#he should go buy lottery tickets

[superstarzolar]

don’t work at freddys

[holdoncallfailed]

not to sound like a geek but ummm i fricking love musical theatre

[anemocrystalflys]

im in genuine shock rn, i got all of this within 169 pulls and then since i had his weapon, i gave lyney a 10 pull for shits n giggles and

what

[soobrat]

pit stop; cyj

🖊️⇝ pairing; afab, blk!reader x yeonjun

🖊️⇝ word count; 8.3k

🖊️⇝ genre; friends 2 lovers, smut, fluff, & light angst

🖊️⇝synopsis; you should probably buy a lottery ticket with how luck you are when it comes to running into celebrities... despite just moving to a new country

🖊️⇝ warnings; very cliche "forbidden love w/ an idol" trope, end is unedited, mc thirsting heavily for mingi, heat of the moment sex, PIV, unprotected sex (mc is on bc), creampie, squirting, cum eating, cunnilingus, overstimulation, slight posessiveness, mc has faux locs at one point

📜⇝ HAPPY BHM!!!!! Would you believe me if I said I started this last BHM? :D Anyways if you're not a black woman you should still read this because it slaps. It would've been even better if I managed to post during valentine's day too.

There are many things that can go wrong in a foreign country all on your own, but for your own health, you push them to the wayside. Maybe you pushed them too far because now you’re stranded with a flat tire miles away from where you’ll be staying. It’s only your first day and you already managed to fuck it up. You have to commend your ability to surprise yourself even after all these years.

You don’t have a local SIM card and your phone is completely off. You should’ve listened to the internet when they gave you a long list of how to prepare your phone when moving abroad. Now it’s useless. You laugh humorlessly as the odds continue to stack against you. Do people stop for hitchhikers in Korea?

You try anyway, you know enough Korean to give them an idea of how to help you. Many cars slow down but zero cars stop. Some even roll down their windows to stare into your eyes as they leave you stranded. You don’t have proof, but you swear one of them took a picture. You can’t be appalled by their actions, it’s not like you came from the most friendly country anyway.

“Come on, people. Just a little slack. Cut me just a little.” You murmur desperately, forcing a strained smile as you wave down another car. It’s another window roller that leaves you behind. You suppose it must be a strange sight. And maybe they’re worried you don’t speak Korean. There you go again, waving any worrying conclusions away. Don’t wanna prove your family right.

Then comes yet another car slowing down. Except, this one is slowing to a stop. It’s a flashy car, much flashier than anything you’ve seen thus far. You don’t know much about cars, but you know the person you see once the window rolls down must be well off. He peeks at you with intrigue and a bit of amusement, his sly vibe fitting for his fox-like features.

“Need help?”

You nearly collapse to your knees in relief. Not only is he stopping to help you but he can speak English so you don’t have to embarrass yourself. “Yes! My car has a flat. My phone doesn’t work, I just need car… service… people.” God, can you speak English? You’re already huffing, looking really weird to this handsome rich man and the other handsome rich man in the passenger seat. 

“Are you a MOA?” Yet another man pokes his head out from the backseat to peek at you. His eyes are critical despite their roundness. He raises his eyebrows in a way that makes you think there’s a wrong answer. Your brain is already overworked for the day so you answer honestly. “I’m sorry, I have no clue what that is.”

Assuming you can’t understand, he mumbles “leave her” in Korean and slinks back into the backseat. 

“I’ll call the car service people for you.” The driver smirks and you can tell he’s making fun of you. You just force a smile and thank the man before retreating back into your car. Shut inside the one space familiar to you feels like finally getting a moment to breathe and reflect. This is just a little hiccup. Soon you’ll be at your new home and next week you’ll be working again. 

You were consumed in a book whenever help arrives, and lifting your head, you notice that flashy car is still there.

Luckily enough, the maintenance truck had an inflated spare available and you were on your way, but not before thanking the driver. As you approach he rolls the window down again before leaning his arm on the door.

“Thank you so much, I’m not sure how long I would’ve been out here if you didn’t help me.” You sigh. You weren’t sure what you could offer him to express your gratitude, you were pretty useless as of now. 

“It’s no problem. The least I can ask for is that you don’t tell anyone you saw us here.”

You have trouble keeping a smile on your face as a hint of dread sets in. Why wouldn’t they be allowed in the countryside? Were they criminals? Is this a common location for crime?

“I know you don’t know us yet, but in case you find out from the internet, just keep this between us.”

You did not find out from the internet. You found out eight days later when you saw a cardboard cut out of the driver in the mall. Holding up a makeup product he didn’t need with a smile that almost hides the eternal mischief hidden in his expression both times you’ve seen him. This whole time you thought they were notorious criminals and you were going to get booked before you even stepped foot at home. But no, the nice car was from them being idols, not criminals.

Maybe you were a bit in the dark about k-pop idols, but why weren’t they allowed to drive around? You hold that thought, possibly forever because you had just experienced a pretty rare occurrence so early into your move.  

-🖊️⇝

Tonight was your first office party since your move. Your boss saved up to rent out a hotel venue and even scored you and your coworkers rooms for the night. Less risky without the threat of drunk driving or getting kidnapped you guess.

“I could only book the ballroom today, so I’m sorry but you can’t wander around. You can only go in this room and the floor where your rooms are located. There’s a celebrity staying here and the hotel is pretty much on lockdown.”

Your coworkers immediately get to gossiping about who’s here and all you can do is marvel at the odds. There was no way you’d be meeting another celebrity. The odds are even more unfathomable than you previously thought. You break the rules on accident, drunkenly tapping the wrong floor number. Your eyes are closed when you stumble out and run into someone tall. 

“Um, this floor is… off limits.” The man grabs you by your shoulders and holds you at arm's length. Your head lolls back and you get a good look at the guy and he, in turn, gets a glimpse of you. His jaw drops open and he looks over to the other men behind him. Your brain had been too debilitated to translate Korean. 

“Hey! Are you that girl? Flat tire?” A familiar voice rings out and snaps you from your daze and you attempt to hold your head up straight. “Yeah! Car service people!” The driver whose name you’re sure starts with a Y says excitedly. Again with the mischief, sticking its pesky little head out more confidently with the teasing nickname.

“No way it’s you guys again.” You chuckle drowsily.

“Yes way!” The blond man lets go of your shoulders.

“Are you a MOA yet?” It was the one from the backseat asking the same question yet again. It completely slipped your mind to figure out what that meant.

“I still have no idea what that is.” You flash a tight smile as he narrows his eyes at you. One of the two you haven’t spoken to yet says something frantically to the others in Korean before they all turn to look at you. 

“Hey… do you want some water?” Y approaches you, speaking almost like he’s about to sell you something. Your eyes roll back, your urge to rest almost winning the fight.

“I want to go to sleep.”

“Let’s get you some water!” The blond one says enthusiastically before ushering you into a door down the hall. They talk to each other as you gulp down a cold bottle of water, slumped in the living chair they frantically cleared for you. This would help with your hangover tomorrow anyway. After they deliberate with themselves Y turns to you.

“Is your party still happening?” He kneels before you, talking to you like a lost child.

“Yeah, I left early.”

“Great! We were gonna sneak down there ourselves, but you going back would be easier.”

“You want me to go back?” You barely swallow your water before you ask. “Yeah. All we were given was fruit. We can’t survive on fruit and the food smells so good.” He pleads with his eyes before the blond chips in. 

“Please? We’re hungry.”

Downing your second bottle, you look at them warily as your mind sobers up. “You guys are famous. Can’t you just get room service?”

“No, we’re banned from it. They told the hotel not to serve us.” The black-haired one who looks to be the tallest or close to it pipes in. Much too massive for his youthful vibe.

You look at each pair of puppy eyes incredulously. “So they’re starving you?”

Yeonjun is quick to clear the air, starting to explain again that they had fruit before Mr. MOA interrupts him. “Yes!! We’re starving!” His whining is cut off by the blond scolding him.

“What are your names?” You ask once you realize you have no idea. 

You learn each of their names and each of the food items they want brought to them. You have five styrofoam containers filled to the brim in both arms as you board the elevator. You’re aware they’re exaggerating, but concern for them still flares up. They were pretty thin, and you’ve heard whispers of their insane diets. But you do what you do best. They seem fine, and they wouldn’t have the energy they’re exhibiting currently if something was wrong.

Thankfully, no one was on there with you. That is, until you see that someone had pressed the button from your floor. You stand there awkwardly as your coworker looks at you like you have five heads. Then he sees that you’ve pressed the button for a forbidden floor.

“K-pop fan?”

You sigh, shifting the containers in your hands. “No. I’m acting as a food delivery service.”

“Ah.” He doesn’t press you, nor will he say anything. None of your coworkers are the type. The idols are waiting impatiently by the elevator when the door opens, hurriedly unloading each container.

How you ended up with five grown men in your hotel room was really a blur. Apparently their manager might walk in and bust them if they stay in their room. “We’ll be quick!” They promised.

Now Beomgyu and Kai are napping on your bed while you lean against the wall. Yeonjun’s eating whatever is left over in the living chair in the corner, smiling happily at you. 

“I love you. I could kiss you.” He manages with his cheeks full of food. 

You give him a tight smile, familiar with his habitual attempts to fluster you by now. “That’s not necessary. Your manager is probably looking for you guys.”

“Nah. We’re allowed to wander around as long as we’re in our room before 1 am. Today was our last day.” You chew on his words as he chews on the remnants of his food. He swallows hard, forcing what seems to be a painfully large chunk of food down his throat. Food seems to placate his teasing disposition, a thought that makes you cover your mouth to conceal your smirk. It takes a moment for him to recuperate before he speaks again.

"What do you wanna do right now?" He narrows his eyes, pointing his plastic cutlery at you.

You’re not sure what he means exactly, even after taking a moment to let your eyes flit around the room. So you do what you usually do, shrug and be honest. "Around this time I'd be playing some game until my eyes are painfully dry."

He halts mid container disposal to peer at you excitedly. "You play video games? Which ones?"

Finally, something you were a natural at talking about. "I like games like Minecraft or Rust, but I dabble in FPS games too-" You get caught up in one of your favorite conversation topics, surprised when Yeonjun dumps his trash quickly before marching over to you and taking your hands.

"Oh please tell me you play Valorant."

"Yeah, like I said, I dabble-"

"Okay, I'm really gonna kiss you."

“Don’t you dare-” Your words are cut off by a chaotic mixture of a gasp and laugh when he pokes his lips out, leaning in slowly. He unpuckers his lips and they settle into a smirk. The realization of how close you are to each other sets in and brings about a strong flow of energy between you two. You shake his hands off yours and shove him away, forcibly resuming your playful aura. He laughs, widening his eyes once it dies down.

“Oh, I cannot wait to kick your ass.” He points, eyes posing as a warning. You huff as you pick up a towel. You sling it over your shoulder before raising your eyebrows at him. “Is that a bet or a promise?” 

And to think if your office party was planned even a day later, you would’ve probably never seen them again. Yeonjun nabs your phone while you were in the bathroom, sticking his number in there. The first important milestone of your relationship with the boys was being added to their group chat. Then you visited their dorms and them, your apartment. You weren’t aware of the transition, you just looked up and it felt natural to be around each other.

“___’s on!” Yeonjun cheers through your headset. He pauses once you turn on your webcam. “You found a hairstylist?”

“Yeah. Turns out there are black ones here. I never knew.” You reply, half paying attention as you adjust your camera.

“I know there’s a Korean name for that style but I feel like it’s… not correct. What’s it called in English?”

“Locs! Do you like ‘em?” You comb your fingers through each loc, careful not to tug at your tender scalp. “They fit you so well I forgot how you looked before.” He says as if he’s shocked by his own accuracy.

“You’re so right. I should’ve popped out the womb with locs.” You chuckle to yourself, unable to stop playing with your hair. Yeonjun has that look on his face like he’s about to smart-mouth you. “Locs and not wounding your own teammates would’ve been really handy.” He tries to quip quickly in an attempt to fly under your radar.

Your smile is immediately wiped off your face. “It was an off day for me, how many times do we have to go over this?”

“Next time your favorite character dies don’t come online.”

“I knew I should’ve hung out with Taehyun today.” You transition from excitement to insults like it's nothing. These boys definitely make it easy.

“Yeah, whatever. Are you coming to Mingi’s party next week or do you have work.” He says as if the word itself affronted him. New names were constantly thrown at you. You took a break from researching and watching videos because it was just too much. 

“Why are you always so offended by my job? And I’ll see if I can make it.”

It makes it even harder to consume content about these idols when you think of what they go through. From these five alone, you can tell how hungry these idols are to be in this position. They put up with so much and you can’t help thinking their companies take advantage of that.

“You know, you never told me why you weren’t allowed to drive around the day we met.”

An effortless transition is made again as Yeonjun sets aside his teasing. “We have a lot of rules. Like, a lot. It’s no problem, we all knew what we were signing up for pretty much. It feels kinda pointless to go through all that work just to get in trouble, so we hold each other accountable.”

“I’m guessing that’s not counting the hotel food heist?” You bring up with a snort. It feels a little silly to make an exception for food.

“That was a small rule, and we just finished the final concert of a very tiring tour. The day we met I rented a car after a full month of grueling practice hours with little to no sleep. We were hysterical. So we took a ride.”

The boys seem alright. They’re full of life most days and with no context, you would have no idea what they’re going through. He informs you that this party is another one of those exceptions. There are secret parties thrown constantly but it was reckless to go without thorough planning. You like the thought of them getting a proper break and they really want you to come, so you do what you never do: call in fake sick to work.

But not before attempting a little research. Perhaps a different approach would help. You’re picking at scraps since you only have one internet friend who likes kpop. What if they never heard of him?

___: Y’all who is Mingi

You sent out the tweet before you went to sleep. You had just gotten your ass handed to you on Valorant so you didn’t feel like being let down that same night. You woke up to more notifications you’ve seen on all your social media accounts combined.

mingitzsong: you mean our lightskin king Malik???

That was not the tweet you expected from your friend, not by a long shot. Nor were you expecting the “my moot has a hit tweet!” DM.

Your notifications were flooded with fancams, edits, pictures– is that a video of him grabbing his…?

It was too early and you had gone too long without being satisfied by another person so this was all going to your head. You couldn’t tell if you were a stan now or just horny. You wanted him on your wall… or inside you. 

So maybe that was the real reason you were okay with lying to your boss, but it was much more touching to say it was to please your friends. 

-🖊️⇝

You enter the function excited to see the guys. Mingi too, but you were trying to seem less eager about that. You find the two youngest members first talking to a group of unfamiliar people. You try to sneak past, intending to say hi when there weren’t people to be introduced to. But alas, they saw you and you met a few idols their age. Then you run into Soobin coming out of the bathroom. “You made it!” His excited smile was ten times cuter when he was tipsy. He pulls you into a big tight hug and it’s so unlike him. He seemed to have an aversion to touching anyone when it wasn’t necessary. Drunk Soobin was unbearably adorable and it took everything in you to not stay with him and pinch his cheeks. But you needed to find the other members.

The club Mingi rented out is not ideal for finding friends. There are two floors and this is your third time walking down the stairs. You haven’t even seen the host himself yet. With his height, it shouldn’t be easy to miss him. As you walk past the large dance floor you become privy to the reason you haven’t found them. Your head naturally lowers, your eyes automatically avoiding the dancing bodies. It wasn’t your fault, your tendency to avoid large groups of people is written deep inside your DNA. It was time to stop beating around the bush, so you enter the group of dancing bodies. 

It felt like miles of grazing people despite trying your best to shrink into yourself. In the heart of the group were the three you were looking for. They were lost in the music and possibly a bit drunk. Yeonjun casts a glance to see who was approaching before wordlessly holding out his hand. You accept with exaggerated confidence, fake it ‘til you make it. It was easier than you thought to dance smack dab in the middle of the dance floor. Your focus had been locked on the tall man before you, your body on autopilot as it sways to the music. He guides you closer by your hand with undoubtedly genuine confidence sewn into his smirk. You find yourself naturally smiling, unable to shake the shyness that overcomes you. He was doing it again, but this time you took the bait and let yourself be reeled up to shore. Forced out of your comfort zone, but you couldn’t find it in you to complain.

“Who is that?” You hear a deep masculine voice say to your left. Your eyes stay glued to Yeonjun like you’re physically unable to look away, and you swear he’s having the same problem. But you eventually do. Mingi is still looking at Beomgyu until he answers, only then does he grace you with eye contact. The wind is pulled from your lungs as you gasp. You were too distracted by Yeonjun to fully bask in his glory.

“Well. Here he is in person.” Yeonjun fails to pull your attention away even when he rests his hand on your shoulder. “This is ___.”

Mingi makes a sound of understanding, nodding as he not so subtly rakes his eyes up and down your body. It takes everything in you not to shiver. He repeats your name with a small smile that makes your heart skip rope. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” He bows slightly before rising with his cheeks squinting his eyes. “I’m a rapper, my group is called ATEEZ.” 

I know, you’re tempted to say. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” You bow back, restraining the locs that fall over your eyes. 

“You’re… very beautiful.” His eyes fall again, taking their time coming back to your face before flashing a seductive smirk. You bite your lip, acute amounts of shame stirring with the arousal in your belly as the tension thickens in such a public space.

The members of TXT are long forgotten as you’re sat at the bar with the handsome Mingi. You talk for hours, though it’s mostly flirting and subtle invitations. As much as you can communicate with your limited Korean. You’re glad it’s gotten good enough that you can understand what he tells you next. According to Mingi, there are no restrictions in his company when it comes to doing… it. If they’re of age, they can do whoever they want to their heart’s content. As long as they’re not reckless. TXT has to plan in advance for your visits and they have three emergency escape or hide strategies just in case. That’s just for being seen with you.

There’s heat brewing between your legs. You’d be a huge liar if you said being around handsome men that you couldn’t think about touching wasn’t slightly torturous. Not even a little tipsy quicky you could pretend didn’t happen. No kissing. Hugging was even a stretch. Even if there’s a fuckload of chemistry, gotta ignore it. But this man, the same one you’ve been fantasizing about, can touch you in ways that has heat traveling throughout your entire body.

“What do you think?” He asks with a raise of his eyebrows. You agree in a way you hope doesn’t seem desperate, but in the end who cares? Not you when he leans closer, taking a moment to take in a quick breath before closing the distance. Butterflies swirl and thrash in your stomach as excitement takes over. It’s your fault the kiss escalates but you still can’t care about shame when your dreams are coming true. 

His tongue feels like heaven against yours, sinfully wet to the point where you can’t help thinking of it somewhere else. He inhales deeply through his nose and you can feel the ensuing groan in your spine.

A frantic voice pulls the two of you apart, someone talking about an emergency. He and Mingi share an exchange before Mingi looks back at you. He sighs disappointedly. “Ah, I’m sorry. Maybe next time.” He winks before being whisked away, vanishing like he did every morning when your sweet dreams slip between your fingers.

You and Yeonjun don’t see each other for the rest of the party, you stay at the bar to sulk. Yeonjun was buzzing after the brief dance you shared. Your hand was so soft, and the way you looked at him… he’d never seen that from you before. If no one had taken your attention he doesn’t know what might’ve happened. He shakes the thought away as if it were a physical intrusion. 

When you kept asking about Mingi before the party, Yeonjun thought nothing of it. You were basically clueless about the industry and he was happy to fill you in. But the way you looked at him, sure it wasn’t as loaded or intimate (or unprovocative) but you looked starstruck. It would sting a little if you didn’t become a fan from their music but from someone else’s.

Yeonjun’s body had become entirely tense, unable to dance in a carefree way after you took over his mind. There was a whole lot of conflict going on in his brain but not a lot of solutions. What does it matter? It’s not like you’re gonna stop being friends with them. You’ve given their home life a level of excitement and joy that it hasn’t reached before, and they didn’t have to train for months to receive it. All Yeonjun had to do was kick back, look over with a smile to see that you’re smiling back. 

The next time you see each other is outside the club next to their van. “Hey, you disappeared.” Yeonjun shoves his hands in his pockets before nudging you with his elbow. You glance up at him, but it’s like your neck’s made of rubber. Drunk like him, but way worse at concealing it. Soobin explains that he found you by the bar and decided to help get you home. 

In the backseat between Yeonjun and Taehyun, you’re restless. You keep whining and fidgeting until Taehyun asks you what’s wrong. “I’m just frustrated.”

Confused by this progression, Yeonjun turns toward you with a curious frown. “Did something happen with Mingi?”

“He had to leave.” You whimper before letting your head fall on Yeonjun’s shoulder. When you lift your face to look at him you’re way too close for it not to be a problem. He’s hesitant, but Yeonjun allows his face to linger in this dangerous proximity. “I’m still a little worked up.” Your eyes flit down to his lips and he gasps lightly. He casts a quick glance at his members. Taehyun was looking down into his lap, brows tight. The other members seem to be minding their own business. Getting the idea before he even looks back at you, Yeonjun’s heart flips.

When he turns his head again you scoot closer. The lights of the city whiz past, shadows obscuring your features before painting them in vibrant hues. Each aspect of your face that he tried not to think about lay before him in a way so breathtaking he can’t think straight. He usually stops himself by now out of fear that he’ll become obsessed with you. Then he feels the tip of your nose brush against his, signaling how close he is to breaching an important rule. Just then, the van passes through a tunnel, cloaking the entire vehicle in a dimmer light. His heart stills, time stills as the drowsy look wipes off your face. You pull back a bit to flash him a genuine look. As if you’re also considering this.

Yeonjun is closing in just as the van leaves the tunnel, moving fast but not fast enough.

“Hey, break it up!” A bright light is flashed in both your faces. Yeonjun squints and blocks the light, unable to pull away from you because it feels like snuffing out this flame will leave him stranded in the tundra. But Soobin sounded frantic, and he’d hate to stress out his friend and leader. So he pulls away and he’s right. It’s frigid and cold.

“What happened?” Kai sits up from his chair and glances at Soobin before peering at the back seat.

Soobin sighs, clearly hesitant to report this. “He almost kissed her.”

Their reactions vary from shocked to worried to a little frustrated. “That’s like… the biggest thing, hyung.” Soobin pleads for Yeonjun’s understanding with his eyes. Yeonjun nips at his top lip, unable to curb his embarrassment and disappointment. “I know, I know.” He sends a hand through his hair frustratedly.

You sit stiffly between the two men as Taehyun gears up to say something. All this for a kiss? One you were admittedly excited for. Still, you don’t have it in you to get angry at them. Like Yeonjun said. They worked hard for this. It’s silly to risk it all over a kiss. Even if that label makes your heart sink.

“You guys know I won’t say anything. I’m already risking getting fired over driving you here.” The driver pipes up as he casts a quick glance at the rearview mirror. 

“It’s not about that, we can’t slip up.” Taehyun finally speaks, eyes cutting at Yeonjun. “At all.”

“I said I know.” Yeonjun speaks with more conviction that raises the tension considerably. Everyone else in the car can feel it. You send nervous glances to the other three who seem to be doing the same. “It’s fine! We’ve all been drinking, so.” Kai tries, his nervous smile flickering out when he looks back. Taehyun has his jaw clenched as he stares out the window and Yeonjun is clearly pissed off.

“Exactly, let’s just drop it. Nothing happened anyway.” Soobin adds authoritatively, looking back at the two who don’t return his glance.

Everyone does as much, leaving the car unbearably quiet. When you arrive at your apartment you say quiet goodbyes to everyone including Jun who gives you a cautious and almost apologetic look. “I’ll come with you.” Soobin grunts as he stands from his seat. 

Yeonjun watches helplessly as you both exit the car and Soobin walks you to the door. He would’ve offered before the car even stopped. But this isn’t only about him. A scandal could harm the entire group.

-🖊️⇝

Five months. You haven’t been laid in five months. Then here comes this 6ft-something man with puppy dog tendencies who turns on the sex appeal like it’s nothing, stirring up your emotions to this degree. 

You tie half of your locs up before tugging two down to frame your face. You bite your lip as you take in your appearance, a little shocked at how good everything came out. “What do you think? Should I add anything else?”

Things have been a little stiffer between you and Yeonjun. You still hang out but you both can feel it looming. The chemistry. The tension. The threat of jumping each other’s bones at a moment’s notice. Yeonjun doesn’t want to drag his members down because of a rash decision. He’s not sure what’s going through your mind but he can see the conflict in your eyes.

Yeonjun considers helping you. Immediately he’d recommend a choker. It’s hard for him to quell the thoughts about how good your neck looks with a piece of fabric wrapped tightly around it. Then he would suggest going for gloss instead of lipstick, but perhaps he should stop thinking about your neck and lips while he’s ahead. Also, this is all to help Mingi. Valentine’s day has passed, but it’s a miracle if an idol is free then anyway. This is essentially their valentine’s day plans, it’s a thought that presents a lingering bitter taste in his mouth. But he knows better, so he keeps those thoughts to himself.

“Yeah, it looks good like that.” He says as plainly as he can. Like a friend should.

You turn in your chair and rest your arm on the back. He looks really tired today. You can tell it’s one of those weeks that are really beating down on him. This is the most severe you’ve seen it get with your own eyes.

“You’re usually good at helping me with my looks.” It’s true that you’re cautious as well, but if he could have one moment to not be worried about one hundred things at once, you really want it to be with you. 

“You did pretty well on your own.” His shrug does nothing to shield how disingenuous he’s being. You give him a knowing look, deciding to probe just a little. 

“You know you can take a nap on my bed while I’m gone.”

“I’m good.” He assures with a smile meant to be soft but ends up strained. “Text me if you need anything or if something goes wrong.”

No, no. That’s the last thing you need. Him needing to have his guard up around you and still being so courteous. “I have other friends that I can text. You go play video games or relax or something.”

“Oh yeah? Name someone that isn’t an idol, quickly.” His tense demeanor melts just for a second, just to poke back. You give a short, dry laugh. Knowing very well you didn’t have an answer. Non-idol friends would do you some good. You think for a moment before replying half-jokingly.

“How about I call your leader instead and tell him to come take you home.”

Yeonjun stands from the bed, walking over with a look that you recognize by now. He’s thinking about it again. Kissing you or touching you. “I wanna be here when you get back.” He’s not sure why. You’re not gonna be drinking and Mingi is a gentleman, he’ll make sure you get home safe. 

You’re acutely aware you must be looking at him the same way, which means you’re both in danger of breaking the biggest rule. He’s tired and probably unbelievably frustrated. And he wants it so bad. You can practically smell the arousal when you two get like this. Hell, you want it too. Sleeping with someone who’s been stifled for years and is finally able to let loose? The sex would be unforgettable. The thought permeates in your mind, strong enough to overshadow your habit of pushing all this to the wayside. You stand from the chair.

“Why? I’ll be alright.” You blink, unaware of how cute you look peering through your lashes. Despite his notes, you did do a great job. Fuck a choker or lip gloss, if you showed up to a date looking like this, he’d lose all ability to function.

“You look so beautiful.” He breathes out, but how genuine he is shines through. This was more intimate than the dance or the almost kiss. HIs eyes have a slight sheen as they gaze down at you earnestly.

“That means a lot, Jun. Thank you.”

Yeonjun, instead of responding, takes your shirt strap that had fallen down your shoulder in between his fingers. He slowly moves it back up, hand brushing lightly against your soft skin. You’re cold to the touch, your body being chilled by your air conditioner. How long would it be until you were properly warmed up? Too long.

“I don’t think I can handle you looking like this for someone else.” The words roll off his tongue, feeling as though someone else had said them. He looks over at your eyes from your strap, the touched shock on your face confirming that it was real. It happens quickly, the rationalization. You shut up the part of your brain urging you to run away from the conflict and tug Yeonjun closer by his shirt. His hands move to your face and the two of you linger there, either giving this a second thought or wondering if this was really happening. You lean in, feeling his breath fanning only to jerk back suddenly. Your lips brush against each other first before they finally meld, finally connecting in the way you both truly craved.

He’s so expressive, you can feel the longing, hear the pent up frustration leaving him with every heavy sigh. You chase each other’s lips instantly after each disconnect as if the kiss is providing oxygen rather than inhibiting it. There was that heat again, warming his frigid body as you wrap your arms around him and urge him closer. 

He pulls away, the impish fox you know well looking so unfamiliar. His eyes pleading and blown out, his pretty lips pink and swollen. You impatiently pull him back in and you feel the same warmth he is. Except it’s burning you up. Both of you feel like you’re being swallowed by a large flame as your tongues circle each other. He lets out a wanton moan that has your core clenching. “Taste so good.” His voice is nearly inaudible, murmured between kisses.

Pushing your straps down your arms, he undoes his recent action. He pushes your dress over your breasts but he’s too consumed by the kiss to look down. His hands envelope the flesh held by your bra as he pushes his tongue into your mouth. Things are escalating quickly but you grow frustrated that he isn’t inside you already. You’ve both waited long enough.

“Fuck me, please.” You beg, eyebrows slanting as you let your pride go for just a moment. You reach down and tug at the waistband of his sweats, feeling a little justified as he returns your desperation with his eyes. With his hands kneading your breasts and your fingers clenching his pants you stare into each other’s eyes. No words exchanged but you each understand loud and clear that you need each other. Bad. As his face draws closer you try again. “Fuck me.” You whisper as he nuzzles your nose. 

You’re begging for it but Yeonjun can’t decide how he wants you first. He shuts his eyes and imagines your body bent in half, your as lifted into the air. Presented just for him. His cock throb and he squeezes your breast. Your ensuing moan almost pushes him to throw you onto the bed. But then he imagines the moonlight bleeding through the curtains and painting your body. The lights of the cars that speed past illuminating your umber tinted nipples that perk up nice and hardened for him.

The fantasy draws more and more saliva onto his tongue that rolls off onto yours. Your tongues tangle in a horny mess. If anyone saw what the two of you were doing they’d probably be confused, but both of your faces are scorching and the spaces between your legs are throbbing. Yeonjun is on his tenth fantasy on how he wants to pose you when he starts whimpering. You grab his crotch and return the squeeze he’s been giving your breasts. He finally unlatches from your lips to toss his head back, letting out the loudest moan of the evening. You kiss down his throat, feeling the vibrations of his pretty sounds. It’s taking every atom inside your body to not bite and suck, instead you ghost your teeth over his supple skin. 

As his moans transition to groans and growls his actions become more rough. He grabs your wrist to keep your hand steady as he grinds into it. His nails pierce your breast and it’s your turn to whimper. He yanks your hand off of him and moves his own to your waist, finally guiding you over to the bed. In every fleeting fantasy he had there was one thing either missing or integral. The very look on your face you have now as he’s moving over you. Your dark eyes are so doe-like yet so sinful. They yearn for him, yet dare him. 

The taking off of your clothes is agonizingly slow. It doesn’t matter that you’re both rushing to the point that you almost rip each other’s shirts. It’s still torturous. His long cock bobs as he repositions himself, a drop of precum dribbling from his tip and shining in the light. His nails dig into you yet again as your legs are hoisted on either side of your head. Every time he grips so forcefully you wish he’d do it harder, squeeze you until you fuse together.

You get as close as you can to that wish when his tip cards between your lips. You jolt, surprised by your own sensitivity. Yes, it’s been a long time, but it’s not that. Your clit and lips are so swollen that they ache. You feel like your molten juice will pour out of you at any moment. You hold your legs in place as Yeonjun lowers onto his forearms, bringing his face closer to yours. You’ve already stuck your tongue down his throat and gripped his cock, but there’s something strangely intimate about his bangs brushing against your forehead. He watches you intently as he slowly pushes in. You gasp, as if the heat radiating off his cock is actually singing you as he slides in. 

Yeonjun releases his lip from his teeth as a deep groan forces its way out from the depths of his core. Your pussy swallows him whole, so devastatingly wet that it coats your outer lips and coaxes him in with ease. The urge to crack a window, shove the comforter and sheets off the bed, anything to quell the overwhelming heat is a fleeting thought for the both of you. It’s quickly replaced by the gnawing need to feel every part of each other. To get deep. Yeonjun arches his back and pushes his hips in until you’re yelping and your hips buck uncontrollably.

Then something snaps and a rhythm takes over Yeonjun’s body. His hips snap toward yours at the perfect pace that has you clawing down his back. You feel his skin under your fingernails. 

Your hips desperately chase after him, fingers fumbling over your achy clit. It’s a blurred frenzy that neither of you can completely process as real. Your brains are turned off anyway, blindly chasing pleasure and that orgasm so sweet your teeth go numb at the thought.

The height of the pleasure makes each pump of his cock maddening. It’s so good you both almost want it to stop. The pleasure spikes higher, making your moans peak in pitch. Your grip falters on your thighs as your legs start to quake. 

“I can’t– I can’t!” Your mumbles are nearly incoherent between your shrieky whimpers. A knot squeezes so tight in your lower belly it feels like a large, heavy ball. Yeonjun grits out moans as his eyebrows furrow. The pleading look is so sexy, the desperation in his voice. His fucking cock is inside you. It’s so deep inside you.

“C-cumming!” Your thighs slip from your hands as a violent tremor sweeps through your body. The knot snaps and you feel hot liquid spewing from your cunt. Yeonjun fucks through the pressure, sharp profanities shoot off his tongue. He claws at your thighs and his thrusts transition to slow and punishing. The myriad of noises flooding from your lips don’t lower in intensity. The pleasure barely plateaus and you’re right back in the trenches. 

“Fuck! Yeonjun, fuck!” You squeal. His hand crawls up from between your breasts to your throat. “You’re taking it so well, you’re perfect.” His voice cracks, the sincerity in his voice sending shivers down your spine. 

“You’re so, so perfect.” His body drops closer to yours, his voice tickling against your ear. His thrusts pick up with his fractured moans. You can tell just how much is being released as he fucks you. It’s just as magical as you imagined, watching him let loose like this. But the twitch in his brow bothers you. His muscles are tight, his shoulders tense. You let out a serene sigh.

“Let it all out, Junnie.” You run your hands over his shoulders, feeling his muscles loosen under your fingers. His eyes flutter shut, mimicking your serene sigh. He doesn’t get to rest for long. The conflict wracking his body this time is different. His cock is twitching inside you.

Your clumsy hands travel all over his shoulders, neck, and land on his face. His hips start to fracture from their rhythm and his face occasionally pinches. You caress him, wanting to bottle up the version of him that’s close to cumming. 

You press a tender, wet kiss to his lips. “Cum inside me.”

It doesn’t occur to you that he has no clue you’re on birth control. So when the most guttural moan erupts from his chest it catches you off guard. His hips grind down against yours, his cock throbbing as it pumps you even fuller. Your sweaty bodies stay like that for a moment, not long enough for your sensitivity to wane. He pulls out, unplugging your hole for all the fluids to flow out.

His cock is heavy against your clit, so heavy that it triggers your sensitivity. You close your legs around him and turn your head into your pillow. He flows you, planting a long kiss on your lips as he grinds his cock into your mound. 

“Jun,” you tap at the mattress, the excruciating pleasure taking you to another planet. 

“I love your pussy.” He finally pulls away and the rigidity of your body eases. You let out a shaky breath, eyeing him as moves down your body. He glances up at you with his mouth hovering over your tired pussy. “It’s mine.” His eyes flutter shut as he kisses your mound wetly. A sharp moan rockets out of you. Your head shoots backward and your thighs threaten to close around him. That was just the teaser.

His tongue delves in to scoop out his and your essence. You’re in awe of the dirtiness of his actions and the lengths he’s willing to push you. All while staring you right in the eyes. Your eyes roll into the back of your skull as you push at his head.

He hums before lifting away. “You want me to stop?”

“N-no!” You reply instantly, a laugh bubbling out of both of you. It was ridiculous at this point. Yeonjun curls his tongue inside of you until he’s satisfied with how clean he got you. He lifts up, giving only a glimpse of his sullied face before he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. 

He crawls back up and you groan. 

“No, we’re both gross, don't lay back down.”

He grumbles ‘give me an hour’, making you both laugh. It’s comforting, a crackling fire lulling you both to sleep.

You gasp loudly, shooting upright.

“Mingi!”

-🖊️⇝

If only you hadn’t done that. The vibes after the sex were immaculate. Now things are tense again as Yeonjun gets you ready to meet with Mingi. His hands run over your sudsy body, making sure you’re squeaky clean. He helps you with your bra, even helps you pick out a new outfit. When all is said and done, you’re back to looking at each other through the mirror. He sighs.

“Go ahead and text him you’re ready.”

You pull your phone out, finding you’re just flipping it over in your hands instead of unlocking it. You chew on your lip, your heart beating so intensely it’s debilitating. 

“I’m ready.” You rush out, thinking for a moment before turning to actually look at him. Yeonjun breathes a laugh with a smirk.

“I said tell him, not me.”

“Why? You’re my date.” Your smile beams brighter than you mean it to. It’s all fine because he returns its luminosity. 

“I’m down for that. I’m too fatigued to go anywhere, though.”

“I know, I really tuckered you out didn’t I?” You cock an eyebrow at him, doing your best impression of a sly fox you know.

“Okay, but who made who squirt?”

You shove him, making him chuckle as he catches himself. You quickly leave the bedroom, turning to shout back at him. 

“I’m watching the movie without you.”

He chases after you and you just barely evade him to sit on the cough first. He dives next to you, snuggling up close and nuzzling his forehead into yours. It’s something he used to do to annoy you, and though you’re tonguing your cheek, your heart is fluttering. 

You watch the rest of the movie hugging his arm with your head on his shoulder. As the credits roll, is the first to talk in thirty minutes.

“It was always gonna be us.” Yeonjun chuckles. “We both knew it from the moment in your hotel room. Fuck it, I might’ve thought about it when I first saw you.”

You crane your head to look at him, his sharp eyes already on you. There’s a softness to them.

Multiple fists thundering against your door makes you both jump. 

“Open up! Yeonjun has been here for way too long!” Identifying Soobin’s voice dulls the alarm bells blaring in both your heads.

Yeonjun trudges over to let them in, sulking back to the couch as the four younger book it past him. Beomgyu launches himself on the couch and asks what “we’re” watching. Kai is close behind, snatching the remote before Beomgyu could even think to grab it. They argue over that as Soobin sits down, rubbing his temples. He sinks into the couch as you sit beside him. You can feel Yeonjun’s warmth on your left and you bite your lip trying to ignore it. 

“And just what were you doing here all alone?” Soobin’s eyes slowly pan over to the two people sitting suspiciously close to each other. You both shrug, mumbling something about movies and ice cream.

Taehyun sighs, squeezing his ass in between the both of you until you’re forced to part. You just roll your eyes, ignoring it for now. The movie watching experience with these five was always chaotic. Chaotic enough that you and Yeonjun could sneak glances at each other with no one noticing. The noise dissipates as you get lost in each other’s eyes. You both smile.

[daisy-mooon]

Meant To Be (We Might Be All Right Now)

Martyn is a cashier that hates his job and avoids his powers. He's not looking for his soulmate and he's certainly not looking to return to the sidekick lifestyle. Things get complicated when he slaps the biggest, baddest supervillain in town and discovers that they're his soulmate.

Martyn hates them immediately. And Cleo hates him immediately too. But hey, he can survive this...

...right?

-

Or: Martyn is a guy. Cleo is a supervillain with anger issues. This is a meet ugly.

(Tumblr Version was supposed to go up last night but it didn't so. well here it is now lmao)

Chapter 1.

Martyn didn't like working at the supermarket.

Should have been quite obvious, really. Nobody liked working at the supermarket. Not unless you had a passion for Tesco meal deals and customers asking to see the manager. But still, it was a job, and it was a job that had nothing to do with heroes or villains. His sidekick days were over.

It was the late shift, and the store was small. Thus, he was the only employee in the store. Poor old Martyn, left alone to man the till, stare at his non-existent phone and wait for a customer to come and yell at him about a lack of milk. Or something along those lines. Last time, it had been Sharpies. He didn't know why people would come to Tesco to buy Sharpies, of all things, but the customer was always right.

"Excuse me.”

Oh great. Martyn almost groaned, but he suppressed it. Just an hour more of talking to customers and then he could go home. Martyn pushed himself out of his slump to stare at them. He could do this. He could do this. He was so good at talking to people and scanning things. He could absolutely do this.

The customers head tilted. Yeah. This was cool. This was fine. Talking to people was easy. "Do you know where the meal deals are?"

"The meal deals are at the back." Martyn stretched sluggishly, blinking his eyes open. God, he needed to do yoga or something. "Drinks and sandwiches are in the fridge, snacks are in the shelf next to them-"

The first thing he noticed was that his mystery customer was wearing white—white shirt, white suitpants, white waistcoat. The customer was wearing a red cape on top of that. The customer was covered in dried blood. It was all of those things that he recognised but didn't fully process what any of the weird outfit or weirder bloodstains were until he fully lifted his eyes and stared at them, face covered in a wolf-skull mask.

Martyn’s mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again. He gaped.

A supervillain. At his till.

And not a mid supervillain; this supervillain had killed thousands of people. The supervillain that could kill him in a heartbeat. The supervillain that was (allegedly) cursed to cause death wherever she went. Uh oh. This was not good.

“Thanks!” Biteback's tone lit right up. Without fuss, she swept her way around the shelves and disappeared to… find the meal deals, he supposed.

Any normal persons reaction this would be to start screaming hysterically. Martyn could only stare dumbly in her direction.

…working the late night shift could be pretty tiring. Maybe his dumb job of giving people meal deals and lottery tickets had finally driven him insane. Was he supposed to call the cops? Or wait for her to leave and then call the cops? Did he run and hide somewhere first? He’d been trained to deal with Karens and the Americans with guns, not supervillains.

He, momentarily, debated using his powers. Then in one of the isles that he could see from his position at the till, he spotted a person in traditional black and blue necromancy robes, adorned with an oversized deer skull. Martyn froze. This was real. As the necromancer glanced up at him—said necromancer was stuffing an unholy amount of salt into an IKEA bag—Martyn gulped and backed away. He recognised that outfit; Khione.

Okay, yeah. He was so not risking using his powers. With two supervillains in the room, he couldn't risk it yet. But... jeez. He remembered now what had blared on about them on the telly; they were a soulmate pair and were never seen without the other.

Martyn swallowed and forced himself to maintain an air of calm. Okay. He… just two supervillains- Just two soulmate supervillains robbing his store. Right. This was- fine.

His mind scrambled to remember something , anything else about them. God, now was not the time for brain freeze- wait. That was it . Khione had ice powers and… some kind of dark magic. Biteback could summon horrifying shadow wolves. They were part of a trio…

Oh. Right. They had a third partner in crime. Blight. Yep, he'd definitely seen Blight on the news recently. They'd robbed something. Their powers were...

Martyn’s mind pulled up a blank. Invisibility? Nope. They did something else, something more freaky…

Khione started lugging the bag of goods towards the till. Each squeak the canvas made on the floor made Martyn want to shudder, but he found himself frozen in place. Had Khione frozen him? He did a quick double check. No, he was just shivering because he was a coward.

You’d think that supervillains would at least be wary advertising their purchases in front of a random coward-cashier that could call the cops on them (he wouldn’t), but apparently not. Khione regarded him with the same importance as a dead frog, then yanked the bag onto the counter and proceeded to stare at him. God, that was freaky. What did he want-?

…right! Martyn was a cashier. He was supposed to scan things for customers. It was his job. He was good at his job. Very good. It was why he hadn't been given a pay raise in the past year of working here, because he was just so good that upper management had it out for him.

Wait.

Khione was… paying ?

Flawless black gloves tapped against the counter. He couldn’t see the look on Khione’s face, because, well, freaky deer mask, but he'd worked in this shithole long enough to know impatience when he saw it. Right. Scanning.

First was the salt. Two pounds, thirty pence per bottle. Seventeen bottles of it. That was thirty-nine pounds and ten pence (inflation was going to kill them all, but he supposed that if you brought seventeen bottles of salt for fun then you kinda deserved to die). Eight packs of disposable garbage bags, the kind that were conveniently large enough to just about store a body. Yikes! Three pounds each. Eight times three was twenty-four pounds. As for the meat… and there was a lot of meat-

"What on earth are you holding?"

Martyn jumped. Khione had moved his head to look at a now present Biteback, the antlers of his deer skull almost whacking the plexiglass they'd put up around the counters during the pandemic and never taken down. He was suddenly very grateful for pexiglass. He didn’t want grubby-grotty-Tesco-shopper-germs, and he definitely didn’t want supervillain germs, and-

"A meal deal," Biteback responded with far too much cheer for 9 PM on a Wednesday night. True to her word, she was carrying a watercress-and-egg sandwich, a cherry flavoured Pepsi Max and a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. “And dog food.”

“I am not buying you dog food." He fumbled for something buried in his masses of robes. He produced a plain, black wallet stuffed to the brim with cash. Since when did supervillains pay for stuff? Didn't they just steal it? “I am not buying you a meal deal. ”

Biteback made a noise of indignation. "But- you brought Blight a meal deal on Friday."

"Because neither of us had lunch on Friday, Bitey.” Bitey? Martyn clenched the edge of the counter and strained every muscle in his body to not erupt into hysterical laughter. “Why do you even want a meal deal? We already ate."

"I can't believe that you won't buy your soulmate a meal deal." She huffed. She slapped the items on the counter. The sandwich toppled awkwardly into the salt and knocked it over. "And you won't even buy any dog food. What’s this random cashier going to think of this?”

Martyn froze as they both looked at him. He only just managed to put out words. “I… don’t judge.” He put out weakly.

Biteback huffed again and redirected her attention to Khione. “What is our daughter going to think of that?"

"We don’t have a daughter. You have a dog.” Khione distractedly shoved a wad of cash at Martyn. He took it, eyeing it with the most amount of caution he'd given anything, ever. Was it laced with poison? Or cursed to set on fire? His attention, thankfully, remained on his soulmate.

"She's a special dog."

"Your dog literally hates me."

“She only hates you when you're mean to me and don't buy me meal deals.” Biteback elbowed him, hard enough that he could see the wince. "Are you going to pay for the dog food or not?”

"...fine."

He blinked, and then Khione was shoving her meal deal and dog food in Martyn's face. Martyn gripped at it stiffly, pressing the scanner over the barcode.

What if he took too long scanning? What if he dropped the change? What if they asked for a disposable plastic bag and killed him when he said that they cost ten pence?

“You don’t have a soulmate, do you?” Khione sniffed at him. Martyn gulped and shook his head. “ Good. Keep it that way.”

He elected to ignore that for fear of being killed at the spot, and began to fumble for the change. He almost dropped it twice and swallowed as he handed it over. “Is that… everything?"

Before Khione could take the money, Biteback picked it right out of his hands and shoved it into an unseen pocket. Khione’s head slowly turned towards her. That did not seem like a healthy soulmate relationship at all, but you know what? Not his soulmate, not his problem. Unless they had an argument and destroyed the Tesco. Then it was definitely his problem, because the store didn't have insurance from supervillain fights. But other than that, no. He wasn’t paid enough to care.

"If you call the police, we will blow up this shop with you inside," Khione said calmly. The air froze, sharpened as he tilted his head. It was like a predator watching its prey. "Are we clear?”

"...yes,” Martyn squeaked. A small crawl of frost started to inch across the counter. He panicked, yelped out louder. “Yes! I won't call the police! I don't want them either-”

"Good." The frost dissipated, leaving behind a trail of droplets. Khione swiped at it, smearing the water across the counter. “Bye bye, pretty boy.”

Biteback snatched her soulmate by the arm and started dragging him off. He cursed at her and she cursed at him right back, snatching the bag from him as he almost dropped it. He heard a voice - in all honesty, he couldn’t tell whose it was - raise in an ungodly shriek as they left, cut off with the bang of the door closing.

Martyn stared.

Martyn stared for several minutes.

What did he do now? Call the police? Call his manager? Call the CEO of Generica City Tesco? Sweat began to bead on the back of his neck? What should he do?

Marryn did as all good minimum wage workers who'd just worked a dubiously legal 10 hour shift, and elected to ignore it until his boss brought it up.

-

The next day was painful.

He spent, to start with, an extra ten seconds more struggling with his rusty lock than he normally did and almost missed the bus. The bus then turned out to be full and he'd had to stand. And then came work itself—his manager had not been impressed to find out they had been robbed by two supervillains, and somehow managed to blame him . With every chime of the door, he imagined Biteback or Khione slipping in and grinning at him- which didn't really make sense, because neither of their masks showed their mouths, but- ugh . At least the manager didn't call the police, which was definitely breaking Tesco TM protocol and was probably to do with semi-illegal contents in the garages on this street, but the last thing he needed was a police investigation that would involve heroes.

Everything was fine, he assured himself with wide eyes and clammy skin. A coworker asked if he was okay—he waved her off even if he did jump at every minor creak of the door. It worked, mostly because everyone people working there were only there to collect a paycheck and go. All he had to do was stand at a stupid till and scan items, and then it would all be fine.

His hands shook minutely as he worked.

Then, there was the great temptation; open up his Sight and see what he could find. Martyn could feel the twitching crawl of his near-permanently shut Sight, begging to be opened up and to glean for anything his human eyes couldn't. He hushed it down. He did not need someone sensing his Sight and he did not need anyone connecting the dots. One could never be too paranoid. Right? Wrong. He could be too paranoid. Because everything was fine. Nobody knew who he was, and nobody was connecting any dots. The dots he was worrying about were non-existent.

The rest of the day went just about fine. Fine! One hundred percent, completely fine. No no, Martyn wasn't nervous. Martyn was a big boy who did big boy adult things. It was- ugh, it was fine . Normal , even, if you could call this city normal. The city of Generica was, in one word, generic, but that didn’t mean it could sometimes be extremely dangerous and slash or weird.

He- as much as he would rather not after the events of yesterday- was the last one to leave. His manager promised that he would get paid extra for the last hour, which he didn't believe one single bit, but he couldn't afford to be choosey. Rent didn't pay itself. So there he was, 10 PM on a Thursday night, closing the shop all by himself and praying that the the googlies didn't get him. No Biteback, no Khione, no zombies or shadowwolves jumped out, which he took as a good sign.

Martyn looked around semi-fearfully at the shadows around him—not full-fearfully, but still wary. The car park was empty. It usually was at this time of night. The rest of the shops closed much, much earlier than this Tesco—to the right of the store, a small array of ratty charity shops and a grubby cafe. To the left, a long row of those dinky garages that you could hire and leave stuff in.

It was late enough that he’d missed his usual bus, but there was another bus in about…. twenty minutes? He was about to check his phone when he remembered that he didn’t have a phone. Yay him. He shook himself off- he didn't know what he was shaking off of him, but he felt the need to do it out of instinct- and tried to ignore the squelch of his work shoes (shitty quality trainers) against the muddy road. God forbid bus stops ever be somewhere clean in this city. But that was Generica City for you. It was anything, if not generic.

Posters peeled off the back of the bus stop; a rather official looking poster that read “The Wither Rose Trio Wants You To Report Villain Sightings; call 69-0420 Today!”, or the years old, faded posters that yelled advertisements such a “Get Tickets For LDShadowLady: That's Just Shadow! (Special Guest Star: Tommy Innit)”. Bored, he skimmed the others for only a moment (what the hell was Twinkly Trash Cleaning?) before giving up. It was dark, he was cold, and he would like to do nothing more than curl up and sleep. He stuffed himself on the bus bench, jammed his hands into his pockets, and glared at the icy road.

A minute ticked by.

Then another.

Five. He shoved his hand out of his coat to splay his fingers out and glare at them. Yep, it had definitely been five minutes. He stuffed his fingers back into the pocket.

He wished that he’d brought his rucksack. It was huge and baggy and had far too much room and he definitely did not have enough stuff to justify lugging it around every day, but he could fit one of those cheap books you could get from the local charity shop in it. The selections there were poor but four for one pound was a flipping bargain, he had to admit.

He, distantly, thought about Ren's bookshelf. He'd loved collecting books; not the cheap, casual paperbacks either. Cloth and leather-bound books that looked impossibly old, and probably were. He never read any, but that didn't mean-

A flickering movement snapped him out of his thoughts.

Martyn didn't turn his head, immediately paranoid. Should he use his powers? He hesitated, then felt for the thrum of adrenaline in his veins. Cautiously, cautiously, he opened up his Sight.

A person. Standing near the Tesco, but not near enough to confirm a robbery or anything like that. He allowed himself to open his Sight up a little bit more, enough to confirm that the figure was, in fact, standing in front of the garages and enough to confirm that there were security cameras. A jolt raced through him—he hadn't considered the existence of security cameras last night. There were fines for not reporting villain activity, and he couldn't pay them. Oh, what was he doing -

The figure slipped inside the garage. Martyn held his breath. After a few moments, they emerged. He froze—had they seen him? He didn't dare push his Sight a fraction more.

Then he saw it. A hand pressed against the crumbling bricks. Darkness shot through the mortar- no. Not darkness. Rot . Martyn stared in a mixture of disgust and horror as sickly, streams of rot chasmed through the building. He knew who this villain was now, had caught a sickening glimpse of a skull mask and the unmistakably deathly black costume. Blight. What were they doing here?

He, finally, remembered what their powers were. He felt a little stupid considering that it was literally in their name— Blight —but he blamed it on the stress of the night before. Rot. Decay. Destruction. Why on Earth had he been so scared of the rumours of Bitebacks death curse? This was so, so much worse than shadow wolves.

He Saw the cracks before he heard them, but nothing could prepare him for the deafening groan of brick and steel creaking. Blight paused, then withdrew something from their pocket.

Right. Martyn had had enough of this. He was leaving. He was leaving now .

And as he turned around, something exploded.

His head snapped around at breakneck speed, unable to look away from the catastrophe in front of him. Fire spilt out of the garage and roared, combing straight through the rottened walls and flaring outwards. Martyn watched in horror as the flame burst into the Tesco- his Tesco-

But Blight didn’t stop. Instead, they shoved a hand out in front of them and curled their fingers inwards. The garage in front of them collapsed on the spot. And then the garage next too it. The flames were hot enough that he could feel them from the bus stop, and he startled backwards. He could do nothing but watch, in agonising horror, as the only job and only real security he’d had for the past year went up in flames.

At this point, he was too angry to give a shit about what Blight could do to him, only about what they’d just done to him.

“That was where I worked,” Martyn screeched at the top of his lungs. It was a shockingly loud, shrill noise that should have pierced glass but broke no reaction from the supervillain. “You asshole-!”

No Tesco meant no job. No job meant no money. No money meant no rent. And jobs that paid without putting him in the system were near impossible to get, which meant that he'd have to relocate again.

The lack of reaction should have inspired him to run before they could kill him. Instead, it only seized him into unsteady but violently furious stomps towards them. What the fuck was wrong with them? What had he done to deserve his workplace being blown up? What had anyone on this street done to deserve having their property blown up? Martyn liked to keep his Sight under wraps, but he saw red.

“What are you waiting for?” Martyn demanded. Blight still wasn't facing him. He could make out their golden chest piece, structured to look like ribs. He wanted to take it, piece by piece, and break it. “Why don't you look at me, you absoloute -”

They turned, finally and before he could even think “this is a really bad idea”, he punched them in the face.

In theory, it shouldn’t have done anything. But Martyn was pissed enough to put his full strength into it. Blights head snapped to the side with the force, and if he listened closely he swore he could hear the unsteady creak of bone underneath.

“I…” they were wearing a skull mask. He'd literally just slapped a skull. But more important than that, he had slapped Blight. Of all the supervillains in the city, and of all the villains and heroes he hated enough to actually slap, he had chosen to slap the one that could kill him in an instant.

Their voice was a low, dangerous growl. “Go ahead,” they dared, and in that moment Martyn knew that they were every single bit angry as he had suspected they were.

Martyn swallowed and steeled his nerves. Adrenaline mixed with the oddest combination of rage and terror to power his eyes upwards at them. Their skull mask- it was fairly simple, compared to the skull masks he’d seen on Khione and Biteback, but he blanched upon realising that it had been from a real skull, hacked away at to make room for it to fit on their face, He braced himself and forced himself to meet their eyes. Bloodshot and violently green, baring nothing but disgust and hate-

-and-

-pain?

Martyn's knees buckled as the most searing pain he'd ever felt consumed him. He choked. His entire body felt like it was on fire. Was this what Blight's powers felt like? Being flayed alive? His stubborn anger had disappated instantly, and his mouth hung open in the attempt to gargle out a plea. He’d heard they were undead—did the undead know mercy?

He gasped and stared straight ahead at Blight. Instead of towering over him, they had similarly hundhced over. He could hear their breathing; mangled, wheezing breath tore out of them like blood tore out of skin. Their hands gritted against the now ruined pavement, which only made his pain grow worse. His hand could have been on fire and he wouldn't have known any difference.

It cleared like a fleeting thunderstorm. Martyn blinked the spots out of his eyes and juttered upwards shakily. Blight was still staring at him.

“You can't be,” They gagged, stumbling away from him. Martyn almost gasped as they brushed against the flames, saw it go out. How had they gone out? It was then that he realised that their rot had cut outwards, smothering the flames in a thick blanket of death. Blight’s foot hit a chunk of rubble and exploded with pain. Pain that he felt , deeply, violently, as if it were happening to him-

No.

No, no, no.

This couldn't be happening. Martyn couldn't get involved with villains. He couldn’t. He’d promised himself, after Ren, that he would leave this world and never go back.

His mouth dried in horror. “You're my soulmate?”

Blight didn’t answer. The unnatural, shared pain that echoed in his bones was all the answer he needed.

[opiopal]

mc as faph from the interpretation of shadows? Has the ability to see if someone is telling the truth or not? Shadow hands from ears? crackhead?

Ooo I had to do some research for this one!!(which I LOVE doing btw) and honestly this would go so hard, I did take a few creative liberties with this, since I didn’t end up researching as much as I wanted to, but I wanted to hurry and write this out!

but yk who would HATE mc having this kind of ability? Luci, the liar of all liars,

like, imagine the first season just with mc struggling to bite their tongue every time he tells a lie, bc they value their life ofc! but as the days go on they realize slowly that... lucifer cant lay a hand on them. not unless he wants to get in trouble with his little boyfriend.

so they begin making comments. Little comments of just.. them “making sure” they heard him correctly, giving him a chance to tell the truth.. from the outside it just seems as if they didn’t hear him, yet the way they ask puts him off. The way that they bat their eyelashes to try and hide the knowing look in their eyes, the way they carefully cross their arms behind their back as they stare up at him. They know something, and he can tell. And he does NOT like it.

though.. while Luci develops more grey hairs to dye later, mc thinks it’s hilarious. Because most of the time they’ll catch him in the most harmless lie.. well, harmless to the world and embarrassing for him. he came home from a trip to the human world, he claims to have bought a record player but he doesn’t want to show his brothers and Mc because it’s “expensive” and he “doesn’t want them to somehow damage it.” .. in reality it’s covered in cute stickers from some little kid who’s parent owned the record player before hand, Luci thought it was beautiful and figured he’d buy it and clean it off… though he didn’t want anyone to know he bought such a thing.. it was covered in my little pony and rainbow stickers for diavolos sake! And it just always baffled mc! Why lie about it? It’s easy to explain! Sure his son and the youngest may giggle at him, but who cares? He does apparently.

though in the beginning mc immediately learns more then they should have.. it’s hard to keep their mouth shut about the attic or Lilith… but somehow they manage to let it come out on its own. Which internally they are relieved about, they don’t have to pretend to not know who painting is of, or act as if they didn’t know there was an attic in the first place.

and after all the pacts are made and mc becomes apart of the family, they mess with the HOL as often as they can . Casually speaking up and answering questions they saw someone ask in their head and scaring them, “yeah I’m hungry to” “HUH-“ or “you probably shouldn’t buy 10 lottery tickets mams..” “WH-“ or “levi don’t buy that Gacha game it’s a scam.” “W-WHAT😨” Solomon somehow figured out this little ability of theirs right off the bat and decided to help them and keep it hidden. So mc has a blast messing with everyone with some help from Solomon.

maybe s8n&belphie at some point make assumptions and BEG mc to read lucis mind so they can prank him, or mams tries to take mc to a casino to get them to help him win, or levi begs for them to figure out what one of his favorite streamers think about him, or asmo sweetly asking if they could see if that guy from across the room is into him(though the guy CLEARLY is, who wouldn’t be? Asmo is obviously adored by all!!) though mc always shrugs and acts as if they have no idea what they’re talking about! Mind reading?? Are you crazy??? They’re only just human after all! Yet they’ll always act as if they could “tell” what someone is thinking, as if it was written all over the persons face, or they’ll always catch one of the brothers in a lie, claiming it was obvious!

so mc probably has everyone convinced they’re just some mini Sherlock Holmes(which gets s8n all hyped, what a nerd). Until eventually Solomon or even barbatos outs them, either by “mistake” or on purpose. and then all of a sudden it’s the brothers turn to mess with them. Suddenly screaming in their head to spook mc whilst they’re having a rare moment of peace, or repeating the same word over and over again, or luci thinking about assignments they have due to remind them instead of it being verbal like a normal person. Which just causes mc to ramp up their OWN antics.

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

These translations are not intended as a replacement for the game. Please support Cybird by buying their stories. Expect grammatical errors.

While walking around town on a date with Prince Silvio, I saw a corner bustling with activity.

Silvio: "It's an event where you can enter a raffle based on the total amount you spend shopping."

Emma: "So that's what the ticket I got when I shopped earlier was for?"

Townsman: "The first prize is this one-of-a-kind gorgeous tea set!"

In the center of the crowd, a beautiful, delicately crafted, blue color tea set shone brightly.

(Wow, you can win that in the lottery!?)

Emma: "Prince Silvio, can I try?"

Silvio: "You look like you're having a lot of fun with this lottery. Go on."

Emma: "I'm going to win the first prize!"

I lined up at the back of the crowd, and after a few minutes of waiting, it was finally my turn.

Townsman: "You're next. Go ahead, draw one of these."

(Which one should I choose? This is making me nervous.)

I picked one of the tiny shells from the box offered to me.

Emma: "This one! What's the prize?"

Feeling anxious, I checked the underside of the shell and found the words "8th" written on it.

Townsman: "Ah, too bad! The 8th prize is a participation prize. Here, it's a discount coupon you can use in town."

Emma: "Thank you!"

After the drawing, I rushed over to him.

Emma: "It was a participation prize!"

Silvio: "Getting the first prize is not that easy, you know?"

Emma: "I thought I could win it since you're with me."

Silvio: "You've got a lot of guts to make me your lucky charm."

As a punishment, he roughly tousled my hair.

Silvio: "Do you want to draw again?"

Emma: "No, once is enough."

Silvio: "I thought you wanted it?"

Emma: "Of course I wanted it, but I'm more interested in the thrill of not knowing what I'm going to win."

Silvio: ".........."

Emma: "What's wrong?"

Silvio: "I just thought it was a typical thought from someone who is not materialistic."

Silvio: "Let's move on to the next store."

Emma: "Got it! Thanks for sticking with me."

Emma: "Then, let's go to..."

I spread out the map I had marked and returned to our date.

A few days later, he came to my room carrying something mysterious.

Emma: "What's that expensive-looking box?"

The excessively decorated box made it difficult to gauge its purpose just by looking at it.

Silvio: "It's a raffle. You drew it the other day, right?"

Silvio: "I thought maybe I could come up with some clever business idea using this. So go along with me."

I couldn't keep up with the sudden turn of events, but the last words reminded me of something.

(Did he make it because I mentioned I enjoy it?)

(But then again, nothing is impossible with this guy.)

I spoke up to cover up my smile.

Emma: "If that's the case, I'm happy to help!"

Seeing him smile with satisfaction made me happy, too.

Silvio: "Drawing alone would be boring, so I've also prepared some prizes."

Emma: "It's not something expensive, is it?"

Silvio: "Ha? It's not like that. You wouldn't accept it even if I prepared it for you."

Silvio: "It's something you're more likely to enjoy."

Emma: "What is it?"

Silvio: "Well... you know, things like roses, sweets... ah, something like that."

(He suddenly started slurring his words. And I feel like he's getting restless.)

(I guess I'll find out if I draw one.)

Silvio: "Tch, forget it! I changed my mind!"

Emma: "What? Why!?"

Emma: "You even prepared prizes, so at least let me draw once."

Silvio: "No. Let's do it next time."

(He's getting so agitated it's making me even more curious!)

(Is there something strange or unusual among the prizes?)

(But if he's not letting me draw even once for that reason, then perhaps the prizes aren't things in the first place.)

(Considering he knows I'm not materialistic, he'd probably choose...)

Emma: "Could it be that the prizes are somehow related to you?"

Emma: "Maybe a coupon to have a drink with you?"

Silvio: ".........."

Emma: "Or like words of love from you."

Silvio: "Hey, I said it's over already!"

(This mix of embarrassment and anger confirms it!)

Emma: "You really know what I want."

(He probably thought hard about it and made it while feeling embarrassed.)

Just the thought of it made me smile. I felt like I might even burst out laughing.

Emma: "Fufu, thank you."

I kissed his cheeks several times to express my joy and gratitude.

Silvio: "You always do things so suddenly..."

Emma: "Well, now that I know what's inside, I'll draw!"

Silvio: "When did you get the box!? Hey, give it back!"

Emma: "Nope!"

(There's no way I'd let go of it now that I know it's a box full of his love.)

I put my hand inside the box while evading Silvio.

Feeling more excited than any other previous time, I carefully selected a single seashell.

[eunseokieebb]

Today, I ran into Han!

Because of a class assignment, I went to the University Song Festival at Han River Park. It was too cold, so I left early. As soon as I got to the intersection, I saw someone who looked just like him.

But I wasn't sure, so my friend and I looked back and forth a few times.

Later, he might have been going to buy something to eat, and I didn't want to miss him, so I chased after him. When he turned around, I realized it was really him.

(The conversation between the op and seunghan)

I went up and asked, "Are you Seunghan by any chance?"

He smiled and confirmed. I asked if I could get an autograph.

He agreed, but since I didn't have any paper, I dug out a lottery ticket from my bag.

He laughed a bit, and I apologized, but he said it was fine. I originally thought he'd just give me an autograph, but he even asked who it should be for.

I got so nervous that I shook while typing my name. I also told him to keep up the good work, and he smiled, nodded, and thanked me.

The whole time, he was very patient and kind. He looked great and seemed to be enjoying his life

(He was really handsome in person standing next to me).

[piratefalls]

once again the number of fics on these lists has escaped containment.

list one. list two. list three. list four. list five. list six.

No Nut November by TuppingLiberty

The Super Six make a bet to see who can 'win' No Nut November. Alex is determined to win, but discovers something about his roommate Henry in the process. Aka, a simple college roommate au pwp grew some plot.

Feel your hands in my hair and you whisper my name by kiwiana

And, like, Alex is a smooth guy, okay? He’s charming and witty and has a killer smile. Generally speaking, he flirts well and it almost always works out for him. Even when it doesn’t, he usually ends up making a new friend. There’s all sorts of things he could say in response. ‘You could help me by letting me buy you a drink’, that’s a classic. Sometimes a well-placed cheesy pickup line about being distracted by someone’s beauty can break the ice. ‘No, but you can feel free to help yourself’ is a good one if the vibe is more hookup than date. These are all options he has. What actually comes out of his mouth is “Can I suck your dick?”

Henry's an Asshole (I Want to Kiss Him) by anarchyat4am

They hoist themselves up onto the counters, Alex on the island and Henry opposite him, tucked into the corner with his knees pulled to his chest. Henry can feel Alex watching him, but he’s not sure he wants to face whatever’s playing out in Alex’s expression. He gets through half of his ice cream before giving in and meeting Alex’s eyes, and he cannot for the life of him read what he sees in them. “Can I tell you a secret?” Alex says. Henry hums and lifts an eyebrow. “Is it a good one?” “Maybe?” Alex says. He pokes at his ice cream and eats another spoonful, looking carefully at Henry. “I was gonna kiss you at midnight.” * At the NYE Gala, Henry starts feeling the hazy edges of anxiety and an uncomfortable tightness in his chest. It takes him longer than it should to take notice of the feeling, and even longer to realise that the cause is likely the binder he’s been wearing all day. He escapes the party, Alex gets him upstairs to his room to change, and the rest of the night goes far differently than Henry could have expected.

Uncut not Uncultured by inexplicablymine

“Excuse me? Have I dealt with Uncircumcised Dick? Are you at a hookup or something right now and a little lost?” “Yes, have you dealt with uncircumcised dick, no I’m not at a hookup, I am having an existential crisis and I need support okay Liam!” Alex’s voice pitches up at the end showing that he really is worried about something to do with foreskin. __________________ One Trader Joe’s Pride themed phallic treat, one existential crisis with your ex and his current lover, one hot and steamy night to work it all out.

The Key to Home by MoonCheeseRavioli

Henry isn't like that at all. He's not cold and robotic, he's just nervous. He's just a boy. Maybe they can just be boys tonight. No fucking titles or parts to play. Just people in a room in a house, doing something for themselves for once.

You'll Be Glowing, Chasing Shadows Away by Mags (sparklepocalypse)

In the weeks leading up to Alex’s eighteenth birthday, he spends hours meticulously crafting a list of things that adults are legally permitted to do, and minors are not. It takes nearly twice as long to decide which items to sidebar, so he can narrow the list down to a manageable number. Finally, he’s left with four: 1. register to vote; 2. buy a lottery ticket; 3. get a tattoo; 4. go to the adult novelty shop. (Or, five times Alex tries something he's seen on the internet, and one time he involves Henry.)

The Better Part by dorian_burberrycanary

Henry has no reason to be in New York, no acceptable public excuse, just a three-day gap in his schedule and a boyfriend he hasn’t seen in six weeks. Six weeks and two days, his mind supplies. For a moment he considers blaming that knowledge on how the American election is an easy date to remember. Instead, he texts Alex: We’re apart for weeks but my body misses you in days, in minutes.

warm from the inside out by cricketnationrise

“Can I pull you away from what I’m sure is fascinating research for a bit of a break?” “Mmm, depends on what kind of break,” Alex teases. “Tax law is pretty captivating.” “I was thinking,” Henry begins slowly, smudging kisses from Alex’s shoulder and up his neck, “that the break could go something like this.”

(lord, save me) my drug is my baby by coffeecatsme

Henry isn’t home when Alex returns from his weeklong trip to his father’s lakehouse in Texas. There is, however, a bat hanging from their fan, wings curled around its little body, a drop of drool clinging to his lips. Sleeping. “Huh,” Alex says, tilting his head. “I didn’t know vampires could actually turn into bats.” Or, 5 times Alex learns something new about Henry and 1 time Henry learns something new about Alex.

Celebration by Anonymous

It’s foolish, to do this now instead of later when they have time, but Henry wants it too much to resist. He always wants, always. Henry and Alex celebrate the election victory.

So No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way by DracoWillHearAboutThis

Alex froze in his tracks, the abrupt movement causing him to drop his freshly bought cup of coffee right onto his new white sneakers. At the sound, Pez and Bea both turned to stare at him, eyes wide and slightly panicked. “Please tell me you didn’t hear that,” Pez whispered, with a note of desperation in his voice. “What do you mean, Henry is in love with me?!” Alex asked, his own voice high-pitched. “Well,” Nora said, grinning as she leaned back in her own seat. “This should be interesting.”

A Long Way From the Playground by allmylovesatonce

Henry and Alex were best friends growing up until they went to separate colleges and they grew apart. When they see each other again as adults, against the odds, both living in the same city again, will it be a joyful reunion or will the pain of the years apart get in the way? How do you become friends again when there is so much of the past in the way?

and I see forever in your eyes by viciouslyqueer

“What went wrong, love?” Henry asks quietly, anxiety curling around him and weighing on his stomach at the thought of having hurt Alex in any way. To his surprise, Alex lets out a little laugh. “Nothing, actually.” Henry frowns. “But… you safeworded. Something was obviously wrong.” Alex stays silent for a few moments. He seems to hesitate before speaking. “I just… didn’t want you to open that drawer.” — A brief misunderstanding and a ruined surprise turn out better than expected.

Toe the Line by OrchidScript

Henry plays piano while Alex studies. Alex gets caught live-streaming. Henry has a response handy.

Tickling the Ivories by bleedingballroomfloor

"What is it, baby?" Alex asks with a lick of his lips, one hand squeezing Henry's thigh and the other cupping his face. Henry growls. "You know what it is, you wanker," he whispers. They're so close that their lips brush with each word they speak. "Now are you going to continue to tease me like the arse you are, or are you going to drag me to the bedroom and actually fuck me?" "The bedroom?" Alex chuckles, sliding up his hand to thread his fingers through Henry's hair. He moves his mouth to Henry's ear and says, "Remember when you wouldn't let me fuck you on that piano back in Kensington? Well, this one isn't an old antique, babe."

Teach Me, Teach Me, Teach Me (How to Love) by politics_and_prose

“The beauty of love is that you can fall into it with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time.” - Ritu Ghatourey Henry expects the coming school year to be much the same as the previous ones. He couldn't be more wrong.

tiny pretty things by shinebackbaby

Having completely gotten lost in his thoughts, he must've been staring, because Nora's saying, "Earth to Henry. What are you staring at, babe? Would you like to try?" From the tone of her voice it's obvious she's mostly joking, but Henry, not knowing what's gotten into him, actually considers. He remembers wondering how it all feels. Sure, he's had concealer put on his dark circles about a million times, and blush on his cheeks to give his face just the slightest warmth instead of the pale and hollowed-out look he privately sported for many years after his father's passing. But it just never felt the same as the things they did to Bea, the things June and Nora are doing to themselves right now. He thinks. Wonders. Considers. And he nods. He nods his head and says, in a bit of a small voice, "Er. Yeah, actually. I'd like that, I think." Or in which Henry tries out makeup with the help of Nora and June, and Alex is positively in love with it.

First Time for Everything by Celaestis

“I love that you love it.” He moves, gesturing for Henry to sit, and then straddles Henry's lap. His smile is as sharp as a knife when he kisses Henry. “I love everything about it – the way you look, the noises you make. How fucking amazing you feel around me, sweetheart.” He grinds slowly against Henry as he talks. "I wanna feel that too."

In the teeth of strong opposition by clottedcreamfudge

"You know what?" Henry says loudly, annoyed beyond belief that he has to hear for the millionth time how fucking cool Alex is with Henry's sexuality. "If you're such a good ally, why don't you suck me off? Since you're so insistent, why not get on your knees, Alex?" He regrets the words as soon as he says them, but it's not like he can shove them back into his mouth; he can't take them back. He closes his eyes so he doesn't have to see the shocked expression on Alex's face and takes a few deep breaths. "Sorry," he says tightly a moment later, eyes still closed. "That was uncalled for." "Do you want me to?"

would you wait for me? by smc_27

Henry Fox has made Alex nervous from the second they met. Now it’s different. Now Alex has to try and find a shirt to wear to a party where he’ll inevitably see Henry for the first time in a year. For the first time since Alex’s heart was broken and he’d made what felt like the brave and smart decision and left. Coming back might be a mistake.

Little Matters by pridepages

Henry Fox never expected to have children. As the black—or rainbow—sheep of the family, he accepted that long ago. But tragedy takes the lives of his brother and sister-in-law. Suddenly, Henry finds himself the guardian of his precocious little niece, turning his life upside down! Alex Claremont-Diaz is just fine, thank you very much. Freshly graduated from NYU Law, he’s ready to kick off his career. One day, he runs into a handsome man with his little girl. Sometimes we have to find each other before we can find ourselves.

jump in with your heart first by stutteringpeach

Pez sets it up. Some guy from work, he says. Gorgeous, too smart for his own good, a mouth that will get him into trouble. Henry raises an eyebrow. “Whatever you’re thinking,” Pez sings, wearing a smirk, “the answer is yes.”

Who Will I Become Tonight? by athousandrooms, ifyoustay

Attending their ten-year high school reunion isn't among Henry's ideal weekend plans, but Alex makes a really strong case for them to go together and have some spiteful fun. The problem is, Henry's in love with his straight best friend, and Alex thinks it's a brilliant idea to fake date. Best laid plans, they say.

Love, Pyramus by SprigsofViolets

Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor has always been different, and he spends his life finding himself in the pages of a book, connecting with queer people through literature. “To every person in search of somewhere to belong who happened to pick up this book, I hope you found a place in here, even if just for a few pages. You are loved. I wrote this for you. Keep fighting, keep making history, keep looking after one another.” —Casey McQuiston; Red, White, and Royal Blue

five times alex and henry tried something kinky (and one time they didn't) by cmere

Alex knew Henry loved his stupid fucking dirty talk, but if he were pressed to admit it, he loved it too, especially knowing that they were doing something they very much weren't supposed to—and that even though it wouldn't be the same scandal it once was, it would still be a fucking shock to someone's delicate sensibilities and most likely get them in a lot of trouble. What Alex loved most was that Henry got off on this shit as much as he did, too. OR five times Alex and Henry tried something kinky, and one time they didn't

Stars and Stripes by lucy_in_the_sky

Alex and Henry’s Fourth of July celebrations ft. an oh-so patriotic pair of star spangled boxers.

Hope and Glory by everwitch

Any moment now, that door will open again and another man will enter, another stranger will bare himself and quietly slot himself into the hole in the wooden panel. And Henry will swallow him down, willingly, greedily. He will use his mouth and his tongue and both of his hands, and he will lose himself in every little sound, every low groan and trembling whimper, every sharp intake of breath. He will bring the stranger to the brink and then over it, will smile faintly as feels the man pulsing in between his hands, will brush a chaste kiss against the tip before he lets go. Henry joins an exclusive, members only sex club and lives out an impossible fantasy. Along the way, he forms a connection with an enigmatic lover.

Gay Panic Button by Void_senpai

In which Alex is Alex and Henry's little gay heart cannot survive his bullshit. Or Chapters from the book and offscreen scenes from Henry's POV

AirBnB My Baby by indomitablelove

Alex grips his hand on the poker again. “Who the fuck are you?” he asks through gritted, chattering teeth. “And why do you have a key?” His mind is spinning a thousand miles an hour. What if this guy is a former guest who had his own key cut? What if he’s been waiting to pounce after seeing Alex arrive alone? What if he actually was working with Shaan?  "Oh, fuck," he says. The word sounds different in his mouth, like it’s something new, crisp and barely used, not like it does coming from Alex’s mouth – well-worn, with an alarming frequency. Something seems to dawn on the man. Alex really, really wishes that he’d bring him up to speed. “Right,” he says, “yes. My name is Henry, this is… well, my house and I think I’ve monumentally cocked up.” -- After June and Nora's flight gets grounded in the snow, Alex ends up at the holiday cottage they booked alone. He gets an unexpected visitor in the night. Then they get snowed in together.

my little dove by dearestalez

“Kinda cliché,” Alex says, looking up at the mural. “It’s Bea’s favourite piece,” Henry says. Alex looks at him, “that makes sense.” They travel through a plethora of shops. Henry picks up a hat, Alex holds a jumper to his chest and twirls until Henry is giggling into his fingers. “Why do they never have my size?” Alex laments, holding a nice pair of shoes that don’t come in seven and a half. Only seven or eight. Henry doesn’t mean to laugh, he didn’t really think that was something he did. Laugh at people’s expense. But he isn’t doing that. Alex is pouting over a pair of shoes, with wide brown eyes and slumped shoulders, and Henry is laughing at the absurdity of it all. He never thought that the man across the building cradling a beer to his chest was the type to pout and whine when a shop didn’t carry his size. He never thought he’d find that out. He never thought that stranger from that bar would turn into someone he knows. “You’re a dick,” Alex says, but he’s grinning and Henry is weak.

Pump The Volume by absoluteaudacity

Zahra, sitting across the table from Alex, gives him a stony glare. “Aids?” she signs and he shakes his head obstinately. His hearing aids make his ears itch and he isn’t wearing them in his own house, even if that house is The White House.

you're leaving (now i'm left amongst the living) by peppermintpatties

Six years since they've been together, Alex and Henry were now a far cry from the lovestruck couple they once were when their history began. If you ask Alex, all of it was Henry’s fault. If you ask Henry, he’d agree and say that Alex was right. But before Alex could ever find out why Henry does not seem like the man he once decided to spend the rest of his life with, he already walked away from it all. Now, Henry was alone, left to deal with whatever shattered remains he could salvage from his life. Or, the one where Henry’s sick and Alex only finds out two years after they've broken up.

shaken, not stirred by annesbonny

It starts when Henry orders a vodka martini, shaken not stirred. Or, the one where Alex has a little bit of a Thing for Bond, and Henry, after a very small amount of convincing, indulges him.

Rome, By All Means by schmulte

After five years away from home, His Royal Highness Prince Henry is finally returning to Europe to embark on a royal tour. After a particularly rough night filled with anxiety and homesickness, Henry sneaks out of his hotel to explore Rome and winds up asleep on a park bench. He's taken in by Alex, the son of a former US president trying to lay low after too much time spent in the press, and spends the night on his couch. From there, Alex is determined to show Henry a good time for at least one day of freedom, and the two become unlikely friends, and maybe something more.

Aftercare by whimsymanaged

When Alex has an intense hookup without aftercare, he finds himself on his best friend Henry’s doorstep in desperate need of looking after.

you're so gorgeous (it actually hurts) by vibrantsaturn

He's planning on mindlessly scrolling through his timeline while he waits for Henry to join the red carpet, but he feels an amused huff leave him when he sees 'alex can you fight,' is trending. His lip quirks up as he clicks on the screen to see what all of this is about, and he feels his breath leave him instantly. What the fuck. So. Henry has made it to the red carpet. And he looks fucking ethereal. Shit, he can't believe he gets to marry this man. How is his life real? or, People are thirsting over Henry on Twitter, and you know what? Valid. Alex can fight.

love is blind(folded) by weather_stained

“Baby,” he says, “you know I love what you can do with your gorgeous mouth, but I don't think even you could make me concentrate long enough to actually come amidst all this." He waves his hand in the general direction of the street where it sounds like they're repeatedly putting pieces of concrete in a blender and then throwing the whole blender in the garbage disposal. "Hm." Henry cocks his head to the side, letting his messy morning hair flop in his eyes. He purses his lips. "I might have an idea. If you trust me." There's loud construction outside the brownstone, but Henry helps Alex escape the noise.

The Witching Hours by RadioFriday

Henry drowned today in the waters of Lake LBJ. Henry also drowned yesterday. Alex was there. He remembers. June is certain she is breaking some kind of witching law but can't bring herself to care. Death of the Endless is a good sport even though she's far too busy for this Groundhog Day bullshit.

until next week! if you want to be tagged in future lists, let me know!

[saorikuhara39]

Oct 2023 issue of B'sLOG translation Special Feature: Hyper☆Summer Date

Oct 2023 issue of B'sLOG translation Special Feature: Hyper☆Summer Date Feat. Mammon, Solomon

[PLEASE DO NOT REUPLOAD] (reblogging/comments okay)

The brightness of the summer sun pushes us to be more open than usual. To enjoy this fun season, the special feature will be called "Summer Date"! Please look out for the happy summer date plan he chooses ♪

(Characters are given questions according to the place they what to go on a date with - either the beach, an amusement park, or a summer festival.)

MAMMON - DATE IN AN AMUSEMENT PARK

➀ Today is a date with your loved one at an amusement park! What matching items would you like to wear together? I'd think of headbands of the new Devil's Coast mascot that recently debuted, Awoofa*. Puttin' that on and uploadin' to Devilgram is all over the rage, man!

② It's lunchtime at the amusement park! Which do you prefer, the restaurants or lunch boxes? Either one of those shall do, but I'd like to buy from one of those carts over there and walk around while eatin'. Isn't that the way to have fun with them as much as we wanna?

③ Your loved one wants to go to a haunted house! Can you lead the way? BUT OF COURSE???? Why did'cha even bother askin' that???? Huh? Huh???

④ Riding the Ferris Wheel near closing time, you'll do this to the person you love at its highest point…… Hm, I guess I'mma just say what I thought of at the time. Like where's the House of Lamentation, how small the Demon Lord's Castle is, et cetera. It's pointless expecting me to say things that Lucifer or Satan would say. I'm sure they know that too. Oh, maybe I'll ask them if they had a good time with me. That's the most curious thing I wanna know.

*unofficial translation of Garurufa/ガルルファ. No relevant info in the game has been found regarding this new mascot (as of Sep 2023). Note that this should a different mascot from 'Devilcat/デビネコ', a red teddy bear-like creature with horns on its head.

SOLOMON - DATE IN A SUMMER FESTIVAL

➀ Today is a festival date with someone you like! What kind of clothes do you want them to wear? When in Rome, they tell me to do as the Romans do, so it's gonna be a yukata. Wearing something different from the usual can make someone excited, right? I want them to feel excited too, so I'll probably wear a yukata too.

② It's so crowded that there's a chance of getting separated! What would you do? It's unthinkable that I'd lose sight of my cute apprentice, though I might pretend that it would be a natural excuse to hold hands with them. But since I think they might see right through me, I might honestly say that I want to hold hands with them (laughs).

③ At a target shooting range, they asked you to get "the one" for them! Do you have what it takes for shooting? If my partner is looking forward for me to win, I'll win even if the lottery doesn't include a winning ticket. Eh, no magic is allowed? Hmm, even so I'll give it a shot!

④ Watching the fireworks near the festival's end, you'll do this to the person you love whose eyes are shining bright…… Maybe I won't be able to say anything to them because I'd be falling hard for them who is trying their best to watch the fireworks. Maybe deep inside I'd be saying "I'm glad we're able to make good memories".

[iloveyanderes]

Based of a dream I had last night:

When I opened the door, the surprise to see not one but four weird looking people immediately settled in.

One of them was super tall with brown hair and orange tips, another looked like Ed Sheeran, the smallest of them you almost mistaked for a girl, the woman next to that midget somehow had purple hair.

"can I help you?" I said.

"yes you can, I'm zhongli and these are my... Coworkers, Tartaglia, ei, and venti" the tallest guy said, why did he pause?

"what does that have to do with me?"

"do you remember buying a lottery ticket" zhongli asked me, quickly nodding the memory of me buying it came into my mind.

"well congrants you won!" The short man with an excited voice suddenly yelled, you assumed he was venti.

"I did?"

"yes, we just came to get you to sign some papers and then we can take you on your trip" going to Mexico that'll be fun.

"wait!? Right now" my voice laced with confusion.

"yes, do you mind if we come in" with that I opened the door wider and let them in, quickly boiling some hot water that I can hopefully make good tea with.

The signing of the papers was easy, there was nothing bad or even remotely suspicious.

Excusing myself to go back myself, I leave the four of them to do whatever.

Packing clothes is easy enough, necessities also easy too, but books books where hard to choose.

They were all so good, I love all of them and couldn't bare to part from them.

Eventually I decided to grab book 15 of so I'm a spider so what and volume 21 of demon Slayer, now I just need to grab volume two of bungou stray dogs.

Looking for it I find it's not where I put it, maybe I put it in my hiding compartment?

Looking in their I also see nothing but I do hear something.

It kind of rude to do this but I do wonder what they're saying.

Placing my ear on the wall I listen in on the conversation.

"shouldn't we just take her now"

"we should at least let her take stuff she likes"

"so what we can easily replace everything in this goddamn house"

"I seriously doubt that face that we have to kidnap here, can't we just use persuasion?"

"it's not kidnapping if we take her to the place she belongs"

Ripping my ear away from the way I contemplate what I just heard, they're going to kidnap me?

I need to do something..

Yes I'll hide my wallet, I.d., and phone in my pockets and before we leave I'll excuse myself to go to the bathroom and run.

Putting on a fake smile I finish packing my things and put my luggage right next to my front door.

Right before we leave I commit to my plan and excuse myself to go to the bathroom.

Quickly locking the bathroom door, I shove my window open only to see venti, quite litterly floating in the air right next to my window.

Screaming I fall back only to end in the gingers arms, what the hell! I locked the door.

The ginger has an unbreakable hold on me, no matter how much I pulled or thrashed his hold did not lessan for a single second.

Getting shoved in the car I'm quickly restrained by the purple women who was already in the car, the ginger gets in despite my kicking and holds my legs down.

Zhongli and venti got into the car and we were off.

Not once did I stop struggling, these inhuman beings have the strength of gods, their grips unbreakable.

We stop in a deep forest where I get dragged into, walking for what felt like forever we finally came to the destination.

Is that a portal?

Where the hell are they taking me!

Like an adrenaline rush I somehow escape them, I make it three seconds before getting tackled to the ground.

All of my energy leaving me I can only stare in shame as I'm taken away from my world, my home.

The last thing I remember was getting dragged through the portal and the entire world going black.

The end hope you enjoyed because I sure enjoyed this dream

[alj4890]

Always Winning

(Tobias Carrick x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart one-shot.

Tobias Carrick Appreciation Week

Day 2: WWTD? Tobias randomly buys a lottery ticket while getting his morning coffee. Turns out it's the winner, and he's just won $50 million dollars. What does he do?

A/N For this one, we'll set it in Book 3's canon, but my MC is single and perhaps not as against dating someone she works with as she originally thought 😏 This one got away from me.

Masterlist

"It can't be." Tobias whispered.

He stared down at the lottery ticket in his hand, then reread the numbers on the screen.

"Holy--" He covered his mouth, eyes growing larger the more he realized the truth.

He'd just won fifty million dollars.

If it hadn't been for the visit up to New York City to see his older brother and his wife and kids for the weekend, he wouldn't have given in to a wild whim to buy a ticket. He'd decided to top off his gas and grab a coffee for the road before the drive back to Boston. While at the gas station, he remembered how he used to buy a lottery ticket every so often during college.

His younger self swore that all he needed was one set of numbers, just one chance. No need to buy multiple tickets. It made no sense to do so when you already knew you were the lucky, always winning sort.

Remembering that naive, fun loving guy, he purchased one Powerball.

Jumping to his feet with a whoop, he pumped his arms in the air. A thousand, or rather a million, thoughts rushed through his brain on what he should do with the money.

He knew that early twenties Tobias would have blown a large chunk of it on a trip around the world and probably a few sports cars. He'd then have given some to his two brothers.

"I'll still do that." He announced to his empty room. "I'll give some to Hugh and Phillip for the kids' future."

He had no doubt his young nieces and nephews would go far in their chosen careers. They were Carrick's after all. Even though they were all under the age of ten, with one still in diapers; he believed they were on their way to greatness.

A few million invested along with what his brothers already had saved would have them more than ready for a future of buying homes, paying for college, or starting a business.

They might even take after their favorite uncle and want to spend it on a trip around the world.

Tobias began to pace. Having settled on that, he wondered if he should quit work and do that traveling he'd always dreamt of doing.

Granted, he'd already visited many areas of the world that were on his must see list. He'd always been wealthy. Money was never a problem for the Carrick's. Being a physician had only increased his fortune.

The thought of no longer being a doctor made him pause. He couldn't imagine waking up without that purpose. He never imagined retiring early, especially this early in his career.

But if he had the means, should he look into doing something else?

He couldn't think of another profession that could hold his interest like medicine. He thrived on the unending mysteries the human body offered. The innate drive he felt to not only solve those very mysteries along with finding cures was unlike anything else he'd experienced.

"Retirement will have to wait." He muttered.

His mind began to wander to another reason he wasn't quite ready to hang up his stethoscope.

If he did retire, he would lose his time with Dr. Christy Valentine.

His lips quirked into a smile. There was something about Chris that made his days at Edenbrook a delight. Not only was he able to be a part of the famed diagnostics team, he was given an opportunity to get to know her better.

Everything he discovered about her made him want to know even more.

She made work fun for him. He'd originally thought working with Ethan again would be what would make it so, but it ended up being Chris. Her sense of humor meshed well with his own. Her intelligence was something he marveled at. She had a warmth that was irresistible.

He couldn't think of anything he disliked about her, save for one little detail.

She wasn't his.

In fact, she wasn't anyone's. Before he moved over to Edenbrook, she'd teetered on almost being Ethan's. He didn't know the whole story behind that particular folly. All he did know was that Chris had sworn off dating anyone she worked with.

Since he didn't know how to broach the subject that they were perfect for one another, he'd settled (for the time being) in becoming very good friends with her. Many nights were spent over dinner or drinks, talking about anything and everything that came to mind.

He could see her becoming more and more comfortable around him. His occasional flirty comments had the ability to not only make her smile but also blush. He suspected she felt something more for him. Perhaps, the time was drawing near where he could finally make his move.

Glancing down at his lottery ticket, he thought about saving some of the money for his own nest egg. If things went the way he hoped, Chris might one day become his wife. He'd want to build her the home of her dreams.

And maybe...they might start a family of their own.

He knew that was Chris's dream. She told him that since she had the career she'd always hoped for, she wanted to one day have a family all her own.

****************

A few months earlier...

"I don't think that's too much to ask." She mumbled over drinks. "I know my love life is pretty much non-existent, but there has to be someone out there who wants what I want too."

"I wouldn't say your love life is non-existent." Tobias countered. "Just stalled."

Her lips quirked into a brief smile. "That does sound more promising."

"Trust me, Chris," he leaned closer to her, "you will have all that you want."

She lifted her eyes to his. Blushing somewhat over having him so near and for basically crying over her love life, she tried to make it a joke.

"Are we adding fortune telling skills to your resume?" She teased.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "You don't need psychic powers to see that you're the whole package."

Chris stilled. "You think I'm the whole package?"

"Any man who doesn't see it is a fool." He told her. "And I've never been a fool."

Chris's lips parted to say something. The two were interrupted before she had a chance to speak by Bryce coming over to tell them about one of their patient's surgical consultation. The conversation never returned to what they'd been discussing.

Tobias was left wondering what she'd been about to say of his observation.

**************

"Saving for my own future wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Besides, if he and Chris weren't meant to be and he never met anyone else, then he could make certain his nieces and nephews inherited his fortune.

He sat down on his sofa to study his winning ticket. Something was still off about his decision. He didn't really need fifty million dollars. Giving some to his family and of course the taxes that he would have to pay, still left him with more than he needed.

I need more time to think.

Reaching for his phone, he called Ethan.

"I won't be coming to the hospital this week." He told him.

"Are you sick?" Ethan asked.

"No." Tobias sighed. "I need some time alone to figure out a few personal issues."

"Call if you need longer than a week." Ethan told him.

"Will do." Tobias replied.

After ending the call, he decided to sleep on his decisions.

**************

Five days later...

Tobias had just finished a conference call with his brothers when he heard a brisk, yet persistent tapping on his front door.

Curious, he peeked out to see who his unexpected visitor could be.

Eyes widening, he opened the door.

"Chris?" He leaned against the doorframe and flashed his most charming smile. "What brings you here?"

She folded her arms, eyes narrowing while doing a quick study of him.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

He waved down his body. "Can't you tell?"

Instead of her typical laughter whenever he playfully complimented himself, she instead bit down on her bottom lip.

"Ethan said you needed some personal time off."

"That's right." He stepped back to invite her in.

Her worry only grew with how casual he was being about everything.

"May I take your coat?" He asked.

She glanced down at her crisp, white Edenbrook coat. She'd forgotten to remove it when she decided to leave work and come check on him.

Without a word, she shrugged out of it and handed it to him.

"Can I get you something to drink?" He noticed the time. "You probably haven't had lunch yet. I could make us some--"

"I don't want anything." She cut him off.

He raised an eyebrow over her brisk tone.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"You!" She snapped. "I know it's none of my business, but you never take personal days!"

"That's not true." He motioned for her to sit down. "I went to visit my mom last month for her birthday."

"That wasn't personal." She stressed while taking a seat near him. "You always tell me when you plan a vacation or to go see your family."

"I suppose I do." He grinned over that fact.

"So why couldn't you tell me about taking off?" She demanded.

Chris knew she sounded crazy. Something hit her the wrong way when he didn't bother to tell her he wasn't coming in to work this week. Having to ask Ethan if he knew whether or not Tobias was sick had been hard enough.

Weren't they friends? Didn't she tell him everything? Didn't he feel like he could tell her if something was wrong?

Her fear, that had grown larger when she didn't hear from him, was that he was planning on leaving Edenbrook for another hospital. Things had been tense between him and Ethan since he started. She wouldn't blame him for going to work somewhere else.

She couldn't imagine losing him now that she knew him. She refused to dig deeper into why having him near was so important to her.

You swore off men you work with, she reminded herself. See what happens when you actually fall for them.

She jumped to her feet, bumping into his coffee table and nearly tripping over the area rug.

"Chris?" He reached out to try and steady her. He felt his own alarm over her abrupt behavior when she moved further out of his reach.

"I should go!" She raked a hand through her hair, almost yanking a handful out. "I shouldn't have come to nag you into telling me what's going on. It's none of my business what you do with your time. Your reasons are your own for taking off."

"Hold on!" He grasped her arm, stopping her near sprint out of his living room. "I can tell you."

"Really," she tried to twist free, "there's no need."

"I won the lottery." He announced.

She stilled. Her temper nearly exploded over him making light of her concern.

"Fine! Don't tell me." She snapped. "I don't know why I came here."

"I'm serious!" He went to retrieve all the paperwork he'd received when he accepted the winnings. "Look."

She glanced down. Her anger turned to astonishment when she saw his bank draft.

"YOU WON FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS!" She shouted.

"I did." He chuckled over her reaction.

"No wonder you took off work!" She dropped back down on his sofa.

Tobias watched as her surprise gave way to utter sadness.

"Being a multimillionaire isn't that awful." He joked.

"You're not coming back are you?" She asked, fighting back tears.

"Where? To work?" He sat down next to her.

She nodded. A few stray tears slipped out.

"I thought about that." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue she'd found in her pocket.

"I'll miss you." She admitted. "I can't imagine not having you around the hospital anymore."

"I'm not leaving." He squeezed her close. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

She bit down on her bottom lip and kept her eyes averted.

"So, you taking off was to collect your winnings?"

"That and to decide what to do with it." He explained. "I went ahead while in New York and had my brother, Hugh, help me set up trust funds for my nieces and nephews."

Her head jerked up at that. "You gave it to your family?"

"Some of it." He relaxed back against the sofa cushion, pulling her with him. "I plan on keeping some for myself."

He felt a glimmer of hope that his plans for his own share wouldn't go to waste when she remained tucked against his side.

"The rest," he continued, "I'm still debating on."

"Oh." She felt foolish for her behavior.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look up at him.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"For what?" He asked.

"My coming over here, forcing you to tell me what was going on, and--"

"You didn't force me." He reminded her.

"Still." She looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. "You should have been able to keep this private."

"I tell you everything as it is." Tobias squeezed her in another side hug. "I was planning on telling you when I was done making decisions."

He watched her fight back a smile.

"I should let you get back to thinking." She got back to her feet. "And I should probably get back to the hospital before Ethan realizes I left."

"He's already missing one brilliant mind on his team." Tobias teased. "He can't have his two smartest doctors missing in action."

Chris burst out laughing.

"I'll see you later." She said on her way out.

"Chris, wait." He followed her out. "Let's have dinner Sunday night."

"Okay." Her smile made his heart flip. "But you're paying, Dr. Moneybags."

He laughed, shaking his head in mock resignation. "I knew you'd only want me for my money."

She waved goodbye, still smiling that particular smile that made him want to admit his feelings for her.

Perhaps dinner would be the perfect time to do that very thing.

*************

Sunday morning, Chris received a phone call from her parents.

Dr.'s Lorna and Jamie Valentine were currently in Yemen working with their Doctors Without Borders team. The married surgeons had been working for as long as Chris could remember to offer healthcare for those in need. She had traveled with them often growing up, only spending time for school in Inverness and Edinburgh with the rest of the Valentine's. When the pair wasn't working with their team, they were traveling to different universities to teach their vast knowledge of medicine.

"How are things going?" Chris asked.

"Even better than expected!" Lorna told her. "We received a donation, one specifically requested for our team to use."

Chris stilled. "You did?"

"Someone who wished to remain anonymous gave us close to ten million." Jamie explained.

"I wonder who it could have been." Lorna added. "I've been wracking my brain to think of some millionaire we've met in the past."

Chris had a feeling she knew who they had met. Though it had been a horrific time in all their lives, they had met a certain doctor when she'd been dying from the attack on Senator Farrugia.

And since he had just won the lottery, that certain doctor had to be the donor.

Her parents continued to tell her how the money would be used for the clinic they'd started. They didn't notice how quiet their daughter was during their excited plans. Once they made sure she was doing well, they ended the call.

Chris couldn't help but be touched that Tobias had thought of her parents' work to give money towards.

"Of course," she mumbled to herself, "it could be someone else they know who secretly has that kind of money to donate."

She knew that was farfetched.

"It was Tobias." She later told her reflection as she got ready to meet him for dinner.

It makes me love him even more, she thought to herself.

She stilled as the realization struck.

No. No. NO! Her mind screamed. Did you learn nothing with Ethan?!

She slumped down and softly hit her head on the bathroom counter, hoping it would knock some sense into her.

"Welp." She muttered once she sat back up. "No stopping it now."

She was and had been, for longer than she wanted to admit, in love with Tobias Carrick.

****************

"Damn." Tobias stood up to pull out a chair for her. "Someone went all out for dinner."

Chris did her best not to be flustered over that compliment. Since she realized what she felt for him, she decided to dress specifically for him.

The off the shoulders, little black dress hugged her curves while showing off her long legs.

"This old thing?" She smiled at him. "I keep this for any normal night out."

"Then why haven't I had the pleasure to see you in it before?" He asked, enjoying the sight she made in it.

"I didn't want to spoil you." She teased.

He snorted, pulling his own chair closer to her side of the table once she was seated.

"Too late." He told her.

She sighed in playful resignation.

"I knew I should have left this hanging in the closet."

"That is not a dress that should be hanging in a closet." Tobias remarked.

"Then where should it be?" She asked.

Chris waited to see if he'd take her flirty bait and run with it. She soon saw that she wasn't going to be disappointed.

He slowly smiled at her, eyes lingering upon her cleavage. "If it's not on you, then it should be on some lucky man's floor."

That was just the opening she'd been hoping for.

"Some lucky man, hmm?" She pretended to ponder that.

Picking up her menu, she cut her eyes at him and waited for him to take a sip of his drink.

"You seem pretty lucky to me." She remarked.

Tobias coughed, choking on his whiskey sour.

Her smile grew over his reaction.

Once he was able to breathe, he studied her face to see just what she meant by that.

She met his eyes, winking at him.

"Of course," she continued, "I would like to enjoy dinner before this dress hits your floor."

"Chris?" He couldn't believe she was actually flirting with him. "Before you continue teasing me like this, you should know that I want more from you."

"More." She repeated. "As in?"

"As in us being together." He explained. "As a couple."

"So if I were to introduce you to someone as the man I'm in love with?" Chris prodded.

Tobias took her hand in his.

"Then I would say it's about damn time since I've been in love with you for a while now."

She squeezed his hand. Her eyes were shining with an emotion he'd hoped to one day see directed at himself. "Good thing I know how to introduce you from now on."

He lifted her hand to press a lingering kiss upon her knuckles.

Tearing his eyes from her, he attempted to study the menu.

"Now that that's settled," he couldn't contain his smile, "what's the fastest thing we can order on this menu so we can get out of here?"

Chris began to laugh as she tossed her menu down.

"Glasses of water?" She offered.

"I have that at home." Tobias reminded her.

"I do like your water." She stood up, pulling him along with her.

"Only the best in town." He added, while paying for his drink.

"I'm willing to see if that's true." Chris tugged him close.

Tobias leaned down the short distance to kiss her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

When he lifted his head, he found her smiling at him in a way that told him this was just the beginning of all he wanted.

After all, he struck the jackpot when he won Chris.

[itsuki-minamy]

"K – LETTER STORY"

GREEN: "THIS IS A 200 MILLION YEN EARNINGS REPORT"

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

Sukuna Gojo clicked his tongue when he saw the notification that appeared.

It was clearly a spam email that anyone could see. He won 200 million yen. "What do you mean?" Sukuna snorted. He doesn't remember buying a lottery ticket. In fact, he was curious to know how low one's IQ would have to be to fall for that kind of spam.

However, there are some suspicious points.

Sukuna's PDA is always equipped with top-notch security software that he has modified himself. Emails that are not identified will not be received first. How did someone who creates such suspicious spam emails get past that?

He opened his security software. It's amazing that he can "see through" the content of an email. Sukuna couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the sender on the list.

H.N.

Hisui Nagare.

There is no evidence of fraud or kidnapping. This is definitely a spam email created by the “King” of “Jungle”.

+++++++++

"Hey, what is this?"

At the "secret base", Sukuna threw a tan PDA at Hisui. There that was like spam.

Nagare turned his wheelchair to face him and let out an "Ah." sound.

"That's the email I sent you. How was it?"

"No, I'm the one asking. What was your purpose in sending me this?"

Nagare nodded and said in a casual tone:

"That email has malware attached that I created. It's a "Trojan horse" that explodes the moment you open an email and steals all the data it contains."

"What did you do to my PDA?!"

Sukuna unconsciously hit the PDA against the tatami. Nagare looked emotionlessly at the PDA as it bounced and rolled.

"It's a good thing I was careful! What were you going to do if it really exploded?!"

"That's a success. I'm happy."

Nagare looked directly at Sukuna, whose face was distorted with anger.

"This email is the latest spam that has been distributed everywhere. By infiltrating large companies and public institutions, we can obtain important information for ourselves. As evidence for this purpose, I have selected Sukuna's PDA."

"Why me?"

"As far as I know, you have the strictest security environment. If I could get through your PDA, it would have worked elsewhere, but it seems that wasn't possible. It's a shame."

Sukuna pursed his lips and remained silent.

He still doesn't like it when someone tries to imitate him. However, if he said that it was for the good of "Jungle", he couldn't refute it, and furthermore, he was happy that Nagare recognized him. However, since he couldn't even contradict, he had no choice but to put on a poker face.

"Then you should say that from the beginning. Damn..."

Letting out a sigh through his nose, Sukuna took the PDA and scratched himself cross-legged.

"Well, I don't think there are any idiots who accept this kind of thing nowadays. I don't think there are idiots like that in large companies or public institutions, even if they have a very low level of literacy."

"In the past, they used to get a lot of attention. Lately it seems like there are classes, so it's quite difficult."

"Can't you be a little more creative with your wording? Choose a subject line that makes people want to open it."

"Statistics show that subject lines related to money or the opposite sex are more attractive to people."

"No, it's not like that... it's more of an email that makes the other person not want to open it..."

"Our opponents... for example, "Tokijikuin" and "Scepter 4" are interested..."

They both looked up at the same time and let out an "Ah!" sound.

++++++++++

Subject: [Urgent] The location of the "Green King" has been found!

Please excuse my anonymity. Everyone is looking for the "Green King" and we have finally discovered his hideout!

The "Green King" is a king who manipulates information, so we can't tell you in writing. We will inform you in the attached file. Thank you.

Location of the "Green King'' .doc .exe

[wawamouse]

Oz Rewatch 3: S5E03: Dream a Little Dream of Me

Storylines

Miguel gets out of the hospital, scores are settled according to Morales; Jaime Velez wants to join Miguel; Miguel tells him to kill Chico

Rebadow wants Brass to buy a lottery ticket for him

Brass talks to McManus

Jia Kenmin returns to Oz; has an interaction session with Cyril; Li Chen arrives at Oz; tension with O’Reilys

Redding and Morales make a deal

Schibetta wants to take revenge and move against the Aryans; Said refuses to held; Peter confronts the Aryans alone as it raped again

Penders tries to cash in on a favor from Glynn and is rebuffed

Keller returns to Oz and is placed in PC; Keller is being investigated for the college kid killings

Said continues to struggle with anger; interaction session with Schillinger; Said tells Omar not to talk to Poet; Said catches Omar buying drugs from Poet; expressing an interest in singing, Omar gets a singing lesson

Sister Pete group counseling, Augustus sad about divorce

Bikers go to kill Cloutier but are stopped; Cloutier appears to Hoyt as a vision and tells him to kill Kirk; Hoyt stakes him in the stomach with a cross; Cloutier vanishes; Hoyt confesses to several murders

Sister: I hate his tattoo so much. Me: Yeah, and that’s a real one, too.

Sister: Why would your guy not be happy about scores being settled? Me: ‘Cause he just wants to bother Miguel, that’s why. Sister: Why doesn’t he go fight the white guys? Me: ‘Cause he just wants to bother Miguel. Sister: It doesn’t make sense… Me: He just wants to bother Miguel.

Sister: No, not that! It’s going to be too dangerous— Miguel: Kill Guerra. Sister: SEE, I told you! …Who’s Guerra? Is that your guy Me: 😑 He’s not my guy… Sister: What, he belongs to the streets? Me: 😑

Sister: I think he’s going to buy the lottery ticket and win and then he’s going to keep it for himself.

Me: He’s doing that Asian bullshitting thing right now, don’t you think? Sister: Totally… Pretending he reflected, LOL… Playing the Buddhist angle...

Sister: “Li Chen”? How lazy can you be? (It's a pretty generic name)

Sister: Jia Kenmin… why’s his name like that? Me: Yeah, it’s kind of old-fashioned. It’s like Daddy’s generation of names… Sister: No, I mean, they say it the Chinese way… Me: Oh, I know! I was literally wondering about that the other day!

Sister: His hair looks so bad. Me: Yeah, the length really accentuates his hairline in a bad way. Sister: It’s medieval squire length…. Me: It’s not doing him any favors… It looks good short, though. Sister: It’s not short, though, is it?

Sister: Not the butt pop… His booty muscles… Me: His butt’s definitely up there in the rankings…

Me: I wonder what determines whether they use the sinks here or their cells. Sister: Yeah, I’d just use the one in my cell. Especially because that guy (Augustus/Narrator) said that you could get shanked in the shower if you turn your back.

Me: I wonder if they only did this singing plot line for him because the actor was in The Five Heartbeats… Sister: What’s that? Me: It’s a mini-series about like this fictional motown group… The guy who played Jefferson Keane is also in it. Sister: Oh, then they definitely did it because of that.

Sister: Why would they put him here to guard a civilian? What’s he gonna do if a prisoner gets agitated? Hobble over? He should be on desk duty. Me: He didn’t want to be on desk duty. Sister: So? They need to put him on it anyway. And if he quits because he hates sitting at a desk too much, then their problems are solved anyway. They don’t have to worry about a liability and they don’t got to pay anything, either, ‘cause he quit himself…

Sister: She gets way too involved with her patients, man…

Sister: He’s risen and he’s hiding in the laundry room.

Stray Thoughts

The apparent gang tattoo on Jia Kenmin’s hand just says “blood” btw

Sister: The have the guy in the wheelchair talking about his wife again and still nothing from the Muslim guy whose wife was also on the bus…

[vulpinesaint]

by the way. gravity by maura o'connor.

Gravity by Maura O’Connor

Today I am fragile pale twitching insane and full of purpose.

I’m thinking of my lover: my soft hips pressing his coarse belly my tongue on a salmon nipple, his hand buried in my thick orange hair the telephone ringing.

I’m thinking we tend our illnesses  as if they are our children: fevered screaming demanding attention and twenty dollar bills, hours we could have spent making love with the television on.

Faith is a series of calculations made by an idiot savant. I’m in love. I’m alone in this city of painted boxes stacked like alphabet blocks spelling nothing.

There are things I know: trees don’t sing birds don’t sprout leaves the sky never turns to wine roses bloom because that’s what roses do, whether we write poems for them or not.

I concentrate on small things:  ivy threaded through chain link, giveaway kittens huddled in a soggy cardboard box, a fat man blowing harmonica through a beard of rusty wires brown birds chattering furiously on power lines.

I try not to think about lung cancer, AIDS, the chemicals in the rain; things I can’t imagine any more than a color I’ve never seen

My heart is graffiti on the side of a subway train, a shadow on the wall made by a child. Nothing has been fair since my first skinned knee I believe death must be.

I cling to love as if it were an answer. I go on buying eggs and bread,  boots and corsets, knowing I’ll burn out before the sun.

I’m thinking of the days I tried to stay awake while the billboards and T.V. ads for condoms, microwave brownies, and dietetic jello lulled me to sleep.

A brown-eyed girl once told me a secret that should have blown this city into a mass of unconnected atoms Our sewage is piped to the sea.  Beggars in the street are hated for having the nerve to die in public. 

Charity requires paperwork, Relief requires medication

as if we were the afterthoughts of institutions greater than our rage.

Gravity chains us to the asphalt with such grace we think it is kind.

We all go on buying lottery tickets Diet Coke and toothpaste as if the sky over our heads were the roof of a gilded cage.

We provide evidence that we were here: initials cut into cracked vinyl bus seats, into trees growing from squares in concrete, a name left on a stone, an office building, a flower, a disease, a museum a child.

Tonight the stars glitter like rhinestones on a black suede glove.

In the coffin my room has become,  I talk to God about the infrequency of the rain about people who can’t see the current of gentleness running under the pale crust of my skin.

I tell him under the jackhammer crack, the diesel truck rumble, even the clicking sound traffic lights make switching from yellow to red, there is a silence swallowing every song, conversation, every whisper made beside graves or in the twisted white sheets of love.

I tell him I can’t fill it with dark wine, blue pills, a pink candle lit at the altar the lover touching my hair.

God doesn’t answer. God doesn’t know our names.

He’s only the architect designing the places we occupy like high rise offices or ant hills

I know this  the way I know sunrise and sunset are caused by the endless turning of the Earth.

[invisibleraven]

May I have some blushing coincidentally after saying something for dealer's choice please? Thank you!

Flynn prides herself on being a pretty cool customer most of the time-maintaining her composure under the worst circumstances. Except when she has a crush-then she becomes flustered in the worst way, and hates the fumbling ninny she becomes.

What's worse is that she can't hide it either, making it very obvious when she likes someone.

Carrie had been cruel when she figured it out, killing the crush in its infancy, leading to nothing but antagonism between them.

Julie had consoled her with hugs and ice cream after that, the both of them commiserating over their inconvenient crushes that would never be. Over the celebrities they both thought pretty and had no chances with, of the futile nature of attraction.

Flynn gets along okay for a while after that-able to maintain her composure once more. She doesn't need love, she has her best friend in the world.

Only then Julie goes and falls for a cute ghost boy.

Flynn tries to be supportive of course-Luke and the guys got music back into Julie's life, and it's nice to see her so happy after a year of melancholy after her mom passed.

But Flynn misses Julie. Misses the closeness they once shared, the ice cream and dissing boys and girls who broke their hearts. Sure they still hang out together, but it wasn't the same, even if Luke was nothing more than cute air.

Then he isn't air anymore, and Flynn isn't sure what to do.

It was one thing when Julie had a crush on Luke as a ghost-the same thing as her liking a guy online. But now he's real, and Flynn feels like she's truly lost Julie.

But she's a good friend and helps her get ready for her first date.

"Looking good girl!" Flynn compliments her as she steps out in a truly killer outfit, her makeup on point and hair done up with butterfly clips.

"Thanks," Julie replies, then looks at Flynn. "You look really nice too. Got a hot date tonight?"

Flynn blushed at that, ducking her head to subdue a giggle.

Oh no.

"You know I always look good, every day is an opportunity for fashion," Flynn deflected, flicking her braids over her shoulder, avoiding looking directly at Julie.

She had to get out of here-she couldn't face Julie who was so excited to go out with this guy who she had been so gaga over for months when all Flynn wanted to do was argue that maybe Julie should go out with her.

"I'll leave you to finish-" she started, almost tripping over her feet.

"Wait Flynnie, don't go!" Julie pleads. "I'm...I'm really nervous. Can you talk me down?"

Flynn had never been able to say no to Julie, and as much as she didn't want to, she turned, plastering a smile on her face. "You're Julie Molina, no need to be nervous. You two have been circling each other for ages, so seize the moment now that you've got the chance."

"I know. But...I dunno, what if it doesn't work out? I mean I turned down Nick for him. Nick! And if we don't work out...the band..."

Flynn took her by the shoulders then, looking Julie right in the eye. "Look, I can't see the future, if I could, I would have a winning lottery ticket right now."

"We can't buy lottery tickets, we're sixteen," Julie retorted with a giggle.

Flynn rolled her eyes. "Regardless, I don't know what will happen with you and Luke. But Julie, it's one date. If it doesn't work out, it'll be awkward for awhile, then you go back to writing kick ass anthems together and move on."

Julie nodded, resolute. "You're right. You're a good friend Flynn." With that she pulled her in for a hug.

Friend. Before, that word meant the world to her, but now it felt like a dagger to the heart. Stupid traitorous organ that decided now was the time to develop a crush on Julie of all people.

"Go on, you're going to be late," Flynn said, pushing her towards the door, smile melting away as Julie disappeared. Sinking onto the bed, hugging a pillow.

Fuck.

What was she supposed to do now?