#humming (only when he's happy and comfortable)

[yeagersss]

Sukuna x f!Reader

In which Sukuna brings home child Uraume — 1

next —>

You rubbed your eyes in disbelief as you stared at the child hiding behind your husband's legs and peaking at you.

Sukuna didn't pay attention to your questioning stare, he simply sauntered in to your shared home and tossed the meat he had hunted on the table. As if it was just an average day for the two of you.

Except it wasn't because there was a child right next to him.

"Um... Love?" You questioned softly.

"What?" He grunted.

"Mind telling me who... that is?"

Sukuna crossed his upper arms while resting his lower on his hips. He shrugged. "Our ice house is no more. This child can create ice so I brought them home."

Of course he did. Leave it to your husband to replace an actual functioning cooler with a literal child.

Speaking of a cooler...

"The icehouse is broken? I swear it was perfectly fine when I went there this morning..." You mused.

But a quick glance outside the window confirmed that it was indeed broken. Crushed by a tree and blood splattered everywhere from the meat stored inside of it.

And just one look at the fallen tree, you can tell what—no, who was responsible for this destruction. There was a large, clean cut right at its base.

You turned to your husband with an accusing frown but he opted to not look at you. He knows that the moment he locked eyes with you, he'll have to face your wrath and.... He'd rather not.

You sighed and shook your head before walking over to the child who stepped away from you the moment you got closer.

You stopped, keeping your distance and smiled kindly. "It's okay. Don't be afraid, little one. I won't hurt you."

Your voice was soft, your eyes were kind so when the child looked up at Sukuna and saw the way he was looking at you, they knew you were trustworthy.

And yet...

"You won't harm me but... I can harm you." Was what the child spoke.

Your heart sank at their words and the way they looked away. Their gaze was an empty and distant void. This poor child...

But the King of Curses scoffed at their words. "Go to her. As long as I am here you cannot harm her."

You were surprised at how this child had came to trust Sukuna that they took his word and slowly stepped over to you. Besides you, no one else in this land would ever dare trust him. Then again, your husband never gave them a reason to.

You went down on your knees to be at the child's level. A small, loving smile graced your features as you reached over to brush your fingers against their cheek.

Ice cold.

But that didn't stop you as you brushed their hair in comfort. "You poor thing... Just what have you been through?" You asked softly.

The child kept quiet, their eyes gathered with unshed tears. They closed it to stop them from flowing down. And then, very very tentatively they leaned into your touch.

"...You're warm." They mumbled.

Your heart warmed at those soft words. You were happy that this child had found comfort in you.

Despite being the King of Curses' wife, you loved children. You always wanted one of your own. You had even managed to convince your husband to have a child together.

But those dreams were far gone when you found out you were infertile.

It took a while but you had gotten over it. Though part of you still wished that you can have that. A small family with your husband.

So when you looked up at Sukuna, that's when you noticed his gaze. A look that was only reserved for you. Tender, soft and... loving. But there was another meaning behind it...

This is my gift to you.

Your heart leaped and you felt tears gathering in your eyes. The smile you gave him was nothing short of radiant that had him looking away from you. But you knew he was flustered just from the red tint on the tip of his ears.

You laughed softly and got on your feet, gently pulling the child close to you. "What's your name, little one?"

"Uraume."

You hummed. "Uraume... What a beautiful name. Are you hungry, Uraume?"

Uraume felt their stomach grumble just then so they softly nodded.

"Very well, then I'll get started on dinner."

Uraume looked up at you, their pinkish eyes staring at you with a curious glint. "Can I help?" They asked.

You smiled, running a gentle hand through their white hair.

"Of course."

next —>

[bbokicidal]

"My Pretty Boys" | SKZ [H.J, H.H, L.F]

Notes: A small Drabble inspired by @jeonginsleftcheek and I when we screamed together about Hyunjin's buzzcut lol. (I need to caress his kiwi head) Genre: Smut (18+) Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin, Lee Felix, Han Jisung x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1K

If it weren't for the game he was playing, Felix's full attention would be on you - naturally, of course, when you lay bare in front of him.

With you sprawled on the couch and your body between Felix's legs, his switch controller lays just above your chest - your collar bone supporting the weight as he carefully pushes down on the buttons in quick succession. Each time you look up at him just to catch a glimpse of his focused, determined expression you're met with the sight of his teeth digging into his lower lip or his tongue prodding the corner of his mouth in an expression of impatience. The strands of his hair that frame his face, now the sweetest color of Onyx, stick to his cheeks and temples from his nap a few hours ago. And with his hair so messy he just looked all too cute.

"Baby," you murmur to catch his attention, earning a soft and low hum so you know he's listening. "After you're done playing, do you want to swap spots with Jinnie..? Think he'd like to play a little, too." The sickly sweet tone of your voice lulls Felix into approving of the question, nodding after a moment of silence.

But Hyunjin gives a soft hum from where he lays between your thighs, head buried down and eyes just barely open. "I'm happy here." And he really is; Tongue lathing over your pussy as it drips for him in a mixture of your slick and his spit from the near hour he'd been there. He's in Heaven, you're on cloud nine - and he's happy to stay there for as long as you want him to.

His movements are slow and calculated, the tip of his tongue circling your clit before dragging back down to lick a fat, flat strip up your wetness. He moves close to dip his tongue into you, tasting you as best he can before he has to pull his tongue back in his mouth and catch his breath - and then he's back at it all over again. His tongue glides over the skin of your inner thighs, teasing and nipping here and there before he returns to your pussy and wraps his lips around your clit - sucking and pulling back just to tease, tongue flicking over the warm bundle of nerves. And the soft touches you give him just spurs him on; Your hand brushing over his cheek before moving up to his hair where usually your fingers would tangle in long, dark strands and tug whenever he got a little too greedy and overstimulated you. But this time you're met with the softness of his hair, now blonde and shorter than you'd ever seen it before. It tickles your palm as you run your hand over the back of his head, thumb swiping through it once more before you let it rest there and gently coax him closer between your thighs.

And then of course, there was one more - his back to the back of the couch as he laid on his side. He was squished up against you but fully content, lulling in and out of consciousness as sleep beckoned him in. One arm draped over your waist, a knee pulled up as well to rest atop your thigh - initially meant to keep your legs open for Hyunjin to rest between but now just relaxing there as he drifted off. Your arm tucked over his shoulder and laid behind him, bent so your fingers could slowly comb through long, soft strands of navy, which only aided in him falling asleep.

Jisung hadn't just been laying there, of course. He'd been squished beside you, comfortable as can be with his head on your shoulder and his mouth attached to your chest. In fact, the outer part of your right breast was completely covered in bruises from where he'd gently bitten down or sucked on the skin, determined to mark you up all on his own. With purple and red covering one side of your chest, Jisung slowly comes and goes in his sleepy haze. His lips are still attached to your skin, breath fanning over your chest each time he exhales. As he slowly comes to every few minutes, he resumes peppering kisses over your skin before he begins to drift off again, repeating his little cycle. But you have to admit that it's awfully cute watching him fall back asleep, your skin leaving his lips with a gentle pop each time.

"Okay - I'm done." Felix announces, letting out a breath as his focus breaks away from the game on his screen. He finally takes in the situation once more and first looks to Hyunjin, who doesn't even seem to hear Felix's declaration - then over to Jisung who was still dozing off with his cheek squished against your arm and lips parted, beginning to drool.

Felix's eyes dart back to Hyunjin. "Hey. She said we should switch places," His brows furrow, lips pressing into a thin pout. "I want a turn."

But the older simply huffs, his lips curling up into a smirk as he presses in closer. Pushing you up and lifting your hips for a moment, Hyunjin's arms wind under your thighs to curl around the plush of your skin, holding onto you tight and locking you in place against him. And it makes you laugh, smiling at his antics before gently running your hand over his hair again - the feeling never growing old. "Okay, okay. Felix can play one more round but after that you have to switch, okay?"

Felix lets out a breath. He begrudgingly reaches for the controller once more, starting up a new round of his game and looking back to the screen to focus all over again. And Hyunjin nods, humming against your clit as he laps at it over and over with no intention of getting up anytime soon. Who wouldn't want to lay there for hours and eat you out all lazy? It was the best feeling in the world - for him, at least.

Yeah... Felix could wait a little longer.

Permanent Taglist : @dwaekkicidal @jabmastersurpriseee

@possum-playground @thatonedarkskinnedsiren

@oc3anfloor @theyadorevalerie @jeonginsleftcheek

[hhmnya]

ㅤ ꢾ꣒ㅤㅤ SECRET SANTA──PSH.

resumen ｡｡ he gives you a second gift.

( 성훈 ) femreader ㅤㅤ✦ㅤㅤ 619wc implied friends to lovers ㅤ──ㅤ w not proofread

you step outside of jake's apartment building, pulling your coat tighter around you once the cold air hits your face. you stand on the curb, waiting for your uber as you stare up at the sky.

secret santa: a classic christmas game, one that your friends decided to do before you all left to your hometowns. you had gotten yeojin, buying her a weighted blanket. eventually you were the last one without torn up wrapping paper around your area and the only person yet to give a gift was sunghoon.

he handed you a small box, wrapped so pretty that you almost didn't want to tear the paper. you did, though, and inside was a bracelet. which you immediately recognized as an expensive necklace, definitely not within the fifty dollar budget the group had decided on.

a smile takes over your face when you remember the shy look sunghoon had given you, his cheeks flushed red while your friends scolded him for buying something out of budget.

"you're not cold?" you turn towards the voice, flinching out of surprise. you glance up and glare at the man standing next to you.

"oh my god, you scared the fuck out of me," he laughs, backing away as you hit his shoulder. regretting the action, you stuff your hands back into your coat pockets to warm them up and mumble quietly, "you're actually awful, sunghoon."

"i'm not that bad. i spoiled you today."

you tilt your head in confusion before you smile in realization, "oh, you did. it's pretty, by the way. thank you."

he hums, letting the conversation die out. the two of you stand silently in the cold, but it's not uncomfortable. that's what you like about sunghoon—he's the kind of person you don't have to be constantly talking to, he provides you with the kind of comfort that hot chocolate does on a snowy day.

"there's a second part to your gift," he says, breaking the silence. he kicks at the ground roughly, avoiding your gaze.

"what do you mean?"

"the necklace isn't the only thing i'm giving you."

"wait—hello? how much did you spend on me?"

"i only spent money on the necklace."

you don’t follow, your eyebrows furrowing in confusion. maybe you’re just oblivious, but you have no idea what he's talking about. he's giving you two gifts, but one of them was free? that makes zero sense in your mind.

"i like you," he says it with so much confidence, like it was the most simple and obvious thing in the world. it makes you feel like you should've known this whole time.

you're in a daze and by the time you get a hold of yourself, your uber pulls up, a notification going off on your phone to alert you.

you don't notice—too distracted—when sunghoon glances at the license plate, storing it away in his mind just in case.

"you should go, it's late," he guides you to the car, opening it for you.

well that's just unfair—he's pushing you away, clearly avoiding your reply to his confession. his confidence was obviously an act he put up.

rolling your eyes, you lean up and place a kiss on his cheek. courtesy of the streetlights, you can see sunghoon's cheeks turning redder with every passing second.

"i'll see you next week. maybe we can hang out?" you shift nervously, looking up at him expectantly.

he nods immediately, the biggest grin you've ever seen spreading across his face—he looks like a kid who's just gotten his dream gift.

"yeah, yeah. definitely."

when your uber drives away, you freak out in the most discreet way possible. this was genuinely the best christmas you've had in a long time.

anna's note. happy holidays guys ily all and i especially love hoon :3

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ click4more.

[onlyhereforthestories]

Turkey Farm Traditions (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

Day 23! This is a tradition of mine and my dads. I have never not gone to get the turkey with him on Christmas eve, and yes I'm going tomorrow! Anyone got any traditions they love?

The festive season was well underway, and with it came the cold weather. Normally, you thrived in the chill, finding comfort in the crisp air and cozy nights. But this year, the winter cold only made everything seem a little sadder because of the situation you were in.

You had always gone home for Christmas. No matter what was happening in your life, you always made the trip back to England for the holidays, at the very least. But not this year. This year, you would be spending Christmas in Spain with your girlfriend of five years, Alexia.

It was the first year Alexia had expressed her dislike of spending the season apart, and she asked if you would be okay with having Christmas Day at your shared home in Spain. She had even offered to fly your parents and sister, along with her family, out to celebrate together. But you knew that wouldn't be practical.

You didn't want to spend Christmas apart from Alexia either, so you agreed. You also spoke with your mum about visiting them for the New Year instead, since there was a long gap in fixtures for your club team. They were understanding and happy to have you visit then, even suggesting that you could do a little "mini Christmas" together. That idea was more than comforting—it was a lifeline.

With Alexia's help, you managed to get all the gifts for your family sent off in time, so you knew they'd be arriving for the big day. Your joint gifts were all double wrapped for safety by Alexia, as she was always the more organized one when it came to packaging. Once that was done, you felt a little better about not being with them for the holiday.

What also helped ease the feeling was the fact that you would be hosting Alexia's mother and sister for the day. Something that terrified you, to be honest.

Both women adored you, as you did them, but there was something about Christmas that made you want everything to be perfect. The holiday had always been very special to you, and you wanted to honour that, especially in your own home.

The month of December passed in a blur. Before you knew it, you were waking up in the arms of your lover on Christmas Eve morning. The winter sun crept through a crack in the curtains, gently warming your face as you dozed peacefully, your head resting on Alexia’s neck.

“Buenos días, mi amor. We have to get moving if you want food and coffee before we need to leave,” Alexia murmured, her fingers running through your hair, her voice a soft, sleepy hum.

You almost didn’t hear her, still lost in the comfort of her touch. “Good morning, love,” you said, blinking sleepily. “What do you mean leave? Where are we going? I thought I had food to prep for tomorrow.”

You pulled yourself out of the comfortable cocoon of her neck and raised an eyebrow at the teasing smirk on her face.

“I was tasked with the turkey, sí?” she said, her smile widening as you nodded. You'd been so absorbed in your thoughts that you didn’t catch the next part.

“Well, I spoke to your dad because I know you told me you normally drive to the farm to collect the turkey with him on Christmas Eve,” Alexia continued, her voice soft but steady. “He told me he’s done it with you since you were a baby. So, I found a farm about 45 minutes away here that does turkeys. We need to go collect it before noon.”

You didn’t know what to say. A wave of emotion swept over you, and your eyes welled with tears, but you tried to blink them back, not wanting to ruin the moment. You buried your head in her neck again, overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness.

“Thank you… thank you so much,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

Alexia simply held you closer, her hands soothing as you fought to regain control of your emotions. This was a Christmas tradition you had always shared with your dad, and the fact that Alexia remembered and made it happen for you here, in Spain, meant more than you could put into words.

When you finally pulled yourself together, you kissed her deeply, pouring all your gratitude into the kiss. You knew if you tried to speak, you would only choke up.

Alexia, smiling softly, kissed you back with equal tenderness, pulling you closer when she wasn’t quite ready to let go. You spent a few more precious moments tangled up in each other, sharing lazy kisses and soft touches, until Alexia playfully pulled you out of bed and towards the kitchen.

The trip to the farm was a joy. You sang Christmas carols along with the radio, the warmth of the car and the company of Alexia making the ride feel almost magical. The festive farm was everything you hoped it would be, warm and cozy, with the scent of hay and pine in the air. Alexia’s face lit up as she saw the decorations, and you couldn’t help but smile at how happy she seemed. She even hummed along to a few of the carols as you drove there.

On the way back, Alexia managed to distract you while she dialled your dad's number. It wasn't until you heard his comforting voice, coming through the car’s speaker system, that you noticed the music had stopped.

“Merry Christmas, kiddo,” your dad’s deep voice boomed through the speakers. “I’m guessing you’ve got the turkey by now. Alexia said she’d call when you were heading back. It’s my turn to drive this year, but I’m glad you have someone to share the tradition with. Love you.”

The words made your heart swell, and you spoke with him for a few minutes before promising to call again on Christmas Day. You spoke to both your dad and Alexia until you reached home, where you could hear the turkey cooking already.

When you arrived home, all you could do was launch yourself at Alexia. She had taken a tradition so deeply rooted in your childhood and made it her own, blending your past and present together in a way you hadn't imagined possible. You felt incredibly blessed.

You knew that the present you had for her was the perfect gift, one that you had spent a long time working out. Because she had given you the best present of all: a Christmas that would forever be remembered, not just for the old traditions you’d kept, but for the new ones she had helped you create.

[oceantornadoo]

ch 2: the wrong john (masterlist) next

john price x f!reader | can be read standalone!! tw: a singular reference to pet play, tipsy sex, mild dubcon if you squint

—

His hand on your back guides you all the way to your hotel room.

It anchors you to his side when you get on the elevator. When you fumble for your key card in your bag, there’s a heavy weight holding you down. Your fingers slip over the key card, missing the slot multiple times before he silently takes it from you, in and out before you can blink. You hate him.

“Don’t hav’ to do anythin’, sweetheart. Can sleep on the couch. ‘m good at sleepin’ anywhere.” John doesn’t like the nerves you’re showing. He likes his women clawing, not meek. You shake your head, locking the door behind you. “No, it’s-I’m okay. It’s just been a long day.” He hums in a neutral tone, the low sound seeping into your veins. “C’mere.”

Strong arms grip your waist, turning you around until your face is smushed into his pecs. The flannel of his shirt scratches your cheek softly and you nuzzle further in at the feel. A chuckle bubbles out of John at the action, so you keep your gleeful smile to yourself. Your hands come around his waist, hugging him like a husband, not an almost-stranger. He tucks your head under his chin, pulling you closer into him until you can’t tell where he stops and you begin. The peace of it tugs at your heartstrings, a bit too close for comfort.

You step away and John lets you, but he doesn’t let you get too far. He’s at the door frame of your cramped bathroom, watching you take off your makeup and wash your face. For a second when you mention you need to pee, he just stands there, like he’ll watch anyways. John’s eyes are dark with something you can’t place, a little too close to possessiveness. You tell yourself it’s him being tipsy when you have to close the door for him to get the message. It crosses your mind that you’ve let a complete stranger, an unknown man, into your hotel room. You’re on edge, the words “You should leave” on the tip of your tongue, but when you open the door he’s standing in his boxers and the words die on your lips.

“Don’t get any ideas, sweetheart, it’s jus’ how I sleep.” A giggle escapes you in spite of yourself. You shake your head, flinging back the covers of your king bed so there’s enough room for two. “Since you’re obviously looking for a place to sleep, I guess I have some bed to share.” He grins, his beard tugging up in an adorable manner. “You sure? ‘v been told I snore like a bear.” And look like one too. It’s hard to focus on his words when his body is right there. Rigid lines of labor covered in a thin layer of fat. Mountains of hair, from his pecs down to his happy trail where it disappears into his boxers. It’s practically a map for where you want to go. The earlier shakiness is gone, replaced by a familiar want and sprinkled with a shade of embarrassment from your earlier antics. You pat the place beside you and he’s there, lifting you into his lap with ease.

“You’re presumptive.” It comes out in a rush, stopped by his lips on yours. He’s hard and insistent, like he’s owed something based on his earlier kindness. You give it to him, pushing him into the headboard while your hips grind down on his clothed cock. You bite his lower lip and he groans, mouth opening wider to let you in deeper. His hands travel from your waist to your hips to under your shirt, where he stops his search.

“Y’r not wearin’ panties.” You shake your head against his skin, kissing and nibbling your way down his neck. A large hand slides in between where your cunt, already messy with want, is grinding on his clothed cock. The calluses on his palm hit your clit perfectly, every grind adding pressure inside your stomach. “Ever come like this, baby?” You bite his neck, jolting him enough so that the tip of his middle finger slides into your hole, greedily sucking him in. “Only against a pillow.” You didn’t think a man could growl but he does, a feral sound against your ear. “Let’s try it on my lap, then.” He emphasizes it by guiding your hips harsher, keeping the pace but upping the pressure. It’s delicious, this balance of friction and movement, making your more sensitive as your chests touch. Nipples pointed, they scrape against your t-shirt and his hairy chest, more and more fuel to the ache inside of you. “C’mon, baby, that’s it. Give it to me, there’s a good girl.” And you do give it, coming on his hand, slowing your grind as the feeling trickles through your limbs. You’re so tired, a bone deep ache causing you to lay your head on his shoulder. But John is not done.

“Lift your hips, sweetheart.” You follow his instruction without a second thought, hips up in the air despite the burn. There’s a shuffling of fabric but your eyes are closed, content to let him maneuver you. Something big is tapping against your hole, sinking in slowly until he pulls your hips down. You whine at the stretch but he’s there, shushing you and stroking your hair. “Not expectin’ y’ to do anythin’. Just keep it warm, pet.” The light shuts off and even though he’s pulsing inside you, hungry, you drift off into a blissful sleep.

The clock is blinking 2:08 at you in bright red. It hits you at once: the burn in your thighs, the warmth of John’s skin, the ache inside you telling you that he’s still in you. Your face is against his hairy pec, arms akimbo in a position you’ll surely feel in the morning. There’s something coiling inside you, has been for hours, and you give into the urge to move. You quietly fuck yourself on John’s cock, not speaking when his hands move to help. Your orgasm is quick but his takes longer, bouncing you like a fucktoy until he finally comes inside you, pulling out to shoot it on your stomach and the triangle of your cunt.

“Go���on, pet. Go to sleep.” And like a good pet, you do.

-

um.

yes i used three pet names.

no i dont want to talk about it.

next chapter is more ghoap and a lil gaz. 😋

taglist

@lveegsoi

@galactict3a

@nova-willow-541

lmk if i forgot you or you want to be added

[smoothlikealikeasnake]

Strawberry Princess Christmas Special

Genre - OT7!BTS x Reader, Hybrid!BTS x Hybrid!Reader

Pairing - Hybrid!Au , Hybrid BTS x Hybrid Reader, fluff, angst, eventual smut, slow burn? , alternative reality , strangers to lovers , strangers to friends, friends to lovers

Warnings - Absolute fluffiest fluff. Tooth-rottingly sweet fluff.

Summary - The Strawberry Princess Universe meets Christmas and is filled with fluff and joy, all around ❤️

Christmas is a big deal in the Bangtan House. It’s a special time of year for many but it is anticipated for months by the pack.

December 1st, Y/n let herself into the packs home and was greeted with calculated chaos. People were running by her in a flash, trailed by decorations of all kinds and amidst the loud Christmas music was shouted commands and questions. Y/n kept her hand on the door fully debating wether she should slowly leave and come back but the scent of fresh gingerbread and hot cocoa tied in with the warm happiness in all of the packs scents just drew her in so she walked in.

Spinning around as she took in the half decorated festive wonderland around her, each of the boys zipped past her at some point and greeted her with a quick kiss on her face or head, besides Jimin, always the charmer who stopped mid run to pick up her hand and give her a prince-like welcoming.

Not everyone was running around though, Namjoon and Yoongi were sat on the couch and Y/n was swiftly pulled into Namjoons lap whilst Yoongi gave her a quick thigh squeeze and rubbed her back in greeting before getting back to his task which was untangling the lights. It seemed everyone was working, besides Namjoon so after he adjusted Y/n to sit comfortably and slipped one hand in her hair and the other on her waist, rubbing soft circles there, Y/n gave him a confused look.

“You aren’t busy right now?” - It was more of a question because Y/n had now occupied his lap and his hands so there isn’t much he could really do but he just gave Y/n a sheepish but equally dazzling smile, a light blush covering his cheeks while he replied.

“Well- I just lift anything heavy, I tend to break anything more delicate” - Y/n just looked at Namjoon with parted lips in slight shock as Namjoon avoided her eyes before reciprocating Y/n’s expression when she grabbed his huge bicep, hand only covering one half of it, giving it a squeeze with a coo, only staring for a moment too long at how firm it was before beaming at him.

“Awww, our strong Joonie, it’s okay im sure you don’t break everything delicate really” - Namjoon found his blush deepening as he held onto ‘our Joonie’ and nervously laughed before Yoongi spoke for the first time in a while and had them both speechless.

“Yeah, your right, our Joonie won’t break our delicate little Y/n” - Yoongi said it so nonchalantly that both Namjoon and Y/n were struck with heavy blushes and stuttering words that made the panther very proud, sittih smugly as he continued his untangling task.

“Anyway- Jin will be calling everyone for a break in a few minutes, he’s baked cookies” - Namjoon cleared his throat and completely skipped over Yoongis words, glad because right on queue Jin ushered everyone to stop their tasks for a break and the youngest clumsily piled in with a crash and stood around the kitchen island digging in while everyone else moved at a calmer pace.

Namjoon stood up and quite literally carried Y/n over even as she yelped when he walked with her in his arm like nothing. As soon as she was sat down, Hobi handed her a warm gingerbread cookie shaped as a Christmas tree and Y/n took it with a thank you and a hum of appreciation.

“What can I do to help” - Y/n asked after swallowing her mouthful of cookie, eager to do something

“Nothing, beautiful, you just sit with Namjoon hm?” - Jin leant over and ruffled her hair but instead of her just agreeing she slightly pouted with a furrow of her eyebrows

“No i want to help, he’s already done his job” - Y/n was firm, not willing to just sit around whilst everyone else was actually running, sprinting around in absolute chaos

“You can help us decorate the tree in a little while, right?” - Taehyung came up with the suggestion, wanting her input on where to put each ornament and maybe help her put them up. Y/n looked around for confirmation knowing tree decorating can be a personal tradition but she was instantly waved off by Hoseok

“Of course you can” - Hobi slipped his hand into her scalp to gently rub at it and push away any of her doubts that seemed to grow, lulling her into a relaxed slump

“But what about now?” - She looked up still determined to do something, to be helpful

“Well I suppose you could arrange the pillows and blankets on the couches?” - Somehow Jin knew that would make her happy and he was proud as Y/n’s eyes lit up, tail flicking behind her and a soft purr began to come from her chest, practically shouting out her response.

“Yes!”

Everyone briefed Y/n on what they were doing decoration-wise and found out they all had the same tasks every year, it was routine for them and Y/n found herself just sitting with stars in her eyes at their passion and love for eachother that showed in the care they put into this time of year and all of its tradition.

“What are your plans for Christmas, princess?” - Y/n’s thoughts were cut off by Jungkook turning to her questioningly and Y/n blanked for a moment before answering

“My mom is going away this Christmas so I’ll see her a few days before and we will celebrate then” - While Y/n didn’t seem to mind, everyone else had a light frown on their faces, not wanting her to be alone especially in the holidays it just wasn’t right and if she was going to be alone, they just wouldn’t have that.

“But what about Christmas Day?” - Jimin leant in and asked, watching her every move for even the slightest bit of sadness in her eyes, ready to pick her up and cuddle it all away

“I’ll cozy up with my favourite Christmas movies and-“ - Y/n thought they were just intrigued and while she would of loved to spend Christmas Day with her mom, it just wasn’t possible this year so Christmas will have to come early and that was okay for Y/n, aslong as she didn’t think about it too much. She was cut off, rather abruptly by Yoongi with his firm, low toned voice

“You won’t spend it alone, come here for Christmas” - Maybe if someone else had said it, it might seem like pity but somehow, coming from Yoongi, Y/n knew it wasn’t but despite that she just opened and closed her mouth like a fish, not quite knowing how to respond

“Yeah! Come here! Our parents come over and you could meet them and we will have a nice dinner and watch a movie and-“ - Jungkook was practically jumping on the spot at the idea, eyes wide and pretty much about to leap in and swing Y/n around in excitement, even before she responded.

“Slow down Kook, only if you want too doll but we would love to have you here” - Namjoon gently scolded Jungkook and put a hand on his thigh to calm him down, rubbing softly and it worked mostly as Kook instantly relaxed and leant in to his touch while Namjoon’s kind and gentle gaze stayed on Y/n with his breathtaking smile

“Well I couldn’t intrude on your family time-“ - Y/n began to shift uneasily, the idea was so good it sounded so nice but she couldn’t shift the feeling that she’d be a burden or intruding, that’s why she was interrupted quickly by Hoseok

“Don’t be silly, pretty, we would love to have you here and so would our parents” - Hoseok was now the one scolding, rubbing his hand down her spine to make sure she took in all his words and attention and saw her ears flittering around from her internal battle

“But it’s Christmas” - Y/n spoke quietly, almost a whisper and sounded oh so unsure that 7 pairs of arms were nearly around her in an instant to wrap her in comfort and reassurance

“Exactly! It’s Christmas so it’s the best time of year to have you over” - Jin sounded both enthusiastic and firm, leaning on his elbows on the kitchen island to make eye contact with Y/n and he watched her bite her lip for a moment in contemplation before nodding and he swore he could feel the room get warmer and happier from his mates reactions to her acceptance

“If your sure, I’d love that”

———————————————————————————

The next few hours were filled with the same chaos Y/n had walked into with brief conversations here and there about what the boys’ parents were like. Y/n was oh so anxious to meet them but was mentally planning exactly how she would meet each and everyone one of them to make the best first impression. Spoiler alert, it didn’t go exactly to plan but all turned out well!

Y/n put her heart and soul into arranging all the blankets and pillows to perfection, kneading each one to make it fluffy and bouncy and smoothing out any creases, pulling Namjoon around to give his opinions on each placement and pushing him down to test the softness and bounciness of each pillow and blanket even though she had to fluff them back up each and everytime, just repeating until he wrapped her up in his arms and praised her on how lovely it all was and how perfect of a job she had done, that made her melt and finally finish up, refusing to even touch her work before the rest of the boys had approved it and urging both Namjoon and herself to sit on the fluffy rug on the floor instead to which he obliged, putting her in his lap for the remainder of their sitting around time.

Watching the decorations go up was like watching real magic happen, every inch of the home was decorated and Y/n watched with her heart filling with happiness as every second went by. She was melted into Namjoon’s larger body, purring away and refusing to close her eyes despite how sleepy she seemed, even as Joon gently played with her hair and she didn’t move for even a second as he accidentally snagged a few knots and then apologised and kissed her head. It was all just so magical.

And when she thought it couldn’t get any better, how could it possibly? Decorating the tree. Boxes and boxes of decorations were pulled out, the tree was so tall it was nearly double Y/n’s height and while Yoongi handled spinning lights around it, the ornaments and additional decorations was everyone’s job. They worked from the bottom up, picking out every bauble and bow and pieces of tinsel they wanted to put up and where, the boys looking at Y/n for her approval everytime even though it was their tree, making it hers too.

The bottom half of the tree was easiest to do, 8 pairs of hands putting in their favourite decorations and wherever seemed right until it was full and glimmering and so so magical, then came the second half. It was easy enough for the boys, the shorter mates having to just go on their tippy toes for a moment to reach near the top and Y/n assumed her part was done, helping where she could and trying to be ever so careful with each piece, face concentrated as she stood at the highest point of her tippy toes to reach wherever was possible, unaware of the sets of hands that would hover her waist just incase she looked wobbly.

Just when she put one more bauble up and felt herself nearly fall forward, catching herself quickly and ignoring the skim of hands settling on her to steady her as she briefly panicked, she decided that was as much as she could help. The boys had different ideas because just as she stepped back, she yelped and gasped in surprise at Jungkook grabbing her by the thighs, leaning down and hoisting her up onto his shoulders while her thighs quickly tightened around his neck and her calves criss-crossed in instinct to not fall. Kook never would of let her fall of course, he held a tight grip on her while she got stable and only giggled when she leant forward, resting her chest over his head and gripping his hair for a moment as she still sat in pure shock.

“Jungkook! What are you doing!” - The rest of the boys laughed at her attempt to make him get down as she lightly pulled at his fluffy hair and looked around with wide eyes only to find the rest of the boys just smiling at her and continuing with their decorating.

“Now you can get the higher bits, I’ve got you just relax a little” - Y/n pouted stubbornly even if he couldn’t see it but followed through, slightly relaxing her plush thighs as they still were wrapped around his neck but were held in place by his hands and leant up straighter so she didn’t set him off balance. When she relaxed a bit more, Jungkook let one hand go and reached for a decoration, handing it up to her and telling her to guide him wherever so she could put it. And she did just that.

Each of the boys handed her decorations, some with suggestions of where to put it and some leaving her to make that decision all while she gently tugged at Jungkook’s hair to order him left and right. By the time the tree was nearly finished, besides one last detail, it was full and so so beautiful, so full of memories and love and Jungkook’s hair was messy but his smile was full, eyes nearly closed with how wide it was. When they were finished, he gently knelt down so she could hop off his shoulders, with two different people’s hands on her own helping her make the small leap and when she stepped back, she stood in awe at the beautiful tree before them.

A hand gently rested on her shoulder to take her out of her trance and a voice whispered into her ear.

“Help us do the star, doll?” - Y/n turned around to find Namjoon leaning his hand out to her with a beautiful, glimmering star in his hand ready to go on the very top of the tree and right as she was about to protest because the star is arguably the most important part of the tree and placing it is so often the most special part of decorating the tree, she looked around and found 6 encouraging, happy smiles urging her to do just that. She looked up and wondered just how she was going to reach because she was just about reaching the top decorations on Jungkook’s shoulders but this was even higher and right as she bit her lip and nodded, Namjoon solved that issue.

Being the tallest and easily the strongest in the pack, it was easy for him to wrap one arm around Y/n’s thighs, his other hand just under her breasts and to lift her up until she was high enough, her feet level with his firm stomach all while keeping her steady and straight up, tall enough to reach the very tip of the tree where Y/n carefully placed the star before she was gently lifted down again and set on the ground.

Right on cue, as everyone stepped back to look at the tree, Yoongi flicked on the lights and it was like you could hear the twinkling off all of the decoration and lights, the most enchanting sight Y/n had ever seen as she lightly gasped in admiration and stared with a smile as another set of arms wrapped around her waist and Jimins scent invaded her nose, holding her in close and warm.

“See? Christmas is So much better together”

———————————————————————————

Christmas rolled around with hot cocoa and warm movies, wrapped up in blankets and as Y/n got back from her mom’s on the 23rd, she was only at home for a few hours before she was whisked away to the packs home where she was told their parents would be coming Christmas Eve afternoon, logically giving her plenty of time to prepare.

She went to sleep that night inbetween Taehyung and Jimin who wore matching Christmas pajamas with her, one of the three sets Jin had gone out and chosen for all of the pack to wear for the next three days, one for the 23rd, one for the 24th and one for Christmas morning and evening.

Y/n stumbled out from between Jimin and Taehyung before they woke up because she fell asleep hours before they had, wobbling down the hallway with her eyes still half closed and mind definitely not processing the 7 new scents in the home, she just followed after the closest familiar one and wrapped herself in Hoseoks embrace while he chuckled and ran a hand through her messy hair. She didn’t even hear the coos and comments about their cute interaction.

“Your up early honey, where and Tae and Minnie?” - Hoseok asked while he held her close reciprocating her affectionate pawing.

“They’re ’sleep, went to bed late” - Hoseok hummed in response and plucked the hairband he always keeps on his wrist now to gently gather her messy curls and tie them into a simple ponytail before looking up to the 7 guests with a smile and then looking down again.

“You want to say hi?” - He gently coaxed Y/n out of her sleepy hold and she looked up at him confused before the new scents processed in her brain and her eyes widened faster than he had ever seen before, watching her spin on her heel and take in the 7 pack mates mother’s sitting around the kitchen island taking in their cute interaction and Y/n’s words felt choked up and like they were spewing out all at the same time, stuttering for a few moments before straightening out her pajamas and standing up straight, easily identifiying who each of the women’s son’s were.

“I-im so sorry- it’s so nice to meet you all- um-“ - She only struggled for a few moments before she was wrapped up in a tight hug by one of the women, followed by another and then another, one by one.

“Don’t be sorry darling that’s alright we came early” - Taehyung’s eomma spoke soothingly

“We have heard so much about you!” - Jimin’s eomma, bubbly and sweet smiled at her with that same eye-closing smile Jimin

“Wah- Hoseok none of your words put fully into perspective just how beautiful she is!” - Hoseok’s eomma jokingly scolded her son and lightly hit him on his arm as he tried to protest her words

“Alright stop crowding her ladies, give her a moment she’s just woke up the poor thing” - Namjoon’s eomma , just like her son, was the reason of the group and urged the women to stand back and as they did, Y/n let out a shaky, uncertain breath.

“It’s wonderful to finally meet you Y/n, im Jisoo, Jin’s mother but you just call me Eomma okay?” - Y/n stuttered over her words as she reciprocated her introduction and smiled at the calm woman.

“I’m Jungkook’s mother but you just call me eomma too” - A soft spoken, shyer seeming woman spoke next and Y/n was caught over her words still in shock still

“Infact just call all of us eomma, darling, the boys do” - Yoongi’s mother spoke next, seeing the recognition in Y/n’s eyes and knowing introductions weren’t exactly in need when she knew exactly who was who and that it would all end with the same phrase ‘just call me eomma’ and Y/n couldn’t stop the thankful smile she sent her way, feeling herself let out another breath as despite the vast differences in energy levels between the women, they were all very similar to the boys she knew and were so very kind and welcoming.

I mean, she’d been greeted in a warm hug by three of them even before she got out a full sentence, the others were more sparing with their touches but equally as warm as Namjoon’s eomma guided her over to the table to sit with them by a hand gently on her back and Jin’s mom kindly squeezing her hand for a moment in greeting once she was sat.

They quickly made her feel comfortable and welcomed, Y/n tail falling into a soft sway and her ears relaxing which made Hoseok, who was watching from the side, smile into his cup of coffee. Yoongi’s mom had poured her a herbal tea with a quiet statement insisting she kept warm and healthy in the cold winter, Jimin’s mom had piled on fresh porridge she had brought over with a similar statement, Jin’s mom quickly filling a small selection of side dishes for her meal for her, Taehyungs mother, sat at her side kept pulling her into tight side hugs throughout their chat, Namjoon’s mother having the same keen interest in her every word, Jungkook’s mother grabbing her hands to make sure they were warm enough and Hoseok bragging about how lucky their boys were to have such a sweet, beautiful girl at their side.

Y/n quickly fell into a comfortable conversation discussing everything and nothing with them, laughing and joking as they all recalled silly stories of the boys and the mothers asking Y/n questions about herself. They had approved of her the moment she walked into the room and Hoseok seemed to light up, happily holding her close and since then they had only become more fond.

“Our husbands won’t be here until the afternoon, they are out around Seoul having their annual big catchup, you know, men” - Hoseok’s eomma jokingly rolled her eyes at her own statement and it had Y/n in a fit of giggles as the rest of the women just kept adding to the statement.

They sat around chatting and eating for nearly an hour before two more sleepy boys stumbled into the room, originally smelling that Y/n was awake and heading towards her giving her sleepy pecks to her head before waking up completely and bounding over to their mothers to give them tight hugs, both of them jokingly scolded the two for not even noticing their presence but everyone could tell they had no malicious intent behind the words and found their instincts to seek out the young woman just so adorable. Sweet Young love, they all thought.

Jin and Namjoon were the two who came in, Jin immediately doing his rounds to greet each of the mothers and refill everyone’s tea while Namjoon, who tripped on his way in, had been lightly scolded by his mother for still being so clumsy before he also went around giving his greetings and sat down knowing he’d definitely get into more clumsy trouble if he did much else.

Seeing Y/n so comfortable with their mothers had each of the boys’ hearts filled with Christmas joy and happiness, smiling widely despite only just waking up, practically bouncing on their feet with every step and that was the same for each of the rest of the pack joining them. One by one they joined in the kitchen, Yoongi next and then the maknaes in age order starting with Jimin. While all the ladies sat around the kitchen island, the boys found purchase against the counters waiting until everyone was present until they moved to the living room.

“Who did the blankets this year? The choices are just perfect” - Taehyung’s mother gushed, always a fan of texture and stylish choices going hand in hand, happily taking in the arrangements.

“Y/n did them, Eomma” - Jimin practically purred out, giving Y/n a back hug that made her shy and try to worm her way out not wanting to be too affectionate infront of the group of mothers but they all cooed and gave their compliments, having her cheeks to bright red and she practically hid trying to sit on the corner of a sofa before her arm was gently pulled to the side by Jungkook’s mother who insisted the middle was comfier and to make the boys sit on the edges.

The first thing they did was put on a Christmas movie for everyone to watch before the boys and Y/n headed off to get ready for the day, wrapping up warm despite only really having plans to stay in.

Y/n had finished up and it was nearing mid-day, walking into the kitchen all of the mothers were doing their own tasks to prepare lunch, not noticing her presence at first until she spotted Jimin’s mother closest and went to ask if there was anything she could do to help but she caught herself from calling out her name, remembering their earlier words and instead quietly mumbling.

“Eomma?” - All 7 pairs of eyes shot to her, dropping what they were doing to tend whatever she needed and Y/n hadn’t expected it, speaking so quietly and stood there blankly for a moment, just blinking as a flurry of questions on what she needed and if she was okay came from the 7 mothers but Y/n just responded after a few moments

“I just wanted to know if you needed any help” - And instantly again, all 7 mothers were responding and waving her off, telling her to just sit that they would be finished in a few moments. The amount of love and kindness swirling through the home was overwhelming but in the special way that is not too overwhelming since it was Christmas.

———————————————————————————

Meeting the boys fathers was somewhat easier for Y/n since she had expected it this time, they were just a kind, a bit more reserved but just as kind and welcoming, joining mid-afternoon before they all had a warm, hearty dinner and settled down for stories and movies in the living room again, Y/n definitely not on the edge of the sofas this time, that being reserved for the fathers because in the mothers eyes for this it went

Y/n

Themselves

The boys

Their fathers

They had their comments about that, going back to the ones they started in the morning in the kitchen and Y/n found herself suppressing her giggles all over again, all cozy and warm with a mug of hot cocoa that Jin’s eomma had prepared for her, holding back sleep when it reached the evening time until all the parents announced they would be going to sleep and going off to each of the boy’s rooms to sleep. The pack had asked if Y/n be okay sleeping in the packs nesting room with all of them before she came and of course she was, already sleepy she practically dozed off when Taehyung easily eased her up and into his arms, taking her to the warm fuzzy room where they all got ready for bed.

Y/n changed quickly before she was pushed and pulled into the centre of the nest, surrounded by all of the pack, warm and soft with a full belly and fresh Christmas pajamas, nodding off ready for an amazing Christmas Day. It was heavenly, being between all of them at once, euphoric and Y/n felt like she was on a different planet, purring so loudly it vibrated all of their bodies and instinctively caused them all to reciprocate their own versions of the sounds, their own kind of white noise.

———————————————————————————

On Christmas Day they were greeted with snow, a true, movie-like Christmas with a fresh, comforting breakfast, a mountain of presents to be exchanged and love bounding through the air in every which direction. The day was magical. Truly.

“Aren’t they just perfect for eachother” - Jimin’s eomma commented as all of the parents stood back watching the pack giggle and hug and just interact with eachother, in their own little world.

“They truly are” - Jungkook’s father commented back

“The perfect Young Destined Love”

———————————————————————————

Thank you so much for reading I really hope you enjoyed! This is the Christmas special and im sorry if it seems a bit short towards the end I hope it doesn’t seem like it’s missing anything but it’s just pure fluff and a big milestone in the Strawberry Princess universe too!

Please let me know what you think! I love to hear you guys’ comments and what parts you enjoyed ❤️

As always my asks are open for drabbles, character asks, ect xx

Have a Very Merry Christmas! 🎄

Mwah ❤️

ཐི♡ཋྀ

———————————————————————————

Taglist (still open loves just drop me a comment if you’d like to be added x)

@m00njinnie @singukieee @maisyyyyyy @noortsshift @bunnybears-stuff @authorpj @simeonswif3 @msrmimi @nobody3210 @djodjom1 1 @jkriri @btsizlyfe @dachshunddame @cherriescream @sassy-snassy @kiki-zb @sebastianwhore13 @juju-227592 @jungshaking

[capseycartwright]

see the lights, and hang the stockings

Eddie finds out that Buck has never ever had a Christmas stocking of his own. He's very determined to change that and share a few Diaz family traditions.

ao3 link

for week three of @winterofbuddie - holiday history.

Eddie knew he was inclined to go a little overboard at Christmastime. It was his favourite holiday, and he’d inadvertently (and very happily, might he add) made it Christopher’s favourite holiday too, their house always filled to the brim with decorations, Christmas music playing on a loop as soon as Thanksgiving was over, and he and Christopher agreed it was socially acceptable to dive right into the Christmas of it all.

Eddie loved Christmas, was the point, and even now, when Christopher was a relatively grumpy teenager, so did his son, Christopher happy to spend one of his precious Saturday evenings decorating the tree with Eddie, and Buck, instead of hanging out with his friends. 

Well, to a point. 

They’d gotten the tree decorated before Christopher had sneaked off to his bedroom, the chatter of his teenager calling his friends comforting background noise as he and Buck carried on the decorating duties. There had been a time where Eddie had worried he’d never have a house filled with the noise of Christopher simply living his life again, and so he was grateful for it - even when he’d hear Christopher up chatting far too late, his bedtime long past. 

Eddie only got to have his kid be a kid for so long, and he’d lived through a dark few months where he hadn’t gotten to have his son around at all - so, he could be forgiven for being a little lenient with him sometimes. 

“Mulled wine,” Buck hummed by way of explanation, pressing a mug into Eddie’s waiting hands. Eddie liked getting to do this, decorate, with Buck. Buck was his best friend in the whole world, and Eddie had done enough work unpicking a lifetime of repression to know that his feelings for Buck went a bit further than solely platonic, but even putting the whole, being in love with him, thing aside, Eddie just loved to spend time with the other man. 

“Thank you,” Eddie hummed, inhaling the comforting smell of spices, the aroma of mulled wine sinking into every inch of Eddie’s house. Christmas baking would join the party soon, he knew, because Buck was determined to make all of their nearest and dearest cookie boxes this year, like he’d seen on TikTok, and Eddie knew that his kitchen would be the stage of choice when Buck committed to executing his twelve-point plan for perfecting cookie gifts. 

“I think it needs more cardamon,” Buck admitted, a tiny frown furrowing the space between his eyebrows. Eddie sort of always wanted to kiss it. 

“It’s perfect,” Eddie disagreed, taking another sip of his drink. “You make the best mulled wine.”

An adorable flush appeared on Buck’s cheeks. Just another thing Eddie wanted to kiss. “You’re an unreliable reviewer,” he shook his head. “You like everything I make. I can never tell what’s really good, and what’s just okay, because you tell me everything is good.”

Eddie grinned, setting his mug on the fireplace. “That’s because I think everything is good,” he shrugged. It wasn’t a lie. Buck was a fantastic cook, and a great baker, and Eddie’s house was ground zero for many delicious experiments - the cheesy, twisty garlic bread Buck had made for their Italian themed family dinner had been a recent highlight. Buck’s sourdough starter even lived in Eddie’s fridge, not his own, for crying out loud. 

Pressing play on his carefully curated Christmas playlist, the sound of Wham! and Last Christmas filling the living room, Eddie passed Buck a snowglobe, his best friend indulging and setting it down on the coffee table, where it always lived. It was a cheap, silly thing that Eddie had bought the first Christmas he’d been out of the army, from the Dollar General, but it held so much sentimental memory now, Eddie didn’t have the heart to throw it out. Buck had bought them a beautiful snowglobe a few years previously, from a small business based on the Northern Californian coast, and that was pride of place on the fireplace, but the cheap one still had a home - different eras of Eddie’s life all coming together here, in LA, in the first place he’d really chosen for himself. 

“I love your decorations,” Buck hummed, careful fingers tracing the lettering on one of the tree decorations - it was an imprint of Christopher’s tiny baby hand, the black writing announcing to the world that it had been his very first Christmas. “They all have so much meaning.”

Eddie hummed. “You know me,” he joked. “I’m a sentimental old fool.” 

“No - it’s good. Great, even,” Buck paused, for a minute. “My parents' Christmas tree had a colour scheme, growing up. There were no sentimental ornaments - only these picture perfect gold and red baubles. I broke one - I think I was seven, or eight - and my mom yelled at me for so long that it made me cry. She said they didn’t make the ornaments anymore, so she’d have to change them all now, because of me. I didn’t think she had meant it, but the next year, she’d thrown out all the red and gold, and we had green and silver.”

Eddie knew that Buck had grown up with emotionally neglectful parents, but sometimes, in moments like this, when Buck made an admission about the reality of his childhood, it really struck him how bad it must have been for Buck, growing up - how lonely, and sad, he must have been. It was amazing, really, how Buck turned out to be so kind, and wonderful, given the house he grew up in. How Buck was still Buck, despite everything he’d been through. “Buck, I…”

“I’m sorry,” Buck shrugged it off, like he always did. Buck never wanted to burden other people, and sometimes it made Eddie want to yell, and scream -  it made him want to beg Buck to burden him with every thought and feeling he had. Eddie wanted to be there for him - he wanted to know what Buck had for breakfast every morning, and what he thought came in the afterlife, and everything in between. “I don’t know why I said that. Tonight’s meant to be happy, and here I am, making it all about me.”

read the rest on ao3

[margeoww]

Can you write a Toto fic where him and his wife were married for 20 years and then divorced and they see eachother again after 4 years of no contact?

After All This Time

back to my main masterlist

pairing: toto wolff x exwife!reader

summary: After 20 years of marriage and four years of silence, Toto Wolff and his ex-wife cross paths at a gala. What begins as a polite conversation soon reveals lingering emotions, unspoken regrets, and the possibility that some connections are never truly broken.

warnings: Themes of divorce and unresolved emotions and bittersweet tones with implied angst and longing.

The clinking of glasses, low hum of conversations, and the occasional sound of laughter filled the room. Toto Wolff stood at the edge of the gala, his usual composed demeanor masking the slight unease he felt. He wasn’t one for these events anymore; they always seemed too polished, too formal. But tonight, he had been convinced to attend.

He scanned the room casually, his eyes falling on familiar faces: team principals, drivers, sponsors. And then, he saw her.

It had been four years since their divorce. Twenty years of marriage undone, leaving behind only memories, regrets, and the occasional pang of guilt that crept in during quiet moments. He hadn’t expected to see her tonight, let alone feel the weight of her presence so acutely.

She stood by the bar, her smile as effortless as he remembered, though her laughter seemed freer now. She was talking to someone he didn’t recognize, and Toto found himself frozen in place, torn between the urge to approach her and the fear of reopening old wounds.

Before he could decide, her eyes caught his. The smile faltered, just for a moment, replaced by something he couldn’t quite read. Recognition? Curiosity? Pain? She excused herself from her conversation and began walking toward him.

Toto straightened his posture, his years of dealing with high-stress situations kicking in. But nothing could prepare him for this.

—Hello, Toto ��she said softly, her voice laced with an undeniable familiarity that made his chest tighten.

He nodded, offering a small smile. —Hello.

There was a pause, not quite awkward but not comfortable either. They were two people who had shared everything once, now strangers navigating a conversation as if treading on glass.

—It’s been a long time —she said, breaking the silence.

—Four years —he replied, the words heavy with unspoken emotions.

Her lips twitched into a faint smile. —You always were good with numbers.

He chuckled, the sound low and brief. —And you were always better with words.

Another pause. He wanted to say so much, ask so many things—how she had been, if she was happy, if she missed him the way he missed her during quiet nights. But none of those words felt right, so he asked the simplest question.

—How have you been?

She hesitated, her gaze drifting to the drink in her hand. —Good. Different, but good. And you?

He nodded slowly. —Busy. The team keeps me occupied.”

—That doesn’t surprise me —she said, her tone lighter. —You always thrived under pressure.

—Not always —he admitted, the words slipping out before he could stop them. Her eyes softened, and he knew she understood what he meant.

They fell into silence again, the air between them thick with memories. He wanted to reach out, to say the things he never could when they parted. But would it change anything?

—I didn’t expect to see you here —she said eventually.

—Nor did I —he admitted. —But I’m… glad I did.

Her expression shifted, something unreadable flickering across her face. —I should go. It was nice seeing you, Toto.

Before she could turn away, he reached out, his fingers lightly brushing her arm. —Wait.

She stopped, looking back at him, and for the first time that night, he allowed the vulnerability to show.

—I’ve missed you —he said quietly.

Her breath hitched, and for a moment, he saw the same pain mirrored in her eyes. But then she smiled—a bittersweet, knowing smile.

—I’ve missed you too —she whispered.

And with that, she walked away, leaving him standing alone in the crowded room, the echoes of her words lingering in the air.

Heyyy!!!! This is my first request and it’s about my man Toto 😜. Thank you for requesting this anon, I hope to see more of these. And also hope u like it, remember that English is not my first language ‼️

[roscgcld]

I love ur type of writing so much 😭💗💗💗,I was wondering if you could do a a chill day between y/n and megumi? Where they both have a day off and just spend the day together maybe spending a bit of it playfighting,cuddling,going out (which leads to megumi getting a bit protective like the cutie he is lol)

FUSHIGURO MEGUMI || day-in-a-life

The quiet thrills of birds were the first thing you heard when you woke up; the sound slowly pulling you away from the warmth of your dream. And without even thinking you turned onto your other side and reached your arm out, searching for the warm body that you knew was not far away.

Your fingers brushed against a warm arm, which shifted from your sudden touch before moving closer towards you as well. Soon you were curled up against a warm chest, lean arms wrapped around you tightly. A soft grumble was heard from Megumi's chest, to which you responded with a soft noise of your own as you absorbed all the warmth that your boyfriend seemed to constantly produce.

This was your routine on Sundays - after a long week of studies, and spending Saturdays doing chores like getting groceries and doing homework, Sundays are the days that both of you have agreed that is your private time. Both being somewhat introverted, a day where you two just spend together indoors sounds extremely appealing.

"Slept okay?," Megumi mumbled out after a few more minutes of silence, forcing you to open your eyes as you looked up at him with a look of annoyance. He should have known better than try to wake you up. "Sorry," Was the only response you got before a big hand covered your eyes, his chuckling an indicator that he knows that him doing that only annoyed you more.

After a few moments however Megumi started to shift to get out of bed, ignoring your whines from you not to leave. And whilst he ignored those whines, he did you tuck you back into bed with a soft kiss to the side of your head before he went into the bathroom. Giving you a view of him stretching himself out as he shuffled his way towards the bathroom door, his lean muscles shifting in the morning light.

The next time Megumi returned was after he used the bathroom, and he returned into the room while he was brushing his teeth with one hand, the other one holding onto another toothbrush that he kept in his bathroom for you to use. Complete with a dollop of toothpaste on a wet toothbrush for you to start brushing.

You gave him a sleepy smile as you forced yourself up, shivering a little from the cold as you accepted the toothbrush. "Thank you," You mumbled softly before you started to brush your teeth, pushing the blankets aside and accepting the hand that Megumi had for you to help you out of bed.

After Megumi was done he left you to do what you need in the bathroom to prepare his morning coffee with his moka pot. As he waited he made some scrambled eggs for breakfast; a soft smile on his face when he felt your arms wrapping around his waist from behind. "What do you want to drink today?"

Megumi made whatever you requested as you helped set out tatami in his room with some cutlery before you went to turn on the projector that he had in his room, turning on his PS5 so you could find the TV show you two were watching. By the time Megumi returned, you had gotten comfortable on the low couch that he had behind the tatami, a blanket thrown across your lap with the other end of the blanket tossed over his side of the seat.

"Thank you, baby," You said with a warm smile on your face, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek in thanks as he hums in response. Megumi, forced to grow up young, has always enjoyed cooking for you. Tsumiki had always not been the best at cooking, so Megumi had taken on more of the cooking and homemaking part of their life. Plus, he was meticulous in his daily routine, and hates change; so you let him do these things since it makes him happy.

It was the same every Sunday morning; breakfast that Megumi makes, both of you enjoying each other's presence as you two ate your food together. When you two were done you offered (or more so gave Megumi a look to tell him to 'sit down') to do the dishes while he paused the new episode of the show and went to scroll through a few of the games that he had.

While others may find these mornings boring you don't - you two enjoy each other's company, and can spend hours in silence together doing your own things. There is just something so comforting about just being in each other's presence that you rarely find the need to fill the silence.

You went on your phone for a bit after finishing up with the dishes; however, you soon grew bored (and cold) - which was when you decided it would be Megumi's problem. It first started with you wiggling your feet beneath Megumi's thighs; to which the man just side-eyed you briefly in annoyance but shifted his weight so you could claim your rightful place beneath them. But soon you grew bored, especially when wiggling your toes got you not even a stare in response. So you decided that you needed to it into your own hands.

Which was how you found yourself wiggling into Megumi's lap; the man letting out a half assed groan as he lifted his arms so you can straddle his lap. His head craning to the side so he can continue to keep his eyes on the game. "You lil' - get comfortable already."

"Rude," You hummed back in a singsong voice, knowing that Megumi may sound annoyed, but rarely does he do anything about it. Which was proven when all you got in response was an annoyed glance and a slight sneer. Before his arms wrapped around you properly, his controller resting on the small of your back as you happily pressed kisses the to the side of his pink cheeks.

You went back on your phone as Megumi went on with his game, his chin resting on your shoulder as your fingers found their way to the back of his head. Gently tangling the soft strands between your fingers with one hand while the other went back to scrolling on your phone.

This went on for an hour before you had to regretfully pull away. You have a birthday party to attend later in the evening, and being the procrastinator you are, on top of needing to do an everything shower, you have yet to get the birthday girl a gift. So you planned to get ready after a relaxing morning to find a gift and return with enough time to get ready for dinner - and Megumi would obviously be tagging along like the good boyfriend he is.

Or well - you were just hoping that your puppy eyes will work on him today.

"I can't believe you left gift shopping to the very last minute. Again."

"Well you didn't have to say it like that."

Megumi gave you an annoyed look from the corner of his eye as you placed the body lotion back on the shelf. You two were currently in Lush, where you are trying to find a nice gift for your friend, who had recently mentioned that they have fallen into the 'body care' side of TikToks. "I can't stand it - how do the employees work here for hours?"

"Strong determination?," You threw over your shoulder as you bent down to read one of the labels on the bottle at the bottom shelf; and it was only when you were about to put the bottle back that you noticed that Megumi had shifted closer to your bent form. You looked over your shoulder curiously, only to see Megumi giving a man a death stare. Said man who was awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he pretended to be reading the labels of the body sprays before him. "Megumi?"

"He was staring a little too closely," Megumi grumbled as he turned to face you again, sighing quietly to himself as he reached down to tug at the corner of your skirt to make sure it covered you correctly. You just gave him a grateful smile before leaning up to peck his lips, to which he accepted with a ghost of a smile. "Thank you."

Once you've made your final purchase you handed Megumi your shopping before you left, to which he just rolled his eyes fondly as he held onto the bag with one hand and your hand with the other. You two wandered around the shopping centre for a bit longer before taking the train home, since you two needed to get ready for the evening.

Megumi left you at your dorm with a kiss on your forehead after leaving your bags in your room; leaving so you could get ready without interruptions. You went about getting ready for the evening, wrapping the last-minute items you had gotten for your friend and writing the birthday card you had gotten for her as well.

It took about 2 hours, between your everything shower and doing your hair and makeup - and when Megumi finally knocked on your door, you were just applying perfume and giving your makeup a once over.

Before the party you two had sat down and looked for a few inspiration pictures to dress up - you two had decided to dress in the same colour palette with your own spin on your look. When you opened the door you made sure to give Megumi a once over; smiling when you saw him dressed in his nice dress shoes, his dress pants, and a simple short-sleeved polo on. You nodded your head in approval before you made eye contact with Megumi, who was already staring at you with a loving smile on his face. "Well, look at you."

You had dressed yourself in a simple camo dress pants and a polo sweater since you were worried that it was cold and wanted to be able to layer up without overdoing it. Megumi had the same thought, with a simple navy sweater tossed over the same arm that had his trench coat as well.

"Do you think it's too simple?," You asked with a soft frown as you gave yourself another once over, adjusting the slim belt you had accessorised with so the metal part was facing the front. Megumi took a step into your room before he took your hand in his, making you do a spin for him as you let out a soft laugh. "I think you look amazing."

"Are you saying that because I look nice, or because my ass looks nice in these pants?," You tossed over your shoulder with a teasing smile as you grabbed your packed bag along with the gift bag, to which Megumi just gave you a look before he took the coat you had handed to him without second thought. "I guess we will never know."

Dodging your smack with a chuckle, he held the coat out for you to wear, making sure it was resting on your shoulders properly before he starts putting on his own sweater and trench coat as well. After you locked your door to your room he led you out, keeping your hand in his the entire time as you two got the train back into the city and made your way towards the restaurant together.

When you got to the restaurant you excitedly greeted the birthday girl, since it had been awhile since you had met in person. Megumi stood by the side with an awkward smile on his face, nodding his head in greeting at her when she turned to address him. After a few more moments you two were led to private booth that she had booked, where you happily greeted a few of your mutuals who had shown up as well.

Two of the guys from your group, who are friendly with Megumi started chatting your boyfriend up; the three of them soon diving into a conversation about a new video game, while also checking up on Yuji (since the four of them play some games whenever Yuji and Megumi can spare the time).

Even though Megumi was wrapped up in his own conversation he still made sure to keep constant skin contact in case you needed some reassurance; his warm hand resting on your thigh which he squeezed subconsciously. You two greeted the others that trickled in slowly; with the booth slowly but surely starting to fill up with familiar faces.

However, after the first round of food and drinks were ordered a new face appeared; and much to your shock it was the same man from the Lush shop from before standing over your table. You felt Megumi tensed up beside you as the birthday girl got up excitedly to greet the man, who she soon introduced as the guy that she had been seeing for the last 3 months. The man suddenly turned to face your direction, and froze when he was met with both your shocked expression and what you can assume is Megumi's infamous death stare; since he seemed to lose the colour from his face instantly.

But no one else noticed the brief interaction as they introduced themselves to the new man, curious about who he was and trying to be as welcoming as possible. You introduced yourself and Megumi as well, who was just silently staring down the man with an unimpressed look on his face. The birthday girl noticed but made no comment, probably assuming that Megumi was taking some time to warm up to a new person.

You felt awkward - you knew just how much your friend liked him through your updates, but he seemed to not have taken the idea of being 'exclusive' as seriously as your friend did. But you did not have the heart to ruin her birthday yet, so you just glued yourself closer to Megumi's side as the dinner went on. And being the ever-attentive boyfriend that he was, Megumi kept you close; the hand that was on your thigh soon wrapped around your waist instead.

The rest of the night however went by with a breeze, with the two of you ignoring the new man who had joined the group as you kept up with the other conversations around you. It was nice, getting to catch up with friends without the conversation turning to things like curses and paperwork - it was instead about college applications, phones being passed around with Tinder profiles of people on display, and even gossip updates on your other classmates. It was some form of normality that you cherish greatly after joining the jujutsu world.

However, Megumi and you had a long week ahead, and after you two had your fill you started to say goodbye to everyone at the table. While you were hugging your friends goodbye Megumi helped gather your things, putting on his coat and sweater before he grabbed your coat once more. He helped you back into your coat and slung your bag over his shoulder, his one hand typing away on his phone to order you two a cab instead of trying to squeeze in public transport while the other was held out for you to grab whenever you are ready.

"Sometimes it does pay to like nerds," One of your friends whispered to you conspiringly as she gave Megumi a glance, a look of playful envy on her face as you gave her a playful glare. "Not only is he a gentleman, but he is willing to splash cash? Sign me up."

"Find your own nerd to date," You tossed back with a giggle, giving the girl another hug as she laughed. "Don't worry - you won't be hanging up your therapist role just yet," She replied back, to which you just rolled your eyes playfully before you grabbed onto Megumi's hand. "I'll see you guys around!," You called over your shoulder one last time as you waved at everyone, letting Megumi lead you out of the restaurant towards the cab that was waiting for you. "Did you have fun?"

"I did. I will say though, it is our luck to run into the same guy from the shopping centre today," You replied back with a sigh, Megumi giving you an understanding look as he opened the door of the cab for you. "Tell me about it. If he does anything though I will send my shinigami on him."

Instead of replying you just gave Megumi a playful stare, to which he just raises an eyebrow in response. "And you claimed that you aren't romantic," Was all you said, to which Megumi just rolled his eyes before he turned to face the window in annoyance; the tips of his pale ears slowly turning a deep shade of red. "I'm just worried about you, brat. Don't get it twisted.."

You just giggled before you leaned over to give him a kiss on his cheek, your laughter only growing when he immediately tried to swat you away. His embarrassment made itself known with his awkward movements and shifty eyes.

Maybe your friend was right - the quiet, nerdy boys may just be the best way to go.

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© roscgcld — all rights reserved to me, rose, the author and creator of these works. do not repost/translate/claim my work as yours on any platform

[tubattutu]

Held and Handled

summary: pegging your sweet boyfriend for the first time.

pairing: idol!huening kai x fem!reader

warnings: pegging, reader uses a strap on, sub!kai, dom!reader, soobin has a gf, petnames (babe, baby, hun), kai is sensitive and loud asf, as always lmk if i missed some !

a/n: merry christmas eve and happy holidays !!!!! been wanting to write something like this for a whileeeee so enjoy <3

"i swear man, that food was so good." soobin commented, taking a sip of his drink he had left over from the restaurant him and kai had just went to.

kai just chuckled, walking back to the dorm with his best friend. he kinda just zoned out as soobin talked about something he couldn’t recall, until a question caught him from his zoned out state.

“so how’s it going with y/n?” he asked curiously, sipping on his drink once more as he glanced over at kai, both of them still walking towards their dorm building. “mmh.. pretty good, actually.” kai replied, glancing down at the ground to his shoes, his hands in his pant pockets.

“really? nothing interesting?” soobin frowned, chuckling, still looking over at kai.

kais mind was all over the place, thinking and deciding whether or not he should mention what he was thinking… maybe soobin could help, maybe suggest something.

“uhh… well… i just.. i have a problem..” kai sighed, watching his feet move in rhythm with soobins. “problem? what’s up?” soobin asked, sounding a bit concerned.

“well… i guess lately whenever me and y/n do stuff it’s like.. kinda boring..” kai expressed and glanced over at soobin, the wind slightly blowing his hair. “oh? really?” soobin grinned, suddenly getting an idea in his head at the mention.

“you should try pegging.”

“pegging? are you serious?” kais eyebrows raised, surprised at the suggestion. “yeah, pegging. me and my girlfriend tried it a couple times and the first time we did it, it was probably the fastest i ever came.” soobin explained a bit too confidently. kai just made a face at that, but then started to think about it.

“well- what if y/n’s not comfortable with that? and won’t that like.. hurt?” kai questioned, frowning in confusion. “i mean, of course it’ll hurt at first but you’ll probably adjust to it. when you go visit her tonight you should talk to her about it. maybe she’ll be fine with the idea.” soobin nodded towards kai, taking a sip of his drink.

kai hummed in response, thinking about the suggestion.

— ♡

by the time he’d got to your apartment, you were already back from work. you both lied in eachothers arms on the couch, watching tv, when he suddenly remembered what soobin had suggested to him earlier that day. he sighed, unsure if he should even bring the idea up.

“uh- babe? can i talk to you about something?” he asked, stroking your hair back gently and softly, feeling the smooth strands between his fingers. “yeah, of course baby. whats wrong?” your head shifts up to look up at him from his chest, his warm body engulfing yours.

“well.. i was talking to soobin earlier today about how.. i just think lately when we.. y’know, do stuff, it just feels kinda boring and repetitive.. and he suggested something new for me to try,” he explained, a soft blush growing on his now pink cheeks. “… what did he say?” you ask, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and curiosity.

“he uhh… he suggested.. like.. pegging-?” he said embarrassedly. he swore he felt like his face had became a tomato. he was so incredibly embarrassed.

it was quiet for a moment, none of you speaking for what it felt like minutes but was only seconds, before you spoke up. “pegging?” it was quiet again, only for just a second again. “yeah- pegging… we don’t have to, i was just wondering if you’d like to try it sometime or..”

“yeah, i’m down..” you agreed, nodding subtly as well. you were a bit surprised at the idea though. you didn’t really expect your sweet boyfriend to be into pegging..

“really? when should we do it though?” he asks, shifting just a bit underneath you to get comfy, his fingers running through your hair once more. “whenever you can, i guess..” you suggest, lying your head back on his chest.

“this weekend? after work?” he rubs your back softly, staring down at your pretty face.

“mhm..”

— ♡

it was finally friday. for the rest of the week kai had been thinking about tonight. he was just so excited, but also nervous. how would it feel? would it feel as good as soobin described? he hoped it wouldn’t hurt too bad at first…

he was actually pretty dedicated to it though. he even went out of his way to go to the adult store and buy a strap on so the two of you could just go straight to it.

“babe, i’m home!” you call out, placing your purse onto the island of your kitchen and slipping off your shoes. you’d knew he’d be here by the time you got home. he waited for you in your bedroom, and when you opened the door and looked over at him, he looked up from his phone and smiled at the sight of his pretty girlfriend.

“hey baby..” you smile, climbing into bed next to him and kissing his lips. it seemed like you completely forgot about what you two were gonna do tonight. he hums and kisses you back, rubbing your side before pulling away to speak. “do you still wanna try.. that thing i mentioned a couple days ago?”

his question brought the memory back up into your head. you smile and nod after a moment, kissing his cheek. “are you sure you wanna do this? aren’t you scared i’m gonna like.. accidentally hurt you or something?” you ask worriedly, rubbing his cheek with your thumb softly.

“well, i mean.. yeah, but we can just go slow at first…” kai reassured you, smiling and stroking your pretty hair. “and.. are we even ready? like do you already have the..” you hint, and he already knew what you were talking about. he nodded, reaching down underneath the bed and pulling out the strap on. your cheeks flush, flustered at the sex toy.

“oh.. are- are you sure i’m not like… gonna hurt you with that?” you question, your eyes analyzing it worriedly. he chuckled, handing it to you. “i’ll be fine hun..”

you nod, sighing and taking the strap on, your fingers grazing the fake cock for a moment to feel the material.

and soon you both were already in position. the strap on was already around your hips, meanwhile kai was already prepared underneath you with his cock leaking precum, his legs spread for you. you reached out to rub his thighs, your eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“i don’t wanna hurt you…” you spoke, still worried as hell. “babe, i’ll be fine, i promise… if you hurt me i’ll tell you..” he reassured you once more, softly rubbing your hand that was on his thigh.

his constant reassurance made you feel a bit better. you swallow nervously and adjust the length that was lathered with lube, rubbing a bit of lube on his entrance before finally sliding the fake cock into his hole. his breath hitches, whimpering, his walls clenching and unclenching around the length.

you glance up, seeing the look of slight discomfort on his face and you immediately felt worried again. you stopped moving, “are you okay baby? did i hurt you?”

“m’ fine.. jus’ burns a little… keep going slow..” he softly spoke, reaching out to hold your hand. you hold his back, squeezing it soothingly and slowly sliding in further until you eventually bottomed out. he lets out a whiny moan, squeezing your hand tightly..

once the burning sensations faltered, he untensed and swallowed thickly. “you can move now..” he confirmed. at that, you gently held his hips, slowly and softly thrusting in and out of his tight hole. he cried out from the feeling, the fake cock brushing against all the right spots.

you glance up at his face once more just to check up on him, the worry you felt faltering a bit. you decide to test the waters, moving a little quicker into him, making sure to be gentle and careful just in case you accidentally hurt him.

“y/n-“ he moaned, his breath heavy as he desperately reached down to grip onto the sheets. “faster..” he whined.

gladly, you start to move even faster, his jaw dropping open while loud moans and cries spilled from his mouth uncontrollably. “y/n-! s-so good!” his breath came out in short, soft gasps, his cock bouncing against his stomach with each quick thrust.

his moans sounded so adorable to you, so sensitive and cute. you start to slow down, letting him catch his breath just for a moment. he pants, a little disappointed you slowed down, but was thankful.

“fuck… y/n that—“ he couldn’t even finish his sentence before you suddenly started your thrusts again, this time a little too fast. he almost screamed, his thighs trembling as his prostate was pounded into over and over again. he cried out your name over and over again, his eyes tearing up and his desperate moans getting louder as you reached down to stroke his hard cock. he swore he felt like his legs were going to give out right then and there. his cock finally bursted with so much spurts of cum, covering his tummy and some of his chest with his own seed.

he pants as you slowed down, your thrusts now gentle and slow to help him ride out his powerful orgasm.

“are you okay..? i didn’t hurt you right?” you ask, rubbing his thighs softly and soothingly.

“i-i’m okay.. felt so good..” he spoke almost quietly, his breath still heavy. you hum at that, gently pulling out and cleaning him up, before the two of you finally head to bed, snuggling up in each others arms.

[kissyrafe]

waking up on christmas morning with rafe

cw: nothing, just fluff!! (not proofread!!!)

notes: merry christmas 'n happy holidays everybody ˊᗜˋ

december 25th, the perfect morning— candles, blankets, snow, and rafe. the smell of smoked oak wood along with vanilla covered the room with its light scent, waking you up with a gentle kiss to your nose. you and your boyfriend were huddled up under the soft woven blankets, entangled in each other. you opened your eyes with a smile on your face, christmas. the best time of the year. you peered out the window from where you lay, only to see white specks sprinkling down onto the outer bank's ground, and your smile grew even bigger. snow! this was exciting, to say the least. from all your years living on taneyhill, never have you seen snow. it's a rare occurrence down in north carolina, so why not wake your dashing boyfriend up to watch the snow fall?

he slept soundly with his head propped onto your chest, which he claims is "softer than any pillow". you smiled, lacing your fingers in between his hair, shaking his head lightly. "rafe!" you whispered, as if to not wake him up. you heard small groans and light vibrations against you, "hmm...?" rafe hummed into you, his hands traveling to your sides to pull you in closer if that was even possible. "it's snowing outside," you nudged to rafe, making his eyes open, "on christmas morning!" you politely squealed. when he too saw the snowflakes sprinkle, a smile then grew.

you both admired the weather from the comfort of your bed, fire crackling in the distance. as rafe snuggled into you, he spoke in a soft tone "wanna go open presents?"

it was like you two were kids again, opening the presents next to the fire, aching with eagerness to see what you get on the magical holiday. you jumped up and down, holding the shoe box in your arms and you repeated the words "thank you" a billion times over. "i've been wanting these uggs for so long rafe!" you smiled from ear to ear as he took your picture next to the christmas tree full of presents on the digital camera. "merry christmas, baby." a grin plastered on his face.

as you went through the rest of the gifts he gave you, they only got sweeter; such as a tiffany bracelet with individual charms that reminded him of you, or the pink burr basket filled with all the small essentials you've been needing to restock on, plus the billions of snacks, obviously.

when it came to rafe's turn to open your gifts, he picked the smallest one first. behind the camera, you still had that smile on your face, seemingly more excited than him. "i think you'll love it rafey," he unraveled the gift gently, as to not harm whatever was inside. he was met with a gold oval locket with a cross engraved on it. and in the locket, was a picture of the two of you smiling together. that picture wasn't taken on any special day, but it highlighted one of your personal favorite moments together. "it's perfect." he looked up into your eyes, trying to hide his huge grin.

"put it on so i can take the picture!" you said, voice laced with joy. rafe carefully put the gold necklace on, opening his arms right after so you could join him in the picture, encapsulating the memory. you ran into his arms, and he kissed your cheek as you beamed, clicking the camera.

after opening the rest of the presents, you two made waffles, decorating them with strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream to look like santa claus. "i think mine is definitely better," rafe remarked as you took a picture of the two of your plates side by side. "yours looks like a three-year-old made it." you joked, rolling your eyes. "now come on, let's go watch the best christmas movie ever!!!"

you two laid with each other on the couch, blankets and stuffed animals everywhere, biting the warm waffles and sippin' hot chocolate as the movie played on the large screen. "ya know, home alone isn't really a christmas movie. people only think that 'cuz it's set on christmas day. and it's not the best holiday film." your boyfriend interrupted. you gasped, hitting rafe's arm "don't ever disrespect home alone!" you took another bite of your strawberry, "'n it's the best movie because i say it's the best movie."

"whatever you say, princess. merry christmas."

[inubaki]

The Bite

In the beginning of days, before the permanent assignment regarding gender, he was only Adam. A human whom had fallen subsequently for the apparent Angel, one so possessive to claim both sides of Adam’s fate. Leaving his punishment to be neither and rendered ‘damaged’. Abandoned and discarded, Adam takes his fate crimes into his own hands. Hell was meant for the unwanted after all. ———

Note: This was my first Adamsapple fanart. And, of course, it’s omega-verse coded of how Adam became the first Beta. I suck at writing so this story I helped developed and commissioned the lovely writer @libby-for-life to do. This had been deleted before due to one of my nervous break downs. Hopefully this one will remain up. Thank you @yuugimoto16 for requesting this back. It’s not finished and I ripped up most of the art made for it but the story is still here. Please enjoy. ——

Adam found peace under the refreshing shade of a large, leafy tree in the Garden of Eden. Despite the warmth of the day, he was hardly aware of it, so absorbed was he in his thoughts. Samael had instructed him to wait in that exact spot, and Adam's anticipation was palpable, filling him with a joyful restlessness. Although he treasured Samael's company, he also had a pressing question that weighed heavily on his mind.

Adam's face lit up with a joyful smile when he heard the distinct sound of angelic wings approaching. The soft rustle of feathers grew closer until Samael landed gracefully beside him. "Samael!" Adam exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with happiness. The angel's lips curved into a warm smile, and Adam eagerly embraced him. "Hello, Adam. It's good to see you," Samael purred as he held the First Man close, conveying a sense of genuine affection and comfort.

"Now, you said you had something important to tell me?" Samael asked, and suddenly, Adam didn't look so happy anymore. "Yes...it's...about what the other angels have told me." He murmured. The Alpha tilted his head and waited for him to say what he wanted.

"It's about my presentation," Adam whispered anxiously. The angels were concerned about the fact that he hadn't presented yet but he couldn't make up his mind. He couldn't deny that he shared their worry. The angels had always emphasized that Alphas and Omegas were destined for each other, perfectly designed to complement one another. But a troubling thought lingered in Adam's mind: What if he didn't present as an Omega and chose to be an Alpha? Would Samael, the Alpha he admired so deeply, still desire him?

Samael seemed to sense his worries and he smiled as he brought Adam close. "Is that what this is about?" He rubbed a hand gently through brown locks and smiled affectionately. "I don't care what you present as, Adam. You will always belong to me." Adam blushed heavily but still looked uncertain.

The Archangel hummed before shifting Adam's weight to lay on him more. "It seems you don't quite believe your angel." He shook his head teasingly as Adam looked up at him guiltily. "I was just—"

"I think I need to prove to you that I don't care." Cool hands glided over his skin making Adam shiver. It always felt so good to be this close to Samael. "Now, be my good boy and hold still for your Alpha." Adam whimpered and obeyed as cold lips found his warm ones.

Samael didn't need to do much to take control, smirking down at him as Adam trembled in his arms. "Adam. I don't care what you present as. Alpha. Omega. You will always be mine. Always." Adam nodded as the angel found his way to his neck, sniffing the forming scent gland.

The First Man gasped, not used to the sensation of his very new scent gland being prodded at by Samael. "You already smell so sweet..." Adam groaned when he felt a tongue lick the gland before going to the other side of his neck to suck on the gland there. Adam was a moaning mess at this point, loving every bit of loving touch of his angel.

If he chose to be an Omega, then the right gland would disappear, and vice-versa for an Alpha. Samael chuckled deeply before he bit down on the right side of Adam's neck. The First Man moaned high and needy as blood, though he didn't understand what blood was, trickled down his neck. The red coating his skin and the grass below.

Samael bit harder, ensuring that it would stick before releasing that gland. Adam panted and whimpered, his eyes glazed as the Archangel moved him over to the side to get better access to the other side of his neck. "You are mine Adam. No one else can have you. Only me." And with that sentence said, Samael bit the unmarked gland.

This seemed to cause more of a reaction this time, his eyes widening and filling with tears of pain and pleasure. More blood trickled out as the Archangel bit hard and Adam shook as he was claimed in every sense of the word.

Samael let him go with a smirk, his human twitching in his arms. There. Now no one could have him.

Now, Samael was about to kiss Adam when suddenly he heard a booming voice yell, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The Archangel's eyes widened when he saw Sera's glowing light fill the Garden. Normally, it was warm, if not a bit stuffy. This time Samael could sense how angry she was.

Sera approached them swiftly, and before Samael could react, she forcefully took Adam from his arms and held him tightly to examine him closely. The First Human whimpered and extended his arms towards Samael, seeking comfort from his mate. "Hey, stop! You'll hurt him!" The Archangel growled in frustration.

Sera noticed Adam trying to wiggle free and scowled. "Samael. How dare you taint our Father's work like this...you've...marked both sides?! How—how could you?! That was for his wife! Not for you!"

Samael tried to speak up but Adam had beat him to it. "Please...I wanted it...I—I need my Mate!" This only served to make Sera even more angry. 

"I'm ending this...this whore's game!" She cried. Samael tried to stop her, but it was too late, and he wasn't fast enough. Sera's hand glowed with holy light, bright and dangerous, and she forced it to Adam's neck. 

Samael and Adam screamed, their bond burning their bodies. Tears streamed down Adam's face as the holy light burned such a vital part of him shut. The hand pulled away before it was shoved back to his body on the other side of his neck.

"AAAARRRGGH!" Adam wailed out as the burning sensation returned. Samael would have tried to stop it if he wasn't in pain too, the connection severing and they both screamed as it was shattered.

"I hope you're happy Lucifer. You've ruined Adam. He no longer will be an Alpha or an Omega. He is something else. Something lesser." Samael could only watch as she took him away, tears clouding his vision. "You are not allowed in the Garden."

—————

Adam found himself awakening in the Garden, feeling a searing sensation in his neck as he sat up. His mind was foggy and he struggled to collect his thoughts. As he reached up to rub his neck, a sharp, shooting pain caused him to cry out in agony. As he released his throbbing neck, he gazed around, bewildered by his lack of memory and the confusion of the situation.

What had happened? What was going on? Why couldn't Adam remember anything? 

"Samael?" He called out, longing for the comforting presence of his angel. As he waited, he couldn't help but wonder why Samael was taking so much time to respond. Typically, his angel would appear within moments of being called upon. Maybe he couldn't hear him in the Garden?

"Samael?!" He shouted once more, straining to make his voice heard. He desperately searched for his familiar scent, that comforting blend of musk and angelic essence. Panic gripped him as he realized he couldn't detect anything familiar. He could smell the fruit on the nearby tree, the freshness of the air, and the vegetation around him. However, the elusive scent of the angels had vanished completely.

He felt tremors throughout his entire body, as if a fundamental part of him had been forcibly taken away. Adam had always been able to locate Samael by his distinct scent. But what if Samael was in the Garden and Adam simply couldn't detect his presence? Frantically, he wandered through the Garden, desperately calling out for Samael but unable to catch even a trace of his scent.

As Adam cried out, "SAMAEL!" tears welled up in his eyes, and he collapsed to the ground. He wondered if his nose was broken but hoped that if he could just get it working again, he could follow Samael's comforting scent. In a daze, he made his way to a nearby stream and immersed his head in the water.

Adam attempted to clear his nose by plunging his head into the stream repeatedly, hoping to restore his sense of smell. In his desperation, he even tried to inhale the water, but this left him coughing and in tears. Despite his efforts, he remained unable to detect Samael's scent.

Adam, in a desperate attempt to restore his sense of smell, smashed his nose with a nearby rock. Red liquid fell from his nose, and Adam cried out from the pain, but he still couldn't smell Samael. Adam let out a gut-wrenching sob as he cradled his body by the stream. His tears mixed with the red liquid and hitting the dirt floor.

Adam continued to sob and wail, his nose throbbing with pain and he hacked up the red stuff. Why couldn't he smell like he did before? Was he...broken?

"Samael...where are you?" Adam muttered as he drifted into unconsciousness.

————

The next few years were terrible for Adam. Lilith, his new companion, was specifically created for him. Despite feeling abandoned by Lucifer after he had achieved his goals, Adam made efforts to build a relationship with Lilith. While Adam felt uncertain about his emotions towards Lilith, he was determined to give their relationship a chance. 

Adam desperately attempted to win Lilith's favor, offering gifts, foraging for food, and enthusiastically presenting her with the most enjoyable activities in the area. However, despite his efforts, Lilith remained indifferent to his offerings, leaving Adam at a loss for what to do next.

Adam found that Lilith had suddenly become distant and uninterested in spending time with him. She would vanish for extended periods and only return when dinner was ready. It seemed like she preferred to keep her distance from Adam. When Adam asked her what he could do to improve their relationship, she bluntly told him, "Adam, you have a strange odor. It's not a natural smell...it's more like a fake scent. Besides, I can't even mate with you. What's the point with those ruined glands?" And with that, the conversation ended.

Adam could never alter those fundamental facts. Lucifer used to comment on Adam's pleasant scent, comparing it to the air before a storm enriched Eden’s soil. But his angel wasn't here now and he smelled bad to Lilitsouredpresented as an Alpha, or so he was told. The angels told him before they created Lilith that they didn't trust humans to decide their secondary gender since Adam caused so much trouble the first time. 

And his glands...he still couldn't remember how they got ruined other than it was painful to think about.

Adam wondered if Lucifer was still considered his angel. It had been ages since they had seen each other and Adam couldn't fathom what he had done to make Lucifer leave. Perhaps he had become too clingy? Lilith, ever the outspoken Alpha, had often criticized Adam for being excessively dependent on her time.

"I don't belong to you, Adam," she declared when Adam pleaded with her to stay for a single evening. "And I have no obligations to you." With a menacing growl that sent shivers down Adam's spine, she stormed away. It was a growl that Adam had never heard from Lucifer or anyone before. He couldn't help but wonder what he was doing wrong.

Adam wept for what felt like an eternity after she never returned. Although Adam's understanding of time was limited, he had spent three long, solitary months in the Garden. It was evident that something was amiss, but he was unsure of what had gone wrong and how he could rectify it.

As he lied under a tree, he suddenly felt sleepy. Very sleepy. He heard voices from all around him but he could only pick up a few words.

"Lilith ran—"

"Lucifer took—"

"Adam—do?"

He fell into a deep sleep. Adam awoke to the sound of laughter and whimpered. His side burned and he tried to scratch at it. "Oh? Are you finally waking up?" A woman's voice asked. It sounded unfamiliar so Adam opened his eyes.

The woman standing in front of him was stunning, with her cascading long, chestnut brown hair, captivating grass-green eyes, and a warm, comforting smile that made Adam feel a sense of ease. As he struggled to sit up, sharp pain shot through him, causing him to cry out. The woman gazed at him with concern and spoke in a gentle, soothing tone, "The angels told me that you were going to be sick for a while. But don't worry! I'll be here! I was told that I am your new companion!"

Adam blinked. A new companion? So...Lilith was gone. She had truly left. Trying not to cry, Adam asked, "What is your name?"

"The angels said you would name me!" She looked happy. At least that was something. He looked around for inspiration and saw that the evening had set. It was beautiful and soft, just like she was. "Eve. I shall call you Eve."

Eve smiled.

It took Adam some time before he was truly better again. Eve was with him every step of the way. Fetching him water and food and even sleeping next to him so they wouldn't be alone. It wasn't long before Eve excitedly told him that she had presented as an Omega. She turned to him with a confused smile and said, "Why do you smell so weird?"

Adam looked at his wife, he was told to call her this, with fear. She could smell how awful he was as well? No, he could fix this. "Can you tell me what's wrong with it?"

Eve nodded and sniffed his glands, or lack thereof, and frowned. "You just smell...wrong. I...don't know how else to explain it. And your glands...they look nothing like mine." She showed off her Omega gland and Adam had to stop himself from crying.

Her's looked beautiful, ready to be marked and claimed. Unlike his. His was forever ruined, and for the life of him, he couldn't remember! What was wrong with him?!

Eve must have noticed his distress because she smiled and hugged him. "It's okay Adam! We'll figure it out! I'm sure there's some way to fix it!"

Adam had never felt this kind of gratitude. Despite him being broken, his wife was staying with him. He smiled and cried out many times about how thankful he was for her and that he didn't deserve Eve. His wife simply held him as he cried.

He should have known things wouldn't last. 

One day, he came across Eve looking hot and flushed. He originally thought she may have eaten something she wasn't supposed to but on further inspection, he found that she was...ready to mate. Adam could help her. He knew how!

As soon as he came near, Eve growled at him, making Adam step back in shock. "You're not an Alpha!" She screamed as she threw rocks at him. Adam dodged them, begging Eve to explain whatever was going on. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving as she glared at him.

"I don't want you! I want an Alpha! Not something fake!" Adam whimpered. He had never heard her yell and be so enraged before. "You said...it didn't matter that I wasn't an Alpha..." He said, bringing up their previous conversations.

Eve just scoffed and threw more rocks, demanding Adam be useful and bring her an Alpha because she wasn't mating with him. Adam felt his heart break as he stumbled away. Once again, he was broken and no one could stand that. 

First Lucifer. Then Lilith. And now, finally, Eve. Maybe it wasn't them...maybe it was him. Maybe Adam was the problem. Maybe he was always the problem.

The next two days passed and it only solidified his conclusion when Adam found Eve, Lilith,...and Lucifer all underneath a big tree. They each held the Forbidden Fruit, all eating and laughing as they rolled around together.

Whatever little hope he had of fixing things with Eve was now dashed. She clearly went off for good with better people, Alphas, and she didn't want him. He silently cried as he slipped away, unwilling to interrupt their happy moment. 

He finally collapsed to the ground near a familiar-looking stream. He looked at his reflection and grimaced at what he saw. Adam couldn't bear to look at it further and smashed a palm through it. No wonder everyone left. He hated what he saw too.

Suddenly, Adam felt himself gasp as he was no longer by the lake but surrounded by angels. He looked around confused as he looked around, wanting an explanation.

Sera looked down at him searchingly before nodding. "He is clean. He has not eaten the fruit." All the angels seemed to heave a collective sigh of relief. 

"W-what's going on?" Adam asked as he finally spotted Lilith, Eve, and Lucifer. All of them were bound in chains, struggling to get out. When Eve caught his eye, she smiled and yelled, "Adam!" He flinched away from her, remembering her earlier outburst. 

"Lucifer, you have defiled Adam, Eve, and Lilith. Not only that, you infected Adam's two wives with sin. How do you plead?" Sera's booming and judgemental voice said. Lucifer glared up at her.

"I plead nothing. I set those two free from you. Adam was given a choice but when he didn't make the right one, you punished him. You further punished everyone else by not giving them a choice! You've forced everyone into this mold and—" He was cut off when a gag appeared, silencing his voice. 

"I've heard enough," Sera exclaimed, her eyes fixed on Lilith and Lucifer. "Given that you were the ones who brought the abyss into existence, that's where you'll be confined. A desolate realm where creatures like you will fade into obscurity." Adam struggled to keep up with the conversation, his mind still in turmoil from his emotions, but he seized onto the final words: an abyss meant for those who are forgotten.

Isn't that what Adam was? Forgotten and unwanted? Broken? The abyss...sounded perfect. Adam watched as Sera opened a dark chasm, hot hair blowing from within. Lucifer and Lilith were being dragged towards the hole, his former wife's cries ringing in the air.

"You can't do this! We've done nothing wrong!" She screamed. Adam blinked as he realized he was losing his chance. With a burst of speed he didn't know he had, he launched himself forward.

"Adam?!" Eve yelled. Adam turned as he looked at them all. "Adam!" Sera commanded. "Get back here! You'll fall!" Adam looked down at the dark red pit and risked a glance at Lilith and Lucifer. Both were looking at him in surprise.

"A land for the forgotten, hu?" Adam said. "Sounds perfect for me." He smiled as he jumped in. 

"NO!"

A hand, Adam didn't know whose, tried to grab him as he fell, but they didn't reach him in time. As he fell faster and faster away from the bright light of the angels, he saw the hole close up. 

A land for the forgotten. I hope it stays that way forever.

————

Adam didn't know how long he fell for. It seemed like forever, and if anyone asked him how long or even to give an estimate, Adam would be unable to answer the question. Finally, he fell hard into sharp rocks and passed out. It should have been the end. No one was there in the Abyss and no one would help him off the sharp rocks.

But Adam was the first to Fall in the Abyss. If you close your eyes, and simply feel around you, you would realize that everything in the Abyss was connected. Like one big organism breathing together.

In Adam's weakened state, the Abyss rumbled. The rocks holding him crumbled and Adam slowly inched into the ground. The ground encased him, keeping his organs from spilling out as the Abyss tried to heal him and keep him from dying.

Adam lay there, breathing shallowly but unable to rouse himself, too weak to move. The Abyss seemed worried about his condition, a silent sentinel keeping him safe. Adam was now inextricably linked to the Abyss, a possession of its unfathomable depths.

As the years passed, Adam's consciousness slowly returned, and he began to perceive his surroundings more clearly. It was during this gradual awakening that he noticed a dark, slender, vividly colored object within the Abyss's embrace. Or what he assumed was an object until he saw the thin thing breathe. Adam needed to know what or who this was but his movement was limited.

The rocks moved the unknown naked entity closer as if sensing what Adam needed. The first thing Adam noticed was that they looked like a fox. A beautiful multi-colored fox mixed with a bee if Adam thought hard enough. They didn't look hurt. In fact, they looked to be getting stronger.

Beelzebub opened her eyes the moment Cain opened his and cried for food despite not being hungry. As Adam observed, Beelzebub stood up and gazed around, her inquisitive nature evident in the way her multi-colored eyes shimmered in the dark crimson surroundings. When her gaze locked with Adam's, she inched closer, propelled by an insatiable curiosity.

She sniffed and Adam smiled before he reached a hand to her snout. She blinked before giving him a sharp tooth grin. "Mother." She said. "Mother." She rubbed herself over the First Man and smiled.

Slowly, as the population of Adam's children increased, more manifestations of sin emerged. Mammon came into existence when Able desired something that belonged to someone else and chose to take it by force. Belfagor's emergence occurred when Cain decided to slack off and sleep in for hours instead of fulfilling his responsibilities.

Asmodeus was made when someone experienced lust instead of love for the first time. More and more popped up during that year until seven children all huddled around Adam.

Adam kept them close, eager to make sure they were well cared for. Despite his children being rough around the edges, some more than others, he still loved every one of them. But, Adam could feel the Abyss calling for them. It had been years and Adam knew the Rings were now done being made. The First Man wished for them to stay with him forever but he also knew that they were needed elsewhere.

As the number of The Sins grew, more creatures began to emerge, each of them essential to their respective Rings.

"Mother, do we really have to?" asked Asmodeus, renowned for his sensitivity, while Adam gazed up at him with a smile. Despite his towering stature, Adam always knelt beside Asmodeus so that they could meet eye to eye.

"Yes, my son, my children. The time has come," Adam nodded. Slowly, one by one, they all left the hole they were born in to begin what the Abyss needed from them. Satan, the most untamed and rebellious spirit of all, embraced Adam tightly before uttering, 

"I will come back as often as I can, Mother." Satan was not one for lengthy conversations, and his patience was easily tested. Yet, Adam was the only one who could soothe his fiery temperament.

"Go, my son. When the Abyss beckons, you must respond," Adam declared as Satan departed for his appointed place.

As time flowed relentlessly on, Adam dutifully fulfilled his role as the collector of souls destined for damnation. His weary eyes bore witness to the sorry state of those souls, each one a poignant reminder of their tragic and tortured existence. They were often so irreparably scarred by their own suffering that they unwittingly perpetuated the cycle of pain. Regardless of their identity or deeds in life, every soul eventually found its way to Adam. Whether they were conscious of it or not, he had embraced each one with a compassionate embrace, for he intimately understood the profound agony of being forgotten.

Adam was acutely aware that he couldn't cling to those precious souls indefinitely. Despite being filled with hurt and the longing to be forgotten, they were destined to find their own path in the Abyss. However, Adam remained vigilant, ensuring that they remained in their rightful place. The Abyss was home to a significant number of souls, a good dozen, all of whom Adam kept an eye on.

Then it happened. The sky split open with a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar. Something emerged from the heavens, hurtling towards the ground at terrifying speed. As it descended, Adam's heart raced, knowing exactly who it was even before they made contact with the ground. It was Samael, no, Lucifer, who had cast off his old name long ago.

Adam was instantly overcome by a searing, familiar pain that seemed to course through every fiber of his being, resonating with the very essence of the Abyss itself. The entire realm shuddered in response to his agony, echoing his torment as it always did, a cruel testament to the depth of their connection. And as always, the Abyss answered him. 

————

Lucifer Fell hard and coughed out blood on contact with the hard ground. His lungs burned and his body ached from his Fall. He was alone, Lilith Falling separately and...did she even Fall? Lucifer couldn't quite remember; he was disoriented, and he groaned as he stumbled to his feet. 

Or tried to. He stumbled backward and fell, his feet no longer feeling familiar. They no longer bore any resemblance to the normal feet he was created with; instead, they now bore a striking resemblance to the hooves of a goat. Dark black fur now covered his calves, and his feet had transformed into dark gray hooves that clumsily navigated unfamiliar terrain.

A flood of tears gushed from his eyes, overwhelmed by the torrent of events unfolding in such a brief span. Struggling to regain his footing, he rose unsteadily, managing to remain upright as he surveyed his surroundings. An encompassing sea of red dominated the scene. As he drew in a deep breath, a sudden, tangible sensation washed over him, enveloping his being.

A familiar presence he thought he would never feel again. A scent that seemed familiar and it broke everything in him just to smell it again.

"Adam!" he called out into the seemingly endless void of the Abyss. A deafening silence greeted his words. It felt as though the very fabric of the Abyss trembled at his frantic efforts to locate Adam as he staggered forward, unsure of where he was heading. It was as if Adam was omnipresent, yet completely elusive. His presence permeated the air, enveloping everything and nothing all at once.

"ADAM!" He cried out, and still, there was nothing, and yet he was here. Lucifer frowned and snarled as he broke rocks in his frustration. He even threw a rock toward a bush and yelped when it...catapulted back into his face. Blood poured from the gash on his forehead and the bush shook as if....as if it were laughing?!

This made Lucifer snarl at it, unsure if he was imagining such a phenomenon or if the Abyss was more alive than he realized. He huffed and finally moved on.

As Lucifer stumbled through the treacherous Abyss, every step seemed to bring a new danger. The seemingly sturdy rocks shifted beneath his weight, threatening to send him tumbling down cliffs onto the ground below. Unseen obstacles like sudden bushes and sharp thorns appeared out of nowhere, making every forward movement a potential hazard. The entire landscape was shrouded in a sinister red hue that seemed to sear into Lucifer's eyes, adding a sense of surreal dread to the already ominous surroundings.

Finally, Lucifer seemed to have enough and he used what little angelic power he had since his Fall and slammed it to the ground. He spread it through the rocks into the crevices and glared at his surroundings. "So, you think you can hurt me like this? Pathetic." He snarled.

As he stood amidst the ominous landscape, he was determined to exert his will upon it. Refusing to be dominated by the surroundings, he made a conscious effort to bend the dark terrain to his desires. With a deep breath, the once oppressive red glow no longer seared his eyes, offering him a newfound sense of clarity and control.

Lucifer tried to produce his wings and cried out at the feeling of them burning his body. Lucifer immediately stopped trying to bring them out. It would seem they would need more time to heal. 

As Lucifer trekked through the desolate landscape, his journey seemed endless until he stumbled upon a cluster of small, shabby huts. Cocking his head in curiosity, he witnessed the forlorn souls of the damned emerging from their dwellings to cast their eyes upon him. An immediate sense of disdain washed over Lucifer as he beheld them. They appeared to be a stark departure from his original creation – fractured and devoid of the splendor they once possessed.

He growled as one got close and he smirked when she whimpered and stumbled away. "Well, it seems you are all that's here, hm?" Lucifer asked, his sharp teeth on display and he reveled in the fear that crossed all the souls that could see him.

"Well? Isn't anyone going to tell me where I am or do I need to force it out?" The silence hung heavy in the air as a lone soul summoned the courage to walk up. The figure boldly stepped forward, only to stumble and fall to their knees as they approached Lucifer. It seemed almost poetic to Lucifer, seeing them on the ground, so fitting for the damned to be in such a lowly position. As the soul struggled to rise, Lucifer's voice cut through the stillness with a menacing growl. "Stay down there on your knees."

The soul nodded and stumbled over his words. "You are the Abyss. A place for the damned." Lucifer growled. "Tell me something I don't know. Now."

"I—We are all the souls in the Abyss that fell!" The soul stammered, visibly shaken. Lucifer's eyes swept over the gathered souls. "All of you? This is the extent of it?" They all responded with silent nods. A cold smile spread across Lucifer's face. "Well... I suppose you lost sheep need a shepherd, don't you?"

As the souls exchanged uneasy glances, a palpable sense of impending change filled the air. They all knew that the situation was evolving rapidly, and there was no stopping it.

Lucifer gripped the soul's hair, or what consisted of hair for the damned soul, and pulled them up. They yelped in pain. "Well? Get food for me. Now." The soul ran to retrieve what Lucifer demanded. Lucifer smiled as he sat down on a rock. Yes, he may have Fallen, unjustly in Lucifer's opinion, but he would make do with what he could of this place and he would do it his way.

He looked around at the frightened souls. Yes, it was clear to Lucifer that they needed him. He would rule over them and teach them what he knew and in return, they would serve him.

——-

That’s it for now. In the new year, hopefully we’ll finished this. Hope you guys enjoyed!

[junixscribble]

The Holiday Spirit

I was seized by the spirit of creation and held by the throat till I wrote this. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays I guess! (thanks to the tk server for the fuel!)

Title: The Holiday Spirit

WC: 1621w

Summary: Viktor is stubbornly refusing to get into the Snowdown spirit and leave his work alone for an evening. Jayce uses the only method he knows of to get him to chill, only to realise this deal goes both ways.

-------

Piltover had grown cold with the change of seasons, and with it came a healthy dose of cheer tinged with worry for Jayce. The first snowfall on the city made him anxious and sent him back to the swirling blizzard he had been trapped in before the mage appeared to save him and his mother. It was manageable, but storms left him on edge more often than not. 

Thankfully, Snowdown was a welcome distraction. Houses were lit with warm hues and decor was slung over trees and buildings in the city, so Jayce could find as much business as he wanted in the decoration of his own home. The fire roared in the fireplace, filling the small apartment with heat and light while Jayce stood atop a cobbled together ladder and hung bunting on the window frame. A record blasted holiday tunes to fill the silence and Jayce was happy with his progress.

His peace was interrupted when the door was flung open by an appropriately disgruntled and cold Viktor, shopping bag in one hand and crutch in the other.

“It is fucking shitty out there.” He stated, chucking the bag on the counter and shutting the door before starting to take off a multitude of layers. “My crutch was slipping all over the ground and frankly I’m offended that I left the house at all.”

“Vik, you insisted you’d be fine to pick up the groceries.” Jayce said, coming down off the ladder with a grin. Viktor glared at him.

“Well Viktor from an hour ago was an imbecile and should not have been trusted.”

“You threatened to smack me with your cane if I went instead.” 

“As I said. Imbecile. Now why are you hanging fabric from the roof?” Viktor asked, head tilted.

Jayce shrugged. “It’s Snowdown. Bunting is nice!”

“Ah, yes. Consumerism central masked as a fun holiday.” 

That earned Viktor a long enduring sigh from Jayce. “Vik, you’ve gotta make fun for yourself somehow.”

Viktor hummed and started putting away the groceries, examining the apartment as he did so. “It certainly looks… festive.” 

“That’s the point! Oh, I’ve actually got something for you.” Jayce ran out into the bedroom and came out with a maroon sweater with white snowflakes embroidered on.

“This is for you!” 

Viktor took it from his hands, feeling the fabric over. “This is a holiday sweater, no?”

Jayce nodded, a proud smile on his face. Viktor couldn’t say no to him like that - and from what he could tell the sweater was very well made. 

Viktor took off his cardigan and pulled on the sweater to find it offensively soft and warm. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it before starting again. 

“I was going to say something witty and perhaps a little insulting, but this is… comfortable. Thank you, Jayce.”

“My mother made it. You should have seen the ones she made when she was starting out - they were as wonky as they come. She’s gotten quite good at it though.” 

“Tell her I appreciate it.” Viktor said with a smile, and then pulled out a thick tome filled with taped in notes. He opened it on the table, brought out a pencil, and started puzzling over an equation. 

Jayce huffed. “Seriously, Vik? We’re like 4 days out from the holidays, surely you can stand not to bring work home with you.”

“Progress waits for no one. Least of all a man-made excuse for avarice.” 

“Viktoooor, come ooooon!” Jayce wheedled. “We’ve both been working since the sun rose. We can go back tomorrow.” 

Viktor kept writing, lost in his own head. Jayce sighed and cracked his knuckles. “Well if you’re not going to get into the Snowdown spirit yourself, I’m gonna have to make you.”

It took a minute for Viktor to process the sentence and by the time he realised and tried to scramble out of his chair Jayce was almost on top of him. He braced himself for the awful feeling of fingers on his sides but when the attack came all he felt was the movement of fabric. Viktor stood in shock for a minute before looking at Jayce’s face and barking out a laugh.

“Ha! The sweater is too thick for you! Suck on thahahAT FUHUCK OFF!” 

Jayce had sent his hands under Viktor’s jumper in the middle of his sentence and that crawling feeling Viktor had been anticipating was now directly over his sides. 

“By Janna, how many layers are you wearing, Vik? I’m surprised you’re feeling this at all!” Jayce teased, genuinely amused at how much Viktor was twitching at him tickling through what felt like six layers of fabric. 

“Yohou are a cruel and unjuhust pahartner!” 

“Eh, no I’m not. If you’re that resistant about getting into the holiday spirit, then I think you need more convincing.” Jayce pulled his hands down from Viktor’s sides and found the top layer of fabric, slipping back under it and scuttling up to spider under his arms now. Viktor’s arms pinned to his sides and he hunched his shoulders up, leaning into Jayce’s chest as he laughed. 

“Coal! Coahal and beetles are all you are getting thihis year!”

 “That doesn’t sound all that cheerful to me. Do you need another layer?” Jayce cocked his head and smiled when Viktor buried his face in his neck. 

“Nohoho! Let me go!”

Instead of answering Jayce pulled his hands out again and stuck them under another layer, this time scribbling all over his stomach. He could feel that there weren’t many layers left, and by the looks of Viktor immediately trying to pull his hands away he could feel it too. 

“Jahahayce! You’re a fuhucking fiend and I am going to put snohow in your pajamas-”

“That’s it.” 

Jayce pulled out all the stops and slid his hands under the final layer of fabric, squeezing Viktor’s hips before scrabbling towards his upper ribs, completely unprotected by his brace. In one motion Viktor threw his head back and cackled while losing his footing and dropping to the floor. Jayce took a second to break his fall before going right back to drawing spirals over his ribs. This kind of tickling wasn’t as intense, but Viktor was still squirming around like a fish out of water under him. 

All Viktor did in response to Jayce’s raised, questioning eyebrows was stick out his tongue, so Jayce kneaded and wiggled his fingers between the bones of his ribs. Viktor shrieked and started swearing in Czech, hurling out several that Jayce recognised. As punishment he pulled one hand off his ribs and set it on his tummy, squeezing and spidering over the skin. 

“Are you cheered up now? In the Snowdown spirit?” Jayce asked. Viktor glared through his giggles and Jayce shrugged.

“Guess I’m pulling out the raspberries. Come on, let me at your belly.” 

“NO!” Viktor yelled and in a burst of energy rolled to the side and away from Jayce, ending up face down and protecting himself. “Keep your evil beard away from my fucking stomach!” 

Jayce laughed and sat back, giving up the game. “The beard tickles that badly, does it?” 

Viktor flushed and sat up with his arms firmly around his middle. “What the hell do you think?” 

“I’ll be sure to keep it then.”

Viktor sputtered through some words before standing with the help of the couch. Jayce handed his crutch back to him which he accepted before moving to the kitchen. 

“Get your round ass in here and cook.” 

…

A few hours later Jayce was snug on the couch with a book while Viktor was in the shower. All was well until a high pitched yelp rang out and Jayce jumped to his feet, sprinting to the door.

“Viktor, are you alright?” 

The shower cut off and was followed with some select insults at the plumbing before a reply was heard. 

“The water turned fucking ice cold! Again!” 

Jayce winced. “The wind must have blown the boiler. I’ll fix it.”

It only took five minutes for Jayce to reset the boiler and by the time it was done Viktor was dressed in warm pajamas. Despite the heavy fabric, he was shivering. Jayce stood and closed the closet door, gesturing over to the couch so they could sit down. The two of them curled up together, Viktor leaning into Jayce’s side with his eyes closed. They sat like that, content for a while, until Viktor grumbled and started pulling at Jayce’s sweater. 

“Let me in.” Viktor said, quite literally trying to crawl into the jumper with Jayce. Jayce would have been fine with this if Viktor’s hands weren’t the same temperature as an ice cube. He jumped at the contact, squirming away with half a yelp. 

Viktor was of brilliant, sharp mind, and it didn’t take long for him to connect the dots. He slid his hands further up Jayce’s deliciously warm sides and grinned at the resulting laugh. 

“My hands are cold. I think you can help with this.” Viktor said, and that was all the warning Jayce got before freezing cold, nimble fingers were crawling all over his torso. He pressed into the back of the couch, snickering and trying to take it but all it took was Viktor kneading his belly for him to break into full laughter. Viktor perked up at the sound and a dangerous glint caught his eyes.

“I wonder if you can take raspberries as well as you dish them out?” 

Jayce had less than a second to protest before Viktor pressed his lips to his stomach and sent him into a laughing fit like no other. There was no doubt about it - Jayce was completely and utterly done for. 

[moopiter]

Christmas Cookies

Homelander x GN Reader | 1K Words | Est. Relationship, Not Beta Read, Fluff.

A/N: Moving and finding work has been kicking my ass, but Merry Christmas! I'll get to other writing and drawing one of these days. As always cross posted here: Ao3

Dainty snowflakes fall on the other side of the floor length windows, setting the backdrop for what should be the perfect Christmas in Homelander’s penthouse. Just like the quiet music playing and homely lights sparkling amongst the décor.

The usual uncomfortable air of his seemingly unlivable living quarters, more like a museum than a home, is still there. It never seems to go away. It only seems to get heavier with the decorations he’s been gathering throughout December. The garlands and embellishments should evoke emotions somewhere, yet they never seem to.

He reflects on it surrounded by other extravagant decorations and gifts, standing stiffly in front of the gaudy tree he has hauled in. It’s perfect, but no matter what stops he pulls out, nothing seems to fill the space with that holiday cheer it’s supposed to. No matter how well the place is adorned for the holidays, it never seems to fill the void.

This isn’t what Christmas Eve is supposed to feel like, at least not according to the Hallmark actors.

It’s supposed to be warmer, happier. Bring a sense of comforting nostalgia he doesn’t have.

“John?” You hum quietly, poking your head around the corner to the living room, eyeing the back of his cape he refuses to lose, even at home.

Things have become easier since you moved in, providing him with the softness and comfort he had always been missing. Always willing to give him all that and more. Showing him things he’s never had, feeding the need that grew teeth long ago, clawing and gnawing inside of him every minute of the day.

"Cookies are ready. Would you like one?" you ask, being patient and gentle.

The sound of your soft voice finally registers in his mind, overshadowing his melancholy.

A small smile spreads across his face, concealing his previous expression in his façade as he dutifully heads for the kitchen on command. All his actions revolve around finding the comfort he craves in some shape or form. But he won’t be desperate or pathetic by asking for it; no, his ego won’t let him. So he hides how badly he craves it.

You’re impervious to his little act, having memorized his ticks long ago. That smile of his might camouflage the disconsolate look hiding in his blue eyes to the public, but it’s all too clear under your observant gaze. “What’s wrong? Something's bothering you,” you say softly, meeting him halfway and leading him along by the hand instead.

Another soft gesture he can’t get enough of.

“Is it all good enough? It doesn’t feel…” He trails off, searching for words. “Does it make you happy?”

Despite his deepest wish for happiness, it doesn't bring him joy. Just another thing he’ll never understand no matter how hard he tries to. It's turned into an attempt to impress you—to bring you comfort in the holiday he can't seem to find, so utterly disjointed from everything.

“Hey. Of course it’s good enough. I don’t need all this to be happy; I’ve got you,” you laugh lightheartedly, stopping before the counter and spinning around for him to see.

The softness of your gentle grasp and the scent in the air captivate him more than the empty space in his chest, drawing his gaze to what you've crafted for him.

He’d love to say something, but words never seem to come easy to him when you’re around.

"You are all I need," you say with a smile, simultaneously presenting a cookie that you had meticulously prepared with love in your eyes.

Love he'll never have enough of.

He pulls you close by the waist to take a bite obediently, savoring it like everything else you offer. It tastes as pretty as it looks, hand-decorated just for him. “Are you sure?” he asks between mouthfuls, his eyes trained on you for that validation he never seems to have enough of.

“Of course, I’m sure. This is what Christmas is about, honey,” you chuckle. “Spending time with you.”

That fills a void in his chest, a longing that never seems to be satisfied.

Makes him hungry for more.

His unyielding hands grasp the underside of your thighs and lift you onto the counter as he steps closer, wedging himself between your legs. He purrs, his arms drawing you in and enveloping you in his warmth.

“You make me very happy. I promise," you laugh softly, gently scratching at the back of his scalp as you draw him closer.

There aren’t ways to achieve the level of intimacy he desires. He’d climb inside your ribcage if he could.

He swallows his feelings the best he can, his hands grasping at your flesh as desperately as he can without causing harm. "It feels like there's still something missing. I have you; it shouldn't feel this way anymore."

It makes your chest ache.

“It’ll get better the more holidays we spend together. We just have to make more memories together, like this." You say softly, pressing those words into the side of his neck with a kiss that will hopefully make him take them straight to heart.

“Here. Have another cookie," you say, snagging another from the tray on the counter and pulling back in his grip to hold it up for him.

“I can feed myself,” he grumbles, but he's already taking a bite.

You smile as you watch him, absorbing every detail as if he were a living painting. Memorizing his features, comparable to a sculpture of marble, the gentle contours and the sparkle of his teeth as they bite down. “I know,” you chuckle, pressing a kiss to his forehead before he can raise any objections. “What do you say we watch a movie tonight too? Hmm?”

It’s become your purpose to try and make everything as memorable as possible while he’s busied himself with the frills of the holidays. Filling in that aspect of his life he’s always been missing has quickly become your responsibility. But it’s an obligation you’re all too pleased to take, holding him tight through the holidays and showing him how to make wonderful memories to ease his mind.

Someone has to show Homelander what Christmas is about, and it's going to be you.

[kqutie]

THE PRINCESS' SEVEN MERCENARIES

CHAPTER SIX : THE FOOLISH GENIUS

relations. : cevans various/reader -- steve rogers/reader ; curtis everett/reader ; ari levinson/reader ; lloyd hansen/reader ; andy barber/reader ; jake jensen/reader ; ransom drysdale/reader

chpt. sum. : Ari urges Jake to stay home with you and the team realises you know more than they thought about their own mission.

tags. : snow white and the seven dwarves au ; fairy tale au ; fluff ; domestic fluff ; angst if you squint ; a/b/o universe but it's not the central point ; disney princess reader and her seven sexy mercenaries hehe~ ; jake jensen centric chapter ; jake being a lovable dork again ; world building ; reader proving ; misunderstandings ; confrontation ; everyone feels a little betrayed ; Lloyd gets confrontational ; the truth will soon come out

length. : 7.8k

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Steve starts his day the same way, always, before and after you’ve made yourself a place in their lives. Each morning, he wakes up early, makes himself a cup of coffee and reads the paper while sipping at his morning joe — it’s the only time he can feel an ounce of normalcy and savours every peaceful second. Ever since you’ve willed yourself to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for him and his team, Steve has been there to see your efforts from the table. Sometimes it’s hard watching you milling about the kitchen from over his morning paper and the lip of his mug but it was also very heartwarming, knowing that he and his team were being taken care of for once. You dance about the area as if you’ve always lived there, and as if it’s completely natural for you to cook such a large breakfast each morning. The first day, you were happy to express your love for cooking if only to comfort his self-reproach.

“I love cooking and your kitchen is so beautiful; it’s a joy to cook in it!” Steve remembers your upturned lips and smiling eyes vividly, “I’ve always been familiar with kitchens, and I love to cook because it's such a comfort for me; please don’t look so troubled,” your soft words eased his nerves effortlessly, a rare occurrence for the Captain. Usually, he was kept highly strung from the responsibilities of keeping his teammates safe and their missions on track. Your calming presence was something he dared not complain about. Even your delicately hummed tunes were appreciated. Steve can’t remember the last time he’s had such a calm morning. For the first time in a long time, he was allowed to sip on a delicious cup of coffee and read his paper in peaceful silence without having to remain alert for when he urgently needed to rush somewhere with his men.

Judging by how you’re still preparing the breakfast ingredients, Steve expects he still has plenty of time before the rest of the men wake up and make their way downstairs; he plans on savouring every second of it. But he was mistaken at the sound of footsteps walking down the first-floor hallway and eventually down the stairs. From the general area where the footsteps originate, Steve reckons it’ll be Ransom.

The captain was soon proven right when his charming mercenary teammate emerged from the stairway and made a beeline straight for you. Steve smiles into his mug as he watches your morning exchange.

“Good morning, sweets,” Ransom softly whispers into your hair as he pulls you close by the waist. You happily return his embrace and kindly offer him a cup of coffee but Ransom declines with a shake of his head, “I’ll help you with breakfast,”

“Oh Ran, that’s so kind of you,” the merc glows at your praise and leans into your touch when you reach up to comb your fingers through his sleep-mused hair. Steve raises a brow. Peculiar. Ransom barely leaves his room without making sure he looks a little presentable, he’s particular like that. The only other person with a similar habit was Lloyd, however, the assassin was much more diligent. It was peculiar that Ransom, someone who often obsessed over his appearance, was coming to you with his hair barely combed, face unclean and still in his wrinkled pyjamas. The fact that he offered to help you prepare breakfast was even more astounding.

“So…may I?” Ransom asks against the skin of your knuckles after bringing your small hand down from his hair to kiss.

“I’d really appreciate that, thank you!” you chirp happily and Steve fondly watches as his Beta makes himself useful in an environment he doesn’t usually associate himself with. It was amusing to see him trailing behind you and obediently complying to your instructions, a similar image to the night before but Steve still can’t believe his eyes. The captain doesn’t know what you’ve done but he appreciates the positive change it’s had on the usually arrogant Beta.

With Ransom’s help, you were already setting up the table long before the others came down for breakfast and joined Steve in appreciating a mug of coffee while sat together. Today’s morning spread was an assortment of freshly cut fruits, buttered toast with a side of jams, egg, ham and cheese breakfast muffins, crispy bacon, tomato and cream cheese bagels, and coffee and tea. Everyone was free to assemble their own plates for breakfast and you were open to any suggestions they may have for future spreads. You liked offering a consistent breakfast but also enjoyed switching some items every now and then, today you added the egg, ham and cheese breakfast muffins. Steve thought they smelled amazing and eagerly awaited the others’ arrival so he could finally have a piece.

“I’ve been meaning to ask but are your newspapers tele-delivered, Steve?” you ask after placing the teapot at the table for everyone’s reach. You make a mental note of knitting a tea cosy for it later.

“Yes, it makes life much easier,” he answers, careful not to show his shock at your casual question. There’s a rumbling of footfalls travelling down the staircase and he finally sets aside his paper. He prepares to finally eat with everyone despite his distracted mind.

You greet everyone a good morning as they take their usual seats before returning to your conversation with Steve, “It really is convenient. And I appreciate that you have groceries tele-delivered straight to your cool storage too. Magic is so helpful, it’s as if you never run out,” you giggle and smile at Jake who eagerly starts chatting about the magi-tech such conveniences require. You speak of the technology with Jake easily, adding to the tech genius’ excitement more. Jake has never had anyone other than Ari to speak to about his tech before and even Ari doesn’t indulge him as much as you do. Even now, the breaded man smirks at the way Jake interacts with you – he’s happy their Beta finally has someone to talk extensively with; he’s always felt quite guilty for not accommodating his comrade’s interests more in the past.

You converse with Jake easily on the topic and even bring up magi-tech knowledge that the average person typically doesn’t know about. It was all well and good but it was very… suspicious.

Andy makes eye contact with Steve as they reach for a breakfast muffin together. In their periphery, everyone else seems to have picked up on the notion too. There’s a touch of conjecture in everyone’s eyes except Jake’s, who happily kept rambling on with you. Curtis is as stoic as ever despite his inner turmoil and Ari hardens his features. Only Ransom seems to be in denial and conflicted at the implications of your knowledge. He remembers your level of expertise the day before and struggles with himself as the rest of the team silently continues eating.

You shouldn’t know about topics like this. Tele-delivery is a privilege exclusive to noble families and highly decorated merchants who sell the service.

Steve doesn’t want to be suspicious of you but you weren’t giving him much of a choice. You look like an ordinary girl, although much lovelier and sweeter than the ones he’s met so far, that didn’t mean you came from a noble or merchant family, right? Women born to those families are usually married off by your age… but how old were you? Slowly, Steve was beginning to realise just how little they know of you and it seems everyone was coming to the same realisation also.

Looking about the table, there’s a silent agreement that this topic not be brought up in front of you to keep you blissfully unaware. Steve doesn’t want to believe you’re an unsavoury character, nobody else does but they’re all conflicted. If you were going to harm them, you would have already done so by now, you’ve had plenty of chances already. You could have attacked them in their sleep or one by one when Curtis was escorting you and while Ransom was home alone with you the day before.

“Jake, why don’t you stay home today?” Ari cuts in, catching everyone’s attention and Steve’s alarmed stare. Ari will always be a deviating factor. He’s a team player but when it comes to the topic of you, he’s shown clear favouritism and a determination to keep you close. Although this was going against their plans the night before, Steve still trusts Ari. He needs to trust Ari. They’ve all been together for several years now and the trust they have for each other is impossible to break. Steve has never been led astray by trusting in his comrades’ intuition so, despite the growing suspicions surrounding you, he doesn’t protest and succumbs to observing what may happen.

What was Ari planning?

“Me? How come?” Jake asks, oblivious to what had just transpired within the team. Instinctively, he meets eyes with Steve, their Captain, asking for silent approval of the change. Steve gives an accepting nod.

“I need you to feedback on information from your library of books,” Jake immediately lights up and nods so eagerly that his teammates worried his head would detach from his neck.

“Oh! Sure! That’s a really good plan, Ari,” the broad-shouldered alpha smiles beneath his heavy beard, always an appreciator of his Beta’s laid-back approach. He claps the tech genius on the shoulder and shares a meaningful look with him, both already understanding their plans.

“I’ll be counting on you then,”

“What’s this about, Ari?” Steve searches the lumbering man’s eyes for a clue but is met with a soft, relaxed assurance translated into a lazy stare.

“Jake has an extensive library on magi-tech and artefacts that would be useful to have while I’m in the field. It’ll be easy to narrow down our search if he has access to the info here. Maybe we can find what we’re looking for much quicker if we do,”

After a long pause, Steve nods, “Very well, if you believe that’s what’s best,” Ari grins but doesn’t escape Steve’s suddenly sharp, narrowed eyes, “I’m trusting you, Ari,”

“Of course, Captain,” Ari nods, voice firm and expression suddenly more serious. That was confirmation enough for Steve to ignore Lloyd’s grumblings. It also seemed to be the perfect assurance for Curtis and Ransom, who had, undoubtedly, become entranced by you from the time you’ve spent together.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

As always, Steve is the first out with his packed lunch and you deliver his kiss on the cheek as sweetly as ever. In that brief moment, Steve allows himself to forget his suspicions of you, reasoning that acting normal was the best step forward to keep you oblivious to their growing wariness. It was worrying, however, how little he cared for the deep affection he was fostering for you.

“Have a good day, Steve. Please stay safe,” You’re too irresistibly precious that, although Steve knows it’s in his best interest to maintain his guard, he’s desperately hoping that you aren’t guilty of willfully deceiving them.

“And you as well,” the captain utters ever so softly, only for you to hear. His soft blue eyes linger on you for a moment before briefly glancing back at his team’s tech genius. “Look after Jake while we’re gone, okay?”

With a giggle, you nod, “Aye-Aye Captain!” it was a playful saying but you made it look and sound so adorable. You even teasingly saluted him. It wasn’t Steve’s fault that he couldn’t resist kissing your forehead as he left through the door.

Next up was Andy, who’s grown the habit of kissing your knuckles first before leaning in to savour his kiss on the cheek. “Take care, Andy,”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” there’s an emotion that flashes in the neat man’s azure eyes, one that you can’t quite place as he allows his stare to delicately float over you. He regrettably ignores your adorable and curious head tilt to finally head out whilst adjusting his cuffs. Try as he might, Andy can’t feel anything suspicious about you. In his many interrogations of guilty targets, he has never seen such incorrupt eyes. You have secrets but that didn’t mean you meant them any harm – that was his conclusion.

Ransom is the third up, pushing past Curtis, Ari and Lloyd, leaving the latter openly grumbling to himself whilst glaring at the group’s machiavellian Beta. Rather than lean down for a kiss, Ransom holds your face in both of his hands and searches your innocuously bewildered expression.

“Ran–?” you voice but he presses your cheeks together, puffing out your lips in a way that makes your spoken words incoherent. His eyes are narrowed into a judging expression but there’s no malice in his stare. In all of his work as the group’s covert agent, he’s never been more perplexed by a person. You’re too unguarded and virtuous to deal any real harm to them and he can tell you don’t have ill intentions just by the look in your eyes so…why does the mystery surrounding your identity irk him so much?

“Sorry…” Ransom frivolously bats away the grumbling complaints of his teammates as they grow impatient behind him. You’ve brought your hands up to hold onto his wrists as he slowly eases the pressure mushing your cheeks together.

“I’ll see you soon, Ran, please be safe,”

No…There’s no way you’re dangerous — not when you’re smiling up at him like that.

Ransom is tempted to kiss your sweet lips but refrains at the last moment, your lips brushing against each other as he swiftly moves to kiss your cheek instead. He silently leaves your flustered state with a hidden smirk. Aghast by the display, Ari rushes forward and guides your eyes to meet his by tilting your chin up with his fingers.

“You’re not kissing him before me, are you, beautiful girl?” Ari almost growls in annoyance. He loves his teammates but he’s grown a slight possessiveness over you and the idea of being the first to embrace your pretty lips. It’s unhealthy, he knows it, especially when he’s been aiming to form an official pack so he forces himself to calm down. He controls his breathing and tempers his gaze but keeps your chin tilted toward him.

“Don’t be silly Ari…” you look to the side in embarrassment, “everyone gets a kiss,” the implications of your innocent words aren’t lost on him and, although his mind starts racing with flashing images, Ari chuckles lightheartedly at the prospect.

“You’re always so fair, darlin’...” he begins to lean down and aims straight for your lip as his words become a whisper, “I love that so much about you,”

“Oi!” Ari gets shoved aside just as his lips brush against yours but is too slow in securing the embrace. In his place, Lloyd stands, huffing and puffing.

“This isn’t some fairy tale princess kissing her prince type shit. We need to fuck off to work so stop holding up the line!” Lloyd glares as Ari simply laughs at him, not a trace of annoyance on his features despite the rude interruption.

“Lloyd–” Your sweet call of his name immediately steals Lloyd’s attention and everyone watches his figure bend down to accommodate your short height. He does it too quickly to backtrack from remembering breakfast and the uncertainty surrounding your character. He didn’t plan on accepting your kiss but now he had no choice; his body had him doing the opposite.

“Gimme my kiss then, I don’t have all day,” with a smile, thoroughly enjoying the grumpy man’s crabby facade, you rise to your toes and kiss him on the cheek. You know he wants to pull away quickly but you trap him by holding his cheek in place. Somehow, you wanted to affectionately dote on this grumpy man and it amused you to see his reactions each time — his ears always become such a bright pink. “H-hurry up, woman! I don’t have all day for this!” you smile into his cheek and prolong it a little more before finally pulling away.

As Lloyd grouches to himself with your lunchbox tightly clutched in his hand, Ari tries to make his way back to you for another kiss on the cheek. The bearded man is already puckering his lips in a mock kiss, clearly trying to push Lloyd’s buttons and succeeds when he barely makes it to you thanks to Lloyd yanking him away by the collar. Ari laughs and teases Lloyd as you giggle at the display.

Curtis silently comes up to you while distracted and hugs your waist so that when he stands to his full height, he lifts you with him. Smiling down at the mercenary, you hug him around the shoulders and allow him to press his face into your neck where he’s reminded of your intimate moment at the village square and savours the calming effects your fragrance has on him.

“Please take care, Curt,” you whisper into his ear and he grunts, stoic as ever when you pull away. You take a moment to caress his cheek with your hand and look into his steel-grey eyes before sweetly kissing his cheek. You then kiss his forehead and utter your wishes (“I hope you have a good day,”) against his skin.

“We’ll be home soon…” Curtis utters gently in his rough voice after finally setting you down. He walks out to join the rest of the mercenaries and you wave at them with a bright smile as they leave. You don’t stop waving until they can no longer be seen through the trees. When you finally turn back into the cottage, however, you’re met with Jake, who has his arms wide open for you to run into if you please.

“E-even though I’m not going out today…Can I still get a kiss too? Please?” he asks with a pout but grins brightly when you nod and run over to fall into his arms. Easily, you press a kiss to his cheek and move to pull away when— “Can I have another one?” he wasn’t satisfied with just one cheek being kissed and, thankfully, you were willing to appease him. “Can I get two more?” you give him a look but when he utters the magic word ‘please’, you can’t possibly say no. “A-and just one more?--”

“Oh Jake!” he giggles freely and mischievously, relishing in the idea that he’s the first person to see you so adorably faux-frustrated. You give him one final kiss anyway and leave him feeling like he’s walking on air. Never before had such a beautiful lady indulged in his antics the way you did. There’s no animosity coming from you, only acceptance and affection.

Life can’t get better than this~

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Jake had a self-collated library all about magic, artefacts and modern tech in his room. It was a personal collection he was rather proud of and eager to finally store on physical shelves and admire freely. He always felt rather pleased with himself when he looked upon the collection, many of his editions were special, annotated with auxiliary details by the original authors themselves. He’s even personally written several of the observation journals within the collection. They were never officially published and purely stemmed from his interests. So proud he was of his collection that he couldn’t resist bringing down the books to show you. He would have happily brought down more but limited himself only to the relevant material needed for his coordinated search with Ari. He’s confident you’ll be able to keep up with his musings the same way you did during breakfast.

He’s so excited!

Getting to talk to such a beautiful and intelligent lady with a honey-esque voice and kind warmth was heaven on earth for a loser Beta like him. Jake knows that, compared to his other teammates, he barely stacks up but you treat him fairly and with the same sweetness. He never feels left out around you. In his eyes, you glow like the sun. Even more so now that he knows you’re just as interested in magi-tech as him. Have the gods made a more perfect woman than you?...

You promised to look over his books with him after you cleaned up the kitchen and did some of the laundry, which was perfect considering Ari was on call with him that morning. Jake expertly coordinated the search with the lumbering man who took on-site images of any potential artefacts and swiftly copied any paper trails that could prove useful to their mission. Thanks to Ari’s suggestion that Jake stay home for the day, it was much easier to reference certain aspects of the artefacts they were looking for and focus their search efforts.

The morning was a fruitful and busy one. As the grandfather clock’s face gradually reached noon, Ari called off the search and promised to feedback to Jake when he finally returned to base and had lunch to refuel him. Jake was then reminded of his carefully prepared lunch and the growling of his stomach. He finds it far too easy to get caught up in their operations, especially when it concerns a topic he was so passionate about.

“Don’t worry about me and eat your lunch, Jake,” you assure, stepping into the kitchen with your apron on, “I’ll make something simple but yummy for my lunch today and I’ll join you in a bit,”

“Okay,” Jake concedes, no longer feeling as guilty for starting his lunch first but still expecting a call from Ari —if not during lunch then after. While your back is turned, he goofily smiles at the note you had written and suppresses the urge to fall back and kick his legs in the air. "Just a small reminder: you make the world a better place."

Despite the wariness fostered by your seemingly innocuous exchange with Jake that morning, the mercenaries still made the time to regroup at their city-centre base to eat your lunch together. It’s become a silent ritual now. Nobody spoke a word in a collective attempt to evade their propagating scepticism of you. For now, all they wanted to do was guiltlessly savour your palatable cooking again, maybe even for the last time – that was a thought they all shared but one that didn’t comfort them, not even Lloyd, who silently opened his boxed lunch first.

“I hope this lunch helps you conquer your day…” Lloyd mutters to himself. Rather than store away your note as he had always done, he crumples it in his hand, motivated by the lingering bitterness of unwarranted betrayal in his chest. Nothing about you is confirmed but that didn’t mean your words and actions weren’t dubious – Lloyd knew he shouldn’t have allowed himself to get soft like this, that was his mistake. He beats himself up mentally for being unable to resist you that morning and dreads the notion that it may be too late for him despite his denials. The merc no longer felt hungry but ate your lovingly prepared lunch anyway. It would be a waste otherwise.

“A tasty pick-me-up for my favourite person,” Ransom smiles down at your sweet note and carefully savours his lunch. He doesn’t want to be stubborn about you, he knows that you’re a good person; his doubts can’t be easily shaken now.

“Today’s special ingredient: all my love,” Ari bites down on his lower lip hard. The squeal of joy he was tempted to let out at that moment would be too embarrassing, especially for an over 6-foot, heavily bearded alpha like him. He eagerly digs into his lunch and happily awaits his call with Jake. Maybe if he hurries, he can put in his call for feedback before the mid-day debrief and everyone leaves to resume their missions.

Andy enjoys reading his notes from you in his head, only whispering it to himself aloud when he reads it the first time. He likes to read your note a few more times before finally relenting to his aching stomach, “Every bite is proof of how much I care,” It’s hard not to smile while eating your delicious food. It tastes better when he ignores all the sour uncertainties about you.

Curtis rarely smiles but the mercs are treated to his rare, chaste grins every time he reads your lunch note. The stoic guard resists the urge to look up and face his smiling teammates whenever he does — he cares deeply for you but you getting him to smile is quite flustering, "Lunch made with love for someone who’s truly special." Curtis doesn’t believe he will ever grow accustomed to your sweet gestures but he doesn’t mind.

Steve tries to ignore your note this time, knowing that it’ll make him smile and his heart flood with warmth. He knows that he must avoid your affection at all costs, he needs to remain the most level-headed amongst his team. However, just as he’s finishing up his last few bites, the guilt has already weighed down his stomach significantly and he can’t resist reading your elegant handwritten note for the day, "I thought of you while making this—hopefully it’s as wonderful as you are!" Steve would be a monster if he didn’t smile at your sweet words and, thankfully, he isn’t one.

In his periphery, Ari sees the team diligently packing up their lunches to sit around the main table with Steve. Their mid-day debrief was drawing near and he rushed to call Jake. He turns his voice up to be heard aloud by everyone else.

Lunch finished later than usual for you but quickly got back to sewing beside Jake as soon as possible. While you sew, Jake takes diligent notes on a spare pad of paper, drawing from the open books piled up around him. His gaze remains focused, silent and studious, it was a side you rarely saw in the goofy, excitable Beta but was one you appreciated seeing in him. Smiling to yourself, you return your attention to your sewing just as Jake’s small shell-shaped magi-tech device rings atop the coffee table. He reaches out to answer it and Ari’s voice filters into the empty air.

“Afternoon Ari! How’s work?” Jake begins with an unfaltering grin.

“Afternoon Jake, it’s all good,” Ari happily greets over the specialised device, “How’s the weather at the cottage?” Report on current affairs.

“We have some clouds,” There’s company who can hear. The mercenaries tense up knowing that you’re near enough to pick up on their conversation. Ari and Jake will have to keep their dialogue highly censored so as not to reveal anything. Andy can easily hop on the call and take over as he was the better speaker but only Ari and Jake had adequate knowledge of the magical artefacts so they were better suited to conversing.

“I see, it’s been cloudy here too,” Everyone can hear. “At least there’s no rain,” the two lightly chuckle, “Did you get a chance to water the peonies as I asked?” Speak cautiously.

“Not yet, but I will in a bit,” Jake carefully eyes you in his periphery and almost sags in relief when you’re too engrossed with mending Steve’s torn-up shirt. “The peonies will be watered generously but I could never do a better job than you,” It’s safe. I’ll keep you informed. Hearing Jake’s assurance, the mercenaries relax ever so slightly. Due to their limited codes, it’s hard to pinpoint how safe it was to speak openly but they trust their Beta. They’ve all survived off of their trust in each other, if Jake says it’s safe, then it’s safe.

“Just don’t overdo it,” Ari replies, slightly worried for his carefully grown peonies. To ensure you don’t grow suspicious, Jake will have to water his peonies at the front of the cottage later on but their tech genius doesn’t have the greenest of thumbs — whatever, this was for the team. He can always grow more peonies but he can’t sabotage everyone’s final mission to secure retirement.

After some time passes, Jake suddenly groans in frustration and momentarily distracts you from the sewing, “⏤Replicas have been made and it’s making things very difficult,” your attention is immediately stolen, quickly prompting Jake to snap his head towards you and smile with his teeth.

“Sorry about that, princess. I didn’t mean to worry you, just a little stressed out about work,” Jake apologises, making it obvious to the rest of the team that you were actively listening now and they silently thanked him for it. Especially Ari; the alpha didn’t want his pack to turn their backs on you, not when they’ve barely given you a chance. You may still be a total mystery but that didn’t eliminate the knowing feeling in his chest and the instinctual pull he had towards you.

“Replicas?” you ask before you can stop yourself. At the slightly uncomfortable look on Jake’s face, you bite your lip guiltily, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop like that.”

“It’s alright,” Jake rubs the back of his head bashfully. “H-How much did you hear?”

“Only the end bit, about the replicas. Are you doing some sort of investigation on replica artefacts and tech?” you ask with an adorable head tilt that made Jake’s heart pound like crazy.

“I-I guess you could say that,”

“Wow, that sounds very important. You must work on a lot of forgery cases from all the notes you’ve made,” you nod towards his tireless notations and heavy books.

“Haha! Guilty. The winner deserves a prize~” he teases to which you playfully bat at his shoulder. You’re smiling as if you’re not bothered at all by that deduction so he runs with it and makes sure the team is well-informed of this: follow along. Jake has to remind himself to school his features first. He can’t bring himself to meet your eyes normally anymore. He felt like an utter criminal for lying to your face like this. So he focuses his attention back on his messy array of notes and books.

“What artefacts or tech are you looking into? Maybe I can help?” From breakfast, Jake can tell you have an expansive knowledge of magi-tech and artefacts. He knows he should think the decision over more but his words are spilling past his lips before he can think to stop himself.

“That would be great! Thanks!” Jake’s brow suddenly becomes sweaty as he reaches for a worn book with aged pages left open at a particular spread. The movement draws your eyes to the illustration displayed on the two-page spread.

“Oh…” Jake raises a brow at your shocked expression, “For such an ancient artefact to have replicas is astounding…” you utter to yourself, loud enough for your voice to reach Ari and the rest of the team, who were anxiously listening in on you and Jake. They opted for staying quiet so that you divulge as much information as possible. Knowledge is power, no matter the source.

“You know this artefact?”

“It has such a rich history, I’m surprised not many more people know of it,”

Jake chuckles in slight embarrassment, “I only have these old artefacts books on it. And modern tech books aren’t much help; I left those upstairs,”

“It’s alright,” you assure with kind understanding, “It’s one of the oldest artefacts but back then information on it was scarce since the owners didn’t want to divulge too much,”

“How do you know all this?”

You shrug your shoulders and look away shyly, “You’d be surprised at what kind of information you’ll find on the same thing but from a different genre. History books are better at knowing the origins of these artefacts more than these magic books, they are more for showcasing its mechanisms and specifications,” Jake nods along, leaning towards you ever so slightly.

“That makes sense,”

“It’s a beautiful piece of magical technology, one of the first of its kind – hence the ‘artefact’ classification. And, despite its dark past, it led to a massive turning point in history,” You begin to retell your teachings from the generous staff who had taught you behind the Queen’s back. Ernest and Abigail kept your mind sharp and well-learned from the many books the royal library held. Abraham, the palace mage also helped educate you, specifically on your magic capabilities and especially on this history of magic, artefacts and modern magi-tech. He thought for sure that he would no longer be needed at the palace; with no King to aid in magic and a Queen with no desire to support the true heir, he was ready to pack his bags. However, the Queen regularly appeared before him with questions on magic so he could stay. Grateful for the mercenaries’ generosity in letting you stay, you happily provided Jake with the same teachings of Abraham.

An incredible amount of years ago, many people detested those with magical abilities and for good reason. The ability to control and use magic freely came at a heavy price, soul corruption. Over time, an individual with magical abilities would become selfish, greedy, violent and unloving towards others — the human heart and soul can be easily degraded by magic, but not certain metals and other materials. Once that was learned, powerful sorcerers imbued their magic into ordinary objects which would then become magical artefacts.

Jake eagerly listened, as did his teammates on the connecting side of the magi-tech device they were using.

However, there was a small group of people who didn’t get corrupted by the magic ability they were gifted with. The modern-day royal family are the descendants of those same people. It seemed that these individuals were gifted with a high affinity and tolerance for magic, granting them power to rule over the kingdoms. They proved themselves worthy rulers by creating artefacts that protected an entire city of people. Those same artefacts stand to this day, all located at the central point of each kingdom’s capital. The rulers’ natural talents were never challenged nor their rule, thus starting the monarchy.

However, anomalies with magical power did occur within and outside the royal bloodline. And without an explanation, many wrongdoings were committed.

“Because magical prowess became an exclusive trait to the royal family, those who had magical powers but were not born into royalty were treated poorly and executed. But, if you remember, before the monarchy was ever established, others were also gifted with magical affinities. Now that it’s exclusive only to royals, those who weren’t were punished.” you and Jake shared a sad look, “The reasoning was so that the magic user doesn’t get corrupted by their magic but it can’t be denied that magic had become such an exclusive privilege of the royal families that pride was also a factor,” Jake shakes his head in disappointment. His love for magic, artefacts and magi-tech made the history you were telling him hard to swallow. He can understand why this wasn’t common knowledge, although…such rich historical books were also hard to come by…

“It also didn’t help that we, as humans, have a bad habit of gossiping about strange events in search of an explanation. The ‘anomaly’ of a ‘commoner’ having magical abilities was so taboo that it warranted execution, especially when rumours began to spread that those high-magic-affinity people were the illegitimate children of the royal family. Nowadays, it’s no longer stigmatised as it’s been extrapolated that some individuals are just more magically inclined than others. But this was only after King Kloros.”

“What about him?”

“King Kloros was found to be infertile later in life when his five-year-old son, Prince Leto, was found to have no magical powers. Usually, royal children display magic as young as a month old but five years is the benchmark. Since Prince Leto wasn’t magically inclined even at five years of age, the King confronted the mirror of Aleth, named after the Sorceress and Queen Alethea who created the mirror to tell only truths when asked a question. It was found that Prince Leto was not his true son at all but was born out of his Queen consort’s affair. Outraged, King Kloros banished his Queen Consort, he could no longer look into Queen Consort Anwir’s eyes. To the surprise of many, he kept Prince Leto as his heir; he had grown to see the boy as his true son already. He also knew wouldn’t be able to have a son of his own anyway but wanted an heir regardless. Years later, however, Prince Leto, at 7 years of age, developed magical abilities regardless of his heritage and that was when King Kloros decided to banish prejudice against all magic users, vowing to find ways to prevent his son from being corrupted by the magic. It was found that as long as magic users practised the flow of magic within them and released them into objects regularly, they were less likely to be corrupted, which is why most sorcerers help create magi-tech products or participate in healing the sick,”

“Thank goodness for that,” Jake voiced playfully after thanking you and you both giggled. With scrutiny, Jake focused on the ancient pages showcasing the Mirror of Aleth, “But I do wonder… why don’t more people know about the mirror despite its influence on King Kloros and, therefore, the world as they knew it,” Jake mumbles to himself.

“It’s probably because it only did one thing. Yes, it generated a huge wave of influence but that ‘huge wave’ completely masked its original impact.” Jake nods beside you, “I also read somewhere that it only responded to true descendants, as in, the royal family so it’s been kept securely at the Okisha Kingdom’s Palace vault. As honourable people, they like the use the artefact’s abilities sparingly — they understand how damaging it is to know all truths, hence why Queen Alethea made sure the mirror only responded to descendants of the royal family,” All mercenaries tensed at the mention of their client but only for a millisecond; you were only reciting your knowledge. The intel they were given by the Okisha Kingdom’s mage was very lacking compared to your intelligence. However, that only made them more curious and cautious of you.

You move to continue your sewing but Jake, hypnotised by your voice and knowledgable insight, hurries to keep you talking, “Would you know how to identify the real one from a replica?”

His words make you think in silence as all of the listening men await your words with bated breath. Steve, Andy, Jake and Ari anticipate what your valuable intelligence may provide them in their mission, preferring to disregard their suspicions for the time being. Curtis and Ransom look at each other momentarily and keep their ears perked as well. Lloyd, however, tries to tune out your voice as much as possible; he feels a pang of sickening betrayal every time you innocently add to their suspicions because how could you possibly know all this bullshit?!

“I would first consider why replicas are being made — potentially to throw off whoever’s wanting to snatch the original, a decoy perhaps?” that’s a line of thinking you would rather return to at a later time for its many possibilities, “And then I would think about what the most telling signs would be of a fake…” you gesture to Jake’s open book and politely ask if you could touch it; you only do so after he gives a nod of permission. With that simple but considerate gesture, Jake thinks you’re even more of an angel now — he’s head over heels! He doesn’t allow just anyone to touch his prized possessions lightly but he trusts your delicate hands. “Notice how the mirror is made of only precious materials?” Jake nods eagerly, ecstatic to know you were just as vigilant as him in that observation. He hopes you can give him some sort of explanation as to why that is; he has his personal theories but they’re only that, theories. Another’s insight, especially from one who’s as knowledgable as you is very valuable. “Do you know why most ancient artefacts are only made with precious metals?”

“Not a clue,”

“It’s because magic can corrode materials as much as it can a person’s heart and soul. Precious metals are precious because they corrode very very very slowly, to the point that it’s barely noticeable. Nowadays, all magi-tech products only need to be installed with imbued magic crystals to work,” Jake has a eureka moment in his head and restrains himself from jumping on you with a scream of joy. That’s a better explanation than anything he’s come up with before. And is one he can use when training or creating his own magi-tech devices after his retirement with the boys.

“That’s amazing! All we have to do is see if the materials are made of precious metals or not!”

“Exactly!”

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Jake and Ari were able to make progress with their specific mission thanks to your precious intel. Ari stiffly worded his gratitude over the device and swiftly ended the call, leaving Jake to bite at his already short nails. Unphased, you returned to sewing Steve’s shirt. Glancing at the grandfather clock, it was still early afternoon so keep with your sewing but regularly glance at the clockface so that you don’t start on dinner too late. While you did that, Jake was drowning Ari’s peonies from anxiety. The tech genius can only imagine what his team would do as soon as they arrived home for dinner that night. He tends to lose track of many things when magic, artefacts and magi-tech are involved so he could hardly restrain himself when you talked overtly about the ancient artefact with Ari and the boys on the other end. As you revealed everything you knew to him, you also revealed it all to his teammates. It’s safe to say that he was expecting the worst-ever reaction from them.

He’ll protect you with his life! Even against his own! He loved the team but he’s never felt such a strong connection to someone else before. You’re the first lady to ever turn his way without a judgemental look in your eyes; you’re not dissuaded by his dorkiness and zealous interest in magic, you lean into it and happily discuss the topic with him. You’re a rare jewel he would rather sacrifice his life for than ever part with.

Jake slowly loses himself in thoughts of you and your wonderfulness. He was just beginning to smile goofily when he was subtly alerted by a breach in the barrier. They were home early! Rushing inside, Jake beelines it to you.

“Jake?” you ask with a slight tilt of your head as if to say, ‘What’s wrong?’. Jake knows what’s wrong but he’s not going to tell you anything. You stand when Jake keeps striding towards you without a word. You don’t know what to expect but it’s not to be lifted from the ground and into his arms as if you weighed nothing.

“There’s no time, Princess!” Jake turns on his heel and steps towards the back of the house but freezes up when the front door slams open. You gasp and jump ever so slightly in his arms from freight but smile over his shoulder at the sight of the mercenaries arriving in the living room with their shoes still on.

“You’re home early, today,” you beam from over Jake’s shoulder, “how was work? I’m afraid I don’t have dinner ready yet–”

“Quiet!” Steve commands firmly and in a volume that shakes the cottage walls. His eyes are like dull, blue stones, cold and hard as they drill into you. It sends a chill down your spine, “Turn around and put her down, Jake,” Jake turns but doesn’t let you go, only holding you closer.

“Sorry Cap,” Jake apologises without any meaning, “I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Ari smiles at the gesture and nods in approval from his place beside Ransom.

“Put. Her. Down. Now!”

“No!”

“Wh-what’s going on?” you whisper, blinking back tears from the frightening visage of Steve. He was always so kind and warm to be around; this is the first time you’ve ever seen him so loud and cold.

“She’s not a bad person, Captain!”

“Then who is she?!” Lloyd barks from Steve’s right, stepping forward to sneer at you with much more animosity than you’re used to. His confrontational step forward makes you reel back and turn away from him in fear, “Tell us your real name!” Your obvious fright makes Lloyd stutter ever so slightly but protecting him and his mismatched pack will always be his top priority, not you.

“I-I have told you my real name!” you defend, wrapping your arms around Jake’s neck and leaning into him for comfort.

“You’re scaring her, Lloyd!” Ransom counters, stepping out of the group to stand closer to you and Jake. Curtis does the same but silently, his tall, broad stature as imposing and dangerous as ever. The two have been able to see your true character in the time they’ve spent with you — even though you have secrets, that doesn’t mean you were untrustworthy; everyone has secrets.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s the thief!” Lloyd points an accusing finger at you.

“She’s not the thief!”

“You don’t know that!”

“And what makes you think you do?!”

“ENOUGH!” Lloyd and Ransom looked ready to shout at each other until the sun rose again if it weren’t for Ari cutting in. “Screaming and arguing with each other isn’t going to sort anything out! Plus our angel isn’t any less frightened!” Ari steps up to stand beside your curled-up form in Jake’s arms. “If she meant any harm, she would have done something by now. She deserves to have a say,” Ari gives a pointed look at Andy who smiles at the bittersweet notion that the heavily bearded alpha chose now to recite his personal philosophy.

Everyone turns to Steve, who contemplates the situation. A long pause draws out for what feels like an eternity before their Captain finally turns to their negotiator.

“Andy?” Steve asks. He truly can see things going two ways. He was ready to kick you out for the betterment of his pack but seeing Jake, Ari, Ransom and Curtis firmly standing at your side made him second-guess himself. Trust in the team. Lloyd was too heated. Andy was the only other level-headed Alpha he could fully rely on.

“...Let her speak for herself, Captain,” Andy can’t shake Ari’s reminder of his personal values. With a bit of work, his teammate could make for a great negotiator, “She deserves to have a say,”

Steve nods and meets your eyes with a hard but warmer stare, “Tell us the truth,”

Not seeing a way out, you nod and bite your lip with some insecurity. “Alright…”

navi. | series masterlist | seven. the lumbering repairman →

a/n : this is a pretty long chapter, primarily because of the world-building lore I wove into it. I hope you enjoyed it and the read. The series is slowly getting more interesting so things will pick up from here. Look forward to future updates hehe~ In the meantime, Happy holidays, my darlings!

If you're interested, here's a little note on the names involved in the lore drop:

Chloe, the name, means 'fertility' and is derived from the Greek name Khlóros - I took the ‘h’ out to sort of take away from that meaning somehow and better fit the infertile king.

Leto, the name, means 'hidden' and has Greek and Latin origins

Alethea, the name, means 'truth' and has Greek roots

Anwir, the name, is Welsh, meaning 'liar'

taglist : @imyourbratzdoll @lovinglimerence @saturdayrj @baw1066 @whereismymindnow @urmomw4ntsme @oneandonlybbygrl

[seokminfilm]

friends | lee seokmin

pairing, lee seokmin x reader

warnings, non-idol au, angst, hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, lowercase intended, cute wholesome ending

seokmin's heart broke when you showed up at his house in your favorite red dress, mascara running down your face as your nose was red with irritation. it didn't help that he knew exactly why you were at the same spot at his front door, and it took everything in him not to storm up to your boyfriend's house and punch him right in his unattractive face.

he took you in, as he always does, allowing you to get out of your clothes and into one of his shirts, the fabric drowning your figure as soon as you slipped it on; your styled hair was slowly becoming frizzy, and he frowned at your saddened countenance, grabbing a brush as he brushed through your tangled locks.

seokmin hummed to you while he worked, and let you relax in the chair, eyes closing shut as he continued to brush. after a few minutes, he ran his fingers through your smooth hair, rubbing the top of your head calmly as he handed you a cup of green tea, watching you drink the liquid greedily.

throwing you some of his massive socks, he handed you your favorite blanket and brought you to the couch, turning on a movie as he prpared a basket of snacks for you, handing you the remote as he smiled weakly at you. he knew how much it was hurting you, and he swore a piece of you died with him everytime you returned to the front door with the same traits—messy mascara, frizzy hair, red nose, and no words to say.

once he sat down, you placed down the remote, eyes watering again as you turned to dokyeom with trembling lips. 

"is everything okay?" he asked you, brown eyes locked on your face as he studied your reddened cheeks and tired eyes. you shook your head no, and he immediately understood, falling silent as he pulled you into his chest, relaxing his shoulders so you could lean further back.

the tears started falling freely now, and you couldn't help but sigh into his chest, nose rubbing against his shirt as wet spots from your tears began to darken the fabric.

seokmin sat quietly, hand on the small of your back as he rubbed in calming circles, head on top of yours as he coddled you in his arms. you could hear his heartbeat, and the soft rhythmic pounding made your eyes heavy. 

once your tears came to a rolling stop, you sat up, staring at seokmin with thankfulness and embarrassment in your eyes.

"i shouldn't have gone back." it's not a question, but seokmin doesn't reply as you thought he would, blushing slightly as he pushed the hair out of your face, currently sticking to your wet cheeks.

"i didn't want to stop you. i only want what's best for you, and if you thought it was him, i'd let you go on with it," seokmin explains, voice soft as the rain pours harder outside. he was too sweet for his own good sometimes.

"seokmin?" you stare up at him, and he meets your gaze, sharp nose highlighted by the light as he tilts his head slightly, looking at you like a sleepy puppy.

"why do you care for me so much?"

seokmin fell silent.

he didn't really know why he cared so much. he wanted to see you well, see you happy, see you flourishing. that's all he could ever really want for you. he wanted to spoil you, take care of you, hug you when things get rough, make you laugh when you were sad; he wanted to do whatever he could to make you happy and loved. he'd tell you how much he loved and appreciated you a million times.

why?

because he loved you.

he loved you so much, it made him sick to his stomach. especially when you were treated like shit by your boyfriend. every time you showed up at his door with a sad look on your face, he wanted to spoil you and love you like he knew he could—and knew you needed. seokmin wanted to kiss your forehead and tell you how much he loved you.

he wanted to wake up to you in the morning and just stare into your eyes until he was satisfied. seokmin wanted to wrap his arms around your waist and slow dance with you whenever he felt like it.

seokmin wanted you.

you and everything that came with you—your smile, your lovable personality, your soft disposition—everything.

"seokmin?" you called again, waiting for an answer. he felt his heart quicken in his chest, and he swore that he could smell the tension in the room.

friends don't look at you the way seokmin does. friends don't cuddle you while watching your favorite comfort movies like seokmin does. friends didn't hold your hand while crossing the street just for comfort like seokmin did. friends didn't know nearly everything about you, from your favorite snack to your favorite scent. seokmin knew all of that by heart. friends didn't do what you and seokmin did.

"it's because i love you." seokmin said, and you smiled painedly at him, leaning your head on his chest. "i love you too."

"no." 

you sat up, confused; seokmin started to turn a bright red, looking off to the side as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

"i mean—i do love you; don't think i'm saying i don't love you. what i'm trying to say is that—i love you more than a friend." seokmin didn't plan on confessing it to you like this, but he thought this time was better than any. plus, you were practically prying the information out of him.

you paused, eyes growing wide as he stared at you patiently, waiting for you to say something. the confession threw you off, to say the least.

you saw seokmin as your best friend—the boy who was with you when it seemed as if the world turned its back on you. he cared for you at every time of the day, calling you to check up on you or stopping by your apartment to have lunch with you.

seokmin was like your safe space: you could come to him at any time of the day and he'd be ready for you. he was always prepared for everything you went through, and loved taking care of you and having fun with you.

he swore up and down that you were the most beautiful person on the planet, and he treated you so well that you finally started to believe it—even with your self-esteem issues, seokmin never failed to make you feel special.

"if you don't like me the same way, just forget i said any of this. i don't want things between us to become awkward. i love you too much for that. you deserve to be happy, and if it's not with me, i can handle it, i promise—" seokmin was shut up by you smashing your lips on his, and he grunted at the force of it, falling still as you closed your eyes.

in this moment of time and space, nothing could stop you from seokmin. you felt as if you were floating on cloud nine, suspended in time as seokmin slowly wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer.

you melted as you smelled his signature smell—lavender and linen melded into one sweet scent, and you savored the feeling of his marshmallow-tasting lips on yours, finally taking a breath as the two of you pulled away from each other, quiet and stunned.

"seokmin." you gasp out, and dokyeom responds, tucking your brushed hair behind your ear as he smiles at you cutely.

"mhm?" he asks, and you smile back, placing your hand on his wrist.

"i love you. i'm sorry." you sigh, and dokyeom shakes his head, eyebrows furrowing at your words.

"don't apologize for anything: it's not your fault that your boyfriend treated you terribly. you deserve better than him, you know. so much better." seokmin mumbles, and you smile at him, heart melting at his words. 

"do i really deserve you?" you ask, and seokmin pauses, eyebrows raising slightly as he breaks into a wide smile.

"if you want me, yes." he replies, and you let your head fall into his lap, smiling as he pushes the leftover hair from your face.

"i want you." 

"good, because i want you and i want everything included with you—your insecurities, personality, likes, dislikes, and everything in between." seokmin smiles that signature smile, and you sigh, resting in his lap as you slowly drift off into a dream that's become your reality. 

seokmin is that dream.