#how am I supposed to be constructive about this

[archagentnexus]

Busy huh? Well, I suppose I shouldn't have to worry about meeting him just yet then but...

I stop to listen the rest of Mirabelle's words, soaking in this new information being presented.

"Safe... Perfect... Forever...?" I grimace slightly.

If there was one thing that fictional tropes taught me, it was that anyone who was looking for those particular goals is probably... a bit stressed about everything going on... and maybe not open to any constructive criticism.

But maybe I could be wrong? I haven't even met the guy yet and Mirabelle seems... grateful? About him saving them all? And her promotion? And oh, she's... she's crying... Ah shit. What do I do?

"O-Oh... No no, it's alright. You're... Well... It's a lot of responsibility on short notice it sounds like... and it also sounds like you're kinda... learning as you go, right? Maybe I can help you somehow?"

Wait what am I saying? How am I supposed to help her with this?

Begin

(Optional background music)

You awake in a void pitched lightless surrounded by bright stars and astral bodies. Your body feels like mush, but it's quite weightless as you drift through the empty space. You hear a voice.

"…Oh!" "Oh ho ho, hello there!" "It seems you've come a long way from home haven't you?" "Hmm…What to do about this?" "I'm afraid I can't send you back to your own world in the shape I am right now." "…" "…Perhaps this could be just what this world needs." "But, if something were to go wrong-" "-This could very well destroy the space time continuum…" "But that probably won't happen! And anyways, it seems like there's no choice but to get outside help in this situation." "Alright now listen carefully, if you please." "You are about to be sent to a world a bit different than your own." "Don't worry it's quite similar to your own in a lot of ways, but…" "Well, I guess you will just have to see for yourself." "Before that though, why don't you get yourself reoriented a little bit?" "Why not start by…" "…Telling me a bit about yourself?"

(Here's where you choose your character. If you are playing an OC either leave a description in reblog or comments or tag the character sheet of the character you want to rp as. Same is true for an AU version of a canon character.)

[breadandlottery]

I don’t mean to be contrarian but it’s a really frustrating to see s3 takes that are like “maybe you don’t like it/don’t understand it because you don’t realize it’s an analogy”. I think almost everyone realizes that. It’s actually incredibly obvious.

Like— that the games are a metaphor for capitalism or “we voted democratically and decided you need to die” is supposed to represent our governments or the focus on the outcome for the baby/children represents how we should be making decisions with future generation of humanity as the primary focus or wow man look how useless cops are— are all very obvious and clear to pretty much everyone I’ve ever interacted with about this show including casual viewers and children and people with dementia.

I also don’t think a show with a message along the lines of “we are all human, and we are all suffering under this oppressive unfair system that tricks us into fighting each other instead of fighting the ruling elite” is ALSO saying “except all you viewers who have opinions about the show— you’re not representative of the players who are good or bad or neutral but ultimately just humans and all victims of the systems— YOU are the passive spectators, representative of the evil controllers of the system itself.”

Yes there is a loose analogy of viewer/common man to VIP but I don’t believe it’s as simple as “they’re us”.

I don’t think HDH did a bad job writing or directing AT ALL, I don’t even really have qualms with how Gihun’s story ended, and I’m not hating on him. I don’t even not like the season. But I do have, and have seen, legitimate constructive critiques about the narrative structure and storytelling. Because it’s a tv show. And I am watching it for entertainment. And there are rules and structure to creative writing and entertainment just like there are rules and structure to everything else.

It’s possible to get the point and like the show and still say “wow I noticed all this buildup and tension devoted to these subplots that never paid off in any narratively satisfying way that’s kind of a bummer and I’m disappointed.”

Junho could have failed to have a meaningful confrontation with his brother in a satisfying way. Gihun could have failed to have a confrontation with the frontman in a more satisfying way. Inho could have tried and failed to share his backstory in a more satisfying way. The plot points wouldn’t have had to change for the narratives to pay off.

Idk man everyone can have their own opinion OF COURSE but it’s so condescending to be like “maybe you just didn’t get it” like man the metaphors and analogies weren’t hidden they weren’t hard to see, we got them.

(And like yes sure the ppl saying “damn I wish Gihun threw away the baby and lived like a king with his double winnings” missed or rejected the parable of it all but most people did not.)

[mikansei]

from the trailblazer's perspective:

we met some weird guy who wears a statue on his head, who was kind of a dick to us, but then we went on a little entomological field trip where he was oddly encouraging. surprisingly nice to us afterward for all that he literally interrogated us first. but herta runs around as a doll and we're plenty weird ourselves, so dr. ratio is whatever, i guess. we probably think of him as "that weirdo who was on the herta space station once," which is an association i'm sure he'd hate - but hey, at least we don't call him "scholar king."

from the trailblazer's perspective:

we met some flashy IPC guy because we accidentally held him up in line at the hotel check-in, himeko tried to negotiate and it turns out he's a professional cutthroat negotiator, but it all worked out and he gave us his fancy room. he also loomed over us with freaky glowing eyes and maybe threatened us, but it was kinda vague and it's not like he really hurt us. well... until he did. the trailblazer gets the opportunity to be verbally sore about that, but the fight didn't really feel like cocolia, like phantylia; like aventurine had gone mad and wanted to take over and/or destroy the world. his grandstanding didn't make any sense to us at the time, though, and fighting him sucked ass. but we lived and - as we found out eventually - so did he.

then the trailblazer boards the radiant feldspar, and we see aventurine's hologram talking with ...boothill? okay. who explicitly says they're working out some kind of shady underhanded deal to find oswaldo schneider which, subtlety thy name is not boothill, but that's none of our business i guess. but aventurine's there(-ish) and alive and not cackling mad, which is an improvement.

then we go into the next room over and see that herta space station weirdo, dr. ratio.

huh???

and the first thing he says to us is "no wonder that gambler likes you so much."

huh???????

everything about this is news to the trailblazer. since when is dr. ratio not only on penacony, but in the dreamscape, aboard the exclusive invitation-only dream cruise ship? since when does he not only know of aventurine, but was apparently on this mission with him? since when does aventurine like us??? we just got done mutually trying to kill each other! his hologram didn't seem sore about it, which is great for us, but doesn't exactly translate into "like!"

why are we hearing this from him and not aventurine? why does he know aventurine's thoughts on us in the first place?

dr. ratio really just shows up, yaps about aventurine unprompted, recommends us reading material, complains about the crowd and then is like "k i'm done here. ur dismissed."

the trailblazer had bigger things to think about but i, the player, do not. the fandom at large may feel like 2.3 fell flat, but the fall of the roman empire is still within the wheelhouse of my roman empire. i never left the radiant feldspar. i am still aboard this fucking ship.

[musical-chick-13]

:) :) :)

[epicdogymoment]

gender and sexuality labels are so fucking hard how am i supposed to know how what i experience (already hard to pin down) compares to what "normal people" experience (completely unknown to me)

[mellowthorn]

i really love my daily routine of writing in the mornings, but what i don't love is having to go from writing (the best part of the day) to working (the worst part of the day) the second that clock strikes eight :(

[botslayer9000]

is there any possible way to brute-force vriska into positive character development

[poebrey]

this week has been so ass and now im supposed to be visiting relatives this weekend I don’t even want to see my immediate family anymore I’m fucking sick of these people and this fuckass town and this shitty apartment from hell

[shinycoating]

see maybe i'd be willing to entertain the escuela grind dogpile if some of it involved having a productive conversation

[monicahar]

bark like you want it...?

in which you jokingly treat them like a pet.

characters; phainon, mydeimos, anaxagoras

— gender neutral reader, established relationships, fluff, sugestive at anaxa's part, need ts after the hellscape the current amphoreus is in andddd hi yes im back with a kinda fun idea and uhhhh yeah sleep pronto (*ﾟ▽ﾟ)ﾉ

it was supposed to be all fun and games. you'd say 'sit' and you'd expect him to raise a brow or two before whining about how you're treating him rudely. instead and very much contrary, the next second, PHAINON is immediately sat without question.

"well, you told me to sit!" is his meek excuse, turning red just as fast when you doubled over and laughed for a minute straight.

you think it's weird and cute. he thinks it's betrayal.

"is it so bad that i want to please you?" he says weakly whilst patting down his attire upon as he stood up straight, still burning up in sheer embarrassment. it's truly a sight to see someone as proud as him get shy. "as if it's my fault..."

you disregard his mutterings as you finally calm your giggles down, "to that extent, though? what if i asked you to bark? hm?"

phainon displays a waver in confidence, constructing his words carefully and said, "well, i'd do anything for you," he then slides you a sidelong look, one that's clearly not impressed. "even if it's something like... barking and sitting on command."

it looked like it pained him to say the last part.

still, you're unable to keep the corners of your lips at bay, genuinely elated at his response.

but unfortunately for him, there always has to be a catch when it comes to your very-easy-to-tease boyfriend...

so you let your lashes flutter, watching carefully as his smile grows a tad wary at your shift in demeanor.

"phainon... you sure you're not into this?"

the future leader of the chrysos heirs — your cute little snowy, explodes into another burst of red, looking as scandalized as you expected.

"wha — what is that supposed to mean?!"

his pouty expression makes him look like a kicked puppy now that you think more about it — of which reminds you the way he begs for attention and kisses, is eager to please, also likes your praise, and often sulks in a corner whenever you don’t... like a puppy.

the resemblance is almost uncanny. how amusing.

"maybe you were a dog in your past life,"

"..."

"..."

"...um, are you going to elaborate?"

you simply smile in return.

MYDEI stares like you'd slapped him across the face when you tell him to roll over.

"what?" you prod further when he doesn't say anything in response, "you shy or something?"

a glint appears in his eyes and you already know what he's going to say next.

"there's no such thing in the kremnoan langua —"

"mydei," you stare back, rid of all humor. he stares back, equally fiery. "roll. over."

you can practically see all the stages of grief flash in his eyes within mere seconds, weighing his options against you. you inspect your nails in an attempt to hide your anticipation. mydei is a wildcard if anything.

would he pretend he didn’t hear anything? probable. would he be mean about it? probable too. would he actually go along with it? pfft, yeah, and pigs would start falling from the sky —

to your most and utter horror, he starts lowering himself to the ground.

you shriek and stop him from continuing any further by grabbing a hold of his shoulders. (drool...) "hey, hey! i was kidding, you freak!"

"who are you calling a freak?" he snaps, not looking very intimidating as he's already kneeling down on one knee before you. "and i'm just following as you told me, am i not?"

"y-yeah but..."

he stands up, half-heartedly glaring you down. "i set aside my pride for your antics and you halt me. why?"

"it's more like why were you about to go along with something that's obviously said in jest..."

"hm. aglaea told me that you would often have weird tendencies and commands," he shrugs your hand off of his shoulder, "and that i should obey them without question if i want a... happy you. something ridiculous like that."

your jaw hangs open. mydei akwardly closes it shut. "you... you consult aglaea about... me?"

he gives you a weird look, "relationships, to be more exact. and why wouldn't i? you're a lot of work."

you deflate, "that's mean, mydei."

the proud chrysos heir shifts his footing, frowning at the air like it wronged him. his words are strained yet truthful, "i just... want to make you happy. that is all."

oh my.

you couldn't hold it any longer and proceed to jump him, whilst pigs do start falling from the sky.

it's pretty much established that ANAXA would yoink you out of the room should you decide to pull that on him during one of his lectures. in front of his students? yeah, you're grounded whether you liked it not.

though, it'd be a completely different story outside such settings...

currently sifting through scrolls sprawled out on his desk was the man of the hour himself, and having decided to accompany him in your free time — your boredom had long kicked in before the idea popped into your mind.

you approach him quietly, before placing your hand on top his head.

"who's a good boy?"

his gaze does not waver from the surface of his desk, but you do catch his contemplative expression freezing for a short moment.

"if you wanted a chalk to your face, you could've just said so."

how romantic. you really can't go a day without your loving boyfriend.

you beam at him, pretending like he hadn’t just threatened you with his 'teaching' gun tool. "that's not very good of you, anaxa. want me to punish you?"

"i believe you're acting up because you haven't gotten plentiful rest. be a dear and go back to your room, will you?"

"you want me gone?" you playfully pout up at him, finally earning his attention as he directs his gaze towards you — a brow raised. "you're being reallyyy bad, right now. i can't believe you'd kick me out just like that."

a sigh escapes anaxa. his singular eye opens to stare you down. you subconsciously gulp down your nerves. did you provoke him too much?

"unprofessional conduct by reffering to me casually during work hours, petting me like some dog and threatening to punish me... pranks like these shall not be tolerated." his eye twinkles in something akin to amusement, "i'll take care of you later."

the tension reaches a stalemate.

your brain short-circuits.

"uh, what do you mean by —"

"you know i dislike it when people ask questions they already know the answer to," as cryptic as ever, he spares you one last glance before returning his attention down to the scrolls laid upon his desk.

heeding his warning of sorts, you depart and stand outside his office — unmoving.

you seem to have brought upon yourself another day of being... unable to walk.

3.4 is taking forever...

[harunayuuka2060]

Leona: Oi, Radish Sprout. Is this student yours?

Idia: Eek! Why are they with you?

Leona: *his eyebrows furrowed* Don't you think you should be looking after them?

Idia: Y-Yes... Did something happen?

Leona: ...

Leona: *sigh* My students used them as a target practice.

Idia: ...

Idia: You. *to MC* Weren't you in Diasomnia?

MC: Sebek ordered me to return to Ignihyde.

Idia: Then how did you end up in that situation?!

MC: I bumped into them.

Idia: ...

Leona: Hey, it's no use scolding them. Just stop being lazy and keep your eyes on them.

Idia: Yeah... Thanks for the heads-up.

Idia: Where does it hurt? *holding a first aid kit*

MC: *glances at their injuries, then touches their cheek, which is still tender from getting punched*

MC: ...

MC: *points at their cheek* Here.

Idia: ...

Idia: *breathes in* Ortho, could you come here, please? ASAP.

Ortho: *finished treating their wounds and bruises*

Ortho: How are you feeling?

MC: Fixed.

Idia: ...

Ortho: That’s good, but I don’t get why you didn’t stand up for yourself.

MC: Because they didn't ask me to.

Ortho: Who?

MC: The Savanaclaw students.

Ortho: ...

Ortho: According to the data I've gathered, MC possesses a human physical form, yet shows an abnormal absence of pain perception. Mentally, their cognitive patterns still align more with that of a wooden construct than a fully sentient human.

Ortho: *sighs* It's troublesome...

Idia: Tell me about it.

Idia: To be honest, I'm thinking of transferring them to another dorm.

Ortho: Eh? But why?

Idia: I'm simply not the best person for the job.

Ortho: Brother...

Professor Crewel: ...

MC: ...

Professor Crewel: Do you know why you're here?

MC: Idia found me troublesome.

Professor Crewel: And how do you feel about it?

MC: Am I supposed to feel something?

Professor Crewel: ...I think I understand why he quickly gave up on you.

[honeyhotteoks]

in bloom - part one (j.yh + j.wy); section one

summary: one night, you and your boyfriend and your best friend are watching a movie, only you didn’t realize this movie would have a sex scene this long. or that they would notice how uncomfortable it made you. when you finally confess to them why, they take their time guiding you through every life experience you’ve always felt too late for, one kiss at a time. part one; section one | part one; section two | part two masterlist

note: this was inspired by my 🪻 anon who sent a suggestion about a yunwoo fic centered on loss of virginity. what was supposed to be an ask reply became a full fic. see under the cut for more detailed notes and disclaimers. part two coming soon.

warnings: virginity, late bloomer reader (she’s 26), demisexual!reader, complex relationships to sex, sexuality, and pleasure. fluff, angst, and emotional hurt/comfort, frank conversations about sexual experiences and norms including body hair and preferences, references to disassociation during sex but in the past, brief mention/question about sexual trauma (there is none), bisexual!wooyoung, bicurious!yunho, nervous / inexperienced reader, shy reader, embarrassed reader, slow and i mean SLOW sexual acts, lots of consent, kissing galore, nipple play, body worship, masturbation (f), fingering, oral sex (f receiving), oral sex (m receiving), hand jobs, yunwoo teaching how to and reader learning for basically ever sex act….. lots of soft pet names y'all know me, an extremely earned 'good girl'

pairings: boyfriend!yunho x best friend!wooyoung x fem!reader

genre: smut and more smut

word count: 18.9k

note! this post was too long for tumblr, be sure to read section two here! or check it out on ao3

disclaimer:

this fic deals with complex feelings around loss of virginity, the "right age" to lose your virginity, as well as exploring different kids of sexualities, specifically demisexuality though it is not named as such in the fic. I want to emphasize that there is no "right age" to lose your virginity, and virginity itself is a social construct, but our reader here is 26 and feels late and has a lot of shame around her relationship to sex and arousal. this is not to say that 26 is "late" or there's anything wrong with it, but there are moments in the fic that she is very unkind to herself and it's because she needs to unpack these feelings not because I believe them to be true. regarding demisexuality, I did my best to use my research and understanding of demisexuality to offer a different understanding of arousal for my character here. for her, she is awkward and uncomfortable with sex to the point that it feels foreign to her, and the way she experiences sexual desires or arousal is different to any characters i’ve written or what she sees in media. for her, she needs a romantic or emotional connection with someone to feel that desire, so of course enter our boys and some classic quiet yearning. if you are more educated on demisexuality than I am, and feel that this tag is misplaced on this fic, please let me know. I always seek to be a responsible writer, and want to be sure this is a safe and inclusive space for all. thank you, happy reading!

You’ve never understood sex in movies. It’s always full of heavy breathing, frantic pawing at each other, and the sounds. The sounds. There’s no way people in real life actually sound like that if they’re not acting, you can’t imagine it. The few times you’ve tried to watch porn made you feel the same way, uncomfortable and anxious.

So it doesn’t help that this action movie has an unexpected sex scene and it definitely doesn’t help that you're sandwiched on the couch between your boyfriend and your best friend. 

The throwaway female character moans on screen, her head thrown back with a grimace of pleasure on her face and your hands tighten, your eyes looking down to avoid it completely. 

At twenty-six years old, watching a sex scene in a movie shouldn’t make you want to curl up in your own body and die, but here you are. The scene is long, full of heated tension and steamy camera angles even before the couple on screen starts to hastily undress and moan together in the sheets, and it makes your whole body vibrate with uncomfortable energy. 

Yunho is relaxed in the corner of your couch, legs spread out on the chaise, his arm wrapped around your shoulders as you nestle into his side. He’s sweet, your boyfriend of three going on four months, and he seems completely unfazed by the scene on screen. 

Wooyoung is lounging on your opposite side, his legs cutting a diagonal line across you so he can rest his feet on part of the chaise too, all three of you tucked up under blankets. 

You probably wouldn’t be so unable to process your discomfort had you not gone out with them earlier in the night, a few happy hour drinks and back to your place with takeout and some more beer to keep the good vibes going. If you were stone cold sober you would probably be fine, but you had a buzz earlier, and a buzz always makes you more emotional. 

“Damn,” Wooyoung huffs a laugh at the screen and takes a long swig of his beer, “get it,” 

Yunho exhales a laugh softly through his nose but doesn’t comment. 

You can’t even bring yourself to say a word. The idea of sex alone doesn’t always make you uncomfortable, but more often than not it does. It’s worse right now though, the number of times you had thought about sex while simultaneously not having it with Yunho these past few months makes you feel like this movie is just shoving your own anxiety and embarrassment in your face. 

“Holy shit is that position even possible?” Wooyoung says, but you keep your eyes downcast, the sounds of the tv telling you all you need to know.

Your stomach clenches when Yunho responds, “Possible? Yeah. Comfortable, not so much,” 

Heat rises in your cheeks. 

He’s your boyfriend, that should turn you on, make you flirty and funny like other girls your age, but all you feel is a stark reminder of your own inadequacy. 

“I don’t know,” Wooyoung takes another drink and glances towards you and Yunho, and it’s just like your best friend to say the thing no one else will, when he laughs and nudges your knee, “y/n, what’s got you all embarrassed?” 

Yunho looks down at that. 

“Hmm?” You try to play it off, looking back up towards the screen as the scene finally fades to black, “What do you mean? I’m fine,” 

Wooyoung snorts a little, “Yeah? Did the movie get you all flustered? Cute,” 

“Shut up,” You cross your arms, rolling your eyes and trying to look back to the screen, “you’re missing the movie,” 

Yunho’s hand slips from the back of the couch to your arm. 

“Thinking about trying all that out when I leave?” Wooyoung gives you a cheeky eyebrow. 

Heat pricks behind your eyes. 

“That’s ambitious,” Wooyoung continues, oblivious to his word’s effects, but Yunho’s picked up on your tension. 

“Hey,” Yunho says sharply, “leave her alone,” 

“Oof,” Wooyoung holds up a hand in surrender, “sorry, sorry, she knows I’m just teasing,” 

You look to the side, turning your head away from him to try to collect yourself, but there’s no stopping the conversation now. 

“It doesn't matter,” Yunho strokes your arm, “she’s uncomfortable, lay off.” 

“Fine,” Wooyoung sighs, “damn, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hit a nerve,” 

He more than hit a nerve. In true Wooyoung fashion as only he can do, he reached right in, exposed the nerve, and squeezed. You nod, swallowing tightly, and your plan is to tell him it’s no big deal and go back to pretending this never happened, but when you take in a breath it comes sharply and tears slip down over your cheeks. 

Yunho tenses, leaning forward to see you, “Baby?” 

“Fuck, are you crying?” Wooyoung sobers, sitting up and reaching for you, “I’m so sorry, I’m… I don’t know what I said, but don’t cry,” 

“I’m fine,” You suck in a breath and scrub your hands under your eyes, “I’m drunk, it’s fine,” 

“It’s not fine,” Yunho brushes your cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. 

“Hey,” Wooyoung wraps his arm around your back and gives your thigh a squeeze with his opposite hand as he leans into you, “it’s okay, you’re okay,” 

“It’s not you,” You sigh, dropping your teary face into your hands, “it’s stupid,”

“It’s not,” Wooyoung starts to say, but you keep going. 

  “Yunho,” Your breath hitches, remembering how only two nights ago you had backed away from sex with him, leaving his apartment early again, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” 

Both men still, but then Yunho sighs, “I told you, it’s okay,” 

“It’s not,” Your breath hitches again, and maybe it’s the alcohol or maybe it’s just the final tipping point of how angry you’ve been at yourself for months, years, but you say it, “it’s not okay that your girlfriend is fucking defective,” 

Wooyoung’s hand tightens on your knee, and Yunho sucks in a sharp breath, “Hey,” he says, “baby, what,” 

Something clicks in place, “You guys haven’t had sex,” Wooyoung blurts out.

“That’s not really any of your-,” Yunho starts to say, but you cut him off. 

“No,” 

“We’re just taking it slow,” Yunho shifts, drawing you closer, “and there is nothing wrong with that,” 

You shake your head, and suddenly the sound of the television cuts. 

“Yunho’s right,” Wooyoung rubs your back, “and I wouldn’t have teased you like that if I knew. I wasn’t trying to be mean, you know that, I just assumed we weren’t talking about stuff like that since we’re all friends, so it didn’t get weird,” 

Nervousness bubbles through you, and you push their hands away, “I should go,” 

“What?” Yunho says, confusion all over his face as you stand up. 

“Go? This is your apartment,” Wooyoung follows you, the blankets discarded on the floor. 

“To bed,” You manage, trying to recover as you try to physically remove yourself from the most uncomfortable conversation of your life, “I should go to bed.” 

“It’s eight o’clock,” Wooyoung reaches for you, “what is going on?” 

“Well, I’m tired,” Your legs are moving, heart pounding, but as you walk past the couch towards the hall Yunho’s hand closes around your wrist and pulls you to a stop.

“What did you mean, ‘my girlfriend's defective’?” Yunho asks softly, pulling you back to the couch, his voice gravelly with tension and concern. 

“Yunho,” You sigh. 

“No,” He shakes his head, “you’re running away,” 

“Yun-,” 

“I’ve been patient,” He insists, “I haven’t pushed, but what does that mean? What the hell would make you think there’s something wrong with you?” 

You rest a hand over your eyes, taking a shaky breath. 

“You can talk to us,” Wooyoung murmurs. 

“It’s embarrassing,” You manage.

Yunho’s thumb softly strokes over the veins in your wrist, but he stays quiet. 

“It can’t be that bad,” Wooyoung says warmly, “you know all my embarrassing secrets,” 

You pull your arm out of Yunho’s grip and shake your head, “Fuck,” 

“Baby,” Yunho murmurs. 

“Fine, fuck it,” After years of biting your tongue, you’re not sure here in this moment you can do it anymore, and the truth all but bursts out of your chest, “I’m a virgin.” 

You watch Yunho’s eyes grow wide with surprise. 

Crossing your arms tightly over your chest, you take a step back, “It’s really fucking embarrassing, okay? So there, that’s it.” 

Yunho’s still for a moment, and then he pushes off the couch, stepping over the chaise to get to you. Your stomach feels like it’s dropped out under you, and for once Wooyoung is absolutely silent, watching your boyfriend to see exactly how he’ll respond. 

Yunho settles in front of you, sitting on the arm of the couch so that you’re eye to eye and then he gently touches your arms, “Sweetheart,” he says softly, “you have nothing to be embarrassed about.” 

His hands run up and down your upper arms slowly and you soften, “But,” 

He shakes his head, “That doesn’t make you defective,” he squeezes you, “I don’t want to ever hear you say that about yourself again,” 

You sigh, “It’s not just that,” 

“Then what?” He soothes you, pulling you a little closer until you’re standing between his open legs, “Talk to me,” 

“I’ve tried,” You explain quietly, “but I just can’t, and it’s not fair to you,” 

“You’ve tried,” Wooyoung processes those words clearly, and you finally glance at your best friend. 

You can only manage a nod. 

“To have sex?” Yunho infers. 

“In school,” Your cheeks heat and you try to pull away but Yunho keeps you in his hands. 

“That night at Yonsei,” Wooyoung blurts out as the puzzle pieces of his memory align and slot together. 

You grimace. That was the night you figured out how mismatched you and sex were, the night in college you decided to throw caution and fear aside and get a little drunk and just get it over with. Only it didn’t matter how hot your almost-hookup was, or how charming, the minute he had his hands on you everything changed in your brain. It was like you were disappearing inside yourself, feeling bleeding out of you until you were just a body you didn’t recognize. It had spun you right into a panic attack that left you running out of his apartment and straight to your best friend’s arms. 

“What happened at Yonsei?” Yunho tenses, looking between you both. 

Wooyoung looks at you for a long moment, “She met a guy at a party, and two hours later she was crying on my doorstep. You said nothing happened, you said he was just a jerk,” 

“He was fine, it was me,” You murmur, “I couldn’t do it,” 

“That was years ago though,” Wooyoung offers. 

You feel your cheeks heat up again, “I’ve tried to hook up with other people,” 

“Oh,” Wooyoung’s shoulders drop, his eyes going tender, “babe, why didn’t you tell me?” 

“It’s just so uncomfortable, I’m so mortified by the whole thing,” You rub your hands over your eyes, sighing into your palms. 

Yunho’s watching you carefully, but you can see him thinking and finally he says, “Were you ever planning on telling me?” 

Your stomach clenches and you can’t come up with anything to say. 

“Oh god,” His eyes widen, “you weren’t going to tell me, were you?” 

“I thought it might be different with you,” You murmur, “once I got up the nerve,” 

Yunho stands, running a hand through his hair, “Baby,” he steps away, pacing the length of the couch, “you can’t be serious,”

You expected him to be upset, but confusion at why he’s angry fills you, “What?” 

“I could tell you were a little inexperienced, that’s fine, but never? I could have hurt you, or gone too fast, y/n,” Yunho finally faces you, “we’re in a partnership, sex should be about both of us, and losing your virginity isn’t something to just get over with,” 

“I know,” You tell him, even though you really don’t have a good grasp on that at all, “I’m sorry, please don’t be upset,” 

“I’m not upset,” He sighs, “I’m… I don’t know,”

You’re quiet, panic curling in your gut that your worst fear of losing him was happening right in front of your eyes, but then Wooyoung interjects and the night seems to take the strangest turn with one sentence.

  “If it helps,” He says, “I’m also a virgin,” 

You and Yunho both swing around to look at him and you let out a startled laugh, “What? No you’re not, I literally know people you’ve hooked up with,” 

“I mean,” He nods, “okay, not a total virgin, in terms of percentages I think you win,” 

You laugh again at the absurdity of his words, clapping a hand over your lips. 

“I’ve done pretty much everything except had my dick in someone,” He says earnestly, “it’s not that big of a deal, I’m sure it’ll happen at some point with the right person,” 

“But,” You blink,  “you’ve dated so many people,” 

“Right, well,” He clears his throat, throwing a quick look at Yunho, “with girls it’s mostly just getting each other off and with guys, I’m uh, not exactly topping,” 

“Oh,” You manage. 

“My point is,” He steps towards you and cups your cheeks, “your very sweet boyfriend is right, there is nothing wrong with you. And if something is making you uncomfortable you’re not going to get over that by ignoring it or lying to people who care about you and want to take care of you.” 

There’s nothing to say to that. 

“Virginity is bullshit anyways,” He says firmly, “it doesn’t mean anything real, so if you’re a virgin so am I.” 

“Woo,” You sigh. 

“Yunho,” Wooyoung looks to the side, “come hug your girlfriend,” 

You smile, and in a second Yunho’s arms are around you, pulling you up and into his embrace. 

“This makes so much sense,” Yunho sighs, a little relieved as he rubs your back. 

“You’re sure you’re okay with it?” You ask into his chest, “I think most guys think,” 

“Fuck most guys,” Yunho shakes his head, “you’re not dating most guys.” 

“But,” 

“Woo,” He says, “back me up here,” 

Wooyoung laughs, “He’s right, most guys wouldn’t care,” he says, “but we definitely would want to know,” 

“You would?” You untangle yourself from Yunho to look at your best friend, “I mean, isn’t it all the same for you?” 

You know the question is naive the second it leaves your lips. Yunho’s hand stills on your upper arm, and Wooyoung cocks his head to the side before answering, “No, not really,” 

“At all,” Yunho adds, “there’s a lot I would do differently knowing that,” 

Wooyoung nods, “Same,” 

You run a hand through your hair, “I just feel like… I don’t know that’s not what it seemed like when I… or, fuck, this is so embarrassing,” 

“Come here,” Wooyoung pulls you into his chest and gives you a solid hug, “stop worrying what we think, we’re not judging you,” 

“Woo,” You murmur into his shoulder, “you don’t know, I think my brain is broken,” 

“No,” He soothes you, “come on, let’s all sit back down, we can talk,” 

You swallow tightly, but nod. 

Wooyoung pulls you gently back to your original position on the couch and Yunho follows, sliding into his spot and pulling the blankets up over all three of you as you settle in. 

“You can tell us,” Wooyoung says, tucking the blanket under your feet. 

Yunho nods before brushing his fingers along your cheekbone and tucking your hair behind your ear, “You okay?” 

You shrug a little, “I guess,” 

“You can tell me anything,” Yunho squeezes your hand, “I really care about you, y/n, I promise you can trust me,” 

You nod, and then you brace yourself for the questions, for the way you’re about to be more honest with these two men than you’ve been with yourself. 

“When you say you can’t,” Yunho brushes his thumb over your knuckles, “what do you mean?” 

You let out a slow breath, “I’ve never told anyone this,” 

Wooyoung smooths a hand over your knee under the blanket, a comforting rub of his skin on yours. 

“Um,” You don’t know where to start. 

“Does it hurt?” Wooyoung prompts you softly, “I know for some girls that’s a thing, right?” 

Yunho’s thumb stops moving, and he squeezes your hand again. 

“It’s not that,” You shake your head. 

“Okay,” Wooyoung murmurs, soft like he’s coaxing it out of you. 

“It’s,” You search for the right way to explain, “I don’t know why, but whenever I’m, um, intimate with someone it’s like I’m not there,” 

Yunho’s brow furrows as he studies your face. 

“It feels like I’m, I don’t know, not in my body anymore?” You try to explain, “Like I’m watching everything happen from the outside, like i’m stuck like that, and then I just panic,” 

Your words sit for a moment and then Wooyoung says, “That sounds really scary,” 

The tension left in your chest snaps and you suck in a sharp breath, “It is,” 

Yunho separates your hands and shifts closer to you on the couch, his body close and angled towards you, his hand cupping the back of your head, “You’re dissociating,” 

“Yeah,” 

He nods, “How many times has this happened?” 

“Um,” You look up, flicking through your memory, “a few times, three times,” 

“Was it always the same?” He asks. 

“Mostly,” You nod. 

“What really happened, then?” Wooyoung asks quietly, “At Yonsei,” 

“I told you most of it,” You say honestly, “he and I went upstairs at the party to his room, we you know, made out a bit which was okay. He didn’t mind that I was a virgin, and everything was okay, but then he started touching me and I just… yeah, I shut down, and then I started to hate it, and then I freaked out on him and ran off,” 

“And the other times?” Yunho’s hand slips down to settle on your neck.

  “Pretty much the same,” You tell them, “the second guy was someone from a class at this party, and then I swore sex off for a while, but tried again a couple of years ago with a guy at a bar. I thought a few drinks would help me relax, but getting more drunk just made it worse. I stopped trying after that,” 

Yunho’s hand tightens on your neck, “Jesus,” 

“It’s bad, I know,” 

He shakes his head, waving his other hand to dispel your assumption, “No, but I don’t like the idea of you in that situation at all.” 

“It was fine,” You sigh, “I definitely freaked that guy out though, I started crying the minute he took my shirt off. He got me cup of tea and put me in a cab home after that,” 

Wooyoung squeezes your leg and you turn to him, “Can I ask you something that’s a little… I don’t want to upset you, but,” 

“Ask,” You nod. 

“Did something happen when we were kids, or in school?” His eyes are soft, tender as he asks his careful question. 

Yunho stiffens but you quickly shake your head, “Nothing like that,” 

Wooyoung lets out a relieved breath. 

“I know it’s awful to say this,” You admit quietly, resting your hand on Wooyoung’s, “but sometimes I wish it were that clear, at least then I’d have a reason, something to make sense of it, but I’m just… like this.” 

Wooyoung nods, but doesn’t have anything to say to that. 

Heat creeps into your cheeks and you figure you might as well keep confessing, “I thought about asking you, actually,” 

“Me?” Wooyoung’s eyebrows raise. 

“Yeah,” You laugh, “after the second time, I figured it was a mental block about losing my virginity or something, so I thought about telling you and asking for your help since we’ve been friends so long, but you were dating guys by then, so I figured, you know,” 

“I still like girls,” 

“I know!” You rush to correct yourself, “I just saw how good things were for you, I didn’t want to, I don’t know, be a charity case,” 

“y/n,” He shakes his head, “you’ve been my best friend since we were six, I love you, you could never be a charity case to me. I would have helped you then, I would, well yeah,” 

Wooyoung clears his throat, his eyes flicking to Yunho, “Not in a weird way, I’m not trying to,” 

“Relax,” Yunho says, “I know you’re not.” 

You sink deeper into the back of the couch, leaning into Yunho’s warm touch still anchored on your neck. 

“Baby,” Yunho murmurs, “how has it been with me?” 

“Oh,” You straighten up, turning towards him. 

“Honestly,” He adds. 

You think about all the ways Yunho upended you. Friends first, flirtations second, touches coming so much later. There’s heat with him, nervous bubbles in your belly, and you swear sometimes when he kisses you, you can feel the vibrating frequency of it on your lips for days. 

“It’s different,” You tell him, “really different,” 

He nods, encouraging you more. 

“That’s why I thought maybe this would work out,” You confess, “I want more with you, but I also… if it is me, and I can’t do it, I don’t want to ruin this. I’m really scared of fucking this up,” 

“You’re not going to,” 

“Yunho,” 

“You’re not.” He says firmly. 

“Babe,” Wooyoung gives you another squeeze, “I think I know what’s going on,” 

You and Yunho both turn to look, “What do you mean?” 

“Those guys,” He smiles a little, “they were random hookups at parties, they were probably drunk and definitely not treating you right, but did you even like them? Were you even into them when you went upstairs?” 

You blink, “Into them?” 

“Yeah,” He nods, “like did you get hot and heavy on the dance floor and want to rip each other’s clothes off, or did you just… pick a guy to lose it to,” 

“Woo,” The question alone embarrasses you. 

“I don’t think you can just hook up with anyone,” He explains softly, “I think you don’t want to, or maybe, I’m not sure, but maybe you don’t feel arousal unless you care about the person.” 

You sit silently in that knowledge for a moment. It’s something you thought about, the idea of needing the romance element. It’s not like you lacked a sex drive, it just never felt like other people’s. You weren’t a porn watcher, you didn’t think about sex or sexual things when you saw someone hot. Growing up people would always make comments about people’s bodies, the way it made them feel, the things they wanted to do, but you always just felt hollow. The only times in your life you’ve felt those deep in your gut stirrings was reading one of your romance novels, or from the two men on either side of you now. 

“It would make sense why intimacy feels different with Yunho,” He sums up softly, “and why you would have felt safe enough with me to ask.” 

Your mind is still turning that over when Yunho softly interjects, “With me,” he asks gently, “when we’re kissing, you seem to like it, to be there. Right?” 

You nod immediately, “Definitely,” 

“And have you thought about us doing more than that?” Yunho’s fingers gently card through your hair. 

“A lot,” You admit, your cheeks heating up again, “I just… I was afraid it would happen again.” 

“Okay,” Yunho murmurs, his fingers soft against your scalp. 

“I’ve only ever felt that for you,” You confess, and at that you feel Wooyoung’s hand slip off your knee and you turn sharply, grabbing his hand to keep him from pulling away from you, “and you, I’ve also, I used to, yeah,” 

It’s Wooyoung’s turn to soften, his eyes flicking nervously from yours to Yunho’s and back, “You’re uh,” he stumbles over his words, “you’re saying Yunho and I are the only guys who have ever made you, uh,” 

“Horny?” You supply with a smile, “and I thought I was the embarrassed virgin,” 

“Shut up,” Wooyoung rolls his eyes, “you know what I mean,” 

“Yeah,” You laugh, “but yeah, I guess… what you said makes sense, sex has never clicked with me, I don’t really feel that kind of attraction at first, but you’re my best friend.” 

Wooyoung swallows nervously. 

Turning back to Yunho you cup his cheek, holding his gaze, “And I feel more connected to you than anyone,” you tell him honestly, “we were friends for a little while before you ever asked me out and things have been… the way I feel is so,” 

You can’t quite get the words out, but he nods, “Me too,” 

Yunho shifts forwards and places a single, soft kiss on your lips before leaning back and clearing his throat. He squeezes your hand again, his thumb still working an unconsciously comforting pattern on the back of your hand, and you wonder if he realizes just how at ease he puts you. 

Wooyoung shifts next to you, “Can I ask something else?” 

“Hmm?” You turn to him, pulling your gaze from Yunho’s, “Sure,” 

“The movie,” He nods to the blank TV screen, “that kind of thing, were you just embarrassed because we’re both here, or do you not watch stuff like that at all?” 

Your nose crinkles, “Are you asking me if I watch porn?” 

Wooyoung laughs sharply, “I mean that was hardly porn, but yeah, I guess I’m curious,” 

“Uh,” You shrug, “I mean, no? I don’t, no,” 

“Why?” Yunho asks, and then clarifies, “It’s fine that you don’t, I guess I’m curious too,” 

“It just seems so fake,” You admit, “all the moaning and the screaming, I mean I’ve never,” 

Wooyoung’s eyebrows raise. 

You clap a hand over your lips and shake your head, “Nevermind,” 

Yunho looks positively amused, leaning his head onto his hand, elbow propped up on the couch arm, “Go on,” 

You shake your head, hiding your own smile behind your fingers. 

“When you jack off?” Wooyoung supplies with a grin. 

“Woo!” You slap his arm and feel your face heating back up. 

“Sorry,” He says, but he’s not, and he doesn’t lose the smile, “when you masturbate, you do masturbate don’t you?” 

“Yes, I masturbate,” Your voice drops to a hushed, almost scandalized whisper. 

Yunho’s hand brushes over the back of your head and settles on your neck, “Baby,” he says, “you’re fine, you don’t have to be shy.” 

“Jesus,” Your eyes shut and you shake your head. 

Yunho shifts back towards you, “We can stop talking about this though, if you’re actually uncomfortable we can be done.” 

“I’m fine,” You manage, “I just… I don’t talk about this kind of thing regularly,” 

He nods. 

With a sigh you run a hand through your hair, “Yeah, so I don’t know, when I… well, you know, it’s just different than…. yeah, you know,” 

Wooyoung snorts a laugh and Yunho grins at your word salad. 

They wait for you to say more, but finally Yunho translates, “You’re saying when you touch yourself, it doesn’t feel like what porn looks like, like what the women in porn are experiencing?” 

“Basically,” You let out a tense breath. 

“Have you actually orgasmed before?” Yunho asks. 

You separate your hands from the boys, and rest the back of your cool fingers on your cheeks, “Yeah, I mean, yes,” 

“Listen,” Yunho smooths his hand over your thigh, “I’m not saying porn is realistic, a lot of it isn’t, but with the right person it can definitely make you feel a lot better than I think you realize.” 

“Sometimes it’s pretty loud,” Wooyoung adds, leaning back against the couch cushions. 

“Fuck,” You hide your face in your hands, “this is crazy, what am I like fifteen? You must think I’m such a baby,” 

“No,” Yunho soothes you, “I think you needed to find the right guy, and if Woo’s right and you need the romantic part before the rest, I mean, it would make sense why porn isn’t your thing.” 

Your mind flicks back to all the guys you’ve tried to lose it to in the past. The three you made it far enough with that it left a lasting impression, but also every other guy you considered. 

“I’m just so behind now,” You admit your fears quietly, “if we can even have sex, I’m so… I’m just so late,” 

“Learning’s half the fun,” Wooyoung says plainly. 

Yunho’s hand slides over your back, “Mhm,” he murmurs, “and if I am the right guy, then, baby, I’d be more than happy to teach you,” 

“Cute,” Wooyoung comments. 

Something warm and tight solidifies in your gut at his words. 

You don’t realize you haven’t responded until Yunho gently pulls your hands away from your face, “You okay? Jagi?” 

You nod, “I’m good, just, thinking, I guess,” 

He looks nervous, you realize. 

“You’re definitely the right guy,” You take his hands in yours, “I’m sorry, I’m a little overwhelmed.” 

Overwhelmed isn’t exactly the right word for it. 

You’re starting to notice all the little ways he’s touching you, and then you start to realize all the little ways Wooyoung is touching you too. With other people, this kind of intimate touch would twist your stomach in the wrong way, but with them it’s a pleasant kind of warmth, syrupy and soft, and it makes you want to kick off the blankets and drink a cold glass of water. 

Wooyoung’s hand brushes over your hair, “What are you thinking?” 

“I don’t know,” You breathe, “I’m just glad I told you both.”

He nods, “I’m glad you told us too,” 

“Yeah,” Yunho nods, “and whenever you’re ready we’ll,” 

The words spill out of you, “I’ve been ready,” 

Yunho’s eyebrows raise, his lips quirked up on one side into a smile. Now that the dam is broken, it seems all your thoughts and secrets just keep flooding out. 

“Sorry,” You huff a soft laugh. 

“Don’t be,” Yunho replies, “I like you more comfortable, you’re allowed to tell me stuff like that,” 

You nod. 

Wooyoung’s hand slips off your leg and you feel your stomach twist. He’s pulling back, putting distance between your bodies, and something deep down feels wrong. 

“Well, I should probably get out of here,” He says, taking that as his cue to leave. 

You can’t help the way your face falls at the idea, and Yunho’s eyes flick over your expression. 

Wooyoung cleans up his little space on the table, walking into your kitchen, and something deeply unspoken passes between you and Yunho.

You hear the bottles clink in the recycling, and the sound of running water as Wooyoung washes his hands and cleans off his dish. 

“y/n,” Yunho murmurs, “are you sobered up?” 

You blink, but nod. He knows as well as you do that you’ve only had one slow beer since getting back from the happy hour several hours ago, but he’s giving you the chance to pull the emergency brake on the rest of the night if you need it.

Wooyoung walks out, finding his jacket and pulling it on, “Text me later, and uh, thanks for drinks earlier,” 

Your best friend isn’t meeting your eyes. 

“Wooyoung,” Yunho interrupts, leaning forwards with his elbows on his knees, “I think you should stay.” 

His head snaps up, “What?” 

“I think you should stay,” He reiterates, “I think y/n wants you here, but is too scared to ask for that.” 

The curling, heavy warmth returns in your belly. 

”But,” Wooyoung blinks. 

”I’m not sure what we’ll do tonight,” Yunho offers, “but if y/n is comfortable enough to be this honest, and if we’re the only two guys that have ever made her feel the right way about sex, then I think you should stay.” 

Wooyoung’s eyes widen and flash to yours. 

Smoothly, Yunho turns to you, “If you want that,” he murmurs, “all of us figuring this out together, I want you to know that I’m good with it.” 

“All of us as in all three of us?” You manage, surprise coursing through you. 

Yunho stays the calm center between you and your best friend, and looks to Wooyoung, “Woo?” 

A silent conversation passes between them, you can tell that much from watching their every micro expression, but then Wooyoung nods, “But it’s up to y/n,” 

Yunho turns his focus back to you, “Only if you want it,” he says, “but you’d be safe with us, and you know us, and now that we know where you’re at we can take it slow and make sure you’re connected the whole time.” 

A light bulb turns on for Wooyoung and he nods, “We also definitely don’t have to have sex if you’re not ready for that, we could just mess around,” 

Yunho nods. 

This is probably going to be something that you’ll regret, but you hope not. If nothing else, the feeling in your body now isn’t anxiety or fear or numbness, it’s want. 

You want it. 

And you’ve been trying to figure out a way to want this for as long as you can remember. 

“Let’s do it,” You exhale, nodding, “let’s try,” 

Yunho smiles. 

“Shit,” Wooyoung laughs, “are you sure? We’re doing this?” 

“I mean,” You pick up on the infectiousness of his laugh, “who knows maybe this ends in twenty minutes with a panic attack, but, fuck it,” 

Yunho shakes his head, cupping your cheek, “We’re stopping before it gets that far,” 

You nod, pushing down the litter flutter of nervousness in your gut, “S-so how do we start?” 

“Let’s go to bed,” Yunho offers softly, “no rush, just to get comfortable.” 

“Okay,” Your voice is soft. 

Wooyoung reaches out to you and you slot your hand in his as he says, “Damn, who would have thought we’d be losing our virginity together,” 

Yunho snorts a laugh behind you and you roll your eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah,” you let him pull you to your feet, “you’re loving this, I see,” 

Wooyoung shrugs. 

Yunho stands and slides behind you, his hands softly gripping your waist, “Still good?” 

“Mhm,” You nod, and honestly Wooyoung’s teasing has you more relaxed then before, “good,” 

Wooyoung leans in and presses a quick kiss to your cheek, walking back towards your bedroom like it’s his own, “Come on,” he calls back over his shoulder, “let’s go pop some cherries,” 

You fall apart into hysterical laughter, stumbling forwards with Yunho still close at your back, the three of you collapsing into bed together with an ease you’ve never experienced in your entire life. 

Once the laughing starts to fade though, you’re acutely aware that you’re in the center of the bed and they are snuggled close on either side of you, just under the duvet and nestled close. 

“This is nice,” Wooyoung breaks the ice softly. 

“Mhm,” Yunho smiles, “I kind of thought this might happen someday.” 

“A threesome?” You laugh. 

“I mean,” Yunho shrugs, his hand brushing up and down your bare arm, “you two are kind of a package deal,” 

Wooyoung snorts a laugh, “I’ve heard that one before,” 

“I don’t mind,” Yunho smiles, “I like you around,” 

He smiles back, rolling closer into you and propping his head up on a hand, “Dude,” he laughs, “do you even like dick?” 

To your absolute surprise, Yunho smirks, “I dabbled in college,” 

“You did?” Your eyes widen.

Yunho shrugs again, “Some,” 

“Holy shit,” Wooyoung shakes his head, “this is going to be fun,” 

“Slow down,” Yunho rolls his eyes and nods to you, “we’ve got a million things to get through first,” 

A nervous knot starts to form in your gut at their attention, but you take a slow, steady breath. 

“Sweetheart,” Yunho catches your attention, his fingers gentle on your jaw, “how are you feeling?” 

“Good,” You murmur, “mostly,” 

“What’s the not good part?” He asks. 

You sigh, “I’m just nervous,” 

“Me too,” He admits, his fingers sliding up and down your jaw, “Wooyoung, are you nervous?” 

“Definitely,” 

“Nervous is normal,” Yunho smiles a little, “and we’re going to take our time. There’s no rush, we have nowhere to be, and there’s no wrong way to do this,” 

Your shoulders soften. 

“If you start to feel scared or like you’re out of your body,” Yunho cups your cheek properly, “I want you to say ‘red’, okay?” 

You’ve read enough romance novels to know exactly what the color system is and when to use it, but coming from your sweet, patient boyfriend, you’re a little surprised. 

Your brow furrows, “Why not stop?” 

He smiles wider, “Because,” he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to your lips before continuing, “if we do this right, you might start saying things like ‘don’t stop’, and I don’t want any of us confused about what we are hearing,” 

Something inside you flutters and you nod. 

Wooyoung smiles, an eyebrow raised, “Colors?” 

“You’re familiar?” Yunho smirks. 

“Yeah,” Wooyoung laughs, “a little surprised that you are, but what do I know,” 

Yunho ignores that comment, and you try not to fixate on the fact that if Yunho is that experienced, it might mean something about his relationship to sex that you’re not ready for. 

“Now, nice and slow,” Yunho’s voice is warmer, deeper in his chest and that pulls you right out of your thought spiral. 

“We’ll get comfortable,” Wooyoung kisses your shoulder gently. 

“Yeah,” You breathe. 

“You like kissing me, right?” Yunho shifts closer, his fingers gentle on your jaw.

It feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room, but you nod, “Uh huh,” 

He smiles a little, his pretty mouth parting as he leans towards you, “Just let yourself feel me,” 

“Kay,” You breathe.

  His lips connect to yours. 

Warm, soft, and slow, just the press of his mouth. He’s gentler than before, now that he knows your secret, but instead of feeling overwhelmed, you just feel safe. He nuzzles you with his nose, taking a little breath as your mouths part, but then he kisses you again, not an ounce of urgency in his touch. 

With gentle reverence, he lets you warm to being touched, he lets you adjust. 

Yunho brushes his thumb back and forth over your jaw, and you feel your shoulders soften, physically relaxing into the bedding. 

Your fingers grip down on his shirt, fabric bunching as the mere weight of your hand strains the soft cotton against the buttons. He’s warm, his skin, his breath. You can feel the thump of his steady heart against your fingers, and when he sighs against your lips you feel like his warmth has seeped right from his skin to yours. 

You shiver, some knot of tension inside you starting to unspool. 

Slowly, Yunho pulls back just enough to catch your eyes, “You okay?” 

There’s no pressure in his eyes, no push for more or irritation under the surface. Nothing like what you’ve seen with any partner before this. 

All you see in Yunho’s eyes is patience. 

“Yeah,” You nod, “I think so,” 

Yunho smiles a little. 

“It’s nice,” You murmur, “you feel nice,” 

“Nice is good,” Yunho smiles wider. 

Wooyoung’s fingers brushing along your hip bring you back to reality, and you turn your head just slightly, catching sight of your best friend. 

He’s watching you both with such affection it nearly bowls you over. You expected heat in his eyes; hunger, lust, uncontrollable desire, all the things you’ve seen a million times before in movies. You’ve heard plenty about Wooyoung’s nights out too, his stories of hookup after hookup leave little to the imagination, but here in bed all you see when you look at him is your best friend. 

“Hey,” You murmur a little lamely. 

“Hey,” Wooyoung smiles, adjusting his position on his side, propping his head up on his hand. 

For a second, you look at him, really look at him. 

His skin is tanned from the summer sun, making his brown eyes a richer, deeper tone with warm flecks of amber. His dark black hair has gotten longer too, just starting to brush the top of his shoulders with a natural soft wave, making him habitually brush his hand through his locks. His straight brow, the distinct cut of his nose, the lovely crooked curve of his lips, one dark mole under his left eye. 

“You’re staring, cutie,” Wooyoung wags an eyebrow to tease you, but keeps his tone kind. 

“Sorry,” You feel your cheeks heat. 

“You’re okay,” He assures you, “what are you thinking about?” 

“Nothing really,” You fib. 

He bites his lip to keep from shooting back a playful retort, and then he sighs, glancing between you and Yunho before ripping off the proverbial band-aid, “y/n,” he murmurs, “do you want to try kissing me too?” 

Your stomach bubbles with something new. 

Reflexively, you look to your boyfriend, surely if he’s not comfortable he would say something, but Yunho only nods. 

“It’s okay,” Yunho promises, “I want you to,” 

You nod, back to Wooyoung, and slowly you both shift towards one another. 

“I got you, babe,” Wooyoung assures gently as he gets closer, the heat of his body resonating through his clothes and yours. 

You take in a quiet breath, and then you feel his lips. 

His kiss is different, lighter at first. Hesitant like he’s coaxing out a secret from inside you, letting you come to him. You think faintly in the back of your mind it’s the first time Wooyoung’s ever eased you into anything, you’ve been dragged along behind him in his chaotic orbit since you were kids, but this time he moves so slowly and so gingerly you can’t help but smile against his lips. 

You exhale a little laugh, and you feel his lips curve upwards, his hand sliding forwards to find your hand, thumb gentle against the center of your palm. 

With a breath his eyes flick over you, “Still okay?” 

You nod again, and that bubbling strangeness in your belly returns, not nerves, but something else entirely. 

Yunho shifts his body next to you, both of your boys now properly leaning on their sides on either side of you, before he leans in and presses a kiss to your temple. 

Wooyoung grins, dropping his face to rest his forehead against your shoulder and he exhales a sigh of relief, “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” 

Your chest tightens, “Why?” 

“You’re my best friend,” He kisses your shoulder twice over the two freckles that stand out on your skin, “but I’ve wanted to do this for years,” 

“We kissed before,” You lean into Yunho’s heat as you look down at him. 

“We were eleven,” Wooyoung rolls his eyes. 

“Cute,” Yunho smiles. 

Wooyoung presses his lips to your shoulder again but stays still, just resting his mouth on your skin, before sucking in a breath and looking up at you, “Can I kiss you again?” 

“Yeah,” You can barely breathe. 

This time, he reaches up and cups your cheek, drawing your jaw towards him so he can lock your lips together properly. 

“I promise,” He says between kisses, “we’ll take such good care of you,” 

Your chest warms. 

“Won’t we?” Wooyoung throws a look to your boyfriend. 

“Mhm,” Yunho’s voice is rich and warm in his throat, “you’re safe with us.” 

Your chest tightens and then loosens pleasantly, nervous jitters starting to fade. 

  Wooyoung leans back, and they adjust their bodies once again so that you’re cradled between them. 

The quiet between you is soft, full of warmth. Not silence exactly, just no one rushing to fill the air. 

You don’t need to say anything, or do anything, you just rest here in the moment with their hands anchoring your body and your chests rising and falling in time with each other. 

Yunho finally nuzzles your hair gently with his nose, “Sweetheart,” he says softly in your ear, “can I touch you a little more?” 

You can feel your heartbeat pick up, but you nod. 

Yunho’s hand slides over the curve of your shoulder, fingertips gently skating over the swell of your chest, down your stomach until he rests there lightly at your waist. He doesn’t push or guide his hand anywhere else, he just waits, his palm a warm weight as he lets you get used to his hands searching your body. 

“You’re trembling,” Wooyoung murmurs. 

You hadn’t even realized, but you are. Just enough that they can see it, feel it, and your hand twitches in Wooyoung’s loose hold. 

“Is it okay?” Yunho asks, so quiet it’s barely a breath. 

You nod, turning your head to find his eyes, searching inside yourself for the right way to say what you’re feeling, “It’s not the bad kind,” 

“Yeah?” His eyes, deep brown and round, search yours. 

“I’m not scared,” You manage. 

“Does it feel good?” He checks softly. 

“Yeah,” You breathe. 

Yunho leans in, kissing you once more, “Thank you for telling me,” he murmurs.

Your breath catches in your throat, emotion striking you deep in the center of your chest, and all you can manage back is a nod. 

With deliberate slowness, their eyes steady on you, their hands start to move. They smooth over your body slowly, mapping your skin, your curves, but with a featherlight touch. They don’t take anything you aren’t willing to give or ask your body for any answers it doesn’t have yet, they just feel. Letting you get accustomed to them, the way Yunho’s long fingers tickle as they glide over your pulse points, and how warm Wooyoung’s rough palms are as he brushes your skin. 

Wooyoung’s palm settles over the blanket on your thigh and rests steadily as Yunho cups your face and draws you into another kiss. You shift up into it, pressing towards him for a little more sensation, a little more pressure, and the blanket that was up around your shoulders sinks down to your waist. 

Yunho glances down, fingers gentle on your shoulder, “How’s this?” 

“Good,” You reply, a little breathless from the kiss. 

Wooyoung squeezes your thigh and you let out a heavy exhale, feeling warmth spreading through your body slowly like molasses. 

“More?” Wooyoung murmurs. 

You nod. 

Yunho’s fingers hook under the straps of your top and he gingerly slides his fingers up and down, knuckles brushing your skin as he nods towards your shirt, “Can we take this off?” 

You hesitate, just for a split second. He hasn’t seen you like that before, neither of them have. Everytime you and Yunho had kissed, even made out, and gotten close to anything more the second his hand slipped under your shirt you had stumbled off his lap with an excuse to leave. 

This was uncharted territory with them. 

Wooyoung’s voice grounds you though, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he offers, “it’s just a shirt,” 

“No,” You gather yourself, “I want to,” 

With shaking fingers you reach for the hem of your tank top, shifting in the bedding to try and pull it up. 

“Can I help?” Yunho says, hand hovering near yours, ready to touch you at the first breath of permission. 

“Please,” You let your hands fall away. 

He swallows tightly, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat and you feel something tighten inside you as you watch him. He draws your shirt up as you sit up a bit to make it a bit easier, and Wooyoung reaches up to help with the other side. Both of them tug your shirt free over your head as you sink back against the pillows. 

A little chill runs through you, and you find yourself pulling up the blanket a little. 

Yunho sighs though, his expression softening as his eyes skate over your full breasts, only the thin fabric of your black bra standing between you. 

Your fingers nervously curl into the blanket. 

“You’re so pretty, baby” Yunho murmurs. 

Wooyoung nods, “God,” he says, shaking his head with a soft laugh, “sorry, it’s just, you’re so-,”

“Beautiful,” Yunho amends his words, “you’re beautiful,” 

When he says it like that, it doesn’t sound like a question, or even an opinion, he says it like it’s a fact. An obvious, knowable truth just by looking at you. 

No one’s ever looked at you like that or called you beautiful like that in your life.

Your eyes glance down, hands fluttering nervously on the blanket, but Wooyoung reaches down and slips his hand in yours, lacing his fingers with yours again like he always has. 

“I-,” You smile, exhaling nervously, “I’m not sure what to say,”

“That’s okay,” Wooyoung murmurs. 

“And I don’t know what to do with my hands,” You admit, tightening your grip on Wooyoung. 

It’s embarrassing, nerve-wracking, to be this inexperienced and fearful at your age, tucked between two men who have probably lost count at the number of times they’ve had sex or perhaps even the number of partners. 

“Put them wherever you want,” Yunho says, “or just let them be. You don’t have to worry about what to do, or if it’s what we want. Just let us take care of everything,” 

Emotion tugs again at your chest, and you nod, biting your lip to keep from spilling out every thought in your mind, every worry and fear that you’re not worth this. 

Your hand settles over Yunho’s chest though, and something in you eases at the steady thump of his heart against your hand. 

Yunho looks momentarily shaken by your touch, something sparking in his eyes, but he recovers with a soft clear of his throat and covers your hand with his own, “That’s good,” 

You manage another nod. 

“Hey,” Wooyoung leans in again, brushing his lips over your shoulder and stroking your side, “You’re still with us?” 

“Yeah,” 

“Still good?” He checks. 

“I’m good,” 

“Keep going?” 

“Keep going,” 

Yunho presses your hand down just a little, a tender response to let you know he’s listening still. 

You’re not sure when the fear in your belly started to shift, but the heavy stone in your gut has faded away into something warmer, something new, something far from the panic you were used to. 

You feel Yunho’s hand brush over your legs, coaxing you to stretch out in the bed and get a little more comfortable, and they follow you lower into the sheets. 

Wooyoung curls into you, brushing his nose against your cheek, familiar and soft in a way that makes you smile. 

No one’s rushing you, no one’s trying to get anywhere. 

You realize all at once that this is what you needed, not a hurried hookup to get through the discomfort you felt before. Just time, space, everything taken at your pace, with people you trust. 

This time, you hardly notice when the blanket slides down further until it’s properly pooled over your hips. Yunho’s palm rests warm and steady on your stomach, and Wooyoung’s hand curls over your ribs, resting just under your breast without taking it any further. 

It’s then that Yunho finally speaks again, his voice barely above a whisper, “Can I kiss you here, jagiya?” 

Your stomach flutters as his breath drifts over your chest. 

You nod. 

He dips his head and presses his lips to your chest, this time letting his lips drag against your skin as he presses another over your heart, and then another over your breast, and then another. 

Your eyes flutter shut. 

Gentle fingers, Wooyoung’s, brush against your scalp. 

Yunho’s lips brush over the swell of your breasts, your chest, your collarbones. 

You take a shuddering breath, and for the first time in your life you don’t feel like you’re disappearing. 

“Okay?” Yunho checks, lifting his lips for a moment. 

“Yeah,” Your voice cracks a little, “yes, keep going,” 

Wooyoung kisses your hair, “Feels good?” 

“Yes,” You sigh, a smile blooming on your lips. 

Yunho’s hand wanders, from its warm home on your belly he searches your waist, brushing against Wooyoung’s fingers, and then drifts lower and lower still. He kisses your chest all the while, his lips dangerously close to the edge of your top. 

You make a noise you don’t think you’ve ever made before, a gentle catch of air, a little whine, and your hand curls into the fabric of Yunho’s shirt. 

“You’re right here,” Wooyoung assures you, not sure if the sound was in pleasure or fear. 

You shake your head, “I know,” you feel the heat rising in your cheeks, “don’t stop,” 

Yunho hums pleasantly against your skin, and then you feel his fingers at the knot of your pants, “How about these?” He murmurs, “Can we take these off?” 

You pause, breath stuttering, and your eyes open. 

Your pants are soft cotton, comfortable, familiar, but suddenly with his hand on your waist they feel like a second skin. The idea of pulling these away makes your chest tight and your heart hammer in your chest. 

Your eyes flick down to your legs. 

“We’re not in a rush,” Yunho reminds you softly, “this is about you,” 

“I want to,” The words slip out of you, “it’s just, I don’t-,” 

“What?” Wooyoung prompts you softly when your words die on your lips. 

“What happens after that?” You manage. 

“Just this,” Yunho promises. 

“Just kisses,” Wooyoung nods, “until you feel ready for more,” 

“What if I don’t feel ready for more?” You search his eyes. 

“Then we stop,” Wooyoung reminds you, “we go get food, we watch a different movie, whatever we were going to do tonight anyways,” 

His words ease you immediately and you nod. 

“You’re in control,” Yunho kisses your temple, “the whole time,” 

You nod. 

His fingers linger over the knot at the front of your pants. 

You nod again, holding his eyes. 

He tugs and the tie falls open. 

“Here,” Yunho murmurs, “let’s help you sit up a second,” 

They move like they’ve done this together before, not this, not you, but like they’ve cared for someone together. Their hands stay steady, smooth, never grabbing and never rushed. You rise slowly, the blanket falling away. 

Yunho reaches for your waistband first, slipping under the edge and then glancing back up, “Still okay?” 

“Mhm,” 

He pulls the fabric down just a little, just enough to show you that he’ll take it as slow as you need him too, and Wooyoung moves beside him to slide his hand up and down your calf to steady you. 

“Lift your hips, sweetheart,” Yunho murmurs. 

You lift up, and both of them strip the pants down your thighs, past your knees, over your ankles until they’re tossed somewhere off to the side and you’re left in your bra and underwear. 

The air on your skin makes you inhale, but you’re not cold, you’re just bare. 

Somehow you’re okay with that. 

Yunho’s eyes skate over you, his teeth brushing against his bottom lip, but he smooths his expression and looks back up. 

“You’re gorgeous,” Wooyoung breathes, unapologetically staring at you. 

You glance down, and immediately clap a hand to your lips. You had forgotten what pair of underwear you were wearing, not something sexy and lacy that would match, or even a simple black thong. You sink back into the bedding with an embarrassed groan at the blue cotton underwear, adorned with tiny rainbows and clouds. 

“You’re so fucking cute,” Yunho presses a firm kiss to your forehead, sighing as he smiles, “you have no idea,” 

“No, this is so lame,” You whine, hiding your face, “I’m not supposed to be cute, I’m supposed to be sexy, we’re about to have sex,” 

Yunho snorts a laugh against your hair, but Wooyoung lets out a proper laugh, “That’s bullshit,” 

“Woo,” 

“I like cute,” Wooyoung draws your hands away from your face and kisses your cheek, “so does Yunho, obviously,” 

Yunho nods, “But you’re still sexy,” 

“Please,” 

“Baby,” Yunho draws your eyes up with a crooked finger under your chin, “I am doing my best to be extremely respectful and trying not to overwhelm you, but don’t for one second think that I’m not in love with every part of you right now. You’re driving me insane,” 

“O-oh,” You smile, your heart tumbling over the word ‘love’ on his lips. 

“Exactly,” Wooyoung nods, his hand finding a home against your waist once more, “exactly what he said,” 

“Now,” Yunho murmurs, gently returning his hand to your belly, “where were we?” 

“Kissing,” You sigh. 

“Perfect,” Yunho slides a little lower in the bed and this time his lips travel further. 

Wooyoung trades places with him and cuddles into your side, pulling your face towards his so he can kiss you properly this time. 

Sensation blooms through your body as Wooyoung deepens the kiss, your mouths parting, and his tongue ever so gently flicking against yours. Yunho hums again, kissing over your breasts and down the center of your chest, lower still until he’s pressed against your abdomen. 

You take in a sharp breath, your body twitching under them. 

“More?” Yunho asks, lips brushing against the skin just above your navel. 

“Yeah,” Your breath tangles with Wooyoung’s. 

They keep close, their hands exploring your body with new purpose, still soft but you feel their boldness growing. You stay relaxed in their arms as they touch you, your stomach, your sides, drifting over your trembling thighs. 

They touch you, kiss you, until it feels like no patch of skin has been rushed over, no bit of you ignored. 

“Still with us?” Wooyoung presses soft pecks over your jaw, down your throat. 

“Here,” Your voice is just a whisper. 

“Good,” Yunho sighs, warm air spreading over your skin as he travels back up your body. 

You can feel your body responding, not in the way it usually does with a partner, but in the ways it does when you’re alone. Your muscles are starting to clench, core fluttering, and you’re sure that if you checked you’d find yourself starting to get wet. Something deep in your center aches, and your hips jerk again, just a little as they kiss you. 

“Baby,” Yunho coaxes you away from Wooyoung’s lips so can look at you, “how are you feeling?” 

“Good,” You nod, “it’s, I’m feeling good,” 

“Do you want to try something more than kissing?” Yunho asks gently, “Or not yet?” 

Heat crackles under your skin in an unfamiliar way, and your tongue darts out to wet your lips, “I think, yes,” 

“We’ll go slow?” Yunho checks. 

“Slow is good,” 

Wooyoung finds your hand again and squeezes it gently. 

“How about,” Yunho clears his throat softly, his hand skating over your skin, “why don’t you show us?” 

“Show you?” You search his face. 

“Mhm,” Yunho’s nails gently rake up and down your thigh, “show us what you like,” 

“How I masturbate?” You blink, looking between them. 

Wooyoung smirks a little at the directness of your words, but Yunho nods, “Teach us how you like to be touched,” 

“O-oh,” You shiver a little. 

“Then I’ll show you my favorite way to make girls come,” Wooyoung slides down in the sheets, kissing over your bare arms, the exposed skin of your abdomen. 

You don’t realize where he’s going until he starts to shimmy himself between your thighs. 

You take in a sharp breath, your hand flying down to cover yourself even though you’re still wearing your underwear, “You don’t have to do that,” 

“I know I don’t have to,” He smiles, kissing your knee, “I want to, I like it,” 

You swallow tightly, your hand finding Yunho’s chest again. 

“Pause,” Yunho instructs, and Wooyoung stills, “baby, what’s going through your head?” 

“This is embarrassing,” You murmur.

  “No one’s ever gone down on you, right?” Wooyoung checks. 

“Well, no,” You let your head fall back against the pillows, “but I also haven’t shaved,” 

The words run together, but they hear you. 

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Wooyoung says and you can hear the smile in his voice, “so what?” 

Yunho’s fingers skate softly over your belly, edging close to the seam of your underwear. 

“I mean,” Your breath hitches as his hand circles again, “if I knew we were doing this I would have prepared better,” 

“I couldn’t care less,” Wooyoung says, “don’t worry about that,” 

Your fingers close onto Yunho’s shirt, and he gets your eyes back on his with a soft sound, “Hey,” he murmurs, “relax, focus on me for a second,” 

You nod. 

“Can I feel?” He murmurs, his fingertips ghosting under the edge of your underwear, “Is that okay?” 

“Yes,” Your throat feels dry, but arousal stays pooled in your gut. 

His fingers slide under your panties, over your mound to the top of your cunt, slow massaging circles as he explores without ever dropping his hand lower to find more. He groans pleasantly as he touches you, eyes heavy with desire. 

“Fuck,” he breathes, “you’re so soft,” 

Your breath catches and you can feel your body starting to heat up and respond, sensation sparking through your every nerve ending. It’s strange how good it feels to be seen like this, and stranger still that the rising pleasure in your body doesn’t come with numbness, panic, or outright fear. 

All you feel is want. 

“I-it’s okay?” You check. 

Yunho’s brow creases a little, his eyes flicking over your face, and you watch as he realizes what you’re unsure of, what you’re stumbling over. Your only context with sex was probably porn and college guys with very different expectations than two grown men. 

His fingers smooth over the patch of soft hair on your vulva, neatly trimmed but present all the same. With a sigh, he grows a little bolder, cupping your cunt fully in his palm, his fingers resting over the seam of your folds, underwear straining over his knuckles. 

Your breath comes quicker and you dry swallow. 

“It’s not okay,” He murmurs, voice full of heat, “it’s good.” 

You stop breathing entirely. 

“Seriously,” Yunho says, “hair, no hair, we don’t care.” 

“Not at all,” Wooyoung adds quietly, a little squeeze to your thighs. 

“You’re letting us touch you,” Yunho’s hand slides up, returning to the top of your mound, fingertips ever so gently brushing along your lower lips, “whatever you think you know about sex, what men like, put it out of your mind.” 

You gasp at his touch, hand fisting in the blankets at the unfamiliar jolt. 

Breathless, you smile, “Porn’s unrealistic,” you manage, “isn’t that what you said?” 

His gaze warms, “Mhm,” he notes, “and it’s your body, so you do whatever you want, but personally I like it,” 

“Same,” Wooyoung nods, this time kissing your inner thigh. 

“You d-don’t have to make me feel better,” You brush your hand over Wooyoung’s hair to get him to ease up a little and he smiles up at you, leaning into your touch. 

Yunho grins, an amused expression on his face, “I’m not,” his fingers gently stroke the soft curls on your mound, sucking in a slow breath, “you’re a woman, I like that you look like one. I’d want you however, but I won’t lie to you about what I like or the things that get me hard.” 

Stunned silent, all you can manage to do is nod, your hands falling slack at your sides as you surrender again to their touch. 

They give you a second, just one, watching to see if that was the moment that pushed things too far, but when you don’t say anything Wooyoung nuzzles your inner thigh. 

His hands smooth slowly up and down your legs, “Keep going?” He nips gently at the sensitive flesh there 

Your breath is thready, and you nod. 

“Words, baby,” Yunho prompts you gently. 

“Y-yes,” You manage, “I’m okay,” 

“Can we take these off?” Yunho asks, voice low and close, his thumb rubbing against the band of your underwear. 

It’s your last layer, and you’re not afraid, but you feel everything. Every breath of air against your skin, every sliding touch, the way their hands press and hold, the heat of their lips. You can’t imagine what it will feel like for them to touch you there. 

Yunho’s words echo in your mind - It’s not okay. It’s good. 

You know he meant it. 

“I’m ready,” You nod, your hands trembling at your sides. 

They move as a pair again, Yunho slipping his hand under one side while Wooyoung reaches up to hook his thumb in the other. Slowly, they pull down your last layer, and Wooyoung drops them off the side of the bed to land somewhere near your pants. 

“T-this too?” You reach for the clasp at the front of your bra. 

Yunho sucks in a sharp breath, “Only if you want to,” 

“I mean,” You unclip the connection and let the fabric part, “I’m already half naked,” 

You push the bra off your arms and toss it aside. 

“Jesus,” Yunho’s lips part, his eyes full of heat as he looks over you, “I can’t believe you’re ours tonight,”

You feel a kiss against your inner thigh, but your eyes are locked on Yunho, “Am I,” you swallow back the question, biting your tongue. 

“You’re more than good,” He sighs, “you’re a fucking dream,” 

You shudder a nervous exhale, smiling now, forehead pressed against his, “S-so are you,” 

His lips turn up in a small smile, and he kisses your lips softly before easing you back down into the pillows. 

A kiss to your thigh brings your eyes back down, and you feel your cheeks heat as you catch sight of Wooyoung. He’s resting between your open legs, lying on his stomach, one hand on your knee and the other gripping the sheets as if he’s doing his best not to touch you too fast. 

His eyes are glued to your sex, an unabashed expression of need all over his face now, his teeth digging into his plush bottom lip. 

“Woo,” You murmur. 

He blinks fast, clearing his throat and looking up at you, expression smoothing, “Yeah, baby?” 

“You’re staring,” You turn his words from earlier back around on him, giving him a soft smile. 

“You’re wet,” Wooyoung says, exhaling shakily, “like really, really wet.” 

You feel Yunho’s hand tighten just a little on your hip. 

“I feel good,” You verbalize it. 

Wooyoung nods, and then gingerly he reaches for your hand. 

**reminder to go read section two, already posted!

[spidercatweb]

Your Embrace and My Collapse ★ Spencer Reid x reader

Warnings: fem!bau!reader, migraine!reid, angst, hurt/comfort, tiny bit of fluff at the end, established relationship, Spencer is snippy and a little mean but it's because of migraine, Spencer yells at reader, reader is sad for a bit, non-specific case details, mentions of women being murdered, a hint of misogyny from a suspect, one single swear word, umm nothing else I don't think? lmk if so. this is set in s6 :)

Description: Spencer has a migraine, he yells at r when it gets too overwhelming, he regrets this later, calling to apologize.

Word Count: 3.1k

Request: Hi! First off I loveee your blog!! Second off could I get a spencer reid x fem!reader where they r having an argument about literally anything and then a lot of spencer groveling? thanks for considering

A/n: thank you sm for the request, anon!! I am just now realizing that what happens in this isnt much of an argument 😬, but i quite like how it turned out. I hope you enjoy!! <3 Is it obvious i got carried away w this one?

After four years of working with Spencer, and nearly two years of dating him, it wasn't surprising that you were the first to notice that something was wrong. 

The past few days, Spencer hadn't gone on as many long rambles as usual. Maybe he was just tired this week, cases have been very time consuming lately. Not that they usually aren't.

You figured out what was wrong when you saw him squeeze his eyes shut and rub them with the base of his palms. Three times in an hour. Unusual. 

After the team finished delivering the profile for the current case, you took a moment to pull him aside. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Concern in your voice, you reached gently for his hand. 

He pulled away. "Yeah, I'm fine." His face scrunched up, he shut his eyes tightly and his nose crinkled up. You'd find it cute if it wasn't obvious he was in pain. He pressed into the bridge of his nose with two fingers,clearly trying to ease a headache.

"Okay," you gave him a small smile and nod, "let me know if you need anything, I've got Advil in my bag." 

"I know, thank you." He made an effort to return your smile.

"Reid, Y/l/n, we've got a lead. Garcia's about to fill everyone in." Hotch's commanding voice cut through the calm, quiet bubble around the two of you. 

The team filed into the briefing room of the BAU. Thankfully, the case was local. You were glad to be in a familiar place. 

Garcia was already seated at the small round table, tapping away on her laptop. You sat down next to Spencer, Prentiss sat on your other side.

"Lovelies, we have a small problem. I've found two men who almost exactly fit our profile."

"We'll bring both of them in for questioning, then. What do we know about them, Garcia?" Hotch directs the attention back to her.

"I was just about to tell you that, sir. First up, we've got Landon Adams, 27 years old. His childhood was... less than nice. Plenty of trips to the hospital, poor thing. Lots of injuries consistent with abuse. And I'm assuming everything going on at home was related to the multiple reports of violence towards his fellow students at school. Multiple suspensions, and he was expelled from his highschool." She takes a quick moment to switch the information on her screen.

"Second guy, Cole Parker, 29 years old. Similar childhood to Adams. Frequent hospital trips for supposed accidents, bad behaviour at school, suspensions, an expulsion. Oh and get this! They both work in construction! Different companies, though."

"Do we have home addresses and places of work?" Rossi chimes in.

"We do, sir, I've already sent them to you all." Garcia smiles proudly, always one step ahead.

"Thank you, Garcia. Alright, Prentiss, Morgan. You two go to Adams' home. Rossi and JJ, you go to his workplace. Seaver and I will go to Parker’s home. Y/l/n and Reid, you two go to his workplace." 

Everyone nods at Hotch as they receive their placements. The team splits up accordingly, each pair heading to a different SUV. Exiting the Quantico building, you see Spencer wince at the brightness of the sun. You sigh quietly. You don't like seeing him in pain, but you have a job to do. You'll talk more later.

The car ride is quiet. You drive, Spencer sits in the passenger seat. The silence isn't exactly comfortable, but it isn't awkward. You roll down his window just a little, to give him the fresh air he so obviously needs. You take the time to theorize about the suspect. Will he even be at work? Will he run? Put up a fight? You hope not.

As you pull into the small, gravel parking lot of the construction company, you sit for a moment to prepare yourself to talk to whoever is managing the place. In your experience, people in this line of work aren't often eager to talk to FBI agents. You look over at Spencer, he must have put on his sunglasses when you weren't paying attention. He now looks a little less irritated without the sun in his eyes. Good. 

You gently place a hand on Spencer’s knee, catching his attention. “You ready to go?” 

He brushes his hand over yours, giving it a light squeeze. “Yep.”

You both step out of the car into the bright sun. The sunlight reflects off of tiny, glistening specks in the gravel, and right into your eyes. You squint as you head to the front entrance of the building alongside Spencer, now wishing you’d also brought your sunglasses.

The inside of the building is similar to the outside. Concrete, dusty, smelling strongly of diesel. You noticed how Spencer scrunched up his nose at the pungent scent. 

The only other person inside is an older man who introduces himself as Mark, the manager of the building. 

“You two are FBI? Really? Well what are you two doin’ out here?”

You ignore the man’s questioning of your authority. “We’re here to ask you a few questions about one of your employees, Cole Parker?”

“Ah. Well, he called in sick today, and I’m not one to judge, but he didn’t sound very sick on the phone. If you ask me, he’s ditching work to be with that new girlfriend of his.”

“Girlfriend?” Spencer asks. He glances over to you, the unsub had been killing young women. If Cole Parker was your guy, this new girlfriend of his could be in danger.

“Yeah. He’s been yammerin’ on about her for the past week. Her name is Carol… or Christine? Somethin’ like that. Hard to keep up. He gets tired of em’ fast.”

Interesting.

“Have you noticed any shifts in his behavior lately? Short temper, violent outbursts, things like that?”

“Hm. Y’know I’m really not sure, I’m not around him long enough to notice. Might be better to ask some of the guys. I can give you the address of the site they’re workin’ if you’d like.” He offers.

Spencer pinches the bridge of his nose again, his vision beginning to blur. “We’ve already got two other agents headed there right now, but thank you.” 

The man notices Spencer’s clear discomfort, “You alright?”

“Yeah. Fine, thanks.” He runs his hands through his hair anxiously, further tousling his already messy curls.

“Thank you for your cooperation, sir.” You hand him a card with your work phone number, “Please call me if you remember any important details about Cole.”

He puts the card into his shirt pocket. “Of course. Have a nice day, you two.” 

As you both exit the building, Spencer stops right outside the door, running his hands over his face with a sigh.

You turn to look at him with concern. “Spence-”

“I just need a minute. I’m fine. I’ll meet you in the car.” His eyes are squeezed shut as he faces the ground, rubbing his temples.

You respond with a quiet “okay”, and silently head back to the car, where you wait for him. You put the air conditioning on blast as you pull out your phone to call Hotch.

“Hotchner.” He answers quickly.

“Did you and Seaver find Cole?”

“Yes, we’re just about to bring him in for questioning. How’s it going over there?”

“His boss told us that he can’t keep a girlfriend for too long, always switching between girls. He didn’t notice any other odd behaviors though. We’re just about to leave.” You spot Spencer walking over to the car.

“Alright, thanks. See you at the precinct.” He hangs up the call.

Spencer slides into the passenger’s seat, looking slightly calmer than before. “Who was that?” 

“Hotch. Him and Seaver are bringing Cole Parker in for questioning.” You turn the air conditioning down a little, so it’s still cool but not as loud, not as irritating for Spencer.

“Good.” 

***

Spencer leans his head back on his seat and closes his eyes. The drive back is just as silent as the drive there. By the time you get to the police precinct, Spencer is half asleep. He opens his eyes slowly. Squinting at the light coming through the windshield, he turns his head towards you.

“Hi.” You huff out a small laugh, earning a small quirk of his lips. “Feeling a little better?”

“Mm.” He sighs with a nod, “a little, I’ll be fine.”

You reach over and comb your fingers through his hair, he leans into your touch. You fix a few stray hairs that stick out, then give him a peck on his cheek. “Let’s go.”

***

The lights in the precinct are bright, filled with the chatter of nosy police officers. They flock around the team as you all enter with both suspects. Hotch and Rossi take on the task of interrogating, with the rest of the team on standby if needed. You stand behind the two-way mirror with Seaver and Reid. You listen intently to every word, you note mannerisms, you profile. That is your job after all.

Cole is becoming frustrated after only thirty minutes of interrogation. Hotch stays calm and collected as Cole’s volume rises. 

“I’m telling you! I was nowhere near there! I was out with some guys from work. Ask ‘em, they’ll tell you.”

“We did. They all had pretty different stories. We also got security camera feeds from the alley that night. Are you telling me that isn’t you?” Hotch slides a grainy photo across the table. The lighting is dark and the quality is less than ideal, but it’s clearly Cole in the photo.

He groans and mumbles something under his breath, “those bitches deserved it.”

“Pardon me?” Hotch prompts him to repeat himself.

“I said they deserved it! Every last one!” He yanks hard at the cuffs grounding him to the table, lunging at Hotch.

Hotch doesn’t move a muscle. “Alright, that’s enough.” He nods to the two officers standing at the back of the room. They move to restrain the man and bring him to a holding cell.

You look up at Spencer, who at first glance, seems fine, like he’s just thinking. But you notice his glassy eyes and flushed face. He tries to inconspicuously shield his eyes from the flickering fluorescent light above his head. Seaver notices this too, she gives you an “is he okay?” look, you give her a shrug and a worried look that says “I have no idea.” She exits the room to go check on Rossi and the others, leaving you and Reid alone.

You hover beside him, not wanting to worsen his pain any more. After a few moments of watching him silently suffer, you hear a sniffle. He’s crying. You get a sinking feeling in your chest, all you want is for him to be okay. 

“Spence,” you whisper. No response. “Do you want to sit down? I can get you some water,” you offer kindly. 

He shakes his head, massaging his temples again.

“Are you sure? The case is pretty much wrapped up. I’m sure Hotch wouldn’t mind.” Your voice stays soft, gentle.

He raises his voice “God, I’m fine! It’s fine! Nothing will help, just… Just stop trying to help me. I don’t need help.” You spot him wiping a tear from his face as he storms out of the room.

You don’t follow. Maybe he needs some time alone. You respect his wishes. You don’t help. Though you’d really, really like to. Instead, you follow Seaver’s trail to the second interrogation room where Rossi is still digging deep into the other suspect’s mind. You watch through the two-way mirror.

“Really, Landon? Were you really stopped on the side of that road for a nap? You were on your way home, weren’t you? Why not wait until you got back?”

“I was tired. I didn’t want to fall asleep at the wheel.”

“Alright. You’re sure you didn’t see anything suspicious? No … man lugging around a woman’s corpse? Burying her?”

“No, man! I was sleeping!” He throws his hands up in the air, as much as one can while cuffed to a table. He sighs defeatedly.

Hotch slides past you and into the interrogation room. He lets Rossi know that while he’d been interrogating, Cole Parker had fully confessed to the murders. He spared no detail, including  ones the police and FBI hadn’t yet shared with the public.

Rossi gives Landon a half-hearted apology and a pat on the back as the officers uncuff him.

***

You help Hotch to get a written confession from Cole, which takes longer than usual, because his handwriting skills aren’t exactly the best. But you sit in the room with him, waiting, as he drops the occasional rude comment directed towards you, his victims, or the police.

While sitting silently, you think about Spencer. You wonder if he’s okay. You think about what he said. He doesn’t need help from you. He doesn't want help from you. Leave him alone for once.

You shake the thought out of your head. He’s in pain. He didn’t mean it. This does little to ease the anxiety spinning in your mind.

“Hey, lady. I’m done writing.” He drops the pen down onto the metal table with just enough force to express his annoyance.

“Good. Did you sign it?” 

“Of course I did. What? Do you think I’m stupid or something?” He’s clearly looking for a fight.

Unamused, you respond. “No. I think you’re a serial killer with a severe lack of respect for women. I was just checking. A lot of people forget.” You slide the paper towards yourself and look it over before placing it into a file folder. You give a nod to the officers in the room and they take him away. You leave the room after them, meeting up with the rest of the team except Spencer, who’d reluctantly gone home per Hotch’s instruction. Thank goodness someone else noticed.

Hotch pulls you aside for a moment. “I wouldn’t mind if you left to help Reid. There’s not much left for us to do today anyway. You’re free to go.”

You hesitate. He doesn’t want help. He doesn’t need you. 

“Okay. Thanks Hotch.” You give him a faint smile as you go to grab your things.

***

Instead of heading to Spencer’s apartment, you go to yours. You want to check up on him, but don’t want to pain him with a blaring ringtone, and he was most likely staying away from screens, so he wouldn’t see a text. You keep him in your thoughts as you change out of your work clothes and settle down for the night. 

***

Spencer lies on his bed in complete darkness. At this point, the pain had brought him to tears. He hadn’t eaten anything due to the nausea looming in his stomach, which only made the headache worse.

He needed something. A distraction. Nothing loud. Nothing bright. Nothing that would irritate him further. He wanted you. He needed you.

He thinks back to what he said to you earlier. Why would I say that? Well, he knew why he said it. Scientifically. Higher sensitivity, more pain, more irritability, this leads to outbursts. He just wanted it to stop. He didn’t mean to yell at you.

He sighs, shifting to be face-down in his pillow. He just wants to feel okay. Why won’t it stop? What’s wrong with me? A pained whine escapes him as he decides to try to get some rest. 

***

Your phone’s ringtone pulls you out of your sleep. You grab it from your nightstand, checking the time first. Who’s calling me at 12:30am? Spencer. You answer with some hesitation, anxiety still whirrs in your mind, residue from hours ago. 

“Spence?”

“I really- I’m really sorry for what I said earlier. I didn’t mean it. And I know that’s not a good excuse but-” His voice is quieter than usual, strained.

“I know you didn’t mean it. You weren’t acting like… you. I was worried.”

“I said I didn’t need help but I’m um- really rethinking that right now. And I’d completely understand if you didn’t want to but um- could you maybe come over? I just really want someone here with me. I want you here with me.” 

You could tell from his voice that he was still hurting, he was scared. You get up without a second thought. 

“Of course, Spence. I’ll be right over.”

He sighs with relief. “Thank you.” 

***

Spencer hears the lock on his door click as you enter. He stays right where he is, in bed. 

You walk in as quietly as you can, leaving your shoes at the door and trying your best to navigate around in the dark. You nudge his bedroom door open and whisper a quiet “I’m here” as you spot the outline of him in his bed.

He sits up slowly with a small hum of acknowledgement. “Hi.” He reaches to turn on the lamp beside his bed.

“No, don’t, you don’t need to turn it on. It’s fine.” You reassure him. “Do you want me to get you anything? Water? Meds?”

“Both, please. Meds are on the kitchen counter.”

“Okay, I’ll be back in two seconds.” You head to the kitchen, spotting the meds once you turn on the lights. You fill a glass with ice, then water, grab the box of meds, then rush right back to Spencer’s room, turning off the kitchen lights as you leave.

You carefully hand him the glass of water, he thanks you, then takes a long sip. You hand him two tablets of his meds, and he swallows them with the water.

“You want to try to get some sleep?”

He nods, “Yeah, but these usually take about half an hour to kick in, hopefully they do kick in. I’ll probably be able to sleep then.” Your eyes have now adjusted to the dark, you can see him give you a small smile.

“You want me to stay?”

“I’d really like it if you did.”

“Alright, move over then.” You don’t wait to slide into bed next to him. It warms your heart to hear him giggle slightly from this.

***

Your next hour is spent with Spencer curled up to your chest, with your fingers carding through his hair. The room is silent, save for your breathing and the sighs he lets out every so often. You stay awake until you’re sure he’s asleep, then for a little while longer, just to make sure. Finally, you can’t keep your eyes open any longer, and you’re pulled into a calm sleep. You hope that when you wake up, everything will be okay. And it will be. Because it always is with Spencer.

Thank you for reading! <3

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[i-get-obsessed-fast]

Late Night Talking

Bout’ anything you want until the morning

Summary: You and Spencer stay up till sunrise talking about anything and everything, and the both of you suffer the consequences with the teams teasing…

A/N: songs are really my inspiration atm, also can be read as any season Spencer. Xoxox

BYR(b4 u Reid): BAU!Reader, light teasing, fluff

You’re curled on his couch, your feet tucked beneath you, and half empty glasses of wine that had been forgotten about hours ago nearby.

Spencer sits next to you, just a little too close but you don’t mind it. His arm lays resting on the back of the couch occasionally his soft fingers touching you lightly without him even realizing but you don’t mind again because it’s comforting, and because it’s him.

“I don’t know, I still think the whole concept of time is ridiculous.” You say, half grinning. “Who decided we needed minutes and hours anyway?”

Spencer’s eyes light up, the way they always do when a debate begins. “Well, the Babylonians first divided the day into twenty-four hours, based on their sexagesimal system. And technically, is a human construct, but it’s a necessary one.”

You scoff, leaning just a little bit closer. “Necessary for what? Stress? Deadlines?”

“Or catching serial killers.” He says, arching an eyebrow.

“I guess.”

The warmth of his smile lingers, and for a moment neither of you speak, both lost in each other.

It was a soft charged stillness, the kind that makes your heart beat a little faster. It’s also not the first time the air between you two has been like this, but it is the first time neither of you have pulled away.

Instead of acknowledging it, Spencer breaks the silence with a grin. “What’s something entirely useless that you know?”

You grin back, ready. “Octopuses have three hearts, and their blood is blue because it contains copper instead of Iron.”

His laugh is soft and genuine, your chest feels a little tighter hearing the sounds leave his mouth. “That’s fascinating.”

“And that sea otters hold hands when they sleep so they don’t drift apart.” You continued.

Spencer blinks. “Wow, that’s…that’s actually pretty adorable.”

“Right? Imagine just two little otters floating around holding hands.” You demonstrate grabbing onto his hand, locking them together. “Just like this.” You say, the both of you smiling at your interlaced hands.

“Honestly, I think I could stay up all night listening to you.” He murmurs, his voice softer. It hangs in the air like a confession. Your cheeks flush.

“Good. Because I’m not tired yet.”

And just like that, the night stretches on. You talk about everything and nothing.

Favorite books, embarrassing stories, the most ridiculous statistics he can pull from memory.

Every so often, you catch the way Spencer’s gaze flickers to your lips, or the way his knee rests against yours. The teasing grows bolder, and the laughter louder.

“Hmm, are you flirting with me Dr. Reid?” You call him out, a grin tugging at your lips.

“Statistically speaking.” He replies, his smile downright mischievous. “There’s a high probability that I am.”

You laugh, but you don’t deny how much you like the way he’s looking at you.

And then, before you realize it, the soft hue of the sun rising seeps through the windows. Spencer glances at the clock on the wall.

His eyes widen “oh no.”

“What?”

“It’s six.” He says, your stomach drops. “Six?! Oh my god, we’re supposed to be at work in two hours.”

“Two hours and thirty minutes.” Spencer corrects, his voice is filled with panic but also amusement as he teases you.

You get up from the couch, grabbing your shoes with a curse. “I can’t believe we actually stayed up all night.” You say shaking your head with a small laugh

Spencer stands up too, running his hand through his messy hair, somehow that makes him more attractive. “Me neither.” He admits.

He walks you to the door, and you quickly slip on your coat. “Thank you, Spencer. This was fun.” you smile

He smiles back, the corners of his mouth curving upward in that shy, boyish way. “Yeah, it was.” Then, after a brief pause, he adds. “Can I walk you to your car?”

“As much as I’d love that, I think you should start getting ready.” You say gently, nodding toward the clock. “It’ll only take a couple minutes.” He insists.

“It’s alright, I got it.” You assure him with a small smile. His eyes search yours, like he wants to say something more, but he only nods.

“Bye Spence. See you in a bit.”

“Bye y/n.”

Neither of you move right away. The silence hangs between you, comfortable but also heavy, like something unspoken is lingering in the air. After a moment you give him a small wave and turn toward the door. Spencer watches as you disappear down the hall, the echo of your footsteps fading.

As the door closes, he finds himself smiling because talking to you all night felt like the easiest thing in the world.

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

By the time you sit in your chair at your desk, coffee in hand and sleep deprivation weighing heavily on you, it’s clear you’re not the only one suffering.

Spencer drags himself in, his hair slightly damp, his tie just a little crooked.

“Pretty boy.” Derek drawls, grinning as he approaches Spencer. “Late night?”

“Not really.” Spencer replies too quickly, clearing his throat. “I, uh, just lost track of time.”

Derek’s grin widens. “Lost track of time? What were you doing? Reading quantum physics journals under the covers with a flashlight?”

“Something like that.” Spencer mutters, already regretting every decision that led him here.

Meanwhile, across the bullpen not to far from the guys, you’re not doing any better. Emily and JJ found you quickly and are now being relentless.

“You look like you’ve barely slept.” Emily remarks, eyeing you. “Rough night?”

JJ smirks. “Or was it a good night?”

“Guys.” You groan, sinking into your chair. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Definitely not like that.”

Before you could even attempt to change the subject, Penelope joins. “I have a theory.” She says with a grin plastered on her face.

You brace yourself. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” She continues. “Two of my favorite nerds, who just so happen to look like they’ve been hit by the sleep deprivation express waltz in all disheveled and miserable. And yet…” she pauses for effect. “You both were fine yesterday. Did you guys have a hangout without us?”

JJ perks up. “So neither of you got any sleep?”

“Funny coincidence.” Emily muses, shooting you a pointed look. “Were you guys…together?”

Penelope’s eyes widen. “Did you guys-”

“No!” You and Spencer both exclaim in unison, far too loud to sound convincing.

You could feel the heat crawling up your neck as Derek bursts into laughter. “Well, that wasn’t suspicious at all.”

“I mean.” Emily grins. “We are profilers.”

“Yeah, and I’m profiling a whole lot of guilt right now.” JJ adds, her arms crossed.

Spencer, who is now a permanent shade of pink attempts a weak defense. “Well maybe you guys should rethink your position because we were just talking.”

Derek snorts. “Right.”

“Yes, talking.” You glare. “You know, people do that sometimes.”

“All night?”

“With no sleep?”

Before you or Spencer can defend yourself, Hotch’s voice cuts through the room. “As long as you both are awake enough to do your jobs, I and the rest of the team shouldn't care what you both were doing last night.”

The girls giggle, Derek shakes his head, clearly savoring every moment, and Rossi who had been silently observing from the sidelines, lets out a low chuckle.

“Young love.” He mutters under his breath, not trying to hide his amusement either.

“Not helping.” You glare.

But as the laughter lingers, you sneak a glance at Spencer. He’s already looking at you, lips twitching in that barely-there smile of his. And despite the embarrassment and exhaustion, you can’t help but smile back.

Because truthfully, you wouldn’t trade last night for anything. . .

Hi guys! Hopefully you love this! Thank you to all who comment, reblog, and heart! It is greatly appreciated.

I will try getting all requests out this week so if you sent one in it should be out by the end of the week, thanks for your patience <3

~ tag list ~

@alastorssimp @sleepysongbirdsings @khxna

[alittlesongbirdchirps]

Stupid AU but absolute Batman and normal Batman swap places.

[So now you got Absolute Batman who is born in 2004, which makes him what, around the same age as Tim but younger then Dick and Jason.]

And while Tim is trying to figure out everything that makes their worlds different, he asks about the batcave.

Which confuses Bruce because his base is on top of an abandoned construction site.

So out of curiosity; Dick asks about the Batmobile. What's Batman without his batmobile.

Only to find out it’s a giant ass mining truck.

Now everyone’s confused, like why would Bruce pick equipment and places like that.

However, unlike them Jason has an Epiphany.

Something none of them would ever even consider for an alternative version of Batman/Bruce.

“You’re not rich?”

Jason asks in doubt laced in his voice.

And Bruce raised an eyebrow

“Am I supposed to be?”

The cave erupts in confusion, well I mean Steph just high fives this Bruce; stating something about being 'broke ass homies.'

Later on Alfred comes down with refreshments and food; and somehow that puts Bruce on edge. Damien watches his alternate father’s reaction, Immediately picking up on the unease.

“So, do you not have a Pennyworth?”

Damien asked.

Bruce doesn’t answer, nor does he drink or eat anything Alfred gives him, which disappoints the butler greatly.

“Of course he doesn’t, he’s not rich, you snobby little brat.”

Steph states, causing Damien to glare at her; and before a fight can break out between the pair; Jason asks another question.

“Sooo, was your inheritance stolen or somethin?"

Bruce's eyebrows furrow in confusion, as if he was asked the oddest question in the world.

“My dad was a school teacher, and my mum is a social worker?”

Tim’s eyes widen not at the jobs the Wayne's seemed to have in that world but at something else.

“You said your dad was; but your mum… is she still alive?”

He simply nods.

Oooo, I also imagine, the Justice League are working with the bats to swap the two Batman’s back, so finding out how or why they were swapped is crucial.

Eventually they do; a villain thought swapping their worlds Batman, with a younger inexperienced Batman, would make it easier to take over Gotham.

Oh, how wrong he was.

Absolute Batman arrives on the scene, pushing past Justice League members to get to this villain, and mind you his ass is not even supposed to be out, let alone seen.

Of course, when Batman asks him to reverse what he's done, the villain refuses like a snotty nose brat.

So, Batman takes a big ass stick from who knows where, for a brief moment Tim's excited, thinking this Batman was trained with a Bō-staff.

He quickly realised how wrong he was, when Batman shoves the stick onto the symbol on his chest, creating a big ass axe.

When he asks again telling the villain what he will do if he doesn't, the villain still refuses, without any hesitation, and before anyone could stop him, he cuts the guys arm off and begins to threaten to chop off the other one if he doesn't cooperate.

This impresses Jason and Wonder Woman but not really anyone else. And its not like any of the regular Justice League members could hold him back, he's taller and wider then superman.

Side note: Maybe regular Batman, is having a field day, not only is his mother alive, but younger then he ever remembered her to be. Oh, and Alfred is trying to kill him. And his counter part is broke but that's not the worse.

The fucking joker is rich and held in high regards.

(Fuck off Grammar Police.)

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Regarding your post(s) about investigation checks and the like, there's something that's bothering me, and it bothered me for a while. Not in regard to investigation, but charisma (and similar checks, diplomacy, negotiation, persuasion, whatever the game calls it).

In a TTRPG with skills, those skills are an abstraction meant to simulate a characters actual capabilities. If I want to make a character who can effortlessly jump from rooftop to rooftop, I'll give them high Athletics, Agility, Endurance, whatever. Maybe some feats, abilities, perks, advantages etc that pertain to jumping. Now, if I want my character to jump from rooftop to rooftop, I just roll the dice, and the skills, attributes, perks etc will make sure I have a high likelihood of success. I don't need to prove to the GM or the group that I myself could make that jump.

But now let's talk about Charisma checks. I've often heard stories of groups who say they don't make those checks, they just let the player make the argument, and if the GM is convinced, they "pass." But like... that means the character will always be as persuasive as the player. If the player isn't good at formulating an argument, the character won't be, either. Same with perception, investigation, etc. Sometimes, players just aren't good at picking up on hints and clues and/or they're not good at drawing conclusions from the clues they have. So that means that they can't play as a character who is?

Don't get me wrong, I get your point, I just find this is an issue worth thinking about. Why are things like athleticism, stealth, and combat prowess, or even things like lockpicking, hacking, or repairing stuff okay to abstract away as dice rolls, but deduction, perception, and maybe also persuasion and rhetoric aren't? Or, maybe the better, more constructive question: How would you propose handling a player playing a character whose skills exceed the player's?

I also think it's an issue worth thinking about, but I think "thinking about it" also has to involve asking the questions "why is this a problem?" and "is this ACTUALLY a problem?"

Like this discussion comes with the prepackaged assumption that allowing you to play a character whose abilities exceed yours as a player is both a) a universally desirable thing, and b) something that must be treated as a game design priority. And, with that assumption, it's logical to conclude that a TTRPG has an *obligation* to allow you to play a character whose abilities are not limited by yours as a player in any way, and not allowing you to do so constitutes a failure on the game's part.

But let's question that assumption a little bit. Because, the way I see it "allowing you to play a character who is good at X even if that's something that you, personally, are not good at" is not an inherently desirable design goal. It's a value-neutral feature, and it becomes a good or bad design goal to pursue depending on what X is and whether abstracting X so that the player doesn't have to engage with it benefits or detracts from the desired gameplay experience.

Let's for example, imagine a TTRPG with wargame elements, where, among other things to do, there are situations where your character can assume command of an army to engage in large-scale battles. It's pretty clear that, in such a game, you simply can't play as a character who is a better tactician than you, the player, are. If I'm not a good tactician, I don't get to play a character who's supposed to be the most brilliant tactician in all the land. That's simply not a character concept I get to play unless I am also skilled at tactical decision-making.

Is that inherently a problem to be solved? If we got rid of tactical decision-making as an activity that the players have to engage in, and instead gave the characters a "Tactics" skill and we used a Tactics skill check to determine whether they win or lose a battle, that would certainly allow a player who's bad at tactics the freedom to play a character who's the best tactician ever. But would this be an objectively good change? I'd say no, because it would skip past the entire point of the wargame elements, which is engaging as a player with the process of tactical decision-making, and that's not something that I'd consider worth sacrificing in pursuit of allowing the player to play a character whose skills exceed theirs in this particular aspect.

To name a more concrete example that someone else mentioned in the notes of that post: Mothership has no equivalent of a stealth skill, despite being a game where a lot of your playtime is spent hiding from some flavor of Scary Space Monster, because if the game abstracted stealth that way the resolution to any situation where you're trying to hide from a Scary Space Monster would be saying "I roll stealth" and hoping you roll high enough. Without a stealth skill, you're forced to participate in the narrative conversation of paying attention to the GM's description of the environment, ask clarifying questions if needed, and describe how you try to hide in the space presented to you.

This, once again, presents a situation where your character's skills are limited by your own. It's pretty clear that your character can only be as good at hiding as you are at thinking of places to hide and describing how they hide in them, and that if the game took the "i roll stealth" approach instead, it would solve the "problem" of your character's skills being limited by your own in this particular way. But is solving this "problem" worth sacrificing the tension that the game seeks to create by deliberately refusing to abstract stealth in this way?

So yeah... I think lacking skill checks for stuff such as perception or investigation makes a dungeon-crawling game better because it forces the players to narratively engage with the environment as a real place when they're looking for something, and it's also true that the lack of such mechanics kinda does mean that a player who just isn't good at picking up hints and clues from environmental details simply doesn't get to play a character who is supposed to be good at picking up hints and clues from environmental details. But I think that ensuring a player's ability to play such a character regardless of their real-life skill level is not a design goal that a game has any inherent obligation to pursue, especially not at the cost of skipping over the actions that, to me, are the meat and potatoes of a dungeon crawl.

My answer to "why is it okay to abstract certain skills as dice rolls and not others" is that games are allowed to make decisions about which actions they want to skip over with a dice roll and which actions they want the players to have to exercise direct narrative control and mastery of, and sometimes that's gonna interfere with their freedom to play a character whose skills exceed theirs, and that's okay because sometimes other game design goals are going to have priority over the goal of ensuring the character's skills aren't limited by the player's real-life skills in any conceivable way.