#i will admit I was surprised at him revealing the number however it blowing up into a huge dramatic media storm

[harryandmeghansussex]

The Headlines.

The context, aka what was actually said.

[kim-miyeon]

Hell Above-Chapter One

PAIRINGS: Hwang Hyunjin X Female Reader

WARNINGS: Mafia!AU, strong language, violent scenes, use of weapons, mentions of blood, mentions of sex trafficking, murder, suggestive language, sexual scenes, unprotected sex. 18+ Please.

WORD COUNT: 6.8K

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This is a Wasteland, My Only Retreat.

The faint roar of the vehicle engine rumbled lowly as you sat in the driver seat of your car, both of your hands resting softly on the steering wheel. Your annoyed sigh released itself as your head turned to look at the sleek folder that laid in the seat next to you. You smirked to yourself as you averted your eyes back to the rusted standing building in front of you. The allure of the night caused the whole scenery to match the mood of this dreadful evening. Your eyes scanned over the area surrounding, four black cars parked to the left side of the building, the whole estate heavily guarded with about fifteen men, the soldiers. You stared for a bit before looking up to your rearview mirror and allowing your eyes to observe you. It was almost cliché the way you looked for the part you played. The way your features could kill a man alone and you knew that better than anybody. Reaching your hand into your purse that sat on your lap, you pulled out an item that was set to complete such a look of power,  your blood red lipstick. You moved closer to the rearview to get a better view as you applied a layer of the tint on your lips, bringing your character to life. You rubbed  your lips together and cleaned around the edges before your eyes naturally diverted to a dark figure walking towards your car.  You groaned in annoyance as you unbuckled yourself and grabbed the folder to the right of you. Turning your keys in the ignition off, you opened the car door, throwing your legs over onto the pebble ground, where the heels of your black boots met. Your whole appearance could have blended into how dark the night became as you wore black jeans and a black sweater, paired with your favorite black trench coat. The only color that could be determined was the deep red on your lips and the silver gun that hung by your side. 

“YAH Y/N!”  the voice of the figured called out and you heard the thick accent of an Australian native come through

You slammed the car door shut behind you as you inhaled the cool freshnes of the autumn night. Shifting your direction to the young man walking closer to you. He had a slim figure, soft blonde strands that fit his small face and hints of freckles that coated him. On a usual day, he would be smiling and spreading his contagious positivity. But on nights like this, he was different. We were different.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He asked sternly, voice low and accent deep. You walked towards him with the folder in your hand.  

“Is that anyway to greet your elder, Felix?” You smiled back playfully, shoving the folder into his chest. He grabbed a hold of it flipping through the contents before looking back at you.

“How did you find out?” he sighed in defeat. 

“Well, I heard you caught a mouse,” You said as you started to walk towards the building,  with Felix following, “the cat wanted to play.���

“You shouldn’t be here, Y/N,  you know you can be comprom-” 

“Cut the bullshit Felix,”  You waved your hand,  pushing away the topic. “Just tell me what you know.”

Felix groaned and you looked over to him, stopping both of your tracks, “He was one of the associates. Caught taking pictures and asked too many questions.” 

“Is that why the soldiers are here?” You asked, arms crossing over your body. 

“Mhm. We don’t know which associate can be trusted, and didn't want to create more trouble.” 

You squinted in confusion at his statement and Felix bit his lip as if he was debating to reveal anymore. 

“We think he might be working with ‘Y’.” 

Y. The alias name of a mystery person who has had multiple failed attempts in trying to reel you out. Or reel out whoever they can in all honesty. Pathetic and yet intriguing, as you and your family have been on the hunt for this mystery person for the past 6 months. Your interest spiked up to the new found information. 

You laughed sinisterly as you turned back to walk towards the entrance of the building. “God, I love a good Friday night.” 

“Y/N, I’m serious. You really shouldn’t be here. We don’t know the multitude that ‘Y’ is working on,” Felix pleaded.

“So we find out.” You stated.

 “We are. YOU just can’t be here because Min-“ you stopped in front of the door to the warehouse and you turned around to Felix who cut himself off from finishing his sentence.

“Because what, Felix.” You gritted.

Felix sighed and looked at you. 

“Minho doesn’t want you here”

You clicked your tongue and scoffed in disbelief at the sentence. You felt the blood bubble in your veins as the adrenaline from anger rushed through you. 

“Last time I checked, Minho wasn’t my fucking boss.” 

You marched up to the warehouse doors and pushed it open. Felix following you as you both walked into the dark and musty place, smells of decaying animals and blood surrounded you immediately, which could have bothered any normal individual, but the smell was too natural for you. 

Straight ahead was a dim light shining on a profound scene. Your sight was captured by a man tied to a chair, hands cuffed behind him, blood hanging from the ends of his hair dripping down his cheeks and arms. Barely hanging on to whatever life he may have left, he raises his head to a man who you assumed performed such a violent assault. The man’s brown hair was sweat ridden and he wore his white dress shirt with sleeves rolled up.  On his hand sparkled a set of brass knuckles that he wiped off with his handkerchief. Walking closer, you witness the man as he swung his forearm back and connected another blow to the captured man's face, earning splatter of blood to the floor and a grunt from the victim. You scoffed softly as you approached such a disappointing scene. 

If it weren’t for the loud clicks of your heels to suggest your arrival, it could have been the dark demeanor you had when you came into the lit area and the man looked at you, first in surprise and then annoyance. It was hard to admit, but he was attractive, his muscles bore through his shirt and pants. His face was one that could ruin a woman. His dark sweaty hair stuck to his forehead from the work he put in for the night. He scoffed when he saw you and you crossed your arms over your chest and smiled at him. 

His eyes switched his gaze to Felix who approached behind you.

“You had... one job.” Stepping forward and raising his finger to emphasize Felix’s one job of the night, implying that it was to make sure you weren’t there.

Felix bowed his head in an apologetic manner and you laughed as you looked down at the floor and the back to the man.

“You’ve been relieved of your duties for the night Minho, you can go.” 

He laughed at you and came closer, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion.” You stepped closer to him.

Minho paused and looked at you as you held his gaze sternly. He finally let up, cursing in the air, understanding the consequences of disobeying you. 

Minho turned to grab his coat and walked away calling out for Felix to come with him.

You breathed out in content and removed your coat. The man sitting in the chair raised his head slowly as he had heard your heels come closer to him. You grabbed his bloody chin and forced his head up to look at you as you examined to damage Minho had done. 

“Tsk tsk tsk, he really did a number in your face.” You let go of his chin and he hung his head low again. 

“Who are you?”

“Who am I?” You smiled at the question asked, “I can be whoever you want me to be.”

The man raised his head slightly as he saw you walk over and grab an empty chair, pulling it to sit across from him. You sat down and crossed your leg over the other one and pulled out a box of cigarettes from your back pocket, along with a lighter. You pulled a cigarette out with your mouth and lit it as you inhaled deeply. The smoke burning the back of your throat, almost sobering you for a second.

 “Who am I?”  you reiterated, “ Well truthfully, I don’t think that’s as important. I actually came here cause I wanted to get to know you more”

“I already told the man before that I don’t know anything.” 

You sucked in air as you pulled the cigarette out from your lips “See I could believe that, however, I know that’s not true, right... Danny?”

You paused as you saw no reaction, “ … or is it better to call you...SungHo.” 

He looks at you in immediate terror and you smile, inhaling another drag.

“How do you-“

“Kim SungHo, father to two beautiful young girls, Mina, 3,  and Hyerin, 5. A loving husband to Kim Ji Hye for 10 years. Congratulations, your anniversary was last month right?” You asked innocently as you watch the man in front of you begin to widen his eyes to your knowledge. 

You pulled another drag from the cancer stick, “A former professional photographer. You had your own business that went bankrupt, right? So you opted into your dangerous pleasures to feed your girls, huh?”

“I was just doing what I can,” He mumbled.

“Life in prison without parole. I heard they were even considering the death penalty for the men they found, men like you, right SungHo?” You scooted closer to him as you watched a tear roll down his face. 

“Did you like taking photos of those girls? Did you like watching them beg for their lives?”

He cried and choked on his own tears as you stood up and flicked the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it to put it out. 

“Tell me who you work for SungHo.”

“I can’t” he choked out.

“Oh SungHo, you don’t want to make me mad. I’m worse than that man before. Way worse.”

Sungho just cried and you grew intolerable to the minutes that past as you waited for information. You knew that beating him the way Minho did was foolish. So you did the one thing none of those bastards could ever. You grabbed your gun and cocked it back aiming for his head as he cried softly. You notice the lack of adrenaline, the almost inviting acceptance he was having to a moment of death you could implicate. So you moved your aim towards his groin.

“STOP! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” he screamed. 

“Tell me who you work for Sungho, my patience is at an all time low.”

“I DON'T KNOW HIS NAME, HE WENT BY Y!”

“What did he want?”

“HE WANTED TO KNOW IF THE LEE FAMILY WAS STILL OPERATING, HE ASKED ME TO TAKE PICTURES AND FIND OUT WHO THE BOSS IS. TOLD ME TO BECOME AN ASSOCIATE TO DO IT!”

“When’s the next time you’ll see him?” He paused and you lowered your gun and fired a gunshot right into his crotch. He screamed in pain and you aimed your gun back at his head. 

“ANSWER ME!”

“HE DIDN’T SEE ME, HE CALLED ME. TOLD ME TO GO TO THE TRAIN STATION AND DROP OFF MY CAEMRA BY THE HOUSE WITH THE MAILBOX!” he cried out as he looked down and saw the blood dripping from his crotch. “PLEASE, HE SAID HE’D KILL MY FAMILY IF I DON’T DO THIS! PLEASE!”

You stepped back and relaxed yourself as you had found all the information you needed. You stood back looking at him as your mind thought back to the kids he had. You can’t protect them y/n. You watched as Sungho cried out in the pain as he bled. Your curiosity got the better of you in the moment as you twirled your gun.

“Did you find out who the boss was?” 

Sungho breathed out heavily,“I took pictures of the man before you.” 

You smiled in disbelief, “and you believe him to be the boss of the Lee Family?”

“The associates say that he is the only one they have seen and fits the description of the son of Lee Won-Shik.” He looked up at you and your face went pale. 

That name. One that you knew too well. Your father’s name.

You aimed the gun back at his crotch and fired another bullet in anger. SungHo screamed and gritted as blood began to pool from his groin area, surely ending whatever reproduction system he had left.

“I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING.” 

“I know, it’s a shame.” 

The pain you inflicted caused you to wonder how painful it could have been. You just watched him bleed out and scream as he begged you for help. You turned and saw the camera lying on the table and you walked over to pick it up. You scrolled through pictures of Minho leaving offices and greeting people, people who worked for your family for years. Any leakage of this information could be detrimental. The whole thing put a sour taste in your mouth. 

“Unfortunately Sungho, you won’t be dropping off this camera tomorrow.”

“NO, NO, PLEASE!” 

“It’s a shame. A man who watches girls younger than your own daughters be taken from their families and exploited in such a distasteful manner… makes me sick.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” You walked over and you cocked your gun back again as you aimed the gun to his head. 

“Also, Lee Minho doesn’t run this family,”

You turn to Sungho who was crying in pain and pulled the trigger of your gun watching his head fall back as blood and pieces of his head splattered, coating the wall and floor behind you both. You move away and placed your gun back in your holder as you turned back to grab your coat, walking toward the exit. Leaving Sungho’s dead body to bleed out. 

“I Do.” 

**********

Outside, you see four men talking as you closed the large door behind you. Their views shifted on you and you watched as Minho walked up to you in anger.

“Three gunshots. You killed him.” He spat. 

“He saw my face.”

“I had everything under control.” 

“An interrogation that lasted two hours is your version of under control? What kind of questions did you ask Minho? What kind of camera does he use? Can he get you a deal at Best Buy?” you mocked.

“Like he told you anything! You were in there for 30 minutes and now we have a dead man and no information, I bet. I bet you killed him because he disrespected you as a woman! I know that really gets your blood boiling and you act like a deranged child!”

“Do you want a demonstration?” You grabbed your gun and aimed it at him until you hear a yelling from behind Minho. 

“GUYS SERIOUSLY.” You turned your eyes to the boy who yelled out at you and sighed as Minho began to relax is demeanor. “We are family, we shouldn’t be fighting like this.” 

“Seungmin’s right, we could be in a world of trouble and we need to work together now.” Felix reassured as he walked up to you and Minho and pushed your gun down. 

You walked up to the group as Minho avoided eye contact with you. You stood next to Seungmin who was looking at you with caring eyes. You smiled because he was the type to always bring down the heat of conversations and make everyone regroup. Next to you stood a smaller boy, with blue hair. He had a soft fox like face and you smiled at him as he admired you. 

“What information did you find?” The younger one asked you and you nodded. 

“He worked for ‘Y’ in exchange for immunity to his crime charges to come later this week. That camera is supposed to be delivered tomorrow at the train station on the west side but unfortunately there’s been a delay.” You looked the boys who were nodding their heads all except Minho. 

“And I saved both of are asses tonight, Minho. The associates are talking a lot among themselves, they believe you are the alleged son of my father. He has pictures of you meeting with secret partners. Had I kept him alive, our secret would have been revealed and the Hwang family would had found you, not just ‘Y’.” You informed. 

“Thank you.” he muttered. 

“Everyone report tomorrow 9 AM sharp. Seungmin put together a strategy plan for going forth on the ‘Y’ issue. Felix  dispose of the body near the train tracks, make sure you make a note for ‘Y’ to see. Minho,-”

Minho looked at you carefully having calm down from the interaction earlier, “Kill all the associates. None of them can be trusted.”

The boys all parted was and the youngest member stood by your side looking to you innocently. “What would you like me to do?” 

“I need you to go find Sungho’s family and bring them to safety tonight. Don’t tell the others about it Jeongin, keep your tracker on. Take your soldiers with you.” Jeongin nodded and you hugged him close as he went off. 

You walk towards your car and your phone dings in your coat pocket. You pulled it out and read the message that flashed across the screen. 

“Just got on to my connecting flight, see you soon ❤️-HJ” 

You smiled and put your phone back into your pocket, as you opened and sat in your car, ready to go home.

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

You opened the oven and was blasted with a rush of heat as you removed the roasted potatoes in the pan and placed it on your stove top. The sound of the ongoing sizzle was still coming from the potatoes drowned out by the soft playing of jazz that you had in the background on your speaker. To the left of your view was the  piece of steak you had searing on your pan. It had been a while since you had a nice home cooked dinner. It had been a while since you two have eaten together like this. It had been a while in general. Since you last saw him, leaving you a kiss, one that you still remember fleshed on your lips, and watched him drive away. Just the thought of you two being in the same room made your stomach flip. He was captivating in the sense that he could make you drown in his aura and remove everything around you. It was like you were light like a feather, floating around him, and he was the gentle hand that caught you every time. You blushed to yourself, deep in thought as you began to place the food on the plates you had grabbed from the cabinet above you, remembering how incapable you were when reaching all the dishware in your house, becoming grateful for the way he towered you and helped you in these moments.

You just missed him. And it was difficult for you to admit to yourself that he made you feel secured. There was always fear when you thought of him and how you felt towards this man only to be reminded of how deep of a hole you dug for yourself. Your heart ached every time you had to remind yourself what your true mission was, what the point of this relationship meant. And yet, you pushed it all away. You turned an eye to the ratchet truth because you needed more time. It was a constant fight between heart and mind. Playing a double character all this time exhausted you even when you felt like you were completely and unapologetically yourself in front of this man.

You carried the plates over to your small dining room table and placed them at each end. Stepping back, you absorbed the smallness of the dining room area in your home. You laughed as you took in the lack of luxury in the space, and the lack of luxury in general. You lived comfortably, you never felt drowned in bills, you never went hungry. You had a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in. And yet, if anyone were to ever find out about your true income, they’d wonder why you opted to live in a one story house on the north side of town. You were able to buy the whole damn country if you wanted to. You were able to live a life of luxury and protection, but this is what he wanted. He wanted to show you that he is not who he really is and you acted like you didn’t know what he did, who he was. All these years, he played a character too. That’s how you knew that he loved you the same, if not more. You knew that in order to be with you, he had to tell you, because you had to know what it meant when you took his last name. But in his secrecy, you saw the need of protecting you from a world you already knew so much about and also the aching to hide away and be normal. 

You sighed as you reached over to the bottle of wine you had on the table. You unscrewed the bottle and grabbed your glass as you poured yourself a decent amount of red lush. You raised the glass to your lips as you walked slowly to the mirror on the back wall of your dining room. You looked at yourself, watching how the simple silk black dress hung loosely down your chest. Smiling, as the silk draped over your breasts teasingly and stopping just inches from your knees. Your hand caressed your collarbone, down to your chest as you rose your other arm to bring the glass of wine back to your lips. You drifted your eyes from the mirror to your drink as you took another sip of the sweet liquid. It was almost alarming the way your attention was brought back to the mirror when a figure appeared in your peripheral. Your eyes widened in shock as your breath sucked in rather quickly. You looked at the man through the mirror, as he stood long and tall. Dressed in a pair of freshly pressed black slacks, a white long sleeved satin shirt, and blonde straight hair that was tied in his most comfortable form. Half up with two strands caressing over his face. His complexion was such a creamy tone and had a natural airbrush effect. His thick pink lips were painted on his face with intent to make a woman go insane. His eyes were sharp hiding his dark orbs that made your heart flutter. 

Ethereal would be an understatement to describe him. He simply was created by all the gods.

He smiled softly at your longing gaze through the mirror, sticking his hands in both of his slack pockets,  tongue drifting over his bottom lip naturally. 

“I didn’t hear you come in,” you managed to choke out as you turned around swiftly to now face him.

“Should I have knocked?” The sound of his voice was honey and danced through your ears. It almost made you shudder. You exhaled a breath at his comment as he began taking small steps towards you, looking at the mess you made in the kitchen. “What’s all of this?” 

“I made dinner.” You sat the glass of wine on the table as you felt your skin tremble with anticipation as he made his way over to you. 

“What did you make?” He was so close, voice dropping volume as he walked closer to you.

“I-I made s-steak and p-potatoes,” closer.

“Mmm,” he hummed and got closer.

“and s-some salad-d…” closer.

Until there he was, in front of you. Eyes finally connected, his natural scent and cologne invading your sense of smell, you wanted to drown in it. The heat of his body could be felt on your own as he kept taking steps, making you stumble back until your back was against the wall. He removed a hand from his pocket and placed his fingertips on your forearm, brushing softly, slowly and teasingly dragging his fingertips up your arm as you felt goosebumps form.

“I thought maybe we could, sit and eat..”

Fingertips now close your neck, grazing over your shoulder blade. He tilted his head and his eyes looked down at your body and slowly came back to match yours. He hummed at your words and you eagerly let him stroke over your sensitive neck. It felt like years since you’ve been touched and the thought of him taking you, all of you,  flooded not just your mind, but your core. 

“That all sounds very nice but,” he paused as his fingers slid up to your chin pulling it gently to face him as he started down at you. He was now  centimeters over your face, you were convinced you could already feel his lips graze yours. “I’m actually craving something a bit more….sweet.” 

You were almost in euphoria, your mind was clouded with anticipation and desire. Lust was dripping down your legs and you were falling down a hole. Everything around you went black and it felt like it was just you and him. You barely heard the words that came out of his mouth.

“there’s ice cream in the freez-“ 

“Just kiss me.” 

You nodded frantically as he pushed into you against the wall. One of his hands slamming against the wall, the other wrapped around your waist as he brought you closer to his craving body. You had your arms wrapped around his neck pulling him deeper. His lips molded over yours in such an artistic way. It was simply amazing the way you two fit into each other, as if the heavens created you from the same strand of souls. One in body, spirit, and mind, you both became. You longed for the taste of him and it was as if on cue, he connected his tongue with yours, deepening your kiss. There was so much fire and passion, it was as if you two were begging for this. You moaned into him, feeling the vibrations against his lips as he pulled away from you to catch his breath. Eyes hooded, orbs dark and the light of the room stinging your sight as he moved his head to pepper kisses on your bare neck. Your body responded to him by tilting your head to the side and he used his free arm to slip down the back of your thigh, hiking your leg to his hip. The wetness of his tongue coating the hidden veins of your neck as he nipped softly, earning the sounds of your moaning. You felt his hard aching dick push near your core as his fingertips brushed further up your dress, barely touching where you needed him the most. He pulled back, panting and eyebrow cocked up at you as you licked your lips craving his delicious taste again.

“No underwear?” You felt your blood run cold as you remembered your lack of undergarments under the dress. You knew this was how you two would end up but your mind had erased every detail you had planned the moment he revealed himself to you. You just smiled seductively to him as he growled.

“I know my baby girl didn’t think she was going to tease me tonight.” 

In one fluid motion, you were lifted off the floor, legs around his torso as he carried you to your kitchen island sitting you on the cold surface, your bare ass touching the marble and you hissed at the sudden feel. He wasted no time pushing all your dishware away and you heard the sounds of metal crashing to the ground, as he made room for you to lay. 

“Normally you would have been punished for that,” he uttered referring to your attempt to edge him on. He pushed you back so you could lie on the counter, you grunt as you felt the shivers down your spine. He pushed the  fabric of your dress up, revealing your dripping  heat. He nearly groaned as he saw the way you glisten and wasted no time taking his long finger to drag  up your slit. You arched your back in delight as your pussy throbbed painfully for him. He leaned over your body, lips close to your ear as he let a low hot breath.

“But I’m fucking starving.” 

You watched as he leaned down your body and bent his knees to make himself align face to face with your core. He never broke your gaze as he did so and you hitched a breath as you felt his velvet lips kiss your inner thigh.

“Don’t tease,” you moaned out involuntarily. It was all too much, your mind was so foggy and you heard his low chuckled.

“I have to savor every part of my meal, babe”  his hot breath hit your wet lips and your breathing heightened. It was agonizing.

A sigh of relief and a cry from your lips rang out as he dragged his long hot tongue over your slit, collecting every drop of arousal you produced and laying flat against your throbbing clit. Your hands immediately rested on his head, fingers intermingling with his soft hair. You pulled yourself up in reaction as he lapped you sensually, drinking you, eating you. You were a mess, eyes shut and rolled to the back of your lids. Intoxicated by the way he performed. He looked up at you as you cried and heaved, sweating beads forming from the edges of your hairline. Profanities slipping from your mouth with every movement he made against you. You felt his tongue part your slit and insert inside of you, lapping all he could, moaning into you. You laid back and groaned, hips bucking up at him to chase more. Licking his way back up to your needy clit, he took the bud into his mouth, sucking and licking it. You felt two of his long digits slip into you with ease and stretching you out. 

“Oh my fucking god.” You cried out as you felt him bring you close to your edge. The white hotness built in the pit of your stomach and your legs began to shake. You felt his fingers curl inside you and he lapped deliciously, eyes looking at you as you held on to his head. He smiled as he saw your fucked out face and your mouth was opened, loss of words. He pulled back from your pussy and replaced his ministrations  with his thumb as he kept fingering you. Leaning forward he kissed you, your juices coating his face as you tasted yourself on him. He moaned when you arched your self into him and he pulled back to look at you. He knew you wanted to cum. He could feel the way your walls pulsated against his fingers and saw how fast your chest was rising and falling. Licking his lips he came closer your face, forehead resting on yours, one hand now pushing your hips down and the other fucking you into ecstasy.

“Cum for me baby girl.” He pecked your lips softly as you moaned “Cum for daddy.” 

Your body spazzed and you cried out to him as he enclosed your cries by kissing you passionately. His fingers slowed down their pace and pumped into you deeper, thumb grazing over your worn out clit, which made you convulse every time he flicked over it. He pulled back and stood over you, pulling his fingers out of your dripping core. You tried to catch your breath as he raised his fingers to his lips and slipped them into his mouth. You watched as he sucked your taste of him. It made your cheeks flush red and grow needy again watching the erotic scene. 

“I missed the way you taste,” he smiled at you. You smiled back and found the strength to raise your body to him, sitting up and grabbing his belt loops pulling him closer to you. He bent down and cupped your face as he kissed you again. Your hands fiddling with his belt and buttons of his pants frantically, craving his dick more than ever. You wanted to watch him come undone the way he did with you. As you started to unzip his pants he pulled back and placed his hands over yours. Your innocent eyes looking into his in confusion as he held your hands away from his pants. He knew what you wanted to do, but he had other plans.

“Later, love. Right now I just wanna be inside you” he said softly. You smiled and he resumed, taking his pants off along with his underwear. You watch as his hard dick sprung out of the fabric and you gasped in delight. He wasn’t big or small, but the perfect length, the perfect girth. You licked your lips in the thought of being filled by his cock. He took a hold of his dick  and rubbed up and down your slit, coating himself with your cum. You groaned due to your sensitivity and lied back down on the counter again.

“I can’t wait to ruin you” he stated as he inserted himself into you. 

“Oh my god, Hyunjin.” You slipped his name out for the first time of the night. His hands slammed on the side of your head, as he hung his head low by your neck, stretching you out. You heard his sighs and groans in your ear. He slipped an arm under your head, pulling you close to him and you gripped his shirt as he whimpered, “Even after all that and your still so fucking tight.” 

He snapped his hips into and you yelped. He groaned into your neck and his free hand found yours as he intertwined his fingers with yours. 

“Faster, daddy” you whimpered.

He lifted his head to look at you, “You want it faster, love?” 

He was pumping in and out of you slow and deep. His body melding into yours and your juices slipping out, pooling under you. You bit your lip at his question and you nodded. He pushed his way up and towered you again, grabbing a hold of your legs firmly. He began to quicken his pace as the room was filled with the slapping of skin. The feeling of him inside you was immaculate and you cupped your breasts through your dress as your mouth slipped out anything that came to mind.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck” 

“You like that baby girl, you like when I fuck you like this?” 

Your back arching off the counter again as Hyunjin fucked you into another world. It was almost impossible for this man to not bring you into a state of bliss. Each snap of his hip hit you in exquisite ways. His deep grunts and moans sent bubbles in your stomach you watched as he would roll his head back to the pleasure you gave him. The way he spoke to you in moments like this were difficult to overcome. You could cum just by his words alone.

“God y/n you feel so fucking good.” 

You could feel the pit of your stomach grow light again. Your walls began to pulsate around him and he could feel that you were chasing your second orgasm of the night. He smirked at you as you began to convulse, feeling the white heat rise to your ears.

“Are you gonna cum again, love? Am I making you feel that good?” 

“Yes Hyunjin, fuck, you’re fucking me so good...” 

“God dammit.” He growled. 

Everything paused for a second as Hyunjin grabbed you off the counter, still inside of you, and he carried you to the dining room, kicking one of the chairs out for him to sit on. He sat down bringing you on top of him, slamming down on his slick member. 

“AHH,” you moaned, tossing your head back at the different angle you had of him.

His hands rested in your ass and he leaned into your ear, “fuck yourself to oblivion, love”

You nodded as you rested your hands on his shoulders. You began to rock yourself back and forth on his dick, moaning loud. His hands helped you as you felt your orgasm grow closer and you began to lose your strength. 

“Come on baby, give it to me,” you rocked faster and faster and soon you felt your orgasm inch closer. The pit of your stomach churned and the walls of your pussy clenched. “That’s it baby, cum for me.” 

You cried out again and you felt your lower half give out to the intensity of your orgasm, you stopped moving for a second as you breathed in heavily trying to catch your breath. Hands still resting on Hyunjin’s shoulders and head hanging low, you felt so light, so spent. Hyunjin gripped your hips and began snapping his hips up into you, your eyes shut tightly as you gripped him, screaming. Your head now resting on his shoulders, body almost limp to the overwhelming orgasm you just had. Hyunjin fucked into you like a mad man, having not reached his high yet. You moaned into his ear at the overstimulation as he grunted to you. You finally felt like you had enough strength to finish him off and you began rocking yourself back to meet his thrusts.

“FUCK” he yelled as you didn’t let up. Your lips found the skin under his ear and you lapped and sucked on it tasting the sweat that formed in his neck from tonight.

“I’m gonna fill you up so fucking good.” 

You smiled against his skin as his thrust grew sloppy. Your lips moved to his ear and you placed a soft kiss before whispering, “do it, baby.”

He groaned on cue and whimpered as he snapped his hips into you hard. You felt the warm spurts of his cum hit your walls inside you and you didn’t let up to the way you rocked against him, wanting to milk him dry. He gasped and tried to hold you still, unable to handle the sensations. 

“Fuck, oh my god y/n,” he sighed as you stopped overstimulating him and just sat there in the chair with him still inside you.

You raised your head to look at him, both of you  fucked out, and you smiled as you leaned in and kissed him again. He cupped your face into the kiss and held you there. The heat radiating of your sweaty bodies and the smell of sex filled the air as the both of you kissed each other with so much need. Pulling back slowly, you rested your forehead against his with your arms around his neck.

“I am never leaving for that long ever again” he stated and you laughed as you moved a piece of his hair off his sweaty forehead, fingertips lightly touching his vein that the top that always came out when he was working hard like that.

“You were gone for a week” you responded and he pecked your lips a few more times and moaned softly.

“A week too long” he smiled and caressed your lower back as you still sat on him. “I missed you too much” 

“You’re back now, and I’m not letting you go anywhere” you kissed his nose cutely and he pulled you in for another kiss.

“Sorry about dinner.” 

“It’s okay, I’m glad you got what you were craving” he smiled.

“Oh honey, that was just an appetizer” he stated as he lifted you both up off the chair. You felt him grow hard again inside you as you laughed. He kicked his pants off his ankles and began walking you to your living room. Finding your couch, he laid you down and kissed your neck as you giggled. He pulled back and made a goofy smile as you reached your hand to caress his face. He tilted his head to kiss your fingertips softly as you smiled adoringly to him. 

“I love you so much y/n”  He leaned in to hover over your lips and your heart skipped a beat to his words.

Because you knew that no matter what, you were falling into that hole, deeper and deeper. And you didn’t know if you wanted to escape, no matter the consequences. Because this, here like this, with him was all you wanted. For the rest of your life. 

“I love you too Hyunjin.”

***

A/N: Ahhh, it’s out. The first chapter!! I hope you like it and are excited about the series as I am! If you made it to the end and are reading this you are loved <3 

[glossywife]

After He Lost Everything [E] | Kaede Manyuda

Word Count: 3300+

Rating: Explicit (vaginal sex, photo taking)

A/N: Originally posted on AO3 last July 2020. Like or reblog if you liked it! Requests open!

Summary:  After Kaede lost everything, he thought he'd lose you too. However, you prove him wrong and he repays you in a different way.

01 ; 02 (soon)

~

You sat on your fiancé's lap, your arms around his neck while his hand rested on your exposed thigh because of the shortness of your uniform.

Kaede's hair had turned white after he gambled with Yumeko Jabami, a girl whose name has been mentioned here and there since she came. You've never met her though, mainly because you've also just gotten back from a vacation from Paris—a trip you asked Kaede to come with you but obliged because of his student council responsibilities. Sometimes, the council irked you because it took too much of Kaede's time, but you thought it was hot anyway that he led the students.

The stares of Kaede's classmates were nothing to you by now as some watched both of you lose appropriate space for each other in the classroom during lunch break. You were immune to it. Besides, the stares were only from new students who didn't know who you were and found your actions with Kaede rather inappropriate. You'll never admit it, but sometimes, you like it when they stare. It makes you push yourself more to Kaede, testing how much they can watch. The older students knew to mind their own business. Otherwise, you'd challenge them to a gamble. All of which resulted in their loss and ended up being a house pet, your house pet.

"What are you thinking?" you whispered into his ear seductively while you led his hand up your skirt. It was for this reason you didn't bother wearing like some of the other girls.

Kaede shook his head, obviously out of himself, "Aren't you ashamed?"

You stopped with your advances and paused for a short moment, "Of what?"

"Of me. I lost a gamble, and I even became a house pet. Thanks to you I was able to pay off the debt."

There was an obvious defeat in Kaede's face that you weren't used to seeing. You had always seen Kaede in his usual confident stance. His moves were always calculated that he wasn't afraid of anything. And you loved that about him. But today was different. No. It was since you returned and was surprised to see how his hair changed while he welcomed you back from the airport. He looked shaken, lost, and forlorn that not even a quickie in the airport bathroom did so much to uplift his spirits.

A mischievous smile escaped your lips, "Don't worry," you traced his clothed chest, "You can pay me back with something else. Come to my house later?"

You meant to tease him, but when his eyes met yours, you found that it actually made him a little more nervous. He sighed, "Does your father know? What if he breaks off our engagement?"

The smile washed off from your lips. This time, you felt his sadness. Kaede really lost himself.

"Babe," you said firmly while you caressed his cheek. "No one's going to break off our engagement, okay? Don't worry."

At first, you never meant to go along with your father's wish to be engaged with someone you didn't know. You only planned to come along and pretend you were going to obey. But once you saw who it was, and how you were turned on from how he brought himself up—confident, calculating, smart, and mesmerizing. Your plans changed and you agreed to become his bride. Besides, the sex was good.

You never asked, but you had a feeling that Kaede had planned the same too until both of you had feelings for each other.

Kaede, finally, smiled though it was a weak one. He looked relieved by your answer. For once, he was thankful that you didn't leave his side after he had lost everything.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the start of classes.

You groaned in his lap, pouting. Kaede chuckled at you. From his peripheral, Kaede caught a glimpse of Ryuunosuke, who was looking at the both of you silently.

Kaede noted that Ryuunosuke had been trying to get your attention. He guessed that Ryuunosuke was probably going to try to hit on you after he fell rock bottom. Unfortunately for Ryuunosuke, you didn't leave him. And so, Ryuunosuke had nothing else to do but to watch you as you sat on Kaede's lap shamelessly in the classroom with all the other students. How he wished it was him.

There was an inexplicable emotion building inside Kaede. It annoyed him how someone looked at his girl far too long. To think that the guy even liked her. To Kaede, only he is allowed to look at her like that, like stripping her off of her clothes. And he thought of an idea.

You were about to stand up from Kaede's lap to go back to your respective classroom, but it shocked you when he held you down, stopping you. And it shocked you more when he kissed you, shamelessly and aggressively, forcing his tongue inside your mouth.

Though you were used to being inappropriate with Kaede, Kaede never once initiated anything other than a quick kiss on the lips in public. At the back of your mind, you questioned whether you should be doing this, but it turned you on more than it should.

You closed your eyes and reciprocated his wet kisses.

Kaede took a guilty peek. He was greeted by your closed eyes, then he looked over at Ryuunosuke, who quickly averted his gaze when it met Kaede's, with red ears.

During the ride to your house, you almost couldn't take your hands off of Kaede. You just wanted to suck his dick. Be sorry after what had happened to him. Be his cum dump and turn all his frustrations to you.

"What's gotten into you?" you asked and you couldn't push back your smile as he laced his fingers on yours.

Kaede's eyes were straight on the road. He placed a peck on your hand that held his while the other was on the steering wheel.

"Nothing," there was a ghost smile on his lips.

You didn't like how he had been acting sad lately. But it reminded you how Kaede seemed to be more laid back after he lost. What you didn't know was it's because of you, how you didn't leave, or judge him. And thankfully, how you had paid off his debts before anyone even touched him as a house pet.

You watched him silently with a grin and your heart melted. It was all you could ever ask for.

Then your phone beeped, signaling a message. You turned to your pocket to get it, not removing your hand on Kaede's.

With one hand, you typed in your passcode, revealing your wallpaper of your trip with Kaede to Times Square. The memory brought a smile to your face.

In the picture, Kaede had his arms wrapped around you with a grin that reached his eyes under his glasses, making it look chinky. He wore a green parka over a black turtleneck and denim pants. On the other hand, you held Kaede's hands around you with the same smile, wearing a spaghetti-strapped blue plaid dress. The two of you looked so radiant among the busy, dull crowd from behind.

You noted how Kaede hated the crowd. He even made remarks here and there. But when you spontaneously asked a native to snap a photo of you with your boyfriend, it didn't seem to translate into the picture because he looked so happy. Besides, it was one of the rare moments you were able to force Kaede on a trip with you because of his role in the council. Kaede was the prime example of always working, always doing something. Sometimes, you hated it really.

Nearly everyone would define Kaede as someone who only smiled when something goes his way, but with you, it was different. It was genuine. That made you smile.

Unknown Number :

Hi, (Y/N). I got your number from Runa. I was wondering if you could meet me tomorrow after school? This is Ryuunosuke btw.

The message made your eyebrows furrow, ' Who's Ryuunosuke?'

"Who is it?" Kaede gave you a short glance before he quickly turned his attention on the road again.

You shrugged, "I don't know."

Without replying, you put your phone back in your pocket, then placed a quick peck on Kaede's hand on yours.

Only the sound of your make out session with Kaede filled your big room, while you both lay on your soft, white sheets.

Kaede's blazer had been discarded and his tie was loose, while you were only in your shirt skirt and your blouse's first buttons were opened, showing your cleavage.

You looked so sexy on top Kaede as you led the kiss. His hands continuously traveled to your exposed thighs and then rested on your ass. Slowly, his fingers reached for your panties, feeling the wetness of the material, making you moan against his mouth. Kaede grinned at that.

You broke the kiss, sitting on top of Kaede's dick, feeling his hardness while you slowly rubbed yourself on him. You bit your lip to tease him as you threw your head back and closed your eyes.

Though sex wasn't new to the both of you, Kaede couldn't help but be mesmerized by your beauty and your gorgeous body. He reached for his phone on the bed, snapping a photo of you. The sound made you open your eyes.

"Should I pose for you, babe?"

Kaede's erection grew harder. He was thrilled to have another set of photos in his unending collection of your lewd photos both you sent and he took. Kaede's had a lot of photos of you but never in your uniform. Thinking of having your photo in the uniform excited him.

You positioned yourself in the bed on all fours, your ass facing the end, and turning your upper body a little to the side so that your head would still be seen. You arched your ass up and your back was a reversed 'C.'

Kaede snapped a photo, then he went near you to lift your skirt, showing your white lace panties and quickly rubbing your pussy before he backed away to snap another photo. Kaede smiled when he checked it to see you sticking your tongue out in a lewd manner.

"Is that good enough for you?" you asked while you slowly crawled his way.

"Hmm," Kaede reached for the buttons of your blows before tearing it apart, showing your breasts covered with matching lace brassiere.

Once you were on the bed, kneeling before him, he caressed your face and stuck his thumb in your mouth. You gladly sucked on it, never breaking your stare into his eyes even as he took another photo of you in the position.

Kaede made you pose more, each one being so embarrassing but it made you feel wetter. You were happy you were of good service to him while you were on all fours and had your face on the bed and your ass high up. While he took photos, you wondered when he's going to fuck you.

Finally, he let you sit on his lap, feeling his bulge against your thin cloth. He caressed your breast with one hand while the other caressed your thigh.

"You know why I like our uniform on you?" he breathed into your neck. "Because the shortness of the skirt makes me peek at your thighs," he pressed your thigh hard it left red marks.

"But sometimes it annoys me that some boys can see it too," he continued. "But whenever you go push yourself to me at school, it fades away because they know who's fucking you at the end of the day."

His dirty talks turned you on.

"You know I'm yours," you whispered.

"I know," he only put your panties to the side and inserted one finger, slowly and gently. "I'm the only one who gets to do this to this pussy."

"It's so wet. You're welcoming all of me," he inserted another finger.

The sensation made you bite your lip and your hand reached for Kaede's nape from behind you while you had your back on him.

You moaned in pleasure, "When are you going to fuck me?"

Kaede hissed, his hand found your tits and squeezed it harshly, making you yelp.

"You're fucking nasty," he whispered against your ear while he took out your breasts and played with your erect nipples.

Kaede tore your blouse, the buttons flying off, then yanking it completely away. You were only left with your brassiere that no longer covered your tits and skirt.

He pushed you to the center of the bed. You watched him as he removed his belt, the sight turned you on. He was finally going to fuck you.

You remember the first time Kaede first took your innocence. You lost to him in a gamble and he wished you to sit on his lap, which you did and ended up in a steamy make out session and losing your virginity. From then on, when Kaede gambles, you would tag along with him when you're bored and sit on his lap, feeling his erection while he gambled with a sinister expression on his face as he crushed his opponent. Afterward, you'd suck him off in the restroom. Though he looked so respectable and composed, he couldn't take his hands off you.

Once Kaede removed his pants, leaving him with only his unbuttoned shirt, and putting on a condom from your bedside, he joined you in the bed, positioning his erection on your wet pussy.

He only pulled your panties to the side and thrust. It was slow and gentle. Though you wanted to be fucked hard because of how much you missed him, you couldn't deny that you also loved how you felt the sensation more while he did it slowly.

Your tits softly bounced in his thrusts. Kaede's one hand rested on the bed for support while the other fondled your breast.

"Fuck, you're tight..." he grunted. ”No matter how much I fuck you. Ah..."

Kaede's hand from your breast found its way to your mouth, pulling your tongue. You stuck your tongue out like what he wanted. He watched you, legs wide open, tongue and tits out, while he fucked you. You looked like a slut to him, and you loved that.

Soon enough, Kaede groaned. He closed his eyes and quickly removed his dick from your pussy right after you came. He removed the condom and positioned his dick between your tits, asking for a boob job.

"I'm close, fuck..."

You gave him a boob job, every thrust meeting your mouth until he stuck his dick in your mouth and cum erupting in your mouth.

He watched as you opened your mouth to reveal the thickness of his cum. Then, you swallowed it all. Kaede looked pleased.

Kaede lied beside you and pulled the comforter to both your bodies, then pulled you closer.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," you smiled.

When you awoke, you noticed that Kaede was no longer beside you. Instead, you found him sitting on his side of the bed with your phone in his hand. He now wore a grey shirt and black boxers, which he got from his small side of your walk-in closet. Kaede would often sleepover and both of you agreed that he would keep some clothes in your house and vice versa. He was silent as he scrolled through your phone.

"Babe?" you called.

Kaede shot you a glance and showed you the messages on your phone like what you received earlier, "Since when are you receiving messages like this?"

You sat down on the bed while you hold the comforter to your body, "I'm not sure."

"It's when I fell from my position."

There was that same sadness in his voice again, the one you wanted to wipe off. You moved to his side and gave him a hug. "Don't think about it."

His eyebrows furrowed, "How can I not think about it? What if they take you from me, (Y/N)?"

"No one's taking me away. I'm all yours no matter what. Besides, we still have our investments, right? I checked."

When you and Kaede took your relationship seriously, both of you made joint investments. It was only a backup plan and one of the future sources of funds when the two of you decided to settle down.

"Hn," he touched your hands around his waist. "I won't touch it. It's ours. Not mine alone."

You smiled at his answer and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I love you."

Your fingers brushed his white hair, "I think I'm liking the hair. Can you keep it?"

Kaede looked at you, a little embarrassed and relieved at the same time, "Should I? It's kind of embarrassing."

"It's not embarrassing! I like it actually," you kissed his forehead.

Kaede smiled, his palm found your bareback, stroking it. "Your skin is so soft."

"I keep it that way for my boyfriend," you smirked smugly.

"Fiancé, you mean," he corrected to which you laughed.

"Fiancé."

Soon enough, he started kissing you again, slowly lying you back down on the bed.

"Do you think you can fuck me like the usual? I miss you going rough on me," you asked when he broke away.

Kaede's expression changed to a menacing one, his eyes darkened and he suddenly choked you, "You want this?"

You stuck your tongue out in pleasure, "Yes!" you loved how he took advantage of you.

"Open your legs wide."

You obediently opened your legs wide, shamelessly flaunting your pink pussy lips to your fiancé. Kaede fingered you, inserting three fingers, making you moan. You feel the wetness of your pussy drip to your thigh until you felt his tongue on your vagina, licking and sucking. You pulled on his hair as you moaned. While he ate you, you massaged your tits.

The second time you came, Kaede slapped your ass to signal you to go on all fours. Once you did, he spanked your ass, you felt the skin jiggle at the contact. You shook your ass more, making sure to have your vagina in his sight too.

He positioned himself from behind you, his erection poking your opening. Once he inserted himself inside you, you gasped and quickly turned to look at him. You watched as he paid nonchalantly to your shocked expression while he had his mouth half-open as he thrust.

"You didn't put on a condom!"

Kaede opened his eyes and held your naked waist, feeling the warmth of his bare hands, "Shh."

"I'm not on the pill!" you hissed.

For so long, you've been asking Kaede to drop the condom and turn to pills, but he didn't want to because it doesn't exactly assure safety.

"That's a problem for tomorrow," he kissed your lips to shut you up.

"Besides, we still have our investments, right? Ahh.." he pulled on your (H/C) locks. "We can build a family anytime."

You grunted both in pain and in pleasure as he thrust inside you while he pulled on your hair. He put his weight on your back as he moved his hands on your breasts, massaging it. You felt him placing wet kisses on your bare shoulder.

Soon enough, his thrusts started to be more fast and rough. Both of you grunted in the sensation.

"I'm cumming!" he declared. "I'm cumming inside!"

You didn't have the energy to argue anymore. You remained on the bed, tired, and biting on your lip while he pleasured himself with your body.

Then you felt his thick and hot juices filling your womb, making you moan. You felt his cum dripping down on your thighs.

"Is that enough to get you pregnant?"

~

NEXT & FINAL CHAPTER: Kaede challenges Ryuunosuke to a gamble without your knowing until Kaede instructs you to watch them. Surprisingly, Kaede introduces a deal that if Kaede loses, he will breakup with you. On the other hand, Kaede conditions Ryuunosuke to watch Kaede take you - fulfilling your longtime dream of having someone else watch - if he wins.

[janamelie]

Dimension Jump XXI Report

I suppose I’m a DJ veteran now as this was my fifth consecutive one and the fourth at the Nottingham Crowne Plaza which is an expensive four-star hotel.  Sharing with a friend helps keep the cost reasonable and honestly, it’s worth it for the sheer convenience of being right there in the hotel and being able to nip back to your room as required.  (To be clear, you don’t have to stay in the hotel to attend the con.  There are plenty of other hotels nearby.)

Plus there is always the chance that you’ll see a guest at breakfast as I did Danny once.  He picked out a few pieces of fruit and nibbled at them before wandering over late to his photoshoot.  What else would you expect from a cat though?

Friday

Myself and @downonthepharm-red-dwarf (Amy) had arrived the previous day so had plenty of time to be near the front of the queue for registration.  Which meant we saw Hattie Hayridge arrive in a stunning designer coat and with smart luggage.  She really brought her outfit A-game and looked great the whole weekend.

Once we’d presented our respective proofs of full Covid vaccination or a recent negative test, we were given our DJ passes and booklets.  The latter has spaces for signatures from guests, an Order Of Events and various handy tips for the weekend.

The con kicks off at 5pm with an hour of gradual build-up in the Main Hall - they show videos from previous events, specially made titbits with various guests past and present such as Mark Dexter doing a mock guide to DJ and Rebecca Blackstone voicing Pree.  It all helps with the atmosphere, as do the numerous RD posters dotted around the hotel.

Then it was time for the Opening Ceremony featuring various Fan Club team members and an overcrowded stage full of cardboard boxes - the joke was that they’d had too much time on their hands during lockdowns and bought loads of stuff online.  It was obviously also a nod to Lister’s hoarding in “The Promised Land”.  

The sketch featured a specially made shot of the AA adverts’ Starbug model landing outside the Crowne Plaza and an 80s computerised version of the lovely convention logo.  You could tell a lot of loving effort had gone into the whole thing.

Once the guest line-up had been announced (I’ll get to that not-really-a-surprise-guest shortly), we went straight into the RD Pub Quiz, hosted by Hattie.  DOTP and I had been joined at our table by Lapsang and Barbs from our Discord (No Kind Of Atmosphere) plus various other attendees we’d befriended.

Someone in the crowd yelled “I love you, Hattie!” to which she quipped “I’ve pulled already!”  Another bloke shouted “Fuck off, she’s mine!” which led to a few shouts of “Fight!”  When neither seemed keen to do so, Hattie joked: “Only two?  That’s a bit pathetic!” and then we got started.

The quiz is hard, by design, but I’m good at quizzes and my team - No Kind Of Atmosphere after our Discord - came joint third which was gratifying.  (I was on the winning team a few DJs ago, to blow my own trumpet for a moment.  This is my report, after all.)

And then it was time for the first guest Q&A with - surprise, surprise - Johnny Vegas aka the Crit Cop in “Timewave”.  Not a great episode but he more than made up for that with an appearance I can only describe as chaotic.  Warning - DO NOT attempt to heckle him unless you want to be singled out and humiliated in front of the entire audience in a “Can’t look away” fashion which was nonetheless entertaining.  The man in question tweeted about it afterwards and seems to have taken it in good spirit.

Once we’d moved on from encouraging people to leave unpleasant things in room 429, it turned out Johnny’s a big fan of the show and owned it on VHS (so did I).  He thinks of the main characters, Holly would win at “Taskmaster” and had good reasons for that conclusion.  

He was dubious about the pink costume he wore in “Timewave” as he thought it might take away from the character but said he eventually decided he needed to get over what he was wearing and just go for it.  He also said one of his worst working moments was on “Benidorm” when he had to hold his breath underwater in a freezing swimming pool and his co-star kept forgetting her two lines so they had over 30 takes.  Ouch.

Johnny left commenting that he got less love at his 50th birthday party.  But we hadn’t seen the last of him by any means as people kept buying him drinks during the Auction, leading to him successfully bidding for one of the items on offer.

And then he was back for the Karaoke.  Now if you - as he informed us - had to undergo emergency dental surgery in the morning and had practically lost your voice, would you sing karaoke?  And not only that, would you sing a version of “Love On The Rocks” which lasted 11 minutes according to someone on Twitter (I wasn’t timing it, but I can believe it), followed by the full-length version of “American Pie”?

If you answered no, you’re clearly not Johnny Vegas.  He went to bed so late that the unfortunate Fan Club team member assigned to look after him got a grand total of 90 minutes’ sleep.

Saturday

DOTP and I had paid for the Photoshoot with Mr Vegas, Danny John-Jules and Ray Fearon.  We got in the queue at 9am which was when it was supposed to start.  An hour later we were still waiting.  Yep, Danny was late.

Once he made it to the hotel, I got my photo in front of a Science Room backdrop.  You might think Mr Vegas would be hungover and rushing through it, but on the contrary, he was still enjoying the hell out of proceedings which was refreshing to see.  Since he’d been added to the line-up too late to be in the souvenir booklet, he signed extra inserts for the Fan Club which they handed out to everyone at the later Autograph sessions so attendees got his autograph after all even though he’d finally left.  That’s what I call throwing yourself into an event.

Next up was a combined Q&A with Danny and Ray (originally separate but Danny’s lateness meant they were teamed up).  This wasn’t a problem at all though - on the contrary, it worked really well as the chumminess between them added to the vibe.  Also it was Ray’s first convention so he probably preferred to have Danny backing him up, especially since the poor man tripped on his way to the stage and almost fell.  I don’t think he was hurt but I cringed with secondhand embarrassment and empathy.  He wasn’t the only one to fall foul of the edge of the stage that weekend; I think it was the slightly raised dancefloor in front of it.

As is usual for Danny, we were treated to over half an hour of what you can only really describe as a stream of consciousness as he pontificated about various things.  He and Ray did also talk about working together on “Death In Paradise” and Ray described his worst working experience there - he had to play a scene in a club in 45 degree heat with a live snake wrapped around his neck!

Ray is attractive in a “Hollywood hunk” way and Danny was clearly conscious of this, joking that he’d “brought his own security with him” and muttering “I’m better-looking anyway!”  But all in a jokey way as they’re clearly friends.

Danny had come from filming and dropped a heavy hint that he’s appearing in a Dickens adaptation which I imagine will be shown at Christmas as they generally are.  He also complained that Craig Charles never answers his phone: “You send him a message and he answers it on Twitter a month later!”  (Interestingly, Chris Barrie later mentioned a recent phone conversation with Craig so make of that what you will.)

Ray was quieter but happy to talk about the vagaries of showbiz and typecasting - he said that due to his Shakespearean background he gets a lot of serious roles so people were genuinely surprised that he could also do comedy but “I was always funny!”  He also gently teased Danny about the age of some of his references before admitting he still finds Tommy Cooper funny.

Danny usually performs “Tongue-tied” with a good grace when inevitably asked to by an audience member but perhaps it’s finally starting to pall as this time he did it in the style of Oliver Reed’s Bill Sykes and included a lot of X-rated references to cunnilingus etc.  It was entertaining though.

Next up was a live Q&A (over Zoom) with Chris Barrie.  Danny decided to stick around as he wanted to show Chris something he’d ordered online.  It took a while to get the cameras in the right position for Chris to be able to see it and Danny needed a knife to open the parcel, leading Chris to quip “Is this a good time for me to step out for some lunch?”

However, it turned out to be worth it as it was a custom-made Ace Rimmer doll which impressed Chris with its quality and he complimented the maker.

Danny and Ray then departed for their lunch and to take part in the Coffee Lounge which this year had reduced its numbers for Covid-related reasons and held a ballot for entry in the interests of fairness.  Amy and I didn’t get in but happily stayed for the rest of Chris’s Q&A.

In the “working from home” spirit, Chris was in a hoodie in his living room as opposed to his more usual smart suit.  He was suitably relaxed and revealed he got through lockdown by concentrating on the things which make him happy, such as his hobbies, his garden and his family.  His favourite episodes are “Marooned”, “Dimension Jump” and - less predictably - “Twentica”.  He also referred to a recent “mannerly, as he would call it” phone conversation with Craig.  No details but it had clearly been a positive experience.

Amy decided to liven up the ending of his Q&A by asking a vitally important, “TPL”-related question.  Whom would Rimmer find more attractive, a female version of Lister or a female version of Cat?

Once the laughter had died down and Chris had bought some time by pointing out that “neither of them are women”, he gave the question appropriate consideration.  He pondered whether Rimmer would be more taken by the “simple charms” of Lister or the “feline grace” of Cat.  This next bit is courtesy of Amy as my memory isn’t infallible: He said it’d be a choice between a feline form or a rounder, a bit more slovenly woman - he wouldn’t want the perfectly feline woman because she might not like his imperfections, but he also wouldn’t want someone who ate curry three times a day.  “Basically, a balance would be ideal.”

That was the last question but Chris provided a little more entertainment as he had a “How do you turn this off then?” moment a la Gordon the computer in “Better Than Life” and made amusing faces as he figured it out.  If it was anyone but Chris I’d think it was a deliberate reference to that but I think he was genuinely befuddled.

We then broke for lunch, followed by Autographs with Hattie, Danny, Ray and Norman Lovett.  I got the latter three to sign the “TPL” poster I’d brought with me but gave Hattie the booklet instead as it seemed more tactful.  She complimented the dress I was wearing and I returned the compliment, telling her how much the fans appreciate the effort she makes with her DJ outfits.

Norman commented how there’s a version of the “TPL” poster he isn’t on, bemusedly.  Fortunately mine was the version including him. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling in the bar with Amy, Lapsang and Barbs, chatting to other attendees.  Graphic Designer Matthew Clark was now in the Merchandise Room with various props from Series XII and “TPL” including the Starbug manual used onscreen.  I got his autograph on my poster but it’s an incomprehensible squiggle.  Oh well.  He was very friendly and easy to talk to.

After a break for dinner, the Main Hall reopened for the Costume Competition.  This seems to get better every DJ, with an amazing “Greyscale Rimmer” who was discomfiting to be around due to the corpse-like makeup, a Natalina Pushkin, a Nirvanah Crane who could almost have been Jane Horrocks herself and a Diving Suit Cat from “BTE”.  Other entries included Rimmer’s Mum, “Giraffes who were armed and dangerous” and a Confidence And Paranoia who were later pictured at the bar chatting to Paranoia himself, Lee Cornes.

We then had a special video message from Doug Naylor which I won’t go into as I’m sure everyone’s already heard the details.  Suffice to say, his tone was positive.

The second Auction was hosted by Ian Boldsworth who made it more entertaining by adding his own commentary to each item.  This was followed by a stand-up set from Norman.  It was amusing but he misjudged the mood a bit, I feel.  When you’re waiting for a disco to start and it’s already hours late due to Danny’s tardiness, you don’t particularly want to contemplate your own mortality.  We were here to get away from all that, as much as possible.

Anyway, the Disco was a lot of fun even if Dave Benson Phillips’ presence as host was sorely missed.  Hattie danced for the best part of an hour alongside everyone else.  The stand-in DJs did their job and I stayed until the end.  The final two songs were “Bohemian Rhapsody” and … “Tongue-tied”.

Sunday

Not being in the Sunday Photoshoot, Amy and I had a nice leisurely breakfast and got over last night’s festivities before the first Q&A, live over Zoom with Robert Llewellyn.

This was hosted by Ian Boldsworth who in his capacity as Dave era audience warm-up knows Robert well.  Clearly well enough to get away with teasing him relentlessly about not being at the con in person until poor Robert was a mess of Krytenesque guilt.  

His protestations that he’d been scheduled to be in Munich this weekend but no longer was (he was at home) only made things worse.  Ian: “Oh, so that’s two sets of people you’ve disappointed now!  Stop saying yes to things!”  It was hilarious and Robert took it in its intended spirit.  Also Ian was getting a measure of revenge for Robert - in character as Kryten - dry humping him at recordings.  One attendee asked “With the groinal attachment?!”

Robert admitted that he finds Kryten’s various groinal attachments hilarious and if he was writing the show they’d be in every episode.  He praised Doug’s restraint.

He also admitted that in “TPL” he had an earpiece to have his lines fed to him.  Since it’s controlled by an iPad, certain unscrupulous cast members took great delight in feeding him rude ones.

He still intends to update “The Man In The Rubber Mask” but atm “Fully Charged” is consuming a lot of his time as it’s become much more successful than he anticipated and he’s in charge of several people.

Surprisingly, he would hate appearing in RD without the Kryten makeup, both because it’s become much quicker to apply and because it provides him with a shield and he becomes Kryten and forgets stagefright.  He still can’t watch “DNA” for that reason.

Lapsang, who played Kryten in “Into The Gloop”, asked Robert if he’d seen it.  He hadn’t but said he was now very curious and would find a way to.

Next up was Lee Cornes aka Paranoia who said he originally auditioned for the lead roles and like the other unsuccessful actors got the consolation prize of a guest appearance.  Upon being asked if he’d gone out for a drink with Craig Ferguson’s Confidence, he said no because at the time they had a frosty relationship due to rumours that Craig was plagiarising other comics’ jokes.  Lee said it was all very silly and he’s since apologised.

Interestingly, Lee is a qualified science teacher and carried on with that career alongside his media one, leading to surreal situations where his pupils would ask: “Sir?  Were you on the telly last night?”  “Yes.”  “Are we on the telly now, sir?”

Someone asked a good question - what would Lister’s Paranoia be like now 33 years later?  Lee would be willing to reprise the role but isn’t sure it would work as the original had a childish quality whereas he feels now the character would be a lot darker and less funny.  Lee was both thoughtful and entertaining in his responses.

He was followed onstage by Hattie and Norman, who resolutely refused to rise to the bait of an audience member attempting to stir up a rivalry between them.  That only works when one isn’t the nicest person you could meet.

A tactless audience member asked both if they’d watched “TPL” instead of directing the question at Norman.  Luckily Hattie had seen it and particularly enjoyed the cat flap joke although she felt there was a little too much focus on the guest cast.

Norman didn’t really watch RD after he left but Hattie has seen Norman’s early episodes as he lent them to her back when she was originally cast as Hilly for research purposes.  Bear in mind this was 1988 when they weren’t even available on VHS so presumably he recorded them off the TV.  

Hattie confirmed with a sigh that she’s simply never been asked to return in any capacity: “That’s the short answer.”  What the hell, I’ll say it one more time - Bring Back Hattie!  One episode, that’s all I ask.  As it stands, it’s starting to look like a pointed and deliberate snub which mystifies me.

We then broke for lunch, followed by Rob Grant and Paul Jackson.  For obvious reasons they didn’t go into the current legal mess, opting instead to entertain the fans with the story of how they met and their early pre-RD work (Rob and Doug as freelance writers for Paul’s producer).

We saw some clips from their early shows including “Three Of A Kind” with Lenny Henry, Tracy Ullman and … later magician David Copperfield; apparently they all had the same agent and Paul took on David as a favour.  For a 40 year old show it held up pretty well and was in much better sound and picture quality than older shows often are. “Carrott’s Lib” was just as funny.

It’s a bit hard to summarise but this session was entertaining and gripping.  Rob still wants to write another RD novel and I believe there’s nothing actually stopping him as both he and Doug had an option to write a second solo novel.  So we’ll see.

The final Q&A was Matthew Clark who was very informative and interesting, showing us numerous production stills from Series XII and “TPL” and talking us through them.  There was a groan when time was called before he was finished.

By now time was running short and Amy and I went back to the room to pack and leave our luggage with reception before watching the start of “Dibbley Family Fortunes”. Since I knew I wouldn’t have time to watch it all, I instead nipped upstairs to Autographs with Lee and Ian, timing it perfectly as the queue had almost vanished.

Ian was still performing, drawing scornful attention to the fact that Lee had a longer queue: “Can you imagine all these people queueing to see Lee Cornes?!”  It sounds rude out of context but he was clearly joking.

I decided to ask Lee what flavour the yogurt Paranoia eats was.  He said it didn’t really taste of anything as it was the cheapest, nastiest canteen yogurt available and was also starting to curdle under the studio lights so eating it can’t have been much fun.

Since I now had about 15 minutes before I had to go, I caught a bit of Dibbley Family Fortunes, said goodbye to Amy, Lapsang and Barbs and then dashed off to catch the tram to the train station.  Another great DJ.

[tooinlovewithfictionalpeople]

She’s my Wife - Five Hargreeves

Plot: Ruby comes to her husband’s rescue much to the surprise of the siblings

Five Hargreeves was scared.

He’d never admit it to the other, but he was.

The commission had managed to capture them when they were inches away from stopping the Apocalypse and now wanted them to spill how they were going to do so. However if the siblings told the commission their last hope of stopping the end of the world would be lost.

All of the siblings were shackled to a very cold slimy wall, restricting their movements to the point where they had to stay incredibly still. All were covered in some sort of blood, be it theirs or somebody else’s and all of them were exhausted and powerless.

For the first time, Five felt utterly weak.

He was the worst off out of all of them, with half of his face covered in blood that came from a large wound in his hairline, and a spilt lip that was still bleeding slightly.

“I am never listening to you ever again. From now on I am number one.” grumbled Diego. 

“Hey, if you hadn’t pissed him off, I wouldn’t have had to take charge,” Luther argued.

“And by taking charge you mean pissing him off even more?” Five butted in, also in a bad mood.

“Oh yeah, you can talk, they’re your ex co workers!” Allison scoffed.

“Hey guys, maybe we should just stay calm? And focus on getting a plan together?”

“That’s rich coming from the person who blew up the moon,”

“Just because you have an obsession with the moon-”

“Shut Up!” Five shouted “Two minuets from now the next commission member is going to walk in, torture one of us to death for information until we give up. Arguing is getting us nowhere.”

Klaus raised his hand “I would like to point out that I said nothing.”

“Shut up Klaus.” Luther said

“Hey, don’t speak to him like that-”

“Oh so now you're on his side!”

“I didn’t say that,”

Five put his head in his hands.

Suddenly the door opened and two men dressed in black suit holding a disturbing amount of weapons walked in, dragging a chair with them,

The chair was terrifying itself, it was made of wood with metal cuffs and restraints attached to it.

Man number one grinned “I think we should start with the supposedly deadliest assassin,”

Man number two nodded “Up you get Hargreeves, Fight back we kill your sister,” he pointed the gun at Vanya.

“Don’t do that, she’ll blow up the moon,”

“KLAUS.”

Five got to his feet shakily, ignoring his sibling’s pleas of not to hurt their eldest brother fell on deaf ears.

“You going to Kill me David?” he said looking at Man number two.

David looked slightly sorrowful. “Sorry Mr Hargreeves, I’m just following orders.”

Man number one grinned, showing yellow teeth.

“I’m here to have fun,” he laughed, pushing Five into the chair.

Suddenly a scream sounded from outside the door.

“What was that?” David looked around nervously. The first man shrugged.

“Who cares? There’s no-one we can’t kill,”

Klaus leaned forward to Diego “That man’s a psycho,” he whispered.

Another scream sounded but this time but this time it said something “She’s here -” before it was cut off with a bang.

“She’s here? What does that mean?” Diego asked “Who is she?”

Five started to laugh, which was a gruesome sight when you considered the amount of blood that was coming out of the poor guy.

“You guys are so screwed now,” he laughed.

At his words, more men poured through the door, all holding a gun, protecting the others in the room.

“Five what’s going on?” shouted Vanya

Five just continued smiling through the pain “She’s here.” was all he said.

From outside in the hallway a strong female voice was heard. “Where the HELL is my HUSBAND,”

Followed by a poor strangled scream and a large bang.

The assassins inside the room trembled slightly. “Do we have to do this?” one whined pitifully “She’s ruthless when angry.”

However they stood their ground, facing the closed door in anticipation.

Not that the steel door was much help, it was blown back with an unbeatable force.

The assasins stood their ground as the smoke cleared revealing the figure they were all waiting for.

She was beautiful, dressed quite formally in a white checked skirt and fitted black top she looked no older than her mid or late teens - and seemingly innocent with her hair pulled back in a messy braid. However her eyes held a world of anger - or perhaps it was the fact they were glowing red.

“Hello Boys.” her dark eyes swept the room “Seen my husband?”

They all shook their heads, praying that she would simply leave and not notice Five behind them.

But she did.

She saw his bloody, bruised face. She saw his shaking hands and tears he had hastily rubbed away in case anyone saw.

Any chance the guards had with reasoning with her was gone.

With an angry cry the girl waved her hand and all the guards disintegrated, leaving only a pile of grey dust where they were once stood.

“What just happened?” Allison was the first to respond, and immediatly regretted it as the girl turned her red eyes onto the other female.

“Who are you?” 

“It’s okay Rosalie, that’s my sister.”

Rosalie's eyes died down, returning back to their normal colour. She rushed to Five’s aid, carefully melting the cuffs away until they were nothing but ash.

“Free them first.” he whispered as she attempted to heal him.

“I can manipulate Particles.” Rosalie's explained to the group as she helped them break free. “When the Handler found me, she made me an assassin - which is how I met Five. We were - are- partners.”

“No offence because I’m sure you're lovely, but isn’t Five a little old for you?” asked Klaus.

Rosalie laughed “Benefit of manipulating particles is I can de-age them. It’s like mini personal time travel,”

After freeing the siblings she ran to where Five was sat, clearly exhausted.

Rosalie brushed his hair out of his eyes whilst she worked on the wound on his head. Five stared up at her, before feeling his eyelids get heavy.

“Close your eyes and I won’t make you coffee for a month.”

He opened his eyes with a frown.

“I've just been tortured and you are threatening me even more?” he huffed a laugh as the blood began to trace back to the wound.

Rosalie smiled “Damn straight. I have a reputation.”

“So do you need help finding your husband?” Asked Luther as he approached the two.

Rosalie frowned in confusion, her mouth opening and closing unable to form a response. 

Five groaned. “Luther you idiot I am her husband!”

“You got married???? Who would want to marry you?” was Diego’s response.

Rosalie grinned. “I know right, he’s a right weirdo,”

“Hey!” Five protested

She sat down on his lap, resting her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him.

“But he’s my weirdo,” she laughed as he reciprocated her actions.

“That was sickening.” Diego commented.

“nonono it was cute!” Gushed the two sisters and Klaus.

“Us Hargreeves aren’t incapable at love after all!” Klaus did a little happy dance which Rosalie laughed at even more.

“I can see why you wanted to save them Five,” she said softly as she stared at the laughing family.

“Do you? Because I dont,” he said sarcastically, although there was love in his voice.

Rosalie kissed his cheek, stroking his hair softly. He sighed in content, resting his head on hers.

“Thanks for saving us,” he whispered.

“That’s what I’m for,” she replied.

Five smiled cheekily “And making me coffee,”

“Anymore of that Mister you can save yourself.”

[bubblytarts]

What if...

*NONE OF THIS IS CANON. I JUST THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A COOL CONCEPT FOR TALES. IF ANY OF THIS BECOMES CANON, I EXPECT KARL JACOBS HIMSELF TO GIVE ME A SHOUTOUT*

You’re watching Tales from the SMP on Tuesday. You can’t wait to see what all the secrets are that Karl has teased lore-wise. The stream begins. Karl is super excited to show chat what he’s come up with, and the stream begins.

The build is massive, and incredibly detailed. You already know that the theorists are going to have a field day with all the little details.

You meet the players. Some are playing original characters, while there are some familiar faces as well. Ranboo, Tubbo, Fundy, and Quackity are all playing original characters. Bad appears to be playing himself, but he’s acting off. 

All of them have slightly altered skins. Time has obviously passed, as they all look a bit older, a bit more weary.

You’re waiting to see the two new players that Karl had teased. One decides then to make his appearance. It’s Philza. He’s playing himself. His skin is unchanged. Karl chooses not to comment on this. Phil mentions that Karl has been missing for years. Karl manages to change the subject. 

The second new player is not revealed yet.

The story seems to be a play on Phasmophobia. Whatever ghost is haunting the place is aggressive towards the characters, but not enough to ever truly harm them. 

Bad, however, continues to act strange. The characters don’t notice the increasing amounts of crimson blocks in the area. Chat, however, does.

The players solve enough puzzles to continue into the heart of the mansion, and they come face to face with the skull room from Karl’s screenshot. 

Waiting in the room, is Wilbur. 

More accurately, Wilbur, playing Alivebur. 

Karl is rightfully shocked, and chat is exploding. You’re shaking. Bad and Phil don’t seem too surprised to see Wilbur, while the original characters don’t seem to know who he is. 

You listen as Wilbur vaguely explains that he was resurrected, but you don’t have enough details to really understand how. Tumblr is already blowing up. 

Bad then vaguely references the Egg. Karl finally notices the crimson. He’s not pleased. Bad tries to attack Karl, but the others protect him, and Bad is forced to step back.

The overall story of what happened in the past few years is full of holes that Wilbur, Phil, and Bad won’t answer. The original characters don’t seem to know anything about the SMP, Disc Wars, or the Egg. It’s lightly implied that since Ranboo, Tubbo, Fundy, and Quackity aren’t playing themselves, that they must have died, or been otherwise out of contact with Phil and Bad. 

Chat mentions that it’s eerily similar to how little everyone knew about the Disc Wars in Mizu. The only other information that is given is that at some point, Dream broke out of prison. This is brushed off far too fast for anyone’s comfort. 

Karl accuses Wilbur of trying to kill them, but Wilbur is confused. He didn’t know they were here. 

Chat starts to spam Dream and Techno’s names, but the clues Phil and Bad give point to someone else. 

Phil tells the story of Dream breaking out of prison, and how many went to stop him and take his last life. It’s implied that Tommy and possibly Tubbo both died this way. 

Phil mentions at the end of the story how everyone who tried, died once and gave up. Except for one. There was one person who lost all three lives to Dream, because they wouldn’t give up.

Karl is confused, but chat figured it out since you all found out Dream escaped. Someone was missing.

Someone calls Karl’s name, and he turns around. Sapnap stands there, with a skin similar to his normal one, but with the same muted colors that Wilbur had when he became Ghostbur. 

Ghostnap was responsible for the injuries to the players. He was trying to get them out before anyone discovered they were at the mansion.

Before there can even be a proper emotional scene, the sounds of TNT go off outside the room. The door explodes, and Dream walks in wearing full enchanted netherite. He’s playing himself.  

Ghostnap yells for Karl to follow him. Karl does immediately, and chat is left to wonder the fates of the other characters. That is, until messages pop up in the game chat:

Quackity was slain by BadBoyHalo

BadBoyHalo was slain by Ph1LzA

Ranboo was slain by Dream using Nightmare

ItsFundy hit the ground too hard trying to escape Dream

Tubbo_ was slain by Dream using Axe of Peace

The messages end after that. The use of the Axe of Peace is not lost on chat. The implications are not good. 

As far as you know, Wilbur and Phil survive. They continue to yell in the voice chat before abruptly cutting out. However, the game chat doesn’t say that they died or left the game. 

Ghostnap leads Karl to a nether portal. Karl tries to ask him how he can help, and admits that he’s a time traveller, since Sapnap in the past won’t remember this. He also makes an off-hand quip about his memory loss.

Ghostnap doesn’t know if Karl even can fix the story. But he encourages him to try. But not at the cost of himself. He begs Karl to promise him that he’ll talk to someone in the present about the Tales so that they can help him. Karl tells him that he will.

Chat points out that Karl doesn’t promise. 

Dream appears at the end of the hallway, stares for a few seconds, then starts sprinting towards them. Karl goes into the portal, and his face cam turns off.

The pre-filmed section of the Inbetween begins. Karl appears in the nether portal in the Inbetween shown in the Twitter screenshot. Karl’s hair is beginning to turn white. The Inbetween repeats its calming messages again. 

There are several Karls running around, but it seems to be a fewer number than the last time. 

There is a secret room that Karl discovers when he presses the pressure plate. It leads him to another hallway. There is one main hallway, brightly lit, and there are several smaller, darker tunnels branching off of it. It’s impossible to see what lies down the tunnels.

Don’t stray from the path, chat helpfully reminds.

Karl walks down the main path. There is a wither rose at the end of the path.

As he walks past the tunnels, just over the music, there seem to be voices. Chat can’t agree on who the voices sound like. They are all different. But there are a few recognizable ones. Chat yells Ranboo, Sir Billiam, Wilbur, Crops, James, Jack Kanoff, Tubbo, Ranbob, Bad, Liaria, Ghostnap, Dream. 

They yell quotes ripped from the audio of previous Tales. Karl turns towards each of the tunnels, but always continues after a moment.

The voices grow more persistent. They start to say things that you don’t recognize. This is original audio now. The eerie piano has stopped. They are whispering not to stray from the path. For Karl to run. For Karl to come back. To remember. To forget.

Karl is running now. The voices are only yelling KARL KARL KARL over and over, never in unison, causing an overwhelming amount of whisper-yells.

There is a book under the wither rose. The moment that Karl grabs it, the voices silence. He looks back down the path, but nothing is there. He opens the book. 

The title is The Path.

Karl opens it.

I’m proud of you. You didn’t stray from the path. Now we can work together to help you regain your memory and protect your friends.

Karl puts the book back without reading the other pages. There’s a single whisper behind him, and he whips around. Nothing is there.

Karl stands in front of one of the tunnels. There’s a weak light far down the tunnel. Without warning, Karl sprints down the tunnel. Eventually, it opens up into a small room.

There’s a red rose in a pot. There’s a book underneath. Karl picks it up. The title is Thank You

Thank you. Now you can work towards save them. Don’t listen to anything they tell you. I want to help you. They don’t. 

The next page - the last page - reads: 

Are you ready to begin?

The screen goes black, and the end credits play.

While Turn Back Time by Derivakat plays, you go on Twitter.

Sapnap has tweeted “Boo!”

[rockbell1003]

Cuddles

A new Mallory and Kaito fic! I’ve been working on this installment on and off for a few months, not entirely happy with it but I thought what I ended up with was cute. So here we are!  As always I hope you enjoy reading about Mal and Kai and feel free to message or send me asks if you wanna know more about them :)

I was surprised when it happened. 

Kai had invited me over for dinner, an anime that he was cast in got picked up by a cable channel and we were going to live-tweet during the episode. I took a nervous breath before I knocked on his door, this would be the second time I’ve been to his apartment. The first being the night when I drove him home from the bar and wrote my number on his forehead before leaving. We had gone out a few times after that and we saw each other at work, but this would be our first ‘home date’. Right as my knuckles rapped against the door, it swung open revealing Kaito. He was dressed nice, jeans and a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to expose his arms, his hair was brushed back revealing his forehead and to my secret pleasure, his nose seemed a little pink.

“Hi,” he said, smiling before opening the door wider, “come on in,” 

I smiled back and entered, “hi,” I replied, still feeling a bit nervous and awkward, I walked further into his apartment, stopping to set my purse down by his coffee table. 

“Your place is really nice,” I said, turning back to him. 

Kaito shrugged and made his way towards me, “thanks, make yourself at home. Do you want anything to drink?” he asked as he made his way to the kitchen. 

“Sure,” I replied following him, “could I have water?” I asked as we reached the kitchen, it was small and sparse as if he didn’t use it often.

Kai nodded, “is tap alright?” he asked as he grabbed a glass from one of his cabinets.

“Yep!” I replied, my attention caught on the oven and the smoke that started to come out of it.

 “Kai, were you cooking something in the oven?” I asked worriedly, reaching for an oven mitt. 

“Shit!” he exclaimed behind me but I was too focused on removing what looked like some sort of casserole out of the oven. I set the now burnt dish on top of the stove and turned off the oven before turning back to Kai who was holding my glass of water and looking extremely embarrassed. 

I couldn’t help but giggle, “not much of a cook are you?”

Kai sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, “no,”

“When you invited me over for dinner I asked if you wanted me to bring anything,” I smiled, “but what is it you said?” I paused and brought my hand up to my face in a thinking position, “ah! I remember now, ‘no don’t worry about it, I can cook dinner.’”

 I smiled at Kai who was now frowning. Worried that I took my teasing too far I stepped closer, “I’m just teasing, I’m not upset, if anything,” I took the glass of water out of his hands and set it on the counter, “it’s actually endearing that you can’t cook.” I smiled and gently,  in what I hoped was cute or flirty action tapped his pink nose. 

Almost immediately Kai turned away and raised his arm up, “heeISHOO..uh,” 

“Bless you,” I replied as I watched him succumb to another sneeze into his elbow, “sorry,” I added a bit sheepishly. 

Kai raised his head and scrunched his nose as if he was a rabbit, “why are you apologizing?” 

I shook my head, “nevermind,” I glanced back at what was supposed to be our dinner, “how ‘bout I cook dinner?” I smiled. 

Kai rubbed his nose with his fist, turned to me and looked almost embarrassed, “I’m not sure what I have-” he trailed off. 

I shrugged, “why don’t we take a look.” I began opening the cabinet right across from me, it was empty minus a colander and two pots. I closed it and moved onto the next cabinet which was much like the first, bare with only a few essentials. I turned back to Kai, “you really don’t cook much do you?” 

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, “not really no,” he paused to sniffle and subconsciously rubbed his nose with a finger, “I’m ashamed to admit that I tend to get take out on my way home from work.” 

Finally, I opened a cabinet that contained food, “no shame in that.” 

I paused as I took in all that he had, boxes of mac and cheese, ramen, and a variety of other snack-like food. “When I first moved in with Mia all she ate was take out,” I snagged a box of mac and cheese and moved on to his freezer. 

“I just really love cooking and baking, it might be weird but I find it fun,” I opened the door and scanned his frozen food collection until I found what I was looking for. 

“Cooking is just a skill I do..huh..snf..n’t seem to hih..huh..poh...poh..hah-SHIEEWW...ugh,” I glance behind me to see Kai’s face buried back into his elbow.

“Bless you!” I exclaim. 

“Snf….sdf...ugh, exguse be,” Kai replied, “Cand you had be a dissue? Nexd do you.” 

I turned back to the counter and saw a box of kleenex next to his salt and pepper shakers, grabbing a few I handed them over. 

“Thangks,” he smiled at me before turning away and blowing his nose. 

“It’s no problem!” I smiled, really no problem at all. “Also how does mac and cheese and chicken nuggets sound for dinner?” I asked, holding up the goodies I found. 

Kai glanced at me his hands scrubbing his nose with the tissues, “are you sure?” he asked lowering the tissues and exposing an irritated pink nose, “we can order-” 

“What are you talking about?” I interrupted, “mac and cheese and chicken nuggets are the food of champions,” I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now if you had dino nuggies then we’d have the food of the gods but,” I smiled at him, “guess we just gotta make do.” 

Kai laughed, “Then I’ll just have to make sure I have dino nuggies next time.” 

I felt a warmth in my chest, next time! There’s gonna be a next time! “Sounds like a plan. Now hand me a pot.” 

**

“HePSHOO..ihh-HIXTCH-uh..sngk”

I looked over at Kai as he set his dinner down onto his coffee table and reached for his tissue box, “bless you.”

Kai crumpled the tissues into his hand and picked up his bowl of mac and cheese, “thanks.” 

“Are you alright?” I asked, taking a bite of my chicken nugget. Kai had progressively gotten sneezier and not that I’m complaining but I was starting to get worried. 

He sniffled and scrunched his nose, “I’m fine,” 

“Are you sure?” I asked. 

Kai took one look at my face and smiled, “I’m sure,” he reached over and poked my forehead, “but thank you for being worried.” 

I turned to look at my bowl, “of course I’m worried about you, I-” really like you, I shoveled my last bit of food into my mouth to muffle the last bit of what I said and set my bowl down. I glanced over at Kai who was watching me with a smile and I felt my face flush. His smile only grew bigger and he reached over to take my plate.

“I’m going to put these away, can you turn on the show? It’ll start soon.” 

I nodded and snagged his remote while Kai took my bowl as well as his own and walked into his kitchen. 

“HEPCHOO...heh..hih..giTCH-uh” he sneezed from the kitchen. 

“Bless you!” I called out from my spot on his couch, scrolling through the channels until I found the station I was looking for. 

“Thangk you!” Kai called back, his voice sounding congested.  He made his way back and sat down next to me, grabbing another tissue from the box on his coffee table. He brought it up to dab at his nose, keeping it crumpled in his fist. 

The show had begun playing on the television and Kai had taken out his phone, already tweeting out reactions and replying to fan tweets. My full attention however, was on Kai. The way he would subconsciously bring up the crumpled tissue and dab under his nose, or how after he sniffled, his nose would scrunch up, as if ensuring he chased away a tickle. 

“huh...hih..hepTCHuh,”

“Bless you!” I exclaimed, nervously turning my attention to the show we were supposed to be watching. I hoped that he hadn’t noticed that I was staring. 

With a wet sniffle Kai reached forward to the coffee table to grab another tissue, “thangk you, agaid.” He smiled at me. 

I felt my face heat up, “you’re welcome.”

 I was curious if he was suffering from allergies or a cold, but didn’t want to say anything. He had already said that he was fine and I didn’t really wanna push the issue. Kai blew his nose and the two of us fell into a comfortable silence as we watched the show. Kai sat relaxed in the corner of his couch, one hand holding his phone while the other rested on the back of the couch. I sat next to him with enough room that we weren’t quite touching. 

Kai’s character on the show was just about to learn a new power when I felt his touch. I froze and turned my gaze back to him. I watched as he moved my legs so they draped across his lap. I was too shocked to say a word and Kai was completely absorbed in the show, his eyes never leaving the screen as his fingers grazed against my legs. His touch was warm and comforting, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Just as much as I was surprised that he seemed to be touching me subconsciously. Kaito Scott did not seem like a cuddler. So I just watched him. Watched as his expressions changed depending on what happened in the episode, as his hands changed from rubbing my legs in a comforting motion, rising up to rub his irritated nose, or resting warm and still on my shins that lay in his lap. 

I bit my lips as a smile made its way onto my face, as I gazed at the man next to me. I already knew it would be inevitable, but damn I was falling for him, hard.

[httpjeon]

❝first time together❞ jjk ― m.

― summary: you never thought you’d fall for the charms of jeon jungkook, the campus heartthrob, play boy, and fuck boy.

jungkook/reader| college!au | fluff, smut, angst | 8.4k ↬ content warnings: light virgin kink, dirty talk, cunnilingus (with jk’s pierced tongue), blow job, praise kink, creampie, manipulation, fuckboy!jk, pierced!jk, u may hate jk sorry

a/n: thank you to my lovely beta @yoonqiful for editing this baby for me!

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You remember seeing him on campus before — how could you miss him, really? Your circle of friends ran close but not close enough that you really knew him.

He was handsome, easy enough to admit with dark, curly hair overshadowing bright doe-like eyes. He had a nose ring and a lip ring which he constantly played with. You'd also heard on the grapevine the man possessed a tongue piercing as well.

He was basically every girl’s fantasy — a good looking bad boy who would break your heart after giving you the best night of your life. He lived up to the hype of his reputation as well.

You were a freshman and within your first two semesters, you learned just how big of a name Jeon Jungkook was on campus. Most likely hundreds of notches on his bedpost and none making it past a one night stand.

Many women would agree to sleep with him in hopes they could “change” him, only to be disappointed and heartbroken in the end. It was a vicious cycle that he was, no doubt, proud of.

So, you vowed to never get anywhere near Jeon Jungkook. That sentiment worked fairly well for a while, but well, it wasn’t in the cards for you to avoid meeting the man.

Walking onto campus for a shitty morning class, you were exhausted from staying up late studying for a test. You take a sip from the coffee you got earlier from the cafe. It hasn’t quite kicked in yet, leaving you drowsy.

You hadn't even realized anyone was near you until you tripped over someone's foot, crashing to the ground harshly.

“Hey,” A voice grumbled, harshly grabbing the back of your shirt to pull you up. You choked slightly as the collar of the shirt dug into your neck. “You got coffee all over me, you know?”

“I-I'm sorry,” You grumbled, shaking his grip off of you as you stood — peeved that he didn't even care he literally tripped you. “I didn't mean to.”

“This shirt cost me a lot of money,” He pestered. You finally looked up at him. “How much cash you got on you now, maybe that'll cover it.”

You scoffed. “I'm not paying for your shirt when you tripped me,” You argued, crossing your arms over your chest. “I have a class to go to.”

You turned your back to the stranger, intending to walk away before he harshly grabbed your arm. You gasped, nearly losing your footing once again when he tugged you closer.

“Look bitch,” He growled. “I told you this shirt is expensive. You ruined it so pay me for it.”

You opened your mouth to tell him to go to hell before someone cleared their throat behind you.

“What the fuck do you want Jeon?” The stranger snapped, grip tightening on your arm.

“Man, no wonder you never get laid if this is how you treat a lovely lady,” You looked over your shoulder to find yourself gazing into the ridiculously handsome face of Jeon Jungkook.

“You're a dick, Jeon,” Your harasser let you go, lightly shoving you so you stumbled towards Jungkook before stalking off.

“Are you alright?” Jungkook asked, smiling. His lip ring sparkled in the early morning light.

“Yeah,” You signed, rubbing where the man had a rough grip on you. “Thanks for that, Jungkook.”

“Oh, you know my name!” His grin broadened.

“Yeah,” You nodded, adjusting your bag on your shoulder. “You're friends with Jimin who’s friends with Taehyung. Plus, no offense, I think every girl on campus knows you.”

He nodded, smile not diminishing in the slightest as he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “That's fair. It was nice to finally meet you, though. Can I walk you to class?”

You hesitated, wanting to say no but he had just done you a favor in chasing that asshole off. Sighing softly, you nodded and motioned for him to follow you.

“Oh you have anatomy with Mrs. Park huh?” He asked, recognizing the direction you were taking. “I took this class my freshman year as well.”

“What grade are you in?” You asked.

“Junior,” He replied. “Just clocked in 65 credit hours.” He shrugged.

Jungkook was the type of man you'd expect to be a dropout. Learning he'd been working hard, no doubt aiming to graduate, surprised you. It just showed that you shouldn’t judge someone by their reputation.

Shortly after your exchange with Jungkook, with him walking you to class, you found yourself seeing him a lot more frequently. Sometimes it seemed almost too coincidental, like being around your anatomy class when it ended claiming he was just seeing a friend who had a class on that same hall.

"Hey _____," A familiar voice had you pausing and turning around.

"Oh Hoseok," You smiled, smiling up at him as he walked closer to you.

"You got a minute?" He asked, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Yeah, actually class was canceled today. I was about to go home," You explained. "You want to head to the cafe?"

"Yeah that'd be great," You noticed how his shoulders were tense and his smile didn't seem as bright. It appeared something was on his mind.

"Do you want to invite Taehyung?" You asked, beginning to walk along with him. "No it's not necessary," He said. "I just need to talk to you."

"Not gonna lie, you got me a little worried here Hobi," You chuckled nervously.

"Don't worry," He patted your back. "It's not that bad! But I am going to get called back into work in a minute so I don't have long."

You hummed, the two of you falling into silence as you navigated the familiar path to the campus cafe.

It was bustling, as expected, but since a lot of people had class at that time, there were still a couple tables open. Hoseok picked the most secluded table to sit at, not unusual for him. Despite his sunshiney nature, he was still a bit reclusive — not really liking hustle and bustle and preferring to keep away from prying eyes.

"So, what's bothering you?" You asked, resting your chin on your hand.

"It's about Jeon Jungkook," He sighed, making you stiffen immediately.

"Wh-What about him?" You gulped.

"_____," He sighed. "You know I care about you. You're my best friend. I mean this with...so much sincerity." He met your eyes. "Stay away from him, okay?"

"Wh...What?" You shook your head, not understanding.

"He's been asking around about you," Hoseok whispered. "I heard from Taehyung about it. Please stay away from him. He is the most..." His phone started buzzing, making him sigh. "He's—"

"Do you need to get that?" You asked.

Hoseok sighed again, looking at his phone. "Yeah but..." He started to stand up. "I've got to go but, ______. Please listen, he's the most notorious cherry picker ever. So, just stay away from him!"

"Hey!" You called after him, watching as he put the phone to his ear and started jogging out. "What does that even mean?"

Sighing, you crashed onto your bed — letting the familiar scent of your detergent calm you.

Your phone vibrating in your pocket alerted you to a new text. You pulled it out and unlocked it, realizing it was a text from an unknown number.

From: Unknown [2:18PM] Hey😏

They were typing so you sat there and waited.

From: Unknown [2:18PM] Is this _____?

They started typing again and you raised your brow — growing impatient.

From: Unknown [2:18PM] It's Jungkook btw

Your brows shot straight up at the reveal. Fingers hovering over the keyboard, you thought of a response, unsure of what you could possibly say.

To: Jeon Jungkook [2:19PM] Yes...this is _____. How did you get my number?

From: Jeon Jungkook [2:19PM] It's a secret😬

To: Jeon Jungkook [2:20PM] Okay. What do you want?

From: Jeon Jungkook [2:20PM] Do you have class tomorrow?

To: Jeon Jungkook [2:20PM] Yes I have a class at 10.

From: Jeon Jungkook [2:21PM] Cool. Meet me at the campus cafe at 9?

You sat there and stared at the message as it settled in. You weren't sure of what to say but you knew you wanted to say yes. Jungkook was intriguing — dangerously so. The way he acted, the air he carried with him had you wanting to see more. It was like he had a magnetic pull.

But Hoseok's words were still there, lingering in the back of your mind. Stay away from Jeon Jungkook.

Before you realized what you were doing, however, a message was sent.

To: Jeon Jungkook [2:22PM] Um, sure...that'd be nice. See you then!

You tugged the hood of your hoodie over your head as you reached the cafe. It was packed as usual and you were more than a little tired from not sleeping well. Tugging the door open, you cringed as the noise level rose.

Looking around, you spotted Jungkook sitting in the corner with his eyes glued to his phone. He had a little smirk on his face as he typed something and your heart began to race.

Weaving through the people, you finally reached his table and took a seat. He immediately looked up and locked his phone, bright eyes finding yours as he greeted you good morning.

"Oh I got you a coffee and a muffin," He said, gesturing to the two items on the table. "I didn't know what you liked so I got something a little sweet."

"I like everything here to be honest," You muttered, pulling your hood down before bringing the still hot coffee to your lips.

"You look like you haven't slept a wink," He said, cocking his head to the side.

"I didn't really," You shrugged. "But this coffee should wake me up, thank you Jungkook."

"It's not a problem," He smiled, a cute bunny-like smile that contrasted with the black piercing on his lip.

The two of you drifted easily through conversation; topics coming easily as you discovered different things you had in common. You learned Jungkook was actually a really big fan of anime and used to collect manga before he had to move into the dorms.

The hour passed faster than you could have expected and you found yourself...disappointed when it was time for you to leave.

"How about I walk you to class?" He asked, standing up as soon as he realized the time.

"I'd like that," You muttered, blushing when he opened the door for you to escort you out.

You found yourself glancing at him whenever you were sure he wasn't paying attention. You noticed his ears were gauged and today he wore his curled bangs parted in the middle — allowing just a peek of his forehead. It was unfair how attractive he was.

And when he smiled, you found yourself smiling along with him. Everything about Jeon Jungkook gave you butterflies.

It made you understand why so many women were wanting him. Deep down, you could feel that same urge building inside of you. The only thing it was held back by was Hoseok's warning.

"I'll see you later, Jungkook," You smiled, standing outside your classroom door. "Yeah, I look forward to it," He flashed you a big smile with a short wink before he turned on his heel and walked the same way he'd come.

You were unable to tear your eyes off of his form. Even the way he walked exuded so much confidence.

They say confidence is sexy and Jungkook definitely fit the bill.

He vanished from your sight and you finally entered the classroom.

"Curse you Jeon Jungkook," You whined when you got home, flopping down on your bed.

Class hadn't gone well at all with said man plaguing your thoughts. You found yourself daydreaming every 5 minutes about Jungkook; his handsome face, pretty smile, and sparkling eyes refusing to leave your mind.

Still, despite the fact he was such an unpleasant distraction in class, you found yourself holding your phone hoping it'd buzz with an incoming text.

After more than an hour, it did and you jumped at the chance to see the sender.

From: Jeon Jungkook [11:11AM] You know, I really liked hanging out with you, _____.

Your heart skipped a beat and you bit your lip to contain the girlish giggle that was threatening to spill out.

To: Jeon Jungkook [11:12AM] I really liked it too. You're really fun to talk to.

From: Jeon Jungkook [11:12AM] I'm glad.😜 I was wondering...

You sat up, eyes locked on those that typing bubble — watching as he erased and restarted several times.

From: Jeon Jungkook [11:13AM] The school hosts a summer fireworks show this weekend. I was wondering if you'd like to go...as a date?

To: Jeon Jungkook [11:13AM] I would love to!

You cringed as you realized you sounded too eager. Your cheeks burned even though it wasn't even a face to face interaction. Swallowing thickly, you watched the bubbles appear again and your heart began to race hoping you hadn't just made a fool of yourself.

From: Jeon Jungkook [11:14AM] I'm glad. I'll pick you up at about 5 on Friday.

And like that, you had planned a date with Jeon Jungkook.

Even though you knew you'd regret it later in the night, you put on the cutest summer dress you owned. It complimented your figure and made your legs look fantastic. You only hoped Jungkook would notice it too.

For some reason, it filled you with excitement to dress up for someone — for a date.

You and Jungkook had been texting nonstop since he asked you on a date. He apologized for asking over text but it was the only opportunity that you had.

Truth be told, you didn't get the cute highschool romance experience so it was fun to have a little taste of what that would have been like.

Your doorbell rang and you grabbed your shoes, hurrying to slip them on and open the door. Jungkook was leaning against the railing wearing a loose tank top and jeans. You couldn't help but stare at his biceps for a quick second before forcing yourself out the door. As you locked it, you could feel Jungkook's eyes burning holes it you.

"What is it?" You asked, turning around to find his eyes scanning your whole body. Immediately, you felt your cheeks heat up all the way to your ears. "You look really good...wow," He grinned, a sideways quirk of his lips.

"I..." You bit your lip and smiled. "Thank you."

"Ready to go?" You nodded and hopped down the stairs to follow after him. He led you down the sidewalk to where his car was parked near the curb. A simple act such as opening your door for you made your heart flutter and you swear you almost gave a deep, dreamy sigh.

Jungkook was well-prepared, he even brought a blanket for you both to sit on so you could comfortably enjoy the fireworks. The place was lively, music playing from some speakers set up nearby and people laughing and having fun.

"Let's pick a spot," He said and grabbed your hand.

Effortlessly, your fingers laced together and he gave your hand a light squeeze before throwing a smile over his shoulder. Your gaze fell to your linked hands and you giggled, the sound drowned out by the noise surrounding you.

Jungkook ended up picking a rather secluded place on a hill. It was peaceful, but you were still able to hear the music playing so it wasn't awkwardly silent. You helped him lay down the blanket and laughed when he let himself flop onto it with a groan.

"That was such a long walk!" He complained.

"It wasn't even that bad," You chuckled, sitting down beside him.

The sun was beginning to set and before you knew it they were getting ready to start the show. You watched as people all around took seats together in preparation for the fireworks. It was buzzing with good energy and you felt a burst of confidence flow through you.

Reaching over you took Jungkook's hand in yours. Immediately, he laced your fingers together and gave your hand a squeeze. His skin was so soft and his hands were warm, comforting almost.

When it was time for you to go home, you were filled with the same disappointment you felt last time you were with him. Having him around was so nice, you felt so happy with him.

You never wanted it to end.

He parked the car in front of your apartment and got out, jogging to the other side to open your door for you.

"Thank you," You said, as you slowly began to walk up to your stoop with him, wanting to draw it out as long as possible. "I had a great time tonight."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded, curls bouncing in his face. He nibbled on his lip ring and paused when you were standing in front of your door.

"A friend of mine is having a party tomorrow at his place," He said. "Would you like to be my date there?"

You hesitated this time; you wanted to go, really you did. Just for Jungkook though. Truthfully, you weren't a party person. You always end up feeling awkward and out of place, unable to have a nice time.

But with Jungkook standing there, pretty pierced face looking hopeful at you, you found yourself nodding.

"Okay, I'll go," You gave him a tight-lipped smile and he beamed.

"Great!" He began to back off. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

You waved and watched as he got into his car and pulled off. Sighing, you wondered why the hell you were so enamored with him.

Deep inside, you knew why.

You step out of the car, already feeling the bass of the music playing inside. Jungkook took your hand and any apprehension inside you vanished the second his fingers laced between yours.

Once inside, you were shocked at how many people were packed inside. It was a decently sized house but even so, you couldn't even comfortably move through the crowd. All around you people were crowding you as they drunkenly swayed to the beat.

"Let's head to the kitchen and get a drink!" He called over the music, tugging you in the direction of what you assumed was the kitchen.

"Have you been here before?" You asked as you entered the kitchen, where it was much quieter.

"Yeah," Jungkook replied, grabbing a couple bottles and cups off the counter. "This is my friend Seokjin's house."

"Is he here?" You asked, looking around. "Shouldn't you let him know you're here?"

"Nah," Jungkook replied, opening the bottle of vodka. "He's floating around, we'll run into each other eventually! Here!" He handed you a cup with a smile. "Drink up!"

Though you didn't like to drink too much, you did do it on occasion. You tipped the cup back to take a quick swig, noting the cranberry juice Jungkook had mixed in to help it go down easier.

"Jungkook!" Someone called, squeezing between the two of you. It was a guy a bit shorter than Jungkook. "I knew you would come!"

"You know I don't miss Jin's parties," Jungkook laughed, meeting your gaze of the friend's shoulder. "Oh this is my date, _____."

You flushed hearing Jungkook so openly call you his date, unashamed as he motioned to you. The person turned around and you quickly recognized him as Park Jimin — a friend of Taehyung's.

"Oh well hello _____! Didn't expect to see you at this little get together," Jimin grinned. His charming quality making you smile. "I hope you don't mind if I borrow Jungkook real quick?"

"Um..." You shrugged and glanced over at Jungkook.

"Yeah I'll be back, sweetheart," Jungkook patted your back as he passed you, his touch lingering on your lower back as he did so. The touch sent tingles down your spine and you watched him disappear in the crowd with Jimin. And like that you were alone.

You had finished half of the drink Jungkook made you when someone's hand dropped on your shoulder, making you jump. You turned around and found yourself face to face with Taehyung.

"What-Hey," You greeted awkwardly, not expecting to see him.

"What're you doing here?" He asked, frowning as he looked over you.

"Um well," You shifted awkwardly on your feet. "I came here with...Jungkook."

Taehyung was silent for a moment, frown still in place as he blinked at you. Slowly, he opened his mouth, as if thinking over what he was going to say.

"Does Hoseok know?" He asked. "That you're even talking to him?"

"Well, no," You admitted, swirling your cup to watch the liquid slosh around. "_____," Taehyung sighed, warning in his tone. "Hoseok wouldn't like this, you know he doesn't want you fuckin' around with him."

"I know," You admitted, watching as he suddenly poured himself a cup of straight vodka and threw it back, downing it. "How did you find me anyway?"

"Jimin told me you were here," Taehyung said, pouring himself another drink quickly.

You fell silent, watching Taehyung chug another drink. Within minutes, you could tell they were kicking in and he placed his hand on your shoulder.

"I'm going to assume you can take care of yourself," He said. "I'm going to go find someone to get laid. But remember, ______, be careful of Jungkook."

"Yeah, so I keep being told..." You muttered as he walked away, quickly disappearing and leaving you alone again.

All by yourself, you watched people walk in and out to get drinks. As the minutes ticked by, you found yourself wanting to go home. You weren't drunk, you could call a cab since Jungkook drove you.

Finally, you wandered out of the kitchen into the living area where people were dancing and shouting over the music. You mingled in the corner, keeping to yourself and sipping on your drink that you still hadn't finished.

"Well hey there," Someone greeted beside you. You turned to find a man with sharp, cat-like eyes staring at you as he leaned against the wall clad in a leather jacket and ripped black jeans.

"Hi," You greeted bashfully.

"You all by yourself?" He asked, smiling softly. You nodded and shrugged your shoulders in response, unsure of what he wanted. "Well, you're too cute to be by yourself. How about I keep you company. I'm Yoongi. Min Yoongi."

"Your name sounds familiar," You muttered.

"Well, a lot of people know me," He had a gummy grin that was actually quite cute. Despite the fact you could tell he was a little drunk, he still smelled quite pleasantly of cologne.

"I'm ______," You introduced with a polite smile, holding your hand out for him to shake.

"Well, ______," He stood up straighter, taking your hand firmly in his. "I'm gonna be real honest with you. I think you are absolutely stunning and truthfully, I'm looking to get la-"

"Yoongi, what're you doing?" A familiar voice had Yoongi freezing immediately, turning to look over his shoulder.

"Ah, Jungkook!" He greeted happily, as if Jungkook wasn't glaring daggers at him. "Fancy seeing you here. I was just about to ask this lovely young lady to go up—"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Jungkook growled, cutting Yoongi off again by grabbing his arm and tugging him away.

They didn't go far and you could see Jungkook leaned in close to say something to Yoongi. Immediately, the shorter man's mouth fell open at the same time his eyes widened.

"No shit!" Yoongi shouted. "She's yours? Ah, sorry man. I got it."

Jungkook seemed to visibly relax as Yoongi waved goodbye to you and disappeared as quickly as he reappeared. Jungkook walked back over to you with a smile — no sign of the glare he once nursed towards his friend.

"I'm sorry for disappearing," He said. "I won't do it again. I just got caught up. Namjoon was doin' some shit, it's not important. I won't bail again, I promise."

"Why don't I believe that one?" You scoffed, taking a sip of your drink. Your own words sounded like a petulant, needy girlfriend and you mentally cringed. But Jungkook didn't seem to mind, keeping that small smile on his lips. He no doubt could sense your disappointment with his vanishing.

"Come with me," He said, taking your hand.

He didn't give you much of a choice as he tugged you through the crowd. You met the stairs and you realized he was bringing you somewhere away from the party. From your knowledge, that usually indicated he was expecting to have sex. Your heart sped up as you found yourself in the hallway, several of the doors shut and a couple open. The music was much quieter and you could hear the faint sounds of moaning every once in a while, making your cheeks burn.

As Jungkook stopped in front of a door, your mind was racing with ways to tell Jungkook that you were a virgin and certainly didn't want to lose it at a party. But as he opened the door, you were surprised to see it wasn't a bedroom at all. It had a few bean bag chairs, a small couch, and a large screen TV with a shelf of movies.

"Ah, good, it's empty," Jungkook chuckled, ushering you inside as he followed, closing the door behind you and flicking the lock. "People are learning finally!" "Learning what?" You asked as you sat down on the couch.

"This room is basically off limits to anyone who isn't a personal friend of Kim Seokjin's," Jungkook explained, grabbing the remote of the DVD shelf. "We hang out in here to escape the parties sometimes."

"Sometimes people come in here anyway?" You asked, watching as the TV came to life.

"Yeah, we kick them out if they do and slowly people began to learn," He said, bringing up Netflix.

Briefly, the phrase, Netflix and Chill popped in your mind but you shook it away as Jungkook pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and placed it over the two of you.

The alcohol you were drinking throughout the evening was finally beginning to kick in even though you'd stopped drinking. Jungkook, on the other hand, was continuing to drink out of his cup. He also pulled open a cabinet next to the TV which held an array of alcohol that was otherwise unavailable to the other partiers.

You had no idea how much he'd had but about halfway through The Day After Tomorrow, he was showing his buzz. His words were slurred and slow and he was clearly very relaxed, resting his arm around your shoulder shamelessly.

"Hey _____?" He suddenly asked, drawing your attention away from the movie.

You noticed how close your faces were, you could feel his breath fanning across your face. It smelled like alcohol but you assumed yours did too.

"What?" You asked, eyes flicking from his eyes to his lips.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked, slowly beginning to lean in before you could even process his words. He did, however, pause before he met your lips, waiting for your consent.

"Y-Yeah," You whispered, holding your breath as he finally closed the gap and kissed you.

His hand came up, cupping your cheek as his lips moved expertly against yours. You'd only had a few kisses in your lifetime but you knew right away that he was the best.

He pulled away, smiling as his thumb stroked the soft skin of your cheek. It surprised you how it wasn't awkward in any way. Jungkook really had a knack for making you feel comfortable. The way he looked at you made your heart race, his eyes sparkled as if you were an angel.

Before long, the alcohol had finally kicked in to Jungkook's system and you convinced him that it was time to go home. He was way too drunk to drive and you really didn't have any clue what dorm he lived in. So, you decided to just take him to your apartment.

He was alert enough to walk on his own, but he kept cracking jokes and having to stop because he began to laugh too hard.

"You really are so pretty," He cooed when he leaned against your wall, watching as you unlocked your door. "How on Earth did I manage to snag you?"

It was drunk ramblings but his words still set your heart on fire.

"You can crash on the couch, Jungkook," You said. "It pulls out into a bed so I'll do that for you."

Jungkook hummed, eyes not leaving your form as you moved the cushion until you could pull the bed out. Immediately, he crashed down onto it without a care and smiled happily.

"I'll see you in the morning, Jungkook," You smiled, patting his head before flicking out the lights and retiring to your room.

It felt like you were only sleeping for a few minutes before there were a series of light taps against your door. You groaned until your pillow as you were pulled from the gentle lull of sleep.

Sitting up, you looked towards the door before calling for them to come in, knowing it could only be one person.

He crept his way in, the light from the hallway casting his shadow across your floor.

"Are you okay, Jungkook?" You asked, rubbing the sleep away from your eyes so you could focus on him better.

"Yeah, I..." He cleared his throat and shifted where he stood. You could tell his drunken stupor had fizzled into quiet sobriety. "I just want to thank you."

"What for?" You asked, watching as he took a couple strides forward until he was close enough to touch.

"It's just..." He smiled. "You're so sweet and you're so kind, you even let me crash here even after I dragged you to a stupid party you didn't even want to go to."

"How did you know—"

"You're clearly not the party type," He chuckled. "I can tell. But you still went with me and..." He trailed off, unsure of what to add.

"And what?" You pressed, tangling your hand in your blanket in an effort to keep yourself from touching him.

"I think I like you," He shook his head quickly. "I know I like you. I do, _____." You couldn't believe your ears.

Jeon Jungkook, the man who slept around with anything that had a pulse and was impossible to nail down, liked you? The man women tried, time and time again, who was notorious for never even developing feelings...had a crush on you?

"I..." You shifted to sit on your knees so you could reach his height. "I like you too, Jungkook. I've had such a great time with you and...I really feel lucky that you chose me."

"Of course I did," He smiled, combing his fingers through your hair. You leaned into his touch, eyes flicking to his lips with a sudden urge to kiss him. "You're an...incredible woman."

“Jungkook…” You whispered, getting lost in the way his eyes sparkled even in the dim light.

Before you could even think of stopping yourself, you surged forward and pressed your lips against his. He tasted vaguely like the alcohol he’d consumed hours earlier. You whimpered, clutching the front of his shirt in your fists as if he would slip away if you let him go.

His hands gripped your hips, your body being pressed into his at the motion. As your lips moved together flawlessly, you wrapped your arms around his neck to thread your fingers through his hair. Your heart skipped a beat in your chest when you felt him lightly grinding his hardening length against your stomach. Suddenly, he pulled back from the kiss — lips swollen and chest heaving as he caught his breath.

“A-Are you sure you want to do this?” He asked, brushing his nose against yours as he pecked your lips softly once again.

“Y-Yes please,” You whimpered, tugging his shirt to pull him onto the bed.

You laid back as he climbed on top of you, balancing his weight on his hands on either side of your head. He looked so delectable, eyes dark and pierced lip caught between his perfect teeth.

“This is your first time, right?” He asked softly, leaning down to rest his forehead against yours as you nodded. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take care of you.”

A cocky smirk crossed his lips as he sat up, reaching down to tug the hem of his shirt over his head. Your breath caught in your throat at the sight; his body was toned and it was clear he worked out judging by the muscles adorning his body.

His hands travelled up your calves and across your bare thighs. Goosebumps prickled the skin in the wake of his touch as he skimmed over your shorts to sneak up the hem of your shirt. His fingers were soft as they touched the smooth skin of your stomach.

He leaned down and met your lips in another searing kiss as his hand finally cupped your bare breast. He thumbed at your nipple, making you whimper into the kiss and arch your back. Pinching your nipple, he smirked at the way you gasped and closed your legs tightly around his waist in an effort to ease the tension growing between them. Taking your squirming and whining as a good sign, he worked your shirt above your head.

You let him, panting beneath him as he threw the clothing away — leaving your breasts exposed to him. Immediately, he was showering them with attention as he cupped them and pinched your perked buds before his mouth enveloped one into his hot mouth.

You cried out, tugging at his hair as his tongue made an appearance — a foreign object brushing against your nipple.

“J-Jungkook!” You gasped, biting your lip to hold in the embarrassing noises that wanted desperately to escape.

He popped off your bud with another smirk. “You like that?”

“Y-Your tongue it’s…” You trailed off.

“Pierced,” He completed your thought, sticking his tongue out to show off the silver ball situated on it. “Yeah and it can feel a lot better on your little cunt than your pretty tits.”

You flushed at his dirty words but couldn’t deny the way you gushed into your panties. He chuckled darkly, no doubt catching onto your thoughts.

“Do you want that?” He asked which you immediately nodded, not even bothering to hesitate.

He hooked his fingers into the band of your shorts and panties, tugging them both down. Perhaps there was still a bit of a buzz in your system because you couldn’t find it in yourself to be embarrassed. You felt needy, your cunt dripping wet because of him — and he’d barely done anything.

He scooted down the bed until his head was between your thighs. He pushed your knees open, eyes falling to your pussy. You watched as he licked his lips, using his thumbs to spread your folds apart so your twitching hole was exposed to him.

“Kook…” You whimpered, embarrassment catching up to you finally the longer he stared at your cunt.

“So pretty baby,” He whispered, pressing a kiss to your thigh. “So wet and ready for me. Can’t wait to sink my cock in this tight little cunt.” “P-Please, Jungkook,” You whimpered, arching your hips towards him as his dirty words made you gush.

“Good girl, so polite,” He grinned, before he dove in and licked a thick strip up your cunt — collecting your juices on his tongue with a moan. His tongue ring grazed your clit, making your back arch.

He gripped your hips, anchoring you in place as he began to eat you like a man starved. He was sloppy and wet, letting your juices and his saliva drip down his chin. The moans he let out were sinful, as if eating your cunt was the best delicacy he ever tasted.

You gripped his hair and the sheets, needing something to ground yourself through the overwhelming pleasure. He sucked on your clit, lashing at the sensitive bud with his tongue until you were trembling beneath him.

Suddenly he pulled his face away, his lips and chin soaked with a mixture of your juices and saliva. His gaze was dark and he was breathing heavily — arousal weighing down his very being. You whined at the loss when he sat up, wiping his mouth quickly before he began to pull at his belt.

“Fuck, you got me so hard,” He growled. “Got my cock so hard. Your little cunt gets so wet, doesn’t it?”

“Jungkook…” You whined, sitting up as he pushed his jeans down to reveal he wasn’t wearing any underwear beneath them.

“What is it, baby?” He asked, wrapping his fist loosely around himself with a sigh of relief.

“Can I…” You cleared your throat, averting your gaze from his as his eyes burned into you. “Can you...teach me how to…”

“How to what?” He asked, reaching forward to brush some hair out of your face. ”How to suck my cock?”

“Y-Yes…” You whispered, swallowing thickly.

“Fuck,” He breathed, nodding his head as he fisted your hair. You whimpered, allowing him to drag your face closer to his cock. “Open your mouth.”

You did as you were told, allowing your mouth to fall open. Jungkook’s own mouth fell open as your mouth enveloped the hot head of his cock. You closed your lips around him, swirling your tongue on the tip of him. The taste of his precum on your tongue made your cunt clench pathetically.

Jungkook groaned, eyes rolling back. “Take me a bit deeper. You’ll probably have a bad gag reflex but we’ll work on that.”

Your heart fluttered at the promise of seeing him again and allowing him to teach you new and exciting things. Doing as he told you, you took him as deep as you comfortably could. He felt hot and heavy on your tongue, hard as steel with a thick pulsing vein on the underside but velvet soft skin.

Jungkook cupped the back of your head, leading you in the proper motions of sucking him off. With every pulse of his cock, more of his precum danced along your tastebuds.

Then with a defeated groan, he pulled out — wrapping his fist tightly around himself.

“Don’t wanna cum in that dirty mouth,” He growled, letting go of your hair to let you lay back down.

“Please Jungkook,” You whined, wrapping your arms around him to pull him into a kiss.

“Fuck,” He growled, spreading your thighs over his so your cunt was open for the thick head of his cock.

You held your breath as he positioned himself at your entrance. You were wet enough for him to slide in with ease, the stretch stinging but not unbearable. He stopped to let you adjust, his body trembling as your cunt spasmed around him.

Once he felt you relax beneath him, he pulled back — a long gasp escaping you as he did so before being cut off when he slammed himself back. His hips slapped against yours as he leaned over to kiss you once again. Every gasp and whine you let out was captured in his mouth, which he eagerly swallowed down.

He set a soft pace, not wanting to be too rough for your first time. The idea that his cock was the first in your pussy had him throbbing, on the verge of cumming. It was almost pathetic how quickly the idea of stuffing your virgin cunt set him off.

“J-Jungkook!” You sobbed, digging your nails into his back. “F-Feels so good.” “Yeah?” He growled, angling his hips to hit your g-spot with terrifying accuracy. “You’re so tight. Wanna make you cum…”

As soon as the words left his lips, he was bringing his thumb to his lips, wetting it with his tongue before circling your hardened clit in time with his thrusts. Your eyes rolled back in your head as you sobbed out in pleasure, trembling beneath him as you were pushed closer and closer to the delicious release you were desperate for.

Jungkook let out a series of soft curses as you tightened impossibly around him as you came, walls clamping and spasming in the throes of your pleasure. He didn’t slow or stop until you were sobbing and pushing his hand away from your sensitive bud.

One glance at the blissful, fucked out look in your eyes was enough to send him over the edge as well. He pulled out, making you whimper at the loss before wrapping his hand around his cock and jerking himself until he came in hot ribbons across your stomach. It dripped down to your cunt and he had to urge to use his fingers to stuff it into you but fought it.

The two of you sat in silence for a second, catching your breath before he stood up and grabbed your shirt from the floor to clean up his cum. You didn’t mind, the soft material also wiping away the sweat that had built up over your skin.

After a moment, Jungkook laid beside you, taking you into his arms with a sigh. “You owe me breakfast,” You mumbled sleepily.

“Huh?” He replied.

“In the morning,” You whispered. “Take me for breakfast before class?”

Jungkook was silence for several long seconds, opening his mouth before closing it again as he decided what to say before settling on “Y...Yeah.”

His response was the last thing you heard as you finally fell asleep with his warmth around you and his heart pounding in his chest against your ear.

Your eyes fluttered open and the first thing you noticed was the bright sunlight filtering through the window. You blinked sleepily, waiting for yourself to wake up a bit more.

The second thing you noticed was the soreness of your body, it felt like you had a touch workout the day before but it was a pleasant feeling. You rolled over onto your back, noting the way your stomach was starting to growl with hunger.

The memory of the promise of a nice breakfast date made you smile and you looked beside you only to be met with an empty bed. Sitting up, you touched to sheets, they were cold. He'd been gone for a while.

You grabbed your phone off the night table, noting you would have to go to class soon, and brought up Jungkook's contact.

To: Jeon Jungkook [11:22AM] Where are you?

You waited for several seconds, watching as it tried to send. Your heart began to speed up in your chest when you realized it couldn't be delivered.

As you stared at your screen, your alarm began to ring indicating you had to get up for class.

It was difficult to get ready as you kept checking your phone to see if your text got delivered. Every time you did, you were only disappointed.

You went to class with a dull ache in your chest.

As you walked across campus towards the cafe, you heard rowdy laughter, drawing your attention to a group of men. In the center, being playfully shoved by his friends was Jungkook. Adjusting your bag on your shoulder, you made a beeline for him.

"Jungkook!" You called, watching as all five men stopped and turned their attention to you. "Where did you go this morning?"

There was a beat of silence before Jungkook let out a big sigh and shook his head.

"Come on guys," He said.

As he passed you, not even casting a single glance at you, you got a whiff of his sweet perfume and tears filled your eyes. His friends let out soft snickers and whispers you couldn't make out, leaving you there feeling humiliated.

You realized immediately you had been a complete fool the entire time.

Shaking your head, you decided going to class was the last thing you wanted to do. You skipped and trekked the familiar path to your close friends dorm.

Knocking harshly on the door, as the doorbell was broken, you bit the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from crying. The lock on the door clicked and then Hoseok's face came into view.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" He asked, running a hand through his wet hair. He must have just gotten out of the shower, you noted. "What's the matter?" He quickly asked, noticing immediate that you were upset.

"I'm an idiot is what's wrong," Your voice came out a harsh whisper as your throat felt too tight from holding back your tears.

Hoseok looked behind you and down the halls before pulling you inside his dorm. Locking the door, he turned back to you to find tears falling down your cheeks.

"What happened?" He asked, leading you to sit beside him on his couch.

"You were right," You nodded, sniffling softly. "I should have stayed away from him."

"From who?" He asked, brows furrowed.

"Jungkook," You spat his name.

"Oh..." He sighed, jaw locking. "Taehyung mentioned you were with him at the party..."

"I'm sorry, Hoseok," You cried. "I know you told me to stay away but...I didn't think he was really that bad."

He sighed, pulling you in for a hug. "It's alright, he's a charming bastard. I understand why you would end up liking him."

That day, Hoseok also skipped work to hang out with you and cheer you up. He even invited Taehyung over after he got done with class.

"Where the hell is he?" Hoseok complained, watching the hours tick by as Taehyung was later and later than his promised arrival time.

"Hopefully he's picking up food," You called from the kitchen as you looked through his barren fridge. "How do you not starve?"

"I eat out mostly!" He called back.

You were about to open your mouth to tell him how unhealthy h is diet was when the door opened and slammed shut. Wandering into the living area, you saw Taehyung huffing as he kicked his shoes off.

"You alright Tae?" Hoseok asked, brow raised.

"I am never speaking to Park Jimin again!" Taehyung growled, storming past you into the kitchen where he opened the fridge and groaned. "Why haven't you got any fuckin' food?!"

"He eats out," You replied, chuckling softly when Taehyung threw his head back and groaned obnoxiously.

"Why aren't you friends with Jimin anymore?" Hoseok asked as the two of you wandered in and took a seat around him.

"Because he's a scumbag along with that Jeon Jungkook fucker!" Taehyung snapped, grabbing Hoseok's beer can off the table and taking a few sips. The eldest didn't complain, simply watched and waited for Taehyung to continue.

"Care to share with the class?" Hoseok asked. Your eyes were fixed on Taehyung, waiting eagerly for any word on Jungkook. Maybe an explanation since you couldn't get one from him — judging by the fact he'd blocked your number.

"Apparently," Taehyung huffed. "Jungkook had called dibs on ______ to get her to sleep with him," You gasped at the admission. "Jimin knows you're one of my best friends and he didn't even think of telling me that Jungkook was gonna fuck with you like that! What kind of bullshit is that?"

"What are they, in high school?" Hoseok growled. "Claiming girls like that, what the fuck, man."

"I'm sorry, _____," Taehyung mumbled, standing up to bring you in for a hug. "I know you liked him."

"It's okay," You whispered, fighting back tears again. "It was my fault for being tricked."

"It's not your—"

"It is though," You sighed. "I was stupid. I knew the stories and reputation he had. Hoseok even warned me. I have only myself to blame," There was a beat of silence as Hoseok and Taehyung shared a look. "How about we watch a movie, huh?"

Like that, the topic dissipated and it wasn't brought up again.

When Im Changkyun approached you, cheeks dusted a cute pink, you were charmed immediately. You didn't know much about him, he was a new transfer but he was kind and funny so you agreed to the date.

It wasn't until a month into your new relationship that you realized you apparently attracted douchebags. You found out, stupidly, that he'd been cheating on you.

You fumed just thinking about it; he'd texted you a risque text while drunk but it wasn't meant for you.

The second he was sober, you dumped him and found yourself watching movies with Taehyung and Hoseok once again to cure your heartbreak.

"I'm never dating again," You whined, slouched on the loveseat wrapped in Hoseok's favorite blanket that you loved to steal. He wouldn't tell you where he got it so you hijacked it whenever you were at his house.

"Don't be dramatic," Hoseok chuckled from where he sat beside Taehyung. "I'm serious! Almost all men are trash and I'm tired of it!" You whined, eyes fixed on the TV.

"Holy shit..." Taehyung suddenly whispered, sitting up straight, where he sat. "What?" Hoseok and you asked at the same time.

"Im Changkyun and Jeon Jungkook got into a fight," The three of you immediately fell silent.

"...Why?" You asked, suspicious that your two exes had beefed.

"Um, well..." Taehyung shifted nervously, seemingly not wanted to reveal the reason.

Hoseok, suspecting such as well, yanked his phone from his hands — ignoring the argumentative cry that came from the younger.

"Because Jungkook..." Hoseok's jaw fell open in surprise, making you finally sit up fully.

"What? What?!" You cried. "Tell me!"

Taehyung stole his phone back from Hoseok and stuffed it in his pocket with a sigh.

"Because Jungkook found out Changkyun cheated on you!" They both told you at the same time.

You were frozen still, brows furrowed as you attempted to process that information. A litany of questions clouded your thoughts but the main one was; why did Jungkook even care?

Later, when you had just stepped into your apartment and kicked off your shoes, your phone buzzed. Sighing, you pulled it out, hoping you wouldn't have to go back to Hoseok's for something.

What you saw, however, made your heart race.

From: Jungkook [8:19PM] Can we talk?

© httpjeon 2019. do not repost or modify.

[thetaoofzoe]

Fic: The Hand and The Hammer

August Walker x Reader (YOU)

Word count: 5K, Explicit

Summary: August Walker has been living rent free in your head for five years. For half a decade, you had been deployed all across the world to hunt down the elusive anarchist, all because of a long standing one sided love/hate relationship between he and your unhinged employer.

Thanks to @lightsidecalling​ for your support

Part I

You lie beneath cool white sheets, watching the white-yellow wash of early morning sunlight tickle at the edges of billowy sheer curtains. It takes several minutes for the light to seep through the curtains, spill across the bare stone floor and then paint indulgent stripes of gold across your duvet.  

Throwing off the sheets to allow the rising sun to caress and warm your naked skin, you close your eyes and bask in the heat like a contented house cat.  

You have absolutely nothing to do today. Your diary is gloriously empty of responsibilities and just as you've done for the last three weeks, you fully intend to take advantage of your free time.

You stretch and yawn,  feeling comfortable exactly where you are, and you consider sleeping in. However, your stomach growls and abruptly the quest for food is suddenly top priority. You grab the mobile phone that's tucked beneath the pillow and the face brightens at a touch.

You can see that it’s almost eleven am.

You perk up at the rattle of a room service cart being wheeled through the sitting room outside of your bedroom door.

Right on time, you think.

You had requested that breakfast be brought round at a certain time, and everyday,  it was there without delay. The staff in the rented oceanside bungalow was always on the ball, always attentive and you appreciated that.

Rising easily, you walk lightly across the cool stone floor to the adjoining bath.  Powdered and perfumed,  you dress in a light, peach coloured sundress and sandals.

An ocean breeze ruffles your dress when you step out onto the sunny patio where breakfast is waiting. It is quite a spread, for just one person, with juice, coffee and tea services, seasonal fruits, cheeses, breakfast meats and a lovely stack of golden french toast that is still pert and fresh from the cooker. You walk to the shade provided by the umbrellas over the long glass table and help yourself to the food.

Nearly  a half hour later, the service door behind you slides open on quiet rollers and you can hear your assistant striding across the paving stones.

'Phone call for you,' he says in that gentle familiar voice.

You replace the coffee cup on the saucer and shift, fully expecting him to slip a thin mobile phone into your hand. Instead, he lays a bulky black leather case on the table. You look down at it and swear under your breath.

It is the satellite phone. And the satellite phone means only one thing.

You pick it up and hold the earpiece it to your ear.

The messenger down the line delivers the information quickly, sparing no words and then asks if you understand. You say that you do and the call is disconnected.

So much for a day of nothing.

You finish your breakfast and return to your bedroom. Waiting for you on the freshly made bed  are two white envelopes. You pick up the larger of the two. In it is a stack of your destination's local money, and airline tickets. You tuck that envelope into your handbag, dress in comfortable, but chic travel clothing and pack a small carry-on.

You then pick up the second, smaller envelope that you know contains information regarding the target. This envelope, unlike the first, is sealed with a black wax stamp. You recognise the initials of your employer and the envelope comes open with a flick of your fingernail. You slide out a black and white photo and have an immediate and unnamed visceral reaction to seeing the face. Unconsciously clenching your teeth you resist the urge to rip the cursed photo to pieces.

'Fuck...' you mutter, glaring down at the strong, unbearably handsome face peering back at you.

It was the infamous Hammer.

August Walker.

Again.

You struggle to get yourself in hand and after a long,  cleansing breath, you turn the photo over and read the neatly printed message about a lonely summer in Italy addressed to a fictional, 'My darling Véronique.'

With picture still in hand, you walk to your writing desk. Opening the top drawer, you pull out a piece of white card-stock paper that has in it, several cut out ovals of different sizes. You’d received this little holey card-stock in the post three weeks earlier with no accompanying explanation, and while it was strange, you knew enough about your employer's methods to keep it.  

Lining up the white card over the writing, you read the secret message revealed by the ovals.

'Target - August Walker. Find and Take Alive.'

'Ohh,' you groan, exasperated. 'Not this again.'

August Walker has been living rent free in your head for five years. For half a decade, you had been deployed all across the world to hunt down the anarchist, all because of a long standing one sided love/hate relationship between he and your unhinged employer.

You were good at your profession. Very good. And you had no trouble using your skill and your people to get close to hard targets. Yet, August Walker was not a bloody hard target and was NOT hard to find as he seemed to leave a trail of destruction and bodies that in turn led directly back to him!

So much for subtlety.

So it didn't matter much that you were able to pinpoint his location or get a visual bead on him days after the start of an assignment, as your employer invariably hit the mission abort button because 'things had changed'.

You were still paid handsomely. But being at the whim of a mad employer made you start to hate August Walker a little as well.

At least, at first.

Your hate soon turned from a hot coal sitting heavily in your gut to little butterflies that frantically scrambled about at the sight of him.

Over the course of your assignments, you'd had the opportunity to see him do nearly everything ranging from eating, to fighting, to blowing up buildings. The way he moved during a fight, his well-placed blows, his underhanded methods of winning were intoxicating to watch. The man was an absolute menace.

You'd told yourself that your physical delight was just a response to your clear admiration for his chaotic skills.

That admiration was purely professional, of course!

But the more you followed and watched him,  the more those little butterflies of admiration ignited into an unquenchable fire that only your hand seeking out a little self-pleasure beneath the duvet could put out.

But honestly, you would have fallen on your proverbial sword before you admitted to yourself that you found everything about August Walker, sexy.

And then he disappeared.

No destruction, no bodies and the trail was cold.

During the rest of that assignment, you didn't see him for two month until the night he climbed through the french windows of your Parisian hotel room.

To say that you were surprised to see him was an understatement.

But there he was, standing in your bedroom, like a fever dream, with that ridiculous moustache and that infuriating smirk.

He did not give you the opportunity to react, before he was upon you.

But that didn't matter, for you wrapped yourself around him, greedy and eager and August Walker took his time showing you how much of a menace he truly was.

You neglected to tell your employer about those few glorious hours of mission deviation.

No use throwing petrol on that unstable fire, you'd decided.

You were pulled from the field shortly after that because 'things had changed' and it was no longer necessary to bring in the target.  

Your last and most recent assignment ended in Beirut ten months ago. You had come so close to legitimately ensnaring him. You had been in top form and August had been cunning, but it was not enough to elude you. You'd had him dead to rights and all you had to do was give the word to tighten the noose round his neck. But before you could, that damned satellite phone call dragged you back from the brink.

And you remembered standing there, dirty, and exhausted on a crumbling rooftop watching that smug bastard escape through the streets below on a stolen motorbike.

The only thing that soothed you was a text from a blocked number, received a week after the Beruit incident, that read, 'Next time, baby.'

You had to laugh at that. It was so something August would do.

Coming back to the present and shaking yourself of your memories, you realise that you're still standing in your oceanside bedroom holding the photo of August Walker. Checking the time, you see that you're going to be late and you grab your bags.

The photo along with the cardstock go into the shredder, and you listen to the machine choke down the evidence as you leave the room.

Your flight to Heathrow is late arriving and the  airport is as busy as ever, full of children escaping on their summer hols and tourists out to see the world. You walk confidently through the melee and to the taxi stand outside. You want to get to your hotel quickly and have a nap, as you need to be sharp to handle what's coming your way.

**

Part II

Later that evening in your hotel, you shower and scrub up thoroughly, excited about the prospects of the evening's plan. You powder and perfume your body carefully and choose a pair of glossy red high heeled court shoes to go with your black dress. You feel sharp, clear-eyed and ready for a little fun. This assignment was going to be played on your terms and was probably going to be your last.

Carrying your kit bag with all of your tools, you hum along with the lift music (The Girl from Ipanema) as you descend to the lobby where your contact waits. You follow him to a black car waiting outside and climb inside.

As you are driven through the city, your contact sits next to you not saying a word. Your only form of communication is through the tablet he puts on your lap. You look down at the digital photo on the screen.

It is an image of August in what looks like a dance club. Only he didn't look like he was there to pick up women, or to have drinks with friends. He looked big and bulky and out of place amongst the scantily clad glittery people having a fun night out. He looked like he was lurking, and waiting for something.

'That was taken one minute ago,' says the contact as the car, caught by a traffic light, slows to a stop.

'In that one.' 

The contact points towards the window on your side of the car.

Your eyes follow the line of his finger to the brightly lighted neon sign spelling out the name of a club.

'Am I on the list?' you ask and a sudden giggle surprises you.

You open your mouth to apologise for the awkward comment, but you grab your kit bag and slam the door without waiting for a reply.

You walk up to the front of the club and survey the queue waiting to get in. You count up the number of bouncers but keep walking. You make a quick right, cut through the alleyway and come up to the backside of the club. There is a young woman wearing the club's uniform, standing under the emergency building light, and using her weight to keep open the rear door. She is smoking and scrolling through her mobile.

'Hullo,' you say pleasantly, as you approach, your heels clicking on the dry  macadam.

She raises her bleary bloodshot eyes to peer at you. You look at her name tag and under her name is a strip of tape on which is scrawled, 'Barkeep trainee'.

She looks like she is having a rough night as if she didn't know how to handle all of the drinks that overly generous customers bought for her, as the bartender.

'You're not supposed to actually drink it when they buy it for you, you know. You're supposed to spit it into your empty beer bottle.'

Her only answer is a wet burp.

Grinning and shaking your head, you put a finger to your lips and make a soft shushing noise as you put two hundred quid into her hand. Then without asking, you enter the club.

Once inside, the whole world shakes around you, vibrating with the thunderous bass that accompanies some nameless, formless song. You lean against the wall between the men's and the ladies' toilets for a moment, letting your eyes adjust to the dim lightning. The scent of urine and alcohol permeates your hiding place, but you don’t mind, as you aren’t going to be hiding there for very long. The ancient cigarette machine across the narrow corridor seemed to eye you disapprovingly.

'Yeah, I don't want to be here either,' you mutter.

Opening your kit bag, you fish out your small purse. In it are your syringes, and vials of incapacitating drugs. You are going to go in there with all guns blazing and August Walker is not going to know what hit him. You even left the satellite phone in the hotel room. You weren't going to give your employer an opportunity to back out of the deal and order you to let him escape. Again.

Squaring your shoulders, you stride into the main hall. The club is partitioned into two levels, where the floor above overlooks the main floor on all four sides. You stand by the lower bar and let your keen eyes crawl all over the neon lighted faces. The music screams unpleasantly and immediately your head starts to hurt.

It is the stress, you think.

The stress and the travelling and you haven’t had any water all day.

But instead of water, you order a whisky sour and drink it quickly. It doesn’t quell your headache, but it bolsters your mood. You continue to look around and honestly, if he hadn't moved, you would have never spotted him up on the second level.

Your heart picks up speed.

Dear God, there he is. The unbearably sexy August Walker.

Ducking away from the bar, you go round to where the stairs dog-leg to the next level. Once up there, you weave your way through the thick standing crowd. Then you just stop moving and the crowd buffets you for a moment. You realise that in your zeal to just get your hands on August, you have no other plan.

Sure, you were going to jab him with the hypodermic, but what were you going to do if his knees just gave out beneath him. You would have to make a scene to get your contacts in there to drag the big man away. You were not going to be able to haul him down to the car on your own. And the last thing you wanted to do was to draw attention to yourself.

You growl with frustration and push your way to the more intimate bar at the back of the area. It is just a little quieter there and you take the needed space and time to regroup. You order another whisky sour and face the bar to drink it and think.

Have I been hasty?

Am I unprepared for this?

Has my judgement been clouded by my hubris?

A tall man comes close to you at the bar, but you ignore him. He is probably just ordering something and will move off soon. But when he doesn’t order, or move away, you turn to look up at him, ready to give him the business.

August Walker towers over you, smirking and looking like the cat that ate the canary.

In your mind, you know that you should feel angry, or disappointed, or even afraid, but you can't bring yourself to feel anything but relief.

He grabs you up by the arm and all but pulls you through the crowd and to one of the private rooms in the back. The room he picks is dim and backlit with baby pink and purple lights and the furniture looked soft and fun. The room is also clearly occupied by several people who looked to be having a private coke party in the corner.  However they do not object to your sudden presence.

August crowds you up against the soft bubbly wall, one hand against it above your head and the other hovering at your waist.

'I'm going to search you,' he says, his eyes boring into yours.

A surge of heat rushes up inside you, but whether it was from anguish or arousal, you aren’t sure. Two whiskey sours on a stomach that only had jelly babies is making everything start to blur together.

'No you will not!' you manage to growl indignantly.

He raises a dark brow. His smirk lengthens into something more mischievous and his blue eyes warm considerably and you know he's not a threat.

'Then show me that you are not armed.'

'You can go fuck yourself.'

August  grunts with amusement and you bite your lip.

This is not the time to bring up sex.

You can see the wheels turning in his head and he heaves himself backwards. With the movement, you catch his scent and you are immediately rocketed back to the night he positively wrecked you. You remembered feeling deliciously tender for the rest of that week. 

The demon inside you lurches in its metaphorical cage.

Want him, want him, want...

He holds open his plain  black suit jacket with both hands in an obvious effort to show that he is wearing his weapon in a hip holster. Unfortunately, all you can see is how his tie nestles quite contentedly between his big, meaty pecs.

The demon in the back of your mind reminds you that he's got soft hair on his chest and belly and you fight the desire to touch him.

August clears his throat and catches your attention.

Yes, you think. Yes, focus. His face is right there, focus. Not on the memory of that beautiful chest.

He quirks his brows to indicate that you need to show that you aren't packing. But you are only wearing a thin dress with a light half jacket and couldn't possibly be hiding anything. Instead, you cock your head and mock him, opening your little half jacket to show him you weren't armed. At least not in that spot.

August seems to accept it, because he is obviously more interested in the reason why you are there.  

'It's time to end this.'

'End what?' you ask feigning innocence.

He takes your handbag, and opens it before you can protest. Seeing the contents, he flattens his lips into a tight line and then tosses the bag onto the floor. You watch it roll over once and come to rest in the corner.

'Stop. Following. Me,' he growls and leans in closer obviously using his powerfully built frame to intimidate you.

'I-- I can't. I have a job to do.'

You keep your face turned away, eyes still on the handbag in the corner. 

It’s the only way that you can remain sane with him this close.

Against your back you can feel the thump of muted music, you can smell his cologne and hear the faraway voices of the other occupants. You are starting to drift a little more, buoyed by the particular pleasure you’re receiving from his attempt to cow you.

August is good at reading people and when his big hand come to rest at your waist, you know he’s read you like an open book. He slides that hand to the small of your back and the other hand reaches down to touch you where your dress hem meets your lower thigh.

He arches you against him and you let out a soft  eager gasp.

'Well... well...'

His voice is low, breath warm against your temple and he sounds excruciatingly self satisfied.  

'What am I gonna have to do to get you off my back?'

Mmm there is that tone again. That tone that tells you that he is a man who does not mince his words. He is a man who is unafraid to show his intentions with his actions. Your heart wrenches in your chest. You feel sexy and mysterious in his presence. You are the woman he can’t get enough of. You are in control, not him, and deep down, August knows it.

You roll your head away from where you were looking at the purse. You look up into his eyes and  slide your arms about his neck.  

August needs no other prompting. His big hands tighten round your waist and he heaves you up off of your feet. One of your court shoes slips off of one foot and when you land on your knees astride his lap on the soft, pink couch, you grab the heel of the other and fling it over to its mate.

August Walker is an incredible specimen of male human form. His smirking face and ridiculous moustache arouses feelings of frustration and anger in you even as his thumbs inch up the hem of your dress. The foolishness of your flighty employer, August's elusiveness (for the most part) and the whole incomprehensibility of your futile, prematurely aborted missions, all suddenly  come to a head.

You sit back on his lap and scowl, giving his meaty chest a thump with the base of your loosely curled fist. That stops him and surprise is evident in his blue eyes. You narrow your eyes in return and baring your teeth slightly, you tighten your fist and hit him again. Harder.

Then again, even harder.

You pull  him up by his neatly knotted tie and slap his face. The sound of skin on skin is loud in the quiet room.

Oh, that felt good.

A second stretches into an eternity between you and you watch a mixture of hurt,  and something else that decidedly wasn't anger ghost across his face. It was arousal. Slapping him across the face obviously turned him on.

You huff a laugh and he grins, the challenge is clear.

'Looks like you wanna play,' he rumbles darkly.

August reaches both hands beneath your dress and grabbing your knickers, he drags them down your trembling thighs.

‘Up,’ he instructs you and when you  rise to your knees he slaps your ass and grabs an indulgent handful. 'Good girl.'

You yelp and moan with delight, steadying yourself with both hands against him. With his help, you manage to only get one leg free, but you don't care. August has enough access and you watch him lick two fingers which he slides into your wet heat.

You gasp and shudder, lewdly pushing your hips towards him rocking in time with the motion of his fingers dragging across your sensitive slit.

Fuck... fuck! This shouldn't be happening, you think, trying to keep your thoughts from running together. Not here, not now this is crazy!

'C'mon,' August encourages you, warm hand stroking your bum. 'Take my cock out. I wanna fill that sweet little pussy up.'

You drop into his lap again to do as you were told. His cock is thick and hot in your hand and he groans when you give him an experimental squeeze. August cups your hips and lifts you again. There's no longer any perceivable space between the two of you and when you let him push you down on his ready cock, there is no longer any singular breath. It's just one breath, your shared breath.

You wrap your arms about his shoulders and bury your face into his neck. You  need his steadiness to keep from exploding into tiny pieces.

'You drive me crazy,' you gasp, breathless from the rush of heat drowning you.

August holds you and you match the motion of his body. It isn't long until he has built a relentless rhythm and you are begging him for release. You can feel yourself taking out all of your pent up frustrations on him. The heat and strength of him inside you is enough to drive away all of your fears and worries, replacing them with pleasure.

You lift your head and kiss him. His mouth is soft and yielding and you are confused by this new tide of tender emotions that rush in on the aftermath of your orgasm.  

You melt against him, hiding your face in his neck to recover from the high and just like during his unexpected visit to your hotel all those months ago, August caresses you until you're able to recover.

You hum softly and open your eyes to sheepishly peek at the other people still in the pink and purple room. They're far away enough, but you can see that they are way too coked out to care about what you two deviants are doing.

'They know you're here,' you murmur after a moment, stroking his stubble rough cheeks and smoothing his rumpled curls.

'Hmm.'

'They got you on film.'

'I'll take care of it,' he whispers back, matching your intimate tone.

You nod and with a groan, you heave yourself off of him and stagger back to your feet. He grabs you to help you regain your balance and you're grateful for his quick reflexes. You didn't want to end the night falling and cracking your head open on a coffee table. There's a stack of napkins by the wine bottles on one of the tables. You grab a handful and hand some to him. You both avoid each other's eyes as you clean up and you grab your purse and shoes. 

Contemplating the contents of your purse you say to him, 'Are you gonna let me jab you with this?'

August grins quite suddenly and you are charmed by his disarming smile.

'No,' he says with laughter in his voice.

'Tsk... ok.'

You feign disappointment even though you know that you were going to go through with it anyway. 

Back in order, August pushes himself off of the couch. He takes you by the wrist and pulls you close. He holds your gaze, making sure that you cannot mistake his meaning.

'Come with me.'

You stare at him. Oh, it's so tempting that it hurts when you turn him down.

'You know my methods... why I do the things I do. You know, and I know you understand me.'

‘I understand. I understand. But I can’t.’

August flattens his lips into a grim line again, but he nods and releases you.

‘Don't forget to take care of that… thing,’ you tell him in parting.

You want to stay so badly. You want to run away with him and you nearly turn around when you reach the room door. But you force yourself to keep moving forward and out of his life.

There is a message waiting for you when you return to the hotel. 

Mission aborted. 

Reason - ‘things have changed’.

**

Part III

You lie in your oceanside bedroom listening to the room service cart rattling through the adjoining room. It's time to get up for breakfast. You get out of bed, stretch, yawn and disappear into the bath to wash up and prepare for another delightfully leisurely day.

The stone floor is warm against your bare feet and you walk towards the patio and out through the sliding doors. The mid-morning sunlight is blinding and you put a hand up to shield your eyes. The beach is empty today with only a few boats dotting the clear blue waves. Maybe a swim later is in order, you think as you turn towards the umbrella shaded breakfast table.

A strange sight makes you stop in your tracks. There is a dark haired man sitting at the table, with his eyes closed, and his face tilted up to catch the sun not blocked by the edge of the umbrella.

'August,' you whisper softly to yourself as if saying his name any louder would make the mirage fade away.

You walk closer and clasping your hands together, you hover at the far end of the table.

'August.'

Alerted to your presence, he lowers his head and opens his eyes to look at you. A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

'What are you doing here, August? You shouldn't be here... it... it isn't safe.'

'I came for you,' he says as if it were the most natural thing in the world to say.

'No. No, you're leaving now. Right now.'

He looks at you for a moment and with his foot, August slides out the chair next to him and gestures a lazy hand to it.

'Breakfast first.'

Sure, you think, rolling your eyes. Breakfast first. You sit down beside him.

August pours coffee for you. You watch him quietly and without really meaning to, you reach out to put your hand against his cheek. August stills at your touch and when he leans down to kiss you, you curl your fingers into his sun-warmed hair.

'Come with me,' he murmurs against your lips. 'I want you to be with me.'

'You know I can't.'

And even as the words come out of your mouth, you don't believe them.

August scoffs and is about to try another tactic, but is interrupted by the softly opening service door.

You watch your assistant approach with the heavy satellite phone. He gives August an impassive look and hands the phone to you. Your assistant also places two white envelopes on the table by your empty plate. August watches you put the phone up to your ear.

The messenger down the line is different this time, but delivers the information in the same monotone voice before asking if you understand.

'I understand,' you say. 'But... but, I will open the envelope before I agree to the job.'

A beat passes.

'Go on,' says the messenger.

You open the smaller of the two envelopes, the one with the black wax seal and pull out a photo of the target. You suck your lower lip between your teeth and turn the photo around to show August his own face.

'The target is August Walker,' you say.

'Have you seen him?'

You look directly into August's face. He looks apprehensive, you think. Does he think you'll turn him in? After all this?

'No, I haven't seen him. But I won't--'

/Take the job/, August mouths to you.  

'I mean I will take the job.'

You disconnect the call.

'Why did you want me to take the job?' you ask a sense of giddiness beginning to simmer in your gut.

'Because you'll never catch me.'

You tap the phone and grin.

'I can give you up right now.'

August glances at the phone.

'Will you?'

You smirk.

'Mmm, breakfast first.'

0-0 END 0-0

Thanks for reading and please like and reblog  💖 💖

[pretend-writer]

Invisible Man (Diego Hargreeves x reader)

Summary: Y/N confesses her crush to her best friend, Diego who happens to be someone who he is very familiar and close with.

Pairing: Diego Hargreeves x reader

Title Reference: Invisible Man x 98 Degrees

Word Count: 2.3k words

Warning: swearing, mention of death, fluff

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Diego’s POV

This man was all Y/N talked about, always wondering if this superhero was hiding among us just like us human beings. Was he a waiter at a local restaurant or was he working as a business man? 

My response was always ‘Yeah, maybe you’ve already met him.’ She would always laugh and say ‘No, there’s no way. I would know if I’ve met him.’ 

What she doesn’t know was that the guy she’s crushing over was me. Not me, me. But me in disguise.

The superpower I had was in my blood since I was born. My siblings and I were adopted by a man who raised us as a group of heroes that would stop crimes around town. 

Father named us by numbers, we never had a name. Until our "robot" mother decided to give us a name, since then I've been called Diego. To my father however, I was always Number Two.

He treated us the way he named us, some object for his experiment. Me and my six other siblings were nothing but a tool for his amusement. I always enjoyed fighting crimes because it made the rest of the town happy but I missed every single childhood that "normal" kids had.

Growing up in this household, I started to realize I had enough of my father's experiment. When I was old enough to leave my father and this "fantastic group" that he would call The Umbrella Academy, I walked through that front door and never looked back. That was the day I decided to throw away everything I was and live as Diego Hargreeves, a normal man with normal dreams.

But it wasn't for long.

I missed the feeling of accomplishment and the sense of worth I had when I fought the bad guys; the only time I felt like I was something, like I mattered to the world. That was when I decided I was going to be Number Two once again.

This time, I kept it a secret and hid my identity. Showing my true self would've been exactly what my father wanted; fame and fortune. I didn't want that, however; I did it for me and to save the citizens of this town. I didn't care for all of that other crap. Besides, Diego was the new me and I couldn't give that up.

Then I met Y/N, the person I've been in love with since I've laid eyes on her. She came by for boxing lessons one day and from that moment I knew she was someone special.

We've grew closer, eventually going to places like watching movies or mini-golfing. She would even invite me to her friends' house for parties and introduce me to them. This was the first time I felt like a part of something important, a family.

I always had that thought in my head where I told myself "Maybe she feels the same way." There were moments where I wanted to tell her the truth; my true feelings toward her. Then that one day when I planned everything out, that was when she started talking about Number Two.

"Number Two is so brave."

"I wonder if he's alone and needs a friend."

"He's always saving everyone, that's the most selfless thing anyone can do."

It was just so hard to see someone you love talk about another man. Especially when that person was someone you were really familiar with.

Some days I wanted to tell her that I was him. The person who she was looking for, the man of her dreams was right there in front of her.

But how can I?

She loved the man that was selfless and caring, saving everyone in the city one by one. Y/N loves the thrill of the mystery behind Number Two, his hidden identity and figure out who he can possibly be.

Not only will that ruin her fantasy, she would be disappointed that it would be me. Seeing her reaction would just crush me. It also wasn't worth losing an amazing friendship over. There was no way I could live without her, I couldn't lose her.

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'A ski trip?' I questioned Y/N as I sipped my coffee. 'It's in the middle of January, probably the coldest time of the year. You sure you want to go?'

'Diego, I've been planning this trip for months. You know how much I need this.' She did her puppy dog face, knowing there was no resisting.

Rolling my eyes, I chuckled. 'You'd go anyways even if I say it's a little dangerous. There's no stopping you.'

'That's right.' She grinned, 'Besides, it wouldn't be as tragic if something happened to me anyways.'

'Why would you say that?' I frowned, not waiting anything bad to happen to her.

'Number Two might come and save me.' Her grin got wider as she fantasized about being rescued. 'Wouldn't that be romantic?'

Faking a smile, I nodded. 'I guess but I wouldn't know though, I don't know anything about romance.'

'You don't have anyone you admire, Diego?'

'No.' Maybe I answered too quickly as I tried to hide my feelings. It didn't really matter because Y/N knew me too well and detected my fib easily.

'Well, whoever the girl is Diego, she must be really great.' She giggled.

'Yeah, she's amazing and beautiful.' I smiled but deep down I wasn't feeling alright. All those words were towards her but she didn't even know how great she was.

Y/N finished her coffee as she started eating her pastry. 'You know, we can invite you to the ski trip and maybe you'll be able to hit it off with this mystery girl.'

'No, no. I'd prefer to enjoy my Y/N free weekend.' She gasped and hit me on my arm playfully. 'I'm not joking.'

'Har har. I know you'll definitely miss me, Diego.'

'Yeah, I will.' This time, I didn't joke. It was only for a few days away from her but I know I'd think about her all the time.

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Y/N’s POV

Diego was right

I hated admitting he was right but dammit he was. I was walking around a snow storm which of course had to be on the day when my friends and I decided to snowboard.

The vision was terrible and I couldn't see anything but snow on my goggles. I knew that my two friends weren't near me because I haven't heard them say anything for a few minutes now.

No matter how much I shouted their names, I got nothing. They were most likely long gone and who knows, they probably lost each other too.

The longer I was here all alone with nothing but the sound of the wind blowing, the more scared I got. I've walked everywhere but I could be just walking in circles. At this point, I didn't know anymore.

Suddenly, I felt a grip on my wrist and heard whispers in my ear. 'Follow me, I'll help you.'

With the wind blowing strongly, I barely heard what he said but I knew for a fact it was a voice of a man. I had no choice but to follow him, it was either go with him or die in the cold snow.

As the man led me to God knows where, I silently followed from behind him as he continued to pull me through the snowstorms. Even though I had a sense of relief of someone actually saving me, I could've gotten kidnapped by some freak. I still didn't feel a hundred percent safe.

After a few more minutes of hiking, I saw a small shed where the man took us both in. The place must of been some kind of equipment storage as I saw a few things they sold to us down at the lodge.

As I patted some snow off of my face and the rest of my body, I laughed. 'Thank you for saving me back there. Or kidnapping me. Either way I'm out of the snow for now.'

I heard the man chuckle but hasn't said anything else. He looked around the snow equipments with his back against me as though he was highly intrigued, I could tell he was listening but wasn't much of a talker.

Deciding to have a good look at him, I took off my goggles. Getting a clearer view, I've recognized the black outfit, it was practically engraved in my mind. Granted the journalists never had clear pictures of the man, we all knew the signature mask and the outfit he always wore.

'Number Two? Is it really you?'

He stopped moving and froze in place as I figured out who the man really was. He still didn't want to turn around but I wish he did so I could officially thank him.

'I thought I was going to die out there so thanks for saving me, uhm sir?' I bit my lip and face palmed, thinking to myself "way to go dummy. what was I thinking saying that!?"

Number Two paced towards the door, about to leave me in the shed. I went up to him to try to stop him. I tapped on his shoulder, 'Wait!'

'Oh, oops. I didn't mean to touch you I'm so sorry sir. Anyways, uhm. I really admire you and your work so the fact that you came all the way here to save me means so much. Just thought you should know.'

Number Two continued to just stand there, frozen in place; He hasn't said a word either. I didn't want to move either especially because scaring him away was the last thing I wanted to do.

As I was about to give up, he slowly turned around, revealing his face with a mask covering around his eyes. This was the first time that anyone has seen Number Two upclose as in the articles, they all say he would vanish right after he saves the people in need. Hence the lack of photographs of him.

If there were pictures of him however, I would've definitely recognized the superhero as his face was too familiar. 'Diego?'

'Surprise?' He mumbled, looking down on the ground shyly as he avoided eye contact.

My mind froze as I was still trying to put two and two together. 'Wait... so all this time, it was really you?'

Diego nodded as he scratched the back of his head, 'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you.'

'No, it's-' I stuttered as my mouth didn't keep up with my mind. After all, there were so many thoughts running through my head.

'Don't worry, I made sure your friends were safe too. They're back in the cabin but they were really worried about you.' Diego spoke softly, knowing that I was still processing everything.

There were more I wanted to say to Number Two but now that I found out he was Diego all along, I didn't know the right words to say. Everything was confusing at first but as it gradually started to sink in, I realized who my feelings were really for this whole time.

Reaching for Diego's arm, I pulled him closer to me and stared into his eyes, 'Who's the girl?'

He cocked his head, confused on the change of the subject. 'What do you mean?'

'The girl you said that was amazing and beautiful. Who's the girl?'

Diego sighed, fighting in his mind whether to say it aloud or not. It took a lot of him to turn around and reveal his true identity, he wasn't sure if he was ready to reveal his feelings.

'It's okay, just say it.' All this time I was blinded by my infatuation for Number Two, I blocked out my real feelings for someone else. 'Tell me.'

'Y/N...' He had a nervous look on his face, having second thoughts about blurting out the next words. 'It's you, Y/N.'

I caressed his cheeks, inching slowly to his mask as I took it off of his face. He licked his lips which gave away that he was feeling vulnerable. Diego and I knew each other so well, we knew the body languages of one another. 'You're not fucking with me, right?'

Diego eyed me up and down, then shook his head. 'I'll never do that to you.'

With my hand back on his cheek, I pulled him in for a kiss. Diego was surprised, not expecting this outcome as he paused to take his new reality all in. As the realization hits Diego, he cupped my face and finally kissed me back.

Slowly pulling away, I breathed heavily. I looked into his eyes and smiled. 'Number Two was some crush I fantasized about but it was always you, Diego. I'm sorry it took me until now to realize that.'

'Don't apologize for anything. I just want you to be happy.'

'I am, I really am. Especially because you saved me from freezing to death or flying away in the snowstorm.'

'Glad I helped you when I had the chance.' The cute grin slowly turned into a chuckle.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I asked. 'What are you laughing about.'

'"Uhm, sir. I admire you so much."' Diego mocked me and laughed louder.

'Ah, can we not relive that please.' I scrunched my face, closing my eyes as if that would help the memory go away.

'Nu-uh! That was too funny. You know, I was this close to laughing my ass off, Y/N.' Diego crouched and held onto his stomach, dying of laughter.

'Oh my-' I covered my face from embarrassment. 'I was nervous okay! I didn't know what to say.'

'Okay, okay. It was cute though, don't worry.' I gave him a death glare, knowing that he'll never drop this conversation.

The cute and romantic moment was over, but I'm not surprised because of course it was. It was Diego for crying out loud, the boy who thought "romance stinks." But man, I loved my best friend so much; I couldn't hate him.

He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing again. 'Fine, fine I'll stop. We'll just talk about it again tomorrow.'

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taglist; @seiraswriting​

[worksofthedaemon]

Salt & Lime

Reno x Reader mini-fic

It was supposed to be a drabble.... and now it’s not, sorry *Shrugs* So I don’t know if I’m 100% happy, BUT I had a whole lotta fun writing this. I was chatting in a FFVII fandom group chat about the Turk’s drinks of choice, and most of us were in agreement that Reno is a fan of tequila.  And I guess thats where this came from!  Theres also a healthy dose of canon Rude crushing on Tifa ok sorry 

I hope you enjoy uwu

In the growing late Friday evening, a pleasant buzz filled the air in Seventh Heaven. Tifa was hard at work behind the bar; serving the regular punters, managing the riff-raff, brandishing gloved fists at the troublemakers, and barely a moment to polish glassware in between. 

Rude looked silently on from his seat at the end of the bar, giving him a clear view of the door, so he could monitor those coming and going, with a pleasant bonus of the dark haired girl behind the bar. The latter of which he was too proud to admit. Reno, however, saw right through his facade - and boy did he like to tease his partner. The second-in-command Turk sat adjacent to Rude, back to the door, leaning heavily on one elbow propped up on the bar. Shirt uneven and mostly unbuttoned, a stark contrast to Rude’s sharp appearance, who even after hours, maintained a straight tie and regularly checked his cuff-links.

Reno poorly hid his smirk behind his beer as he took a gulp from the bottle. He followed Rude’s gaze, masked by the shades he wore, as Tifa collected the empties on the bar and walked away with a customer service smile. Reno cleared his throat, and Rude snapped back to attention, averting his now chagrined expression away from his partner, catching a nervous cough in his gloved hand. 

Chuckling, Reno reached out to harmlessly jab his partners shoulder. “Yo, ease up. Your secret’s safe with me. Although…” Reno trailed off, glancing at Tifa, now serving the other patrons. “It won’t be much of a secret anymore if you keep being so goddamn obvious.” 

Rude refused to meet his partner’s eyes. “Don’t be absurd. I have nothi-”, 

“You gotta make a move sooner or later though. This tension is killing me, man.” Reno pretended not to hear, as he continued to lecture Rude about his crush. “Just call her over and ask her out - I’ll do it for you! Hey, Tif! Rude wants to-”

Rude immediately clapped a hand over Reno’s mouth before he could do any more damage, however, Tifa had already heard her name amidst the commotion and had turned her attention to the two of them, a perplexed look on her face.

“Did you guys need something?” She asked, hands on her hips. 

Rude dropped his hand from the other Turk’s mouth, revealing the annoying grin hidden there, and cleared his throat. “My apologies.”

Before she could turn away, Reno said, “My partner here was just going to order another round, and offer you a drink. Ain’t that right, Rude?”

Rude sighed, pulling his card from his breast pocket and placed it on the bar before Tifa. “That’s correct.”

Tifa paused, glancing between the two of them, before shrugging and collecting the card. “Why the hell not? Another single malt on the rocks and a house beer, coming right up.”, she declared, waltzing away. Basking in the awkward exchange he had caused, Reno drained the last drops of his beer and spun the bottle on the bar top. Rude looked like he was going to chide him, but instead he diverted his attention with a sidelong glance at the door. It was his turn to smirk.

“Time to practise what you preach.”

Puzzled, Reno glanced over his shoulder to see who had entered the bar. 

You strolled into Seventh Heaven, looking forward to that glass of wine that had been on your mind since you left work. Working repairs and maintenance at the weapon store wasn’t exactly a strenuous job, but it was a tedious and mentally draining one. Especially since, recently, the number of monsters spotted in the outskirts of the slums had been increasing as of late. Naturally, that meant more work for you. Not to mention the newly nested drakes in the warehouses. Business was booming, your pockets were heavy from the bonus you received, but it sure was tiring, and more than warranted a trip to your local bar after a long week of being hunched over gun grease and blow torches. 

Tifa met you with a bright smile and a wave as you approached, already reaching for the wine glasses hanging above to prepare your usual. You returned her smile, adding a two finger salute. It was then you registered the familiar shock of red hair from the corner of your eye. As usual, the same pair of Turks were seated at the far left side of the bar. They had been coming in for the past couple of months, though weren’t exactly sure why. Your best guess was that they weren’t under a watchful eye while down in the slums, no one to keep tabs on them while off duty. You were acquainted with them, occasionally chatted to them in passing when you ordered your drink. Well, chatted to the redhead at least. His partner was more akin to a chiselled statue than a man, and spoke as openly as one. Reno, on the other hand, over compensated for Rude’s lack of small talk. You had learned each of their names from Tifa, and Reno had coaxed your own from you after your third encounter at the bar. On the condition that he bought you a drink, of course. Typically, you didn’t like company, you preferred your own space, some time to clear your head after work. Nevertheless, you weren’t completely opposed to Reno’s efforts to socialise, and he was very easy on the eye.

Upon reaching the bar, you threw your phone down on top of it, shortly joined by the finger-less gloves you proceeded to tear from your hands. Tifa placed a glass of wine down in front of you, pursing her lips while she waited for you to take a sip. She never charged you for your drinks, since you did a lot of weapon repairs for them as a favour. You weren’t exactly a member of Avalanche, but you were friends with them, and did what you could to help out in a way you knew how without being directly involved. In return, Tifa waved your bar tab and hooked you up with a place at Stargazer Heights to stay. 

You picked up the glass, closing your eyes for a moment and savoured the crisp, oaky aromas that rose from the glass contents. Bringing the glass to your lips and taking a generous mouthful, you swallowed slowly, nodding your approval.

“Wow, Tifa, I’m impressed! Where did you steal this?” You accused, jokingly. 

Tifa clapped her hands together and laughed lightly. “It came from Wall Market!” She leaned forward slightly and cupped a hand over her mouth, adding with a whisper, “A crate of it fell from the Don’s cargo.”

You raised your eyebrows and gasped in exaggerated surprise. “Oh my, what a shame! Well, I suppose we’ll have to make the most of it, huh?”

From the opposite end of the bar, you caught sight of Reno, clearly listening in to your conversation. He was jabbing Rude in the ribs with an elbow and no doubt saying something cringe-worthy, as Rude’s reaction was to pinch the bridge of his nose,his lips forming a thin, disapproving frown. 

“Has Rude made a move yet?” You chided, playfully.

Tifa ‘tsked’ and rolled her eyes. “No, just the usual pleasantries. Can’t say the same for him though. He’s up to no good...” She made no gesture but it was clear that the ‘him’ implied Reno.

You smiled, knowingly. Reno loved to get under his partner’s skin, listening to them converse for a mere five minutes was enough to discern that much. You had neglected to admit that you liked Reno and hadn’t mentioned it to a soul. He was a Turk, and that was a huge problem. As far as first impressions go, you were seemingly cold towards people, so it was easy enough to shrug him off at first. However, that did not deter Reno, and he persistently flirted with you. You had picked up on it around a month ago. Not that you minded, but you knew for a fact you couldn’t get involved with a Turk. Despite this, you certainly couldn’t stop your mind from wandering to some particularly daring places.

“Well, I’ll go take my regular spot.” You stated, mentally shoving your forbidden thoughts to a vault in your mind. Sweeping up your phone and gloves from the bar top as you turned to go, you paused, twisting back towards Tifa, swilling the wine in your glass and adding, “I’ll be back for more of this, it’s amazing.”

Tifa simply nodded with acknowledgement, and went back to serving the Turks. Turning, you caught Reno’s eye, who was giving you a once over. You weren’t dressed-up in the slightest. Although, rocking your work clothes, you supposed the combat pants and cropped shirt you wore gave him a decent view of your defined shape. You couldn’t hide the half smile that twitched at the corner of your lips before walking over to your usual seat.

Reno watched as you sauntered over to a seat at the round table near the window, your back to the jukebox. Absentmindedly, he rubbed the knuckle of his thumb over his bottom lip in contemplation.

Tifa had returned with their drinks, and she hesitated when placing the bottle down in front of Reno, regarding the red haired Turk seemingly deep in thought. She tilted her head, blinking down at him, then peered over at where you had gone to take a seat. Tifa swallowed a giggle as Reno brought his attention back down to earth. 

“And just what exactly are you scheming?” Tifa examined him with a grin filled with scrutiny. 

Rude stared into his glass, tipping it this way and that so the singular ice cube knocked around the inside of the tumbler. He shook his head. “Nothing good.”

As if to reinforce his statement, Reno fished out his card, and held it out for Tifa to take. “Keep hold of this. Say, Tifa, what’s your best tequila?”

Thunk. The dart missed the triple twenty zone by a thread, resulting instead with a measly twenty. Rolling your eyes, you plucked the darts from the board and chalked your score. Just gotta beat Wedge, you thought, readying your next throw. Behind you, the clinking of glass settling on the table behind you caused you to divert your focus, the dart slipping from your fingertips sooner than anticipated. You stared begrudgingly as it struck the centre of the ‘0’ in twenty. 

Spinning on your heel, you registered the unexpected sight of Reno settling into a chair at your table, placing a bottle and two shot glasses upon it. The expression he wore was a smug one.

You met his eyes with a leer, holding his gaze for a moment. His implied offer was more appealing to you than you cared to admit. You debated just flat out refusing, but instead, tentatively returning your attention back to the dart board and raised your hand for another throw. Reno rested his chin on an upturned palm, glazing over your dismissive attitude at his unspoken proposition. 

“Come on, just a few drinks. Indulge me.” 

You sighed, heavily. “And what do I owe you if I do?” You threw a dart. Double eighteen.

The Turk innocently raised his hands. “Oh please, I’m not that kinda guy.”

You arched a brow.

Reno looked offended. “Don’t give me that look. I can be an asshole, but not that kind of asshole.” He gestured to the shot glasses with a curt head tilt. 

You shot a quick glance at the bar, where Tifa stood watching the scene play out. Rude averted his gaze, pretending to straighten his tie. You stood for a moment, curling your lip. Decidedly, you stepped up to the dart board to retrieve the two darts, along with another set from the pocket next to the scoreboard, and returned to your table. Reno’s grin widened when you took a seat nearest to his. You placed the newly acquired set of darts down in front of him, and grabbed the bottle he had placed on the table. 

“Tequila, huh.” You commented, skimming the label.

Reno lifted a dart with his index finger, balancing it on the tip. “To your liking, I hope?”

You shrug. “I’m partial to tequila.” You placed the bottle down. “Sure. I’ll drink with you. On one condition.”

The Turk raised his brow, interest piqued.

You flick the dart up from where it balanced on Reno’s finger and snatched it out of the air, brandishing the point at him. “Beat me at a game of darts, fewest throws to three-o-one. Then we’ll drink.”

Reno appeared to be calculating your offer. He poked at a shot glass. “Sure you don’t want a warm up drink?” You snorted. “And have you beat because your aim is off? Don’t shoot yourself in foot, hotshot.”

He threw his head back, “Ha! Take me for a light-weight? I can assure ya, you’ll be the one crawling to keep up once we get into this.” He shook the bottle for emphasis. 

You shook your head, a confident grin on your face. “You should not underestimate me.”

“Oh trust me, I don’t.” Reno affirmed, rising from his seat, hand pushing away from the table.

 Dart still in hand, you clasped your free hand over his and slammed the dart point first between the splayed fingers of Reno’s hand and into the weathered wood of the table. “Not so fast.” You picked up your wine glass, a few drops at the bottom, and held it out to him. “Go get me another wine first.”

Reno held your gaze as he took the wine glass from you, his hand lingering on yours for an extra breath. “Yes, ma’am.”

Waiting until the Turk left the table and got to the bar, you expelled a breath you didn’t realise you’d been holding. What am I doing?! A thought in your brain flared out as you went to reset the scores, wiping the board clean. You couldn’t deny the excitement you felt at the opportunity for a challenge, yet you also couldn’t help but wonder if you were stepping on dangerous ground. He’s a Turk! Your thoughts needle your conscience once more. You brushed your hair back from your face and inhaled a deep breath. “Let’s just have some fun for once.” You muttered under your breath.

Reno returned, full glass in hand, and a fresh bottle of beer for himself. He placed the drinks down, and collected the darts up off the table. “Ladies first.” he announced, gesturing with mock courtesy.

You stepped over to the jukebox, cranking the volume slightly as ‘Fight On’ began to play. You levelled Reno with an icy stare. “Game on, bitch.”

Six darts in and you were tied. Both your own and Reno’s scores sat at 240. His throws had followed yours to the millimetre, his unwavering concentration taking you by surprise. Two more throws could call the round, and despite the casual nature of the game, the competitive pressure had you on edge. 

“Your throw, sweet heart.” Reno leaned against the jukebox, sipping his beer.

You stepped up to the hockey, lined up your throw, and shot; One.

Reno scoffed,“Yikes, playing it safe there. I thought you were going to go hard on me.”

You reached for your wine, taking a sip and meeting Reno’s nonchalant gaze over the brim. You hated how much you loved his cocky demeanour, but kept up your cool facade. 

“All I need is that triple. You should be shaking in your boots, Turk.”

Much to your disappointment, he didn’t seemed phased as you lined up your next shot. You sucked in a sharp breath, held it. Sights on the triple twenty. In the split second you exhale and loose the dart, you glanced over in Reno’s direction to see if his poker face had faltered. Big mistake. He was staring directly at you, eyes hooded and lips slightly parted. The image of him relaxed there against the jukebox, wearing a deadly expression that caused your heart to lurch and your breath to hitch. Your eyes widened slightly at the placement of the dart in the board and you froze in disbelief. Double twenty.

Sauntering over to you with a swaggering gait, Reno leaned in close enough for you to feel the loose strands of his hair tickle your ear, whispering “Oops, my bad.” 

Standing frozen with your back to him, you failed to note his conniving smile.

“You wanna take that last shot or are you going to forfeit to me?”

Visibly grimacing, you ignored his jape and took your last shot. Double ten. You retrieved your darts without a word. Reno finished up with two shots as you looked on in disdain, a triple nineteen followed by a double two, winning by one less dart. Not once did he drop his composure or appear nervous. 

“You’re a dirty player, you know that?” You opined, though if challenged you weren’t really sure how to back up that statement. 

Reno feigned shock. “I have no idea what you’re implying, but I won fair and square. Unless… you just really wanted that drink, so you let me win.” 

“I would never let you win.” You snapped, and Reno raised a brow. You paused. “But I definitely deserve that tequila now.”

He seemed to comply with your statement. “Alright, alright, but let’s take this outside. I need a smoke, and you could probably use some air to cool off.” 

You had to bite on your tongue in order to prevent a retort.

Outside, you were in fact thankful for the cool night air on your apparently hot skin. You leaned over the railing while Reno proceeded to light up a cigarette, inhaling a few puffs before setting it down in the ashtray. The smoke wasn’t completely unpleasant, as you caught a passive taste of the menthol that laced it.

Tifa kindly brought your drinks outside, and you both settled into the seats at the small table on the veranda.The redhead reached for the bottle but you snapped it up before he could lay a finger on it, and you inwardly berated yourself for being so fickle. The wine was really hitting you differently tonight. Sure, you were sassy, but this seemed to coat you with a few extra bristles - or maybe it was the circumstances in which you found yourself in, you couldn’t say. 

You poured the shots and set the bottle down. You lifted your glass without so much as checking to see if Reno had picked up his, when suddenly he raised a finger to your lips. 

“Nah-ah, you can’t just drink it, you’ve got to go all in.” He scolded, taking your shot from you and reaching to a condiment on the table, beside which was a lime wedge resting upon a black napkin. 

You chuckled, grinning sheepishly. “Right, because I’m not salty enough?” 

The smile Reno gave you in return this time was a light hearted one. “Alright, salt, shot, lime. Got it?”

Rolling your eyes, you said “Yeah yeah, I know the drill.”

Reno scooted his chair closer, holding the salt shaker. He brought his free hand up and licked the base of his thumb before tipping the salt on the slightly glistening skin.

Your stomach felt as if it did a small flip at the sight of this gesture, meaningless as it was, but it was enough to cause you to shudder with a feeling you didn’t want to give voice to. You did the same with your own hand, vaguely noticing the mirth slipping into Reno’s smile as he poured the salt onto your hand. Placing the shaker down and picking up your shots, you raised them between the two of you, pronouncing a simultaneous ‘cheers’.

In one fluid and unanticipated motion, Reno caught your hand, bringing it boldly to his lips and lapped the salt from your skin, a deviousness in his eyes as he winked at you and drained his shot. All you could do was gawp, so stunned by his audacity that you simply watched as he dipped his thumb in the salt on his own hand, and brought the same hand to cup your face, thumb poised on your lips.

Tentatively, you darted your tongue out, allowing it to caress his thumb and taste the sharpness of the salt. Reno’s stare locked onto the movement, and you grasped the opportunity to break his composure. You gently closed your lips around the tip of his thumb, and sucked the remaining salt off with a slight pop. The raw desire that pooled in Reno’s eyes in that moment was satisfying enough for you to warrant it as revenge, his hand dropping without him registering. You knocked back your own shot, enjoying the warmth of the alcohol as it spread through your chest from within. 

You held out your hand with an upturned palm, a confident request falling from your tongue. “My lime, please.”

Reno’s piercing blue eyes seemed to penetrate your own, as his lips parted into a smile, revealing the lime wedge clenched between his teeth. Oh, fuck m- However, your intruding thoughts were thrown to the wind as you jumped from your seat, reaching for Reno’s jaw with your already outstretched hand and crashing your lips into his. The Turk tugged at the waistband of your pants to bring you closer, planting your free hand on his exposed chest to prevent you from falling into him, your tongue fighting with his as it withdrew the lime. The juice of the lime tangy and sweet, mixing with the scent of the lingering cigarette smoke, bittersweet and somehow sinful. 

You parted from the kiss abruptly, nipping his lip a little before standing back and wiping the juice from your lips. Reno reached up with the napkin to remove the lime from his mouth, his smug grin dripping with mirth. 

Now that your mind had a chance to catch up with what had just transpired, you felt an angry blush blooming on your cheeks. This gave Reno more satisfaction than you willingly wanted to give, though the growing desire in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed, and this ignited something else in you.

“Yo, no need to go shy on me now, y/n. Maybe you need another shot to take the edge off?” Reno suggested, leaning back in his seat, looking very pleased with himself.

“Oh shut the fuck up and kiss me asshole,” you asserted, roughly grabbing the colllar of his suit and forcing him up and out his chair, pressing him against the wall of Seventh Heaven. Not a single part of him resisted, his arms wrapping around you and pulling your body against his own, his left hand snaking up into your hair and the other grasping at the curve of your hip. Faster than you can comprehend, Reno had pushed off the wall and flipped you around so you were now pinned against it. The kisses were hot, angry and desperate, as you allowed the self restraint to slip away and submit to carnal desires.

Reno broke the kiss, momentarily satiated. He withdrew his hand from your hair and traced his finger along your jaw to stop under your chin, tilting your head up.

He shook his head a little in disbelief. “Well I gotta be honest, did not expect my night to turn out quite like this.”

“Likewise,” you huffed, then swiftly pushed Renos' body from yours. He stumbled a little, shooting you a questioning look.

“I want a rematch!” You demanded, shaking your fist and marching back into the bar.

[fvrxdrm]

City of the Living Dead

Chapter 6

"September 28, 2:30 am... It's down to just me and 3 others. No weapons...no ammo...and too many skirmishes have drained us mentally and physically. We're not gonna make it... Officer Phillips once suggested we escape through the sewers. Apparently, there's a secret tunnel under this place left over from its museum days. I brushed her idea off before, but now, it's not sounding all that bad. Yeah, there's no proof there's even a tunnel or that the sewers aren't infested with zombies, but I don't wanna sit here and wait to die, either. It's a long shot, but I'm gonna try to find out what I can about that tunnel... Elliot Edward," you read, "Shit. Rest in peace, buddy." You placed the transcript back to where you found it and proceeded in scanning the room you and Leon were in.

It was an office of some sort with mahogany desks occupying the center, swivel chairs pointing towards every direction, some paperworks piled in a stack and some (or rather most) cluttered all over the tables and floor. It looked like a hurricane together with an earthquake and a tsunami clashed and crashed in the area.

"Leon, w-" your head twisted and turned as you looked for best friend and even called out to him when you found him just staring at something on the ceiling, his trembling lips pinned in between pearly-white teeth, eyebrows furrowed upwards, and eyes looking like a dam was about to breakdown because of too much pressure. You went towards where he was standing and followed his gaze. You gasped. He was looking at stringed triangle banners with letters printed out on each of them

WEL COME LEON

Your face began to mirror Leon's but a pained smile differentiated yours from his as a sudden rush of memory enlightened your brain. "Hey, look, the design's the same as the banner I surprised you with when we were 15," you said, raising an arm to point at the triangular flags.

Leon chuckled softly at what you said and nodded while a sneaky tear flowed down his cheek in a tiny stream. "Yeah."

"Come on, Leon! I worked hard for this." You hauled on your friend's wrist and led him towards his room with a strain as Leon's languor held him back.

"This better be good, Y/N. You fucking woke me up and I'm really close to fucking strangling you." His voice was a little hoarse from having just woken up right before you pulled him off of the couch and he was still lowkey tired because of the three-hour rest he had last night, but as much as he wanted to throw you out of his house and fall into a well-deserved slumber again, he was into surprises and was curious as to what you had in store. So, he went along with it even though he was pretty much a sloth still.

"I promise you'll love it." You chortled.

Leon sighed in defeat before loosening up and letting you pull him towards where you wanted to take him for this so-called surprise with a rub of his crusty eyes.

When a familiar door came into view in front of you, you covered Leon's eyes with one of your hands and twisted the door knob, revealing a bedroom with a banner hovering over Leon's messy bed, before lightly pushing him inside.

"All right, here we are," you spoke as you removed your hand from your face, moving right beside him to watch Leon's face as it shifted from being enraptured to crestfallen real quick. You guffawed in a boisterous way at his reaction and plummeted down to the ground whilst clutching your stomach in a joyful pain.

YOU SUCK LEON

"Really, Y/N? This-this is what you wanted to show me?"

"It's true though, you actually suck!"

"Come on, you know you only won in Street Fighter because I let you," he whined. You stood up from being laid on the floor before clutching onto Leon's shoulder for dear life.

"For 20 times? Really?" You laughed again, "nah, you just suck, bro."

Leon narrowed his eyes at you with lips pressing tightly in a thin line and turned towards you, his feet moving slowly in tandem as he approach you with a spurious anger, his hands closing into fists.

"What?" You asked with a nervous chuckle and feet backing up in rhythm with his laggard advances.

"You think I suck?" His voice imitated a dark tone. Had you not been slightly scared - which you hated to admit - you would've busted a gut at how ridiculous it sounded.

"I mean, yeah, it's already said in the banner, dimwitt."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Well, let's see who sucks now!"

Welp, that's my cue!

You dodged Leon's attack by the skin of your teeth, stumbling on a stupid pencil for a bit, before proceeding to run around the house to avoid Leon's "spider fingers" as you call it and making a tiny bit of a mess. However, your luck has gone away and he eventually caught you when you accidentally tripped over the leg of a chair, throwing you into his bed and tickling each spot that would make you squirm and and laugh.

"I still suck, huh?"

"N-no, fine...y-you don't...s-suck," you cried in between heavy breaths and hysterics. Satisfied with your remark, Leon stopped his fingers from moving and plopped down beside you, taking a moment to catch his breath before he pulled you closer to his body and spooned you. "You still couldn't win yesterday though."

"Yeah, well, I know a million ways to win your heart though."

"Fuck off, Le-le." Leon tsked at the nickname.

"Y/N, that sounds awful as fuck."

"Whatever." You felt his lashes kiss the nape of your neck as he closed his eyes to give them another four hours of rest, your own following afterwards when you heard Leon's muffled voice vibrate against your shirt.

"Hey, you wanna be my date for homecoming?"

"I thought you already asked Lexee to be your date."

"Dante already asked her out, so..."

"Okay, fine, I'll be your date." You squeezed his hand before intertwining your fingers with his and smiling when you felt him kiss your hair.

"Thanks, Y/N. Good night."

"It's 10 in the morning, dumba-"

"Shh... Rock-a-bye baby..."

"You do suck though." You light-heartedly nudged Leon's side and wrinkled your eyes in a grin, chuckling when he returned the gesture with a titter.

"I really don't," he retorted back.

"Sure." You took his hand in yours and gently squeezed it in a comforting way to ease the two of you before placing a feather's kiss on the back of it. "Come on, we still have a job to do."

*****

Leon S. Kennedy, we're putting you on a very special case for your first assignment. Your mission is...to unlock your desk! The key to your success is in the initials of our first names. Input the letters in order of our desks. There are 2 locks- 1 on each side of your desk. Make sure you get them both. Basically, your first task is to remember your fellow officers' names, but you figured that much out, right? Good luck, Leon. By the way, it might take a little work to get Scott to give you a straight answer.

Lieutenant Branagh

Scrawled in a corner between drops of blood on the paper was an additional note the lieutenant had written while he and his fellow officers were isolated and trapped, and it read:

Be glad you're not here, rookie.

"Remember your fellow officers' names..."

"I think that means the initials of my supposedly co-workers' names should be the password to open these locks on my desk." Leon stood up from where he was knelt down on the floor and casted around from desk to desk, unlocking the padlocks on his table and claiming the prize after accomplishing his "first assignment" - a magazine for his beloved Matilda.

You smiled when Leon pulled out the gun he's had since the beginning of his adult years, another retention reminding you of the peaceful days you once had before you started walking right into confusion.

Matilda was a gift Leon's father had given him on his 18th birthday, a few months before he died of cancer. He was happy about it, and knowing how his family had supported his decision on him becoming a cop, his heart fluttered inside and he couldn't be more grateful about it. Leon held onto it everyday, even becoming a bit hesitant about leaving it behind whenever he went to school. And when his father passed away because of said illness, he grasped onto the weapon the same way he did when his dad was still alive, if not more.

"Happy birthday, Leon. Happy birthday, Leon. Happy birthday, happy birthday... Happy birthday, Leon... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEON!"

Leon's cheeks stretched in an almost painful way as everyone erupted into cheers and confetti fell from the ceiling. Each person was wearing cone-shaped hats and the living room was decorated with different ornaments colored in his favorite hues. His family was there and so were his friends, and oh, how could he almost forget...

It was his 18th birthday!

"So, what do you think?" You spoke from behind him. He turned around to see you smiling like an idiot and tugging on the string of a party you picked up from the floor.

"This," he began. "This is amazing! Wh-"

"Well, son, the candle's almost melting. Wanna make a wish?" Leon's dad emerged from behind the small crowd with a three-layered cake balanced on top of his palms. The icing of the pastry was blue, edible police-related finishing touches garnished it with such perfection he almost didn't want to eat it for the sake of admiring and staring at the cake, and a single candle formed into the number 18 as an emphasis to his recent age was placed on top with a tiny flame dancing around in the air. Leon closed his eyes and wished for the best before blowing the candle, watching as the fire disappeared into a swirling smoke. Everyone rejoiced once again.

When voices had began dying down one by one, Leon's father called his name and picked up a box from underneath the table after placing the cake down where it wouldn't fall down.

"Leon, you're going to be attending the police academy soon and in the next few years you'll be the cop you always wanted. So, as a gift, I give you this gun." He opened the rectangular cardboard box where a gun laid and presented it to his child, Leon's eyes sparkling in delight at his very own weapon. "I know you'll be taking good care of Matilda."

"Matilda?" Leon asked in confusion.

"You know, like, Mathilda from Leon: The Professional," his dad replied. Leon chuckled in response before he carefully took the gun out of its container, still a bit iffy about touching it.

"I'll be taking good care of this, dad."

"I know you will."

"You still have that gun?" You spoke as you gestured towards his firearm.

"Yep, she still looks good as new. I didn't want to break my promise," Leon responded. He turned his gun around to show you just how much he kept it safe like a mother would to a child. Your E/C orbs twinkled in admiration, a feeling in your heart you had kept for a very long time flittering in a joyous manner for the first time since you last saw him.

"Nothing's really changed, huh?"

"I don't want to change anything for now...especially now that you're back here with me."

*****

So, I found this image on google and an idea suddenly popped into my head lmao.

Anyway, WE'RE BACK! I was busy in school blah blah blah. I think yall know that already.

[httpsfelicity]

“In a black dress, she’s such an actress” - Harry Styles × Model Reader AU (Part 2/?)

Summary - Harry meets a model downtown and falls for her quickly, leading the public to think that it’s a pr stunt. Unsure of what to think, the reader plays along, not knowing that Harry is unaware of the rumours.

For @cruizmanadu, @stephaniemalvie!, @kissessfordraco Xx

A/N - Part two! Thank you sooo much for the feedback on part one, I never expected it! Glad you guys like it so far. If you haven’t read part one, click here x Once again, if you’d like a part 3 / have suggestions / ect, just send a DM or ask! Here you go babessss :) 

Harry Styles: Hi

Y/n <3: Hi

Harry Styles: Why are you awake, it’s 3am?

Y/n <3: I could ask you the same thing, you messaged me first!

Harry Styles: You’re right. What’s up?

Y/n <3: Watching TV, you?

Harry Styles: Not much. Listening to The Beatles, y’know, normal night things.

Y/n <3: Never really got around to listening to them personally

Harry Styles: Omg reported and BLOCKED.

Y/n <3: Omg noooooo come back 

Harry Styles: Kiddinggggggg, but I have to make you listen to one of their albums sometime

Harry Styles: Are you free tomorrow?

Y/n <3: I have a shoot all day. I’m free the next day tho

Harry Styles: We could maybe do something then? The park?

Harry Styles: Unless you have a better idea, of course

Y/n <3: No that sounds great! What time?

Harry Styles: 7?

Y/n <3: Sure! :)

Harry Styles: Now, GO TO SLEEP!

Y/n <3: Only if you do!

Harry Styles: Okayyyy, goodnight!

Y/n <3: Goodnight!

Seen: 3:14am

As you crawled into bed, a feeling of satisfaction spread through you. He wanted to spend more time with you - that ought to be a good sign, right? “Maybe this could work out, after all,” was the last thing you thought before you fell asleep.

The next day was the usual whirlwind of events that occurred every shoot day - wake up early, take a cab over to the location (That particular day’s mystery place happened to be an old art studio), take another cab with some assigned lady to get you ready, another cab back to the location, then a whole day of photos. It was all a blur to you, so when the head of the whole operation thanked you at the end of the day, you were glad it was all over. Of course you adored your job, but considering the amount of sleep you’d gotten last night (Which, by the way, you did not regret one bit) you were thankful that in 45 minutes you’d be fast asleep.

What you did not expect, however, was for that little power nap to turn into a full 14 hours. By the time you woke up the next day, it was the crack of 11am. You sat up frantically, taking in your surroundings. You were still wearing your street clothes - jeans and a blouse - and a quick glance in the mirror revealed you hadn’t taken off your extravagant makeup, either. Trust me, it was not a pretty sight. You scrambled for your phone, and aside from all of the usual twitter notifications, DM requests, and messages from Ella and Harry (Which you were over the moon about), you noticed that you had 4 missed calls. From, none other than Harry.

You quickly clicked on his contact and dialed up his number. After a few rings, he picked up.

“Hi!” He said cheerfully.

“Hey,” you laughed. “Why did you call me? Four times, to be exact?”

“Just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight. But then I got worried when you didn’t answer, so I called again to make sure everything was alright.”

“And again, and again.”

“Correct,” he laughed.

“Rough photoshoot. I was exhausted, and it wasn’t all that exciting. By the time I got home, I was asleep. Literally. I slept for 14 hours straight.”

Harry laughed so hard on the other end that you had to move your phone away from your ear for a couple of seconds so he could calm down. “Oh, wow, I... well, I guess it’s not that funny. That’s awful. You should’ve gotten more sleep the night before!”

“I would’ve, but somebody just had to message me at 3am!”

Cue another round of laughter. “Oh my god... look, I’m sorry, I really am! I didn’t know you had to wake up so early. I won’t message you so late into the night anymore, I promise.”

“Don’t promise that! I quite liked it. Besides, all of those shoots are the same. Nothing worth remembering, if you ask me.”

“Alright, alright, fine. But are we still on for later? If you’re still tired, we can reschedule...”

“No! After twice the amount of sleep I usually get, I feel like I could run a marathon. Seven?”

“Yup.”

“Okay. Gives me enough time to adjust myself to reality.”

This sent both of them into bouts of laughter.

“Alright, well, I’ve gotta go, but I’ll see you then?”

“You’ve got it! Bye!”

“Bye! And for the love of god try not to fall asleep this time, yeah?” He cracked himself up.

“I’ll try!” You replied as you hung up. You sighed, smiled, and then leaned against your headboard, though not for long. You had things to do - number one, get a shower.

Flash forward a few hours, and you were all set. You were wearing a pair of jeans and a blouse, similar to yesterday’s outfits, just with less smeared makeup and bedhead. You had even managed to listen to a few albums while you were doing your hair. You quickly ate a salad for supper, confirmed the meeting spot with Harry, then headed out the door.

You arrived 10 minutes early, and to your surprise, Harry was already there again. 

“How did you get here before me?” You laughed as you walked up to him. “I left even earlier than last time, specifically to race you!”

“Oh, I have my ways,” he grinned. “So, would you like to know what I have planned?” 

“Enlighten me,” you prompted as you began walking past the bushes and flowerbeds with him, admiring his bold, light purple flared pants and white top.

“Well, first we walk through the park. Then, I have a reservation booked for La Sedbe Hyudge. If that sounds okay to you, that is.”

La Sedbe Hyudge was one of the most exclusive clubs in New York. Reservations were crazy expensive, and that’s not including the price of the food and drinks.

“Oh, Harry, you really didn’t ha-”

“No, no, don’t worry about it. The reservation’s already made; there’s no turning back now,” he laughed.

You laughed along with him. “Well, we can just split the final bill.”

“No,”

“But-”

“Don’t worry about it!” 

You sighed. “Okay,” you finally agreed. “Well, anyways, tonight sounds like it will be great fun. Thank you.”

Harry nodded, looking around. You had to admit it, the scenery of the park was very nice. The gardener(s) here must be paid awfully well.

“So, I listened to Fine Line.”

Harry perked up. “Oh?”

“It was - and I’m not just saying this because I li- we’re friends - but it was incredible. I’ve never heard anything like it.”

Harry was trying to hide his smile, but he was failing miserably. “Well, that’s good,” he concluded nonchalantly. 

“No, really! I have Golden stuck in my head. It’s beautiful. And don’t even get me started on Lights Up.”

“You didn’t see the music video, did you?”

“..Yeah?”

“Oh, wow.”

“It was ARTSY!” You laughed, Harry clearly getting embarrassed. “No, in all honestly, it was great.”

“Well, I’m glad you think that,” he smiled. “I wish I could say the same to you, but you don’t sing, obviously.”

“Not my forte, honestly. I was in choir in elementary, but that’s pretty much it. Never really had any interest in the preforming arts. No offense.”

“None taken. I’ve always liked singing, but I didn’t think I’d pursue it as a career. I was very happy at my old job, thank you very much.”

“What was your old job?”

“...”

“...”

“I used to work in a bakery.”

“No way!” “That’s adorable,” you thought as the two of you rounded a corner of the path.

“Yes way! Not to brag, but I was very good at making cinnamon rolls.”

“Now, isn’t that something.”

“That’s not all - macaroons.”

“Oh my god, marry me.”

You continued goofing off for the rest of the walk. You talked about Netflix shows and whether Summer or Winter was the superior season in the taxi, and the best way to make Kraft dinner on the sidewalk. By the time you walked into the restaurant and sat down, you were discussing the importance of a good facemask.

“I don’t know. I just can’t believe you do them.”

“I can’t believe you don’t.”

“Why should I?”

“Do you want me to go over the health benefits again?”

You sighed. “No. I just do not have the patience.”

“For me to explain it again or facemasks in general?”

You smiled. “Both.”

Harry laughed rather loudly, gaining a few odd looks from some stuck-up diners. “You’re lucky you’re cute, y/n.”

Before you could respond, a waiter walked over to your table. “And what could I get for the couple this evening?” He asked.

You and Harry looked at eachother and tried to supress laughter.

“Well, I don’t know about my husband here,” you start, looking over at Harry with a grin. He’s staring back at you and you are positive that he’s gonna blow it at any second, but you decide to keep going, “But I’ll have a glass of red wine.”

“Whatever you want, dear, so I guess I’m driving,” Harry shrugged. “I will have water, please.”

The waiter nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

 As soon as he was out of earshot, the two of you burst out laughing.

“That.. was.... amazing!” Said Harry between laughs.

“I know right!” You agreed. “We have to keep it going all night.”

“YES,” he nodded as a group of teenage girls walked past the table, also laughing uncontrollably.

Then, the waiter returned. “For the lady,” he said as he placed down a glass of  wine. You immediately picked it up and took a sip. 

“For the main course, I’ll have the steak, please,” said Harry in his very-best fancy voice.

“I too,” you said, giggling and taking another sip.

The waiter nodded and headed back to the kitchen. The two of you laughed again. 

Just then, you felt your phone buzz in your purse. “It’s probably nothing,” you thought, choosing to ignore it. But then it went off again. And again. And again.

“You should probably get that,” said Harry, looking at your bag.

“Nah, it’s probably nothing.”

“Alright. I gotta run to he bathroom, and then I’m gonna order a drink for myself, okay?”

“Okay,” you said as you watched him get up. “Bring me back a glass too!”

You watched him walk over to the mens room. Your phone buzzed. He pushed open the door. Your phone buzzed. The door shut behind him. You reached down and pulled out your phone.

Ella: Oh my god

Ella: Y/n

Ella: Where are you right now

Ella: Are you with anybody?

Ella: ?????

Ella: Y/N

Ella: CHECK UR PHONE

You quickly typed up a response, although you were confused as to why she was so worried all of a sudden.

Y/n: I’m at the Sedbe Hyudge with Harry, why?

Ella: *Sent a set of photos*

Ella: Check twitter for more.

You clicked on the photos. The first was a screenshot of an update account, saying that you and Harry were in the park. Then, another tweet from the same account, saying you were at this restaurant. Then, photos of you in the park. And then, photos of you at the restaurant. Under that were screenshots of twitter users.

@Cocopopstyles: I just want Harry to take me on a date like he does with y/n, is that TOO MUCH TO ASK. They’re TOO CUTE.

@Y/nxxxxstyles: ANOTHER WIN FOR THE SHIPPERS THEY’RE AT THE SEDBE HYUDGE DHHHVDHBDCHUDB YES

@HSDaily: Ew lmfao she’s so ugly PLS 

@Stylessssmaple: “I ain’t saying she’s a golddigger, but she ain’t messing with no broke....”

@LaylaHoran: I heard that they were talking to the waiter like they’re an actual couple. A few girls overheard it, idk their @’s tho.

@LarryStylinsonobvs replying to @LaylaHoran: Really?? Omg that’s pretty quick tbh. Weren’t they first seen together days ago?

@LaylaHoran replying to @LarryStylisonobvs: Yeah apparently. Idk what’s going on. Is she a PR stunt or not???

@LarryStylinsonobvs replying to @LaylaHoran: Not to be a bluegreener but she could be a beard... we’ve gotten so much content from them in the past 72 hours like.... are u gonna tell me there’s no contract in there at all?????

@Y/nsflowers: Y/n looks so good in the new pap photos pLEASE MARRY ME MA’AM.

@Y/L/Nsummertime: Y/n is over lmfao can she please cut the bullshit. Wbk she’s in it for the money. The job, the PR stunts, the boyfriend...

@TheDailyPoolsideNews: Model y/n and ex-boyband star spotted out in the town! Will this be the next Hollywood snoozefest?

There was more, but Harry was already back at the table, carrying two glasses and setting them down, smiling. All of a sudden, you had this really sick feeling. You couldn’t look him in the eyes. You took your drink as he sat down. Not wanting to say anything in case it ruined the night, you took a sip and put your phone back in your purse.

“Everything alright?”

You looked up. “Yeah.”

Harry stared at you. You stared back jokingly, trying to break the tension. Harry’s phone started ringing. “Oops,” he frowned, “thought I turned this off...”

“You can take it, it’s okay. I checked my phone before. Plus, I need to use the washroom.”

“Okay,” he smiled as you stood up, smiling back. As you were walking away, you heard him talking to whoever was on the other end of the line. “Hey, Nial- what? No, I am, why-”

You pushed into the womens room and locked yourself in a stall. “What the hell is going on?”

You sit there for a few minutes, trying to collect your thoughts and give Harry some time to finish his conversation. Someone had seen the two of you at the park and in the restaurant, so what? Some people liked you, and some people didn’t. Okay, that’s understandable. Some people hated you. That’s fine, you don’t care. But people still think you and Harry are a PR stunt. This is only your second date! And it’s not eve a date! It’s just a... you put your head in your hands, then sit up, not wanting to smudge your mascara. You reach for your phone, only to remember you left it in your purse, which was currently on the floor next to your chair next to Harry. God.

And, to make matters worse, he had gotten a phonecall and from what you had heard when you were walking away, he sounded worried. Perfect! That was probably his management. Or, better yet, one of his friends doing the same thing Ella had done to you. Suddenly, you jumped up and walked back out to the table. He was fiddling around with his napkin. When he saw you, his face lit up. You didn’t buy it.

“Hi, sorry, it was just one of my friends. He wanted to t-”

“Oh, it’s fine,” you said, politely cutting him off.

Harry was taken back by this, but not for long. He wasn’t fazed easily. “Oh, okay. That’s good. Sorry for taking so long. Oh, and I don’t want this anymore, so if you want it, you can fill yours up. Otherwise, I’m just gonna give it to the waiter when he comes back.”

You never drank too much. You knew three glasses would be awful for you. But you took his and filled yours up, because “I don’t want to waste anything. This place is so expensive.”

Soon after, the waiter dropped off your meals. Harry was speaking less, more unsure of himself than before, but you didn’t notice. You made polite small talk, but it wasn’t like your antics from before. Yet when you were leaving, you did not split the bill. Harry still paid.

When you walked outside, it was dark. You hadn’t expected it. You laughed. Harry laughed. “Let’s wait over here for a taxi, yeah?”

You nodded and followed him. You sat on a bench. Harry messaged somebody. You swung your feet a little. Harry took a call. You stayed seated, watching people walk by. Harry came back over and helped you walk to the taxi, arm around your back. You tried to tell him you didn’t need his help, but he didn’t listen. 

Harry gave the taxi driver his address. You gave him yours, but he didn’t listen. You spoke up again, but Harry told you not to worry; you could spend the night with him. You nodded.

Harry helped you out of the taxi. You didn’t fight back. You tried to pay for the taxi, but he wouldn’t take your money. You held his hand as you walked through the doors of his apartment building, got in the elevator, got to his apartment. He sat you down on the couch and went off to his room. He came back shortly after.

“I don’t have any pyjamas for you.”

“Why would I need pyjamas?” You laughed a little, and then a lot.

Harry smiled. He went back to his room and came back with a shirt still wrapped in plastic and a bag.

“Here. The bathroom is over there. There’s makeup wipes on the counter.” He helped you up and you walked over. 

“Why do you have makeup wipes? Do you wear makeup?”

“Yep!” Said Harry. “Just turn the lock to the left. It’s tricky sometimes, try it a few times if it doesn’t work, yeah?”

“That’s so cool, can you show me your makeup sometime?”

“Yep! Maybe after you get your pyjamas on.”

“Really?”

“Mmhm!”

You shut the door and turned the lock, though you doubted you’d need it. You took off your fancy clothes and put on a pair of brand new too-big black sweatpants and a too-big pink t-shirt. Why did you need pyjamas again? Harry hadn’t answered. He wasn’t sending you home in pyjamas, was he? Uh oh.

You walked out. Harry was in the kitchen. “Do you need anything?”

“A drink.”

“Water?”

“Wine, dummy.” You cracked up at this.

“You’ve already had more than enough. C’mon, let’s go to the living room.” He grinned. 

“Whyyyyyy?”

Harry smiled patiently. “C’mon, y/n. We can watch a movie or something.”

“Okay. Wait - can I just have orange juice instead?”

“Of course.” He grabbed a can of juice and then walked into the living room. You followed. There were pillows and blankets on the couch, and Disney+ was set up.

“Ooou, fancy,” you laughed.

Harry crawled under the blankets. You did too. He laughed. So did you. Why were you even upset with him in the first place? You couldn’t remember. Harry grabbed the remote and turned on some show you’ve never heard of before. The Mandalorian, whatever that was. You leaned your head on Harry’s shoulder. It wasn’t even boring - why were you falling asleep? 

Harry closed his eyes - he was tired, too, but for different reasons. You listened to his breathing get slower. You held him tightly. You held him back. 

“Friends don’t hold friends that way,” you thought to yourself. “But who cares?”

You fell asleep. So did he.

You forgot about the stunt rumours. So did he.

He forgot about how his friend called him in a panic, not wanting this relationship to get ruined for him like the last one, and the one before that, and the one before that. About how he really, really liked you, but couldn’t act on it. He wanted to give you the world. Yes, he fell too quickly, too easily, but who could blame him?

And you forgot about Ella in the same panic. She didn’t want this to get ruined for you, of course, because this was your first shot, your first love (Although not that she’d know - you had to admit you had been a bit distant with her since you met Harry.) She didn’t want you to fall into the hands of the public eye. She wanted to make sure you were safe. She wasn’t sure if you should trust Harry, so of course she should be worried.

But you trusted him.

And he trusted you.

And everything is okay.

Until 3am.

A/N PT 2 - While you’re waiting for part 3 (which is definitely coming btw!) check out my other fics through this masterlist HERE!

[batmanie]

Old Habits - scriddler

“Jeeezus!!!” The yelp was quite loud and – to be honest – quite satisfying. Eyes wide, and with a hand clutching onto his shirt, exactly where the heart would be, Nigma made a perfect example of someone who was suffering a cardiac arrest. His chest was rapidly rising and falling as he was trying to catch his breath. “Did I scare you?” He knew he did, and it felt so strange that he was still able to enjoy those little things in his life after all he'd been through. “You look like you've seen a ghost.” “Perhaps I'm seeing one?” Edward had to take a moment to collect himself, his voice was still hoarse and breathless, which would have made the old Scarecrow smirk – not the new one, though. The 'new him' didn't know what fun was anymore. “And it's an ugly view,” Riddler frowned. “How did you even...” “Survive?” Crane cut in with the most casual tone. He took a step toward the source of the light but his whole head was hidden in the shadow of his hood. “How did I escape? Crawl out of the sewers? Drag myself back to the town with a broken leg to get medical attention? Well, obviously not thanks to you...” “I was going to ask: How did you manage to make yourself look even more ridiculous than before?” It was almost jovial how quickly Nigma was getting rude and offensive when feeling attacked. 'Some things never change', Scarecrow thought with a pang of nostalgia. “It is good to see you too, Edward.” It really was, even if Riddler didn't look too happy to see him. This little reunion in the dark and unwelcoming system of the underground tunnels which were currently Riddler's hideout was giving Scarecrow the false but somewhat soothing impression that nothing had changed while he was gone. “How have you been?” He decided to keep the conversation going – talking was one of Riddler's favorite activities after all. “Perfect!” Nigma waved his hand in a nonchalant gesture. Crane, being no less observant than he had always been, had already noticed all the signs that were telling otherwise. The room they were in, one of many in this maze of a place, looked like it hadn't been cleaned up in ages. Multiple papers were scattered across the floor along with some cables, tools, and all kinds of trash. Riddler must have spent a lot of his time down here, as his skin was so pale that it probably hadn't seen any natural sunlight in months. His cheeks were hollow, his hair messy and there were dark circles around his eyes. And in this sad picture, the only two things that seemed to be alive were Edward himself, and his eyes – radiating confidence, intellect and thirst for revenge.

“I assume you didn't kill the Bat?” “Not yet.” The man shrugged, pretending not to care but at the same time nervously tapping his fingers on the desk – one of his many motor tics. “But with my new plan he is as good as dead, don't you worry about that! As you can see, I'm very busy right now and I don't need you, or anyone, to distract me. I am a perfectly self-dependent one-man army, capable of besting the Bat on my own!” His angry, slightly high-pitched tone told Scarecrow just how much Riddler had actually changed. His time-alone had done the man no good but he was too far gone to notice that. “Do you want me to leave then?” “Yes, please!” Edward crossed his arms. It was more of an angry order than a polite request. “If you expected that I will ask you to stay, just because we used to be... whatever you want to call that. Well, sorry to disappoint you,” he turned his back to Scarecrow, now facing the desk littered with some blueprints. “I bet you are still very busy playing dead – so busy that for the past six months it didn't cross your mind to inform me that those news about the crocodile eating you alive were exaggerated!” Now, there was something new in Edward's voice, something similar to a sad and bitter undertone. Jonathan immediately caught on that shift and he had to admit, it got him interested. “Would it have been so hard, to contact me earlier?” The man continued, holding onto the edge of his desktop, as if it was a lifebuoy preventing him from drowning in his own madness. “Instead of treating me like I was nothing to you? Like I was one of those morons who wrote you off as dead?!” “I was dead...,” Scarecrow stated with a hushed, almost murmuring tone. “Jonathan Crane died that night in the sewers of Gotham. Now, there is only Scarecrow.” Riddler turned his head and laughed mockingly, the short, bark-like sound lacked any joy. “Oh, really? You seem rather fine for a dead-man!” “What makes you think, I am fine?” Riddler went silent and looked at him, surprised. It was a long, calculative stare, the longest one Edward had graced him with yet. Jonathan was sure, Riddler was about to ask him about the leg brace – the newest addition to Scarecrow's already terrifying look. He didn't – his gaze lingered on it but soon wandered higher. Jon stepped forward, sensing that this was the time to present his 'new face'. He took another step toward the man so the two of them were really close now. There was the desk behind Edward's back – no place to run – and even if the situation seemed harmless, Jonathan could already sense the tension between them. Slowly, he pulled his hood down, revealing the disturbing view underneath. Riddler's blue eyes widened at the sight of the dirty piece of cloth stitched to the very skin of Jonathan's face. Edward's right hand twitched and instinctively reached to examine the stitching but before his fingers touched the fabric, the man stopped himself. “Are you...insane?” He breathed out, in a half-shocked, half-furious manner. Scarecrow observed his reaction with anticipation, their eyes locked together as both of them refused to look elsewhere. “It felt like a necessity back then,” Crane made sure his voice was as smooth and chill as possible. He had quite a story to tell, however, he doubted Edward would understand him. “I had to patch up the open wound that used to be my face. All I had, was my old burlap mask so that was my first choice. Not the smartest one, I admit, since the infection spread through my whole body just a week later, leaving me delirious and weak for the next two months. And it was only worse from there...” Edward just stared at him, saying nothing even though he looked like he wanted to. Driven by old habit, Crane observed how the small veins over the man's temples pulsated with the rush of blood, and at the same time, he did a quick analysis of his own actions. What exactly had he expected from Nigma? Was it his pity that he sought? Did he desire to see, how poorly the man was doing without him? Well, he had gotten a taste of that, but did it please his cold, dark heart? “As you can see,” Scarecrow pulled up his hood and backed off, letting Riddler return to his comfort zone, “...I wasn't exactly in shape to come to you earlier. I did not mean to offend you...” Oh, so it was making peace then, was it? That was the purpose behind coming here after all those months. To convince himself, to convince Edward, that everything was, as it had always been – even if it was not. “Well,” Nigma awkwardly cleared his throat, his eyes examining the dirty, stone flooring for a little while before he was able to look at his guest again. “I guess, I have no choice but to accept your reasoning.” “That's very generous of you, Edward.” Riddler tried to smile but it came out more like a nervous twitch. “But where are my good manners,” he reminded himself and it seemed like all the resentment that had been there before, had vanished. An almost child-like eagerness replaced it. “Sit down, please.” He offered Scarecrow the only chair he got in his cramped, lonely dumpster. “Do you want anything to drink? Coffee? Hot cocoa? I had a second mug...somewhere around here.” “No, thank you, Edward,” Crane stopped him from searching through the dusty shelves. “I can't have hot beverages just yet. But I appreciate your effort. I think I will go now.” “Already? Why don’t you stay longer? I will share some juicy details about my next, big plan with you, and I can even show you a prototype of my latest contraption. I promise, it will blow your mind, haha. Metaphorically speaking, of course.” Edward must have missed that – talking to someone who would just sit down and listen to his crazy ideas.

To be honest, he himself might have missed the sound of a human voice just a little.

Deep down, Scarecrow knew his days were numbered, his body broken beyond repair. And it was his fear of dying defeated, humiliated, and forgotten that brought him back to Riddler.

...because of all people, it was Riddler who could understand that fear best. “Fine... Let’s talk about that plan of yours.”

[poptod]

Selcouth (Sirius) (Kenny x Reader)

Description: selcouth - unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet wonderful. The greatest teacher is also a friend. In your case, you’re usually the teacher, but Kenny is alway so eager to listen to you. (wonder why.)

Notes: i really like this one. it's just... nice. it isn't stressful to read or write. also sorry for any errors in this or in my description/notes i’m really high i just got bored an wanted to write a story. implied male reader. Word Count: 4.8k (apologies i tried to make this shorter but i just love ken)

There was something very unearthly about you, and he knew it wasn't just him thinking that. Most people found you interesting – so did he, but he knew you had very few friends (if any at all), and someone as popular and selective as you probably wouldn't want to become friends with him. The most unfortunate part about it all was the fact that you weren't quite aware that you were popular. Instead, you kept quiet and roamed the halls with a vacant, soft smile that had everyone vying to be your friend. To unveil your secrecy, to get your backstory, to understand what exactly made you so extravagantly different.

It was considered an honor to your fellow students if you sparked conversation with them, as it was something you rarely did. That's why, when you sat down beside Kenny during class, Kenny became very anxious. His hands shook and his knees were weak – but you just smiled and greeted him, using his name like you were old friends. He couldn't remember telling you his name, but maybe you'd picked it up. Maybe it was another one of your hidden, strange talents.

"Do you want to learn archery?" You asked, a question that stunned him so much he sat still, staring at you. He only answered when you raised your eyebrows expectantly.

"Oh, um – I... yes, actually," he finally answered, watching as that smile he'd watched so many times sprouted across your lips.

"I thought you might like to," you said, your eyes flickering to the front where the teacher had yet to appear. "I can teach you, if you like."

In a graceful, soft movement you were once more looking at him, your eyes bright and pitch black simultaneously. He swallowed thick, pinching his arm.

"Really? That'd.. be fun," he said with a nervous giggle, fidgeting with his fingers. He hadn't really lied when he said he wanted to learn archery, but he also didn't expect to genuinely get an opportunity to learn it, leading to an anxiousness that wondered if he was scared of failing or scared of you.

"Here's my address," you said, pulling a piece of paper out of nowhere and handing it to him.

Looking over the scribbles he read an address and a phone number, but before he could look up and ask you for a time, you were gone. Startled, he looked over the crowd in the classroom, finding you nowhere. Were you even taking the same class as him? He hadn't seen you in Algebra before. Slightly shaken, he returned to waiting for the teacher, trying not to think on your interaction.

That same afternoon he walked to your house, feeling a little guilty for blowing off his friend to spend time with you, a stranger. Larry understood well enough – he wanted to be well-liked, like you, and for him Kenny was a gateway to that. However even with all that assurance that he wasn't making a mistake, something said that he was doing the wrong thing. Perhaps it was just the fact that he had to climb up a very steep and very long hill to get to your house on the outskirts of town, but by the end of the venture, standing in front of your door, he hesitated to knock.

Taking a deep breath he rapped his knuckles against the dark wood, waiting with fidgeting hands as footsteps sounded behind the door. Through the windows he could see lights, and in the frosty pane, he caught sight of a black grand piano sat upon a Victorian-esque carpet. This was more of a mansion than a house – a beautiful mansion stuck in the middle of nowhere.

The lock clicking and the whine of a door opening caught his attention, his eye turning back to the door, where he found a middle-aged woman peeking through a tiny crack.

"Uh... I'm – I'm here for, uh, (Y/N)," he said nervously, reluctant to make eye contact with her.

She looked him up and down, pausing only a moment on his ratted boots before she closed the door on him. A sigh fell from him – maybe he had the wrong address? Before he could wonder if there were any errors in your address, the door opened once more, revealing your smiling face.

"Kenny, hello," you said, opening the door wide to let him in. He spoke a soft thank you, shimmying past you and into your home, where a fireplace warmed up the living room in great contrast to the chill wind of winter's beginnings.

You lead him to the couch, letting him sit down on the plush fabric in front of the stone fireplace. For a moment you left him there, wandering into another section of the house before returning, two cups of hot chocolate in your hands complete with whipped cream. Handing one to him, you sat beside him with a relaxed posture.

"It's a colder day, certainly. I like the cold though," you said conversationally, looking down into your cup before staring at the flickering flames.

"It's not my favorite," he admitted, his voice soft compared to your own.

"That's fair," you said, smiling. "You get used to it when everything's inevitable."

He nodded distantly, his brow furrowed in confusion. Did you ever even try to make sense?

"So, um... how long have you done archery for?" He asked, reluctant to meet your gaze, but when he did all regret left his head. Your cheeks, pink from the cold, matched so well with your darkened eyes and the graceful, soft way you always smiled.

"Not all that long, I don't think. I can't remember when I started," you said, using a few random hand gestures as you spoke. "I'm assuming you don't have your own bow though, right?"

"Yeah, a bit – it's kind of expensive," he said to which you avidly agreed.

"That's why I made my own," you said as though that was normal. Kenny's eyes widened – knowing how to use a bow was one thing, but making one was something else entirely. "I've actually made a few," you continued, "so you can have one of them."

"Oh, I couldn't –"

"No, no, I'm not doing anything with them. Better in the loving hands of a different owner than in the resentful hands of a creator," you said, offering that trademark smile as you stood, setting your half empty mug of hot chocolate on the side table. He blanked out for a moment in an attempt to process what you'd just said, but the moment he came into his body to find you gone, he scrambled to his feet and followed you up the stairs.

Following you through the hallways filled with photos of long-dead relatives, he stumbled over himself only once, though once was plenty to make him feel embarrassed. Still, he joined you in your room where massive windows lit the whole of the room. A large bed sat in the corner, the wall beside it covered entirely in sheets of paper pinned there, notes and strings connecting everything together. To the left of that lay your desk, covered in the same fashion of notes and sketches. Most of them, he noticed, were astronomy related, speaking of the movement of stars and what ancient cultures thought of the constellations. Besides that and the bookcase full of ancient African artifacts, your room was rather normal.

He followed your footsteps to the corner of the room, where you opened a large, wooden chest stamped with '1847' in golden letters. Looking over your shoulder, he found an organized layer of a bow and several arrows, all of them made by your hands. To his surprise when you hooked your fingers in the velvet loops and pulled, the layer gave way for another velvet case. This time it held a sword and its' sheath beside it. He tried his best not to say anything, watching in silence as you raised two more layers before getting to another bow and arrow, which you took out of its' casing to hand to him.

You'd payed extra attention to this bow – flowers were carved into the wood, flowers and cuneiform script speaking prayers he couldn't understand. The arrows were much the same as the first ones he'd seen, but he remained adamant that he needed to be careful.

"We should work on form first, it'll save your life from cramps and such," you said, pulling him to his feet and turning him around, making sure the large, floor-length mirror was right in front of him.

In his reflection he saw himself holding the bow and looking rather gangly as he usually did, and you, standing beside him with your hands poised delicately upon his shoulders. You had a look in your eye – determined and confident as your hands moved, fingers dragging down the bare skin of his arms before you reached his hands. There you guided him, bringing his arms up so he held the bow in the right position.

"Are you left or right eyed?" You asked softly, still staring at him in the mirror.

"R – right," he said, stumbling over his own words as the corners of your lips perked upwards, a tell-tale sign that you were enjoying yourself greatly.

That made his heart flutter – the thought that you enjoyed time spent with him. He never considered you someone he would date, though one of the reasons for that was because he didn't think you'd be interested in him. But now, watching the way you moved his hips and the feel of your chest against his back, he could think of nothing else. The way your lips quirked upwards, the mess in your hair and the blush beneath your skin. He could stay like this for so long – watching you at his side.

"Here, loosen your grip. Stand to the side," you murmured, moving him so he stood at his side, his left arm extended straight holding the bow. Stepping out from behind him, you fixed his grip, making sure the wood rested right below the ball of his thumb.

"There you go," you said when all was correct, and didn't it always make him so pathetically happy to know you were pleased.

"So I close my left eye?" He asked, switching between closing the left and right.

"That's right," you said, reaching for his right hand and holding it on your own. "Now take the string, draw it back so your elbow is level with your shoulder," you murmured as you set his arm into place yourself. "Don't put pressure on your wrist. Use your thumb."

Trying his best to remember your instructions, he hooked his fingers around the string, pulling back and attempting to keep his wrist, shoulder, and elbow even with each other. When he accomplished that, he looked to his reflection standing tall and firm in a way he rarely ever stood. Almost... confident. He smiled.

"Alright," you whispered, gently moving your hands from his and placing them on his shoulders. "Let go."

He followed your command, the string of the bow twanging forward with empty ammunition. Another bright smile crossed him – he did it, and you looked proud of him.

"Perfect," you said with a grin, patting his shoulders before abandoning him to sit on your bed. "Do it without my help."

Nodding he gulped, turning back to his reflection and holding the bow up once more. With a deep, calming sigh he drew the string, letting it snap back into place. Immediately as he finished he looked to you, gauging your reaction.

"Wonderful. Ready to try it with an arrow?"

"I think so," he said with an excited grin, giddy as you reached for the quiver, slinging it over your shoulder and leading him out of your room.

Down the steps you led him, slipping into your shoes and pulling a coat on as you stopped at the front door. Out of politeness he copied, putting on his own coat before rushing through the open door, trailing after you as you led him out back of the house, where a great expanse of empty land stood unclaimed and dead in the chill. A few feet into your backyard and the ground gave way for a steep cliff, leading down into a mess of bushes and brambles. He looked at it curiously for a moment before returning to you, scanning your useable backyard, where he found a dull, red target nailed to a tree. You led him to the opposite side of the yard, to a marker that sat exactly ten feet away from the target.

"Here," you said, pulling an arrow out of the quiver and handing it to him. He examined it nervously, doing his best to keep position while figuring out how the bow launched the arrow. Fortunately he didn't have to embarrass himself for long, as you stepped in, taking his hand and showing him the groove at the end, where the string would sit. "The arrowhead should sit above your grip on the left side," you continued. "Breathe slow, aim a little higher than your target."

As usual he kept your advice at the forefront of his mind, letting all other thought disappear with his even breath. He aimed, and once assured of his aim, he released the string, launching the arrow through the air. To his immense surprise it landed on the target, and even further than that it had landed on the ring right next to the exact center of the target.

His mouth hung half open, the ends curling into a bright grin that had you smiling and patting his back.

"Fantastic shot," you said with a soft chuckle, your gaze switching between him and his arrow.

"Can I do it again?" He asked eagerly.

"Of course," you said, leaving his side to fetch the arrow and return it to him.

He tried several more times, but no other shots that day were quite as good as the first one. By the fourth-or-so shot he began losing hope, wondering if the first shot had been a fluke, and the truth was that he was horrible at archery. Would you still like him if he failed?

"Don't worry about it," you said in that soft, humming voice that always managed to calm him. "A lot of people get a good first shot and a few lousy ones after that. It's more of a practice thing once you know how to do it."

"So I can come up again?" He asked, strolling beside you as the two of you reentered the house, a quiver in your hands and a bow in his.

"Of course. Any time you want," you answered.

"What if you aren't home?"

"Oh I'll know when you're here. No need to concern yourself," you said with a sweet but curt smile, taking the bow from him and setting it on the steps leading upstairs.

"Um... okay. Next week then?"

"Sure."

Every now and then you'd talk to him during school, and each time it was a different subject. His grades, your teachers, the weather, ancient Rome, the beliefs of the Sandawe people and the mystical knowledge of the Dogon tribe – it was enough to make his head spin. You knew so much, memorized so much information and you talked to almost no one but him. If he had that much information crammed into his head he wouldn't be able to stop talking.

There was a side-affect to your budding friendship – Kenny wasn't sure if he liked or disliked it, but people were nicer to him. While he'd usually be sure that it was a good thing, he knew it stemmed purely from the fact that you were friendly with him, and those in turn being nice to him probably only wanted a way to get to you. After all, it wasn't that long ago that he was the one they were making fun of.

You were a good distraction from it all. Pulling him away from other's opinions, leading him in a direction of self-love he hadn't previously thought attainable. But no, you managed to convince him to (in the least) like himself, and to find the good aspects of himself. Not only that, but the things you'd shown him had also spurred him to find the good aspects of others, a talent few high schoolers had.

As good of an impact as you were in his life, he still didn't understand you all that well. Your stories of your past were vague and coded deep in a language he couldn't understand. One can know another without knowing the whole of their past, but he had a feeling he'd understand you a bit better if you explained things in a normal way. You said the strangest things, too – things about the world, observation of beliefs, careful notes of the human condition – things like, "I don't know if I could ever go back to heaven," and "everyone has a specific length of time on earth. To spend it watching others you don't even know is a waste of time," which was in reference to the beginnings of 'social media'. Apparently you didn't like it, but at the time of the conversation you weren't even discussing technology with him. He asked you what you wanted to eat for lunch and out of nowhere you said that, and it took him a pretty long while to get what the hell you were talking about out of you.

Besides that, you were great fun to spend time with, and always a fantastic help with history homework. Not anything else, though – almost all other subjects completely stumped you. There was only one other class you were rather good at, but it was a college level class, and neither you nor him were taking college classes. But it was still fascinating to hear your science, so he let you talk all you wanted to about astronomy and astrophysics with a side of conspiracies.

"I've mentioned this before," you said, fidgeting in front of your corkboard as you flitted around the room, piecing together a story Kenny could hardly understand, "but – but the Sirius star, it's one of my favorite mysteries. You know the Dogon tribe, I mentioned them before. It's just fascinating that they could've known it was two stars. Like how did they know that? How'd they see that without telescopes?"

"Maybe they've got good eyesight?"

"But that's just the thing! If you connect this to the Roswell incident of 1947 or – um, yeah, 1947, the skies on that date over Nevada, it had Sirius there. See, I think it's a possibility that –"

Right around there you lost him completely, but he continued to diligently pretend he was listening. A distant smile crossed his face – hearing someone whose usually rather quiet go into a massive spiel, that was the core of humanity to him. Letting go of ones fears just to share something they love so dearly.

"Oh, looks like the sun's hidden itself again," you said, interrupting your own speech to look outside the towering windows in your bedroom. "Hungry yet?"

"A little," he admitted quietly, a blush spreading wild across his cheeks when you took his hand, intertwining his fingers in yours as you led him out of your room and down the stairs.

At the kitchen you stopped, leaving him on the edge of the stone floor as you went to the fridge, opening and scanning its contents. While you rummaged through that, he stepped quietly closer to you. You didn't notice his approach, too concentrated on your search, allowing him a time to watch you illuminated by the white light of a fridge. Tacky, yes, but you were warm. Maybe even familiar – all he knew was that he could stare in wonder for hours, watching your unearthly glow.

Outside, fall had turned to winter, allowing a shallow layer of snow to carpet all the dead grass that originally filled your yard. The balcony, while also covered in snow, had a picnic area beneath a large umbrella, which was also where a long, black telescope sat. He sighed – it felt as though it was just yesterday that school started and you approached him. Now you were finding dinner for him in your house, letting him stay as long as he wanted to.

The two of you ended up settling on a package of ravioli, as it wouldn't take too long to make and was easy enough. You ate together on the couch, watching a children's show on the television till you both finished, setting your plates aside.

When the show ended you stood, returning to the kitchen with your dishes and setting them in the sink. He followed quickly after, curious to see your aim, and watching quietly as you drew two brightly colored mugs down from one of the shelves. It didn't take long till he recognized the steps you took – you were making hot chocolate. Two cups with good cream, better whipped cream, and a perfectly red cherry on top. You smiled bright as you handed him the purple cup, keeping your own pink one close to your chest. 

You liked this, he realized – you liked giving things to him. Bows, food, drinks, and more importantly your thoughts. He wondered if you'd ever given your thoughts to anyone before.

"Can I show you something?" You asked after taking a sip, enjoying the warmth slip down your throat.

He nodded, following you when you left, taking him to the backdoor where the two of you slipped on your shoes, opened the glass door, and stood beneath the umbrella. Setting your cup down on the table, you uncovered the telescope, moving the three tall legs into the snow to see past the umbrella's cover. He set his own mug down, coming to stand beside you in the pitch dark of night. All that lit the two of you up was the distant light of the stars and the lights from inside, casting yellow glow against the bare wood and glittering in the snow. A chill ran through him – neither of you were wearing coats, and it was the dead of winter, at the bright-and-early time of 12 AM.

"Come here," you beckoned him closer, watching with that soft smile as he moved, shuffling closer to you. You scooted a little closer to him as well, mooching off his body warmth as you looked through the telescope in a search of the heavens.

"I like the moon," you mumbled, a strange statement to make considering there was no moon that night, "but I like it when she's gone, too. You can see the stars a little better. Here."

You offered him the eye, and hesitantly he took your place, carefully looking through and hoping he didn't accidentally change the angle. Mostly inky darkness, but there was a star glowing blue in the night.

"Is that.. is that Sirius?" He asked, hoping to God he didn't sound like an idiot. It looked like there was a smaller light beside the larger one, but he couldn't tell for sure – he just wanted to impress you.

"Yeah," you said with a bright grin and a chuckle, "that's Sirius. Locked in an eternal dance with another sun 1.8 billion miles apart... they love each other but they cannot ever touch. That'd kill them. Sad story, really."

He wasn't sure that was an actual story, but it hurt him nonetheless. Just a twinge of pain in his heart.

"Did you know it's one of the brightest stars in the sky?" You asked softly, staring up at the star. He looked up to you.

"It looks like it," he mumbled, looking up at the sky before returning to you, watching how the light danced in your eyes and kissed your cheeks in a dim, blue light that left you glowing.

"Their dance reminds me of a story," you said, your voice still airy in your daydream. "Nwt and Geb. Geb was the dry land and Nwt was the sky, and like most opposites they were in love. But their love angered Ra... at least, that's what most of them say. He made their father keep them apart for eternity. His name was Shu, and he was the air between the earth and the sky."

"I know you like these stories a lot, but I don't think I can listen to them without thinking about the whole incest thing," he said unprompted, sparking a laugh from you.

"I know, it's horrid," you agreed, still grinning. "But it's nice to know forbidden love made its' way into every culture. Means there's a chance for people like us, that the others might have empathy."

"People... like us?" He asked quietly, unsure of your meaning.

"Boys who like boys," you said, instantly making him shut up. "Girls who like girls," you continued, "those who like both, those who like neither."

"Oh," he finally got out, staring at the snow-laden floor with his hands stuck deep in his pockets. He hadn't ever told you about that part of himself. How did you know?

"Here, I'm sorry," you said softly, handing him his still-warm mug of hot chocolate. He gratefully took it from you. "I shouldn't have said anything. It was insensitive of me and I apologize. You can come out whenever you're ready."

"What makes you think I'm gay?"

You looked him up and down, offering no more than a sad look. He could almost laugh, but before he could get any reaction out of himself, you moved from your place beneath the umbrella to join him beside the telescope, your side pressed against his.

"Happy Christmas, by the way," you murmured, staring up at Sirius just as he did.

"I don't celebrate Christmas," he said in the same distant tone, making you giggle thoughtlessly, looking to the ground before you looked up to him.

He was wonderful, wasn't he? The way he smiled and the way his fingers curled in on each other, the freckles dotted across his skin and the rough feel of his hands. He was rather toned as well, a surprising fact that had little affect on your view of him, as the physical body had never appealed to you very much. All that was important, all that you remembered was the signs when he was nervous, the anxious blush that sometimes crossed him, the beautiful, uncontrollable laugh he had every now and then. You knew about how he stuttered when embarrassed and how he laughed when he lied, and you knew his favorite shirt on you just as well as you knew his favorite Star Trek character. That was love, wasn't it? Being known – it had to be love. To know someone was to love them, and in more than one or two ways you truly did know him.

"Happy Eid then," you said as you leant into him, staring into your hot chocolate.

"Oh, um, my mom wanted to invite you to a party. For Eid," he said, taking a small step away to look at you more easily.

"I'd love to come. Anything I should know about your parents?"

"No... just don't mention gay stuff," he said with a small laugh, making a smile of your own come to you.

"Hey, Kenny," you said as he stopped laughing, calling his attention back to you. "Watch this."

"Watch wh –"

You leaned forward, getting on your tip-toes to reach his lips where you pressed the sweetest and the first of his kisses, catching him so by surprise that he accidentally dropped his mug. Somehow you didn't seem to mind – you just kept kissing him, and he adored it. For a single moment nothing else mattered, and he could touch you without guilt, kiss you without thought, leaving only intrinsic care like he was built to love you. When you pulled back he stayed in that position, his eyes still closed in a dream-like state. Your giggle brought him back, erupting a bright blush on his face as you rested your freezing hand on his cheek, pulling him in for a shorter, softer peck.

"W - wait, I broke your mug," he said, stuttering as he stared at you, waiting for you to get angry.

"No, I made sure it didn't break," you said with that soft smile, and the two of you looked down to the mug.

Lo and behold, it hadn't broken. Another one of those 'mysterious' miracles that happened around you. You picked up the mug, handing him your half-filled cup and letting him drink from that instead.

"I think hot chocolate is sweeter when it's shared," you said, sitting beside him on your bed with the cup placed between you.

"You sound like a hot chocolate advertisement," he said with a laugh, making you grin.

"Just enjoy it," you murmured, kissing the top of his head.

[mistwraiths]

2 stars

Apologies for the blurry picture but I couldn't seem to find a good one. The Crown of Gilded Bones is the third book in the From Blood and Ash series. I want everyone to know I'll be putting on my clown makeup after I post this review because despite rating the first two books low and having issues with them, I somehow deluded myself into thinking this one might be better! It wasn't and dare I say it I think this was the worst one by far.

I'm genuinely trying to find something good about this book ot at least something I really enjoyed. I do like that the books pick up right where the last book ends up. The first few chapters are pretty exciting. Around page 600, the last few chapters are fast paced and things are happening. Other than that, I can't really think of anything I really liked about the book.

Crown of Gilded Bones majorly suffers, like its predecessors, in the same four ways. Being too long, repetition, world information and building, and nothing important to the central story or plot happening for huge chunks of pages.

I firmly believe that all the books were half their length and the story beats were quicker coming and longer, it would be far more enjoyable. Instead you're forced to slog through inner monologues that don't add anything new, Poppy getting dressed by Casteel, showers, and other mundane parts. I thought knowing that it would be slow would help me enjoy the book but nope. The whole deciding to go to the realm of the gods literally doesn't happen until nearly the end of 500 pages in.

The worst part about the book being far too long and nothing happening is that when something does happen, it gets rehashed several times to the point where I, as a reader, am exhausted about reading about talking about it. I'm a big lover of communication. I love it when characters who are working together or are together tell each other important information and trust each other, but this is different. Once something happens, it gets talked about it detail for a handful of chapters, usually lasting longer than the actual event itself, and then is brought up again to go over, and then again. It's frustrating because I just want to move on but the story is so determined to go over everything again.

That's not the only instances of repetition. I know authors tend to reuse certain words over again. SJM and her "croon" and "toes curl" and "barked/roared". I can forgive stuff. I can look over Jennifer's constant use of dimples. The honeydew part is the most disgusting. I don't care what flavor Poppy's vagina is. There's a difference when it comes to the same thing happening with the near similar responses/situations being used over and over again as an attempt in humor but it falls flat after its been used several times. I'm talking about the "I have a question" "No one is surprised by that" parts and the Poppy being prone to violence makes Casteel horny and Poppy has to be like you're disturbing. If it showed up once or twice after the initial one, I could get over it. But it's reused every so many chapters. If it's an attempt at humor, it is a poor one.

This book is number three in a series and this book is still chock-full of world building and world information. I could possibly forgive it since I suppose at the start Jennifer didn't plan for a big fantasy series, but it's too much. There's so much information being crammed at you and it's in a very obvious way. Poppy asks and Kiernan or Casteel answers. That's pretty much the only way Poppy and the reader learns anything. At this point, I feel like I need a glossary and timeline because there is so much information.

In fact, despite nothing happening, l don't know how it still feels that there is a lot going on. There's the Solis problem. There's the Poppy should be queen problem. There's the people have concerns of Poppy being queen. There's the Unseen problem. Another Dark One problem? Poppy's lineage/past mystery. Something about waking up the Consort? And a little bit more. It's a lot.

In the second book, I liked Poppy (sort of), Casteel, and Kiernan. However, I find myself not liking any of them that much. From personality to saying similar things, they all feel very much the same character. There's not much difference in personalities or dialogue. About the only difference is that Kiernan is cool, Poppy is compassionate when it suits the narrative, and Casteel is protective. Other than that, there's not much of a difference between any of them.

Poppy is pretty much the same as always. Massively overpowered and incredibly special, doesn't know anything about her world that she lives in, and somehow despite being so special and powerful, she's kidnapped and hurt and then levels up again. We are forcefully spoon-fed how Poppy is so strong, so beautiful, so intelligent and clever. I haven't found one instance that I've been wow that was smart. Poppy's powers she inherently knows how to use perfectly the moment she gets them.

There's also almost no female interactions or female friendships with Poppy. Tawny was barely there in the first one but when she surprisingly shows up here, she's immediately rendered injured and unconscious. We're told Vonetta and Poppy are friends, but there's been almost no interactions. Vonetta gave her clothes once and then delivered a message later. Is that a basis for friendship? Vonetta eventually falls in a hole and Poppy saves her. That's about it. Ileana and Eloana are both older motherly types but also significant worrisome individuals for Poppy internally. Again, there's like one conversation each with them individually. Lyra is introduced to us by giving Kiernan a blow job but no interactions. Hisa and Nova are soldiers but no interactions. It's even mentioned that female draken are rare, but I'd argue that female characters are exceptionally rare. It's ridiculous. It's like there isn't any female that's allowed to have a moment of spotlight or competency other than Poppy. Poppy also has a moment of nastiness that's out of character when she threatens a woman who admitted to her that she had no interest in Casteel and Casteel had said the same and he wasn't interested in her, and she threatens to rip her limb from limb. It's so sudden and startlingly and leaves a terrible taste in my mouth.

As for Casteel, I no longer like him nor do I think he's a good guy. I think he's capable of good, being good, doing good but there's too many times where he's been vocal about killing anyone and burning his own kingdom down if Poppy doesn't get her own freedom of choice or what she want and what not. It's played out as the most truest love but to me, that's like a villain kind of love. If someone I loved burned down a city because I didn't get to choose what I wanted, I'd call the police. The craziest thing I had to read is people believing that Casteel would make a good king when he legitimately states that Poppy's needs comes before his own kingdom's needs. And if hers are met, the kingdom's could be met. That's not how any of that works!

He also does something incredibly reckless. I get it, he couldn't live without Poppy so he chooses to Ascend her. I can wrap my head around it. The fact of the matter is that Casteel refuses to take the blame or even entertain the consequences that could have resulted in that and how reckless it was. Poppy even refuses to allow the conversation. They are both like: I am not a vampry. Nothing bad happened so let's move on. It's astounding. Not only that but I felt it extremely odd that Poppy would have been okay with Casteel making her into a vampry, something incredibly dangerous and something she hates and would never want to be. It's just oh okay well luckily I didn't turn into one. And that's... it? It would have made good tension but no. Instead, they're just in love so much we have to listen to Casteel tell her how strong and beautiful she is every twenty pages.

I was excited to learn more about Kiernan but I still couldn't tell you much about him. Best friends with Casteel, a wolven, and he's always like "no one is surprised by Poppy having question". That's about all I know of him. Those are all things I knew about him in the second book.

Some other things I had issues with is that the villains are eager to spill everything about their plans. I feel like I'm watching a cartoon show with their villain monologues going on and on. Everyone except for Poppy is knowledgeable about everything!! People are constantly apologizing for things they have no control of. Characters somehow know exactly what to say to Poppy all the time like mind reading. I'm annoyed that the gods realm and the draken were such short parts.

When the reveals and the action which took 600 pages to get to happened, I really couldn't find myself caring. Reading felt like a chore. I'm not worried about any of the characters. I don't know if I'm interested anymore in reading this series because it feels like work trying to read it. I'm here for enjoyment and I'm not having a good time.