#he was using it before but he had to make sure everyone knew after the litter change

[sorryimananti-romantic]

The Leaders | Chapter I

"this is the underworld that no one escapes from."

masterlist

ot8!ateez x f!reader, mafia au

chapter warnings: mentions of violence, gangs, drinking, shooting, near-death experience, illegal businesses, seonghwa and yunho are major assholes in this chap, san and yeosang have warmed up, mention of killing, etc

chapter wc: 9.8k

chapter synopsis: it is the year 1970 in eden when an attack on the crescent bar prompts you, the bookkeeper, to carry out yeosang’s order and flee with the contents of the safe. however, you are unlucky to have discovered an unknown, suspicious package that sentences you to an early death. left with no choice, you reveal secrets about the underworld to the crescents and their underboss that even they are not aware of. will this gamble prove to be fruitful?

It was very easy to get lost in the liveliness of the Crescent Bar. Despite being stationed away from the heart of it all, you often found yourself distracted by the chatter of a couple who would occasionally pop in for a drink, the hushed whispers of a group of men who would be looking over their shoulders every few minutes, the hearty laughter that would suddenly fill the hall and spread warmth in its wake, or simply, a lone traveller who would be swaying to the light music that you were actually sick of hearing but didn’t have the heart to complain about. 

It was now second nature to jot in an observation or record transactions on an hourly basis, just like it was natural for you to take over the cashier’s place so the poor girl could take a break and move around. You no longer felt your hair rise every time you overheard a piece of information that you knew Yeosang or San would like to hear, nor did you feel your pores opening to release sweat every time they glanced your way– just like San did now, just having entered the bar and sent his trademark flirty smile in your direction.

“Restock champagne on table two, right away!” 

“On the way!” You shouted instead of the new girl who was currently finding it hard to multitask. You didn’t have to worry about a thing– Yuju, the head of staff, noticed everything as if she had eyes in every corner of the bar. She would make sure to let the girl know that she was doing well with an encouraging pat to her back.

“They’re going to empty our inventory tonight,” Eunbi shared a grin with you. “We’re going to have to check the stock again.” 

“I’ll take that– ask Jeonghan to wake the hell up and make sure we don’t run out,” you requested, sliding over to the cash register and typing in the latest entry, marking it with today’s date of 3rd April, 1970. Eunbi urged the waiters to speed up before rushing to the empty table at the left corner of the bar where Jeonghan was resting. She delivered the message with a smack and Jeonghan, who was never really asleep but just had a knack for pretending that he found the loud and bustling atmosphere of the bar relaxing, groggily walked across the hall to the door that led downstairs to check stock- or to get an actual nap. You would find that out later.

“Luna,” San greeted you with your nickname and you nodded in greeting– the nickname stuck with you after Jeonghan once called you Luna. Everyone started calling you by that name afterwards but only a handful knew it was short for lunatic and you intended to keep it that way. 

You had no desire to use your real name anyway.

“Busy night?” San slid on the stool not far from you, Eunbi passing him a sweet smile before she started to pour Black Shadow for him- a staple of the Crescent Bar as the only supplier of the famous and well-loved Utopian wine in all of Eden. San swirled the red wine in his glass casually before downing it in one gulp and Eunbi refilled it before passing the bottle to you, going to attend to more pressing matters than one of the owners casually lounging to chat.

“Kind of,,” you turned to grab yourself a glass and San poured the wine for you. The clinking of your glasses echoed even in your loud surroundings and you took a sip, taking in his appearance- you assumed he must be returning from business since he was wearing a formal black suit, though he ditched his coat at the entrance. The white sleeves were rolled up, revealing his sturdy forearms with a thick silver watch on his left wrist and a silver band on his index finger- one you had never seen him without. 

Your eyes travelled up to his face- tendrils of slick hair falling on his forehead. Choi San was one of the most attractive men you had ever seen, and hardly anyone could deny that. 

The problem was that perhaps, he really did not realise how painfully attractive he was. The man was far too humble for his own good, despite being one of the most dangerous and powerful men in Eden.

“Heard something interesting of late?” He inquired routinely. It was always a bit more casual with him as compared to Yeosang. Yeosang was the boss around here, yes, but San was the one who kept things under control. The pair of them worked together very harmoniously and you admired that, even though you had qualms about whatever they were doing- whatever you thought they were doing. Almost two years here and you still had no idea just what it was that their gang did. 

Gang, you called them though they preferred ‘organisation’. The cops preferred ‘criminal organisation’ but you supposed it was just semantics at this point. Their name was Ateez- you never heard that term directly from any of their mouths, but even a child recognised that name and knew to avoid them- or avoid trouble with them. 

But officially, they were the Crescent Company, owner of the Crescent Bar and other businesses in Eden.

“Just politics,” you finished the rest of your drink, adjusting the lone pearl ring on your right hand. “Everyone’s a little antsy with what happened at the protest. They think it’s Assemblyman General Wi’s gang.”

“General Wi would never interfere like that, though,” San scoffed in amusement- perhaps he genuinely found the idea of a man like Major General Wi resorting to dirty means hilarious. “He’s far too smart for that.”

“He is,” you had to agree. “But who else to blame? Only someone from the military would dislike people protesting against martial law. There’s only one candidate for presidency who’s got influence in the army. They think General Wi’s success in the elections would mean the army would control the state.”

“Isn’t the army somewhat controlling the state already, though?” San pondered. “President Lee has ties with the army too.”

You may have gotten used to interacting with the most feared gang in Eden, but the mention of President Lee still made you shiver involuntarily. San had noticed it one too many times and though he hadn’t asked for an explanation, you were sure you would lack the words to describe this sentiment anyway. “President Lee… cannot be controlled by the army, or anyone for that matter. General Wi may be smart but he’s still easily influenced when met with someone of a higher status- that’s what I heard,” you added the last bit hoping it wouldn’t sound like a personal opinion. 

San raised a brow at your comment- you often tried (and failed) to mask your personal opinions under the guise of news but whenever you shared something, he made sure to listen- and listen beneath what your words tried to cover up. He often found your opinions and predictions regarding politics holding some weight and he wasn’t quite sure if you were subconsciously very observant or purposely pretending to be unaware. He once asked you how you knew so much but when you didn’t discuss any information with him for a few weeks, he took the hint. You only reported officially to Yeosang and he could bet you found it easier to talk to him about these things because he wasn’t one to probe.

“Keep me updated,” San said and you nodded. “Yeosang must be inside?”

“He’s actually in Room no. 1- he has visitors.”

“Visitors?” San frowned. “Who?”

“Lieutenant Jeong and co.,” you said and San shook his head at the way you so formally addressed the man. He had told you before that no one ever referred to him as the ‘lieutenant’ but you didn’t know how else to refer to him. “I was in the office earlier so they decided to take the room.”

“That’s okay, I’ll pop in there,” he grabbed a handful of nuts from the counter before walking to the backside of the bar, disappearing in the shadows as he reached the VIP area. You took a deep breath, your mind once again wandering to the ‘guest’. 

Lieutenant Jeong Yunho was not a guest here at all. He belonged here. If you thought Choi San was intimidating, you were wrong. You still recalled the first time you saw him right outside the bar, all roughed up, wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve but not a single scratch on him while a group of men around him writhed on the floor, clutching their mangled limbs. He met your eyes and your heart sank in the worst way possible- worse than the moment you were disowned by your own father. It was simply fear, and you hated feeling fear. You made up your mind to avoid him from then on but there was only so much you could do when you worked at the place he owned. 

Oftentimes he came into the bar in the late hours of the night after wrapping up things in the main office and sat right where San had been sitting earlier in front of you, drinking the strongest wine available in silence- perhaps to sort his thoughts out. He didn’t mind you sitting near him and doing your paperwork, and you didn’t make him feel uncomfortable unlike the others who could not stop stealing glances at him- it wasn’t that you didn’t want to, but you simply could not. You didn’t want him to find out what kind of an effect he had on you.

Especially when he had the warmest laughter and his entire demeanour shifted around his comrades. It intrigued you because he felt like two different persons in one vessel. That was the only time you would allow yourself to steal glances at him- when he was distracted enough. Otherwise you didn’t dare look at him in fear that he might find something about you that you had been struggling to hide all your life.

Eunbi came back after serving a group of guests, whispering, “This one table- they were awfully quiet when I went to serve them. I don’t know if it’s because they’ve got some gossip they don’t want anyone to hear or if they’re going to try something stupid.”

You looked at her- Eunbi’s instincts were usually spot-on. “Which table?”

“Over there,” she glanced at the corner and sure enough, the group of four was already looking in your direction. You pretended to be unaffected, asking her to take over the register. While casually strolling towards the door that led to the basement at the other end of the hall, you passed their table, noticing how they resumed talking only after you were out of earshot. 

Something was up. You went downstairs to see Jeonghan napping on the couch.

“Oi,” you poked his thigh and he stirred, opening an eye. You knew he wasn’t really asleep- he wasn’t one to let his guard down, but you supposed he could have his moments of peace. “Stock?”

“Enough for tonight but I’ll place an order for tomorrow before we leave,” he said. “What’s up?”

“There’s a group at table seven. Four young men, armed with guns, awfully quiet and jumpy. Care to take a look?”

“They could have just lost a bet. They might be collecting the remnants of their pride- you tend to do that in silence,” Jeonghan mused.

“Yeah, well, I’d rather you make sure,” you said. “Lieutenant Jeong is here. They’d be stupid to try anything- anything at all, even if it’s just throwing a tantrum.”

“Ah,” Jeonghan got up and smoothened his long dark hair. “I suppose I’ll ask them if they require a better drink to down their shame.”

“Whatever,” you sniggered before going back to your position upstairs. You watched Jeonghan don his jacket as he entered the floor and he looked around, meeting eyes with the group and you both noticed two things-

That their hands went to their hip where the weapons rested, and that they exchanged quick glances with each other. Jeonghan looked at you and you shook your head, urging him to skip the plan and alert the others- it might be an attempt at robbery or worse, but they were so stupid to do that, especially tonight. 

“You’ve restocked their drinks?” You asked Eunbi.

“They just ordered another, Soojin is going to refill their drinks-”

“The new girl?” You shook your head, “She’s been jumpy all night. Stop her, right now. They’re armed, they might do something stupid-”

Before you could finish the sentence or Eunbi could carry out your order, the loud shatter of glass made you both flinch and hold on to each other as you ducked, splinters raining down on you and making you both hiss in pain when some of them met your skin. You tucked Eunbi closer before you raised your head over the counter to assess the situation-

Chaos was the word. Eunbi had been right to be suspicious- the men were now pointing guns at whoever dared to move and another gunshot sounded followed by a guttural yell of the waiter whose arm took the blow. You met eyes with Soojin who stood frozen in the middle of the room and you motioned for her to stay that way.

“No one move!” One of the men shouted, wide eyes relaying the threat. “I’ll shoot you if you move!”

“I’m going to take the register and go to the office,” you whispered to Eunbi who shook her head furiously.

“It’s too dangerous- they’ll shoot you,” Eunbi held your arms in panic but you pried her hands away, squeezing them assuringly.

“I’ll be fine- they won’t spot me. I have to hurry,” you told her and before she could insist, you started crawling away from her, keeping close to the wall and moving towards the backside of the bar, avoiding the shards of glass as best as you could. You had orders to follow- orders Yeosang trusted you would follow at a time like this. You could not disappoint him now after everything he had done for you.

The office was the nearest room from where you sat crouched and if you made a dash for it, you could probably go unnoticed- if the instigators didn’t catch movement from the corner of their eyes. They were too busy forcing the customers to line up against the walls so you could take this chance-

Without thinking any further, you gathered the material of your skirt and thanked the lord that you wore boots instead of your usual heels today as you took a few large steps to disappear into the shadows, now successfully out of their vision. You silently unlocked the door and entered the empty office, taking a deep breath once inside, the adrenaline rush making your head spin. After stealing just a few seconds to calm down, you opened the drawers to make sure nothing of importance was there and then you bent down to access the locker under the desk-

The locker of which you had the key to all this time, but never once checked the contents of. You remembered when Yeosang promoted you from cashier to bookkeeper and told you that not all their transactions were legal- you just had to keep a record and stay shut about it. That, you could do. You kept the key on you at all times, and you took it out from the inside of your skirt’s waistband, unlocking the safe and gathering the two registers and a small packet wrapped way too much to figure out what it held inside. You held the things close to your chest as you made your way out, peeking first to see if the commotion had moved away from your eyeshot. 

You took a turn to the narrow space at your right that led to the back exit, but that was not your destination- the room at the end of that corridor had a passageway that led to another exit in the alley. You slowed down at the sound of footsteps and you wondered if they were coming from right behind you-

Before you knew it, you were being pulled inside the room with a twirl that ended up with your back slamming against the wall, a gasp producing from your lips and freezing midway when you realised just who had pinned you against the wall-

Lieutenant Jeong. And he did not look pleased. 

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Carrying out orders,” you breathed, realising just how tall and broad he was now that he was in front of you, bending to reach your height. You clutched the registers tighter reflexively, your left wrist still in his strong grip. “I’ve been instructed to flee with the contents of the safe in case of an attack.”

“By who?”

“Kang Yeosang,” you said, though you figured he already knew the answer. “I have the key.”

The man scanned you slowly as if that would give him all the answers to the questions he wasn’t asking. He knew you were the bookkeeper, but did he not know that Yeosang trusted you enough with this?

The sound of a few rushed footsteps caused him to let go of your wrists and you rubbed the skin there. It was Yuju accompanied by the manager, Mingyu, and they told Yunho that there were more men outside now.

“Did you figure out who’s behind the attack?” Yunho asked.

“Probably Chan’s gang,” Mingyu huffed, looking at you and relaxing when he saw that you were safe. “I’m going back to get the rest of the employees.”

“I’ll stay here and make sure they get out safely,” Yuju nodded, noticing the items you were clutching. “Luna- go. We’ll call you when things settle down.”

You looked at Yunho- though you didn’t need his permission, you knew that he could very well ruin things for you. He didn’t trust you- he had no reason to. He told you to wait and disappeared out of the room and Yuju widened her eyes in confusion.

“I mean… I can understand,” you shrugged. “Is everyone okay back there?”

“I don’t think they knew that Yunho and his lackeys were here,” Yuju folded her arms, hugging herself. “They’re going to regret it. Whoever it is… they’ll make him regret ever coming up with this plan.”

“Even if it was just San and Yeosang, they couldn’t have won,” you said and Yuju agreed. “They both go a little crazy too.”

“But Yunho-” she shivered. “He’s something else.”

Your lips twitched in amusement despite the gravity of the situation and moments later, Johnny- Yunho’s assistant- appeared, looking battered.

“I thought it was a gunfight- why does it look like you were in a catfight?” Yuju commented, slumping down on one of the chairs and Johnny shot her an annoyed look. 

“One, I didn’t have a gun on me. Two- they touched my hair!” Johnny huffed and you looked at the man in disbelief, all the impression you had of him going down the drain. Yuju was familiar with Johnny so she didn’t seem very surprised at his childish outburst. “Anyone who messes with my face will get worse in return.”

“Understandable,” you muttered. “Can I go now?”

“Oh, you’re staying here,” Johnny urged you to take a seat. “You’re not going anywhere- Yunho’s orders.”

“Wow, okay,” you sank down on the chair. “And you don’t have a gun? If someone comes here and tries to take these away from me?”

“They’ll have to get past me, you don’t need to worry,” he grinned. “You can relax.”

You could, but you were far too nervous to. You didn’t realise how badly you were rocking your legs until Eunbi entered and you groaned in relief to see she was unscathed. “They almost shot me. I can never get used to this.”

“You will get used to it, one day,” you told her, holding her hands and Eunbi squeezed it with an anxious smile, wondering if that was why you seemed mostly unaffected.

The rest of the employees came one by one in a matter of a few minutes, recovering from the initial shock though it quickly wore off since all of you had experienced something like this at least once- and working in a bar owned by a gang, it was bound to happen anyway. Everyone knew better than to call them a ‘gang’ to their face, though- they had spent years to make their business and organisation legal. 

Somewhat legal, you would argue as their bookkeeper who knew that wine wasn’t the only thing being consumed here. Your hand that was clutching the packet in its grip itched in answer and you looked at it in suspicion.

The few new employees like Soojin were definitely in shock and Yuju did her best to calm them down. Johnny was kind enough to crack jokes to lighten the mood and you were glad to see it was working. Some people really were here to make a living and you were sure you were going to lose a few employees after this incident.

The door opened and Yeosang entered, looking unharmed, almost unfazed. He talked with Yuju first in hushed voices- probably something about the damage they would have to deal with. When he spotted you, he smiled and called you over. You got up and followed him outside to the corridor.

“Glad to see someone followed their orders,” he commented.

“I would have gone to that building you’ve told me about but…”

“Yunho stopped you, I know.” He was going in the direction of Room no.1 where he had previously been in with Yunho but when you entered, you found not only San but Park Seonghwa as well, looking as posh as ever. 

The underboss of Crescent Company, he was the one person in all of the gang that you truly had respect for- it didn’t matter that Park Seonghwa was a criminal. You had once seen him help a lost child find his mother, and another time seen him carry a cat with a broken leg in his arms, and that had changed everything. Not only you but the whole town was aware that Park Seonghwa was a man that possessed a functioning heart unlike most of the gangsters here.

However, you were soon going to find how wrong you had been.

“Miss Jeon, please, make yourself comfortable,” Seonghwa’s calm voice sounded and you looked at Yeosang instinctively- what was happening? He only smiled though it didn’t quite meet his eyes, pouring you a drink which you downed- you needed it now more than ever.

“I’m glad to see you’re alright,” Seonghwa said. “You have the contents of the locker?” 

“Right here,” you placed them on the desk and Yunho shifted in discomfort.

“Thank you for keeping them safe,” the underboss took a deep breath. “I understand that you’ve been working here as the bookkeeper for a considerable amount of time now?”

“About a year, yes,” you straightened, suddenly aware of the tension in the room- even San appeared to be squirming, playing with the ends of his sleeves- you’d never seen him fidget like this. “What is this about, if I may ask?”

“And you… do you have some family? Someone you’ve been caring for?”

“Not in Eden, no,” you confirmed.

“Do you have any idea of what these items are?”

“That’s my registers,” you nudged the thick books. “I’ve recorded every transaction here, legal or not. And this…” you held the package in your hand. “I’m afraid I do not know, but if I have to assume… probably the drugs we slip to our VIPs here.”

Seonghwa met eyes with Yeosang who sighed. “I told you. She does not know, but she can be trusted.”

“We have a policy, Yeosang. I know we trust our employees, but the trust can only go so far.”

“If you could tell me what this is about,” you gritted your teeth, knowing fully well where this was going. “Maybe you should just talk to me, Mr. Park.”

“Well, here’s the thing,” he turned his attention to you, fixing his coat. “We cannot let you go since you’ve seen that,” he pointed at the package and you realised that it was not the drug that you were aware of.  

But if not that, then what was it? You shook it slightly and felt the rustling of something powdery. It had to be a drug.

“And?” You countered. “I was assigned by one of you to take this and flee in case of an attack. I’ve simply followed orders.”

Seonghwa’s brow rose subconsciously and he shared a look with Yunho who looked amused- amused? You knew that people didn’t usually talk back to those in power, but you had once been there. They didn’t know that you once had power- some semblance of it, at least. 

“I’ll be forward with you- we are not allowed to share that with anyone outside our circle, and anyone who does see that is subject to execution.”

You looked at Yeosang in disbelief- he knew that, yet he had still assigned you to carry out this job for him. He could have asked anyone, but he chose you, even when he knew Kihyun had recommended you. Kihyun, the leader of the longest standing gang here and Ateez’s partner. He knew how desperate you were for some stability in your life, yet he chose you.

“I chose you because I trusted you,” Yeosang offered, not meeting your eyes lest he saw how betrayed you felt. It didn’t matter anymore, though. 

“You can’t kill me,” you told Yeosang. “You know who recommended me.”

“I’m sure they will understand,” Seonghwa answered in his stead.

“No, actually,” you tossed the packet on the table and folded your arms, liquid courage making its way up unfiltered as you met Yunho’s eyes- the one thing that you hid from him- from all of them. “I’m sure I’ll be much more useful alive.”

Yunho scoffed loudly, not quite believing the shift in your demeanour and the calculation in your voice, but Seonghwa leaned forward as if to question the sheer audacity that you displayed, and if you knew any better, you would have backed down and accepted your predetermined faith, but-

You still had unfinished business. You still had to take down the men of Eden who possessed power yet wielded it against their homeland. You still had to get back at your father for disowning you. You were far from your goal and you simply couldn’t stop here. 

“Miss Jeon… how on earth could you be more useful alive to us?”

You mirrored Seonghwa’s posture, leaning forward as well and though the wide table separated the two of you, you could very well have been inches away considering how fixated your gazes were. “I know things about the people in power that even your angels do not know of, Mr. Park. I know how their minds work, I know their dirty little secrets. I know what to avoid when dealing with them. I could help you shake Eden’s current establishment- you should not kill me.”

A silence spread in the room as they processed your words and assessed your statement- was this a leap of faith or an act of stupidity? Whatever it was, it seemed to be enough. Seonghwa looked at Yunho again who seemed just as surprised as the rest.

“We could strike a deal,” you offered, relaxing back. While you knew that they could kill you right away and move on with their night, you decided that if you were really going to get killed, you could try something.

It wasn’t a bluff, no. You meant each word you said, but it was a gamble on your life. 

“Luna,” Yeosang’s low voice prompted you to turn to him and adhere to his warning but you were still cross with him.

“What deal would that be?” Yunho finally spoke- you supposed that as consigliere to his boss, he handled these matters. “What information do you possess that is worth more than your life?”

“If I give it away right now, you won’t have any reason to keep me alive, would you?” You countered and San huffed in appreciation, making Yunho shoot daggers at him.

“What? She’s smart,” he pouted and you smiled inwardly, glad that he was still the same old San.

“You will have to give us something, darling,” Seonghwa straightened his gun on the table and though the action was casual, it felt like a mockery of how your life was literally in his- in their hands. 

You leaned back to think- you had to play your cards right here, and very carefully. One wrong move and you’d be gone. What was it that you could reveal right now that would make them consider that you were a force to be reckoned with, and would also make them join hands with you? Could you make this mafia gang bend to your will, or were you asking for too much?

You looked around the room, meeting eyes with each one of them, calculating every possible move from here. Most of the information you had was something you couldn’t simply claim to know without blowing your real identity. If they started looking into your background properly this time, they would find out that your surname was borrowed and there was no record of you being here in Eden before 1966- that was four years ago. You came back from Wonderland in ‘66, having spent a few years there looking after your sick aunt and recovering from the shame and anger of being disowned by your father. You couldn’t tell them who your father was- it was far too early for that. 

And since you couldn’t have them finding who your father was, you couldn’t let them know anything related to the pharmaceutical business your father owned, or his connections with the politicians- could you give them some information about a politician? President Lee, perhaps? But you weren’t sure how dangerous he was, maybe someone else-

Your eyes fell on an antique porcelain vase in the corner that looked awfully familiar. Your frown deepened as you tried to recall where you had seen it, and when it clicked, you realised you had your answer.

“You got that vase from Assemblyman Major General Wi, is that right?”

The four of them turned to look at the object you were pointing at. Yeosang confirmed that you were right. You couldn’t help but have your lips curl in a smirk. “You might want to return it. You don’t want to have an object that was used for money-laundering… unless you’re involved.”

Yeosang blinked in confusion, looking at the older two who seemed to be concealing any hints of emotions. San, however, looked just as confused as Yeosang. “How do you know that?”

“That’s not the point,” you told him. “The point is that General Wi’s artefact gallery is just a cover for his money-laundering business. Not a good look for a presidential candidate, is it?”

Seonghwa nodded, perhaps connecting some dots in his head and coming to the conclusion that you may be right. “I’m impressed, Miss Jeon. I will verify this information but I have a feeling that you’re speaking the truth.”

You nodded and Yeosang finally laughed in disbelief. “Who are you really, Luna?”

“Your bookkeeper who’s asking that you take consideration of my loyalty and make a deal,” you said and when Yeosang nodded, you continued. “I… I, too, have unfinished business. You know I was desperate to have stability when I first got a job here- it wasn’t always like this. I will give you all the information that you need as long as you protect me as your source. As long as you keep me safe, because you and I,” you turned to Seonghwa. “We have the same goals.”

“And what might that be?”

“Power and protection,” you said, sure that you were right about the first part but when Seonghwa’s brows twitched, you realised that the shot in the dark with ‘protection’ wasn’t fruitless. “We’ve all got something or someone to protect. I’m protecting myself. You’re protecting your people.”

“You’re very talkative… Luna,” Yunho commented and your heart fluttered at the way he called your name- only the nickname, yet you were wavering. You mentally scolded yourself. “This could be the only information you possess. Not enough.”

“Oh, please,” you countered. “You know I have more- I can’t be running on sheer confidence here. But don’t think for one second that you can torture that information out of me,” you said and when Yunho smiled guiltily, you somehow found yourself smiling back despite the fact that your life was on the line. “Protect me and I’ll make sure your boss overthrows the current establishment and becomes the most powerful man in Eden.”

“Protect you from who?” Yunho asked and you gulped involuntarily, recalling the darkness and emptiness in the eyes of the person the whole nation admired. 

“I can’t say yet, just… keep me in the shadows, for now. Please.”

Yunho looked at Seonghwa- you couldn’t be making this up. Yeosang asked you to go home and that they would give you an answer soon. When you left the room, Yeosang sat down next to San.

“You’re thinking what I’m thinking?”

“She’s not lying, yes,” San confirmed and Yeosang nodded. “She’s only ever worked, right? We’ve been seeing her for a year now. Work and home is all she does, isn’t that so?”

“Yes. I kept an eye on her for a few months before I assigned her with bookkeeping duties- she has no family here. Just a few acquaintances- Kihyun of MX Pharmaceuticals, which I thought was odd, but they were a gang before they became a pharmaceutical company, so maybe she encountered them at some point. They literally know everyone.” 

“And her roommate just so happens to be Wendy.”

“I dismissed it as a coincidence. She couldn’t be one of the RV spies, could she?”

“Nope. They’re far too meticulous.”

“You assigned bookkeeping to a person who was acquainted with both Kihyun and Wendy?” Yunho raised his brows in disbelief. “That’s too big a coincidence, guys.”

“Wendy is under a disguise, Luna probably doesn’t know what she actually does,” Yeosang said. “Besides… I trust her. I really believe it wasn’t necessary to just kill her like that. It’s not like she knows what’s inside this,” Yeosang poked the packet with his finger.

“I don’t think Chan’s gang got a whiff of our drug dealing,” Seonghwa sighed, running a hand through his lengthy locks. “They must have attacked just to get us riled up. They wish to tarnish our reputation because General Wi is choosing sides.”

“We really need to check if the thing about the artefacts gallery is true,” Yunho said. “If it is, we have to tread carefully. Hongjoong will be pissed to learn what happened tonight.”

“I’ll take care of him,” Seonghwa got up. “This girl… Luna?”

“That’s what everyone calls her here,” Yeosang said and Seonghwa nodded slowly.

“She’s something. I’ll verify her information- it’s probably true. Tell her we’ve got a new job for her.”

When you bluffed your way out of your death- though you hadn’t really lied, you did hold information that could ruin Eden- you didn’t expect that you’d find yourself with a new job in the main office of the Crescent Company. You paused in the middle of recording the last entries of the day and your job, only to catch Yeosang watching you with interest. 

You folded your arms, staring back and pulling your lower lip between your teeth in contemplation. 

“Are you sure this isn’t just a trap to kill me? You could just shoot me and get on with your day, why go through all these lengths?”

Yeosang’s rich laughter boomed in the office room and you sent a tired glare in his direction before going back to checking the receipts of the new stock. 

“We would have killed you last night if we really wanted to.”

The nonchalance with which he said that sent a bitter taste down your throat, reminding you of familiar words you had heard a few years ago, but you knew that this situation was different- you had to believe that they were different. Otherwise, there was no hope left for Eden. 

“I’m still mad that you signed me up for death with this job, by the way. That was a low blow.”

“You are our first bookkeeper,” Yeosang said in response. “We just didn’t know what to do… does that sound like a good excuse?”

“Hardly,” you muttered. “I thought we were… acquaintances, if not friends. I respected you, Yeosang.”

Yeosang put a hand on his chest. “Respected? Do you hate me now?”

“I can’t really hate you when you’re… you,” you shut the register, looking at him. 

You had spent long hours with Yeosang in this very office. Somehow, with him, it had always been naturally comfortable and he once admitted that he thought it was odd how you both could be in the same room, busy with your own work yet feeling right at home. Though you barely ever had a heart-to-heart with the man, the impression that he was a scary gangster had vanished long ago. He was scary when he had to be, but he just felt more human than his partners.

“What does that mean?”

“I’m just a little hurt that you delivered me on a platter to your underboss for him to do whatever he wanted with me. Try to understand,” you explained. “And I still respect you, don’t worry.”

“He wouldn’t have killed you. I would have stopped him,” Yeosang insisted.

“You were more nervous than me,” you scoffed. 

“I was nervous for you, that you were going to make a mistake and he would really have to kill you,” Yeosang admitted and you blinked in surprise. “But you did just fine on your own. Are you not going to tell me who you really are?”

“I can’t tell you that yet,” you told him. “I trust you just enough to gamble with my life, but I’ll reveal things only when I’m sure the information would be in safe hands. You have to trust me a little too. It’s not like I can betray you- where would I even go? You’re all going to kill me if I make a mistake anyway.”

Yeosang nodded- you had a point. “Have you got nothing to lose?”

“I’ve already lost everything that I had,” you shook your head. “I’ve only got my life now.”

“I have a feeling you’ll do well in the main office,” Yeosang clapped his hands once in conclusion. “Since you’re already aware that we’re doing both legal and illegal dealings, you can do bookkeeping there. I have to warn you though- if information ever leaks, they will kill you without hesitation.”

“Geez, thanks,” you winced. “Tell me something new.”

“I don’t know where you got the guts to talk back to me,” Yeosang laughed, shaking his head once. “But keep this up and you won’t last long.”

“Why?” You leaned forward on the table in challenge. “Are you and San the only ones who can converse like normal humans?”

“We’re always just a little tipsy,” Yeosang said cheekily and you realised he was right. “You shouldn’t see me when I’m sober.”

You pursed your lips, realising that he was right- if he was anything like the rest of his gang, he had to be drunk all this time if he could tolerate you, a mere employee, talking like you were on his level. 

“Snob,” you muttered and got up to put these registers with the rest of the piles, ignoring Yeosang’s snickers. “Alright, my work here is done.”

“You’re fired,” Yeosang announced with a grin. “I’ve wanted to say that to you for so long.”

“You’re hopeless! I’ve been promoted, not fired,” you corrected.

“Whatever,” Yeosang got up, checking the time on his wristwatch. “San will be here in a few minutes- he’ll accompany you to the main office. You can say your farewells but you’ll be here often. It’s not a goodbye.”

“Okay,” you stood awkwardly for a moment, looking around- the beige walls with paint peeling in the corner, the dark shelves and furniture, the gramophone in one corner that you never played because you could always hear music from outside.  

“I’ll miss this,” you took a deep breath, nodding as you memorised and soaked in the feeling of this room.

“You’ll be back,” he assured, giving you a moment. “Now off you go.”

Sticking your tongue out at him, very out-of-character for you and taking him by surprise, you exited the office. You could hear what his response would have been- ‘just because we decided to keep you alive doesn’t mean that you can act out!’ but it was exactly that. If you had their protection, you would act out- just not to them. 

To the people who wore the cloaks of saints over their demonic hearts and ruled over Eden.

“Luna!,” Eunbi spread her arms as soon as she spotted you and you gladly let her hug you. “I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“I’m hearing I’ll be here often, so you won’t have to worry too much,” you poked her ribs, making her squirm as she laughed. “Just stay safe. And no matter what, do not become their bookkeeper.”

Eunbi frowned at that but before she could ask you more, the bell over the front door chimed and you knew it was San the way the bar suddenly fell quiet. You let go of Eunbi and patted her cheek before meeting eyes with San who waved at you.

Waved. You were a little pleased to see that the new arrangement was as awkward for him as it was for you. Eunbi echoed that out loud with a ‘did he just…?’ and you told her to get back to the counter.

“Hi,” San stifled a smile. “Good to see you’re still in one piece.”

“No thanks to you,” you countered. “Shall we?”

“I’m just going to let Yeosang know that I’m here,” San said, finally chuckling. “Look, if it helps, Seonghwa wasn’t really going to kill you.”

“I keep hearing that, but it just feels like you’re trying to convince yourselves instead of me,” you shook your head. “It doesn’t matter. I'll say my farewell to Yuju.”

You agreed to meet outside in five minutes and you went to find Yuju, who told you to stay safe. Jeonghan looked more worried than Yuju- he had overheard some of their conversation last night about them getting rid of you but you assured him it was alright now.  You just found out something you shouldn’t have so they were just being cautious. Though he didn’t look convinced, he let you go with an affectionate pat to your shoulder and a joke about how no one is going to let him nap in peace anymore.

Before you went outside, you took a look in the mirror and adjusted your black slacks and the rounded collar of your cream blouse before wearing your black coat over it. San was already waiting for you in his car- a black ‘67 Bentley- and you got in the backseat, your heart beating in anticipation.

“It’s not a long drive from here,” San said, “But I thought as an apology, I’d give you a ride.”

“I’ve been in better cars, but I appreciate the sentiment,” you said and San deadpan stared at you. You squirmed, realising an explanation would entail revealing details from your background. “I mean… the condition could definitely improve.”

“Yeah, it’s been through a lot, you’re right, “ San let out a chuckle before glancing at you. “You’re not going to tell me where exactly you’ve been in better cars? Because as far as I know, you were struggling to make a living when you first got a job here.”

“That was because I moved back from Wonderland after a long time,” you fiddled with your pearl ring. “Anyone would struggle.”

“And how do you really know Kihyun?”

Kihyun- he was almost like a brother to you. As a child, you had often seen him go in and out of your house because of some business dealings with your father. Though your father kept you hidden for the most part, having homeschooled you and pretending that you were his niece instead of daughter, Kihyun knew. He was far too smart to be deceived by a simple lie, and your brother had made it painfully obvious that he hated you for a reason. And when everything went wrong, Kihyun was there as a shield. 

He had offered you a place in his company too, but you could not possibly involve Kihyun into your plans for the demise of your enemies. You respected him far too much to drag him into your mess.

“He’s just a connection- we have a few mutual acquaintances.”

“And who might they be?” San asked but you shook your head.

“I can’t reveal their identities… yet,” you said and when he narrowed his eyes, you stifled a smile. “Is there something I should know before we reach the office?”

“Well,” San exhaled, thinking. “It’s going to be quite different from the bar- more professional and tense. I’m sure the secretaries you’ll work with will warm up to you eventually but they might come off as unwelcoming or prickly at first.”

“We’ll see,” you said. “And… will I be interacting with… one of you often?”

“Why?” San questioned, a playful smile gracing his lips. “Is there someone you’d like to interact with?”

“That’s not what I mean-” you started but the car came to a halt and with a dirty look thrown in San’s direction, you got out of the car and craned your neck to look at the double-story building that was the main office for Crescent Company.

It wasn’t anything much, and you knew that that was intentional. Just like all the other office buildings in this somewhat posh area of the town, it had a chestnut brick wall with a new moon that made up for the ‘c’ in crescent. The guard situated at the front door bowed to San as you entered. The employees inside acknowledged San’s presence, halting what they were doing and only resuming once San nodded. There were a handful of them- a receptionist and a few workers coming in and out of the unlabelled rooms. You supposed everyone was assigned a task and had respective offices.

“This is us,” San announced, motioning at the somewhat lifeless interior. “Nothing much, and we would like to keep it that way. You’ll be working upstairs with Jihoon and Eunha- they are our boss’ secretary.”

“Mr. Park’s?” You questioned as you followed him at the end of the hall towards the stairs.

“And Hongjoong’s,” San said and you paused in the middle of ascending the stairs.

“I’m going to work for Kim Hongjoong?”

“Relax,” San snickered. “He’s always holed up in his office if he’s not in the field, and Jihoon does the assistant work. You won’t encounter him too much.”

“That’s not the point,” you muttered. You reached the upper story to see three rooms across the spacious hall which was set up as an office itself. There were two people working in that space, sitting in front of the windows where there were three desks in a row. It didn’t look out of place since their workspaces were spread across the entirety of the hall. The empty desk looked a bit odd, though, and you reckoned it had been set for you which meant they must have moved things around a bit.

“I’ll leave you to get acquainted with them,” San said. “There won’t be much to do for a few days until they think you can handle the work.”

When Jihoon’s burning gaze met yours indicating his annoyance- already?- you gulped. Perhaps, you should have stuck to the bar or denied their offer. Jihoon was quick to change his expressions as he rose from his seat.

“Mr. Choi,” Jihoon greeted and Eunha looked a bit surprised as if she hadn’t heard you two come. She followed with her own greeting, tucking her short pink hair behind her ear in what looked like a nervous habit.

“This is… Jeon y/n- the new secretary. I hope you’ll train her well. She’s already familiar with bookkeeping so I don’t think she’ll have to learn much.”

“No worries, we’ll handle it,” Jihoon said. “Nice to meet you, Miss Jeon.”

“Nice to meet you too. You can just call me Luna- everyone does.”

“That’s a pretty name,” Eunha shook hands with you. “This is your desk, and I’ll give you a walkthrough before Jihoon takes you around the office, is that okay?”

“Sure,” you nodded, feeling hopeful. You turned to San. “I think I got it from here.”

“Very well,” San nodded. “Take care of her- she’s got potential.”

Jihoon only smiled in response and as soon as San was out of sight, he slumped down on his desk and went back to typing. You turned to Eunha who only smiled awkwardly, muttering ‘he’s a bit cranky at times’ and you shrugged. You could deal with cranky.

Eunha told you about your duties- bookkeeping since you had experience, typing a report each night that Mr. Park or Mr. Jeong would be signing, and any other miscellaneous tasks that Eunha and Jihoon couldn’t cover in their shift hours. Once she was done briefing, she handed you over to Jihoon who made a display of grunting in annoyance before he guided you downstairs to the last room which was essentially a storage.

“You must know that not all the business under the Crescent Company is legal,” he said and you nodded. “Where would you keep the record of illegal transactions?”

“Definitely not here?” 

“Here,” he corrected, “but concealed while still being right in front of your eyes. In the case of a raid by the detectives because a certain inspector has been on our case for a while, they will take everything in here, right? The illegal transactions are kept in a safe behind that painting,” he pointed towards the mediocre painting of cherry trees in the darkest corner of the room. 

“And the key?”

“A code, this time,” he said. “I’m still hesitant about sharing it with you but Mr. Choi said you could be trusted.”

“I’ve handled such matters before, yes,” you told him, understanding why he was sceptical about you. “There’s a reason I’m here.”

“That is definitely not the reason why you’re here,” Jihoon scoffed loudly. “Just because you passed a little trust test does not mean you get a position as the boss’s secretary. Eunha and I have worked under them since the beginning- that’s a plausible reason. They trust us.”

Though you wanted to argue with the man, you decided that you would be better off being civil towards him if you had to tolerate him to keep your job. 

“Who else knows the key?”

“Apart from the boss, underboss and consigliere… only Eunha and I. So if information leaks, if the location of the safe leaks-”

“I’ll be the obvious suspect, of course,” you nodded and Jihoon considered you for a moment before acknowledging your answer. 

“Our schedules are going to change now, so there is always at least one person out of the three of us in the office at all times, though the three of us must always be present in the 12 to 2pm slot. In case of an emergency, you are expected- obliged to get down here and escape with the contents of this safe, is that clear?”

“Clear as day,” you confirmed.

“1024 is the code,” Jihoon said and you nodded, memorising it. “Now, let me show you where we keep the official records.”

You took note of every little thing Jihoon had to tell you. Eunha observed how you worked for the rest of the evening and made you acquainted with the methods that you were to use. You were familiar with the work- you had already been in charge of tracking expenses, monitoring budget and keeping a record of all the financial transactions in the Crescent Bar. Eunha was going to take care of tax payments and returns while Jihoon was going to supervise. 

It was a manageable workload so you were pleased with your current position- you just hoped the two would warm up to you soon. You did not expect them to get along with you, you just prayed they would remain civil and not stir any trouble.

Your schedule was going to change from the next day and your shift was from 6pm to midnight- or more, if the need be- and you would also have to be present in the 12 to 2 pm slot. Since you were going to be the one who would lock up the office, you received a set of keys which included one for the storage, one for the main door, and one for Jeong Yunho’s office- in case he or Park Seonghwa weren’t present- to lock away those documents. You were to place them in the cupboard in Mr. Jeong’s room.

While you were in the office today, you didn’t encounter any of your bosses. You figured their absence wasn’t unusual since no one was talking about them. Eunha helped you prepare the report that you were to hand over tonight in her stead if anyone did visit the office because she had a work appointment and needed to be there. She told you to make sure that all the locks are in place before you leave for home.

While you waited for the clock to strike midnight- which was about twenty minutes from now- you busied yourself with scratching your pencil at a piece of paper that was going to be discarded anyway. One thing that calmed you like nothing else was the feeling of the pencil’s lead rubbing against the grains of the paper and leaving a mark for you to play with. With a very specific picture in your mind, you continued to draw straight lines, sharp curves and edges, adding the elements of threat and danger where needed, but preserving the softness of it all-

“What are you doing here?”

You looked up to find not the person you were hoping to see but the person you wanted to avoid the most.

Jeong Yunho.

Lieutenant Jeong Yunho, all dressed up in a black suit with engraved silver buttons, the black tie loose on his neck, his hands hidden in the pockets of his pants. Your eyes travelled up to his parted lips, to the muscles of his jaw flexing and unflexing, to his dark gaze trained not on you but lower- what was he looking at-

You subconsciously put a hand over your incomplete sketch and got up in greeting. “Lieutenant Jeong. I have the report- Eunha had a work engagement.” 

“I see,” he nodded slowly as if still coming to terms that you were to work here now. You could return the sentiment- it was a strange feeling to see him here. You had acknowledged each other’s presence in silence and at rare times, shared a drink (you didn’t often drink at the bar). But standing across each other in this formal setting… 

“Well?”

You broke out of your trance, feeling heat creep up your neck. Perhaps, you were waiting for him to call you to his office. Had you expected him to do that because Yeosang had done the same once? He had been so nonchalant about everything but right now, you felt overwhelmed. You fumbled with the folders until you dug out the report, cursing yourself internally because why didn’t you place it right on the top? 

You extended your hand and he drew closer to grab the document from you, reminding you once again of how tall he was. You gulped- there was no way to explain what you were feeling except a crushing sense of intimidation that made you feel so very small. It had been about a year, yet whenever you were in his presence, your mind took you back to memory lane- 

Specifically the lane near the bar where he ended his enemies and found you watching. Neither of you ever addressed why you had been there or why he had done all of that mercilessly.

“Looks fine,” he said, turning the few pages and skimming through them. “You can leave now- it’s almost closing time. I’ll lock the doors behind me”

“Alright…” were you two the only ones inside the building? “Goodnight, Lieutenant.”

“You don’t have to call me lieutenant, you know,” he said and you met his eyes again, finding the ends of his lips slightly curled in a… smile? Or was that a smirk? 

“How would you have me address you then?”

Somehow, it oddly reminded you of a similar conversation you had with Yeosang, except you had been calling him ‘sir’ and he couldn’t stop snorting everytime you called him that. He let it be for the entire day until he told you to just call him Yeosang- calling him sir in an informal environment only earned him odd looks. You argued that apart from the selected few employees, literally everyone called him ‘sir’ or a variation of it, but he insisted that you already sounded like something was stuck up your [redacted] and he didn’t want to add on to that.

That was the only time he saw your composure break. The rest was history.

The consigliere shrugged, giving you yet another glimpse of the person he was. He didn’t like to be called lieutenant, even though this was a formal environment.

“Mr. Jeong then, since everyone calls you that,” you concluded. 

“And do you still go by Luna?”

“I… do.”

He nodded once, his gaze falling at the paper you were hiding from him. You kept your hand placed over it and he turned, disappearing into his office. You didn’t miss the frustrated grunt that escaped his mouth as he shut the door.

Your shoulders relaxed and you picked the paper- he had definitely seen and recognised the gun that you had just seen last night on the table, and he probably recognised the hand that held it as well- the long, slender fingers that radiated delicacy despite being roughed up. 

The hand of the underboss of Crescent Company. Someone you had wished to meet before the night ended.

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[goldfades]

sweet on you headcanons: christmas at the burrow house (a little late but nonetheless, hope you enjoy!

Joe’s mom insisted on everyone wearing matching Christmas pajamas, even Hayes, who had a tiny red-and-green onesie with “First Christmas” stitched on the front. Joe grumbled about it but secretly loved the sight of everyone gathered in their cozy, ridiculous outfits

Hayes was the star of the day (per usual)

From the second Joe’s mom scooped him up in her arms, it was all about the baby. Joe didn’t even mind sharing the spotlight—he just stood back, arms crossed, grinning like a fool every time Hayes got spoiled with attention (and presents)

The day started early with the smell of coffee brewing and the sound of wrapping paper tearing. Joe’s dad handed out gifts while Hayes sat in your lap, wide-eyed at the flashing lights and shiny bows.

Joe helped Hayes “open” his presents, laughing every time Hayes tried to eat the paper

Joe spent part of the morning in the kitchen with his mom, helping her bake her famous Christmas biscuits. He kept sneaking pieces of dough, and you knew it was more about spending time with her than actually helping

At one point, Hayes joined them in his high chair, banging a wooden spoon like he was part of the process

The afternoon brought a light snowfall, and Joe insisted on bundling Hayes up and taking him outside for his first experience with snow

Hayes didn’t seem too sure about it, but Joe couldn’t stop grinning, holding him up to catch the snowflakes while you took so many pictures

After lunch, the Burrows did their traditional backyard football game. Joe’s brothers argued over who would have him on their team, and Joe jokingly suggested Hayes as the quarterback. You stayed on the sidelines with Hayes, cheering for Joe while secretly loving how competitive he got with his brothers

Dinner was classic and warm—ham, mashed potatoes, and every side you could think of. Joe made sure you got seconds before grabbing his own plate, and Hayes got his first taste of mashed potatoes, which he absolutely loved.

Before bed, Joe read The Night Before Christmas to Hayes in front of the fireplace. You sat beside them, watching the way Joe softened as he read, changing his voice for each part. Hayes babbled through most of it, but the moment was perfect anyway

Once Hayes was down for the night, you and Joe sat by the fire with mugs of hot cocoa, wrapped in one blanket. Joe leaned in, kissed your temple, and said:

“This is what it’s all about. Us, family, and making these memories.” And you couldn’t agree more

As you climbed into bed that night, Joe whispered, “Thank you for giving me all this.” His hand rested on yours, his expression soft in the glow of the Christmas lights. It was a quiet, perfect end to your day.

[bonbonly]

producer lewis who makes a sex tape with you and sends the tape to jenson. lewis attaches a note that says something like "can't wait to hear your thoughts about this xx" because he's a cocky little shit. after jenson watches the tape, he calls lewis saying he has some thoughts and they should meet up to discuss them. lewis and jenson then surprise you, the star of the tape, with dinner and a show.

hehehehehe finally got on my laptop!

bon's thoughts (18+)

film critic!jenson's at his desk. he's writing a new article about your film that had just come out a few days ago. he's going easy on you for now, you hadn't done anything to anger him nor had you showed up at his office grumbling about something he had written. he chews his pen, glancing from his computer to the window where he sees one of his female colleagues chatting away about what she did for vacation. she was cute, he gives that to her, but he never has the energy to go and ask for her number. not when you were visiting him. not when you would go two steps further to push him to the edge before going down on his cock. he chuckles at the past memories, closing his laptop to head out for a small lunch break when the door swings open. it's the cute colleague and she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, handing him a small package.

"it's for you, jenson!" she chirps, setting the box down and sliding it over across his desk, "it's from producer hamilton. said you should check this out!"

jenson raises an eyebrow, nodding his head and thanking her. he opens the box, it's small and could almost pass as a ring box which could be hamilton's attempt as a cruel joke and there jenson sees a flashdrive. ah, flashdrives. jenson's starting to get a good idea of what this could be about and he stands up, closing the blinds to his office. he peers through to see the cute girl heading to the break room and jenson frowns. he tosses the flashdrive into the air a couple times, debating what he should use his lunch time for and ultimately decides that if hamilton was going out of his way to contact him after years, it had to be pretty important. he sits back down at his desk, fingers drumming against the wood and a slip of paper catches his eye. he pulls it out, admiring how firm it felt and read its contents:

any thoughts? i'm sure you'll hate missing out on this - l.h.

his eyes flicker to the flashdrive once more, hands already on its way to open his laptop and plug it in. clicking on the file explorer, he drags the mouse over the flashdrive's name on the side of the screen. there's only one video. the thumbnail makes his eyes wide, a small surprised laugh slipping past his lips. it's you on your knees, tongue out with cum dripping down your face. oh he has to see this.

an actual full sex tape. jenson's not really shocked that you'd eventually have made one, everyone in hollywood knows your reputation. he still can't get behind the fact that you actually agreed to be in one, though. unless hamilton tricked you, but even that was unlikely. you were smart, very smart. you wouldn't ever put yourself in this position unless you knew what would happen. 45 minutes long. jenson can't even explain what's happening in front of him. he feels like he's actually there, watching lewis throw you onto the bed and spit on your cunt. he can see the tattoos on his hand, his fingers massaging your sensitive pearl as you're tied to the bed, bucking your hips and whining, begging to cum.

"such a fucking whore, god," lewis groans, and he sets the camera up on the nightstand. his hands roam over your body, squeezing every piece of fat he can find. his mouth's on your tits, biting on your nipples as you yelp out loud, tears streaming down your face, "if you weren't so talented, i would've kept you as my personal slut, fuck."

jenson can't see lewis's face but he knows the man must be grinning ear to ear as he sees you fighting against the restraints, wanting to touch him. he slots himself between your legs, pulling his throbbing dick from his boxers and stroking himself. he spits on your cunt for the second time, letting his cock slide along your folds. you're whimpering, pleading with him to be fucked.

"and why should I?" lewis mocks, "you've been fucked by almost everybody here, what difference does it make if i don't?"

your voice, despite being muffled, is clear to jenson's ears, "you're the best, lewis, you always stretch me out so good, no one else can."

jenson rolls his eyes, knowing damn well that you had to be lying. he bites his knuckles, palming himself as he continues to watch. lewis laughs, finally sinking his cock inside you and you're already arching your back, crying in joy as he sets a steady pace. his thrusts are slow but deep, each one making your tits bounce so deliciously that jenson wishes it was him, not lewis, fucking you. he pauses the video, shutting his laptop down since he's seen quite enough and smiles to himself, it's a really shitty thing to do but he can't stop himself anymore.

"what a wonderful film," you exclaim, your arm linked with jenson. you glance between the man next to you and lewis, "you never told me how you guys know each other."

lewis smirks, "everyone knows each other here, sweetheart. don't act dumb."

jenson snickers, "i have to say lewis, you made me jealous there. best fuck she's ever had, really? i'm sure i could prove her wrong," and you frown, eyes snapping to lewis about why jenson knows about the tape but before you can ask, the two men are redirecting you down the street to a restaurant for dinner. once inside, you're tapping your foot impatiently, glaring at lewis.

"ok, i'm going to be really nice here and ask-"

"oh, look at the appetizers aren't they delicious?" jenson asks, bringing your hand to his lips as he kisses each finger, shoving the menu to your face to distract you. lewis shifts his chair closer to you, letting his arm wrap around your waist as his hand comes up to grope at your tits. you're biting your lip, squeezing your thighs together as you keep glancing between the two of them.

"what are you both doing?" you whisper, leaning into jenson as his lips travel up to your neck, "papparazi could see, anyone could see!"

"anyone could see the sex tape," lewis points out, his thumb brushing over your pert nipples through the thin fabric of your dress. you hold back a whine, brows furrowing,

"yeah i know, im well aware of that, but i couldn't give a shit about it right now... we should just eat dinner and get out of here, take this back to my hotel room," you scoff, gasping as jenson bites down onto your neck before sucking gently. your eyes gaze up at the ceiling, slowly travelling down when you meet a cold, hard gaze from a set of big brown eyes.

it's carlos sainz, his jaw going taut as he sees what's happening across the restaurant. his hand is just about ready to shatter the glass of wine he's holding up to his lips. he's with some associates, not interested in what they were talking about because his eyes were on you. watching what you're doing... especially with hamilton fondling your tits so openly in public. you gulp, feeling jenson smile against your cheek as he gives you a quick kiss.

"im hungry, what about you?" he asks.

[sheepispink]

happy new year everyone, this is probably crap but just take it im tired

being a homebody with roommate!simonriley is a strange experience. He had told the landlord he hadnt minded having a roommate occupy the spare room but with so long and no sign of interest, he had ultimately forgotten altogether. Until one morning, the landlord had texted him and soon he was opening the door to you, standing with your suitcases and an embarrassed smile. He helped you bring it in, although he wasn't the most friendly and the both of you were dead silent the entire time.

“Dont really care what you do here. Just dont bring friends over and leave a mess, dont come home in the early ‘ours and leave a mess and dont go out and leave a mess.” You blink at him, and then point to yourself, almost unbelieving of his words. When have you ever gone out? “Yes you, who else?” He has to resist rolling his eyes, and a little smile peeks out, an awkward one but it breaks the ice enough to make him raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Why’re you lookin’ at me like that?”

.You quickly revert to your quiet demeanour, giving a meek salute in response.

“Okay, okay, yes sir, i’ll follow all the rules.”

And you did, almost too well. There was never a mess left in the kitchen, infact he hardly saw you most days he was home. Given that your shoes were never near the door too, he just automatically figured you were out partying all evening or hanging out with friends. It almost made him roll his eyes, that you could have so much energy but also just waste your life away like that. He knew you went to work on the weekdays, saw you slip out the front door quietly, and then return to your room in the evening.

It’s one of those weeks in British winter which is just freezing for no apparent reason, even if it’s barely December yet. Simon’s skin is practically about to turn blue, having just come back from a long deployment yesterday. The usual clothes he uses for underlayers had been ripped and torn throughout the mission, aswell as his usual balaclava. It was one of the toughest yet, leaving him littered in bruises and a wave of exhaustion that refuses to leave. He sighs, rubbing his temples as he lays on the couch, head resting against the armrest whilst he flicks through the tv channels.

Though his activities are interrupted when he hears a small click, causing his eyes to immediately flick over to the direction— he was sure you were out. After all, there wasn't a single sound in there all day. Has someone broken in? Did you have a dog he hadn't been told about? He’s never heard a bark, maybe it’s something quieter like a cat, sneakier like a snake even. Then the handle turns and he tenses, eyes trained and his grip tightening on the remote control. Who the hell was behind that door?

What he hadn’t expected, was to see you shivering with a frown, your hands wrapped into the pockets of the thick hoodie as you tried to warm them. You intended to grab a hot water bottle from the kitchen, since you had left it there drying the night prior. Though, naturally your focus moves to the tv, forcing you to see the full view of his bare face and eyes widened. “You’re home?!” You squeak, trying to turn back incase you witnessed something you shouldnt have, only to hit your head smack against your bedroom door. He quickly sits up himself, face tinting with colour as he practically snatches his ripped mask from his pocket and forces it on. “I should say the same to you.”

“ Its the weekend, I never go out on the weekends.” He looks at you with clear disbelief, a hand tugging his shirt down where it had ridden up on his stomach. “Your shoes ‘ave never been by that door though.“ You blink, opening the door to your bedroom to show him the shoe rack and he falls silent. “ You never come out of your room. How do you even survive?!” He watches your cheeks burn pink but he’s had enough, wanting to understand how you had evaded his senses for so long. Before you can protest he’s pushing past you, looking around your room.

“We literally have a stove.”

“This is more convenient!”

“You’re just lazy!”

He waves the self heating pan in your face and you frown, embarrassed at being caught out for being so lazy that you even make your own lunch and dinner in this room. Instead, his gaze moves over your current set up which is adorned with everything soft and comfy. He’s starting to understand after he sees the wide screen pc, the stash of snacks in your cupboard and the cans lined up. “Yknow, most keep paperwork in their cupboards.” He grunts and your hands plant on his arms, attempting to push him out of your room before you instantly recoil. “You’re freezing!”

That’s the first he’s chuckled for a while, and presses his knuckles against your cheek making you recoil like a hissy cat. “Oh come on i’m not that cold—“

“Ice on my face! Literally ice!”

His mask creases, but you’re right , there’s even goosebumps along his skin now. But damn, that throw blanket on your bed looks comfy..

“If i make ya some good food, will you give me that blanket?”

”Thi’ is so good-“ You say through a full mouth, coddled beneath a blanket as you scoff down a bowl of chicken salad. He doesnt know when he picked it up, but he has a few memories of Kyle giving him and Johnny a bowl when they didnt know what to do with the few ingredients in the fridge. “That’s ‘cause im a good cook.” You mumble something in response to his grumble, but it’s difficult by how stuffed your cheeks are, almost looking like a squirrel. It makes him want to laugh but he’s growing more tired by the minute, eyes threatening to fall. Whilst you were stuffing your face, he had gotten exactly what he was promised, currently enthralled by your heated duvet. You even have one on your mattress to warm that too, and a plushie that you can microwave— he feels like he’s in a heater heaven.

“Hey— I said a blanket, not my whole bed.” Finished with your meal, he supposed you’d be back to lazing around now, either gaming, watching the latest episode of your series or starting a new book to finish within the hour. “Hey— move-” You try to push him but he only grunts, already halfway to dream land. He owes you breakfast tomorrow.

[cupidlived]

Ride That Wave | 01

summary — After a reckless night changes the entire sphere of your life, your parents send you to live with your aunt in North Carolina. In a setting far from your old, glittering life, you’re left to confront your guilt and the secrets you’ve been running from. Things seem like they’re going uphill after your aunt’s pool boy, JJ, helps you settle in, but will you be able to keep yourself from slipping into your bad habits?

pairing — kook!reader x jj maybank

content — slow burn, strangers to friends to lovers

Aunt Vick is more excited to see you than you ever expected her to be.

"My girls!" she shouts, her voice bright and high, as if she hadn’t just torn herself away from a Southern Living magazine on the swing bench. The magazine flutters to the wooden steps, forgotten.

"Hi, Vick," your mother sighs, her words more tired than affectionate as her sister sweeps her into a tight hug. The Southern twang in your mom’s voice starts to emerge, partially unmasked after years of living in Manhattan. "Thanks for watchin' her. We'll have her back by December at the latest."

Vick grins at you over your mom’s shoulder, her eyes mischievous. She was the last person your mom would have chosen for you to stay with, and everyone knew it. But after your grandparents died, and your father, an only child, had no siblings to lean on, Vick was the only choice.

As your mother and aunt exchange pleasantries, you stand off to the side, your father’s arm wrapped around you like a safety net. He’s always seen you as his angel, even when your actions had been anything but. Now, though, the illusion is shattered, and there’s nothing left for him to say. "Please, be good," he implores, his voice a whisper full of desperation. "I'd love to have you back by the fall."

You don’t mention that your mother said you would be home in December — you know that if he’s aware of her plan, he’ll only lose the inevitable fight to have you back earlier, and you’d be at risk of not being home until the new year. You just let yourself breathe him in, feeling the warmth of his embrace as the finality of it all settles. If he’s right, fall is only three months away. You can survive that, you’ve been through worse.

When it’s time for your mother to say goodbye, there’s an awkward tension that you can’t shake. The last few months have strained your bond, and the guilt is like a heavy stone in your chest. It’s no secret that in the last year you’ve continued to disappoint her more and more. You brace yourself for something cold—a handshake, maybe, something transactional. But instead, she surprises you, her arms opening to pull you close.

The scent of her perfume, gentle and familiar, envelops you as her hand gently strokes your cheek, like it used to when you were little. "You know that all I’ve ever wanted for you was the very best," she whispers, her voice tender, but filled with the weight of the unsaid truth. The unspoken frustration that you won’t let her give you the world.

You nod, pressing your cheek into her palm. The warmth of her touch is a fleeting comfort.

"You've got to want it too, my love," she says softly, and then she pulls away, her gaze lingering just a moment longer before she steps back.

As they climb into the rental car, your mother behind the wheel, your father wipes away tears that are already halfway down his swollen face. The car drives off, its soft grey outline fading into the distance, leaving behind a silence that feels permanent — there’s no going back now. When their flight lands, Vick is supposed to be updating them on your every move, a constant presence in your life, whether you want it or not.

Vick breaks the silence first, as if she can't stand it anymore. "Well, kid. Lemme show you around." She grabs one of your duffels off the brick walkway and heads toward the front door. "Things are a little different after the remodel, so make sure you pay attention."

—

The first few days on Figure 8 pass in a blur of isolation. You’ve spent most of your time holed up in your bedroom, too embarrassed to face the world—or anyone. The silence here is deafening, and the loneliness gnaws at you in ways you never imagined. You’ve reached out to friends from home, of course, but no one is responding. Not that you can blame them. After the mess you made, it feels like you've been shut out for good.

Vick’s attempts to lure you out of your self-imposed exile are relentless. She whispers promises of Pink Whitney and trashy movies. The mention of alcohol makes it clear that she hasn’t quite caught wind of your fall from grace in Manhattan.

By the fifth day, Vick’s patience is wearing thin. It’s 10 a.m. and you’ve barely stirred from your bed, except to push around the plate of French toast she made you earlier. The dining room, pristine in white, feels foreign—an eerily quiet reminder of the last time you were here, more than a decade ago. Back then, your grandparents had been alive, and Vick was 18 and fully ready to leave the nest.

Now, everything has changed. The dining room, once coastal and cluttered with shells and driftwood, is sleek and minimalist. Your aunt inherited the house after your grandparents died, and she had transformed it into something entirely different. "I'm sick of the old coastal asshole look," she had said when the renovations started. "I see those all the time in the houses I list. Gimme class. Gimme modernity." The only thing that remained unchanged was the antique dining table, solid oak, polished to perfection.

Your plate sits facing the newly finished backyard, Vick’s pride and joy. She’d been texting you and your parents updates about the remodel, sending pictures of the work as it progressed, but you hadn’t really paid attention.

The silence between you and Vick stretches on, thick and heavy. She’s practically bouncing in her seat, eyes wide with impatience, waiting for you to speak. But you don’t. And she doesn’t either.

"So..." Vick finally breaks, her voice soft but teasing. "What’d you do?" Her smile is crooked, giving it a boyish charm. "You know you can tell me. I used to be pretty wild back in my day."

You raise an eyebrow, offering nothing but a half-shrug in response. If you're the only one on the island who knows the full story, you'd rather keep it that way.

Vick huffs, clearly starting to lose her patience. "Come on, spill it. Did you kill somebody? Have a pregnancy scare?"

"No!" You almost laugh, though it sounds hollow. You fiddle with your fork, taking a quick glance of the backyard. At this point, anything is better than entertaining Vick’s curiosity. A guy is out there, netting leaves from the willow tree and fishing them out of the infinity pool. You don’t want to talk about it. Not yet, at least.

Vick’s gaze follows your line of sight, and her smile widens. Just like that, her previous line of questioning vanishes into thin air. "See something you like?" she teases, her tone full of mischief.

The sun has crept high, beating down on anyone caught in its rays. This guy? No shirt, sweat glistening on his bronzed skin as he hauls the net over his shoulder, muscles flexing in a way that makes you feel suddenly very aware of your own discomfort.

"Yeah, pretty cute," you offer, trying to sound casual, though you’re sure your voice betrays you. 'Cute' doesn’t even come close. But you’ve sworn off boys until at least a year into college. So you force your attention elsewhere. Your syrup has congealed into a thin skin, and you twirl your fork in it absently, trying to focus on anything but the man in the backyard.

Just as you do, you notice the way his eyes flick to you through the glass door, the briefest glance that sends a flush rushing to your cheeks.

Vick leans in with a grin that says she knows exactly what you’re thinking. "That’s JJ, my new pool boy. He’s your age, I’m guessing." Her eyes dance with amusement, clearly relishing in your sudden discomfort. "I could totally set you up, if you want."

You shake your head quickly, your heart picking up speed. "No," you mutter, hoping JJ didn’t realize you’d been staring. "I’ve got bigger things to worry about right now." You push the plate of untouched food aside, suddenly realizing how childish you must look, poking at your breakfast like a kid.

Vick laughs and grabs your plate, tossing the food into the trash. “Oh, I love some forbidden action," she teases, nudging you with her shoulder. "Besides, romance isn’t dead, kid."

You can’t help but roll your eyes, though part of you wonders if she’s right.

thank you for all of the support on the intro 🥹 sooo excited to be writing again & i’ll likely be making a separate blog so i can interact w everyone 🫶🏽

[reginyani]

New Year's Party | s.reid x fem!reader

summary: rossi host's a new year's eve party at his mansion, where you and Spencer have too much to drink, and end up going home together. this leads from one thing to another, and you somehow end up on top of him.

cw: 18+, mdni, fem!bau!reader, drunk sex, vaginal sex, praise, drunk!reader, drunk!spencer, making out, unprotected sex, dom!reader

wc: 3k

authors note: this honestly is pretty lazy i haven't written smut or any kind of sex fanfiction in SOO long.. im so used to writing fluff, and i'm sorry for this monstrosity. i swear guys I USED TO BE GOOD!! but anyways, i hope you like because even though it's not as good as i wanted it, it took a while!! (reblog if u did!)

gif: reidgif

It was unreasonably warm for a New Year's Eve in Virginia, and the BAU team decided it would be fun to celebrate the holiday of transitioning to the new year at Rossi's sprawling mansion. The living room was lit by twinkling lights from a chandelier, casting a warm glow over the polished furniture. The scent of rich Italian food filled the air, mingling with the sharper tang of champagne. Laughter filled the room, and the unusual lightness of the air was noticeable tonight.

 

It wasn't too often that the team was able to unwind together. In fact, it had been months since they had been able to be in the same place without the stress of a case hanging over their heads. The new year was only a couple of hours away, and for once, nobody there was thinking about the darkness everyone had to face so often.

 

But tonight, you had been thinking about something else, rather... someone else. Spencer Reid sat on one of the plush couch cushions near the fireplace, his legs crossed with a glass of champagne in his hand. His tie was loosened, his hair a bit tousled from the evening's past activities. It had been quite some time since he had allowed himself to truly be 100% indulged in a night like this. His mind was usually full of numbers, equations, random facts, and the weight of the world's problems. But tonight, there was something oddly freeing about him tonight, and you couldn't tell if it was Garcia's laughter in the background or the sense that the world outside didn't exist.

 

Beside him, you took a seat, and you couldn't help but think how undeniably sexy you found him tonight. Maybe it was the loose tie, the way his hair was messier than usual, or maybe the way he was actively engaging in the conversations more than he normally did.

 

After a few moments of quiet conversation with Spencer, a bottle of wine appeared. You both shared laughs over something trivial—maybe the third or fourth joke of the night—but before long, both of your glasses were refilled. You didn't mean to drink so much, and you usually never did, but with the glow of the evening, it felt like such an easy thing to do. Spencer, though, seemed way more relaxed and loose tonight than you'd ever seen him.

 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asks, his voice a bit slurred, but his eyes still sharp.

 

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" you question back, smirking as you raised your glass. The night was still young, and if you knew anything about the people in this room, it was that they could always handle another round of drinks. But you never had Spencer like this, and he never allowed himself to be so vulnerable with drinking alcohol. So were you really sure he could handle another round of drinks?

 

Spencer hesitated, staring at his drink like it was something from a different world. But then, a slow smile formed on his lips. "Well, I guess if we're both doing questionable things tonight, I suppose I could join you." He raises his glass to yours and slowly raises it to his lips. In what felt like seconds, the liquid disappeared.

 

The evening had quickly turned into a haze of laughter, clinking glasses, and everyone telling increasingly exaggerated stories. Spencer and Morgan's ties were long gone, and it was quite clear that everyone the night had reached its peak when Garcia decided to stand on the coffee table and dramatically recite a version of Romeo and Juliet with a very confused Reid forced to play the role of Romeo. At some point, Morgan drunkenly broke into a dance when one of his "favorite club songs" turned on, blasting from the speaker, which he received tons of criticism from Prentiss on. Rossi sat back, watching the spectacle unfold with a smirk on his face.

 

But as the night got older, the energy in the room began to wane. The champagne and wine had clearly done their work, and now basically everyone was drunk out of their minds, groaning in exhaustion. JJ was leaning against Will, slowly nodding off, while Hotch, looking slightly tired, kept checking the time on his phone. It was way past midnight, which meant the new year had already come around, and it wasn't long before the decision was made that it was time to go home.

 

"I think I'll call it a night, everyone," Hotch said, his words slow as he got up from his seat, groaning slightly.

 

"Agreed, get out of my house," Rossi replied, smirking slightly. "I'm getting way too old for this."

 

Morgan, still grinning but very clearly less steady on his feet, clapped a hand on Spencer's shoulder, clearly startling Spencer as he flinched.

 

Spencer blinked a few times, trying to completely focus on Morgan and regain his composure. "Yeah... I just need to make sure I don't forget my keys." He fumbled around in his pockets, very clearly confused about the whereabouts of his keys. "I'll be fine. It's just a very... long walk back to my place." He groans.You laugh at his comment, standing up from the couch and helping him gather some of his things.

 

Garcia was already calling an Uber, the sound of her bubbly voice ordering a ride with Morgan in the background. Clearly, the idea sounded good to Spencer, because soon he was on the app ordering himself one. His hand clutched his phone with an almost desperate intensity, his brows furrowed in concentration.

 

"Do you... need help with that?" you asked, your words just a little slower than usual. You both were beyond drunk, and Spencer's face was flushed, his eyes glassy as he stared at the Uber app.

 

"I've got it," he said, his voice more clipped than normal. "I—uh, do I just... wait, Do I need to set a destination first?"

 

You tried not to laugh, but the sight of him furiously tapping on his phone, trying to figure out how he can summon an Uber, was enough to make you let out a hearty laugh. "Spencer, you've gotten an Uber before, right? You don't need to give them a whole speech on how to get you home," you said as he started to type a long paragraph in the 'extra details' section, basically giving the driver a shorter way to get him home, forgetting they have Google Maps.

 

"Right, of course." His cheeks turned a deeper shade of red as he looked over at you. "Okay, well, it's on the way..."

 

"Good," you lean against the doorframe for support, already starting to feel the warmth of the alcohol take over your body completely and start to cloud your thoughts.

 

"Can I come with you? I don't think me going home alone with an unknown driver this late at night is a great idea," you say to him, saying your words without completely thinking them through at first. Did you seriously just ask if you could spend the night at Spencer's place?

 

"Yeah, sure... that's fine." He answered, leaning against a wall, breathing heavily. Clearly, this was his first time being as drunk as he is now.

 

The Uber arrived soon after, and after saying goodbye to everybody, you both made your way outside, barely noticing the crispness of the air against your skin as you both climbed into the back seat. You settled into the leather seats, and Spencer quickly buckled his seatbelt, though he wasn't quite as smooth with his movements as he usually was. You did the same, your fingers fumbling to find the buckle for a couple of seconds.

 

As the car started to move, a comfortable silence fell between you two, only broken by the faint hum of the engine and the occasional creak of the wheels. The lights from the city blared into the window, making you squint your eyes and turn away from the window.

 

"So..." you smirked as you began to speak quietly. "Do you always drink this much at parties?"

 

Spencer shifted in his seat at the comment. He didn't meet your gaze right away, but after a second, he shrugged. "Not usually. I don't know, I just... for some reason it felt different tonight. I didn't really want to be that guy who spends the whole night hiding in the corner, not enjoying himself."

 

"Well, you sure didn't hide tonight." You teased, your tone a little more playful than intended.

 

He chuckled, and you could tell he was relaxed—more relaxed than you'd seen him in a long time. Maybe ever, actually. It was strange seeing it act so... human. It wasn't often you witnessed that.

 

"I guess I was," he said, his smile a bit lopsided now. "I think I needed that more than I realized."

 

You nod, agreeing with him silently. "You know, you're actually quite fun when you let loose," you said, the feeling of the alcohol kicking in more with each passing second.

 

Spencer's gaze locked with yours for a quick second before he quickly looked away. "Yeah?" His cheeks flash red once again. "I've been told I'm too uptight."

 

"Don't listen to whoever says that," you replied almost too quickly. "You're just being you, and that's a nice trait to have." You faced him fully, your voice lowering as you continued to speak. "But... I do like this side of you."

 

His lips parted, a bit taken aback, but he recovered quickly, a soft laugh escaping him. "Maybe the alcohol is really taking in, but... thanks. I think I might also like this side of me too."

 

You smiled, everything feeling just a bit hazy, but the sincerity in Spencer's voice made your heart skip a beat. Before either of you could continue to speak, the car rolled to a stop in front of Spencer's apartment building.

 

You both thanked the Uber driver, then climbed out of the car. The cool night air hit both your faces, and then you realized just how unsteady you were on your feet. Spencer quickly steadied you, his hands gripping your waist to support you. "You okay?" he asked, his voice suddenly becoming serious again.

 

You nod, blushing heavily at his hand placement. Your thoughts wandered, and he raised an eyebrow, confused by your zoning out. He snapped a finger, and you snapped back to reality. "Yeah, yeah... One step at a time, right?"

 

Spencer smiles, continuing to hold onto you. "One step at a time."

 

Eventually, you both make it to his apartment door, and he's still holding you up, making sure you don't fall.

 

He leans to flick up the light switch, trying to have as minimal movement as possible. When the light hits his face, you observe his features. His cheeks were flushed, his lips plump and parted, and his eyes slightly watery. Your drunken mind was in awe, finding him completely and utterly breathtaking. Why though? You never had before...

 

He looks down at you, smiling a bit before guiding you over to his couch. You both sit down, his legs stretched out in front of him. You kick your heels off, finally feeling the freedom of what felt like bricks taken off your feet.

 

A few minutes go by, the silence becoming unnoticeable. He starts to speak; his words are still slurred but sharp. "You know... I've always found it fascinating how people underestimate the power of silence. Not just the absence of sound, but... the weight of it. Do you ever think about that?"

 

You laugh softly at his words, finding his brain process oddly fascinating. If you were sober, you generally wouldn't be interested in his new weird random topic, but this time you were.

 

"You're drunk, Spencer. You're talking about silence like it's some kind of breathtaking quantum physics thingy." You reply, looking up at him with your eyebrows raised.

 

"It is!" he argues, furrowing his eyebrows. "But you're right. I probably shouldn't try to sound profound when I've had at least, like, 1 glass of champagne and 3 glasses of wine," he says, puffing up his cheeks.

 

You glance up at him again, a warm smile spreading across your face. His eyes, the look a little too soft tonight, and it's driving you nuts, making your heart flutter like crazy.

 

"Don't worry, you're smarter than me regardless. Even when you're drunk out of your mind."

 

Spencer's gaze softens, his eyes locking with yours for a moment that felt like forever. He shifts a bit closer to you, trying not to make it noticeable. But oh... it is.

 

"You think I'm smart? and... not annoying?" He asks, his voice quieter, as if the question had more meaning than it should.

 

"Of course I do. You're literally brilliant." You say it without hesitation, almost like a reflex, and it catches him off guard for a second. But seriously, what kind of question is that? He had an IQ of 187 and could read 20,000 words per minute. He's quite literally a genius.

 

Spencer's lips curl into a smile, and he tilts his head to look at you. He studies your face, with a curious, almost vulnerable look in his eyes.

 

"You know, nobody ever really says that often unless they're teasing me. Sometimes I just wonder if I actually make sense to people, or if I just ramble everyone's ears off." You continue to smile, and for a second, Spencer feels like your eyes are literally twinkling at him.

 

"You ramble. But you make sense. You always do." You reassure him, but the atmosphere starts to feel heavier as you continue to compliment him.

 

He shifts again, and now his body is just a few inches away from yours. You feel the heat radiating off of him, and suddenly you feel hyper-aware of everything happening between you two. His hand brushes against your arm for a second, but he doesn't immediately pull back, his touch lingering. You gulp, his touch sending flutters down your chest.

 

He begins to speak again, but somehow softer than before. How is it even possible? "I'm glad you think that. Not many people allow themselves to tell me that or just think that in general." He pauses for a second, "You mean a lot to me, you know? More than I let on..."

 

After he says this, the air feels thicker, charged with unspoken tension. You look back up at him, meeting his eyes, and this time, the air feels anything but heavy and awkward. Instead, it's full of possibilities.

 

Without thinking first, you lean in just a bit, your breath starting to mingle with his. His eyes flicker down to your lips, then back up to your eyes. He brings his hand up to the side of your face, as if he's waiting for you to make the first move.

 

You whisper, "You mean a lot to me, too." And in one swift motion, his lips meet yours—soft at first. As if something inside of him shifts suddenly, the kiss deepens, the closeness overwhelming you both.

 

You pull away for a second, catching your breath. Spencer lets an overwhelmed whimper slip from his lips, and he looks at you with puppy eyes.

 

This drives you absolutely mad.

 

You lunge for his lips, grabbing his face and pulling him into it deeper. You pull him closer, shifting your body to straddle his lap, your skirt riding up your legs. He whines; feeling your body on top of him makes him feel so vulnerable, and he likes it.

 

You continue to kiss him, skillfully unbuttoning his shirt as you do so. You pull it off his arms, and you pull away from him, pulling off your shirt in one swift motion. You then go in to kiss his collarbone, and that makes him unwillingly gasp. When you start to bite on his skin, that almost makes Spencer scream.

 

The erection in his pants didn't go unnoticed anymore the more horny you got for him, and you start to shift your hips on top of him, feeling it through your underwear. And at this point, your pussy was throbbing.

 

 

"I... I need you..." He mumbles, throwing his head back.

 

"Speak up, baby. You need what?" You tease him. He looks back up at you, feeling defeated as you make him say it again.

 

"I need you!" He whines, and that makes you raise an eyebrow in amusement. You liked seeing him like this. Drunk and overwhelmed with pleasure, messy hair and slick, wet lips.

 

You lift yourself up onto your knees, quickly unzipping his pants and then pulling down his boxers. His hard cock sprung out, pre-cum already coating the tip. You look down at him, smirking as you pull your underwear to the side, your pussy throbbing, begging for touch.

 

You take his cock in hand, stroking it a few times, making him gasp in pleasure. "Ah—Y/N..." He lets out, barely able to form words, just a mess of sounds of please.

 

You smirk, groaning as you guide the tip of his cock to your pussy, rocking your hips back and forth as the tip rubs against you. You moan, throwing your own head back as much as you could.

 

Eventually, you slowly slide his cock into your pussy, slowly starting to bounce up and down. You speed up, and Spencer starts to breathe heavily, you both becoming a moaning mess.

 

He begins to rock his hips with you, "God, you're so perfect like this, Spence." You let out, your voice cracking between words as you try to praise him. Your fingers began to bury in his hair, pulling it slightly as you continued to bounce up and down on his cock.

 

"Y/N... I'm— I'm close..." He whines, holding onto your shoulders as you continue to ride him.

 

"Yes! Please, yes, Spencer... come inside me!" You moan loudly, chasing your high as well. This was enough to completely drive him over the edge.

 

Spencer came hard, his legs shaking as his hips pressed against your skin as he moaned loudly. You press your head into his chest, feeling pleasure take over your body as you also reach the edge, mingling your moans together.

 

Eventually, he pulls out, and you collapse onto the side of his couch, breathing heavily. You look over to the side, where Spencer is still breathing heavily, completely overwhelmed with the whole situation.

 

"Damn, Spencer... you're weak." You say, chuckling as you try to make it less awkward than it already was.

 

"Oh, shut up."

tags:

[madaboutmunson]

Fluff

For @strangerthingswritersguild prompt : ‘Fluff’

Word count: 3824

——————————————————-

Eddie parked up and took a few grounding breaths before leaving his vehicle.

He knew he, Steve, was gonna be here today, and today he was gonna ask him out. It had been ten years and times had changed a little, and he now knew Steve wasn’t the kind of guy to knock him out if he found out he was gay. After Robin revealing her coming out to Steve story.

And, he’d totally wait until one of them was leaving so it didn’t have to be awkward.

But this was Eddie, and never mind the path of true love, none of his paths ran smooth and if it looked like it was, he’d better watch out for the sudden long drop to sink hole he was about to plummet into.

So when Eddie checked himself over in the mirror one last time, and was giving himself a pretty intense pep talk in it, he didn’t catch the dark green Jeep Cherokee pull up next to him.

He also didn’t see 1996 Steve Harrington hurry in to the building arms laden with things.

Eddie grabbed the card with wad of cash in it, for the new happy couple. He’d been doing pretty well for himself lately, and Dustin and Suzie were only just reemerging into the world after being in the academic world for so long. He wasn’t even sure if they had any intention of leaving it.

He hopped down out of the van and smoothed over his suit which he had to compromise on, suit he could do, but tie and buttoned up the collar? Absolutely not!

But as he slammed the door shut and locked up, he heard a way too close.

“What’s up, nerd?” Followed by a sweet laugh Eddie would know anywhere, and he knew full well that laugh continued because Eddie had jumped out of his skin.

“Steve!” Eddie can’t help the way his face lit up at the sure and happy smile directed his way, “Good to see ya man,” he beamed and stuck out his hand.

Steve looked down at the ringed hand between them, pulled a face as he scoffed a laugh, grabbed Eddie’s hand and pulled him in for a hug.

“Good to see you again, man. Sorry I hadn’t been in touch more,” He said squeezing Eddie tight and releasing him to step back and look him over, “Wow, you haven’t aged a day. Oddly strange to see your forehead,” Steve chuckled.

Eddie touched his forehead at the mention of it, “Couldn’t keep the bangs if not even Hetfield and Dickenson could keep ‘em,” he mumbled with an irrepressible smirk, “Glad to see a decade hasn’t flattened yours,” Eddie looked up at Steve’s much shorter at the back, but still elegantly swooped over hair.

“Yeah, at least I held onto all the good things from back then,” Steve smiled, “Well most of them. Where’s your date?”

“Ah, yeah, no date for me, for the wedding I mean, I can get dates, lots of them in fact when I’m not all caught up with work,” Eddie cringes internally, and tries to make a save, “Yours?”

“Inside,” Steve chuckled, and Eddie’s heart shattered.

“Cute is she?” Eddie tried to pull a distraction with conversation, whilst his inner minions swept to the shards in his chest cavity.

“The cutest!” Steve beamed, his smile was wide and bright, making his eyes narrow and sparkle. Eddie didn’t think he’d ever seen someone more happy. Maybe his uncle when Steve arranged a secret Eddie trade, after all the upside down business, to get him out of Hawkins and its pitchfork wielding residents.

Eddie nodded as they entered the main building, “I’m happy for you, man,” he said sincerely, because though he wished it was him, Steve really did deserve a happy ending.

“Hey I’m just gonna hit the bathroom before I get into the festivities,” Eddie juts a thumb at the sign in the wall, figuring he can use it as an excuse to reset and start the night over with a different ambition, “I’ll catch you inside, man. You can introduce me to your girl,” he said fondly.

“Yeah! We’d love that. I’ll save you a seat with us. Oh wait a second-“ Steve says back with way too much excitement. He must really like this chick, or maybe everyone else here hates her? But before Eddie can escape Steve is way too close. So close he’s inhaling his cologne, and obviously it’s exquisite.

“You had some fluff in your hair,” Steve smiled and handed Eddie the offending debris.

Eddie chuckled genuinely this time, “Ah, perks of the job free fluff with every stuff.”

Steve wrinkled his nose up adorably in confusion.

“I make toys, teddy bears, Eddies’s-“ Eddie starts to explain, but Steve’s eyes are wide with excitement and he’s pointing and talking over him.

“Eddie’s Teddies! That’s you? Oh my god! Oh my god . My baby loves those. I must have gotten her at least four from the fairytale collection. No more than that. We got some of the professionals' collections too. We’ve got the sailor, the baseball player, the stunt driver, the movie star, and the,” Steve pauses and his words slow down, “and the ice cream man.”

Steve is just staring like he wants to say something but the words won’t come out. Eddie swallows and quickly breaks the tension, “Yeah that’s me. listen I gotta go take a leak, I’ll be right with ya.”

Eddie’s hurries inside the cubicle, screws up his eyes and thumps himself against his head a few times. Idiot. Now Steve is gonna feel fucking awkward all night knowing Eddie had a decade long crush on him.

No. He could save this. Eddie could save this. He’d say it was a thank you. Yeah, a thank you for saving his life. Ok, cool. He was gonna go with that, and meet the love of Steve’s life and then get lost in the party, so he can avoid them for the rest of the evening.

With an emptied bladder, washed hands and an extra fluff check, Eddie entered the main room.

He is mobbed by a large section of the guests, leaving the other seventy percent of the room wondering who the hell he was and maybe he was famous or something. He catches up and then finally gets to congratulate the happy couple and heads to the bar to grab a soda.

He felt a tug on his bracelet.

“Gee mister, that’s pretty shiny. Where’d ya get it?”

Eddie looks down to follow the voice and is met with two huge blinking hazel eyes in a flurry of brown hair.

“I made it, when I was a kid,” he smiled.

“You made it?” the kid asked in awe, pushing the mass of brown bangs out of her eyes for a closer look.

“Sure did. Bit of chain, bit of leather, some snaps and Sabbra Cadabra a bracelet,” he smiled.

She giggled, “It abracadabra, silly!”

“Oh is it now? My mistake. I better go call up Ozzy and tell him.” Eddie played along with a sad sigh.

“Who’s Ozzy?”

“Only one of the greatest heavy metal singers of all time!” Eddie enthused and threw up the horns and made a silly face, which only further plunged the little girl further into the giggles.

“You’re silly. Like daddy, but you’ve got long hair like, uh, elif cub,” she smiled up at him.

Eddie looked around the immediate area and there did not seem to be anyone he would label as a Daddy in the vicinity.

He knelt down to her level, “Speaking of Daddy, shall we go find him?”

“Yah!” She said stretching her arms up to Eddie, which he took as a queue to pick her up, “I’ll show you him.”

And when this little girl points directly at a sweating, out of breath, clearly distressed Steve who was hurtling their way. Eddie’s heart couldn’t decide to soar for his friend being a parent or sink for himself as a kid meant this was serious.

“Honey, you can’t run off like that, ok?” Steve says softly though he was clearly very worried.

Eddie handed over Little Miss Harrington, to Steve, and he immediately relaxes with her in his arms, “Thanks Eddie, I had a bottle mishap and turned away for a few seconds and she was gone.”

He can see the way his brow creased that Steve felt like he really fucked up.

“Hey, it could happen to anyone, man. Kids are so fast, and if I’m anything to go by, very sneaky and creative,”Eddie offered him a friendly smile, and he watched as Steve’s shoulders relaxed one more setting, “How about I come over and meet your date and I can sit with the kid whilst you go get cleaned up and the bottle done, yeah?”

Steve looks confused, but walks towards a table in the corner which it’s strewn with toys, books, pacifiers, an open jar of applesauce with a spoon sticking out of it, a bag full of diapers and wipes and creams, and a spilled baby bottle.

But no one else was there.

Eddie sees the deep blush hit Steve’s face as he places his little girl in a high chair, and quickly tries to tidy up so Eddie can sit down.

But he can’t have that.

Eddie pushes Steve firmly into a seat, then cracks open and puts a soda in his hand as he begins to tidy up his own space. Making it all a show by pretending to sample the bottle and applesauce and finding them disgusting, much to the amusement of the little girl. Even reading passages from the books as if performing on stage. ‘A is for apple’ is performed with such dramatics, with Eddie propping on foot up on a chair, flailing his arms around, even Steve started to laugh.

Once he has two Harrington’s giggling he sits down with a big ‘mission accomplished’ smile. As he raised his eyes, they meet Steve’s sparkling ones, but this time maybe they’re a little for him too.

“Eddie, let me introduce you to my date for the evening. My daughter, Georgina,” Steve gestured to the little girl in the high chair currently chewing on the corner of a book.

“Hey sweetie, This is Eddie. He makes the teddy bears you like,” Steve beamed, but Georgina couldn’t be less interested, in Eddie right now, because the main lights had dimmed to make way for more colourful ones moving around the dance floor.

Eddie wants to leave it there. Accept the facts Steve is a family man now. Move on. But the way he’s looking at him, making him feel like a knight in shining armor, Eddie can’t help himself, and he has to know for sure.

“So-“

“There is no one,” Steve shouts quickly over the music and immediately shrinks back in volume, “I mean, I’m not dating anyone or married or anything. I really wanted to be a dad, and relationships just were not working out, you know,” he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “So I got a surrogate,” he beams at Georgina, who is clapping her hands and kicking her feet to the music, but quickly casts his eyes down, “But being a parent is a lot harder than I thought.”

“Hardest job you’ll ever do, if you believe my uncle, who technically didn’t sign up for it,” Eddie smiled and Steve mirrored it, “But she’s happy and confident, you’re doing great.”

“Thanks,” Steve says quietly, and Eddie can tell he doesn’t believe him, so he opts for a change of subject.

“Who is Elif Cub?”

Steve’s eyebrows spring up, “Uh, well,”

“Hey man, you don’t gotta say, Gina, said I had long hair like them. I was just being nosy,” Eddie waves the question away, “You want me to grab you another drink or something to eat?” Eddie says standing up.

“It’s you,” Steve blurts out and in response to Eddie’s confusion, “Elif Cub. Has long hair like you because they are you. In a photo on my wall. From the hospital when we snuck people in to play d&d for a few hours.”

Eddie smiles in realisation, “Elif Cub. Hellfire Club.” He puts his hands on his hips and leans into Steve’s space with a smirk, “You have a lot of pictures of me on your walls, Steve?”

Steve’s Adam’s apple bobs in his throat, “Just the one,” he confirms, and Eddie leans back, “But-but I’d like more. I mean we should hang out more.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows in surprise, and slowly sat back down. He looks between Steve and the table a few times and taps on it, before asking, “Is this a pity thing because of the bears?”

A gorgeous smile erupted across Steve’s face and he laughed, “No, but I can’t believe I didn’t realise until today. Robin’s right I am a dingus.”

Eddie’s freshly glued back together heart is pounding ferociously in his chest, “So, by, more photos and hanging out. Do you mean, like, friendly hanging out?” He asked cautiously.

“Well of course it would be friendly we’re friends aren’t we?” Steve said with a furrowed brow.

Eddie was struggling with words, which was extremely rare. He wanted to know if there could be something more but also didn’t want to make Steve feel awkward, if it was a no.

“Ok let me preface this by saying I really love the idea of being closer friends, that is a definite thumbs up from me. Big fat yes,” Eddie laughed a little nervously mostly talking to the table, “But I wanna be transparent about something.”

He raised his eyes and Steve looked like he was hanging on Eddie’s every word, until-

“Daddy? I’m hungry,” Georgina asked sweetly.

“Oh my gosh. Yes. Yes! I’ll be right on it sweetheart, just let me find the… Damn I need to heat it up. I mean darn,” Eddie watched Steve deflate opposite him, and he reached across the table and took his hand.

“Hey, that was my fault, talking your ear off, ok? I’ll entertain Gina the best I can. You sort out whatever you need to ok? You’re doing great,” Eddie smiled at him.

“It was just. I’d just got used to the bottles and jars and now she’s on, like real food, which should be way easier right?” Steve shook his head as he searched through the bag retrieving a few Tupperware boxes, “I won’t be long youre a lifesaver Eddie, thank you. There is some fruit here, honey, ok? Steve said setting the tub of chopped up fruit and vegetables on the high chair, which her little hands plunge straight into, and she starts munching away.

Eddie watches her shovel the beautifully carved fruit into her mouth. Each piece perfectly sized, cut into stars, hearts, rainbows, even some melon balls carved to have a rose like texture.

Steve hurried back from the kitchen area wafting a small meal on a plate, trying to cool it down.

“Ah those Dino chicken nuggets never go out of style,” he smiled at Steve, who gave he a sweet sigh of defeat.

“I honestly tried to avoid them but she really likes them,” Steve shrugged.

“Steve, I see what you’re doing, and you're wearing yourself out doing it,” Eddie says gently. He wants Steve to know he’s not judging him, but he does care about how stressed he seems.

Steve turned his eyes up to his, “Is it that obvious?” He said a little defeated.

“Listen, all these cute things you do for her are great and they are special but make sure you’re in a space to enjoy them too, you know? That beautiful melon ball got chomped on just like the carrot stick in her fist.” Eddie pointed out, “And yeah sometimes I guess you gotta make food fun for kids to get into it, but it doesn’t have to Michelin star carvings every meal.”

Steve scoffs, “Come on it’s hardly-“

“You know what I’m getting at, Steve, and I think I know why,” Eddie said gently reaching over the table, “Your making two childhoods here, right?”

Steve looks at him a little guilty, but Eddie only smiles in response, “Nothing wrong with wanting to give your kid all the things you wanted as a kid, but not at detriment to your stress levels. Kids are emotion sponges. You get anxious, they might get anxious. So try to relax. You’re doing a great job, Steve. Maybe you don’t hear that enough.” Eddie turns his hand reaching across the table palm up.

He watches Steve carefully. Watches him stare at his hand the breath catch in his chest and suddenly how his hand tentatively reaches out and takes his.

He looks up at him, and Eddie knows he’s searching for what it all means, but Eddie just holds his hand, soothingly rubs his thumb on the back of it.

“It’s why I make the bears.” He smiled over at him, and looked out at the dance floor as he continued to talk leaning over the table so Steve could hear him, whilst Gina dunked her Dino’s in their ketchupy demise.

“I had a teddy bear when I was a kid. I took that thing everywhere. It used to make my mom laugh. She called me her Eddie-bear. When I lost her. All I had left was my bear. I couldn’t hug her anymore, so it was all I had,” he swallowed thickly, “You can imagine it got a little grubby and torn, but my Dad didn’t fix him up or wash him. He picked him up and threw him in the trash one day when I was at school. I cried my eyes out. Couldn’t find the thing. He got me a plastic truck to say sorry. Which wasn’t the same, but if you knew my Dad, you’d know that was him trying his best.” Eddie laughed and shook his head as he turned back to Steve, “So that’s why I make the bears, and every bear we make, I keep the instructions to make it. So if my business ever failed, or when I’m not around anymore. No one has to be without their bear. They can get an exact replacement. So I guess we’re both trying to heal our childhoods in different ways.”

Steve nodded, “And the outfits?” He said with a light smirk and a slight sparkle to his eyes.

“Hmmm, let’s just say when I got a little older, I found a different Teddy Bear I wanted for myself, but I wasn’t exactly sure if he would want me back,” Eddie shifted his glance between Steve’s eyes and the table, “And it’s absolutely fine if he doesn’t because-“

“The thing you should know about that Teddy Bear is, they don’t make them like him anymore. He’s a little fragile, and frazzled. A lot of wear and tear. Especially here,” Steve gestured to the centre of his chest, and looked at Eddie with a nervousness he had never seen before.

“So if you want him he’s yours, on the understanding that, he’s a pretty busy bear, and he’s looking for someone to care for, long term. He can’t have any more casual owners, especially not one like you.”

The air got heavy between them. Eddie hadn’t counted on making big promises so fast. He hadn’t counted on Steve singling Eddie specifically out as someone special. What if he screwed up or it turned out they didn’t like one another as much as he thought they might?

It was almost like Steve could sort of read his mind, “But if you’re not looking to keep him for a long time, maybe if he’s still alone in a few years, and gets fixed up a little. Maybe he could handle a play date?” Steve’s eyes had not moved from Eddie’s.

“No. He’s perfect right now. He always has been. I guess I’m just worried because he’s so rare and valuable to so many. To me. What if I accidently damaged him, or wasn’t the good owner I thought I’d be?”

Steve’s face relaxed at Eddie’s concern, “it’s not about predicting the future. It’s about intention.” Steve smiled, and released his hand.

Eddie sipped his drink and mulled it over. Half sort of impressed with the grace Steve is giving him to think about it. If it were the other way around he’d be gnawing on the table between them, in anticipation. Instead Steve cleaned up Gina and her plate.

Then as he looked around the room and his eyes fell back to Steve the answer was so clear, he couldn't believe he took a few minutes to think about it.

He got up out of his seat and walked towards the bar.

Eddie saw Steve’s face and shoulders drop for a second as he walked away, but his smile at his daughter didn’t falter.

As he pushed through the crowd he found Robin, “Hey, how well do you know Steve’s little girl?” He asked, unsure of the situation.

“Uh pretty well, you could say. I designed her last Halloween outfit. I had a ticket to her nativity. Basically co-parented when I watched Steve put a spoon of salt in his coffee and then drink it!” She responded with such affronted sarcasm that Eddie knew he had asked the correct person.

“I wanna ask Steve to dance. Would you watch her for him?” Eddie asked hopefully.

Robin’s eyes went wide, “Finally!” She added with a wide smile and yanked Eddie back towards Steve's table and basically shoved him into him.

“Uh, Steve, do you maybe wanna dance?” Eddie extended his hand out towards his dream guy.

Steve looked at Eddie’s hand and then at Robin snuggling Georgina tightly to her as she shooed him away with her hand like she was annoyed they were still there.

Steve nodded and took his hand.

It wasn’t exactly the slow dance Eddie was hoping for but it was close enough for him to hold Steve like it was.

“I’d really like to give it a shot if you haven’t changed your mind. I mean I’m not perfect, there will be challenges, but I promise,” he said holding their joined hands to his chest, “I will work hard at every single one to keep you safe, happy and in my arms.”

Steve smiled softly, “I haven’t changed my mind,” he said gazing at Eddie.

“I hope you realise this is going to cost me a small fortune now though?” Eddie teased lightly as Steve’s chest pressed against his own.

“What do you mean?” Steve laughed a little confused.

“Well now I’m going to have to make a new bear to look after the original model.” Eddie grinned as Steve rolled his eyes and they swayed to the music.

[thefallennightmare]

The Ties That Bind Us: Two

*gif created by me. feel free to use, simply give credit.*

•Parings• Noah Sebastian x Soulmate!Reader

•Word Count• 6,766

•Warnings• fluff, language, talks of death/cancer, angst, depression, dark thoughts, soft!Noah, smut that will include unprotected p in v, oral with both male and female receiving, hand jobs, and fingering. Pretty tame smut in this.

•Summary• Growing up, Noah’s grandparents told him the story of why everyone wore a red tie around their wrists and while theirs glowed while his didn’t.

“Yours will glow when you meet your soulmate, Noah.”

When someone moves in next door and catches Noah’s eyes immediately, he sees the red tie around her wrist glowing only to see his remains red. Convinced she’s not his soulmate, Noah tries hard to stay away from her yet small moments between them start to blossom. So much so, he can��t ignore the tie that binds them together

•Authors Note• Fair warning, this one will hurt.

SERIES MASTERLIST

TAG LIST

Song choice for the chapter just incase some of you won't know the lyrics

READER

“Eric?” I called out into the house as I stepped foot inside, two paper grocery bags in each arm. 

A quiet house always worried me because I was never sure what I would walk into. Whenever I went out without Eric, I made sure to constantly check the bind on my wrist to make sure it would still glow. My worst fear was the flow fading back to the pale red when I wasn’t with Eric. I knew it was inevitable especially with his sickness but there was this small sliver of hope inside of me that I clung to every day that we would be fine; Eric would be fine. 

Kicking off my shoes, I walked down the long hallway of our ranch style home towards our bedroom to notice the door was cracked and the soft sounds of the television echoed in the air. 

“Eric?” I spoke again, pushing open the door all of the way to see my husband laying in bed with a white fluff ball on his chest. 

“Ghost,” I sighed with my hands on my hips. “What did I tell you about laying on your dads chest? He can’t breathe with all your fluff on top of him?” 

Eric chuckled, which seemed to take a lot of strength, but he did his best to play it off. “It’s fine. It’s a little pet therapy.”

It had been a few weeks since we moved to Los Angeles and with the stress of the move and Eric’s rigorous chemotherapy, he felt like he needed some sense of comfort. So two days ago, we visited the local shelter and adopted Ghost. A two year old Maine Coon cat that left his fur on every possible surface. I never was a cat person but the moment I saw light return to Eric’s eyes the moment he held Ghost, I knew he needed the cat more than my dislike for them. 

Although, I’d never admit outloud how cute Ghost was. 

“I picked up some stuff for dinner. Are you hungry? I could make some soup,” I asked Eric after I laid in bed next to him. 

He left a weak kiss on my forehead. “I’m alright, my daisy. Don’t have much of an appetite.”

Even with his nickname for me, I frowned when I remembered how this morning's chemo took a lot out of Eric, hence why he’d been laid up in bed all day. While scratching Ghost’s chin, his favorite, I snuggled up closer to Eric and finally paid attention to what he’d been watching. 

“Flipping through Twitch channels again?” I couldn’t help but giggle. 

It was one of Eric’s favorite things to do. Watch other people live stream themselves playing video games. He used to do it years ago, before he got sick, and now that he didn’t have the energy to continue it Eric made the time to watch others. 

He nodded while wrapping an arm around me, tattooed fingers grazing up and down my arm. I did my best to cherish these moments because I wasn’t sure if it would end. 

It will end, Y/N. The doctors said-.

Forcing those thoughts away, I let time and silence pass between us as Eric clicked through different twitch channels, him casting it from his phone to the television above the fireplace in our bedroom. But when I saw a somewhat familiar face pop up on screen, I held a hand on Eric’s to stop him from changing it. 

“Wait. Isn’t that our neighbor?” I asked. 

The lines in Eric’s forehead creased as his ember eyes studied the screen for a moment. “Huh, it is. Noah Sebastian. He’s the one that’s in a band.” 

I gazed up at Eric with confusion etched on my brows. “How do you know that?” 

There was a smirk underneath his mustache. “I talk to the neighbors, Y/N.” 

Playfully rolling my eyes, I settled back into the bed so we could watch the live stream of our neighbors. Eric seemed fine to watch as well since Noah was playing one of his favorite games; Super Smash Bros. 

Besides the short conversation with Noah when we first moved in, I never spoke more than a few words to our neighbors. Besides the occasional hi or nice weather today. I wasn’t a very sociable person unlike Eric who always stopped to talk with anyone. Even with his sickness, he always found the time to go outside and talk with the neighbors. 

Noah was playing with someone I hadn’t recognized, only for Eric to tell me that it was one of Noah’s bandmates. 

“Nicholas,” Eric said. “He plays bass in the band. Nick plays the drums. They live in Virginia. The other roommate with the long hair and accent, Jolly, plays guitar.” 

I hummed during this little lesson about our neighbors. “I always wondered where Jolyl was from because of his accent.” 

“Sweden,” Eric informed. “Their band, Bad Omens, is about to release their second album. Which is why we hear music most of the day.” 

“What about the other two roommates? Jesse with the fruit and the other guy?” I asked. 

“Michael. They're in their own separate bands.” 

I nodded once the conversation seized and settled in again, watching the twitch stream. It was a calming vibe, even with Noah’s chaotic game play. When a loud crack sounded, Eric and I both broke out in laughter when Noah and Nicholas freaked out about a candle exploding on a shelf above his bed. 

“Oh shit, it’s on fire!” Noah bellowed while jumping onto his bed. “My whole shelf was on fire, dude!”

“How many people live in this house?” I asked when we watched a group of guys walk into Noah’s bedroom, him explaining what happened with the candle. 

Soft snores filled my ears causing me to glance up at Eric to see he’d fallen asleep, Ghost still on his chest. I left a kiss on this cheek and removed the beanie from his head so he could sleep comfortably. He used to have a head full of hair but since he started chemo, Eric shaved it off and wore the black beanie cap any chance he could. 

Reaching for his phone, I quickly followed Noah’s twitch channel and clicked off the television. 

“Are you hungry, Ghost?” I asked the feline as I rose from the bed, him following behind me with a harsh meow while we let Eric sleep the rest of the night away. 

NOAH

The sounds of the birds in the trees signing their soft songs brought a sense of peace and familiarity as I sat and lounged on one of the chairs in my backyard, browsing through my phone. The autumn winds blew through my hair and I reveled in how it brought a smile to my face. Summer came and went, taking with it the hot California heat and I could not be happier. I spent more time outside rather that in my bedroom because of it. 

Also for the off chance I caught sight of my neighbor. 

It had been almost a month since Y/N moved in. Since both her and Eric moved in. 

Her husband. 

Her soulmate. 

While I chatted with Eric a few times, I rarely spoke with Y/N besides the occasional pleasantries. Even though I found her to be attractive, I continued to tell myself not to let the feelings grow more than that. She was married, her red bind glowed bright along with Eric’s. They were meant for each other, I couldn’t interfere with that. 

It wasn’t what was laid out for my life nor Y/N’s. 

And I had to admit, Eric was a pretty cool guy. He seemed to have heard of not only Bad Omnes, but Chief and Erra as well. He used to be in a band when he was younger but had to step away a couple years ago. 

When they first moved in, we saw Eric outside quite a bit whether it was to work on the yard or write in a journal. Now, almost a month later, I’d seen Eric one or twice. 

Shifting in my seat, I let out a groan of annoyance when I received yet another text from whatever her name was. It didn’t seem to bother her all that much that I couldn’t remember her name because she’d been texting me nearly every day asking if we could meet up. Each and every time I would either come up with an excuse or ignore her. 

Maybe if I sent her a screenshot of her contact name, what’s her face, then she will get the hint. 

Was that mean? Of course. 

Did I care? Not entirely. 

A muttering slew of curses caught my attention and setting my phone down in my lap, I glanced towards my right over the fence line to see Y/N standing in her backyard. She wore a pair of biker shorts that showed off her long legs and an oversized shirt. Her hair was up in a very messy bun on top of her head. The entire outfit gave way that she was about to do some kind of yard work. 

Also the fact she was fighting with the lawn mower. 

“Stupid old piece of shit,” Y/N grumbled while kicking it. “You started fine for Eric two weeks ago. Why won’t you start now?” 

For a moment, I watched her try to start the lawn mower, all while sporting a shit eating grin. I wouldn’t admit it outloud but watching her struggle made my heart flutter. 

“Please just work for me,” she nearly whined while throwing her head back up to the sky. “I need one good thing to happen for me today. Please.” 

A slight frown pulled at my lips when I heard the sadness lace her voice so almost quickly, I rose to my feet and walked over towards the fenceline we shared. 

“Everything alright?” 

Y/N jumped at my voice, a hand over her heart as she peered over at me. The fence wasn’t high at all, coming to my waist so we were able to see over it perfectly fine. 

“Uh,” she hastily tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, sitting up straighter. “Yes. Well, no not really. But I don’t want to bother you. I can figure it out on my own.” 

My brow raised as I rested my arms on the top of the fence, leaning my top half over into her yard slightly. 

“Are you sure? I’ve heard you call that lawn mower quite a few choice names in the last few minutes.” 

Y/N’s shoulders fell and eventually she nodded. “The grass is slightly overgrown and I got a letter from the HOA this morning that if I don’t cut it by the end of the day, they’ll charge me fifty bucks a day until it’s cut!” 

I grimaced. “Yeah, they’re quite nasty with things like this. One time, we didn't bring in the garbage can because we were on the road so no one was home. It was out on the curb for three extra days and we got charged $100.” 

“Just a couple of middle aged women who aren’t getting any action from their husbands or their pool boys so they take it out on someone who doesn’t even have a working mower,” Y/N said. 

Both of us broke out in laughter, the mood between us lightening. It was weird how at ease I felt talking with her even though this was the most we've spoken since she moved in a month ago. 

Quickly, I dared a glance down to the pale red bind on my wrist before looking at hers which continued to glow bright. Showcasing her love for Eric. 

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I motioned towards her yard. “Do you usually cut the grass yourself?” 

Something flashed in Y/N’s eyes as she kept something buried deep inside of her. Her bottom lip twitched and the muscle in her jaw jumped but whatever plagued her mind she was quick to mask it with a forced smile. 

“Eric’s busy and back in the midwest we lived in a condo so we always had someone to do our yard work,” Y/N explained. 

I nodded with a hum before pushing off of the fence, taking off my sweater to reveal a tank top underneath. I didn’t miss the way her eyes widened at the sight of my tattoos, her gaze lingering on the one on my neck. 

“Woah,” she muttered under her breath but was fast to change up her suddenly aroused tone. “What are you doing?” 

Tossing my sweater over to the chair I was previously sitting on, I looked back at her with a smile. “I’m going to cut your grass for you.” 

Immediately Y/N shook her head. “No, Noah. I can’t have you do that. Our yard is quite big and the grass is overgrown. It will take you the rest of the afternoon.”

It was true. 

The grass reached her ankles and her yard was a tad bit bigger than ours. But that's all it was, just grass except for a small garden bed In the ground that seemed to grow one kind of flower. 

Daisies. 

“It’ll take me less than a few hours. We have one of those nice riding mowers. I just put on my headphones and make it go by faster,” I said. 

The way she bit her bottom lip in ponder made something twinge inside of me. She looked absolutely beautiful with the sun above her casting her in a golden aura. I marveled as it gave her a halo and as a certain word threatened to spill from my lips, I instead reminded myself that she was married to her soulmate. All I could be to her was her neighbor. Maybe even a friend. 

“Thank you, Noah,” she finally spoke and I could see the weight physically lift from her shoulders. “You don’t know how much this is going to help me. I’ll even pay you, as a thank you.” 

I waved her off. “Don’t even worry about it. All I ask for is an ice cold beer.” 

Now it was her turn to grimace. “Well, you won’t find that here. Eric and I don’t drink.” 

There was something underlying in the way she spoke about Eric but I dare not pry so instead I gave her another wide smile. 

“Lemonade works too.” 

“That I can do,” Y/N returned my smile. 

Two hours and three cups of lemonade later, I was standing in my bedroom freshly showered with a towel hanging low on my waist. I meant it when I said mowing Y/N’s yard was easy especially with our riding mower. She often came out to check on me but mostly stayed inside. As I was cutting the grass on the side of the house, passing their bedroom, I noticed Eric laying in bed. Anger rose inside of me for a moment when I thought he was being lazy, that's why he didn’t want to cut the grass. But when I saw the medication and bows of untouched soup on the table next to the bed, I realized he must have been sick with a cold, that’s why he couldn’t cut the grass. 

It was when I parked the mower back into my garage and I was shutting it behind me did Eric finally walk outside, gripping the posts of his front porch. 

“Thank you, Noah. It means a lot that you’ll help Y/N out when she needs it.” 

I ran a hand through my long locks, working out the knots it gathered from having it tied up in a bun. “Of course. Although, I will admit it was kind of funny watching her struggle and call your piece of shit mower names.” 

Eric laughed a hearty laugh albeit weak before giving me one more nod, heading back inside. 

NOAH

Groaning as I worked out the sore muscles from my earlier gym session, I stepped inside my bedroom after my shower and dropped my towel to step into a pair of briefs then sweats. It was just before six in the evening and I knew I needed to talk with Jolly at some point about the finishing plans for our two week tour we would be leaving on in a few weeks. 

It had been nearly a week since I cut Y/N’s grass and almost every night, we all found ourselves sitting outside for a few hours of the night chatting. Some nights we would hang out in their yard, Eric joining us as well, and other nights Y/N would venture over with a dish of whatever dinner she had cooked that night. Whenever she came by our place alone, we often asked where Eric was and it was always the same answer. 

He’s not feeling all that well. 

Tonight I had plans on streaming on twitch which meant we couldn’t enjoy the autumn nights outside together, which was something I needed. Because the more time I spent with her, the feelings began to grow stronger. Especially with what happened between us moments ago. 

When I returned from the gym, I stepped out of my car with my gym bag slung over my shoulder and only wore my work out shorts. The gym session had been intense and my body still ignited with heat so I decided not to wear a shirt on the drive home. Y/N had returned from a run and stopped at the end of my driveway when she caught sight of my shirtless form. She wore a simple sports bra that seemed to hug her breasts perfectly and tight shorts. The muscles of her stomach glistened with the sweat that lingered and the thought of grazing my tongue over her salty skin passed in my mind briefly. 

We stared at each other for a long moment, both of us not saying anything, as new tensions began to form between us. It was unknown to me so like I’d always done when I was around her, I looked at my bind on the off chance it was glowing. 

It wasn’t. 

So instead of dwelling on the disappointment again, I struck up a conversation with her. Wondering if she wouldn’t mind exchanging numbers because with the entire household leaving on their own respective tours in a few weeks, no one would be home and we were in need of someone to keep an eye on the place. 

Y/N agreed and after we exchanged numbers, she bid me a farewell with a tentative wave over her shoulder. I watched with blazing eyes on her perfect ass as she walked up the steps to her house, shutting the door behind her. 

Now I stood in my bedroom, the window open to let in the chill autumn air as I tried desperately not to text her because deep down, I knew it was a line I shouldn’t cross. 

Why was I so enamored with her? Why couldn’t I think of anyone else but her? 

It should have been easy to forget about Y/N in the way I had been thinking about her, yet here I was wondering what she was doing right at that moment.

A gruff meow pulled me from my thoughts and I snapped my head to the white ball of fluff that seemed to materialize at my feet. 

“What the fuck!” I cursed, nearly jumping onto my bed. 

I would have been more freaked out if I didn’t know who the cat belonged to. I’d seen him hanging out in the window sills next door and one night while we all hung out in Y/N’s back yard, he ventured out to lay in Eric’s lap. We found out that those two were bound at the hip and Y/N even joked that she was the third wheel in the marriage to Eric and his cat. 

“Ghost,” I sighed while picking him up into my arms. “How did you get over here?”

All he did was purr in response so after setting him on my bed, I had no choice but to text Y/N. 

“Was this all part of your master plan?” I teased the cat as he curled up on my pillow while I typed up a message. 

Me: Hey it’s Noah. Missing something? 

Attached to the text was a picture of Ghost curled up on my pillow. 

Y/N: Son of a bitch. I am so sorry, Noah! I don’t know how he keeps getting out. Jesse told me a few days ago he found Ghost sunbathing in your hammock. 

Me: Don’t apologize. We don’t mind his little visits. 

Me: I can bring him back home. I’m sure Eric is missing him. 

As I waited for her to respond, I busied myself with throwing a shirt on and setting up everything I needed for my twitch stream later, all the while Ghost slept soundly on my pillow. 

When my phone buzzed on my desk, I snatched it so fast it nearly slipped through my fingers. 

Y/N: No rush! Eric and I are actually headed out to dinner so we can scoop Ghost up after. If that’s alright? 

Even though my heart dropped at the image of Eric and Y/N going out together, I replied. 

Me: More than alright. Just text me when you’re on your way back and I’ll have him ready for you. 

Her texts seized after that so leaving my phone plugged into the charger on my end table, I was about to head to the kitchen to find something to eat when something through my bedroom window caught my eye. 

Directly across my bedroom window was Y/N’s and I stood frozen with wide eyes as I watched her step into her room with a towel wrapped around her. Her hair was wet, sticking to her face and back as she turned away from me; oblivious that I could see through her window. 

Before, Y/N would have her curtains closed, not allowing me a view inside. But for some reason today she had them pulled wide open. I stood frozen in time as she dropped the towel, showing me the swell of her ass. My cock throbbed in my shorts and as much as I wanted to ease away some of the tension with my palm, I couldn’t move. Time was suspended as I continued to stare at Y/N as she moved about her room naked. Her skin seemed to glimmer even with all of the distance between us and as much as I tried to ignore the way I was beginning to feel for it, it was futile. 

My heart pounded when she was near and far. My cock ached to know what her cunt felt like. My hands were desperate to feel the weight of her tits in them. My mouth craved to taste her own. 

Y/N was perfect in every single way. She was gorgeous as the aura followed her around the bedroom, outlining her with imaginative wings. 

“She’s married, Noah,” I groaned while running a hand over my face, forcing me to turn away from the window. 

With my eyes closed, I didn’t see the way the pale red bind around my wrist flashed gold; only for a moment. 

READER

“In the pounding feet, in the streets below, and the window breaks. And a woman falls, there's something wrong, it's so hard to believe that love will prevail,” my voice sang quietly as I stepped inside the house through the patio door. 

I had a bouquet of fresh daisies from the garden ready to prep and put in a vase, along with the other four spread out through the house. I absolutely loved daisies, them being my favorite flower. It was the bouquet of flowers Eric got me on our first date so they hold a sentimental place in my heart. Even though we didn’t have much of a garden here yet I knew I wanted to grow daisies. 

Once they were settled nicely in the vase, I dragged my tired feet down the hall towards my bedroom. The last few weeks had been so amazing and adventurous, it was beginning to creep up on me. Eric had been feeling great, nearly back to his old self. Well, not completely. The cancer was still spreading through him but the chemo seemed to be slowing the speed in which it spread. I wasn’t sure what exactly changed in Eric or where this surge of energy came from but I didn’t complain.

We started going out and exploring the town we lived in; going to farmers markets, walking along the beach at sunset, going to movies, grabbing dinner at a greasy diner that probably wasn’t healthy for either of us but we didn’t care. We both were happy, more in love than our wedding day. 

While I’d been outside tending the garden, Eric was out picking us up some dinner. I was hesitant to let him drive but he assured me that he was only going down the block to one of our favorite Greek spots. He would only be gone for twenty minutes. 

After I set the daisies on top of my dresser, I went about tidying up the bedroom. Just as I was about to pull the curtains shut, my eye caught sight of Noah across the way in his own bedroom. I could only see half of his bed and desk but with what I could see, he was sitting on the edge of his bed with a guitar in his lap. I couldn't see his face, only his fingers strumming along the strings. Both of our windows were open so I could hear his voice carry over into my bedroom as he sang. 

“If I’m there to catch you when you fall you'll have a friend down in hell after all.” 

Swallowing thickly, I yanked the curtain shut and sat on the chair at my vanity, trying to calm the heat that rose to my cheeks. I wasn’t sure what shifted between us in the last few months since I first moved in but it was nice having him, along with his roommates, as friends. I know Eric appreciated it too. Having a group of people that didn’t know about his cancer so they didn’t give him the usual looks of sympathy. 

Seeing Noah in his bedroom was the first time I’d seen him in weeks since he left for tour. I’d been listening to his band, Bad Omens, and while they weren’t the usual music I listened to, I still found myself transfixed with Noah’s voice. They only had two albums out and I was desperate for more. 

I couldn’t explain it but talking with Noah, I found myself falling deeper for him. Not in a romantic way but with a connection so deep it would be nearly impossible to break the farther along our friendship grew. 

The front door opened and I quickly rose to my feet, skipping down the hall to smile at Eric who not only had a bag of food in one hand but a rather large bouquet of flowers in the other. 

Not just any flowers but daisies. 

I giggled while taking them from him, allowing him to capture my lips in a kiss. “You do know we’re growing daisies outside, right?” 

He shrugged while setting down the food on our large kitchen counter and shrugged off his tan jacket to hang it on the back of the stool. 

“It’s not the same as buying one to surprise you with it,” Eric said with a wink. “Hungry?” 

I nodded. “Starved.” 

Once the new flowers were set in a vase in the middle of the kitchen counter, I sat with Eric as we ate. Every so often I caught him staring at me with a look of love in his eyes. Those dark orbs bled with his devotion to me. 

I wiped some food crumbs out of his mustache with a giggle. “You’re so in love with me you don’t realize you have food all over your face.” 

He kissed the inside of my palm once he captured it. “I love you, my daisy.” 

Every time he spoke his pet name for me it made my world spin, my heart leap into my throat, and warmth spread inside of my veins. I never felt a love like how I had with Eric. He was my everything and I would literally die for him. 

Not if he dies first.

Pushing away the harsh thought from my mind, I played with his glowing bind, trying to remember the good memories between us. I wouldn’t succumb to the darkness that lingered.

Eric was fine. 

He would be fine. 

We would be fine. 

When he went to clean up, I hastily pushed Eric’s hands away. “You rest. I’ll clean up.” 

Even though he’d been feeling stronger these last few weeks, I knew he wouldn’t say no to some rest. So as I cleaned up our mess from dinner, Eric looked through our rather large record collection before setting one in the player and soon an all too familiar song graced my ears. 

Oh, it won't rain all the time. The sky won't fall forever.

Looking over to Eric who stood in the middle of our living room with his arm outstretched towards me, he had a lazily smile on his face. He’d taken off the black beanie he always wore, showcasing his buzzed head. 

“Will you dance with me, my daisy? It’s our song,” he noted. 

I pulled at my dirty sweats and messy hair. “I’m not dressed for a dance, Eric.” 

“Are you kidding me?” His jaw fell agape, appalled that I would say something so insane. “You look absolutely breathtaking, Y/N. Even more so than on our wedding day.” 

Tears welled in my eyes when I saw the way his hands shook but didn’t want to ruin the mood. Eric was glowing with happiness and life. He hadn't wanted to dance in so long, especially to our song. I refused to deny him this. 

Linking our fingers together, I allowed him to pull me into his chest and I rested my cheek against it. His heartbeat was slow but erratic. I followed his lead like always as he swayed both of our bodies to the song. I let myself relax for the first time in so long, always worrying about if the chemotherapy would work, if Eric would survive, or if our binds would break away without me knowing. 

Eric must have sensed I was thinking those dark thoughts again because he gently lifted my chin up to him, laying a firm kiss to my lips. It was quick, almost too quick, and I didn’t want it to end. This was the first time in a while that we shared a kiss that wasn’t just a fast peck. I opened my mouth to let his tongue explore and I moaned into it, reveling in how he tasted. His scent engulfed my senses when my hands slipped up his chest to behind neck, locking them in place. 

I felt the hardness of his cock against my lower stomach so I broke away from the kiss for a moment, breathless. Ever since he started chemo, it was hard for Eric to get an erection. I spent most nights touching myself or using one of my toys, every so often he would watch. I tried to touch him, only for it to do nothing for him. He reassured me it wasn’t me, it was just the chemo. 

“Eric,” I sighed. “I don’t want to rush you.” 

He lifted me off the ground with a slight ease and I squealed while wrapping my legs around him. 

“What are you doing?” I asked when he started carrying us towards our bedroom. 

“It’s been too long, Y/N. I need to feel you again,” he said while kicking the door shut behind us. 

As much as we loved cuddle time with Ghost, we didn’t need him trying to sneak in at this moment. 

Laying me on the bed, Eric kissed me again with more force than the last one and I grazed my teeth over his bottom lip.

“Are you sure?” I asked after pulling away briefly. 

“Y/N,” he leaned closer to me. “You’re the only thing that matters to me right now. Please let me have this. I need this. I need you.” 

Without a second thought, I crashed my lips to his and pulled at his shirt, doing whatever I could to deepen the kiss. Breaking away from me, Eric began biting and sucking at the sweet spot of my neck, our movements becoming familiar with each other all over again. He remembered exactly where to touch or kiss that would set me off, in the most euphoric way. 

My name fell from his lips when I started to rut my hips into his, trying to scratch the itch that only he could scratch. As our clothes fell away and our bodies connected, his cock fitting inside of me like a glove, I etched the way he felt against me inside of my mind. 

Afterwards, with the sheet lazily thrown on top of me, I watched in bliss as Eric sat on the edge of the bed. His bare back tensed as he rested his elbows on his knees, taking a deep breath. The red marks that littered his skin were still visible thanks to my nails. 

“Are you alright?” I asked. 

He glanced over his shoulder at me with a fox smile. “Just tired. I can’t remember the last time I gave you three orgasms.” 

I winked. “It’s been awhile. I missed the way your tongue felt.”

Eric squeezed my ankle. “I’m going to get some water for us then we can maybe watch some twitch streams?” 

“I love how it has become our nightly routine,” I said with a small laugh. 

Every night, we would snuggle up in bed together to watch twitch streams; mostly Noah’s. I always found myself laughing at how unhinged he was, something Eric noticed but never saying anything. 

Eric rose from the bed with a groan but soon his large body collapsed to the floor with a thud, making me scream out in horror as I scrambled over to him. 

“ERIC!” I cried, kneeling in front of him. “Eric, baby. Are you alright?” 

He didn’t say anything and ice cold fear filled my veins when I realized his eyes were closed. 

“No, no, no. Please, no. Eric!” I sobbed now, letting out a wail when I laid a hand on his chest. 

NOAH

All I could feel was my body falling deeper and deeper, succumbing to the darkness that surrounded me. I couldn't breath, nails clawing at the skin of my throat as I tried to call out for help. 

Yet no one could hear me. 

There was nothing but inky blackness while my body continued to be thrown through whatever void I found myself in. I spun in the air over and over until I felt bile rise in my throat but did my best to keep it inside. If I threw up, the sheer intensity of the wind would cause it to smack me right in the face. 

A spark of color broke through the darkness and I let out a gasp, hands outstretched to reach for the red string. My fingertips brushed along the thread and I could almost taste the victory of being able to finally leave this void. Only for the string to wrap around me in quick loops. It began to tighten around me, forcing my arms to the side as I did what I could to fight against it. Seconds later, the red string snapped apart when a sudden weight sat on top of my chest, stealing whatever oxygen I had left in my lungs. 

Blinking my eyes rapidly, it took me a moment to realize that I had been dreaming and the weight I felt on my chest was not because of a red string, but because of a white fluffy cat whose blue eyes were staring into me. 

"Ghost," I groaned while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Does your mom know you're over here? Again?" 

The cat simply meowed in response before curling up against my neck. 

"I should probably bring you back to Y/N before she wonders where you ran off to this time," I mumbled, excitement filling my veins at the prospect of seeing Y/N. 

We’d found out there was a small enough hole in the shared fence line that Ghost would slip through to venture back and forth between the houses. At first, Jolly offered to fix the whole so Y/N and Eric didn’t have to worry about losing Ghost but Eric was quick to wave us off. He said he didn’t mind his cat coming for visits as long as we didn’t. Somehow in the span of a few weeks, all six of us ended up with shared custody of Ghost. Michael wasn’t too fond of the cat at first but took a little warming up before he didn’t mind waking up one morning to see the cat on our couch. 

Although, it had been awhile since we last saw Ghost. Y/N had mentioned that he was spending more time with Eric which was fine because it technically was his cat but I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the cat. 

We’d just returned from our east coast tour a few days ago but due to the lack of sleep I had, I spent the time catching up on sleep because we were about to leave for Europe next week. Only this tour would be longer. We’d be gone for three weeks. Thankfully both Jesse and Michael would be home this time around so we didn’t need Y/N to keep an eye on the house for us. 

Y/N. 

I hadn’t seen or talked to Y/N since I arrived home a few days ago. She texted me once while I was on the road to tell me that she gathered all of our mail into a box and planned to give it to the first one of us she saw. 

While I was away, all I could think about was the memory of her naked, more so her ass. It plagued me like a disease, taunting me that I was unable to do anything about it. I had to watch from afar as she walked around her room naked. I wanted to be the one that was able to touch her. 

She’s married, you dumbass. Stop thinking of another man's wife naked!

“Alright, let’s get you home,” I sighed towards Ghost after motioning him to follow. 

When I stepped out of my bedroom, the sound of someone pounding on the front door shook the bones of the house and I appeared int he living room just in time to see Jesse rise from the couch. 

He’d been lounging on the couch with a bowl of pineapple chunks on his bare chest and his cat pajama pants, the one his girlfriend gifted him. 

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked as the pounding continued. 

Jesse shrugged while walking over to the front door. “Don’t know. Some chick has been yelling your name for the last few seconds.” 

Fuck, if it’s whats her name I might just jump off my roof. 

Ghost seemed unbothered by the banging on the door because he simply made himself at home at Jesse’s previous spot on the couch. When the front door opened, it felt as if the air was stolen from my lungs when I took in the sight of a broken Y/N; eyes red and puffy. Tears streamed down her face along with makeup and her hair was disheveled. I briefly saw red marks littering her neck but that wasn’t what had my attention currently. 

It was the bind on her wrist that was flickering. 

“Y/N,” I appeared next to Jesse. “What’s going on?” 

Her broken eyes bounced between us before settling on me. “It’s Eric! I-He-I can’t!” 

She blew out a shaky breath before grabbing my hand, leading me out of the house towards hers. 

tags: @artificialbreezy @blueskylinesx @dominuslunae @lobolocaamo @lilcrazy011 @badomensls @shayeanna-ashlie @supersquirrel1996 @missduffsblog @nicelittlenightmares @curse-bearing-hips @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard @chey-h @idontwantthemoney @heyyoplayer @amelia-acero @xmads-omensx @poisongirl616 @theanarchymuse95 @trvshdxddy @thisbicc @losingmyselfinthoughts @follow-me-down-to-wonderland @alwaysfightforwhoyouare @klutzy-kay24 @xxkatsatwatwafflexx @collidewiththesavannah @tosoundlessdarkistare @rumoured-whispers @dontwantthemoney @montgomery-929496 @respectfulrebel l @chaoticwineaunt @fadingangelwisp @english-fucker @99png @Koskeepsake @lunabuna991 @sorrowsofsilence

[yanderefarm]

yandere butler x reader

cw;; drugging, non-con implied, blood, murder, violence

Its not easy being the northern duke of a nation run by a mad man. It's not easy having everything you've ever known destroyed so quickly leaving you alone without any guidance. It's not easy sitting in your frozen castle in the north dealing with food shortages and monsters and religious weirdos. Nothing about this is easy but it used to be, when the halls were filled with your mother's laughter and your little footsteps running to and fro. Now the halls are empty and cold and your footsteps never make a sound.

You straighten your back with a deep breath as you ready yourself to greet your guest. The Dvolin Marquis and his family are here, presumably to try and set you up with his eldest daughter. It's a common occurrence that you'll be harassed at least a few times by every noble woman in the country for your hand in marriage. You'll turn her down just like you have everyone else.

As you descend down the stairs you notice that your butler gives you a little wink before he begins to guide your guests to the drawing room. You can't help but smile knowing that even with this exhausting waste of time he's prepared your favorite dessert.

Of course as expected the meeting is short. You tell them plainly you are not currently looking for a wife and then they try to argue with you. The marquis tries to get more time to change your mind by insisting that you not cast them out into the snow after their long trip and out of politeness you offer them your guest rooms. Your butler gives them the tour while you return to the office with a headache.

As you sit at your desk trying to finish signing documents your eyes keep closing. Your head is so heavy. You've never been so tired in your life. Your eyes flutter close as you hear the door of your office open. Knowing your butler he probably already knew you were tired and had brought a blanket. He smelled really sweet today too.

...

Phillip had of course noticed your sudden exhaustion and even more concerning the disappearance of the Dvolin daughter during his tour. He can't stand bottom feeding scum like this who dare to bother you or even worse actively try to hurt you. It's hard to keep his composure when he opens your office door and finds this woman moving your unconscious body to the floor. Still he must remain professional.

"It seems as if his grace has fallen asleep. I ask that you not move him." He smiles as politely as he can muster.

"Oh- He-he was having some kind of problem he said his clothes were too tight before he fainted." She tried her best to look innocent and helpless.

"Then you should have alerted his staff immediately. In fact, why were you here to begin with?" He stepped closer to make sure you were still breathing normally. Just asleep like he said.

"You.. You're right I should have said something but I was so worried! You should be lucky I'm here to help your master."

"And you should learn your manners. Allow me to educate you." Phillip pulled out his riding crop and rested it against his hand.

His smile dropped as he hovered above her. "Lesson one. If you think a filthy lowlife like you could ever deserve my master you're too stupid to learn anything."

...

When you woke up the sun had started to set and you were laying on the lounge of your office, three different blankets wrapped around your body. The one who had woken you was a young maid who was out of breath and panicking as she shook you.

"Your grace! The marquis and his family have gone to the monster territory! They won't listen to reason!"

You clattered to your feet and grabbed your fur coat and your sword. Running out into the snow only to find Philip standing at the gate with his head hung and his coat hit with the unmistakable splattering of blood.

[totallynotashieldagent]

His Sweet Treat

Pairing: Beast World Jason Todd/Reader

Summary: Reader and Jason were together before he turned into a Beast. They're still together even now.

Author's Note: Everyone say thank you to @peachyyydrawz for making this Jason in this muzzle that inspired this monster smut for the new year.

hopefully this monster cock will bring prosperity and good fortune for us all in 2025.

“Don’t you dare whine now.” You huffed as you tied the muzzle around Jason’s snout and clipped it snuggly behind his head. 

The big burly beast tried to give you his best green puppy eyes and whined again. Pawing at the muzzle once more, nuzzling against your knee, begging to be let loose. 

“Nuh-uh!” You shook your head again. “This is staying on .” You glared and his ears flattened out. “We wouldn’t be needing this if someone didn’t lose control last night and tried biting at me while we fucked.” 

Jason immediately deflated at your crass words. 

That trait was still extremely human about him. How he got so shy whenever you talked about sex or anything sexual. 

“What?” You mused, “Don’t wanna talk about it now, huh?” You giggled softly, pulling at his muzzle, bringing his face close to yours, “You were very vocal yesterday.” 

He growled, pawing you away, trying to hide his face or himself entirely. Neither was possible. He was still too big, and you were still too confrontational. 

Jason finally managed to get away from your hands. Both his front paws hid his face as he crouched down to kneel at your feet. His muzzle scratched at your legs in protest. He was still very unhappy about it and deeply embarrassed of how crude you were now being. 

“Don’t be shy, baby.” You petted him like a dog. 

God, he hated how good it felt. How much he loved it. 

If he was still human, he would’ve told you to stop treating him like a pet but right now? Right now he felt like the world could burn and he wouldn’t care since your hands were touching him like that. God - His tail thumped against the ground. 

It didn’t matter that he was a seven-foot giant beast. For you? He was a docile little puppy. Eager to please, eager to be good . 

“Muzzle stays on, okay?” You cooed at him, “And I’ll let you do that thing again that you did last night…” 

Incentive? Jason’s ears perked up, his tail swishing side to side in anticipation. He nudged your knee and nodded quickly. He still hated this stupid muzzle. He couldn’t nip at you, lick you, and more importantly, he couldn’t leave any bite marks on you; which were very important to him because he liked marking you so much. But he knew he’d also do anything to be rewarded for being good. 

The whole day, he followed you around like a puppy. Helping however he could with whatever needed to be fixed in the safe house. 

After dinner, he laid flat on the floor, looking up at you. All four paws tucked underneath him. 

“You’re making a mess, Jay.” You laughed softly, a little salvia dripping from his muzzle. “Drooling like a puppy …” You said sultrily, just to egg him on.

A soft growl escaped him. He was already apologetic about misbehaving and being put in the stupid muzzle and now he felt like you were mocking him on top of it. He leaned up on his front hinds, his bright green eyes showing clear intention of Take off this muzzle and I’ll show you a mess.  

“No, baby. You lost control last night, remember?” You petted him gently. “I like the tiny bites here and there but you tore through the pillows. The couch is completely unusable now.” You pouted, scolding him and trying to keep yourself calm in the process too. As if him being a feral beast didn’t turn you on even more. 

In reality, you’d cum hard when he’d lost control. But in hindsight, currently, you were trying to make sure everything stayed safe if you two continued to … well, stay a couple.

Jason had always been bigger. Even as a human. But now? As a beast? He was huge. But you weren’t deterred by that. He was still him and he was still yours . 

He whimpered again, leaning up more, carefully treading further and further. Looking up at you, hoping you’d just give in if he gave you his puppy-eyes long enough. It usually worked. He knew it worked. You never stayed mad at him long, it was easy to sway you. You were so weak for him. 

The muzzle pressed against your thigh as he put his big face on your lap. He wanted to ignore the way you smelled but being this close, all he wanted to do was bury his snout in between your legs. Devour you whole but this godforsaken muzzle was in the fucking way. 

Jason growled again. This was more aggressive. Not the pleading, whining one from a few minutes ago. This was a warning for you to remove it or he’d make you sorry. 

You swallowed, looking down at him, his bright eyes looking up. Challenging you. A part of you wanted to take it off but the stronger part of you, wanted to say no. Wanted to push him, to make him get angry and rough. To lose control again. 

“Muzzle stays on.” You said again, your voice lacking conviction this time around, however. 

Jason purred at your shaky voice, pulling back and standing to his full height. You gulped audibly, looking up at him. The sheer size of him shooting straight to your core. He took in a deep breath, hunching over, his muzzle almost touching your face. 

He couldn’t speak anymore, but some words. Some choppy, growly, barely understandable ones would leave him if he forced it enough. 

“ Off .” He snarled and you shook your head. 

Your fists clenched at the edges of your dress. He gave you a once over. You were so fearless otherwise. But times like? In this safehouse, when he towered over you. You looked so small, so edible . He felt like the big bad wolf, and you? Fuck- You were his little red riding hood. 

One arm wrapped around your waist, hoisting you up against his furry chest. You squeaked at the sudden movement but didn’t protest or try to get away. Why would you, anyway? Your hands pressed against his chest, disappearing into the thick coat. 

Jason nudged at your face and like a docile prey, you craned your neck back for him. He inhaled deeply. You still smelled like him but the scent was fading quickly. 

He growled again, his teeth scraping against his muzzle, drool dripping down. How badly he wanted to bite at the column of your throat, leave his mark, mate you even though it had already been done countless times over. But you made him feel a certain type of way and he used to be able to control it better when he was human. But now? Now, it was near fucking impossible .

One whiff of you was enough to send him into a spiral and bring out all his animalistic instincts to the surface. 

You whimpered his name softly. The same way you’d last night when you’d arched under him and his claws had ripped into the sofa so deeply that it was a mess of cotton and wood right now. 

Jason’s other paw clawed his the back of the muzzle. “ Off .” He growled darkly again and this time you were sure that your underwear soaked through.

“You’ll behave?” You shivered against him, your hands reaching out and resting at the buckle lock, not undoing it but giving him the opportunity to be good for you. His tail swished rapidly and he nodded. “It’ll go back on if you lose control again.” 

That was a bald-faced lie. The muzzle wouldn’t go on unless he was actually close to causing damage or you wanted to rile him up to fuck you into oblivion. 

His intense eyes were laser-focused on you. Like a dog waiting for his treat, his body was practically vibrating for you to take the offending muzzle off. As soon as the buckle lock clicked open, he snarled and moved with such quickness that you didn’t even have the time to react. 

His warm wet tongue licked a stripe across your neck, tasting you and relishing in the saltiness of your skin. 

“ Mate. ” Jason grumbled the single syllable and moved through the safe house swiftly. 

The couch was destroyed. He didn’t want to take a chance and ruin the bed. It would be too hard to replace it given how difficult the world had become. 

“Uhh- Jay?” You looked at him, he was holding you up and looking around for something. “Is everything fine?” You asked gently.

Jason nodded one and set you down on your feet, padding around the place. Using most of the destroyed parts of the couch and the cushions, he created a small den. When he was satisfied with the comfort of the surface, he came back to you, nudging at the small of your back, begging you to lay down for him. 

“Okay, okay-” You laugh a little, “No pushing… yet .” You smiled at him, pulling off your clothes and moving to get comfortable on the pile of pillows, cushions and blankets. 

Watching you, his tail was swishing so quickly from side to side in excitement. His was chest heaving with heavy breaths as his keen eyes followed every move you made. 

Kneeling in the middle of it, you patted infront of you. Jason followed down immediately. His ears twitched with anticipation. His snout pressed at your knees and he inhaled deeply. Fuck- Your smell made his spine shiver and his chest puff up. 

His tongue lapped at your knees, up your thighs, begging for you to open your legs for him. You bit your lip and leaned back onto your hands, your legs opening a little more for him. He growled softly, your scent getting stronger by the second for him. His snout pushed further up, his large body hunching over you until you laid under him. Submitting to the beast. 

“ Mate .” He purred again, his paws wrapping around your waist and pulling you up at an angle that made you gasp. 

Your back was in the air and as soon as his tongue dragged across your pussy, his blood ran hot with liquid fire. 

His jaw closed around your pelvis and his tongue delved deep into your needy cunt. The sudden intrusion made your eyes roll back. You whimpered his name, your hands fisting at his fur, pulling and whining shamelessly.

Every pur, every growl he made, shivered up your spine and made you moan louder. And it only egged him on further. He was careful to not bite down too hard but the pretty noises you were making- they were making it very hard to keep it under control. He wanted so desperately to swallow you whole. 

His tongue circled at your clit and just as you’d buck against his mouth, he’d move it down and move it fuck you in the most torturously slow pace. His thick warmth was delving deep into you and you were so close to becoming a babbling mess. And you hadn’t even been knotted yet. 

You could feel his drool and your pussy juices dripping down your ass and up your back due to the angle he was holding you up at. You whined and moaned, but he wouldn’t let you cum. 

This was definitely payback for keeping the muzzle on him all day. 

Jason felt himself grow and harden as he devoured you, rutting against the floor to ease his ache. 

You held his fur by the fistfuls, arching, trying to move , to grind, to cum but he wouldn’t let up. His warm thick tongue pistoned in and out of your pussy at a relentless pace. And every time he’d feel your body almost reaching to the tip, he’d slow down again. You hurled curses at him, pulling his fur almost painfully but he didn’t care. 

You were finally under him and he was going to make you work for it. 

“Please-” You begged shamelessly, “I can’t take it anymore-” You were able to grab at an ear and pull harshly. 

Jason whined and pulled back, your body falling against the pillows with a soft plop . Your chest heaved as you caught your breath but he looked downright feral and annoyed at being made to pull off. He wiped his mouth, grinning and exposing his sharp teeth that had left dents into your skin. 

Looming over you, hunching and covering your entire frame, your eyes darted down to his cock. It was unsheathed and looked far redder than usual. One paw held you down by your hips, licking you so completely that you felt drenched . He purred at the taste of you and your body erupted in goosebumps when the air touched the wet skin. His tongue swirled at your nipples, nipping and sucking them so fully that his entire jaw was open against your chest. 

He pulled back just enough to admire your glistening skin. You smelled like him now. That’s exactly how he wanted you to be all the time . Wet, out of breath and his . 

Jason hummed in satisfaction and then his mouth descended onto yours. 

His tongue pushed into your mouth aggressively and his cock rubbed at your dripping cunt. He swallowed every needy sound you made and it only spurred him on more. With a sudden motion, he flipped you over and raised your hips into the air. You were putty in his hands and your desperate noises were a testament to that. 

Your pussy clenched at nothing, desperate for anything at all. His eyes zeroed in on it and growled with satisfaction. The vibrations of which rumbled through his chest and across your back. You arched more, pushing back, needing something- anything at all. 

The tapered tip of his cock pushed slightly into you, making you moan. 

No matter how many times you’d had him, every time, it felt new and different. The tip alone was so exciting. The tip being pointed and slowly easing into you, then the thickness increasing as he’d keep pushing. 

Jason was by no means small as a human- But as a beast? This felt so deep into you that you always felt the taste of his cum in the back of your throat. 

One arm was curled around your waist to keep you up against him as he bottomed out into you and the other, the claws were clenched tightly into the pillows and cushions under you as he tried his best to not push too quickly and too hard. 

He knew he could fuck you dumb one you were opened up enough for him but right now he had to be careful. He couldn’t break you. Not yet , at least. 

His chest rumbled again, the vibrations shivering through your spine as he buried himself to the hilt in you. He waited, letting you adjust, lapping at your neck and back in broad strokes. You gasped for air, your insides fluttering around his throbbing length. 

“ Please -” You whimpered, craving more- needing him to move. 

Jason slowly pulled out and just as the tapered tip was only in your pussy, he slammed back in. His balls slapping harshly against your clit. You cried out loudly, pain and pleasure swirling together so deliciously. It felt like he was splitting you into two but gods above , it felt heavenly to feel this much all at once.

The sounds that were escaping his mouth were becoming more and more animalistic by the second as he rutted into you mercilessly. You were a fleshlight at this point for him because if he hadn’t been holding you up, you would’ve been a mess on the floor already. 

With each thrust, he hit your cervix but it only sent a shivering sensation up your spine because the tip was soft and pointed. You moaned like a bitch in heat, matching his bestial pace. He leaned over, licking at your neck, craning your face back and lapping up the drool that was dripping from your mouth as you gasped every time he pistoned into you. 

You creamed his unsheathed red cock so perfectly- The smell of which was intoxicating to Jason. He grunted as he felt the base of his dick swell. 

You were so fucked dumb at this point, you weren’t even sure if you’d cum or not- or if you were simply so extremely overstimulated that every time he moved, your back arched and you mewled as if you were just as animal as him. 

Jason purred the same choppy word in growls again and again. Mate. Mate. Mate . 

His cock throbbed painfully as he continued his brutal assault into your cunt, your breath getting knocked out with every thrust. You gasped for air, your eyes rolling back, you weren’t sure if you were cumming or if you were about to pass out from absolute bliss. 

“ Mine- ” He growled against your ear and his spark teeth closed around your shoulder. 

You cried out at the harsh pain- His teeth didn’t break skin but it was still enough to make you dizzy. You felt yourself get stretched more again at his knot started to form.

Jason sat back on his hind legs and twisted you around to face him. You were a ragdoll in his hands as he held your smaller body in his massive paws and fucked you onto his cock like no tomorrow. 

His bright green eyes were locked onto yours. He couldn’t knot you unless you agreed. He held himself back- trying his best to not let go if you weren’t all here with him. You gave the tiniest of nods possible and that was all he needed. 

His tongue invaded your mouth, shoving deep into your throat as he moved your sloppy cunt up and down his red cock. With a final pull, he settled you down onto his knot and came. 

You felt like your insides were melting as he shot hot ropes of cum deep into you. Your head falling back and you crying out in painful pleasure. The stretch and the warmth mixing together so filthily. You could feel him dripping down your thighs but you were locked on and there was no going anywhere. 

Gently, Jason licked at your skin, nudging your face with his snout, making sure you were alright. You gave a barely audible hum and he relaxed slightly. He moved backwards and laid back into the den he’d made for you, letting you lay on top of him as his knot slowly subsided. 

He knew he’d help clean you up and help you sleep against his warm fur. But that was for later. 

For now, this was all he needed. You on top, locked onto him. 

. . . Fic Master List.

[jazeswhbhaven]

I just want sth fluff right now... How about a week with the kings (plus Lucifer) turn into a smol boiiii (still chosen between their mind still normal or a completely child).

Hehe wonder if the whole kingdom would turn upside down because of the mother side of MC :3 (like they're a really good mother/caretaker/...)

(ok I'm sorry for the grammar, english is not my first language 🥹🥹)

Thank you for waiting anon, and don't worry I understood what you meant!

MC being a caretaker for our kings when they suddenly get turned into toddler versions of themselves is so much fun to think about honestly. They were probably all just little menaces'~

Lead in: Uh oh, a strange spell has come across Hell! For a week in springtime, it seems that a certain tree has spread pollen and affected only certain devils, that being the kings...and now they're? young devils? They have physically regressed in age to that of a small child (each king looking different based on the amount of pollen they inhaled). Let's see how MC will fare having to be a caretaker for them!

Satan: He's so mischievous, getting into everything and breaking things. And who knew a devil this age would still be teething with all of his teeth in?! There's bite marks in the furniture, the curtains, just about everything. He's also got a mouth on him, and plays pranks often. Sitri is being driven mad, and Ppyong has been chewed on like a toy far too much. Here comes MC to the rescue! They can't really discipline him that well, but they are firm by wrapping him up in a thick blanket burrito so he can move. He's a bit feisty and likes to test MC, but that's nothing for them. Though they had to be careful when feeding him or he's liable to take off their fingers in the process. The entire week goes well, and thankfully MC doesn't have to change any diapers. But...Satan purposely doesn't aim for the toilet so the walls are uh...quite filthy. Good thing this was only for a week and Gehenna is back to somewhat of normalcy.

Mammon: Thankfully, when he was turned into a small devil again he didn't inhale too much of the pollen resembling a 10 year old boy. As a child, Mammon was sick a lot and had to be monitored. He was just as curious and still didn't have that filter. So for the most part he was self sufficient. MC still needed to be there for him just to make sure he doesn't get himself hurt. And now that he's got MC to care for him, he gets in his feelings, still remembering everything that happened to him before...he clings to MC, often cuddling and being silent. Sometimes even crying. MC getting to see him this emotional more often is a nice change of pace as he seems to just bury his emotions more often as an adult. MC even sings to him, reads to him, and lets him sleep in the same bed with a few stuffed toys. When the week is over, he's back to himself but there's something slightly different about him now. It seems that maybe, his inner child has healed just a little.

Beelzebub: For whatever reason, he's a toddler, and just as rambunctious and destructive. His powers are still quite strong, and are out of control. Bael thought he couldn't get work done then? He certain can't now. Paperwork drawn on with crayon, puddles of acid spit, random half eaten piles of food...and hide and seek seems to be his favorite game that turns into a disaster when he's hiding in one of the many ADULT clubs in Aybssos. It's up to MC to help rangle in this small devil and fast. They prepare pre-made snacks of his favorite foods, the games that MC comes up with are good enough for his short attention span and fun enough to repeat multiple times of the day, a large room where he can color on the walls and crawl on them even, and well he can even use the targets added in for practice with aiming his acidic spit. It's a full time job looking after Beel, but MC has it done. It was also the most difficult week for everyone at the palace. Worst part is...Beel doesn't remember anything once he's back to normal.

Leviathan: You'd assume that looking over a small Levi would be easy. Um, it's not. Him being back at that age that he was brings back horrible memories of when he was in Heaven in the devil camps. He's lashing out on all the citizens of Hades, even his nobles, paranoia, nightmares, not wanting to come out of his coffin nor eat. It's a mess. MC has a lot of work cut out for them, but they go into this with grace and patience. Levi doesn't trust them, and MC has the bruises and scratches to prove it. But slowly through the week, he starts to calm down, though still independent. The only other noble MC has to worry about is Orias who has been trying to take advantage of this situation. But it seems that Levi's innocence deters him (and MC protecting Levi) The last half of the week, Levi is now sleeping with MC inside the coffin so his nightmares aren't as bad. He's even played a couple games with them, and held their hand just out of nowhere. When he's back to normal, he doesn't admit to anything that happened with MC while they were there, denying pretty much everything. But he's closer to MC now after the event. At least Hades is back in working order!

Lucifer: SMALL ANGEL LUCI??? When MC had the prevleige of seeing him this way, he's very much adorable. His wings have temporarily returned, but they're tiny, just itty bitty. His hair is fluffy, eyes wide and full of wonder, and his halo is so bright and cheery. This a different side of Luci that must have died over time being in Heaven. But during this time he's very quiet, likes to cling on MC, and his nobles, riding on their backs and asking for snacks and angel milk. Gamigin helps MC the most, the jingling of his staff actually being soothing to small angel Luci. Paradise Lost though for the entire week was just as it was before. Mostly peaceful, nothing important going on other than this. The week turns out to be pretty easy for MC in watching him. When he's back to normal, he kindly asks MC to never mention what they saw to anyone. His nobles also will die with this secret. MC feels important, knowing that even Luci's own brothers have never seen him that young.

Belphegor: Huh...well it seems the pollen has turned Belphie into a baby. And even when he's sleeping, he causes alot of problems for Nifelheim. His little baby snores causes earthquakes, he also soils his diaper during his sleep even though he's only been drinking milk....those diaper changes are near radioactive. When he wakes up and cries to be fed it's like a high pitched ear splitting cry. At least the best part is when he's asleep, in a deep deep sleep? No thing happens. And thankfully, he was asleep for the majority of the week. There was only once where MC had to deal with him awake and he was cranky the entire time. Non-stop crying, hair pulling, and demanding that Beleth holds him as he was biting his arm with his gums to teeth. Beleth did well, he and MC acting like a married couple while watching him. The week may have been over and done and he was back to normal, but goodness. Maybe it's a good thing he was sleeping for majority of his life until recently. Him being awake as a young devil is a pain.

Asmodeus: It's rumored that no one has seen Asmo as a young devil. Well that changed when MC got to watch him. He's...a lot less horny as a small devil which is a relief. He was still mischievous, and often hinted wanting milk from MC even though they had no ability to breastfeed/produce milk. But it was strange that he would ask that when he's...a young child devil. Oh, well maybe he was starting his puberty early. But it's no matter, his charming abilities were still working all to well meaning that MC spoiled him with pretty much attention and affection. He was still very behaved and would often be reading or writing something in a journal. MC partially wishes he could be like this all the time and wondered where all that horny energy came from even as the embodiment of lust. Maybe he'd tell her later when he was back to normal. Abaddon didn't change much at all in his absence, the guards holding things down as per usual.

[lynnaredfield3383]

Not my characters. Swearing & kissing. Aged up 21. *Happy New Year!*

Kiss Me At Midnight

How pathetic was he that after three years of pining and two years of working side by side, he could only watch you from afar? He was Katsuki fucking Bakugo. The boy who'd become a man never unsure about his choices. Never hesitating to go for what he wanted.

Clicking his tongue and downing his third flute of whatever the fuck this rich party was serving, he looked down at his phone.

The only time Bakugo hesitated was when it came to you. Five years of friendship, of sharing secrets that not even Kiri knew about. And Bakugo pretty much told him anything of importance in his life.

"Hey, you gonna mope all night or kiss the woman of your dreams?" Kiri sat down across from Bakugo.

"The fuck you on about?"

"Dude, she's been waiting on you for five years."

Bakugo cocked an eyebrow at Kiri. Sure, everyone had theories that you liked him, but no proof. Kiri would never make that kind of statement without evidence.

"What did she say?"

"I overheard her talking to Momo and Jiro. Her exact words, "I'm kissing him at midnight. If he hates me for it, fine, but I'm doing it."

Bakugo's head snapped up, and his eyes searched the crowd for you. You were nowhere to be found.

"Where did she go?"

"Other end of the balcony. Last I saw. Good luck, man."

Bakugo was off, his mind focused solely on finding you. As he weaved his way through colleagues, friends, and retired heroes, he wondered why you'd never confessed.

"Kats, you okay? You look like you're gonna kill someone," you teased.

"Why the hell are you here by yourself?" Bakugo stalled.

"Hmm. Oh, gathering up my courage."

"What the hell for?"

You looked at him, those intense ruby eyes locking with yours. You smiled because this was your best friend, your closest ally, and the only person you wanted to love.

Bakugo's stomach was doing flips as your gaze burned into him. Shit. How did you strip him of all his strength with a single look? It wasn't fair, and he couldn't handle it. You had this ridiculous ability to pull his vulnerable side out with a single smile.

"To kiss someone."

"Why? The whole ball drop thing? That's stupid."

You giggled, unable to help it. The annoyed expression paired with his confidence was adorable.

"I guess. You never stayed up during UA."

Bakugo moved closer and cupped your cheek. Surprised didn't come close to how you felt. The warmth of his hand on your cheek, those intense eyes now soft.

"Shoulda asked me, dummy," Bakugo's voice was low and husky.

"Yeah, ok. And get blasted, no thanks," you laughed.

You had to move away, or you were going to lose your mind. You were coming undone beneath that gentle gaze.

"How stupid are you?"

You blinked because though the words were harsh, his tone was soft, almost sweet.

"You say the sweetest things."

Bakugo chuckled, his thumb now running over your bottom lip.

"You should know by now I'd do anything for you. Fucking whipped and we aren't even together," he mumbled the last part.

Enveloped by his warmth and that sweet scent of his, you leaned in and kissed him. His response was feral and not what you expected from his earlier softness.

His hands slid down your neck to your waist, pulling you roughly against him. He forced his way into your mouth, his teeth catching your tongue and slowly releasing it before they found your lips.

Bakugo had never been desperate for anything, but right now, he couldn't get enough of you. Careful not to hurt you, he used his hands to hold you while he pushed you back against the closest wall.

"Shit...Stop. Stop, I can't breathe," you laughed as his mouth made its way down to your neck.

Bakugo chuckled before placing his forehead to yours.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here and hit your place for movies and snacks."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah. Don't need any idiots tryin' to kiss my woman at midnight."

Your heart swelled at those words and the smirk he gave you. Five years. Five years to finally have the only person you ever wanted.

"Guess that makes you my man?" You teased.

"No shit, dummy," Bakugo smiled at you.

[arc852]

Fault 1/3

Summary: It's been two days since the incident where Jimmy fell out of Joel's pocket and Joel is completely blaming himself for what happened. When Tango wants to hang out with Jimmy, Joel is just barely containing his anger and jealousy on top of everything else.

Warnings: self-blame, self-deprecation, anger, crying, breaking down, jealousy and arguing

Word Count: 4121

AO3 Link

Happy New Year everyone! I'm hopefully starting the year off right by posting a new fic within the bbbcau! This one takes place pretty much right after Not Just a Drunken Dream, so I hope you enjoy!

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 Joel found that it was still hard to pay attention to his classes.

 Two days ago, Jimmy had fallen from his pocket and had almost been crushed by the crowds of students going to and from class. He had then been picked up and they could only count themselves lucky that it was Tango of all people who had done so. Joel always tried not to think about what would happen if Jimmy fell into the wrong hands. But he did anyway and Jimmy had almost ended up dead or in the hands of someone who might not have treated him like a person.

 And it was all Joel’s fault.

 Joel could still remember the panic that shot through his whole body when he had stuck his hand in his pocket after sitting down in class, only to discover that Jimmy was no longer there. He had immediately left his class, pulled Grian out of his, and then had searched all over for Jimmy. Only for him to be returned to them by none other than Tango.

 Joel rested the back of his hands on his forehead and leaned against them with his elbows firmly on the table. He closed his eyes and let the professor’s voice wash over him. Though he was technically listening, he wasn’t retaining any of the words. Mind still wandering toward Jimmy.

 He had been so stupid. Why hadn’t he kept his hand in the pocket with Jimmy? He usually did, why was that time any different? He should have been more careful. Who cares if he was late to class? He should have been walking slower and paying more attention to his surroundings. Instead, he had rammed into somebody with enough force to knock Jimmy out of his pocket.

 So so stupid.

 He was vaguely aware of someone taking the seat next to him, which was weird because the class had been going on for at least a half hour now. He kept his head down though, not looking until he heard a familiar voice psst at him.

 “Psst! Joel.” The voice whispered and Joel finally looked over to see Tango sitting there. Joel blinked, having forgotten that Tango was even in this class with him.

 “Hey, do you have Jimmy with you?” Tango asked, still whispering. Though even his whispers seemed too loud to Joel. His eyes widened and he looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. No one was, of course, but Joel was extra paranoid after what had happened two days ago.

 “Shhh!” Joel shushed Tango, who looked surprised at that. “You can’t just mention him like that!” Joel whispered back to him in a bit of a harsher tone.

 “Wha- I’m being quiet!” Tango said, his whisper getting just a tiny bit louder. “I just wanted to know.”

 Joel knew he wasn’t being very fair towards Tango but currently the man was only bringing up unwanted memories. That he had already been thinking about anyway. Joel sighed. “No, he’s not. It’s probably going to be a while before he comes to class with us again.” And even longer before it would be with Joel. 

 “Oh.” Tango wilted a bit but perked back up a moment later. “Well, is it okay if I see him after class?” Tango asked with a smile and Joel just looked at him.

 Joel narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

 Tango blinked, A bit taken aback by the hostility he was feeling from Joel. “I uh…I mean, I thought we could hang out? Properly this time, ya know?” Tango said, a bit hesitant now as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

 Joel was trying very hard to hold himself back from saying no just straight up. He was still on edge after what happened two days ago and even though he knew Tango, knew him to be kind, Joel was loath to have any other humans around Jimmy right now.

 He took a deep breath, knowing that ultimately, it wasn’t his decision. It was Jimmy’s. But even still, Joel knew Jimmy was also still a bit off from two days ago. The borrower was taking it easy right now and so Joel was confident that Jimmy would turn Tango away. The thought made him feel a bit better and so he finally turned to answer Tango. “I’ll have to ask him if he’s up for that right now.” Joel said, keeping his voice low and monotone. Despite his tone though, Tango grinned and looked excited.

 “Right, right! Of course.” Tango said and then leaned back in his chair to focus back on the teacher. Joel scoffed silently to himself and rolled his eyes, placing a hand on his cheek and leaning on it. If he honestly expected Jimmy to say yes right now, after what had just happened, then Tango was a bigger idiot than he was.

 The next half hour went by incredibly slowly, all things considered, especially as all Joel could pay attention to was Tango beside him. He could feel the excitement rolling off the engineering major in waves and it was honestly annoying Joel more than he was willing to admit.

 Once class was over, Joel closed his laptop without saving and shoved it into his bag. It wasn’t like he took any notes anyway. He had little to no idea what they had just learned about for the last hour but it was fine. He could just get notes off of somebody else. His eyes wandered over to Tango at that thought but he pushed it down for now. He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

 Tango gave him a smile as he waited for him before starting to head out of the classroom. Joel followed him out and they paused outside of the door. “Can we head back to your dorm now, or did you have another class?” Tango asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet in barely hidden eagerness. Joel was now half wishing he did but he shook his head.

 “No, we can head there now. I guess.” Joel said and started walking first. Tango was quick to follow, not at all put off by Joel’s attitude. 

 They didn’t speak much on their way over to the dorm building. Joel felt awkward for reasons he couldn’t explain. Tango was his friend after all. Even if Joel was currently giving him a bit of the cold shoulder. Joel was happy to break the silence once they actually made it to his dorm door. “I’ll go ask him but you gotta stay here. I don’t want to overwhelm or scare Jimmy by having a human that he wasn’t expecting come in.”

 “Right, right, of course.” Tango said. The patient but eager grin on his face made Joel’s blood boil.

 “Be right back.” Joel snapped and then opened the door, but only enough for him to slip through. He didn’t want Jimmy catching a glimpse at Tango from the outside after all. He looked around, realizing Grian wasn’t there, which meant he was probably still in class. Scanning the room a bit more, he saw Jimmy on his bed with what must have been Grian’s phone. He was stomach down facing the phone, although his head had turned once he heard the door open.

 “Hey Joel!” Jimmy exclaimed in greeting, sitting up from his position and turning his body to face Joel. Whatever was on the phone had been paused. “How was class?”

 Joel came closer, setting his bag on the back of his chair before going back around his bed. “It was fine.” Joel lied, not wanting to get into the fact he had barely paid attention to the class at all. Gosh he was tired. All he wanted was to lay in bed and hold Jimmy close. At least here in the room he knew for sure nothing bad could happen to Jimmy. 

 But Tango was still waiting outside, so he at least had to ask Jimmy to get this over with and make that a reality. 

 “By the way, Tango is waiting outside. He was wondering if you wanted to hang out with him. I already figured you wouldn’t be feeling up for it though so I can just go ahead and tell him-” Joel was cut off as Jimmy stood fully up on the bed.

 “Wait, Tango is here? Of course I want to hang out with him! Send him in!” Jimmy said, a grin on his face, his eyes wide with excitement. 

 Joel felt his entire body deflate as he simply looked at Jimmy. “...Are you sure? Because after what happened-”

 “I’m sure, Joel. I’m fine, I promise.” Jimmy said and Joel searched his eyes for any hint that he was lying. He wasn’t.

 “Right. Um, okay.” His voice felt thick for no good reason and he blinked more to try and keep the water from his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? “I’ll go tell him then.” He turned almost numbly and headed toward the door, opening it to reveal that Tango was still there and waiting patiently. He gave Joel a smile though it faltered slightly when he saw his expression.

 “Tango!” Jimmy cried out from behind him and it was just loud enough for Tango to hear. His expression shifted back into the grin from before.

 “Jimmy, hey!” Tango exclaimed back, looking past Joel to be able to see Jimmy on the bed. Joel shifted a bit awkwardly and moved out of the way to let Tango come in.

 “Come on in. Jimmy, uh, said okay to hanging out. As I’m sure you figured out.” Joel said and no one seemed to notice his pained tone or expression as Tango came in and walked right over to Jimmy. Joel was quick to close the door behind Tango, not wanting someone randomly walking by and seeing Jimmy.

 He stayed a good bit away behind Tango, just standing there as he watched Tango crouch down so Jimmy didn’t have to crane his neck so much. “How have you been?” Tango asked and Joel noticed that Tango was at least keeping his hands to himself. “Joel told me you aren’t really going to class with them anymore.”

 “I’ve been good, but yeah, it might be a bit before I’m comfortable going back to class with them again.” Jimmy said with a slight laugh, his hand going behind him to rub at his neck. Joel found himself wincing at that, crossing his arms in a way to both hide and hug himself.

 He was the reason Jimmy didn’t feel safe going out with them to class anymore. This was all his fault.

 “Well, do you feel comfortable enough coming back to my dorm with me to hang out?” Tango said, which startled Joel out of his own self-blame. He all but jumped to Tango’s side, looking at him with wide eyes.

 “Wait, what?” Joel said, not trying to hide the shock in his tone.

 Jimmy, for his part, also looked surprised but not with the same kind of dread that Joel was feeling. “To your dorm?”

 “Yeah.” Tango looked a bit sheepish now. “I mean, I figured we could have some lunch. Properly hang out and get to know each other, ya know?” Tango explained before continuing a moment later. “Oh, and don’t worry about Impulse. He’s got a full day of classes ahead of him. He won’t be back for a few more hours at least.”

 Joel had to say something. “I don’t think-”

 “That does sound like fun.” Jimmy said with a smile and a certain spark in his eyes that Joel had only seen when Jimmy was really excited about something. Joel could feel his body deflate once again, the pit in his stomach growing even more.

 Jimmy then did something that Joel hadn’t been expecting, and that was turning to look at him with his head slightly tilted. “Is that okay with you, Joel?”

 Joel could feel his cheeks heat up and from his peripheral, because he refused to take his eyes off Jimmy right now, he could see Tango looking back and forth between them with a certain look on his face. Joel was suddenly reminded that Tango had been the one to remind them that Jimmy was the one who should have the ultimate decision in whatever he did. Which Joel did agree wholeheartedly with, even if it was hard to do sometimes.

 But the fact that Jimmy was asking him now, about this, felt…well, Joel wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he really wanted to say no. He wanted to pick Jimmy up and hold him close, hold him away from Tango and just be. He wanted to scream at Tango to go away, he wanted to cry angrily into his pillow, he wanted to have not messed up-

 But Tango had been the one to right his wrong, in the end. Had been the one who ended up saving and protecting Jimmy. The thing that Joel failed at. Maybe…maybe Tango deserved Jimmy’s time more than Joel did.

 So Joel turned his head away, feigning disinterest. He’s not sure how much he succeeded though. “Why are you asking me? You can do what you want.” Joel said, his tone a bit sharper than he had intended.

 Thankfully, or maybe not, Joel wasn’t really sure at this point, but no one noticed. Jimmy just blinked and then grinned as he turned back to Tango. “I guess I can.” Jimmy chuckled a bit to himself. “Yes, Tango, I would love to have lunch with you.”

 Tango grinned back. “Great!” He said excitedly. He then paused and looked a bit awkward all of a sudden. “Um, how uh, how did you want to do this then?” Tango asked and Jimmy laughed a bit.

 Joel was back to crossing his arms, maybe a bit tighter than one would normally, and he looked away from the playful awkwardness of Tango getting used to picking Jimmy up. Although, if his peripheral vision was anything to go off of, Tango didn’t exactly pick Jimmy up but held out his hand for him. Jimmy climbed on with what at least appeared to be no hesitation. Joel stopped looking through his peripheral.

 He only turned back when Tango addressed him. “Don’t worry Joel, I’ll have him back before dinner.” He said with a chuckle, playfully acting like he was taking Jimmy on a date and Joel was Jimmy’s father. At least, that’s what Tango’s line and delivery reminded Joel of.

 “You better.” Joel mumbled, trying not to stare at Tango too intensely. He was probably failing though, so he let his eyes wander down to Jimmy.

 “I’ll see you later Joel!” Jimmy said and Joel nodded, hoping Jimmy didn’t notice how fast and often he was blinking.

 “See you later.” Joel said. “Be safe.” He said a bit quieter, though did he actually know what that meant? He thought his pocket had been safe after all. He thought Jimmy had been safe with him.

 Joel could barely watch as Tango left with Jimmy, but he did. He watched as Tango held Jimmy close to his chest, cupping his free hand over in front of him in order to hide him in case there were any people wandering around the halls. Joel followed them to the door, numbly helping Tango open it, since his hands were full with Jimmy. It took him a while to actually close the door, not doing so until Tango had turned the corner far down the hall.

 The door closed with a click and it was suddenly all too quiet.

 Joel went and sat down on his bed and just…stared. His hands gripped at the fabric of his pants and he glared down at the floor.

 He didn’t exactly mean to stay like that but before he knew it, the door was opening again and Grian walked into the room. Grian paused as he noticed Joel’s position and looked at him in confusion. “Joel? Everything okay?”

 “Fine.” Joel said, his tone sharp and quick. Grian didn’t look convinced but then again, Joel wasn’t really trying to hide his feelings anymore. Grian looked around, noticing someone seemed missing.

 “Where’s Jimmy?” Grian asked and the question alone had Joel tightening his hold on the fabric of his jeans. He grit his teeth and took a deep breath. It did little to calm him though.

 “With Tango.” Joel practically spat out. Grian looked taken aback for a moment, blinking in surprise.

 “Tango?” Grian asked, ignoring, for a moment, Joel’s tone.

 Joel let out a shaky huff of breath. “Tango came up to me in class and asked if he could hang out with Jimmy. I said he’d have to ask Jimmy himself. So he came over.” Joel let his eyes fall away from Grian’s and back onto the floor. “I really thought Jimmy would say no.” Joel said a bit quieter.

 Grian raised an eyebrow at him. “You thought he would say no? Is that why you’re being like…this?” He motioned toward all of Joel and Joel lifted his head to scowl at him. Grian didn’t back down from it though, simply crossed his arms and looked at Joel with that stupid knowing look Joel hated.

 “Like what, Grian? Not sure I know what you mean?” His voice went high but his glare stayed true, daring Grian to continue.

 “Come on, you can’t admit that you’re jealous?” Grian said and that had Joel absolutely fuming. He stood up faster than even he had been expecting and got into Grian’s face. The fact that Grian appeared unaffected by this just made Joel even angrier.

 “I’m not jealous. Jimmy can do whatever the bloomin’ hell he wants! Tango probably deserves him more than me anyway!” Joel shouted, fuming. He hadn’t even realized what he actually said until he saw Grian’s knowing look drop and his eyes go wide.

 “Joel…”

 “Shut up! Shut up!” Joel yelled, backing up a step to get himself out of Grian’s face. He didn’t want to hear it.

 “Joel, it wasn’t-” Grian tried but Joel cut him off.

 “Oh, it wasn’t my fault? Is that what you were going to say? God, shut the bloody hell up, Grian. Of course it was my fault!” Joel yelled, moving one hand to pull at the hairs on his scalp before throwing both hands in the air and leaning more toward Grian. Not quite getting in his face like before, but close all the same. Joel felt a tinge of satisfaction as Grian backed up a step. “Jimmy almost died because of me! He almost got found by someone who could have taken advantage of him! The only reason he’s here is because of Tango!”

 Joel was breathing really heavy now, his eyes combating against the water trying to spill from them. He gripped at his hair again. “Of course Jimmy would choose Tango over me, of course-”

 “Joel!” Grian shouted, his hands on Joel’s shoulders as he shook him out of his spiral. Joel jolted a bit, looking at Grian with wide, manic eyes. Despite that, Grian held his gaze. “Calm down.” Grian’s words were firm but no less gentle, trying to ease his friend out of his self-hatred and panic.

 “You don’t get it. I can’t keep Jimmy safe! First he gets stuck in that glue trap under my watch and now this. I-I can’t be trusted with him! No wonder he’d rather hang out with Tango than-”

 “Joel, stop!” Grian yelled, his grip tightening on Joel’s shoulders. Joel finally paused at the almost desperate tone Grian’s voice had taken.  

 “But-”

 “Just…stop.” Grian said, cutting Joel off and not letting him speak himself into any more circles. He was still holding on tight to Joel’s shoulders. “Breathe, Joel.”

 After a few shaky breaths, Joel managed to take in a deep one. But as he let it out, his tears, which he had been holding back this whole time, finally started to fall. He grit his teeth as he couldn’t stop them from raining down his cheeks. Grian’s eyes went soft. “Oh Joel…” Grian pulled at his shoulders and suddenly he was in Grian’s space again, but this time with Grian’s arms wrapped around his body. Grian was hugging him.

 Joel hugged him back and buried his face into Grian’s shoulder. Not caring that he was probably making a complete mess of Grian’s shirt. “It wasn’t your fault Joel.”

 Joel hiccuped. “But-”

 “Nope. None of that now. It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. A mistake. If Jimmy had been in my pocket the same thing could have happened.” Grian said, words firm and sturdy. And Joel suddenly felt too tired to argue with them. So he just sniffed.

 “And Jimmy isn’t choosing you over anybody. Especially not Tango. He’s your friend. Our friend. And no matter who he ends up hanging out with, he’ll always come back home to us.” Grian continued. Joel wasn’t sure how he could say that with such confidence. Even though it had been months at this point, Joel still worried about messing up enough where Jimmy left for good. But here Grian was, confident that Jimmy would always come back.

 It was quiet for a moment as Grian let his words sink in. When Joel didn’t make any move to speak, Grian decided to continue. “Why did you think Jimmy would say no to hanging out with Tango?” Grian asked, bringing back up what Joel had said earlier.

 Joel tensed, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly and pushed Grian away. Not roughly, but enough to let Grian know he was done with the hug. Grian offered no resistance and let Joel go and Joel took another step back for good measure, looking away.

 “I just thought…after everything that happened two days ago I figured Jimmy wouldn’t want to go anywhere for a while. Let alone talk to, and hang out with, a human he barely knows.” Joel let out a sigh, rubbing at his eyes and cheeks to get his tears cleaned up. “But instead he practically jumped at the chance and…I don’t know. It felt bad.”

 Grian hummed, listening intently. “I don’t think I was exactly wrong before. I do think there is a bit of jealousy seeping through everything else you're dealing with.” Grian stated, though this time it wasn’t said in a joking or teasing manner. Joel still didn’t like being called jealous but it was better than before. “You feeling bad is probably a mix of that jealousy and you thinking you don’t deserve Jimmy anymore. His acceptance of Tango’s request to hang out probably, subconsciously, affirmed your fears.”

 Joel sniffed again. “When did you become a bloomin’ psychology major?”

 Grian’s lips twitched up slightly. “Biology and psychology are just two sides of the same coin.” Grian said before letting his small smile ease off again. “Look, it’s not like I also really like the fact that Jimmy’s off hanging with Tango. Especially with what happened two days ago. I want to keep him close and safe as much as you do. But, he’s also his own person, and when it comes down to it I do trust him and Tango to be safe. Jimmy is just…excited to have a new friend.”

 “Right…” Joel said, though he didn’t look entirely convinced.

 Grian sighed. “Okay, obviously you aren’t going to take my world for it. You need to talk to Jimmy about this.”

 Joel tensed up again. “I can’t talk to Jimmy! He’ll…then he’ll know and…” Honestly, Joel’s brain was struggling to come up with a reason to not talk to Jimmy other than he really didn’t want to.

 “You’re not going to feel better until you talk to Jimmy.” Grian said as he patted Joel on the shoulder. “And I will lock you two in the room if you don’t.”

 Joel sighed but gave a little nod. He wasn’t looking forward to the talk but he knew Grian was right. He needed to tell Jimmy how he felt and talk about everything.

 Joel still believed it was his fault, it was hard not to when he looked back on everything he could have done better to prevent it, but he would talk to Jimmy all the same. He watched as Grian took his laptop out of his bag and sat at his desk. Joel hesitated before doing the same. At least he could try and get some homework done to distract him until Jimmy came back home.

 Joel tried to push down the dread he felt in his gut as he started to type away at his laptop.

[jellybeanium124]

"Hey," Stede said awkwardly, shuffling out onto the back porch where Zheng was smoking from her pipe.

"Hi," Zheng replied, turning towards him, surprise apparent in her eyes.

Stede knew why she was surprised. They weren't exactly best friends. Their relationship was deeply awkward, and she was the one person he almost dreaded seeing whenever the crew stopped by to visit him and Ed. Sure, Jackie had threatened to cut off his nose the day they met and was technically involved with the English plot to get him killed, but Jackie let bygones be bygones and didn't have a socially awkward bone in her body. Her charisma, plus her pulling him aside once and telling him that she couldn't've picked a better man for Ed if she tried, made even their relationship feel smooth as silk. Zheng on the other hand? She had an awkward streak in her that ran deep, and Stede wasn't sure she'd ever fully forgive him for everything that happened, or even wanted to be his friend.

But Stede was the kind of person who wanted to be friends with everyone, if he could. Unless that person was an asshole, then fuck 'em.

So, he was going to try. Because he didn't like the idea of dreading someone's presence, especially someone as cool as Zheng. She and Ed got on like a house on fire, and Stede hated feeling like an awkward third wheel around them.

"So... how are... things?" Stede asked.

Zheng sighed. "Things are fine, Bonnet. What do you want?"

"What do I want? Nothing."

Zheng rolled her eyes. "Course you want something. Why else would you come out here and bother me?"

Stede pursed his lips. "I wanted to apologize, actually... for my behavior, the night that the Republic fell and you lost your entire crew."

Zheng's face grew more thoughtful.

"I was a complete thickheaded pig. You kicked my arse just like you should've. And you saved me more than once! And I was completely insensitive about the fact that you thought your aunt was dead. I was horrible. I'm sorry."

Zheng looked down and fiddled with her pipe. "I forgive you, Stede. I'm sorry too. You were really going through it, and I didn't care. Me and Ed talked about it since... I totally get why you acted like a bit of a thickheaded pig. You lost your boyfriend, and you thought you were about to lose your friends too. I didn't really get how you worked as a captain. Obviously I had no idea about what happened with Ed, and frankly I thought it was bizarre that you seemed to feel so entitled to your current crew. Olu and Jim explained to me after that that's not really what it was at all. They called you family, you know."

Stede blushed a little.

"Oh, well, um, yeah. Olu was one of my first real friends, from before I even met Ed. Jim was a lot quieter then, but I think they count too. I forgive you too, you were well within your rights. I just... I don't want things to feel so awkward between us."

Zheng crookedly smiled at him. "Well, I'm down to try and make it feel less awkward if you are."

"Yes! Please."

Zheng gave a friendly sock in the arm. "Alright, Bonnet. Let's go back in and hang out with the group, huh?"

"Alright! Yes!"

Zheng waked in and Stede followed her happily. It felt good to get that off his chest, and it went better than expected. He hoped Zheng would forgive him, but he hadn't thought she'd be so understanding and empathetic. He had been miserable that night. He still thought apologizing was the right thing to do, but it felt good to be understood. So far, Ed was the only person he knew who ever really understood his emotions. The idea that people besides Ed might be able to understand his feelings made him feel... hopeful. And like there wasn't something wrong with him.

Someday, he and Zheng would be much better friends, and Stede would learn that he could express when he was hurting without being attacked.

Maybe a bit selfish but I wish someone could have noticed how much Stede was hurting in the scene where he antagonises Zheng. Ed left him and suddenly part of his crew wants to go with her?? He feels like he’s about to lose his family!!!

[fanbasetwo]

Ꮺ . , BEING ENEMIES WITH WONBIN !!

NOTE FROM SENA , (this is a fic in a headcanon manner) first wonbin work lesss gaurr , MASTERLIST!!

i. THE BEGINNING OF A SILLY FEUD

Your rivalry with Wonbin started over the most ridiculous thing ever: his best friend stealing a strawberry from your best friend’s lunchbox in 3rd grade.

Your best friend cried for hours about the betrayal, and you decided it was your duty to avenge her. Naturally, this meant you had to hate Wonbin by association.

“You’re friends with a thief!” you’d declared with the confidence only an indignant child could muster.

“It’s just a strawberry! You’re crazy,” Wonbin had retorted, rolling his eyes.

And from then on, you two were sworn enemies. Even as the years passed, the petty grudge somehow persisted, growing into something you didn’t even know how to stop.

ii. HIGH SCHOOL : THE RIVALRY EVOLVES

By high school, the rivalry had become an unspoken rule. If there was a chance to one-up or annoy each other, you both took it without hesitation.

During group projects, you’d fight over ideas until the teacher had to separate you.

If he scored higher than you on a test, he’d make sure you knew about it: “Better luck next time,” he’d say with a smug grin.

If you beat him in a game during gym class, you’d make a point to celebrate a little too enthusiastically, just to watch his annoyed reaction.

Your classmates were so used to the bickering that they didn’t even bat an eye anymore. “Oh, it’s just Y/n and Wonbin being Y/n and Wonbin.”

iii. THE MILK INCIDENT

The rivalry reached its peak when you heard a rumor that Wonbin had bullied one of your friends. Furious, you decided to confront him in the most dramatic way possible—by dumping a carton of milk over his head during lunch.

The cafeteria went silent as everyone turned to stare. Wonbin froze, milk dripping from his hair as he looked at you with wide eyes.

“What the hell was that for?!” he finally asked, his voice sharp and low.

“For my friend, you jerk!” you shouted back, feeling righteous in your actions.

Later, your friend admitted she’d lied, and you were mortified. But by then, the damage was done—Wonbin refused to talk to you, and you could feel his cold gaze whenever you crossed paths in the hallways.

iv. FAILED ATTEMPTS TO APOLOGIZE

Guilt gnawed at you, so you decided to apologize. Writing a note felt like the easiest option since facing him seemed impossible.

“I’m sorry for the milk thing. I overreacted. Can we talk?” you wrote, slipping the note into his locker before rushing away.

The next day, you saw him take the note out, glance at it, and toss it in the trash without even opening it. You felt your blood boil. How dare he ignore me like that?!

v. CORNERING HIM AFTER CLASS

The silent treatment pushed you to the edge. After one particularly tense class, you followed Wonbin out and grabbed him by the collar, shoving him against a wall.

“Why are you acting like this? I said I was sorry!” you snapped, glaring up at him.

He looked down at you, completely unfazed. “You think one sorry note fixes everything?” he shot back, his tone sharp.

“What else do you want me to do? Get on my knees and beg?”

“You could try thinking before you act for once,” he said, his words hitting harder than you expected.

vi. THE UNEXPECTED KISS

The argument grew more heated, voices rising as you both vented years of pent-up frustration.

“You’re so infuriating!” you shouted, your grip tightening on his collar.

“You’re not exactly a walk in the park either!” he retorted, leaning closer as if challenging you.

In a moment of pure impulsive anger, you yanked him down by his uniform collar and kissed him hard.

For a split second, he froze, but then his hands moved to your waist, pulling you closer as he kissed you back with equal intensity. It was messy, fiery, and charged with all the unresolved tension between you two.

vii. THE AFTERMATH

When you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless, foreheads pressed together.

Wonbin smirked, his lips still inches from yours. “Still hate you,” he murmured, but the teasing edge in his voice felt softer, almost playful.

“Good,” you muttered back, even though your heart was racing.

viii. A SHIFT IN THE DYNAMIC

After that kiss, things between you and Wonbin were… different. The bickering continued, but now there was an underlying tension that neither of you could ignore.

He started teasing you more often, but his comments were laced with a new kind of warmth.

“Don’t trip over your own feet,” he’d say during gym class, but his smirk would linger a little longer than usual.

You found yourself glancing at him in class, wondering if he was thinking about the kiss as much as you were.

ix. NEW “RIVALRY” RULES

The “hate” between you two started feeling more like a game. When he scored higher than you on a test, you’d roll your eyes but secretly smile at his smug expression.

When you outperformed him in a group activity, he’d groan dramatically but give you a subtle nod of approval.

Your friends noticed the shift immediately. “Are you two… flirting?” one of them asked during lunch.

“Flirting? With him? Never,” you scoffed, but the blush on your cheeks gave you away.

x. THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH

Neither of you openly acknowledged what had happened in that hallway, but it was clear that something had changed.

You still pretended to hate each other, but the lingering glances and subtle smiles told a different story.

And though you’d never admit it out loud, you didn’t really hate Wonbin anymore. If anything, you might actually like him. But for now, you were content to keep playing the game—because that’s just how things were with you and Wonbin.

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[blueishspace]

Hero, Villain God 43

(Prev) (Next) (First)

*Grian's (Mother Spore) pov*

You think you gained some kind of understanding of what they are talking about trough just context clues. They talk about it like It's common knowledge so you have to guess on what they are discussing.

In short these guys want to fight this weird egg themed cult., the villains all seem to dislike the egg cult people for some reason....It's just...a whole lot of missing information they aren't sharing.

You do try to think about who this egg could be... The blood god would never stoop so low as to take the shape of an egg, neither would Exor or Shad... You come up empty, either this egg tging isn't actually a god or it must be one you never really cared about knowing in the past, either way you don't see why everyone hates these people.

Now, you thought it was time for the plan to be explained but no, of course not. Despite everyone having shared how much they hate this egg they still need to discuss payments and favours and other stuff that doesn't matter. You get it, humans are greedy or whatever but come on! You thought this was going to be fun! And you can't even lament about it vocally because Mother Spore is supposed to be silent and mysterious. Xonorth though...he's the worst offender, while the others take little time to convince he just keeps wanting more.

At least the whole stealth operation with Poultryman is just about to start, at least.

*Grian's (Poultryman) pov*

Flame motions towards you and the other two, he points to the ground and you land, you aren't at Las Nevadas yet but you are close.

"Does everyone remember the plan?"

...

You raise your hand. "I wasn't told anything."

"Right, I knew I was forgetting something. We aren't going to just walk in the casino. That's stupid."

You expected that, from what you have seen as Mother Spore the main entrance is under close surveilance.

"I came up with the plan!" Worm man shouts before Seraphin places his hands on his mouth.

"Yes you did. We are going to go through the vents, they aren't big so we'll have to crawl..."

"Hmpfffg"

"... Seraphin, let him go."

You feel a bit like a fourth wheel.

...

Wait they want you to crawl in what now?

"Why the vents"

"Easier, plus we get to listenificate in to the meeting."

"That's... alright."

"Well then, let's go!"

*Grian's pov*

After the last movie's credits Scar suddenly got a message and excused himself for a few minutes.

As soon as came back he started saying you had to go and make excuses for the two of you two leave early, Pearl sent you a look but didn't say anything...You decided to not fight it, you were sure he had his reasons, so with Pearl and the others waving you away the two of you quickly gathered your belongings and left in a hurry.

As soon as you leave the apartment he quite literally deflates and his smile wavers.

"Scar, what was that abou-"

"Not here! Just...let's get somewhere else first!"

He's desperate and flustered and something is definitely up.

"... o ... k?"

And so you let him lead you to an empty street and wait for him to check around for anyone that might be near.

"So?"

"The association wants Hotguy and Cuteguy...now"

Huh that's unexpected, what could it possibly be for? You hope It's not near Las Nevadas.

" . . . Why?"

"Someone saw Poultryman, Flame, Seraphin and Worm man near Las Nevadas. They sent us both to catch them"

Oh this is ... Of course It's Las Nevadas, you shouldn't have hoped. You are going to fight yourself fighting yourself, that's going to be something... You do wonder how you were seen at all though, you were sure Flame and the others had been extremely careful about not being seen.

Wait one moment, what does he mean they want Cuteguy??? You aren't even allowed to go out as Cuteguy!

"I thought I wasn't allowed to go out as Cute guy yet"

"I thought so too... They didn't really explain what changed, that just said that things have changed"

"Well then we have no time to waste do we?"

"No...no we don't."

...Wait.

"Weren't they supposed to give me like...a hero outfit or something?"

"Cub is working on one but it's not ready since you weren't...supposed to go out this soon."

"And I'm guessing It's not going to be done in a short amount of time"

"Probably not..."

"Great... We'll have to put something together in- ... how long until we have to leave?"

"Half an hour, at most."

That's literally nothing, were you a mortal and this would have become a disaster. The hero association should have circus music as their theme song.

"I'll figure it out just... go back to the tower and get your stuff together and we meet up back in half an hour"