cock as you hissed as she started to rub up and down.

Momo gazed back into your eyes and softly whispered...

"Besides this being our last night, I think you deserve a reward for being doing so much hard...work."

You wanted to chuckle, but Momo kept grinding her hand harder and deeper.

"Momo-"

RING RING RING

"Oh come on..." Momo groaned as you both turned to the coffee table and noticed your phone lighting up with 'Dad' on it.

"It's Dad," you turned to Momo and noticed a flat expression at her side, "...but I'll talk to him later."

And just like that, Momo turned back to you and seconds later, she grinned once more, but not a devious one, but more of a gratitude.

"Oh my Otouto~ someone's being naughty~"

"You're a bad influence," 

"Hehe~ then let me show you how much of a naughty sister I can be~" Momo raised her hands to your body, cupping your face and Momo shoved her lips to yours.

Her plump ass down onto your lap while you threw your arms around her back and pulled her in.

Momo pushed her lips to yours once again and you two continued to kiss as she moved her lips against yours and snaked her tongue into your mouth, her hips began to roll, grinding her ass down into your lap against your crotch. 

And not because she was your girl, Momo had one of the best bodies you've seen in any woman, and for her to be grinding her assets on you, it was never not ineffective.

You moved your hands out from her back, soon feeling her body rub up against you in unison with her hip movements and Momo threw her arms behind your neck, allowing you to feel her slender fingers on the backside of your neck as they enjoyed one last passionate kiss together. 

She pulled their lips apart, moving her hands away from you while grinning.

===============SMUT START================

"I think we should get comfy~" She hinted, pushing her hands down onto your chest, Momo slowly moved up, her heels elevated onto the floor below with a soft touch.

"Can't say no to that."

"You can never say no to me anyway~"

She giggled as you began to remove your shirt and pulled it out from over your head and you were greeted with the sight of Momo's ass. 

She had bent over, removing her shorts and shaking her hips to shake her ass. 

Slowly to the left, then a fast pump to the right. 

You shook your head with an amused smile as her hair swayed down her back and Momo moved her hands down to her hips. 

Her shorts dropped from her hips down to her ankles, your eyes were set instantly on the black thong she wore.

She took one glance beyond her right shoulder, witnessing your eyes while stepping out of the shorts and turning around, crossing her hands, and holding the helm of her shirt, she pulled up to show her strapless black lace bra while throwing the shirt somewhere.

You leaned up, hands on the side of your Onee-san's hips, roaming your fingertips down her sides and bringing her back onto you as you felt her plump ass shove down into your crotch. 

Momo wasted no time beginning to grind her hips down, rubbing her ass up and down with your erection poking up the front.

"God Momo..." You groaned as Momo's giggling voice caused you to breathe heavily as she continued to grind her hips and pump that ass back down into you. 

"You'll be saying that more (YN)-kun~"

Your voice had elevated from the excitement at hand, swallowing your breath and began to slide your hands across her body. 

The smoothness of her skin was felt beneath your fingertips as you took to feel her muscular stomach. 

Momo moaned, still grinding her ass down into you.

"Mmmmm, someone's touchy~"

She made her demands and you didn't neglect Momo of what she desired at this moment. 

As you moved your hands across her stomach, she moved her own hands to the straps of her bra and began to pull at it. 

Watching her, you were greeted with the view of her pulling it to free her breasts as Momo dropped the bra down to the floor below, soon feeling your hands move over her breasts; her hard nipples rubbed against the palms of your hands and cooed to you as you gently squeezed her tits.

"Enjoying this~" 

"Always~"

Hearing her words, you moved your lips to the right side of her neck. 

Momo closed her eyes and then made one last series of movements by grinding her hips. 

She could feel your cock sticking straight up through your pants, poking into her buttocks. 

Taking a deep breath, Momo opened her eyes, still feeling you down below as you kissed and sucked on her neck, though Momo needed more.

She bent her knees, watching the expression change across your face as she brought your head between her tits, soon feeling her right hand roam across behind, her fingernails grazing through your hair.

You had moved your mouth to her right breast, shoving her nipple between your lips as you began to suck it. 

As Momo moaned, she began to grind her hips back down into you.

"That's it (YN)~"

She bit down on her lower lip, softly purring her moans while caressing the back of your head with her hands. 

Momo waited until you moved to her other boob and then she used her hands to squeeze her breasts into your face. 

"Suck on my nipples (YN), bite them," she insisted, as she forced your hands off of her tits and used her hand to pull your head towards her left tit so you could suck on her large breast. 

Who were you to complain?

You opened your mouth and started sucking on her hard nipple, Momo kept moaning as she felt her Otouto suck on her huge tit as if you were a baby.

"Mmmm oh yes~ That's it (YN)~" Momo moaned sexily with you now cupping the bottom half of her breast as you sucked on her left nipple and gave a strong squeeze to her tit-flesh.

Still grinding down into your crotch, she could barely take it for much longer. 

Her desire grew stronger with each passing moment. 

When you moved your head to the other breast, Momo cupped your cheeks against her palms, leaning down to kiss you passionately one last time. 

She took a final moment to rub her ass up against your crotch, coming to a halt with grinding into your lap as their tongues danced together. 

Once the kiss ended, she got back up from your lap and then fell to her knees below, feeling Momo's hands tugging at the lace strings to your pants (let's say pajama pants) loosen up.

Momo glanced up at your chest, grinning when she placed her hands back to the front of your pants, grabbed the helm, and slowly slid them down, letting the bulge sticking up finally release as she came in sight with your briefs.

Biting down on her lower lip, Momo squeezed your bulge and then moved her hand away. 

She surprised you by getting up from her knees, hooking her thumbs down to the thong she was still wearing.

"I forgot to finish stripping. It's only fair I get naked too before I'm done taking your clothes off."

"I can't argue with that." 

She winked back at you in response to your words, swaying her hips left and right, Momo leaned over a bit as she tugged her shorts down.

It didn't remain on her body for long, as Momo hooked her thumbs at the sides and shoved it down to reveal her dripping wet pussy. 

Freshly shaved without a single hair in sight of those beautiful pink folds. 

Stepping her feet out of the thong and shorts below, Momo stood in front of you for a moment, moving her hands to her breasts, squeezing them as she gave a nude pose to you, all before dropping back down to her knees.

No words were needed from her voice, as Momo seemed prepared and truly ready to get down to the business of lust at hand. 

Grabbing the front of your underwear, she tugged it down, watching as your cock flopped freely across your skin. 

You witnessed Momo licking her lips in clear anticipation of this moment. 

As she tugged your underwear down to your ankles, you leaned up and carefully pulled your feet free from them while she wrapped her right-hand fingers around your semi-erect pole. 

Momo wasted no time beginning to stroke it, moving her hand up and down.

"I don't have to remind you that your cock is all mine Otouto~"

"Yes it is dear Onee-san."

No disagreement whatsoever from you. 

You stared down into her big brown eyes as her hand continued to jerk your rod up and down. 

Momo parted her pink lips, revealing her gritted teeth while giving you an expression of absolute hunger and your cock had grown from the touch of her hand, rising in thickness and reaching full length.

Sliding her hand down to the base, Momo smirked up at you before gazing her sight back onto your pole awaiting her mouth.

"Mmm~ nice and big. Just the way I like it."

You exhaled, taking a deep breath now as Momo parted her lips and slid your cock right between them. 

She squeezed her fingers around your pole, using her left hand to drop down and caress your nut sack as she began to slowly suck her way down the first few inches. 

Swallowing your breath, you moaned out to her but didn't utter any words.

There was nothing you could say to ruin a moment like this. 

Momo took her time, slowly bobbing her head up and down. 

She pulled her lips back to the head, making a popping sound as she released your cock, but only momentarily. 

With a quick stroke of her hand, Momo went back down on it; this time, she began to bob her head in sync with her hand stroking from the base of your cock upward. 

Her fingers met with her lips in sync, giving you the pleasure of her hand and mouth simultaneously. 

GULP 

GULP 

GULP

Her mouth began to quickly make slobbering and sucking noises while you bit down on your lower lip as a way of preventing yourself from crying out in pleasure. 

You wanted to play strong for her as you were left at the mercy of her oral talents. 

Stopping the movement of her hand, Momo pulled her hand away and then used both hands to push down into your legs. 

All you could do was rest your back against the cushion of the couch as she began to bob her head up and down your cock, sucking it deeper with each passing second. 

Her efforts paid off as Momo was able to get her lips down to the base and shove the head of your shaft to the back of her throat.

GULP 

GULP 

GULP

"Oh my fucking god..."

Finally breaking the silence between breathing and moaning, you cried out to her in words of pleasure. 

Momo devoured your cock, inch by inch sucking it down. 

Pulling her lips back to the head, she released it again with a popping sound, saliva strings dangled from her open mouth back to your cock as Momo gripped your shaft with her right hand, flicking her tongue and then spitting on the head.

"You like that~"

Her voice was low and seductive in asking her question. 

You nodded back at her.

"Can't complain."

With a grin and licking her tongue again, Momo spat on your dick once more and shoved her lips up to the head, kissing it, and then used her tongue to glide down the underside of your shaft, moving her hand away to lick it. 

Once she reached the base, Momo wrapped her fingers back around that pole as she began to pay special attention to your balls below. 

Squeezing your nuts with her left hand, her tongue licked over them and she stuffed one into her mouth and your toes curled at the sensation. 

You leaned up in a desperate attempt to catch a better view of your Onee-san slobbering all over your balls.

"Damn it feels good~"

Calling out to her in excitement, you bit down on your lower lip again, softly moaning. 

You soon heard the slobbering and sucking noises as Momo loudly sucked them while her right hand wanked your cock up and down, easily gliding across your saliva-soaked shaft. 

You dropped your lower lip as you felt such blissful pleasure at this very moment.

"Ohhhhh, fuck..."

As you moaned out to her once more, Momo pulled her mouth away, releasing your balls from her lips. 

She leaned back up, gazing up at your face with her devious eyes.

"Put your hands on my head and fuck my mouth~"

And that you did, hands now on the back of your sister's head. 

Momo closed her eyes, just as she felt you push her head back down; her lips sealed around your long dick and she began to suck on it once more.

'Mmmmmmmm', she softly purred a muffled voice against your shaft. 

You began to slowly buck your hips forward while holding her head in place, taking control as you fucked her mouth.

"Oh god...!" 

"MMMMMMMMMM-GWAH-GWAK-GWAK-GWAK-KWAH-GWAH"

Her mouth began to create a fusion of sucking and slobbering noises as you slowly fucked her oral hole. 

Back and forth, you rocked her lips while your cock pushed in and out. 

"MMMM-GWAH-KWAH-GWAK-GWAK-GWAK-KWAH-GWAH." 

Strings of saliva began to dangle down from the corners of her lips as you pushed her head all the way down, forcing her to devour every inch of his long pole. 

As Momo's mouth pushed down to the base, you moaned while holding her there; listening to her mouth, gagging after a few seconds. 

GWAH-KWAH-GWAK-GWAK-GWAK-KWAH-GWAH."

Momo's eyes watered up while her left hand was shoved down her thighs, playing with her pussy while sucking your cock.

At the rate she was going, you feared she would end up forcing you to blow your load in her mouth in the passing minutes. 

She knew you wouldn't be able to hold back long so she tapped your thighs as you felt and stopped your movements to release her.

She breathed in relief while long ropes of saliva dangled from your cock back to her mouth while Momo looked back into your eyes while catching her breath.

"You okay?" You asked while your cock was twitching.

"Mh-hm,"

Momo smirked, reaching out with her right hand to grab your cock once more, and began to wank it up and down as she replied.

"I'd say my mouth had enough, I think it's my tit's turn to have fun no?"

"Hehe, whatever you want."

Her soothing voice was enough to motivate your cock to react with a pulse, pretty much aching at her touch again while Momo bit down on her lower lip, quirking her eyebrows at you.

You rested your hands over the cushions as you watched Momo grab her breasts and hold them up. 

As she moved them on both sides, she reached her hand out to shove your dick between them. 

Her eyes gazed into your long pole, starring directly into the head while she squeezed her tits around it and began to slowly pump them up and down.

You let out a slight moan as you watched your sister begin to fuck you with her breasts. 

This was what any man, even the most innocent, would have wanted from k-pop idols like Momo. 

They'd be lying if they had no interest.

Momo had a body that rivels supermodels and her chest was without a doubt one of the best in the k-pop industry, even outside of it too. 

And to sit here while one of the greatest pair of tits in the world was wrapped around your dick, you couldn't ask for a better time. 

"Fuck Momo..."

Momo concentrated, licking her lips she pumped them up and down slowly. 

Since she was in control at the moment, she wanted to go slow so you could enjoy every second of her beautiful valley of breasts. 

Her breasts were so big that your cock disappeared between them. 

Only the head poked up. 

Over and over, she slowly pumped them up and down, listening to you moan.

She leaned her head down, gazing at your cock between the folds and spitting on the head.

"How close are you?"

"Really fucking close."

"Well, then go ahead and finish yourself off~"

You wasted no time beginning to buck your hips, thrusting your cock between her breasts while Momo chuckled at your increase of speed, gazing up to see the expression of pleasure across your face. 

Dropping her lower lip, she let out another moan as she called to you in a low, slutty voice.

"Fuck my titties (YN)-kun, hmmm~ how does it feel to fuck your sister's boobs~"

Letting out a grunt, you tried to maintain control over yourself. 

Momo squeezed her tits harder around your shaft, never once breaking eye contact as she had made a true attempt to drive you wild with her lust while panting as she felt every inch of your cock pumping up and down between her tits.

"I want to cum (YN)-kun~ cum for your naughty Onee-san~"

Hearing your sexy sister's talking dirty made you go further in lust. 

You started thrusting back and forth, the friction of her big breasts getting tighter around your cock, it was indescribable. 

Momo made sure to keep a firm pressure on her Otouto's cock, watching your face in full lust, and your cock head popping out from her soft, warm, mounds every time you trusted forward.

You moved your right hand to her shoulder, locking her down in place as you bucked your hips as hard as you could. 

She had you right where she wanted you, under her control by using her body. 

Momo lowered her head and began to flick her tongue across the head of your shaft each time it poked up between her tits and the cherry on top with Momo starting to suck the head of your shaft when it poked back up.

Every time you thrust forward, Momo kept licking the head of your cock with her all; fucking her tits with force, making Momo's big tits bounce and jiggle like waves in the ocean. 

You kept doing this until the head of your cock was engulfed by your sister's soft red lips, into her warm wet mouth. 

Momo was sucking you away, towards your mind-blowing orgasm.

"Ugh...Momo I'm about to-fuck!" You yelled as you felt that feeling in your cock and balls that you were about to go.

"That's good (YN)-kun~ Give me my reward~" She said, still keeping her firm grip on her breast as her she let the head of her brother's cock out of her mouth, as you were ready to burst.

She could feel your body tensing up, just as you breathed in hard and and explode you did, the first shot of his incest cum shot into the back of her wide-open mouth, the hot cum running down her throat. 

'Mmmmmm', a muffled moan could be heard from her mouth as Momo drained your balls. 

She could taste wad after wad, flowing into her mouth as your sister just sucked on your dick harder. 

She could hear you taking in a deep breath and moaning out as she milked your cock to the final drops.

You came to a complete halt, watching as her eyes looked up at you with a look on her face still of pure lustful hunger.

She released it from her mouth with a pop sound and Momo leaned up, opening her mouth to reveal to you your white seed drenched in saliva. 

She then closed her lips and loudly swallowed it before moaning.

"Hmm~ you came a lot (YN)-kun hehe~ almost drowned me~ and you're still hard~ Ara ara (YN)-kun~ your energy is impressive~"

You didn't respond as you caught your breath while Momo grinned.

"Now, it's time for some real fucking. No wasting time."

Shoving her body up against you, Momo threw her arms around your neck and began to kiss you passionately. 

You responded by wrapping your arms around her back, slowly sliding your fingers down to grab at her ass cheeks, not caring where her mouth just was or consumed.

Upon feeling your hands digging in, squeezing her plump cheeks, Momo moaned into your mouth and when the kiss ended, she looked back at you and moved her hands, promptly shoving you to sit back down as she wasted no time straddling you. 

She bent her knees after grabbing your cock with both hands, holding it forward so she could properly line herself up and come down on it. 

You attempted to help her by moving the palms of your hands beneath her ass cheeks, but it didn't matter once Momo was ready. 

She gazed down into your face and noticed that you were too busy staring down at her tits. 

That was enough to convince her of the next move, as she slammed herself down and sent your cock up inside of her pussy with a loud gasp.

"Ohhhhhh!"

"Hmmm!"

You began to buck your hips, pumping your cock into her pussy while Momo moved her hands to your shoulders to help herself up. 

She wanted to bounce for you, her huge tits were already jiggling around. 

Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp

Within a few seconds, the sound of your balls slapping up against her ass could be heard as she pumped herself down into the rhythm of you bucking your hips. 

Momo closed her eyes, arching her head back as she moaned. 

"Ohhhhhh, yeah! Fuck me Otouto!"

That beautiful long brown hair began to wave around while her breasts bounced back and forth.

Momo's pussy hammered down on your cock to the point you were forced to move your hands down to her ass. 

Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp

She arched her body forward, moving one hand to the back of your neck as she pushed your head down to where her boobs could crash over your face. 

You pushed your lips out to her right nipple, beginning to suckle back and forth to each nipple as your mouth created various slurping and slobbering sounds. 

"Mmmm~"

Momo moaned as she felt her brother's hard cock pumping into her blazing pussy, her lone nipple cold from your saliva with the other being devoured as you took all you could in your mouth. 

Her fingers clenched into your shoulders; this was her moment, as Momo was determined now to ride your cock; her brother's cock.

"Hmph! Oh fuck!"

Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp

Her voice rose in pitch as she bit down on her lower lip, feeling your cock thrust and throttle into her pussy with the way she rolled her hips. 

"Fuck me! Fuck me!"

Momo shoved you back on the couch from her breasts, leaning your right hand down below as you began to buck your hips forward in an attempt to help her as they were now locked in the act of fucking Momo gasped before coming to a halt, her hair swaying and her breasts beginning to shake as she allowed you to take over.

Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp

"That's it! Fuck me Onee-san!"

Momo leaned down, rubbing her chest up against you now as you began to buck your hips harder and faster.

"Ohhhh, ohhhhhhhh yeah!"

"Oh shit...oh shit..."

Over and over, your cock pumped in and out of your sister's tight pussy and soon feeling Momo's lips pushing against yours.

A muffled sound was heard of her attempt to moan into your mouth as their tongues began to dance together, all while you continued to thrust your cock through her cunt. 

Wrapping your arms around her, you began to move on the couch in an attempt to change the position. 

Momo threw her arms around your neck, still kissing you as she began to roll on her right side and you found a way to stand up now. 

As the kiss broke, Momo lay on her back, gazing up to see your face; your cock remained lodged inside of her but now in this position, you could look down at her perfect body while fucking her.

"Oh god! Fuck me, (YN)!!"

She cried out to you, begging now as Momo spread her legs and you soon seized them. 

After arching her built legs over your shoulders, you began to buck your hips and thrust your cock into her needy pussy again.

Squealing in pleasure, Momo screamed to you.

Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp

"Ohhhh, ohhhhhhh yeah!!"

Her breasts shook, bouncing with each thrust you sent into her until she moved her hands to catch them. 

Momo squeezed her tits together, still looking up into your eyes as she felt your fingers around her calves, curling her toes up at the feeling of your hard cock pumping into her, inch by inch. 

You continued, picking up the pace with each thrust.

Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp

"Fuck me! Ohhhhh, FUCK ME!!"

To hear Momo scream those words to you, you almost couldn't control yourself. 

You continued to thrust, listening to the sound of their bodies smacking together, studying your sister's beautiful body with each passing second; everything about her was perfection in the body of a woman in your mind.

Momo closed her eyes, moving her right hand down below to begin playing with her clit, pinching it between her fingers while using her left forearm beneath her breasts, tilting them up as her fingers twitched at her clit, Momo panted and moaned.

You knew not to stop, as you fucked her to the height of her pleasure. 

Opening her eyes, she cried out to you and then screamed.

"FUCK ME! OHHHH, OHHHHHH, OHHHHHHH (YN)!! DON'T STOP!!"

Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp-Phhhhp

She curled her toes and her feet moving about, as that was only another clue for you you had nearly fucked her into a climax. 

You grunted, trying to hold back yourself as Momo gasped and began panting. 

She dropped her lower lip, gasping at the feeling of your hard cock still pounding into her pussy. 

Her fingers furiously worked her clit back and forth as she suddenly pulled her left hand away from her body and then screamed to you in a high pitch shattering voice.

"FUCK!! OHHH, OHHHH, OHHHHHHHHHHH...GOD!!" 

As Momo screamed in experience of her orgasm, slapping sounds could be heard of your nuts smacking up against her ass. 

You still pumped your dick into her, all while moaning as she swallowed her breath as your balls slapped against the undersides of her ass as you continued to pump at your moderate pace, giving her inch after inch of your long shaft.

You didn't want to stop but the rush of your orgasm was fast approaching and on cue.

"Oh, god! Ohhhh god, I'm gonna cum!"

"No! I want you to cum on my face!"

Breathing heavily, you removed your cock as Momo adjusted herself to be facing to the right as she pushed the palms of her hands down into the cushion surface, lifting herself lightly being face to face with your cock.

You wrapped your fingers around your dick, jerking it back and forth with your right hand as you began to aim it down at her face.

"Are you gonna cum on my face Otouto~?" 

"Fuck yeah...hmm~"

She closed her eyes and opened her mouth. 

"Cum all over me (YN)~ Mmmmmmm, I want my Otouto's cum to drench my face~"

Moving directly under your cock, Momo closed her eyes after she spoke and parted her lips, audibly moaning 'ah' while you continued to wank your cock for this moment. 

There wasn't much time to wait as you soon groaned and felt your explosion begin.

"Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhhh~"

Within just a few seconds she heard you moan and then felt a thick string of cum shoot up over the right side of her forehead, drenching her eye and down her cheek. 

A thick string of cum shot from your cock, flying into the air like silly string, completely avoiding her face, instead landing into the left side of her hair, just above her ear. 

You grunted, and watched the second wad of cum shoot out of your cock and land across her right eye, drenching her eyebrow up the temple of her forehead and down her cheek. 

Momo giggled upon feeling the warm cum splash across her skin. 

A third wad of cum came out of your dick, splashing into her closed right eyelid while Momo giggled again, sticking her tongue out in a desperate attempt to catch any droplets of your seed.

"Oh my god, Momo..."

A few drops rained down onto her forehead, followed by another sticky string that slathered her left eye and forehead and again, Momo giggled and kept her eyes closed. 

She stuck her tongue out again but soon felt the last wad of cum fall directly onto the right side temple of her face, drenching her hair above.

As your spurts began to weaken into drops, he held his cock over her forehead to empty out the final drops. 

You were out of breath and appeared spent and lowered the head of your cock to her lips, squeezing it to get the last remaining drops out. 

Her face was a complete wreck in your hot seed, almost like layers of icing over a beautiful cake. 

As you were finished, Momo slowly opened her eyes. 

She blinked, feeling the cum in her eye lids while a few drops fell from her eye brows, somewhat disappointed she didn't catch a single drop from above and the last bit of your cum had to be squeezed out, rubbing your cock against her lips, watching Momo eagerly part them and suck it clean.

"Damn...fucking hell Momo..."

At a loss of words, you didn't know what to say while standing there and gazing down at her cum drenched face. 

You were satisfied to know you managed to unload several spurts for her as Momo gasped after swallowing what few drops of your semen she sucked from your cock. 

Raising both of her hands, she wiped the cum from her closed eyes and could finally open them and see again.

"Heh~ Glad we did it?" She asked with a shit-eating grin as you nodded.

"Very...much..."

"Well, you know it's kind of unfair that you got to cum twice and me once."

You downgraded to gentle breaths as you smiled.

"I'm guessing you want to change that?"

Momo smirked.

"Get on your knees and turn this way," she commanded as you didn't know what she wanted, but you kneeled and turned your body a bit to the left of her, facing probably 30 degree angle from Momo, "good, now lean your head back,"

You understood now.

With your head leaned back, Momo rose from her lying position, feeling the effects of your onslaught of her pussy, but she's hoping this will be a more softer touch.

Momo now stood in front of you, you were eye level of your sister's pussy and not wasting more time, Momo planted herself down onto your mouth.

"Go ahead~ eat out your Onee-san~"

Soon, Momo was sliding her pussy from your chin all the way up to your forehead, leaving you sticky with her fluids and letting them slide into your mouth. 

"Lick me," she ordered. 

You did as she said while she grounded her pussy against your face. 

Her thrusts were forceful without being painful, and there was just enough time between them for you to breathe a little through your mouth, although it felt like her juices were all the way inside your nose. 

"Oh that's it~ stick your tongue in there (YN)-kun~"

She seemed to be done lubricating your face and now kept her grinding over your tongue.

As she dumped more and more of her pre cum into your mouth, you alternated between lapping it up and sucking it out of her as she grew bolder, really fucking your tongue. 

You licked her faster and faster, and moved your head from side to side, occasionally turning it altogether and biting her thighs so she could fuck the sides of your face again.

"No~ I didn't say do that~" She cooed and ultimately held your head down so you could only face her.

That was fine, you loved watching her titties bounce and collide into each other. 

You could feel her muscles contract around your tongue as you licked her in just the right way, and her lips opening to let her wet juices out as you lapped at them, her face contorting in time with her gyrations and with the spasming of her cunt.

"That feels so good~" she moaned as she looked straight down at you. 

She locked eyes with yours and you could see the pleasure in her eyes as you moaned straight back into her cunt, completely submissive to her desires.

"Ah (YN)-kun! I'm gonna come soon!" she exclaimed.

You moaned into her cunt approvingly as she rode faster and faster. 

"I want you to latch your lips onto it when I cum! Don't you waste a single drop!" 

Her attitude leapt between blissfully absent, dominant and an all out frenzy.

"Hmph~"

You moaned into her cunt again as she kept riding and her moans kept coming with more and more frequency. 

You were in ecstasy. 

She kept grinding and moaning, until finally her moans became quick and heavy. 

"Fucking suck on it, ah!" she was arched over you and you latched your lips around hers, feeling as wads of her cum streamed into your mouth with the pulsations of her body. 

Her nails digging into your scalp and gripping your hair.

"Ah yeah (YN)-kun! Oh my god that's ama-ohhh! Ahhhh..."

Her hips bucked, and she kept grinding away until her orgasm while you licked up the streams of cum. 

"Hmmm~"

"Ohhh...Ohhhh..."

You relished the feeling of her cumming in your mouth, as what was a forceful grip on your hair turned into a caress between sighs and pants.

You swallowed all the juices of your sister in a quick pace, feeling drops on your chin as Momo twitched in her post orgasm sensitivity.

She seemed completely satisfied, and your sure she could tell you were too. 

Half a minute passed and Momo slowly hopped off your mouth, looking to meet your gaze and her work as she brought a hand on your chin, collecting the leftover cum and then smoothing over her slit, feeling your work.

You saw her fingers moist and then pointed at your mouth with them.

Getting the hint, you opened your mouth as Momo inserted her fingers inside after.

You clenthed your lips around her fingers and Momo pulled away, leaving her fingers dryer as the remains of her juices were left in your mouth.

"Good boy..." she complimented and slowly sat on the couch, leaning back on the cusions, huffing from her orgasm.

You joined her on her left as Momo laid her head on her shoulder.

"Amazing work, Onee-san..."

You didn't respond, keeping quiet as you relished the aftermath of the sex with your sister.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

As Momo laid on you, her eyes fixed on the desk with the scattered notes and laptop. 

The dimly lit room was filled with an uneasy tension as Momo wanted close comfort.

The minutes ticked away, reminding her that their time together was drawing to a close. 

You would be leaving in a day, and the thought of being separated from you weighed heavily on Momo's heart.

Even after getting your promise of staying, she still hated that you had to leave again. 

"Aishiteimasu (YN)-kun," (I love you (YN)-kun) she announced as you turned to her sight.

"Soshite Momo-nee o aishiteimasu," (And I love you Momo-nee)

You two smiled at another as their energy was zapped by their actions as Momo started to close her eyes.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Uhh...Momo..."

"Hmm?"

"I know we're tired, but I think we really need to wash these cushions asap."

Momo opened her eyes and looked down at the couch.

"Oh...uh oh..."

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

TIMESKIP

Sunday morning

THUMP...THUMP...CRANK...

"This is as far as we can go Momo. Sorry." You stated as Momo sighed.

Usually, the airport terminal was bustling with travelers and the hum of conversations, a symphony of goodbyes and reunions. 

But not for a trio. 

You and Momo sat in the back seat of your rental, as a manager drove them to the airport.

After picking up the girls from the cabin, you two informed them of how it was coming along and they were impressed at how much information you two received in a day, but there was much to do.

So after dropping them off at their dorm, you and Momo went to travel around to a couple more companies to discuss several notions and regulations, but seeing as they couldn't do much more, it was a few hours before returning to the dorm and spending the rest of Saturday with the girls.

Sadly, days go faster when fun happens and nighttime quickly came.

You, Momo, Jeongyeon, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Sana all slept in the living room after a long night of gaming and the rest in their rooms.

Morning came along and with you leaving early, only goodbyes were enough to have before you had to leave.

Saying a goodbye to each one, they bid you farewell as you, Momo and a manager of theirs went off with you and Momo in your rental car and their manager in a car behind to take Momo back when you drop off the car.

The sun was just beginning to cast long shadows across the highway and weighed heavily on Momo, who struggled to hide her sadness.

You tried to break the heavy silence that had settled in the car constantly during the ride, turning to Momo with a warm smile each time, your eyes filled with affection and then concern as Momo kept her eyes out the window.

CLICK

After parking in the free short-term parking lot for Momo to swap cars, her manager pulled up on the right of them.

 You undid your seatbelt and turned to Momo, reached out, and gently patted her on the shoulder. 

Momo turned to you; her silence spoke volumes, and it was a language you understood all too well.

Even with this plan in action, you two knew it wouldn't be simple to formulate something and deliver it to their parents.

This morning before heading off, you had to let Momo know that this could take a bit of more time to figure this out.

It wasn't enough for Momo, but at least it was something.

She was grateful for your efforts, but the reality of your departure was overwhelming and she managed a weak smile, nodding in understanding.

While the week they had was fun, a much-needed reunion, it was time for you to return home.

"Hopefully this will be the last time you return to Japan," Momo said as you smiled at her.

"Come here." 

You raised your arms out and Momo unleashed her seatbelt as well and shifted into your hug, giving you a very tight embrace.

"Don't worry, it'll take maybe a week to get this sorted out and then I'll tell them. I'll tell you when I do okay?" You said to her, your arms around her as well.

"It better be a week," Momo complained as she lowered her grip and shifted her head away, your hands were now on her shoulders, "but I guess if it needs to be good, I'll give a week and one day."

"How charitable of you," Momo chuckled under you, but now it was time for the hard part.

If she was within her manager's sight, Momo would have given you a big kiss goodbye, but with her manager...damn she thought.

You two let the hug go slowly as Momo opened the door on her side.

Momo turned to you from her position as you looked at her.

"I love you," she stated.

"Love you more," you returned as Momo gave one final nod to you as you did the same and closed the passenger door and into the manager's car.

Getting in, she turned to see you driving off, deeper into the airport as Momo watched her brother until you disappeared from view, her heart heavy but filled with hope for their future. 

She knew that this goodbye was just a temporary parting, and she held onto the promise that you had made. 

"I know how difficult it is to say goodbye to family," she heard her manager as Momo nodded in your direction still, "but if it's any consolation, in our line of work, time passes very quickly and before you know it, he'll be back." Her manager attempted to bring some morale into her as Momo turned to him.

"I know. It's just sad to see him go."

"It always is. Ready?" He asked as Momo clicked her seatbelt and nodded slowly, her eyes turning to the airport as her manager proceeded to do a U-turn and leave the airport through the exit.

'I hope everything goes well...I believe in you (YN)-kun,' was Momo's last thought as they left the area.

=================================================

AND THAT'S THAT!

So, yeah, this isn't the final chapter of Momo's story.

As I kept writing, I realized that the chapter felt so rushed and not enough detail to my liking so I went back to the beginning to re-write/add more details here and there and it got to me thinking that it was taking WAY too long to finish up while I got other works to do.

Originally was suppose to have 2 smuts, but decided to extend the first one to that and leave the second one with Part 4.

I have already part of Part 4 but I didn't want to release a semi-crappy/rushed ending. I want it to have feels and such so I decided to cut off from the ending here and go to work on Part 4. 

Now hopefully some of you will see (YN)'s side of wanting to be a family again. It might not be what most of you would be thinking like Jeongyeon said, but being with them and working alongside them, a connection could be formed, even if it's not that close.

And it's not as if they abused or anything, they just ignored you both.

And now my plans going forward.

I won't be working on my ONESHOT book as I'll be focusing on my SMUT and COACH books now.

Smuts I have way too much to write and Coach I really want to progress.

I am sorry for the lateness of my writing, and I'm not making excuses, but I am lazy af and I was holding off on writing for a bit.

Plus, it's pretty difficult to make each story different from each other so I'm trying my best to make each one feel unique-ish.

Anyway, that's all I got to say.

Thanks for taking a pause in your life to reading this! Vote/Comment if you want and thanks again!

[narcissistcookbook]

about thirteen or fourteen years ago @inkylizard told me about this show Sleep No More (description beneath the cut) they'd seen in an early run in Boston, and i had such bittersweet feelings listening to them talk about it because 1) it was absolutely my kind of thing, and 2) it was basically impossible to see it because it was so far away (i'm Scotland-based)

and since then i probably thought about the show more than most people who have seen it. i ended up working some of what kit described to me into my own music and shows, in a very vague sense

anyway, fast forward over a decade and i'm in NYC for ten days prior to tour and kit tells me that Sleep No More is still on, and it's about to close forever so this is my first and last chance to see it

so anyway

i finally saw it and it was amazing. for once hype wasn't the joy killer. it was inspiring and empowering and it's made me want to explore some of the more outlandish ideas that have been tickling my brain in terms of music writing/performance

i almost went again today, but low energy mixed with a fear of not wanting to dilute the magic by returning to the source convinced me otherwise. i think it means more to me to wait over a decade to see it, and then never be able to see it again.

Brief description of Sleep No More if you haven't seen it and aren't aware of it, told from the perspective of someone who had it described to them once and then saw it once 13 years later and has done no reading or research beyond that. Apologies if I describe it in a way that makes you squirm and go "nooo you aren't explaining it right" 💜

Sleep No More is an adaptation of Macbeth told mostly through the medium of Dance and Vibes. It takes place across the breadth and depth of an entire five floor building called the McKittrick Hotel, which is a dreamlike network of TV/movie-quality sets (a ballroom, a hotel, a city apartment, hell, a street of open shops, a mental hospital, a forest, witches' dens, a huge room full clocks connected to a tiny prayer vestibule, there's too many to mention) and masked audience members are encouraged to wander freely and explore the entirety of the building in any way they like

all the sets are fully explorable and designed to be examined in close detail. if you dig around you'll find letters, medical records, diaries, a fully stocked and unguarded sweet shop, hidden dressing rooms, discarded props, again much more than I could list off here. rooms have backrooms which have other backrooms. secret passageways connect parts of the building/story to other parts.

and through all this the cast are whirling and screeching and sprinting from place to another with little regard for who is or isn't following their storyline. at one point I was one of only two people watching an actor sew up a disembowled teddybear in a child's bedroom - and in the mirror, the same bedroom was reflected covered in blood. at another I was the only person watching a nurse tuck a man made of rocks into a hospital bed. at another, I turned a corner and one of the witches (with about twenty people in tow struggling to keep up) barrelled into me on their way to a scene elsewhere (he stopped and gave me a boop on the nose). another time, i walked into what I thought was an empty interrogation room only to realise after *far too long* that one of the characters was hiding in there with me

and on top of all this, each character has a scene they will only perform to one other audience member chosen by them

the magic for me is that not only can you not see the whole show in a single visit, but that it's basically impossible for anyone to see the whole show period no matter how hard they try. someone i know has seen it seven times and i've seen parts of it that they didn't even know about. it creates a sense of longing for what you'll never see, a sense of loss for the parts you missed, and a deep sense of personal connection with what you were lucky enough to see

what a banger

[howlingday]

Ya viste epic the musical vengeance saga.

Porque imagina un escenario de rusted knight con curious cat en ever after como odysseus torturando a Poseidón

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

CC: Or what. You cant kill me

Jaune: Exactly

You've already seen epic the musical vengeance saga. Because imagine a rusted knight scenario with curious cat in ever after as Odysseus torturing Poseidon

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

"Finally... There it is..." Jaune said with quaking breath. After so long in the Ever After, the literal decades he spent reliving the same nightmare over and over again, he'd finally made it to the tree. And at the edge of that tree is a door. And beyond that door, home.

And waiting at home were his friends. His family. His beloved and their child. She'd be waiting after she left before him with their little darling in her arms. Really, could a man be blamed for weeping and tripping over himself trying to reach his love?

"Neo..." Suddenly, the tree began to shift, and its branch dipped low. "What?" The door to the other side began to sink. "No..." And it kept sinking. "NOOO!" Jaune leapt for the door but was knocked away by something much larger than himself. Something that greeted with a malevolent grin.

"There you are~." The Curious Cat's smile fell. "Coward." What was once a small cat, no bigger than your average tabby, had become something of a cross between a human and a jungle predator, twice the size of both. The cat gave a chuckle, circling Jaune.

"I've been waiting for this moment, for the perfect time to strike." It glanced to the door. "Your home is so close, you've reached the tree, and what better time for us to collide? I am trapped here. You are trapped here. And if I can't escape, then neither can you."

Jaune blinked. And the cat was gone. He looked to his left and right. Up and down. Forward and-

"Into the branches." The cat press their claws into Jaune's shoulder, digging through the rusted armor. "Go under the branches." Its breath burned into his neck. "Or I'll break through that door, and kill everyone you know. Into the branches."

"Wait..." Jaune shivered.

"Go to the branches."

"Stop this, please..."

"I'll jump on every human there, pounce your child while your wife just stares..."

"NO!" Jaune swung back, only to be knocked to his back by a paw.

"GO TO THE BRANCHES!" Bellowed the beast as eyes glared into Jaune's as he kicked away. "GO TO THE BRANCHES! These games have gone long enough! Don't think you've grown so tough! GO TO THE BRANCHES!" Jaune kicked the cat's nose, making it yelp in pain. He ran for the door but was crushed beneath the weight of the monster. "I'll find your wife and make her blind! Unless you choose to stay behind! GO TO THE BRANCHES!"

"Haven't you done enough?!" Jaune shouted. "You've already tried this 20 years ago! It only led to more pain, so just let me go! If you could really break through, then let me go through and I'll wait for you there!"

The cat became quiet, letting off of Jaune. "I can't."

"Then... couldn't you just let me go?"

"NO." Jaune was struck in the side with such ruthlessness. He was launched into one of the branches without mercy. Here, at the end of the world, he could only wonder what the Curious Beast had planned for the two of their selves. Claws the size of swords came crashing down for Jaune. "DIIIE!"

Jaune opened his eyes, having shut them for so long, before finding himself in another world. Looking around, he saw weapons hanging from glass cases. He walked towards one, where a familiar sword and shield hung, their bronze finish reflecting a face he hadn't seen in so long.

"Do you have any spots left on your team?"

In another glass case, there was a red scythe that could shift into a high-packed, combat... It's also a gun! And next to it was a grenade launcher with heart-shaped grenades, and next to that was a knife between two pistols!

"You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do."

"I still think a grenade launcher would've really brought the whole look together."

"And I you."

"We're waiting for you, Jaune~!" The voices sang together. "We'll be waiting! Waiting~! Waiting~! Oooh~!"

"I'll see you guys soon..." Jaune whispered.

"And who exactly will greet them?" A voice said behind him. He turned and saw the Blacksmith, greeting with their usual neutral grimace. Jaune looked down for a moment, then nodded to them.

"The only person I know," he said, reaching for a weapon, "who can use this."

The Beast circled the wooden figure of Jaune, cackling at its victory. Now and then, it would flick a claw into him. Nothing deep. Only superficial marks. But soon the game was getting boring and it was time to finish this. Nobody knew what happened to those who perished while inside the other side, but maybe this would be a good learning experience; another curious question answered. Placing a paw on Jaune's head, the beast began to squeeze until the wood began to splinter and crack.

"AGH!" A sword pierced through the statue, stabbing into the Beasts chest. Breaking through in a shining light was Jaune Arc. One much younger and stronger than he was before. And in his hands, and along his back, were the weapons he needed to fight the Beast. "YOU-!"

"Shut up." Jaune crashed his shield into the jungle cat's nose, a sickening crack echoing through the branches. Shortly after, a concussive blast sent it sprawling back, tumbling over itself. "I'm going home, and YOU can't stop me." Sheathing the blade and taking hold of a rifle, he aimed down the sights to now fearful Curious Cat. "I'm going home to my baby. And I'm going home to my WIFE!" A shot was fired, whizzing through the cat's ear, making it shriek in pain.

Blinking through the pain, the cat ran in a circle around Jaune as he continued to fire on the monster. Once empty, he took hold of the scythe and closed the distance, swiping with such fury that he often found himself off-balance. The Beast, grinning at this, eagerly met the huntsman, only to find it was a trap for a full magazine of bullets to be fired into its face.

"How many times?!" Hefting a hammer, Jaune smashed into the Beast over and over. "How many people have you killed?! How many of them were my friends?! HOW MANY MORE BEFORE YOU'RE SATISFIED?!"

Every blow caused an explosion that both struck the Beast deaf and blind and caused Jaune to be tossed away. He grit his teeth and jumped back in until the pain was too much and he dropped the hammer. All he had left was his sword and shield; the same one he fell into the Ever After with.

Looking to the door, there was nothing. It was gone. Jaune was now trapped in this world between worlds. Forever.

"Fool..." The Beast, spilling black blood from its wounds, chuckled. "You're trapped now. Forever. With me. I couldn't break through, so I broke the door instead. You were so blind with vengeance, you never noticed that you'll never get home!"

Jaune drew his sword. "You're bringing back that door."

"Or what?" The Beast cackled. "You can't kill me!"

Jaune stepped forward. Fear filled the Beast's eyes again.

"I KNOW."

"Wait..." Jaune raised Crocea Mors. "WAIT- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

[misteria247]

1981 Journal Entry #2:

I've lost track of how long I've been plagued by the nightmare. All I know is that I get very little sleep, and it's starting to take its toll. I've been trying to research what I can about that Mystery Caller who had started this whole thing. There's very little I've been able to find. I'd gone through countless documents and books and everything that Gravity Falls has to offer. Yet it alludes me, the answer to this nightmarish game. I'm starting to turn to the more docile anomalies to try and find answers. And what I've been getting has been.......unsettling.

For example, the other day when me, Lee and F were on a field expedition. The Leprecorns (which I personally do not like) were talking to F and Lee. Seemingly enjoying their presence and conversation, while I took notes and drew rough sketches in my journal. When one of them approached me. He was an older Leprecorn, with a slightly weathered face and eyes that held the sheen of an older man. He was staring at me, not saying a word, to the point where it made me squirm from it. It felt like he was staring straight through me like the eyes that lurked in the shadows in my nightmare.

After what felt like eons he finally spoke.

"......You've been marked laddie."

I don't think I'd ever felt my stomach drop so fast at a simple sentence, that by all accounts had nothing to do with me. I glanced up to make sure that Lee and F were still distracted before I responded to him in a low tone.

"What do you mean by that? I don't-"

The Leprecorn interrupted me at that moment, his tone firm and damning.

"Ey, I recognize the look son. You haven't been sleeping have ya? It's because yer marked. By something foul, something dark. I've seen it before. Others who've been marked by the beast."

I couldn't breathe, because I knew somehow deep in my very bones that he was talking about that anomaly who had called into the station. The anomaly who had been haunting my dreams.

"The beast....? Who is this creature? What does it want with me?"

I'd inquired, perhaps a bit desperately, wanting to know what I was up against. Instead I was met with a grim, somber expression. Like.....like he was staring at a dead man.

"I don't know much myself lad. No one really knows about the beast. But......we do know that those who are marked do not meet a good end. Just.......be careful boy. He watches."

And then he'd left, seemingly done with the conversation. Leaving me shaken beyond belief. It took everything I had to not show it when F and Lee were finally done with their conversation and we'd packed up to head home. I don't think I was successful though, because my brother stuck to my side for the rest of the evening. As if he sensed that I wasn't okay at all. I don't know what being marked means, nor do I want to. I just want this to end, before someone else is dragged into this eldritch horror.

I'm going to try and get some sleep tonight. I can't let whatever this thing is win. I'd rather die than let him stand victorious over me. I'm going to do research on how to stop the calls as well. One encounter was enough.

Signing off

Stanford Pines

1981 Journal Entry #2 continued time 3AM:

I can't stop shaking.

I can't stop, my hands they're trembling from the nightmare. It was different, after so long with the same thing it changed.

The voices from the shadows they spoke to me. They said my name, surrounded by the static of that anomaly. His tone sounded cheerful but somehow I know that it was a rouse. He wasn't cheerful at all.

He was angry.

Like a lion in a cage, he had his fangs bared towards me. He....he'd said that if I keep digging, if I don't play his game........I was going to regret it.

I don't know what he means by that. But I can take whatever he throws at me, I'm not weak. I can handle any blows he's got for me. And yet.....

Why can I not shake the feeling that something awful is on the horizon?

Signing off

Stanford Pines

[nnightskiess]

the dance of death, part three

₊° - 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴��� 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴, 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴. 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴.

the dance of death, masterlist

☾ ⋆*·:⋆*·:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

𝐄𝐧𝐢𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞'𝐬... maze of hallways, trying to find the vampire where she knew she could usually be found. Perhaps the more rational part of her brain had tried to convince her to let it go, but the part that was currently jumping in enthusiasm from the prospects of solving a mysterious tale and by doing so, helping out her stoic dormie, was too loud to be overthrown.

"Yoko!"

The vampire turned around upon hearing her name being called out, saw Enid skidding up to her with an untamed enthusiasm, and stopped,

"Yoko, tell me everything there is to know about a violin player at school."

The ageless girl shrunk visibly at Enid's cotton-candy mood that made her head hurt and she rolled her eyes, glancing backwards to try and see if there was a way out of this one, "Not you too, Enid." She sighed once she realised there wasn't, and she did not have it in her to harshly turn Enid away from it as she had done with Wednesday. It was like stepping on a puppy dog's tail, "It's best to forget about it. Trust me."

Enid's smile disappeared, "Why?"

"It'll save you trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Enid was beyond confused at her friend's behaviour. Sure, Yoko was a little more closed off than others- though never as much as Wednesday- that had always been the case, but she was being weird about this. Too weird.

"Are you asking for yourself or your dormie?" Yoko pursed her lips and squinted at her, knowing Enid had a habit of wanting to help out others, and if that was the case, she needed to steer Enid another way. She'd tried to do the same with the new Addams girl, and though she could care less if something happened to her, she cared about Enid's well-being. Still, not only Enid's well-being was put on the line with this one. Nevermore could be in trouble if the contrasting duo unearthed this secret.

Still as confused as ever, Enid tilted her head to the side like a young lost pup, "Would it matter?"

"It would. Have you heard the violin or was it Wednesday who heard it?" Yoko shifted her weight as her eyes travelled around the hall to observe their surroundings. If any other person were to hear of this, she would unleash a certain kind of trouble that she was sure Nevermore didn't need on top of all the disappearances and the murders. With a derogative glare, she stared at the perky girl in front of her, trying to get an answer out of her this way. She didn't want to hurt Enid's feelings, but a little intimidation was good if it could save the girl in the end.

"I um, I have, I think..., I mean, it was late, so I was inside and well-" Enid bluffed, "-but what's this-"

Yoko cut her off and caught on to her lie straight away, seeing as Enid refused to make eye contact that lasted longer than a second. Enid was too pure to be able to lie without shame or get away with it. "So, you haven't. Keep it that way, Enid. Trust me. Whatever Wednesday is digging up, you have to bury it."

"But what could be so horrible about a violin player?" Enid's lip curled into a pout, realising she had reached a dead end. The cogs in her brain were already working to come up with a new solution to get her answers. Because even if this had started as a task to help out her new roommate, Enid couldn't deny and say she hadn't grown curious over time as well. If no one knew a violin player and Yoko, who had been at Nevermore the longest and always seemed to know everything about its mysteries, was reluctant to give her answers, then there was more to the story.

"Look, I know you're too keen on finding it out to let this go, so just ask Xavier. But keep me out of it. And after you've got your answers, you need to forget about her, okay? Not everything at Nevermore needs to see the light."

"Her? Who, Wednesday? Wait, you mean- It's a girl?!" Enid perked up, sensing this was a victory of some sort. A small one, but a victory nonetheless.

Yoko had already turned on her heel and quickly rushed out of the hallway, back into the shadows, debating if this encounter was something she should tell Weems or keep to herself. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to keep an extra eye out for whatever the two roomies were cooking up.

Enid sucked in a sharp breath of surprise as something clawed at her legs, but as she looked down and saw Thing, she relaxed and picked him up.

"Did you hear all that, Thing?" She let him crawl onto her shoulder and watched him sign, "Off to Xavier we go then, but you have to stay hidden, I'm not sure he'll be as open if he knows Wednesday is up to something."

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Seeing as it was the early afternoon, it wasn't hard to know where to find the boy; he stood collecting his arrows from the target with a pensive look on his face, as if he was solving the greatest riddle inside his mind. He seemed deep in thought, troubled even. Enid couldn't quite tell if the change of his expression when he saw her stemmed from relief or annoyance. Nonetheless, she hurried as Thing quickly hid in her backpack. He zipped it shut as best as he could right as Enid halted in front of the boy,

"Xavier! Tell me everything you know about a girl at school who plays the violin- go!"

He pulled out the last arrow with a huff before turning to her with furrowed brows. He wasn't sure what he had expected once he saw the bubbly girl approach him, but this surely hadn't been it. His confusion quickly turned to unease as he realised what this meant; someone had heard her again at Nevermore. There was no other explanation to it, seeing as each principal Nevermore Academy had ever had since it had happened, had forfeited any string instrument from the school grounds. He still didn't understand why Weems had let Wednesday allow the girl to bring and play her cello at the Academy, but it seemed that the consequences of that had now been brought to stand in front of him.

"It's fine, Yoko told me to ask you, and I promise to keep my nose out of it afterwards."

He gave her a calculated look, doubting the truth behind that statement, "How do you know about this in the first place?" He walked back after collecting all the arrows, hoping it would make Enid drop the subject, but deep down knowing the girl would follow him around until he had given her something useful.

"Nothing goes passed me at this school." She beamed with pride, but Xavier wasn't impressed with the answer, and she could tell. "Fine, a secret for a secret then?"

Xavier locked his jaw, thinking long and hard about this. He wasn't sure if he should trust one of the school's biggest gossips; no matter how pure-hearted Enid was, she was known to blab if she was enthusiastic. Still, he realised, the girl wasn't part of the Nightshades, so how the hell did she know?

"Hm, right. But you have to let it go afterwards." He pulled her to the side, away from the prying ears of studying kids. "During some nights, after the clock strikes a certain hour, a violin can be heard. But not everywhere, only at certain points in the school. As if it travels... it never lingers or sounds from just one place. It's been said that as soon as you hear it, you're done for. You then begin to hear it everywhere, see and hear her even in your dreams until she'll make you grow insane and then kill you out of mercy. It dates back to the 1800s or something, I don't even know. It's a ghost story to make us kids stick to the curfew," He bluffed and stared at her with a look of finality, hoping the girl would accept his story.

Enid made a face, "That's underwhelming. Who'd be scared of a girl playing the violin? And if it's just a ghost story, then why is everyone telling me to-"

"Let it go now," He finished her sentence, "-like you promised, yes?" He glared at her and gave her a curt nod as she mumbled out an agreement, but both Yoko's and Xavier's behaviour had only heightened her intrigue.

Xavier wasn't done with her yet, "A secret for a secret you said, so where did you hear this all?"

Enid blew her cheeks like a puffer fish before opening it to stammer out a few words. She hadn't really thought of what fake secret she would try and present to him.

The boy took her silence as a sign that whatever would leave her mouth next, wouldn't be the truth, "Let me guess, Wednesday?" Xavier sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course that damned Addams girl would dig her nose into Nevermore's secrets and bring terror upon them all. Maybe it hadn't been such a coincidence that all the disappearances and murders had happened the moment Wednesday Addams had enrolled.

"No!" Enid gasped, "Who told you that?"

"You, just now, with the guilty look on your face." He shook his head, "Listen, just drop it. And it would do you good to tell Wednesday to do the same, this school already has enough on its plate as it is." He walked off with his arrows in his hand and Enid heard her backpack zip back open.

"Oh, I know, Thing...but if we don't tell her and she goes to investigate herself, we might get her into even more trouble. Right... I forgot about that-" She looked around, not caring if people thought she was mad for talking to a severed hand, "But I'm sure she'd appreciate us having snooped either way, even if she told us not to. Right?" She chuckled uneasily, trying to convince herself of her words, but rushed back to Ophelia Hall nonetheless.

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The annoying clattering of a typewriter filled their dorm in Ophelia Hall's attic as Enid rushed through the door. Wednesday stopped momentarily at the harsh interruption, barely shifted her head to the right and glanced at her through her peripheral before deeming Enid's enthusiasm as casual and going back to her writing. But though Enid was indeed a cheerful girl most of the time, her enthusiasm wasn't casual.

"Wednesday!" She shrieked, making the girl stop her writing once more, "You've got to listen to what we found out."

Wednesday turned in her chair and slightly lifted up her chin, signalling Enid to continue.

"Before you get mad- I just couldn't help myself and I stumbled upon-"

"You went and talked to Yoko." Wednesday deadpanned.

Enid's expression flashed with surprise "How do you-"

Wednesday pushed herself out of her seat, "If you're to help me, you really ought to be more discreet. And you-" She turned to Thing who rested against Enid's shoulder, "-should be on my side. Or have you forgotten the promise I made you if you were to betray me again?"

Thing cowered behind Enid's blonde locks, who immediately came to both their defences, "But we did it to help you." She shrugged innocently, finding comfort in fiddling with her fingers as Wednesday's hard glare grew a little uncomfortable.

Wednesday crossed her arms and tilted her head, giving the two a long and silent once-over, "Well?"

Enid let out a breath, having thought this moment would have gone way worse than for Wednesday to just brush it off. But Wednesday was too curious to find out what they had to say to think of creating vendettas.

"Your violin player; she's a girl."

Wednesday tilted her head to the other side but waited patiently for more to come. She let the answer sink in though, and she hated with all her might how she felt herself growing even more intrigued purely based on that small detail.

"But...everyone seems to be a little weird about her?" Enid frowned, just as Wednesday did once she noticed the slip-up of Enid's words.

"Everyone? Who else have you talked to?"

Enid widened her eyes and straightened her posture. She took in a sharp breath and focused on the floorboards, "Um-"

"Enid." Wednesday's tone of voice as she spoke her name was enough of a warning to make Enid confess.

"Well, Yoko you know..." She swallowed, "-but maybe also with Ajax earlier..." She carefully watched Wednesday's expression, then deemed it safe enough to add the person she had last spoken to, "-and maybe there's a small chance I might've talked to Xavier, too."

Wednesday's nostrils flared in annoyance and frustration, for now, half of the members of the Nightshades were aware of her sticking her nose in Nevermore's business. Still, asking around about a violin player should be deemed as an innocent thing, as her just wanting to know who also harboured a great talent for playing a string instrument. There should be nothing dangerous about that. So why had the look in Yoko's eyes given her the idea that the answer to her blameless question would bring death and destruction upon them all?

"Do they know why you asked?"

"Um, no... not specifically..." Enid mumbled out quietly, but upon seeing Wednesday's brows furrowing even more, she broke, "They figured it out... look- I'm sorry, okay! But it didn't sound to me like you should continue your search, so maybe it's best if you stop now." Enid walked over to her with a bright and supportive grin and brought up her hands to gently hold onto the girl's arms. She refrained from doing so when she saw Wednesday look at them with a death stare and slowly pulled them back to her sides.

Wednesday took a step back, not liking how Enid's overly sweet perfume mixed with her body lotion wafted into her nose. It was already torture enough to have to smell it from afar from her side of the room, "What are you implying?" She continued, Enid's last words not having left her yet.

"I just... they seemed scared and worried when I asked. I don't know... gut feeling... or maybe that's just my suppressed wolf making me feel weird. It was a full moon last night, after all." Enid quickly rubbed at her temple, not wanting to seem silly for thinking the way she had.

"Interesting."

If the members of the Nightshades, who held most information about the school's history and secrets, had grown uneasy upon being asked about her mysterious violinist, then she definitely wasn't going to back down now. Wednesday thrived off fear and would go look for it where it could be found in overflow. And so, instead of Enid's warning having the proper effect to scare her off, it drew her closer to wanting to find out all about the violin player, to find out all about her. She'd thought Yoko's initial comment about a horror story had just been a way to tantalise her, but maybe there was more truth to it than she had thought at first. It seemed as if Wednesday was going to have to pay a little visit to the underground Nightshades Library soon.

𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

☾ ⋆*·:⋆*·:⠀ *⋆.*:·ﾟ .: ⋆*·ﾟ: .⋆

© 𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘀

@ghostheartbeat @the-night-owl-blr @engenelxver @screechcat @mary-jinx @mxal24 @novastargalaxydesigns @randomawesomeperson102 @reginassweetheart @mjoiner1136 @rockwyn @lostgirl1415 @rainbow-love4ever @the-lazy-turtle @elduster @queen-bunny @ghostheartbeat

[lwde-encrusted-sideblog]

Winter and willow have horny react to rusted knight jaune

Since I've done Winter, I'll just do Willow.

Jaune: Mrs. Schnee, It's a pleasure to meet you again!

Willow: Oh My~ Aren't you a Well-Braised Piece of Man~ I would remember seeing someone like you~

Jaune: Mrs. Schnee?!?

Willow: Please, call me Willow~ ... Or if you must call me with an honorific, at least call me miss sense the bastard died.

Jaune: What was that?

Willow: Oh! Just call me Willow~

Jaune: Well then Willow, It's nice to see you again. Hey, uh, where's the bathroom?

Willow: I can show you~

~~~~~

Willow bounced on Jaune's lap, pushing her breasts into his face.

Willow: You've grown Q-Quite a lot, Hav- Ah~ H-Haven't you! And such Natural as well~

Jaune Couldn't responded beyond a muffled moan, burying his face into the soft chest of the MILF, sucking on her teats, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of the Mature Schneehind.

Willow: MMmM~ You fill me up so Nicely~ I fear my Daughter may have lost out on a real Man~

Willow: I think it's time to give them a Sibling, if you'd be so kind~ Your pulse is quickening, and you're Moving so much in inside me!

Jaune: *Affirmative Moan*

Willow increased the pace of her bouncing.

Willow: Cum inside! Please! Squeeze my ass! Suck my tits! Treat me like some Mantlese Streetwalker!

Jaune started lifting his hips to meet her off of the chair they were in, Willow's arousal seeping into the expensive upholstery

Willow: That's it Big Boy~ Now you're Get- Get- AAHH~

Willow came, making her legs go limp.

Jaune lifted Willow of their chair, pinning her against the wall, going from her breasts to her neck, planting his mouth right on her pulse, nipping and sucking on her, leaving harsh love marks all over.

Willow: GODS! You're Perfect~~

And with that, Jaune came, deep inside.

Willow: MMM~ Thank you Mister Arc~ Unfortunately my legs are still exhausted~ Would you mind carrying me to my bed~

Jaune: I ... Don't mind at all. I could use some rest as well.

Willow: You my rest with me as long as you like~

[he-goes-down]

There Was A Time:

Previous chapters/ warnings

9. Patience:

A/n: THIS IS SO SHIT SORRY, THIS IS A FILLER CHAPTER AND I REALLY JUST WANTED TO USE PATIENCE IN SOME WAY

Additional A/n: edited it because it's shit (still shit cause I haven't wrote in ages)

BUT DON'T WORRY GUYS WE UP AND WE BACK

THE HOLIDAY IS HERE AND THE NEXT CHAPTER IS HALFWAY DONE <3 (kill me)

Second Person POV:

You woke up with a pounding headache. You didn't remember drinking that much last night, in fact you don't remember a lot from last night. You rubbed your eyes trying to clear your vision and see where you are. You felt a breeze on your skin and looked down at yourself. 'Oh shit.' You were butt naked in a random bed. You looked to the left of you, Sebastian was sleeping next you, his hair scattered all over the pillow and his face. You were relived but wanted to scream. You just had sex with your ex. You sighed and rolled over to the other side, you first wanted to focus on getting more sleep to calm down this migraine. As you rolled to your right you were met with another face. David. He sleepily put his arm around you and pulled you closer. You were shocked beyond belief. And not to your surprise He was naked as well as the blonde on the other side of you. You vowed to never have a threesome again after your last one a few years ago but seems like you've been breaking a few of your vows this past year. You could tick this off your New Year's bucket list. You tried to shimmy out of David's embrace, as you got back to middle of the bed you sat up, and a wave of nausea came over you. You quickly jolted and rushed out of the covers and ran to the ensuite of the bedroom to throw up the little food you had last night into the toilet bowl. Sometimes you really couldn't hold your liquor. After what seemed like hours, keeling over into the toilet and getting dizzy from the severely unpleasant experience, you brushed your teeth and numbly stepped to the bed again and stole one of whoever's shirt was on the ground, put it on, and climbed back into the bed to rest more.

You were soon kicked out of the place as the owner wanted everyone out. You and the rest of the band went home but Sebastian and David accompanied you and walked you home and talked and giggled about last night. You appreciated them being cheery and helpful but were too sore and sick to really be enthusiastic, so you kind of zombie walked with them back to the house.

A few days had past, and your nausea hadn't died down. You were starting to get worried. You knew Seb is the kind of guy that 'doesn't dig rubbers', and to add even more fuel to the fire, you don't even remember what David was doing there, there were endless possibilities to who the father was if that was the cased, well not endless, two maybe two point five. You had taken two pregnancy tests although, one came out positive and the other came out negative. 'Shit' you'd have to go to the doctors. You were too frightened to go alone, what if you actually were pregnant and you passed out at the news? Seb and David were out of town, and you telling them about the possibility of you being pregnant might make matters worse too. As well as you were too scared to ask any of the guys to take you, who knows how they would react. You sat on the edge of Duff's bed, the creaky mattress sinking slightly, face buried in your hands and your elbows pressed on your knees, sighing into your palms and rubbing your face in contemplation as thousands of things were rushing through your mind. You heard a small knock at the door, fully expecting it to be Duff, and relaxing slightly thinking of his somewhat comforting presence. You looked up from your hands, only to see Axl standing by the door looking at you with guilty and concerned eyes. "Fuck off, I'm not in the mood." You bluntly told him and went back to dreading into your palms. "I just-..." He began in an irritated tone but inhaled and sighed. "I just wanted to say sorry." He spoke sincerely, his words lingering in the air slightly. ‘sorry’ Axl was ‘sorry’ yeah right, you thought. You responded back in a breathy chuckle. He couldn't possibly serious. It was quiet. You looked up again to see him still standing there, his face showing some kind of disappointment. Shit he was serious. You started to feel bad, his shining eyes showed so much regret and sincerity. "Shit sorry..." you apologised, a bit breathy, for laughing, and you looked down and away, not giving any eye contact in this awkward moment. He then stepped into the room and came over and sat next to you, he raised his hand to put it on your back, but he hesitated and retracted it, placing it on his own thigh. Before, you guys were so close, but now it just felt awkward even being in the same room with each other. "Ax… please, I really don't feel like talking right now." You told him, still not looking at him, just trying to dismiss him. You hadn't called him that in ages, he felt slightly glad that the bond between the two of you wasn't completely gone as you called him that nickname. "Listen… I'm glad you came to apologize but not right now, please." You said, glancing at him, then your face now going back into your hands. He didn't leave, he didn't even consider leaving you alone. He still sat next to you, in silence. You felt his hand touch your back, placed gently, not moving, just softly hovering. 

"You've been throwing up recently." He spoke softly, not with any condescension, not trying to imply or insinuate anything. You didn't think he would notice, or at all care. You thought Duff would be the first to say something. But again, you tried to be secretive as possible. "It’s... probably a bug or something." You said tiredly, getting your face out of your hands and crossing your arms over your stomach. "I'll take you." He spoke, breaking some of the silence. You looked at him with slight confusion. "To the doctors. I know you said once you didn't like going alone." He explained. He was being sincere, and you were willing to at least give him that second chance. You reluctantly agreed after contemplation, getting ready and heading off the hospital. 

Sitting in the boring waiting area, the sound of receptionists typing and soft coughs from strangers on other sides of the rooms. Your leg shook nervously as you bounced the ball of your foot on the floor. Your hands clutching each other in front of you and your elbows rested on your thighs. Looking around, waiting for that one call of your name. You felt a bigger warm hand ingulf your two ones. You looked up to Axl, his soft eyes giving you a comforting look. Your stomach sunk, you felt horrible. Nausea. Nauseous looking at his face. His stupidly good-looking face. The face you stupidly fell for, and feeling like you’re still head over heels for him in this moment. You wanted to say so much. Why was he sorry in this moment? What triggered it? Was it because Erin and him aren't together? Were you a rebound? You opened your mouth about to ask the first question that came to mind, but you were cut off before a word even came out. The doctor called your name. You sighed before getting up from the uncomfortable chair, waving a small goodbye to Axl before entering the room you were allocated to. 

Some normal icebreaker questions were asked, then the doctor got you to sit on the bed, checking your breathing and heartbeat. You told him your symptoms. Your nausea, fatigue, etc. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" He had popped the question without hesitation. Still listening to your breathing, the cold stethoscope placed against your back. You just nodded and spoke a blunt 'Yes'. "Well, that's sweet of your boyfriend to come bring you here, most guys these days just run away at the moment it's mentioned." The doctor spoke. You were confused. You just laughed a fake 'yeah' trying to keep a comfortable atmosphere. What boyfriend? 'Fuck, he meant Axl.' "You two make a cute couple." He smiled at you as he finished his general check-up. Soon you were sent off the bathroom, with a cup. Nervous and jittery through every second. Giving your now filled cup to a nurse and the doctor inspected you for other reasons of your symptoms whilst your urine was being inspected. It felt like hours of painfully waiting, sitting on the examining bed with your teeth clenched, silently hissing in anxiety as your leg bounced nervously. The uncanny feeling of the hospital making your nerves prick uncomfortably even more. Your results came back soon, even though it felt like forever. The doctor said a farewell and you walked back to the waiting room and handed you the paper with your results, you clutched onto the piece of paper he gave you, not looking down at it just yet, then you looked up. You stopped. Your eyes scanning the waiting room. Axl wasn't there. Of course, he fucking wasn't. You thought as the same anger from the other night bubbled in your stomach. You began to walk out of the hospital with a storm, walking down the endless white hallways, the thought of Axl just abandoning you like that searing into you as you clutched the result sheet. ‘Of course he left, probably to fuck some hot nurse, who fucking knows… always second in his eyes.’ You thought, as you got to the big spacious lobby at the ground floor of the hospital. But then a glimpse of ginger was caught in your peripheral vision. With a turn of the head, there he was, standing at the till of a gift shop, one with balloons that said get well soon, stuffed animals, chocolates, flowers. In fact, he was standing with flowers and paying for them, giving the cashier a small smile and a wave as he finished paying. Turning around to see you looking at him. Shooting you the smile that make your knees weak and your stomach queasy. "Sorry, I thought you would take longer." He apologised and handed you the flowers, your favourites. You were silent, starring at the flowers, your heart doing small flutters. Subconsciously you knew you never stopped liking him. You looked up at him then back down at the flowers your mouth slightly open in surprise. "So... how was it?" He cocked his head to the side a bit, seeing how silent you are.

"Oh right-…”  You looked down at the paper in hand and back up at him, trying to shake off the countless emotions going through your head. “I was a bug, well more like food poisoning from the party. But the doctor gave me this, so we have to go to the pharmacy." You said holding up the piece of paper, which also had the prescription for nausea pills, giving it a small wave. 

You then both headed to the pharmacy and got your prescribed pills, heading out again just for a late afternoon stroll as there was really nothing else to do. Down by the boardwalk, looking out at the sun setting over the water. The orange and pink cascading and blending into the scenery, and the orange soft light and soft ocean breeze made it feel comforting familiar. You hadn't had one of these walks in ages with him, it was something you and him always enjoyed, it was nice to having something special like this back. You had almost fully forgiven him. Thoughts raced through your mind again. The apology? Was he serious? The flowers? Was it just to make you soft? You stressed. Axl immediately caught on. "You okay?" He asked. Putting his hands on your shoulders, stopping both of you in your tracks. Leading to the empty wooden bench closest to you. Taking a breath as you sat down, a soft sigh as you collect your thoughts and words. There was a pause, both looking at each other. The sun making his eyes glisten. "Why..." you began, trying to collect yourself. "Why did you kiss me?" You asked him. He didn't say anything, thinking of what to say, and he tried hard not to break eye contact. "And Erin?" You added. "What did it mean to you? What do I mean to you?" You emphasised the ‘I’ in last question. His hands creeped into yours, his head hanging slightly as he looked down at your hands in his now. You were about to take your hands away from his, but he held them tighter, gently, but still slightly tighter. "Fuck... I…" He began. "I love you, that’s why. I've been fucking in love with you." His words sent a shock through you, but other emotions were overriding the lovesick ones. "Then why go date someone else?" You retorted quickly with irritation at his inconsistency. "Because you always say you can't ‘date in the band’." He said. "Yes, but a week after? Seriously?" You responded. "I needed an out, I couldn't stop thinking about you after our kiss, it was making me crazy." He said, sighing with a gravel and running his hand through his hair. 

You didn't know what else to say. That it was stupid? That you loved him too? But even if you wanted you couldn't be with him. 

"I still want to... I still want you. I want to be with you." He sighed out softly, squeezing your hands. "You know we can't..." You told him. He began to talk about how he'll wait this time. Wait until you're ready. You knew it wouldn't happen, but at least gave him the chance, and yourself the chance of hope of you together. 

"If I can't have you right now, I'll wait dear."

———

A/n: SORRY THIS WAS ABSOLUTE SHIT, THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE INCORPORATION OF 

'I sit here on the stairs 'cause I'd rather be alone'

AND 

'Said, woman, take it slow and things will be just fine'

PRAY THAT THE NEXT CHAPTER COMES OUT SOON

[sol-consort]

btw have you noticed when javik talks about how much better prothean cuisine is, he lists out multiple races used as food EXCEPT human https://youtu.be/UCzcFDK9ls8?si=WaaQjQ0ZDQG751ln&t=4532 1:15:32 timestamp bee tee double u

I HAVE NOTICED IT. like damn not using us as food despite our bodies having more meat and fat than the other races? That's literally the sweetest thing protheons have done when you compare it to their normal actions. Like they used to eat that hanar who eventually worshipped them but us? The adorable humans? Nah we got a pass and protheons kept obsevering us from Mars instead, occasionally borrowing a human to read them with a single touch, pet their hair then return them to earth.

Not only that, but he doesn't insult us at all! While saying this, I realised how much to outisder it would sound like we are in an abusive relationship with Javik, but nah dw dw he is just like that. Anyway so his only insult for humans is when he calls us primitives while including us with the other species, or when Brooks betrays us and he says typical human behaviour, BUT THAT'S SUBJECTIVELY NOT AN INSULT.

Meanwhile, he keeps digging at the asari for not figuring out writing sooner for having their advancements and biotics handed to them by the protheons. He keeps saying how the salarians used to lick their own eyeballs and eat flies, but he never mentions our embarrassing moments in the caves, not how embarrassingly long it took us to discover farming or tame horses. He spares us the scolding.

Like even the fact we can influence him as Shepard. A whole protheon only allows the human to change his opinion because he likes our species? We can encourage him to view the memory shard or tell him not to, we can nudge him to be softer with Liara, and he actually listens.

In the citadel DLC party, he only ever asks the humans if he can touch them while he is drunk. In the next morning hangover, he only ever talks bad about the asari. That dude is desperately pspspsing at us in his own protheon way, hoping we'd spare him a glance. Somehow, it's like only the humans remain the same comfortingly familiar race while all the other species changed beyond recognition for him.

That's why he sticks by our side. That's why he is so open to Shepard's questions and addresses you as commander the second he boards your ship. So many things changed in the universe he used to know, but somehow, the humans managed to protect the sparkling light in their eyes amidst the storms. He is relieved that we still cuddle and play hard to get with emotions as if he can't just read us with a single finger, he is glad we haven't lost our curiosity or adorable stubborn ego and pride that makes him feel proud to see us use.

If the humans weren't there, he would've been much more hostile and less willing to cooperate. Seeing how each race is looking out for their own and repeating the mistakes of the past. Without the infectious human hope, then Javik would've fallen to despair and faced the reapers alone as a last attempt of a dignified death.

[gege-wondering-around]

The Sheriff about Derek

During the end scene of the movie, during Derek's funeral, Noah talks to Eli about the jeep and I wanna dig deeper into it.

You know, I’m not sure how your dad would feel about me giving you the Jeep. But, um, something tells me it’s the right thing to do.

This is the first thing Noah says to Eli about the jeep and also about his father and it's strange that he says that, cause at the beginning of the show they haven't had the best friendship since Derek was basically a fugitive and the Sheriff had to catch him somehow. But, during the later seasons they become somewhat 'friends', yet to me it doesn't look like they knew each other so well in the seasons to actually ends up as they are in the film.

So, maybe after Stiles left for the FBI and Noah had learned that Derek wasn't the bad guy of the situation, they grew closer since they both fight for justice in their own way, in fact Derek helps Noah whenever a case looks a little too much supernatural.

Yet, maybe they talked a lot and not only about work cause Noah, in that bit of dialogue, seemed to know Derek rather well despite the little time we see them together on screen.

Maybe they talked about Stiles and how he ended up being Derek's anchor or something similiar which made them stick close during the time between the end of season 6 and the beginning of the movie; which could explain why he feels like it's the right thing to do - to give the jeep to Eli and with it all that comes - despite being aware of Derek's feelings about it - maybe it was a mixture of such deep emotions that were so in contrast that he loved and hated it at the same time for different reason but ultimately, he ended up in love with it despite feeling something else too.

And then Eli answers him

He hated that jeep

Which means Eli probably knows about the hateful and maybe even resentfull part of Derek's feelings for the jeep, maybe he even felt betrayed or hurt by just looking at the car. But he isn't aware of the other half of them, which maybe explains why Noah changes the course of the conversation talking about how, metaphorically, the jeep was Derek.

After my son left it behind, Derek towed it in, thinking it was probably beyond repair. But then he opened up the hood and he pulled off all the duct tape Stiles had stuck on it. And he managed to fix it.

This basically says how deep care and love can put back together things that hold together by weak - or non permanent - solutions. Derek took it and put in all the effort to get it back to function despite believing it was beyond repair and that it would've ended up as a useless attempt, but he was wrong. He put in the effort, the time and care while also being mindfull of what the jeep meant to Stiles - cause why would he ever even try to put the car back together it if didn't mean anything to him? he did it thinking of a reason of why it would be good to have the jeep functioning again - and fixed it. Probably surprising many he managed to do that and maybe Stiles knows about it, or maybe he doesn't.

That Jeep, no matter what’s been done to it, it just keeps running. He could never figure out why it wouldn’t break down and stay down. And I don’t think he ever realized that that’s exactly the way we saw him.

This is literally Noah telling Eli how his father, just like the jeep, never gave up and somehow, despite almost everyone knowing he was broken and damaged and therefore probably useless to even try to help, he ended up beinf the man that he was, the 'force of nature' that never shuts down but just keeps running.

Derek never rsally gave up. He changed and was hurt, learned and taught, he kept believing that - maybe - there was more than just sorrow ahead and he found his peace. He had a son and a nice, calm life. Derek never stopped being alive despite having many reasonable excuses to just leave everyone behind and hide somewhere else, but he never did. He kept being there for everyone and helped people as best as he could, he only way he thought he knew.

Just like the jeep never definitely shutted down forever, so did Derek. Somehow they managed to push further and with other's help - which could mean Stiles for both or the pack for Derek - they ended up in good people's care.

The jeep ended up being fix by Derek and Derek had Eli and a good life despite the odds.

Then Noah goes on...

I have never seen anyone take the kind of punishment that Derek Hale took… And kept taking… In order to protect the people he loved.

This is almost self-explanatory...

Noah, after understanding who Derek Hale was, was able to see the way he just kept adding weights on his shoulders. How Derek never really forgave himself for what happened - which could be many things, like the fire because of Kate or what happened with Boyd - and just kept it all inside, almost stabbing himself with guilt from the past and pain from the present; from still fighting and protecting the people he cared for.

Noah says 'punishment' and not another word, he chooses it among hundreds of other words to describe Derek. He says how he just kept taking all the pain and suffering to protect the people he loved, which we have various examples of:

When he lost his Alpha power for taking too much pain from Cora and saving her

When he stood by Stiles' side despite him being possessed by the nogitsune and still fighting for him

When he saved Jennifer from Boys and Cora and didn't even fight them back, not really

Noah knew Derek better than most and he wanted Eli to know his father was a great man.

I'll probably edit this tomorrow and add more

[blu3-ja3]

Okay! So I've done a bit more thinking and digging around, I kinda forgot that warzone existed and has existing characters. Like I was aware of it vaguely in the corner but never really thought to look more into it. Then I got curious about König's character and which game he was from only to learn about the entire warzone roster.

Yes I've never touched Warzone despite playing COD. I mostly played the story campaigns or Zombies because I've never actually owned a cod game I've played my friends game. I've never actually played the mw3 remake because me and said cod friend stopped hanging out after quarantine.

So all this to say I've read a bit about Nova and really liked her! And canonically speaking she would be interacting with the 141 unlike König if I've read the lore right. I believe König and the 141 are on the opposite sides? But then again so is Graves and I wrote an interaction between those two so who knows! Anyways...

O'CONNOR! The absolute lesbian that she is! Would totally crush on Nila, I mean come on you have to be blind to not think she's pretty! And from what I've read regarding her lore she's very thoughtful and persistent! So my brain immediately started brewing up ideas about the two ladies and their dynamics.

I think O'Connor and Nila would be aware of each other, never really interacting but have heard of each other through mutuals. I'm thinking initially some of Nila's team interacted with the 141. It would mostly be the sergeants from both teams interacting together. Like Roach, Soap, and Gaz would hang out with Nova's team even after Gaz becomes 2nd Lieutenant.

Like Gaz, Soap, and Roach hang around some of the 41 Company (Nila's team) when on base. So yeah the two know of each other but haven't interacted in any capacity beyond maybe a little nod of acknowledgement when passing each other on base.

That is until a mission goes south leaving O'Connor and a very injured Ghost to be the only ones to return to base. O'Connor is effectively placed into the role of captain of rescuing her team. Laswell immediately suggested Lieutenant Nila Brown and 41 Company or something to help with the retrieval of Price, Soap, Gaz and Roach.... So yeah I'm writing it! ENJOY!

It was supposed to be a simple mission, they were split into 3 teams. Alpha Team: Price and Sanderson were on exfill; they were to get transportation out the base and to be ready to leave. Bravo Team: Garrick and MacTavish were to find as much information regarding the ultranationalist, who they have as targets, and any future plans. Charlie Team: Riley and O'Connor were to go into the leader's quarters to learn of weapons and what they know of Makarov's situation and location. In and out, simple and clean. No bodies only silence.

They shouldn't have continued once they notice the sudden changes in patrols and perimeters, but the only way for them to get out of there was in that base. So they went through with the mission, it was their only course of action.

It all went to shit fast after getting the information, the other two teams were busted and rapidly being swarmed while waiting for Charlie. Riley was shot three times; two right lower abdomen and one upper left shoulder. Carrying the lieutenant made O'Connor slower and she made a decision, she told them to leave. And they did, Price ordered O'Connor to find a vehicle and get out, to find them...

O'Connor isn't sure if she regrets making that call. She knows the rest of the team was shot down, she knows that at least 3 of them parachuted out. She knows that MacTavish was able to make contact with her before their signal was jammed. O'Connor has hope, she knows they're alive, that she can get to them. But the current colonel isn't sending anyone to look for them.

"What the feck do you mean?! My men are still out there, Colonel!" O'Connor slammed her hands down onto the desk as she stood.

She was called into the office soon after O'Connor arrived on base, driving like a bat out of hell to the facility making the two day trip back to base a one day trip. As soon as Simon was taken away for medical treatment O'Connor jumped into action. She started pulling soldiers preparing a rescue team to go into the woodlands of the Russian Taigas only to be stopped and forced into the stupid conversation she's having now.

"With all due respect Captain O'Connor your men are dead. If the crash didn't kill them, the elements and wildlife would have, and if that didn't then the enemy search teams would... Your goal now is to remember the fallen, gather a new team and complete the mission. Am I understood?" The american colonel smiled at O'Connor with the most condescending smile on his lips.

"With all due respect Colonel" O'Connor mocks his southern accent. "If you bothered to read our files that were provided to you, then you'd know that those men have survived odds much worse than those. So no I won't remember them as fallen. If at least one of them is alive I want to recover them, and radio contact is proof of life for at least one!" O'Connor glared at the man where he sat, not once looking up from the papers on his.

"That's an order Captain, do not force my hand and claim insubordination from you..." The man glanced up at her before waving her out.

As soon as O'Connor's hand touched the nob of the door the Colonel's voice rang out, "I'll even be nice and give you some time to visit with Lieutenant Riley before you go out... You've got until tomorrow morning Captain."

O'Connor tensed before leaving the office, doing her best not to slam the door as she pulled it closed behind her. O'Connor quickly made her way across the small base towards the medical bay. She was informed that Simon would recover, nothing vital being hit or damaged miraculously. She stepped into Simon's room, surprised to see the man awake. She quickly tossed him a cleaner mask and turned away from the man.

"No need for that Doc, but I appreciate the sentiment." Simon's voice was strained even if he was trying to hide it.

"I respect you too much to assume anything Shade," After Simon gives her the all clear O'Connor turns to sit down next to the medical bay bed. She started to rub her eyes trying to figure out what to do next.

"We're going after them right?" Simon's voice drew O'Connor's eyes up to him.

"No... You're staying here Lieutenant." O'Connor sighs before continuing. "This colonel thinks that they're dead, he wants me to forget going after them and to finish the mission..." O'Connor looks down at her hands as they ball into fists in her lap.

"You're not going to are you?" Simon leans back from his sitting position, groaning as he moves.

"No, I could care less about finishing the mission..." O'Connor glared at her hands before continuing. "If it was Price here, he'd be able to convince that colonel to go after them but I don't have his silver tongue..."

"So what's your plan Captain?" Simon and O'Connor looked up as there was a knock at the door. Simon yelled out to enter. A familiar woman entered the room, if O'Connor remembers correctly her name and rank; Lieutenant Nila Brown.

"I'm looking for you Captain O'Connor, do you have a moment?" She stepped in and stood at attention.

"No need for that Lieutenant. Aye, I've got a moment what do you need?" Nila closed the door before turning back towards the two sitting figures.

"I want to help recover the 141, Captain..." O'Connor cringes a bit before holding up a hand to stop Nila.

"Please, call me Doc... I'm not comfortable being called Captain off field... I didn't go to medical school for nothing." O'Connor looked towards Simon before looking back at Nila.

"I had a hunch you were Doctor O'Connor, I didn't think we had two O'Connor's on base... Anyways Doc, I know your team is still out there and you're being sent out back tomorrow to complete the original operation..." Nila's smile was confident as O'Connor gave her a nod of affirmation, ignoring the butterflies in her chest.

"Listen take my team with you, if not all of them then at least me."

"Why the sudden interest?" Simon's voice rumbled through the room.

"I was sent by Laswell to find and help you recover your team. I was waiting outside Colonel Autumn's Office when Dr. O'Connor was with him... I know that the wanker isn't going to bother looking for even bodies to retrieve. Take some of us with you, split us into two teams. That information is mostly likely long gone now but if we can recover your team there's a chance that they still have what we're looking for yeah?" O'Connor nodded looking towards Simon who nodded once. She trusted the lieutenant's judgement, if he was comfortable then so was she.

So the next morning O'Connor gathered a team as the colonel instructed. Once out of briefing and into the field O'Connor relayed the slight alteration of the plan. They were going to be in 2 teams, O'Connor and Nila would be splitting to search for the 141. Everyone else would be under Laswell's command and their team leader. A new lieutenant and his two sergeants, one Lieutenant Russ and the Walker brothers.

(Recently watched someone play through COD Ghosts for the first time and I missed the boys)

Nila and O'Connor got to work immediately. Once in the area O'Connor last made contact with Soap they began to move towards the crash site. By the time they'd found it they'd receive word from the infiltration team that the compound had been left abandoned.

"That's a good thing, they wouldn't have sent a search party for your men Doc..." Nila spoke as she continued looking around the crash sight. O'Connor relaxed a bit but kept her head on a swivel. Nila eventually found boot prints moving towards the east, back towards their base of operation.

"So... You have an actual medical degree." Nila asked as they followed the boot tracks.

"Yeah, I was doing a desk job while raising my son... It was too slow for me so I figured I'd at least go to school. The military was all too happy to pay for my medical degree and specialization." O'Connor was half paying attention to the conversation as she moved through the forest, Nila placing markers along their path. She knows she's coming off as uninterested but in that moment O'Connor couldn't care less.

O'Connor was worried as another trail had started following the boot trail, it was liquid and all O'Connor's fears were confirmed as the duo came across a murky red puddle of blood and melted snow. O'Connor didn't notice herself freezing up until a hand touched her shoulder.

"We'll find them Doc..." O'Connor nodded as she kept pushing forwards.

They kept moving through the woodlands, O'Connor only stopping to put on her jacket as it got colder. They ate quickly before O'Connor was up again pushing onwards. When they started down the trails the sun was just coming up over the horizon, now O'Connor had a flashlight out following the trail of blood and boot prints.

"It's getting darker, we should sto-" O'Connor grabbed Nila by her arm pulling her back away from a steep ravine edge. It was well hidden, you wouldn't notice it until you were right on top of it.

O'Connor used the light to check both to the right and left of the ravine for the continuation of the boot prints. She looked down into the ravine when she couldn't find any. There was a groove of someone falling down alongside ruts from people following after.

O'Connor didn't hesitate jumping down into the ravine, keeping her balance as she slid down the mud and gravel ravine walls. Once she reached the bottom she turned towards Nila, shining the light towards her and gesturing for her to stay there. O'Connor watched as Nila looked towards something to the left of O'Connor. Before O'Connor could ask what she saw she felt the cool press of a knife to her neck.

"You couldn't just walk around the damn thing could ya?" The familiar voice of Kyle Garrick in O'Connor's ear behind her.

"Wait! Gaz! It's me!" O'Connor reached for the hood, tossing it back to reveal more of herself.

"Jesus Doc, we nearly gutted you!" MacTavish's voice came from in front of her as what O'Connor thought was a rock moved revealing Roach and Soap both armed.

"Where's John?" O'Connor rushed towards them as she was released.

"Over here Maeve!" The strained voice of John Price called out from her left. Wasting no time she began to check the men over as she moved towards Price.

Roach, covered in filth, was limping heavily not putting much pressure on his left leg. Soap and Gaz had a few cuts on them from what she could see as very dirty. As she approached Price, O'Connor had to fight back tears. The man looked like death, pale and dirty; cleaner than the other three men but still dirty.

His left pant leg had one of the men's jackets wrapped around it tightly, she assumes Roach's. O'Connor could see the crimson red staining it darker. She moved towards him, not removing the jacket as she began to untie the clothing and started to pact the wound better before wrapping it and securing it. O'Connor began barking orders, having Nila secure a rope and helping get everyone out of the ravine.

"Lieutenant Russ? We've found my men are you still at the compound?" O'Connor asked into radio hoping she was in range.

"Copy that Captain O'Connor, we're leaving the compound now. Not much recovered but we've got what we could find." O'Connor is carrying Price back the way they came, thankful for Nila marking their path back with reflective flags.

They kept moving, the last bits of the sun slowly disappearing. O'Connor removed her jacket tossing it towards Roach who had nothing to help with the cold before she was lifting Price again carrying him in a bridal carry. Nila and Soap traded so now Nila was helping Roach maneuver through the woods. They make it to the wreckage of the helicopter before stopping.

"Everyone good? We're at the last push just a bit further from here," O'Connor had Price click her receiver on her radio. "Lieutenant Russ, we're about 30 minutes out."

They continued moving and finally saw the vehicles sitting idle. The rest of the team had departed leaving only Keegan, Logan, and Hesh at the trucks. Once they spotted the little troop the three men instantly jumped into action helping where they could.

"Captain O'Connor, we've received word from Colonel Autumn... He's not very happy with you from the sounds of it." Hesh informed O'Connor as she climbed into the back hatch of one of the trucks. She helped Hesh maneuver Price into a more comfortable position.

"He can deal with it, we recovered the information they had as well as my men... I don't see what's the problem." O'Connor didn't look up from where she was working on Price's leg.

"You went against orders, O'Connor?" Price croaked out quietly. O'Connor gripped the man's hand softly squeezing it.

"Of course, you'd do the same for anyone else... Besides Ghost would rip my head off if I came back without everyone..." O'Connor smiled down at the man as they began moving. She rubbed her eyes trying to fight the tears.

Once on base O'Connor gathered all the information the 141 managed to gather before everything went to shit. She left the two groups trusting that the two lieutenants could handle getting everyone settled. As O'Connor left she heard rapid footsteps as Nila appeared at her side.

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant Brown, thank you for your help but this is my punishment to bare," O'Connor looked forwards as she walked through the halls. She was fully prepared for her rank to be stripped from her, this Colonel was known for pulling that a lot.

"With all due respect Doctor O'Connor, we all agreed to the plan." Nila spoke as she stepped in tandem with O'Connor. They stopped outside the Colonel's office before knocking and entering together.

"You have some nerve O'Connor... I directly told you to leave them out there, they were a lost cause. Instead you directly go against my orders and don't even recover what was originally needed! I should court martial your sorry ass" Colonel Autumn was standing back facing away from them.

"Actually sir, I've recovered not only my men but the original data we recovered on our original mission..." O'Connor tossed the small package down onto the table before continuing. "There's three USB sticks in there with everything we could get originally. And sir my men are all still alive and now are home, so go ahead. Court martial me, strip me of my rank, do whatever but just know you. Were. Wrong." O'Connor kept her head high and maintained eye contact with the Colonel. The man's lip twitched before he seemed to deflate and dismissed the two women.

Once they stepped out of the room O'Connor deflated a bit, placing her hand over her heart.

"That was hot..." O'Connor's head whipped towards Nila. O'Connor could feel the blush spreading across her face as her heart continued to pound away in her chest.

"What?! It was! You kept calm and took total control... It was hot!" O'Connor swallowed around nothing as she looked down at the slightly shorter woman.

"Thank you Lieutenant Brown..." Nila rolled her eyes before speaking again.

"It's Nila or Nova, none of this Lieutenant Brown mess." O'Connor felt her stomach drop and her heart did a backflip as Nila smiled up at her.

"I'm sorry I was rude earlier, I promise I'm usually much nicer in conversation when I'm not scared for my men..." O'Connor averted her gaze a bit, feeling slightly ashamed.

"I thought that was hot too! You were so focused and driven. Nothing seemed to sway you from your mission. And you were so focused..." O'Connor blushed even harder as the two women began to walk toward medical. Nila continuing her ranting compliments about O'Connor

"Ah! Well thank you... For the compliment and for your help. I owe you a debt." O'Connor looked at Nila, smiling towards the woman.

"You could take me out for a drink! You could show me how you actually are during conversation, how that sounds?" Nila stopped in front of her as they reached Ghost's room.

"Oh! Um yes a drink would be lovely!" O'Connor felt like she was on fire when Nila smiled at her.

"GREAT! It's a date! See you tomorrow night!" Nila yelled before skipping down the halls of medical.

O'Connor opened the door to find Ghost and the youngest three all together. She stepped in trying desperately will away the blush on her cheeks before the men in the room noticed. Soap and Gaz turn towards O'Connor with knowing grins.

"Where's Price?" O'Connor asked as she moved towards the little group trying to ignore the looks.

"He's getting stitches, he'll be placed in the room next to mine once the prosecutor is done." Simon said as he stopped MacTavish's attempt to help him sit up. O'Connor nodded before turning to Roach.

"How's your leg?" Roach was sitting in a chair as he shrugged.

"What does that mean? Did you not go get checked out Sergeant?" O'Connor's furrowed as she moved towards the man. She now lets her gaze look at all three of the younger soldiers noticing that they're all still dirty.

"Alright, you two go shower and change. Sanderson you come with me after we get you checked out you're doing the same thing!" O'Connor said as she helped Roach stand. When neither of the boys begin to move O'Connor glared at them.

"That's an order boys, now get moving." O'Connor boomed a bit commanding.

"What about Price?" Garrick whispered, O'Connor's shoulders dropped a bit as a smile crept onto her face.

"I'll come get you lads when he's out but in the mean time go take care of yourselves yeah?" O'Connor pats the boys on the back before helping Roach into an empty room and starts working.

After tending to Roach's injuries and sending him off to take a shower, O'Connor did the same. After a shower and a fresh change of clothes O'Connor arrived at Price's room to find everyone there already.

Simon was in a wheelchair chair leaning against MacTavish who was standing behind him. Kyle was sat in a chair holding Price's hand and Sanderson was sitting at the foot of the bed. They all turned towards O'Connor as she entered the room.

"What happened with the Colonel?" Price was immediate to ask once noticing O'Connor.

"Nothing, he got what he wanted and I proved him wrong. There was nothing he could do." O'Connor walked over to Price's side. "Are you okay.... All of you?"

"You came back for us instantly O'Connor, we're fine." Kyle smiles softly at her as O'Connor feels tears start to well up.

"I made the wrong call... If you would have died-" O'Connor drops her head as tears roll down her cheeks.

"But we didn't though, Maevis, we're all here. We're safe and being treated. You made a call and it was the best one at the moment." O'Connor sucked in a breath calming herself a bit more.

They all talk for a bit before the younger men go to eat and sleep, taking Ghost back to his room. O'Connor stays to talk a bit longer quietly filling out a report for Price regarding the mission.

"So... I heard that you were assisted by the commander of the 41 Company? Lieutenant Brown right?" O'Connor looked up for a moment before continuing her writing.

"Yeah, Nila. She managed to convince the new kids to help... The Walker brothers and Lieutenant Keegan Russ, they're effective and quite capable."

"Those three will be going through a trial period with us. Nice to know they work well enough with you... So Nila hmm?"

"Yes what of her, she was kind enough to offer her assistance. She's got a good head on her shoulders, I'm thankful for her help, John." O'Connor continued writing her report on glancing up at Price through her eyelashes.

"Mhm and the date?" O'Connor's hand stopped writing instantly, looking up at him fully.

"We're just getting drinks, John, nothing serious. I wasn't the kindest to her while we were out looking for you and I owe her for helping me... It's nothing more than that. Why the interest?" O'Connor didn't mean to sound so defensive but she couldn't help the tension that eased its way into her shoulders.

"I'm simply curious that's all, Ghost said that the Lieutenant seemed to be pretty smitten with you O'Connor..." Price smiled at O'Connor as the woman began to blush. Price continues his teasing and joking before they fall into comfortable silence and O'Connor finishes her report as well as Price's before turning them in and going to her barracks.

So I'm writing about their date next!

COD Master List

[archduchessgortash]

Did anyone else notice all the new narrator lines for tadpole usage after Patch 7?

There's always been the first one: 'It's taking something you'll never get back.'

And when it jumpscares you and you look it up, everyone says, 'Yeah... there used to be consequences in Early Access, but they removed them.' Usually with a side of grumbling about other changes, calling Larian cowards for not canonizing their personal headcanons, and so on.

Though not quite the same, I think that the consequences are back. And I like it. A lot.

I've had two more narrator warnings in Act 1 alone with my new Durge warlock so far. There's been an increasing level of threat to them, too. The most recent one even said, 'Soon.'

She's consumed one tadpole. That's it. No unlocked powers. Just the dialogues bending cultists and goblin plebs to her will and getting the Flind to attack the other gnolls and then nom herself.

I'm aware of the DC of the check for the Astral tadpole being influenced by illithid power use, though I don't recall the exact differences atm. I haven't gotten to that point on any of my new playthroughs since Patch 7 as of yet.

Then I found this post on the Larian forums moaning about having to pass a DC 25 Con check to avoid being overtaken by the Absolute after choosing to dominate her in the Patch 7 evil Tav ending, with narration indicating the check was required because of their tadpole use. They were complaining about how the ending wherein you destroyed the netherbrain doesn't have that check, no matter how much tadpole use they've done. And there were whole rants about how players are getting 'punished' for choosing evil paths.

I do understand the basic 'fairness' argument, but at the same time, when you actually destroy the Netherbrain, she's just been dominated by a full illithid, beefed up with psionic power, and it is literally the first order you give.

An evil Tav has murdered the source of the power that subdued the brain and is trying to control, long-term, with their limited half-illithid brain, a being that will only grow more powerful as they use her powers. While your character may reap the benefits of the Absolute's growing strength, they aren't the ones getting smarter and stronger. She is.

It takes a staggering amount of arrogance and short-sightedness to assume that the Absolute won't or can't rattle her chains as she grows more powerful.

One of the themes in Baldur's Gate 3 is what an immutable force absolute power truly is when held by a single entity. It's a theme in every Larian game I've played. It's foreshadowed in books throughout all acts. It's illustrated in how Withers still has the capacity to impede the Dead Three even though they possess the bulk of his former power. It's pointed out in the way that Gortash comments, in shock, at the size of the Netherbrain when he sees it again at the Morphic Pool. What they have wrought has grown beyond their control.

I get that people want their 'evil wins' ending, but while they may influence the narrative with their choices, ultimately, this is not their story. It's Larian's, and if the writers want morally evil choices to have different consequences than morally good ones, that is their choice, and it isn't about imposing their own morality onto players. It's about expressing themselves through their art.

This art is theirs. They put their blood, sweat, and tears into it. It does not have to twist into a more pleasing shape for you.

I know that you are consumers, and you think that you are always right.

You are not.

Deal with it.

Do I wish there was more story content for Wyll, for Karlach and for Gortash? Yes, of course! Do I wish I could see more of the side characters that I dig, like Rolan, Alfira, Omeluum, and Blurg? Definitely.

Do I take the lack of said content as an attack directed at me personally? No, I do not.

Morally good choices having better outcomes in the long run is DnD core. It isn't punitive to the player when evil bites back. It's par for the course. The nature of the beast. It is how these specific, fictional worlds handle consequences.

Methinks players that were sidelined by having a Con check in their ending might have simply loaded a save near the end just to play the scene instead of experiencing the game with all the new intended changes included.

I, for one, want my evil bastards to get the ending they earned by being evil bastards.

One in which either some random or their old ally kicks over their sandcastle built atop the bones of countless innocents and sends them straight to the Hells... or redeems them.

If I didn't get one of those endings, I'd be unhappy, but I wouldn't claim that the developers were attempting to force me to embrace evil because of it.

[l0verb0t]

jason todd × male/masc reader. | soft.

SUMMARY: a simple fic about jason being unable to fall asleep while in his boyfriend's arms. WARNINGs: physical contact, && self depreciation on jason's end. WORD COUNT: 1200+ NOTEs: third person && no plot. chronic pain jason mention. [man, boyfriend && lover, and he/him pronouns used to refer to the insert/reader.]

Bodies are a tool; if your own can't be exploited for your goals, it needs to be purged of everything that's holding it back until all that's left is a blade ready to cut out whatever else gets in the way next.

Anything else, and you're done for. They haven't been anything else to Jason for a long time.

He hasn't thought about that for awhile, through.

No matter how broken it is, he isn't going to waste the years he's spent molding his own back into something he can actually use for nothing. His aim is decent, enough so that he can trust his won't be as easily torn apart as before.

That he can dig his fists until it feels like bone grinding against flesh into anyone who thinks about it.

Since the pit, it's only ever worked against him.

There was a constant ache where ripped skin, long since healed into jagged muscle, would build up to a searing pain just to settle and repeat. The worst of it was over the entirety of his back, running along until his hips. He got used to it, though. He had to.

It's never been enough to knock him out, and instead it's been a constant reminder to stay on edge, forcing him to work off as little as a few hours of rest when days worth were better suited.

It's never gotten better. He doesn't know how it's been so long, and it's still just as painful.

Meds help, but his boyfriend has been trying to find more solutions to dull, distract it, anything.

It's been months, and it's still weird to call him that. Wherever that's been coming from, it's been more worth while to take the good with the bad, even if there's a chance he might never get used to it. Jason loves him too much not to try.

A couple years have wasted away since the initial meeting.

It's nauseating to think about how days went by, mostly spent in the dark of them and around those who's jaws he'd rather blow off than listen to yap, and he doesn't have much to show for it beyond a relationship that could end, ripped away at worst, at any time.

But it's been worth the risk. The days spent wondering if there's anything for him beyond being a reverant dealing out violence for the sake of ridding streets of filth. That he can actually live.

It's been around a week since he's stayed the night, since he's slept a full night, but at the rate he's at, it's going to take a while longer.

A call was all he needed to be convinced, and he tried not to make himself sound stupid whenever his voice dipped into a quieter tone as that conversation went on. He agreed to everything, not a single push back just so he could listen to him longer.

There was a pile of blankets stacked up on a bed he was brought into, not even that far into the night. Some he recognized were once stored away in the apartment.

It was definitely another attempt to get him to sleep better; he knew that. And he made sure to voice his appreciation later in the night between another pair of lips.

Complaints started being thrown around as soon as he began to get dizzy while underneath the heavy fabrics, not even an hour into the night.

He was really only doing it to mess with his boyfriend, voice low in the other man's ear, to keep him up and reap whatever reaction he could draw out from that. It wasn't unbearable, but no protest came when a couple were pushed aside in favor of being pressed better against each other.

Warmth is far from settling back into Gotham. He almost slid back into concrete while on the back.

But he'd rather deal with the cold itself, flooding in through the unfinished seals in the windows, than where he's stuck now. Take every blanket and push them over to the other man so he can breathe. It's hard enough already to keep it at a steady pace with his chest so close to his own.

Instead, one of his arms is in the same position as hours earlier, stuck underneath, wrapped around the back of the man in front of him, his fingers still tracing the spine.

Whatever time it is, his eyes are sore enough that he'd rather rip the lids off than continue to get irritated with every blink. He's been waiting however long, and with every attempt, he's woken back up to absolute darkness.

The sun doesn't seem to be getting any closer. So he waits.

His entire face is tense, most of all around the frown carried over from hours before, when he pretended to be asleep to urge the other man on. He doesn't need someone to dote on him all night.

Often he finds himself blank; every thought that could be a blur that comes with any silence he's left alone in. He wouldn't know how long he'd be staring before every little thing would become overwhelming again.

It would come in to rip him from even peaceful moments, pushing back fond memories in favor of nothing but the shame he'd be left with afterwards.

It'd fogged over whispers like earlier in the night, where they were lying beside each other as his boyfriend rambled on about whatever he was talking about, somewhere along the way, his head resting against Jason's shoulder.

Jason wouldn't say anything about the spacing out for a long time. As soon as question after question came in after brushing it off for all that time, he gave in.

He doesn't know why. Maybe he's just grown soft that the idea of actually working things out together seems plausible despite everything.

It's confusing enough that the other man stayed. Why would anyone be willing to deal with that? With him?

He doesn't want to mess up one of the few good things he has going for him; he can't afford to dump more of his problems onto him, but they're obvious. His love is going to realize he isn't worth the pain, and he's going to be alone again.

It's going to happen one day; it's inevitable. He just wants it to last for as long as it can in the meantime.

It doesn't feel natural to him to be alone in someone's presence without blood dripping between the spaces in his fingers.

Despite who it is and how he might as well have shown every wound to even equate to what he's opened up about, it'll never solely be comforting. Jason was never meant for softer things in life; he knows this.

But that doesn't mean anything in the end; he isn't meant to be breathing at all. He's tired of only getting what he deserves. Why should the scum of the earth be allowed to enjoy what little life they have while he's stuck cleaning up their corpses afterwards?

So instead of spending another night out in a city where the most he'll be rewarded with is a couple more scars, he pushes further into the other man's arms. He takes the arm not currently being squished under the other's weight and trails a hand up from his arm until he's tracing his boyfriend's jaw.

Jason stays where he is, barely allowing himself to breathe.

And then he takes what little space they have to press his lips against his, his thumb trailing under the other man's bottom lip. One of the few things he'll eagerly embrace, despite the shaky breaths taken in through his chapped lips each time.