#i changed the sizes last night i must have not screwed it on all the way . surprised it lasted this long tbh

[killerskillercaptain]

Pillow Talk with Levi Ackerman : Eren

Themes : comfort, fluff, canonverse, romance, Levi and reader are married, late night conversations, deep conversations, reader showing concern about Eren.

This ficlet is part of the PILLOW TALK WITH LEVI ACKERMAN BOOKS. Make sure to follow the next ones by asking to be added to the taglist or by checking the Masterlist !

I Kuchel

II Kenny

III Hange

IV Erwin

V Farlan & Isabel

VI Mikasa

VII Eren

"Another sleepless night", you thought while laying on your king-sized bed, limbs all out. You stared at the ceiling, analyzing each crack on it when you heard the familiar sound of the bathroom's door being opened.

The wooden door would shriek every time someone got in or out of the shower, and no wonder, this place was so old it got you wondering how it was able to withstand the test of time.

You and Levi were staying in this secret base for some additional days. Soon enough, you'll be off to your next stopping point : Wall Sina.

Pixies had requested your presence along with the captain to discuss future strategies. Hange had given you the blueprint of a new advanced weaponry she was working on. The instructions were clear : show the higher ups the new efforts made into this technology, hoping they will find it interesting enough to demand another funding from the nobles. You prayed they would find Hange's work worthy of their time...and money !

"Shit. How long are we gonna keep begging like this ? Those rich bastards with their guts as saggy as their money pouches sure know how to make us crawl to them. All that wealth but they never lift a finger to help unless we stroke their ego, it's not enough for them to cheat on taxation apparently. Plus they always think of us as weak...who do they think is protecting their fat-asses ?!"

He threw a pillow on the bed before plopping down with a heavy sigh.

"Why do we have to be the ones begging ?".

"It has always been like this Levi, and you know it. It's never gonna change" you said eyes still firmly locked on the ceiling.

"If he didn't mess up the original plan, we wouldn't have to come up with this stupid weapon case !"

You knew that by "he", he meant Eren.

"Levi, try to be in his shoes-"

"Yeah right, he's gonna get my shoe right in his face again if he doesn't stop screwing things up !"

"Can you imagine how hard it is for him ? He just learned that he can transform, can you imagine what it's like...turning into the thing you hate the most ? Turning into the very thing that killed your mother...jeez. He only recently realized that, it's as new to him as it is to us, of course he's having a hard time assessing this, let alone control it ! Think of the emotional turmoil, think of-"

Levi shut you up with a kiss on the lips, they were still wet from the shower. He muffled your last words because he honestly couldn't care less about the excuses you were making for the fifteen-year-old boy.

"Stop taking his side, he's a soldier, he has to learn to tame himself anyway"

"Yeah" you let out in a defeated breath

"I don't know about his titan abilities, but he needs to be tamed. That brat has an ego as big as a titan's ass"

"He is still a kid Levi, i can only imagine how disoriented he might feel, dealing with such powers at such a complicated age, don't you think ?"

You lifted your palm and caressed Levi's cheek softly. You sensed he was letting his guard down so you took this opportunity to steal a kiss from your ever so-stoic husband.

You couldn't hide your concern for the cadet. Yes, he was an annoying fifteen-year-old boy with absolutely impulse control. His anger makes him want to prove himself to anyone who would dare provoke him, yet you had a soft spot for him and his devotion. After all, he was only a child when he witnessed his mother getting killed by a titan. He must have felt so powerless back then, that's why he probably feels he has no time to waste or to think and always launches head-on into danger.

"Look at us fighting about Eren as if he was our child" you chuckled.

"We don't have time to empathize with his situation, we need to know how to deal with him"

"Yes captain, but not tonight" you said sliding your gown off your legs, your shoulders, then your head, before tossing it in the corner of the room.

You tossed a leg over your husband's torso. His skin was wet yet warm and extremely comforting. You liked to rest your head on the crook of his neck, taking in his scent, he smelt so clean, as he always did.

You stayed in this position for the longest time until Levi's body turned cold and started to shudder. Feeling him quivering underneath you caught you off guard and you realized how late it already was. Levi slipped away and started to dry his damp skin, the moon casting a sweet light on his delicate figure. You couldn't help but ogle him, watching each and every one motion he made with the old towel.

Levi was literally shining under the dim moonlight.

"But damn, can you imagine turning into a titan ?" you said, both amused and repulsed by the thought.

"Well, at least i would be tall...and i would be the one looking down on our generous providers for a change, instead of having them staring down at me all the time"

He wasn't looking at you but he could hear you muffle a sweet laugh in the dark.

"Levi, you're perfect the way you are-"

"Go to bed already !"

Taglist : @feelingsandemotionsnotexplored @notgoodforlife

[heavyteddy25]

Bad batch pt2

Jared was heading back to his dorm room after class, he had a terrible time in his algebra class and needed to study for his midterm tomorrow. He finally made it to his dorm where his roommate was chillin in bed. Their dorm was pretty spacious since it was meant for 3 people, but their other roommate dropped out and was never replaced.

Jared: dude I’m so screwed! I have my midterm tomorrow and I haven’t studied at all!

Timothy looked over at Jared and watched him stress out.

Timothy: dude chill just do an all nighter everybody does it.

Jared knew Timothy was right he didn’t need to freak out, he would just put on one of his favorite pajama onesies. The one that looks like a panda and zips up in the front. He headed to the mini fridge they recently stocked up on some new energy drink and downed one. It was surprisingly tasty if not for the after taste.

Jared: hey what flavors did you get? These are not bad!

Timothy: they had a bunch so I got a bunch just don’t drink them all dude I gotta study eventually too haha.

Jared spent the whole night studying till he crashed out in his desk and woke up to sunlight shining thru his window blinds. Looking at the clock Jared realized he was running late for his test! He grabbed his bag and one last energy drink for good luck and out the door he went without even changing from his onesie. He made it to his class with seconds to spare, he sat in his desk and started his test having not yet noticed the changes to his body that started under his pajamas. Jared started to feel a pressure building in his belly he could feel something bubbling inside him. Jared thought he might have had one too many energy drinks it must just be some bloating. Seconds later Jared felt his belly touch the table of his classroom desk not realizing he was leaning over so much he tried to sit back but there wasn’t any room. He finally looked down at himself and saw what was happening, his belly was expanding before him filling out his onesie. He silently freaked out and ran out of the classroom and into the hallway bathroom, in the mirror he checked himself out. Nothing out of the ordinary besides what looked like a basketball under his onesie making the panda print look a little too real. He rubbed his belly realizing it felt firm and taught he poked his newfound girth and it gurgled in response, sounding mad. Something was clearly wrong with that energy drink he needed help he raced towards his dorm room dialing 911.

Phone operator: hello what seems to be the emergency?

Jared: help I think I drank a bad energy drink now I can’t stop growing! My belly is getting huge! I’m heading to my dorm room 211.

The operator asked what he drank and Jared told them the new turbo drinks. The phone went silent and then it hung up on Jared. Not knowing what to do he made it to his dorm room where Timothy sat at their desk. Timothy turned around about to say something but stopped as soon has he saw Jared newfound size.

Timothy: dude what happened to you? You look like you swallowed a beach ball!

Jared was filling up faster now his onsie painfully tight as his belly kept pushing and stretching his outfit till. POP! The zipper running down the front of the onsie burst open revealing Jareds furry belly, swollen and covered in new stretch marks.

Jared: I don’t know what’s happening but I’m so full idk how much longer I can hold it. It feel like my insides are being shredded.

As if on cue his belly let out an angry groan and gurgles were coming from somewhere deep inside Jared’s belly, he could feel it slightly vibrating as it grew. His belly was starting to take up more and more room putting distance between Jared and Timothy. Just as Timothy walked up to Jared’s growing belly he realized it grew in all directions including up it covered the view of Jared’s face as it went up it went down as well. Timothy started poking and prodding Jareds belly feeling it have less and less give. Jared couldn’t help but moan and shiver his skin becoming so sensitive from the stretching he could feel the bottom of his belly reaching the floor he knew he didn’t have much longer. But as suddenly as it started the growing stopped, Jared felt a wave of relief wash over himself and his now 6ft tall belly that now took up half the room covered in stretched out belly hair and stretch marks. Just as there was a moment of silent disbelief of their situation there was a knock on the door.

Stranger: hello!? Open up it’s the paramedics we got a report of someone having a reaction to something they drank?

Timothy opened the door and two muscular men entered the room immediately brought to a halt before they end up bumping into Jared’s wall of belly.

Stranger: geez you weren’t kidding but what could have done this? You sure it was a drink?

Jared: I’m positive! Those stupid turbo energy drinks did this to me!!!

Stranger: I was afraid you might say that. Welp that settles that, can’t have anymore witnesses or evidence….

One of the paramedics grabbed onto Timothy from behind pinning him. Timothy just noticed they weren’t wearing uniforms he recognized or any kind of badges and he had a bad feeling. The free stranger pulled out a vial of a clear substance and a blue substance. He walked over to Timothy and grabbed him by the lips till they parted and forced him to chug the blue vial. Then walked around Jared’s giant firm belly to his face where Jared was going to put up a fight but only being able to reach the stranger with one arm he there wasn’t much fighting. The stranger simply jabbed the belly with his fist causing Jared to yelp out which the stranger then shoved the clear vial into his mouth. Then he stepped back and waited. Suddenly Jared lurched forwards as his belly went back to expanding, Jared began to plead with the stranger

Jared: no please don’t make me pop! I don’t wanna be a balloon like this I don’t know how much more I can hold!

Jared’s skin was becoming shiny and pink you could see little veins crisscrossing all over his every bloating belly. His skin began to creak as the end neared you could see the fear in Jared’s eyes as he began to pant focusing on stretching as much as he can.

Jared: fuck.. so full.. can’t.. hold… anymore!!!

Jareds face went red and his eyes crossed right when he hit his limit then BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!

[in-every-reality]

Antics After Dark

~You and Tam are at Foxfire for late-night shadowflux training with Lady Zillah, back to your usual hall-roaming shenanigans. Though, you can’t help but notice Tam seems to feel a bit differently.

{Reader is: relatively neutral; a Shade; shorter than Tam; implied to be from Forbidden Cities. {Timeline: when Sophie and Fitz are in the Healing Center after Umber’s attack

{Tropes: friends to lovers, mutual pining, confession, training tension {Warnings: kissing, some swearing, mentions of violence (from the Neverseen), mentions of Reader having a scar from a previous fight, slightest bit of angst

{Word Count: 2195

“[Y/N], I’m serious!” Tam’s face betrayed his words, whitened teeth breaking out into a smile, a shine of mischief and maybe something else in his silvery eyes—a look that you could’ve sworn added another thousand years to your indefinite Elvin life. “Lady Zillah might actually get upset this time.”

“Come on, Tam,” you pleaded, tugging his sleeve gently. “We’re technically not doing anything wrong. As long as we find some shadowflux before we come back, we’re fulfilling our training —this is just a little… detour.”

The two of you have once again been sent out to seek the most potent patches of shadow in Foxfire’s halls, needing to further familiarize yourselves with using the unruly element of shadowflux. As a cure for the boredom and tiredness of late nights on campus, you two have gotten into a routine of wandering a little on your own — occasionally finding your way into the teacher’s lounge and accidentally snatching a few snacks.

“Little? We took well over twenty minutes last time.” The boy shoved his hands into his pockets, squaring his jaw in resistance to the smile tugging at his lips.

“Okay, well, we won’t get lost this time,” you said, though you knew it was basically guaranteed with the sheer size of the school.

Tam raised an eyebrow. “You say that every time.” He closed his eyes, letting out a short sigh. “With everything happening, we need to focus more than ever. We’re the only people in the group who might have a damn chance against the Neverseen’s Shade, I just don’t feel like we should be messing around.” The boy’s eyes met yours again, and you could see the sincerity in his gaze—something rare for him. However, there was something else there too.

You sucked in a breath. “Alright, what’s wrong?”

“I- nothing’s wrong, I just thing we need to start taking this seriously.” Tam ran his hand through his black hair, his bangs falling back into his eyes.

“Are you hearing yourself?” You crossed your arms. “In the almost two years I’ve known you, you’ve barely ever cared about taking shit seriously. Something else is going on with you.”

He broke eye contact, glancing to the side. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just sick of watching everybody get hurt,” he conceded, his voice lowered to a softer tone. He didn’t meet your eyes, his stare locked on the ground. A few seconds of a tense silence passed. “And anyway, the less time we waste here, the faster we can both leap home and get some rest, yeah?”

“I don’t rest anymore, Tam. I’ve been perpetually exhausted for weeks. I hardly ever sleep these days, and I know you don’t either.” Your voice was strained, and your nails dug into the fabric of you cape. Before he could respond, you kept going. “You think I’m not taking this seriously? I’ve been taking this seriously for over two years, since I got into this in the first place. The Neverseen is screwing us all over, and fifteen minutes running around instead of looking for an element that hardly listens to us anyway isn’t going to change that.” You took a few shaky breaths, heat rushing to your face in realization of what you’d just said, how immature it must have sounded. “Forget it. You’re probably right. We need to focus now more than ever, I don’t know what I was thinking. We’ve found enough shadowflux, we should head back—”

“Don’t,” Tam cut you off, stepping forward. His silver-blue eyes scanned your face, landing on the dim bags beneath your own. “Lady Zillah can wait like every other night. Come on, you need this.”

You hesitated, resting your own hand atop the one holding your arm. “Tam, you don’t have to do this, I know you really want to stay on track.”

The boy turned to face you, loosening his grasp ever so slightly. “I want to do this. You’re right, we deserve a little fun.” Leaving you no time to protest, he grabbed your wrist gently and nodded down the hall. “I’m pretty sure there were some extra Mooncakes in the Mentors’ Lounge.”

He knew the pastry was irresistible to you, one of your favorite elvin foods. With a sigh, you agreed.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “We’ll be back on task in fifteen, promise.”

Tam grinned as he practically dragged you forward, your stumbling footsteps and soft giggles echoing down the maze of halls.

~

“Damn, that was so worth it.” Tam closed his eyes, swallowing his last bite. “I don’t know why I thought of skipping this.”

You covered your mouth as you laughed, walking alongside him in the dim hallway. “I’m sorry I was kind of selfish back there. I guess I was just tired of… well, everything that’s been going on, really. Just wanted to get away from it all for a little, ya’ know?”

“It’s not selfish to need a break every once in a while. You’ve risked life and death for everybody on this team, you deserve a breather. And maybe a snack.” He glanced down at you, nudging your side gently. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked a bit closer. “Wait.”

“Hm?” Your body went tense as he brought his hand to your face, quickly brushing a crumb off of your lip with a swipe of his thumb. He paused, your eyes meeting for a few heartbeats. “Uh… thanks,” you mumbled, releasing a breath at the absence of his touch.

“Mhm,” he hummed. Though the lighting made it hard to tell, you swore you could see a hint of pink dusting his cheeks.

The two of you walked slower in a comfortable silence, content to just be in each other’s presence for a little while. It was another few minutes before Tam spoke up again. “And I’m sorry I’ve seemed so tense lately. I’m just sick of everybody getting hurt. ‘m sick of watching you guilt yourself for being ruthless in training, then going off and nearly sacrificing yourself at every chance you get when the Neverseen show up…” The boy trailed off as his gaze made its way to your shoulder.

It was hidden by your tunic, but you knew he was looking at the scar left when you hit the ground during the Neverseen’s last run-in. You couldn’t help but grimace at the reminder, the bruised spot on your arm still slightly aching. The mark might never fade. “Is that what this is about? Tam, I’m fine. Stop worrying about me.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Tam whispered, so softly it’s a wonder you caught it. “You know I can’t stop worrying about you, because I can’t stop thinking about you.” The words tumbled out of his mouth like a bullet train, his face going scarlet as he seemed to realize what he’d just said. Both of you slowed to a halt in your steps. “I-I’m sorry, that just came out… I—”

“Tam.” You turned to look up at him. “I know,” you whispered.

Tam swallowed, nodding hesitantly. He pivoted to face you. “Then, can I…?” His voice lowered to a near-whisper, his tone laced with… vulnerability. “I’ve wanted to tell you, like, forever, but there was just never a good time, and…” His eyes met yours, and for a moment, all his words faded away.

You nodded, wringing your hands. “You can tell me now. I’m listening.”

The boy took a cautious step forward, as if he was testing whether you’d move away. When you didn’t, he stepped closer, taking both your hands in his. “Okay. Then… I’m just gonna leave everything here. 

“I’d run around these halls every night with you to see you happy for a few minutes; I volunteer to spar with you all the time just for how damn proud you look when you improve, when you pin me like it’s nothing; I could listen to you go on about your favorite human thing for days.”

Your eyes locked with his, and your heart skipped a beat at the intensity in his silver-blue stare.

“I’m praying on all I have that I’m not misreading this, but I swear there’s something in the way you look at me, too.”

He wasn’t wrong. You couldn’t help it. No matter how attractive elves were as a whole, you’d never get used to just how pretty this boy was.

“I know it’s stupid, I know we have bigger problems — but I don’t care. I look at you, and you’re all that’s happening. I really like you, [Y/N]; and I’m sorry if that makes our friendship awkward, but I don’t want to just be friends.” Tam’s voice had a slight rasp to it, a crack in the crystal, showing he was far more scared about this than he wanted you to believe.

You looked down at where his hands held yours. Heat ran down your neck, and you attempted to will away the anxious sweat. “I… like you, too.” Your voice came out shakier than you would’ve liked.

He let out a breath, his eyes seeming almost dazed. “Okay… okay. That’s good. That’s…okay, yeah.” He laughed softly, a nervous sound. “I honestly didn’t plan to get this far.”

A smile pushed its way through your teeth as you listened to his hesitant words. You ran your thumbs gently over the back of his hands.

“Can I try something? I mean, you can say no, I just–”

“Of course,” you cut him off, your voice soft, but more sure of yourself.

He blinked — once, twice — as if processing your consent. “Oh. ‘Kay, great. Um…” Screw it. He finally decided to desert any attempt for words, letting impulse take the lead as he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours.

It was gentle, soft; but you could feel the wall of emotion behind each careful movement. His hands let go of yours, coming to rest at your waist. You grazed his cheek with your knuckles, part of you almost scared to make any drastic movements, scared this would all shatter if you held on too tightly. It was a short kiss — over too quickly. You gasped as he pulled away, cold air meeting your lips and snapping you back to reality.

“Was that okay?” Tam whispered, his tone growing in confidence. His eyes sparkled, his chest rising and falling with each slow intake of air. A smirk tugged at the side of his mouth as he scanned over your face.

“Yes, yeah, that was… amazing.” Your face was still warm from the contact, heart pounding in your chest with the thrill. “Can I kiss you again?”

“Fuck, yes.” His face reddened as the words fell from his lips, dripping with desperation. “I mean… sure, if- if you want…” He glanced away, silver bangs falling just over his eyes.

The eagerness caught you a little off guard coming from him, but you happily took the invitation. You placed your thumb on his jaw, turning his head back to look at you. Arms coming up to wrap around his neck, you pulled him down into another kiss.

His arms snaked further around your waist, tugging you closer with a sort of urgency he’d never shown before. Before you could register the movement, you felt the chill of smooth metal through your tunic; your back was to the lockers, one of Tam’s forearms beside your head, caging you in. The other remained just above your hip, fingertips trailing lazily along your back.

You pulled away for a moment of air — 

“Tam! [Y/N]!” Linh’s voice echoed down the hall. “You guys done yet? Lady Zillah said it’s been more than enough time to work with whatever you’ve found,” she called. Her voice sounded relatively far away, but if she was shouting distance, you didn’t have much time.

“Right,” Tam muttered, stepping back with a shuddering breath. “Almost forgot what we were here for.”

You took a few deep breaths to catch yourself, but you could still feel heat rise to your face when you looked at him again. “So… what now?” you whispered, smoothing out your top and hair.

“Can I be yours?” he said abruptly, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Your boyfriend, your partner, whatever you want to call me, just yours. It won’t interfere with beating the Neverseen. We won’t get sidetracked, and we don’t have to worry about the Neverseen using us against each other, ‘cause they’re after us already either way. Besides, neither of us have ever cared about the stupid Match anyway.”

“Yes.” You didn’t hesitate in your answer, a laugh of disbelief shaking your shoulders as you took in the boy before you. “I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

Tam smiled, and in that moment, it was the most beautiful thing you’d ever seen. Without another word, he leaned forward, giving you a soft peck on the nose. “Well, that’s settled. Come on,” he beckoned, “before Lady Z yells at us again.”

Your fingers linked with his, your heart synced to your echoing steps as you strode back down the hall.

For the first time in weeks, you slept through the night.

── ･ ｡☆*☽*☆ﾟ.──

Thanks for reading <3

[ars-matron]

The Last Sun Reread

Chapter 6: New Saints

In the evening Rune and Brand leave for the hospital. They take Brands motorcycle and Rune thinks over what he's learned so far. Not much, his suspects aren't over powerful or intelligent. He can't see how someone would just be able to get around the Tower's wards and protections.

They stop several blocks from the hospital and Rune heads to a nearby coffee shop. He drops a bunch of change before going in and squats down to pick it up, and Brand makes some comments about Rune's ass that he think is flattering but makes Rune uncomfortable. Rune gets his coffee and changes the subject.

He brings things around to speculating about motive and the ability to carry it out. He's asking the right questions.

"Here's another thing. Say they've hired muscle. Say Ella, or whoever, has hired a practitioner very skilled at magic or contracted with something skilled at magic. If this hired muscle has the power to break through Lord Tower's controls why the hell am I still alive.?"

Okay, I know I said I would try to hold back on the spoilers JUST IN CASE anyone reading this hasn't read them before. But screw it. Because I have been thinking about this for a while now.

He's alive because Ashton is, for the time being, controlling the lych, and Ashton, and more importantly whoever the hell he's working for, doesn't want Rune dead. If the end goal was Rune's death he would have died twenty years ago. His attackers wouldn't have worn masks AND contacts to make sure that Rune couldn't identify them.

Which brings me to my next question. What exactly was the end game of that night supposed to look like? Rune wasn't going to die, he wasn't even going to be abducted. They expected him to be able to go to the guarda and whoever for help. How was it supposed to end If Brand hadn't come to?

AND, back to the chapter.

Brand thinks they weren't trying to kill Rune, just sort of feel out how powerful he was, or how annoying he might be towards there plans. This is also probably true. But mostly I think they had other reasons for keeping him alive.

New Saints Hospital was once Riverside Hospital built in 1885 and once housed mental patients and the contagious, Typhoid Mary was there. Now it's a swanky hospital for Atlanteans. Rune can see the ghostly residue of the old hospital though. They get there, walk around for a bit, have a short conversation about Max's uncle that Rune says they'll talk about later, and then realize they have no clue where Christian is. So Brand goes off to ask a nurse or someone for help.

Enter Quinn!!! He gets Rune's attention. He psssts Rune from around the corner. He has cow-licked blond hair and is wearing a music festival shirt that is at least three sizes to big for him.

HE'S WEARING ADDAM'S SHIRTS!!! My heart!

"Can you come with me?" he asked. I said, "Probably not. Do I know you?"

Quinn tells him that he's, Quinn Saint Nicholas and that if they don't go somewhere else people will die, and then he runs off, so Rune follows, though he does release his sabre from it's wrist guard just in case it's a trap. They end up in a part of the hospital that is all columns and a large skylight. It's very bright and very white. Rune asks why they are there.

"We come here because this is the floor where we talk. Blond looks really-really red on it."

Rune of course thinks this is a threat. Then he starts talking to Quinn and for a moment thinks that he must not be all there in the head.

After they talk for a while though Rune realizes he knows Quinn's voice. He was the one who called the day before. He mentioned leaving the car running. Rune realizes he's a seer. Rune hates seers.

He thinks about the party, where he was a baby and drunk seer looked at him and said, "He will be the most beautiful man of his generation." and how everyone has been bringing that up ever since.

Around this time Brand realizes that Rune ran off, texts and when Rune calls to tell him he's fine, threatens to put a bell around Rune's neck. I'm surprised he hasn't tried those little toddler harnesses yet.

When he hangs up Quinn says, "That was Brand!"

"I miss Brand. He'll make me laugh. Why did you never try to kiss him a second time? is it because he pushed you into the water?"

Not a prophecy, because it was the past, but either way.

Then Quinn sees that Rune is mad that Quinn is delving into that sort of thing and he 'remembers' that Rune doesn't like seers.

"Then he burst into another delighted smile. "But you like me anyway. You kissed me on the eyebrow once. And you'll hit the bully with a bar stool after he calls me a freak. Or at least you do most of the time. Sometimes Addam grabs the stool first. Once I was very brave and kicked him in the shin myself."

I love him!

And this is where Rune realizes he's seeing probabilities. He is no longer concerned that Quinn might not be sane, or at least, not in the same way as before.

So he asks if Quinn can see where Addam is. He can't, but he's pretty sure that's what he needs to tell Rune. That is isn't a who, but a where they need to look into. Rune thinks about all the places that could mess up magic signals. Null zones, the Westlands, the convocation building.

"Anything to do with the anchorite's court. Now there was a mad fuck."

Can't wait until we learn more about that!!!

Quinn tries harder to see what could help them.

"I can only see a little. I think there are…ghosts. And a dried river. And a desert. I definitely see a desert filled with sand and broken glass. Ciaran will tell you more. He's waiting for you at the bar with the ice cubes. make sure you bring Max."

Rune is upset he has to deal with Ciaran, which, interesting. And he asks about Max. Quinn tells him it's what Matthias wants to be called. He reaches out to touch Quinn to help him focus, only his bare hand touches his neck on accident and power surges between them. Rune curses himself, hopes it did trigger anything and then….

"Oh gods oh gods oh gods, what is it? it's like a hole in reality. It will want to touch your face, because you are food to it, and then everything will start in the middle again, and oh oh oh oh there are storms, and there are waves as big as buildings, and we're all a school of fish trapped in a bottle, but none of this happens at once. And…and…and…"

Looking at this now, I'm wondering how much this has to do with the lych…"and then everything will start in the middle again" I have no clue lol

Right after this Quinn's nose starts to bleed and Rune can't get his attention again. So he take a tissue from Quinn's pocket that is already spattered with blood, and hands it to him carefully. Poor baby, gets so many nosebleeds he has to keep handkerchiefs on him.

Quinn's afraid that Rune is mad at him. Because sometimes when his nosebleeds it means he told someone something they didn't like. That Addam would always take him somewhere safe and stay with him until he was better. And he nearly cries when Rune says Addam sounds like a good brother. Then we get the truly sad part about Quinn knowing that the rest of his family don't like him. The ones who put with him only do so because Addam makes them.

"If Addam dies, I won't make it." "It'll be fine, Quinn." "You don't understand. It'll either be with a rope or in the bathtub. I don't know why I don't just steal Ella's sleeping pills. I'm much less scared of swallowing pills than I am of cutting myself. But all those times that Addam dies and leaves me, all I see are ropes and bathtubs."

Truly disturbing. Again. Poor baby.

"But..of all the way that Addam can be saved, it's you on the path."

Then he knows that Brand is on the way and they won't be able to talk alone anymore, and he asks Rune to not tell Brand he nearly cried.

Brand is indeed barreling down towards them, but Ashton is with him. Ashton is wearing a shiny silver shirt that matches his eyes, and truly terrible cologne, that Rune just thinks is fancy and in vogue because of how awful it smells. I see we were all traumatized by Abercrombie and Finch.

Ashton claims he was there to speak with Christian, unlikely. Rune says he could just as easily talk to Quinn. When he does, asking if anyone knows where Quinn is, Quinn says.

"Why don't I know why you're here?"

Why indeed? The lych? Did we figure this out and I forgot?

Brand thinks he's crazy and Rune asks what it means, but Quinn says it's too loud just before saying they are going to attacked, Rune has just enough time to try to impart that Quinn is a seer before grenades and bullets start raining down on them.

The battle starts, and Ashton does NOTHING to help. He gets shot and acts shocked. Quinn eventually gives Rune a sigil that has a door spell in it. He can't go through.

"But I can't go! I can't! I'll die! Every time, I die, because I'm not good enough to fight them and they're always there. And you can't stay here, because if you do you may die, which means Addam dies, and I need you to save him."

He tires to give it back but Quinn dodges him.

"A lot of times, you give it back. Go! Hurry!"

He directs Rune to take them under the hospital into the steam tunnels that used to heat the place. Before he finishes the spell for the door Quinn gets a nosebleed and says.

"They'll come for you, even down there, but you can run. You need to find Ciaran and let the ghosts eat first and run towards the people on the corner and leave the bug alone. And tell Addam I love him!"

Quinn passes out, his shield spell protecting him. Rune finishes door spell and Brand kicks Ashton through it and pulls Rune in after him.

Ashton is acting like a child and Brand tells him to calm down because they are still in trouble, which Ashton then threatens to have Brand whipped is ever touches Ashton again. Rune loses his cool.

"My vision went red. I grabbed Ashton's jaw before he could say anything else, and slammed him against the wall."

YEEEESSS!!! Kick his ass!

After Rune sets him right Ashton plays the wide eyed shocked card again, trying to see like he's surprised that someone had actually kidnapped Addam.

They make their way through the tunnels, Brand says that the people upstairs were using stun grenades and tranq darts (again, not trying to kill them), and eventually they do encounter another group of black dressed solders. Only to get a good look at them, they are recarnants. People who have been raised from the dead. They are obviously soldiers. A few have some pretty heavy guns.

There is more fighting, this time Ashton is playing around with dramatic moves that are showy, but really aren't effective in any way. Eventually they take them all out, Rune is able to use his shatter spell to disintegrate them in the end. Only to be bowled over by sickness as something else approaches. Something dark and massively powerful.

A larger, robed figure appears. "Thick with death magic"

"The world came loose. Literally loose. A huge bite of reality tore free around the man"

paces of crates, the floor, and dust from the fight lift up to spin around the figure, then he flings it at them. Rune gets pretty banged up, wire cutting his face, his smashed elbow. Then Brand throws himself on top of Rune to protect him. When it's over Rune wiggles free of the unconscious Brand to confront this figure.

"When he was near, I realized that he was dead. He was an it, a recarnate. A raised body. Which was not possible. A recarnate could not fling magic around like that."

It gets close to him and seems very interested in Rune. Asking, "what are you?" and saying he smells wonderful, like abasement. Brand is up, and throws Rune behind some shelter. He signals that he's going to use his most powerful spell to get this thing to go away, and Brand takes cover. The Lych notices too and pulls power itself. It holds up its arms as though it's about to surrender.

"It said, I love missed so much, if things such as you walk this world."

I know Rune has had a very terrible thing happen to him in the past. But he is far from the only person to ever experience such things. It was a lot, all at once, yes. But, there has to be something else about him if the lych is saying its never witnessed something like Rune before.

Instead of surrender, which was really too much to ask for, the lych pulls the parking garage above them down on their heads and disappears. And they run off before a car can crush them.

[the-firebird69]

Just to clarify Savage Oppress means that they hear the morlock things are moving out soon. And our son to say you just amazing annoying amazingly annoying just hanging in there s******* all over the place. It was and is a nightmare they're a couple more things worth noting and they're important to us

-these people are on drugs and they're restless they're hateful lots of them are armed and they're mean and they're getting surrounded by law enforcement and ours exited the neighborhoods and they're getting suited up and they're going to get pulled in I don't want to put it up with it and the max definitely don't

-the neighborhood where our son is got a going through last night my cops they wouldn't check to us here every house and they could hear our son occasionally saying stuff because the window is open and they can see the idiot screwing around with him they came by several times to try and pull them out and not yet. Pretty soon they're going to and we have to be there

-there's a lot of things happening all at the same time here and punta Gorda and Port Charlotte Florida and there's a lot of changes appearing rapidly and we must stay on top of it all so we're sending in specialist and special teams we're going to handle it. Foreigners are now coming in as these people leave

-there's a war on still it's against morlock it's global and the population and it being disintegrated and then it is the clones a major war. It would be difficult it will be hard and arguments and the train is terrible but people who witnessed it said you must honestly getting hurt very badly and we agree we're going to publish so this gets out

Plus the ship's a ginormous they're actually huge size of planets for crying out loud

Thor Freya

We approved this message too

Hera Zues

We do as well

Olympus

[karda]

ball to oneof my piercings fell off while i was eating and i almost ate the backing . thank fucking god my earrings r the same gauges and i could take a ball from one of them . this was a very fun wake-up call to keep extra jewelry on me at all times

[sunlightmurdock]

My Future in You | 0.6 | Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist

Synopsis: Bradley’s twenty-two years old and not where he’s supposed to be. He’s supposed to be out of the academy by now. Instead, he’s retaking his senior year of college and praying to god that he gets into flight school. Mav’s gone, his mom’s gone. He’s mad at the world. Then, a hook up at a Halloween party changes his future even more than he could have imagined.

Warnings: accidental pregnancy, angst, papa Seresin is a mean old man, family drama

…

Lauren lies awake all night. Staring at the ceiling, her hand resting over her stomach. Her baby is the size of a poppy seed. She has just googled it, yours is the size of a kidney bean. She grits her teeth as Mark snores at her side. Your whole life, it’s like your one purpose on this earth was to outdo her. She’s filled with memories of your soccer trophies replacing her ballet accomplishments on the downstairs mantle. She graduated with a perfect GPA, you graduated a whole year early. Your picture sitting front and centre on your father’s desk while hers sat at the back, gathering dust.

Now she’s pregnant. She did it right. She’s been married for over a year, Mark has a stable job, they have plenty of space in their house. And so are you. You live in a shitty little college apartment and you don’t even have a boyfriend.

After overhearing you bickering with Jake earlier, she can’t stop thinking about her options. She could be a good big sister and keep her mouth shut, or she could finally knock you off of that pedestal George has had you on for your entire life.

“I’m serious! I’ve been up for like twenty-four hours, working my ass off to cover for you!” Lauren stops at the top of the stairs and turns her head left at the sound of raised voices. This is odd. You and Jake haven’t bickered since you were kids. Intrigued, she tiptoes gently down the hall, leaning against your closed door to hear.

“I’m sorry, it was stupid, I just-“

“You’re not a little kid anymore. You’re going to be a mom.” Lauren’s eyes go wide. She presses a hand over her mouth. Jake never tells you off so this must be bad. “Just… please work with me on this. If you want to wait to tell Mom and Dad then fine. But I can’t cover for you by myself.”

Lauren turns and rests her head on her husband’s chest, closing her eyes. She knew that you would screw up sooner or later, she just hadn’t been expecting a mistake of this magnitude.

“Merry Christmas.” Bradley steps into the bathroom, invading your space and brushing your shoulder with his as he stands by your side, meeting your gaze in the mirror above the sink.

You haven’t seen him since last night. You blink at him in the mirror as he grabs his toothbrush and the toothpaste calmly.

He’s wearing a hoodie and shorts. You’re wearing pyjamas. Your toothbrush is already in your mouth.

“Don’t you knock?” You point out. Bradley lifts his eyes to look at you through the reflection.

“Was hoping I might catch you naked.” He answers back. You drive your elbow into his ribs. He laughs, then starts to brush his teeth. You can’t pretend your cheeks don’t burn.

“I’m getting like real symptoms now.” You tell him, curious to see if he cares. Bradley nods his head, but furrows his eyebrows dubiously.

“Throwing up for twenty-four hours straight wasn’t a real symptom?” He questions.

“It was, but like,” You lean forward to spit into the sink. “I had a hard time sleeping, I’m peeing all the time, my boobs are sore.”

He glances down at your chest in the tank top. You smack his hip. He spits into the sink. You use his moment of distraction to tilt your head as you look into the mirror. You push your elbows together and squint.

“They aren’t bigger.” Bradley comments, answering the question in your head before you get a chance to ask it.

“Okay, get out.” You turn and point towards the door on his side of the bathroom. He smiles at you, trying not to let himself laugh in your face. His hands reach out tenderly and stroke at your hips.

He pulls you forwards against him.

“Stop,” You push at his chest. He lets you go but doesn’t make an effort to move out of your space. “We shouldn’t make things worse.”

“You’re already pregnant, how much worse could it get?” Bradley teases. He drops his toothbrush back into the holder and turns his full attention back towards you.

You roll your eyes and shove at his shoulder, dropping your toothbrush next to his and grabbing your face wash.

“I just mean that we probably shouldn’t complicate things by sleeping together.” You explain gently. Bradley watches as you wash your face. He nods in understanding but not quite agreement. He nudges your shoulder with his.

“Can I tell you something?”

You hum, lowering your face down to rinse it with warm water.

“You’re not so bad,” He teased softly. You keep your eyes shut, smiling as you wash the soap from your face. “Thanks for inviting me this week.”

You grab a towel and pat your face dry, then look at him dubiously. His hands are in his pockets, you can tell that saying that didn’t come easily for him.

“You’re freaking me out, I think I liked you better when you were an asshole.” You joke playfully, turning away from him. He scoffs, watching the door on your side swing shut behind you.

Jake’s awake and sitting up in bed when Bradley walks back to their room.

“I heard voices. I thought I told you—“

“I was just saying sorry,” Bradley answers, putting his hands up defensively. Pretending that he hadn’t tried his luck. “It’s all good.”

Jake’s still exhausted, barely keeping his head up as his family exchanges gifts. You’re on the couch between him and Bradley, your head on Jake’s shoulder. The nausea is far from gone but it’s not as bad as it was yesterday.

Bradley feels worse sitting here than he would have if he was alone. If he was alone, at least he could pretend that he wasn’t missing anything. He glances across at you, knowing that this time next year, this will all be different.

There’s no way your parents would let him come back if they knew.

“Are you going to tell them? — While we’re here?” Bradley whispers. You shake your head without looking at him. “When?”

“I don’t know. Another time.” You answer. You have seven months left to figure that out.

“The longer you leave it, the harder it’s going to-“

“Shut up.” You whisper.

Lauren smiles wide as he unwraps a gift from Mark. It’s a mug. She giggles and turns the mug around to face all of you. Promoted from dog mom to human mom.

Bradley’s lips quirk. You glance across at him, knowing that he has something smart to say that he’s holding in. You elbow him gently.

“Hey, I was just thinking,” He leans a little closer, draping his arm around the back of the couch. “Isn’t it crazy that you got promoted from fireman to human mom? — That’s a whole career change.”

You bite your cheek, refusing to smile at his stupid joke. Bradley smirks to himself, knowing that you found it funny regardless. When he turns his head back, he meets George’s gaze.

He’s sitting in the arm chair across from Bradley. He’s wearing a tie on Christmas morning, which is all kinds of bizarre to Bradley.

George looks between the young man and his youngest daughter, having just witnessed their snide exchange and shared effort not to giggle. Bradley smiles sweetly across at him. He doesn’t like George.

Luckily, George is far enough away and Beth’s giggling loud enough that there’s no way George would have been able to overhear Bradley’s joke. Bradley wouldn’t care if he had.

Bradley’s just waiting for him to open that stupid Seresin mouth of his so that he can speak his mind.

In fact, George catches glimpses between the two of you all day. Ellen might have fallen for it, but George doesn’t like him.

George doesn’t like the way that Jake’s friend seems to only be interested in talking to you. In fact, Bradley and Jake haven’t spent all that much time talking together since they arrived. They don’t seem like great friends at all.

Lauren stirs all day. Making up her mind on what she plans to do with her information. It’s in the evening, when everyone is in the family room, that Lauren’s decision is made.

It’s peaceful enough, Ellen has insisted that everyone sits to watch It’s A Wonderful Life together. You’re back digging between Bradley and Jake, eyes fixed on the screen. Bradley’s at your side, fiddling with the rim of his glass. It comes after George mentions your grad job.

“Wait, you’re graduating this year?” Bradley asks.

You look at him and shrug, “Yeah.”

“She’s very gifted,” George explains, watchful of Bradley’s reaction. This is a purposeful exchange. Bradley understands that George is letting him know that his youngest daughter is too smart for him. “And she has worked extremely hard to be where she is today. We’re very proud of her.”

Lauren’s fingers tighten around the book she’s holding. You catch the way she looks at you over the top of it’s aged pages and frown slightly.

“Going to be kind of hard to work full-time with a baby, don’t you think?”

Bradley’s the first to realise what she has just done. He lifts his gaze and stares at her from across the room, serious — too calm for her to really get a read on him. She isn’t paying much attention to him anyway. He shifts more upright in his seat and turns his attention towards George.

As much as Bradley thinks he’s an asshole, he can’t deny that George is an intelligent man. Bradley observes the immediate realisation in George’s face as George looks between his eldest daughter and his youngest. Jake turns his head away from the movie and looks at Lauren.

Jake thinks back to the time he accidentally broke her arm by knocking her down the stairs, and how awful he felt about that when she had been in a cast for all of May her senior year. He doesn’t feel that bad anymore.

“What’s she talking about, princess?” George asks slowly.

Bradley and Jake turn their heads to look at you. Jake sweats, sitting up a little. You’ve never been good at lying to your parents. Especially your dad. Jake knows you’re going to break. Bradley knows that George already knows.

“Hey, Dad, I saw that you’re three points up in the polls.” Jake interrupts.

The penny drops for Beth that Jake is covering for you, it occurs to her immediately that Lauren isn’t joking. She presses a hand over her mouth.

George ignores his son. His eyes are on you. He knows too, that you’ve never been good at lying to him.

“She’s pregnant. She didn’t tell you?” Lauren interrupts, pretending she doesn’t know exactly the extent of the damage she has just done. Mark’s mouth gapes. Ellen is the last to realise.

Ellen looks towards her youngest daughter and presses a hand softly over her mouth. George looks at his little girl, nothing but disdain on his face now. Jake sits upright, shifting forwards. Bradley remains still, calm.

You panic, suspended in the exact moment that Lauren had shattered the lie you had been successfully weaving. You blink at your father, lips parted as your brain struggles for something to say.

“You got anything to say for yourself, princess?” George asks coldly. Jake closes his eyes, bracing for the storm that’s about to hit.

Bradley glances across at you.

“It was an accident.” You blurt out hurriedly.

Jake pinches the bridge of his nose; this is going to be bad.

Bradley observes the change in George’s expression and then turns his head to look at you.

“Please don’t be mad, Daddy.” You push yourself forwards, shooting one final, panicked, look towards your older sister. Lauren bites her cheek.

“There must be some kind of mistake here,�� Ellen sits up, brows furrowing in confusion, “T-This wouldn’t… - you wouldn’t.”

“I-I… I’m sorry.”

Bradley does his best not to look at anyone in the room. He taps his thumb on the side of the glass. He debates speaking up.

George is silent.

Ellen shakes her head, “Well, where’s the father? - Why isn’t he here?”

Bradley feels eyes on him. He glances up finally, looking George in the eye. George knows - all of those whispers and giggles all morning suddenly make a whole world of sense. Bradley sits up straight and lifts his chin, squaring his shoulders as he stares George down.

“He is.” George answers, still looking at Bradley.

Ellen frowns as she follows her husband’s gaze to her son’s best friend. You wince, shrinking into the seat beside him. Ellen’s lips part as she looks between the guilt all over your face, and the stoic expression on his.

“It was just once!” You blurt out. Bradley bites his cheek, knowing that you’re about to go about this entirely the wrong way. “We met and we were getting along really well, and - and it just happened!”

Ellen’s mouth gapes. She turns towards Bradley, furious, “I’m sorry… you two - you aren’t even together?”

Bradley bites his cheek, letting out a soft sigh. He turns his head to look at you.

“No, but-“

“So you aren’t getting married, then?” Lauren asks from the other side of the room. Jake shoots Bradley the most I-Told-You-So look that he can muster. Bradley rolls his eyes. You exchange looks.

You struggle for words, then continue. You decide that it’s best not to linger on the fact that their first grandchild is going to be the product of a one night stand, “And then I found out I was pregnant and I was so scared, but I knew that I could do this. I have a plan.”

Lauren scoffs.

“And what’s your plan, Bradley?” George asks, serious.

Bradley looks at him. “I’ll be going to flight school in the summer. Sir.”

Jake sighs. There’s a defiance in the way that Bradley spits out Sir, like it leaves a bad taste in his mouth just to say it. Bradley can’t even manage to not be an asshole for long enough to get through this.

“Florida.” George comments, nodding his head. Bradley nods. “Her grad scheme is in Charlottesville.”

“Bradley isn’t going to be involved, but I’ve got this!” You rush out. Bradley bites his cheek. George raises an eyebrow. Bradley squints. There’s no way in hell that he’s going to let an asshole like George Seresin think he would make a better father than he would. “He offered to help out. You know, help me get set up, but I can do it. Really, Daddy, I have a plan.”

George hears you insisting, but he’s still looking at Bradley.

“You offered my daughter money,” George muses slowly. His fingers curl around the edge of the arm chair as he sits forwards, narrowing his eyes. “Because you wanted out?”

Bradley scoffs, sitting forwards. Your eyes widen at the fact that he’s half-smiling now. You look at Jake for help.

“It isn’t like that.” Bradley says simply.

George’s eyes widen, seething at the nerve of the boy in front of him, “Yeah, I’ll bet it’s no big deal. So, is she the first girl you’ve gotten in trouble or are there a couple more girls enjoying their settlement cheques back in Virginia?”

Bradley bites his tongue.

“Dad.” You frown.

“Get out.” George spits. Bradley doesn’t feel the need to argue. He sits forward and moves to stand. You put a hand on his shoulder, furrowing your eyebrows.

“Dad!” You gasp.

George turns his attention towards you. “You too. I want you both out of my house.”

Lauren’s lips part slightly. Her brows furrow as she whips her head towards her father.

Bradley stays where he is, he glances across at you. Your lip trembles. He swallows, looking between you and your father.

“Dad, come on - she didn’t do anything wrong!” Jake steps in. He looks at your mother. “Mom, say something!”

Ellen presses her lips together and swallows. She lets out a deep sigh, then looks towards the ground.

Bradley nudges your elbow gently, leaning closer to you. “Come on. We’ll figure this out in the morning, let’s just give him time to cool off.”

Your eyes sting as you blink back tears, sniffling. You’ve never seen such coldness in your father’s eyes.

“Daddy, please.” You whimper softly.

George thinks about this hitting the local papers over the next few months. He’s a good man and a good politician, with values to uphold. He had never imagined that one of his children would let him down like this.

“You have no idea how disappointed I am in you,” George decides, shaking his head at his youngest daughter. “Now, get out. I don’t even want to look at you.”

Bradley turns his head to look at you. His features are stern, he doesn’t want you to sit here and cry in front of a man that couldn’t care less, “Come on.”

“I don’t - I-I-“

“Dad, just think about this. She’s your daughter.” Jake interrupts.

“Stay out of this, Jacob.” Ellen warns.

“Are you fucking kidding? - She needs you.” Jake insists. Lauren’s never seen her younger brother stand up to their father like this. Everyone knows Jake’s afraid of his dad.

George shakes his head, making no effort to hide his disgust as he stares at you. “You heard her. She’s got it.”

Bradley grabs your wrist. He can’t stand another moment of listening to this bullshit without earning himself an assault charge. Jake’s car from high school sits in the garage about ten months out of the year, Jake won’t let anyone sell it because of the memories - you sit in the passenger seat of it and cry the whole way down the highway.

Bradley’s much calmer.

He tells you to wait in the car while he speaks to the concierge. You pull your knees up to your chest and sob into them loud enough that you don’t even hear his car door slam. You’re still crying when he makes it back to you. He grabs the bag from the backseat. You were too distraught to grab anything, it just has a couple of things that he managed to grab while Jake argued with your parents.

“Hey, come on,” Bradley opens your car door. He rests a hand on the roof as he looks down at you. “Let’s head inside.”

“My Dad hates me.” You choke out, gasping for breath. Bradley sighs softly as he glances around the parking lot.

“He’ll get over it,” Bradley promises. “Now, come on.”

Bradley takes your hand and tugs softly. It looks bad, leading a sobbing girl into a motel room at almost midnight on Christmas Day, he knows that. He hurries you inside and drops the bag onto the floor by the door.

“Can you please stop crying?” Bradley sighs.

You blink at him, taking in a shuddering breath as you try to register what he just said.

“Huh?”

“Stop crying,” Bradley repeats seriously. He swings the door shut behind him and steps forwards. “It’s okay. We’re going to figure this out.”

He wraps his arms around you and pulls you softly into his chest. You don’t resist, resting your head against the soft fabric of his sweater - you don’t feel guilty about the fact that you’re about to soak it with tears.

“We?”

Bradley rests his chin on top of your head, letting out a soft chuckle as his hand rubs softly at the tense muscles in your back.

“Come on, you don’t really think I’m going to let that asshole be the only father figure my kid has, do you?” He teases. He brings his hand up your back and brushes it softly over your hair.

…

Tag List:

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[hispipsqueak]

Burned

Enji Todoroki x F!Reader - NSFW

A/N: So @cozykozume​ wanted me to name this “Cooling Down the Fire Daddy” so there’s that. Anyways, in case you didn’t know, I LOVE Enji Todoroki....like an extraordinary amount. Which is hilarious, because I started the series hating him but I digress. So here’s one of my favorite things I’ve written and also one of the longest posts because I just...I am just so soft for this man. <3 Pip

WC: 4.5K

TW: unprotected sex, feelings, slight size kink, oral (f receiving), drunk sex, slight angst if you squint, slight authority kink (good girl etc.)

H/N = Hero Name

When you stepped into the meeting that morning you weren't sure what to expect.

"Welcome back!" Midnight's cheery voice cut through the air, her eyes bright. You smiled at her as the rest of your colleagues responded with a variation of greetings and welcome's. You had been on a six month long mission across the globe and arrived back yesterday. Though you were slightly jetlagged, you were ready to throw yourself back in the grind of hero work.

As you took your seat your eyes roamed to the largest figure in the room. Endeavor had stayed silent, his eyes trained on the brief documents in front of him. Hell, you weren't even sure if he had noticed you had returned. Your heart sank slightly.

What did you expect? It had been six months, six long, confusing months since that night of booze and desire. Six months since you had felt his large hands wrapped around your body, his lips pressed against your neck hungrily as you grinded against him.

Fuck. You cut another glance at him. His eyes were narrowed as he read over the papers in front of him and his face was in it's permanent scowl. If he noticed you at all, he was doing a good job hiding it. 

Your thoughts were interrupted by Hawks swaggering in the room. 

"Hey h/n! Long time, no see! How was the mission?" He called out, pulling you into a friendly hug. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Enji shift. 

"Great. Managed to bust the kingpin and shut the entire operation down. Glad to be back though". You smiled back at the winged hero. He nodded, before taking his seat right next to the flame hero.

"Mornin' Endeavor!" his cheery voice rang out.

Enji grumbled a greeting, his eyes not looking up

Eraserhead cleared his throat from the head of the table.

"Let's get started."

You couldn't help zoning out as the dark haired hero discussed the current mission. You forced your eyes to stare at the file in front of you and not the man across from you. You were so focused, you almost didn't hear your name.

"H/N, you will be working with Endeavor."

Your eyes widened, and your head snapped up. You finally dared to look at Enji who's expression hadn't changed. As Eraser concluded the meeting, you steeled your nerves and walked to the flame hero.

"Endeavor, I-"

He cut you off. 

"Train. I will not be dragged down by you because you haven't sparred properly in six months." 

Your demeanor steeled. 

“I wasn’t just partying it up over there. I was working.”

If he cared, it didn’t register on his face. His turquoise eyes were fixed at the spot above you instead of meeting yours. Without another word, he turned to leave. You felt your face grow hot. Determined to not show emotion, you pursed your lips, grabbing your things to head back to your apartment.

---

“Endeavor, you lucky dog.”

Endeavor looked up from the paperwork on his desk with a bored expression.

“What are you talking about Hawks?” His voice was tinged with annoyance as he looked back down to the documents from the intel team.

“Stop pretending you aren’t thrilled to be working with H/N. She’s the BEST, and between you and me, she’s definitely one of the most beautiful heroes.” The blonde faux-whispered, tossing back his head in a chuckle.  Endeavor fixed him with an aggravated stare.

“I have no desire to work with H/N. She has been on a mission for 6 months, so we are at a disadvantage anyway, since I doubt she was actually working all of that time. Especially since her behavior is comparable to yours.”

Hawks cocked a bushy brow.

“Deny it all you want, big guy. Your body language is different when you’re around her. You should ask her out. I’m sure she’d say yes. Some girls like the mean and broody type.”

Smoke emitted from the corner of Endeavor’s desk, where his hand rested. Clearing his throat, he attempted to put it out, but not before the annoying bird hero noticed.

With a smirk, Hawks headed towards the door. 

“Don’t screw this up, Endeavor!”

----

What Hawks didn’t know is Enji had already screwed this up. Before you left, six long months ago, you and Endeavor were on relatively friendly terms. Well as friendly as one can be with the hotheaded flame hero. It was you that convinced him to go out that night with the other pro-heroes. And when the night ended, he had walked you home.

Surprisingly, he could be a gentleman when he wanted to be.

The walk home had been quiet, though you and Enji both had a bit to drink. Emboldened by the alcohol, you finally had turned to him.

“Enji, why do you try to push us away?”

Your boldness surprised him. It wasn’t a surprise he could come off a bit stoic, at best. Yet no one, especially newer heroes, called him out on this behavior. It was just “how he was”. Before he could stop himself he blurted out,

“I don’t wish to hurt people anymore.”

His face heated up and you could see a crimson blush rising up towards his ears. In that moment, you could see a glimpse of Enji, not Endeavor.

This wasn’t to say Enji wasn’t attractive. Yet, him exposing himself, allowing vulnerability? That made your heart jump in your chest. Turning away, you thought about what he meant. You knew his family had been estranged from him, his kids not a frequent presence in his life. You had seen a few gossip magazines detailing how his kids often avoided their childhood home, and you had read about Rei’s hospitalization. You imagined how lonely he must feel, though if there was truth to any of those rumors, you could see why they would be wary.

“This is your home, yes?” 

His voice broke your train of thought. You looked up and realized all too soon the two of you were outside your door. Your hand rested on the door handle and you imagined him sitting in a quiet living room, a house empty.

“Would you like to come in for a bit?” Your voice was squeaky and unsure and you were surprised when he grunted in affirmation. 

Wordlessly he followed you into the apartment. Somehow, without speaking, you could both feel it. The loneliness that bonded you, the freedom of being vulnerable in the dark blanket of the night, these moments allowing you to breathe and just be without expectation and titles. Because here, you weren’t pro-heroes, you were yourselves, seeking the tiny bits of comfort the other could provide. 

As you entered the apartment, the silence between you intensified. Your stomach was buzzing with nerves and as you looked up at him, you could feel the anticipation of who would break first. His hands found your hips and pulled you towards him, and soon his lips were on yours. He tasted like the scotch he had been drinking, warm and rich. His hands were hot where they met your skin, and you pressed closer in his embrace. Rough stubble scratched at your skin and you kissed him deeper, desperately wanting to let him in and lose yourself in him at the same time.

Your back pressed against the wall, and his fingers grazed the bottom of your shirt. Breathlessly you finally broke apart. Looking in each other's eyes, you unbuttoned your shirt, fingers trembling in anticipation. He took this as his cue to pull off his own, and you admired his strong muscles, littered with scars. You could feel his eyes roam your body as you undid the last button, leaving you in a simple bra and pants. His hands, hands that could throw buildings and fight villains, were gentle against your skin, slowly running over your belly to the edge of your bra. When you didn’t protest, he tugged at the clasps, letting it fall off your shoulders to the floor.

He pressed hungry kisses to your shoulder, slowly working his way down. His touches were gentle, as if you would break if he wasn’t careful and his mind raced, wanting to explore every inch of you. A soft moan escaped your lips as he nipped at your neck. Enji’s body tensed, and his grip tightened as he kissed lower, desperate to hear more of your sweet noises. 

His pants were painfully tight now, and you seemed to understand, because he could feel your small fingers working the latch on his belt, tugging his slacks down and exposing the tent in his boxers. He let out a low groan as your fingers wrapped around his clothed cock. Enji was a lot bigger than anyone in general, though he never really thought about it until now, when your hand was struggling to wrap completely around his thick member. 

 Maneuvering his hands from your hips, he cupped your breasts, pressing aching kisses to them. He sucked bruises into your skin, and bit back a groan as your fingers found their way under his waistband. Enji wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you up, and you nodded to the general area of the bedroom. Nudging the door open, he gently rested you on the bed. Sliding your pants over your hips, leaving you exposed, a thin pair of black panties being the only barrier between the redhead and your sex.

His hands gripped your things, parting you open and he placed a soft kiss on your belly. He worked his way lower, hooking his fingers under your waistband and dragging the material over your curves before tossing it off the bed. Tracing over your soft mound with his finger, he pushed open the lips of your cunt. Like a man starved, he buried his face in your pussy, his tongue devouring your slick.

Your hands gripped his red hair and he groaned into you. Pulling your legs over his shoulders, he fucked you on his tongue, before sucking your throbbing clit between his lips. Eyes rolling back, your breathy moans filled the apartment. You felt yourself climbing higher and higher, so close to euphoria as you grinded on his face.

“Fuck...delicious.” He growled into your cunt. His fingers gripped your thighs, almost painfully and the vibrations of his voice pushed you over the edge. Your thighs squeezed around his head and your back arched off the soft bed as you cried out his name. He continued his assault on your cunt, slurping down your juices as your fingers tugged his locks, gasping at the overstimulation. Still, Enji continued to drown himself in you, your sweet taste like nectar of the gods. He wanted so much more of you, to stay here for hours, pulling orgasm after orgasm out of you. He could feel the muscles in your thighs tense as you came again, your body trembling from the impact.

Pulling away, he kissed your lips, the taste of you on his tongue. Your tongues entwined, as your arms wrapped around his neck, feeling the muscles of his upper back flex. Too soon and yet not fast enough he broke away, positioning himself between your legs, his massive frame towering over you. His hands rested on the bed on opposite sides of your face as he looked down at your body. Your lips were puffy from his kiss, parted slightly. Your eyes were glassy, half-lidded and hungry for more. You met his gaze and inhaled, giving him the slightest nod. He lined his cock up with your entrance, gently pushing the head in. You gasped at the stretch, and after a moment rocked your hips, spurring him to continue. Easing his cock in, he gritted his teeth at how tight your cunt wrapped around him. His hands moved to your hips as he pulled himself out of you, leaving the tip in before thrusting back into you.

Gripping your hips, he bounced you on his cock easily. Moans fell from your mouth, stuttering each time he bottomed out in you. One hand left your hip and gripped the headboard as his heavy balls smacked against your ass. Enji groaned as your legs wrapped around his waist, forcing him deeper. The headboard creaked under his force as he pounded into you, your moans of his name spurring him on, making him want to give you all of him. Your small hand ran over his chest, the dark hair soft under your fingers as you dug your nails in his skin. You felt overwhelmingly full, his thick cock filling every crevice inside you.

Enji’s fiery eyes roamed  your body, watching as your breasts bounced with each thrust. He could practically see the bulge in your belly from his cock and as lewd as the scene was, there was something so beautiful about you in the throes of passion. His name dripped from your lips like a mantra and he could feel the desire, the want that you carried, begging him to give you everything he had. Your fingers danced across his muscles, a touch so intimate. A touch he hadn’t felt in years.

With a crack, the wooden headboard began to splinter as Enji unloaded into you with a shout. Your body felt heavy as he shot white ropes of cum deep inside you, some spilling out around his cock and onto your sheets. With a final groan, he stilled, slowly sliding his softening cock out of you and collapsing next to you on the bed.

It was silent, except for the sounds of both of you breathing hard, your chests rising and falling in tandem. Enji could hear his heart thumping wildly and he turned to look at you. Your eyes were closed, breathing labored but slow and you sleepily turned towards him, laying your head on his massive bicep. 

The next morning, he was gone. The only evidence that the night had even happened was the crack that ran across your headboard and the glass of water on your night stand. Enji avoided you during hero meetings, always somehow on a busy patrol when you called, his assistant taking your message, yet again until you gave up trying.

When the months-long mission was offered to you, you accepted it without hesitation. Enji didn’t attempt to say goodbye.

-----

Now, Enji was torn. 

There was no getting out of this. He thought about reaching out to Eraserhead to ask about working alone, though he knew the sleepy hero would ask questions he didn’t want to get into. Enji furrowed his brow as he swung again at the punching bag in front of him, taken to training in his private outdoor home gym rather than the regular hero gyms to avoid you, though you hadn’t made any more attempts to speak to him.

He jabbed at the bag. This was ridiculous. He was a pro-hero. Allowing this to interfere with his work made him weak, and Endeavor was not weak. 

He wasn’t weak.

Enji threw a few more punches, shaking the sweat off as he reached for the bottle of water behind him. 

“Enji.”

He stiffened.

“Enji Todoroki, I don’t know why you are ignoring me or what I did to you, but we need to talk about what happened.” Your voice was clear, stronger than it was the day of the meeting.

He took a swig from his water bottle, biding his time. Finally turning around, he faced you. You were in a simple t-shirt and track pants, probably coming from a workout yourself. Your eyes were ablaze, demanding to get answers. Enji felt a stabbing pain in his chest as he compared the image of you now, to the image of you from that night.

“I have nothing to say. We will work on this mission, and be civil to each other. That’s all.” Enji attempted to push past you and you turned on your heel.

“You know what? Fine. You want to pretend you didn’t feel anything that night? That meant nothing to you whatsoever? Was it just to hook up, get your dick wet and leave? Because you didn’t need me for that.” Your tone was angry but Enji could hear the hurt in your statements. Facing you, he glared down.

“What do you want from me? To be your boyfriend? I’m not that man. Try Hawks, he’s into that sort of nonsense. I don’t need or want this trouble in my life anymore.” Enji’s voice was hard, the tone he used for villains or the press. You searched his face, seeking the man from that night. Enji, not Endeavor.

You thought over his words. “Enji...what are you so afraid of?”

The tone of your voice shifted. Softer, easier. He remembered how he felt when you begged for him, when you showed your desire for him through each touch and kiss. He finally looked into your eyes, eyes so full of earnest curiosity. Why couldn’t you just make this easy? He swallowed hard.

Fat droplets of water splashed onto his arms, and no sooner did he notice that the sky opened up, sheets of rain pouring over the two of you. Without thinking, he gripped your hand tugging you to the house. Even though it wasn’t a far journey, you were both soaked, and he could see you shivering. Grabbing a towel from the linen closet, he wrapped it around your shoulders. You murmured a thanks, standing awkwardly in his doorway.

He reached for your hand, leading you to the laundry room. Your hands were small in his and he tried to not focus on his heartbeat that pounded in his ears. 

“Wait here.” He grunted, leaving to grab clothes for both of you. He grabbed one of his, then thought better and dug around for anything Fuyumi or Rei may have left. No luck. He sighed, returning to the room where you were sitting on top of the washer.

Thrusting the clothes into your hands, he left to give you some privacy to change as he pulled on his clothes. A few minutes later he heard you giggling. You stepped out, drowning in his way too big shirt. The shirt extended nearly to your knees. The sweatpants he gave you were sliding off your hips and he glimpsed your thighs as you attempted to pull them up. Shrugging, you let them fall to the floor, your legs exposed.

“Sorry, but I don’t think they will stay on. Luckily, your shirt hides everything important.” You said, looking down. Enji mentally disagreed, since any inch of skin he could see would be burned into his brain forever.

Tossing both your clothes into the washer, he set the timer and then it was silent. You spoke first.

“I thought I did something wrong.”

Enji turned to you, Your gaze was fixed on the washing machine, though your eyes looked distant. You continued.

“I thought maybe you thought it was a drunken mistake.”

“I wasn’t drunk.”

You turned. Enji’s cerulean eyes were downcast at the laminate flooring. You opened your mouth to speak but he cut you off.

“I’m not good at this. I’m not stupid, I know the rumors about my family that people say. They aren’t all lies. I did fuck it up. I did a lot of bad, terrible things and pushed them away. Rei, and the kids...they didn’t deserve any of the pain I caused them.”

His shoulders sagged, the weight of his past overtaking him. “I did, I do love them. But I understand why they had to leave.” He sat on the small couch in the corner.

Enji felt your hand cover his, your thumb rubbing circles over his knuckles. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.

“Enji...doing shitty things doesn’t make you a shitty person. You can’t punish yourself forever.” Your voice was soft, soothing. Enji finally met your eyes.

“I’ve already fucked that up. I fucked this up. I don’t want to hurt people I care about anymore. It’s easier this way.”

You wrapped your arms around him. The two of you made quite a sight, the smaller figure cradling the large man. You stood in front of him and he let himself relax into you, his head resting on your chest. He could smell your scent, warm and comforting, even under his shirt. Your fingers grazed his hair, holding him to you. Enji thought of the nights where he lay in bed, allowing himself to imagine your body next to him. 

He was tired of being strong.

“Enji...I can’t say everything will be perfect. But punishing yourself before it starts isn’t going to do anything but cause more pain.”

He could feel your heartbeat, a steady rhythm that matched his breathing. He was aware of his hands around your body, your soft strokes in his hair. He thought about how it would feel to have your touches, hold you in his arms every day, every night.

Enji allowed himself to fall.

He raised his head, his lips meeting yours. With each kiss he silently told you his hopes, his fears, and his apologies. In turn, you gave him comfort and acceptance. He pulled you onto his lap, so you were straddling him, kissing you hard to make up for the months of missed opportunities. 

You kissed for what felt like forever, never wanting to stop. His hands slid down your back and across your thighs, going under your shirt. 

“You look so good in this. Wanna see this more often.” He whispered, a smirk on his face. You giggled and he had the desire to hear all of your beautiful sounds. In time, he reminded himself.

“Enji, are you flirting with me?” You teased and he pulled you close in another kiss. His hands wandered across your soft skin and he could feel the hardened peaks of your nipples through the thin cotton of the shirt. He kissed down your jaw, and your fingers grasped at his hair, causing him to groan into your neck.

“You tease me so much, Y/N.” He growled out as you grinded on his lap. You could feel his cock stir through his joggers, and you felt yourself growing wetter on his lap. He pulled your shirt up to your waist, exposing your thin panties to him. He could feel your arousal through the fabric and ran his thumb down the dark spot over your cunt. You let out a soft whimper and his eyes blazed with hunger.

 Pulling your shirt above your tits, he took one in his mouth, sucking harshly. He grazed your nipple with his teeth, causing your back to arch. He switched sides, his tongue swirling around the sensitive bud. Your hips rocked against his bulge, more prominent now and he pulled away from your chest.

“I want you Enji.” Your voice was soft and seductive, and Enji felt your words go straight to his cock. Picking you up, he carried you to his room. The lights were dim and you didn’t have time to look around before he dropped you on the bed, pushing your legs apart and lapping at your cunt through your drenched panties.

“Already so excited, sweet girl. Taste so good for me.” Enji murmured into your pussy, pressing kisses and bites to your thighs. You whined, attempting to push down your panties and he laughed, a low chuckle that rumbled in his chest. 

“So eager, aren’t you?” 

You pouted at him. “It’s been too long and I’ve missed you so much.”

Enji was grateful for the dark room hiding the blush that spread across his face. He busied himself by dragging your panties down at an agonizingly slow pace, taking the time to admire your legs, his fingers skimming the skin causing shivers to go down your spine. Enji turned to take in the scene. Your body, draped across the sheets, mouth parted, eyes full of want staring up at him, silently begging for him. He had pictured this many times, many sleepless nights, but the reality was so much better.

“So beautiful.”  HIs voice was quiet, and his heart thumped wildly. He was nervous, even though he had already been with you once before. This time felt so raw, so much more real. He wanted to be with you in every way he could, in any way you would let him and he could tell you wanted the same.

As he pulled off his shirt, your hands slid into the waistband of his pants, grazing over the head of his throbbing cock. He groaned as your fingers slid over the sensitive head, smearing precum down the shaft. You pushed down the rest of his clothes and he kneeled between your legs. Both of you were quiet, and you could feel the excitement in the air of doing this, being with each other completely. It was vulnerable, it was scary, but he trusted you to be there when he fell. And in turn, you trusted him to be yours.

Pushing into you, your breath hitched. He felt your body clamp down on him, and he slowed, easing his way in. Your nails dug into the skin of his biceps and you gasped as he bottomed out in you.

Pressing his forehead to yours, he searched your eyes for discomfort. Instead you gazed at him with complete adoration, bright eyes completely infatuated.

“You’re perfect, Enji.” Your voice was quiet and breathy, but clear. In response he pressed a harsh kiss to your mouth, trying to explain every emotion he felt, words he couldn’t say just yet. As you kissed, he rocked into you, his thick cock dragging against your walls. Your soft moans were swallowed by his kisses, and the stinging marks left on his arms only drove him crazier. He fucked into you faster, feeling your tight cunt squeezing around him, wanting so badly to stay inside you forever.

Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead, and the room was filled with your sweet sounds, interspersed with his praises.

“Taking me so well. Such a good girl. Fuck, so beautiful.” Enji gasped out, his high imminent. Each thrust had you seeing stars and you felt like your body was floating. Moving his hands from the sheets, he slid over your clit, teasing your body. You clenched around him.

“Fuck, right there,don’t stop!” You gasped out, grasping at the bedsheets, your back arching off to meet his thrusts. Enji complied, his rhythm speeding up as he toyed with your clit and you cried out, your body squeezing his cock like a vice. You gushed around his cock, and he fucked into you faster, feeling his body heat up. With a groan he slammed into you, holding you down as he spilled into you. His hips stuttered as he filled you with every drop, and soon the room was filled with panting as both of you struggled to catch your breath.

Easing out of you, he grabbed a towel, cleaning you up before collapsing next to you. You were both quiet and you were reminded of the time before. Nervous, you turned to him and made eye contact.

“Are you staying this time?” Your voice was small and Enji saw your fingers threading the sheets, nervously.

“It’s my house.” He responded seriously. Caught off guard, you burst into laughter. He watched you amused. You looked gorgeous and he would never get used to the sound of your laughter filling the house that had been quiet for too long.

Catching your breath, you turned back to him.

“What I mean is...do you want to do this? Together?”

Enji looked at the bed that was no longer empty, felt the life and warmth that filled the house, exuding from you just being there and entwined his hand with yours.

“Yes.”

[angryschnauzer]

Stuck

Summary: You are August Walkers maid, and when you are changing the sheets on his massive bed your hand gets stuck between the mattress and headboard. Upon finding you in that predicament August takes control of the situation, however it doesn’t mean you get unstuck any time soon. (Based on a pornhub video i saw at 2am a few nights ago)

Pairing: August Walker x Female Maid Reader (no race or size described) Fandom; Henry Cavill, Mission Impossible: Fallout.

Warnings; NSFW, 18+, Dub-con, Fingering, groping, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, size kink, breeding kink, boob play, anal fingering, double penetration, spanking, spying/stalker behaviour, surveilence, voyerism, unauthorized recording of a sex act, not-great aftercare (he tries), slight dom/sub, the start of a ‘sugar daddy�� arrangement, however no reference to Daddy kink. 

I do not operate a tag list, however please follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications. That way you’ll get an alert every time i post anything. Masterlist can be found on AO3 link HERE

Read the Steve Rogers version of this story HERE

Stuck

 Ringing the doorbell, you stood anxiously on the doormat outside the expensive apartment, listening for approaching steps but hearing none. So when the door suddenly opened you let out a tiny yelp of surprise, before taking a deep breath to steady your racing heart;

 “Good afternoon Mr Walker”

 The giant of a man stood in front of you, recognition quickly passing over his face when he saw your uniform of black dress and simple black ballet flats;

 “Oh yes, the maid. C’mon in”

 You worked for a high security housekeeping company, strict controls and stringent background checks as you were contracted to the pentagon and the agents and staff that worked there. You always worked on an ad-hoc basis, only visiting homes when clients or agents requested it. This was however the fourth time cleaning Mr Walker’s apartment, always having to work around suitcases littering the halls and various weapons being cleaned and serviced on the kitchen table. 

 Holding your pail of cleaning supplies you waited as he shut the door, talking at you rather than to you;

 “Okay so here’s what you need to do today; clean the bathroom and kitchen, vacuum the rugs throughout, change the bedding and leave in the laundry hamper”

 You nodded;

 “Sweeping throughout too sir?”

 “No need, the Roomba does the smooth floors, it just can’t get onto the deep pile rugs” he hooked an earbud into one ear; “I’m going out for a run, I’ll be two hours”

 Swallowing nervously you nodded, watching as he hooked the other earbud in and left without another word, leaving you staring at the white wood of the door after he’d closed it. 

 Mr Walker both scared and excited you. A beast of a man, he was all muscle, and each time you had visited he had excused himself so not to be there whilst you were. The fact that he was always in a tank top and running shorts that did nothing to hide any part of him had you stretching your concentration to its limits in order to get your job done and not drift off into a fantasy land that you saved for when you were curled up in your own bed.

 Getting to work you started on the kitchen, stacking the dishwasher with the various dirty crockery that littered the room, cleaning the surfaces, sink, stove. Next up you hit the rugs, working quickly as you vacuumed, before heading to the bathroom. 

 Taking a deep breath you opened the door and relaxed. Cleaning bathrooms for single men were what you always dreaded, but at least as you started to cleanse every surface including the toilet, you realised that Mr Walker thankfully had good aim. Finally it was time for the shower, and as you pulled open the glass door and looked down you let out a shriek; the largest spider you’d ever seen sat in the corner. Grabbing the handled loofah you crept a little closer, letting out a laugh when you saw it wasn’t in fact an arachnid; instead it was a clump of dark hair;

 “Well, the man does have a lot of hair” you muttered to no-one but yourself, thinking about how his chest was covered in a mat of soft hair, exposed in the low neck of his running tank. 

 Half an hour later you wiped your brow on the back of your arm. Mr Walkers bathroom had in fact been a nightmare, the man shed more hair than a fucking German Shepherd. Washing your hands and glancing at your watch, you saw that you had fifteen minutes left of the two hours, taking a deep breath before grabbing the clean linens from the closet.

 Mr Walkers bedroom was white. There was no personalisation, no trinkets. Slipping your ballet flats off you climbed onto the bed, mentally taking in the sheer size of it; it must be a super king if not larger. Your mind immediately went south, imagining Mr Walker fucking on the bed, sprawled out as you straddle his face - you had always wondered what that moustache felt like against your skin - and you ride his tongue, or him pile driving you into the mattress, his hard body pressing against every inch of you as he fills you.

 Moving up the bed you tugged on the sheet, cursing as it wouldn’t pull out from between the mattress and headboard. With a huff you shuffled forward, pushing your hands down between them, tugging on the expensive white cotton. Pushing your arm down a little further you could just about feel that it was caught on something, moving to pull back and then it happened… you were stuck.

 “What the...?” you muttered, realisation hitting you that your watch had slipped into the gap and was now preventing you from pulling your arm out. You could feel your heart rate increasing as you struggled to set yourself free, pulling against the strain but it did little to help.  You pushed and pulled and grunted, hiking your dress up so you could widen your stance on the bed, but nothing worked. You frantically looked around to see the time, yet there wasn’t a clock or display in sight, and you could hardly look at your watch. If you didn’t get out of there soon Mr Walker…

 “Well isn’t this a pretty sight…”

 No. Please no. Oh god no. You screwed your eyes shut, the heat of embarrassment rising to your skin;

 “I’m stuck” you whispered, letting out a yelp when you felt the bed dip behind you, feeling his hands gently resting on your hips;

 “Unfortunate for you, maybe not so for me...”

 -

 Five minutes ago.

 August sat in the small room, staring at the laptop screen in front of him. As ideas went, this was both his best and worst idea yet. Installing hidden security cameras in his apartment had been at first simply for security whilst he was away on missions, but he’d found a secondary use for it once the agency had recommended your employers as a maid service. He hadn’t been expecting someone as pretty as you, you had this look of innocence about you that made him just want to corrupt you and ruin you. He may be a bastard but he wasn’t a heathen, so instead of just turning on the charm offensive he had found an abandoned room in his apartment building and set up a small surveillance center. One with a chair, a laptop, a bottle of lube and a box of tissues. 

 August Walker had just spent the last two hours edging himself as he watched you bend over in that knee length dress, adjusting camera angles to see up your skirt as you bent over. August Walker was one step away from full on pervert. And he had no regrets at all.

 That was until he saw you on his bed, and realised you were trapped. Temptation got the better of him, so stuffing his hard dick back into his running shorts, he quickly left the room and silently made his way back to his apartment. 

 He entered and could smell the pleasant scent of the cleaning fluids you’d used, the quiet grunts as you tried to free yourself from your predicament. Toeing off his sneakers he silently made his way through the hallways, suppressing a groan as he saw you on his bed; ass up face down, the fabric of your dress stretched over the tops of your thighs, the fabric moving as you moved to expose glimpses of your buttocks. He pressed a hand over the obscene bulge in his shorts before moving to the bed.

 -

 “Mr Walker!” you squeaked out in surprise; “You’re back… umm I’m stuck, my watch… I can’t get my wrist back through the gap between the headboard and the mattress”

 “Oh… what a shame. Let me help…”

 You were expecting him to move around you, but instead he covered your body with his own and grasped your arms. Your mind was lost as you took in how his massive hands could completely circle your wrists, the weight of him above you almost suffocating, and when he started to tug you knew you were done for. 

 The gentle rocking of your bodies, rubbing against one another was all it took for a moan to leave your mouth involuntarily, the feeling of his hard dick rutting against the crease of your ass making you embarrassingly wet almost instantly. He grunted above you;

 “Huh, well that didn’t work…”

 Pushing himself up he knelt behind you, still pressing his hard-on against your ass as his hands gripped your hips and he tugged gently, however all he did was pull you back against his crotch;

 “This fabric is slippery, hang on a second…”

 Pressing your head to the bed you felt him flip your skirt up, hearing a sharp intake of breath behind you as he took in the bright red thong you were wearing beneath your dress. His warm hands smoothed over your buttocks before gripping onto your hips and half-heartedly tugging again. 

 It was no good, you were too turned on to even object. You’d lusted after your client for weeks, and now you found yourself in this predicament which it was obvious he had no intention of helping you with, but instead had other ideas that you had no desire to object to. You were rocking back against his dick, the quiet moans escaping your throat telling him you were more than into it, so when you felt his fingers curl around the elastic of your underwear and tug them down to your mid-thigh, all you could do was arch your back and present your pussy for his inspection. 

 Thick fingers parted your folds, teasing your nectar to your aching clit where a thumb rubbed hard circles against the sensitive bud. His other hand was lost from you for a moment and you could feel him moving, before you felt the thwack of his heavy dick against your ass. 

 With your hand trapped and your body stretched out you could barely look over your shoulder, but when you did you could see the impressive bulk of your clients body towering over you, the sight making your cunt clench with anticipation.

 “Excited, are we?”

 “Please Mr Walker…”

 “Please what?” You moaned and his quiet chuckle filled the room; “You gotta say it”

 “Please fuck me”

 “Eager little thing, aren’t we?”

 “Please…”

 “Well, as you asked so nicely…”

 He took hold of his dick and dragged the bulbous tip through your folds, dousing himself with your juices before lining himself up with your entrance. When you felt him push just the tip inside you it felt like you were being split open, he must be as thick as your wrist, and as he continued to force his way into your body it felt like he was the length of your forearm.

 “Such a good little slut, taking my dick…” his voice filled your senses as your body fought to relax and allow him deeper, your juices running down your legs where he would rock back and forth to lubricate his girth before pushing another punishing inch in to you. 

 Your velvet walls parted yet gripped him tight, and you could feel every ridge, bump and vein as he started to fuck your tight pussy. With every pull and push your head swam, your body moving back to meet his thrusts as his massive hands gripped onto your hips and he started to slam into you harder and harder. When his hand came down onto your ass the loud smack surprised you just as much as the pain, but you arched your back even more like a bitch in heat. 

 He reached beneath you, tugging at the neckline of your dress with both hands, before the seam of the collar broke and the soft jersey stretched enough for him to tug the fabric down. His fingers caught in the lace cups of your bra, and whilst still plunging deep into you from behind, he was able to let your titties swing free and he grabbed a handful;

 “Such pretty tits. Next time you clean I want you in just your underwear so I can watch them swing. Might get you scrubbing the floors so I can see you bent over and ready for me”

 You shuddered at his words, he already paid a premium for your services, and the electronic tip that he’d sent through had been more than generous, the last visit alone you had been surprised by the triple figures, but more than grateful that you were able to pay the bills.

 His hands had found their way back to your ass, smoothing over the soft skin as he continued to fuck you, the wide ridge that ran along the underside of his length rubbing so beautifully against your g-spot, you were sure you were going to cum soon. 

 He pulled your cheeks apart and you felt him spit on your asshole, the warm liquid pooling for a moment before his thumb started to rub insistently over the brown rose. Burying your head in the soft sheets you allowed your body to relax as he breached your back door with his thumb, the wide digit stretching you as he pushed in as far as he could;

 “This ass is incredible. I can’t wait to fuck it”

 You let out a tiny yelp at the idea of trying to fit his massive cock in your ass;

 “Mr Walker!”

 “Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll make sure you’re stretched out first. Might want to add a plug to the uniform list for next time, make sure you’re ready lubed and stretched for me. But don’t you worry your pretty little head, this time I’m just going to cum deep in this sweet pussy of yours. Are you on birth control? Are you ripe?”

 You hadn’t even considered birth control. Your insurance had stopped covering you a couple of years back, so when you had gone on the occasional date that had ended up between the sheets, you’d simply resorted to condoms;

 “No… no…”

 “Oh yes. I’m going to cum deep inside you, let my seed rest within your womb. God, I’d love to see your belly round with my child, I bet your tits would be even more impressive. Hmmn yes, that’s fucking perfect…”

 You hadn’t thought it possible, but all that he said was turning you on even more, and it wasn’t just you that liked the idea, you could feel him swell within you, his girth growing thicker as his arousal grew. The added stretch was driving you closer and closer to your own orgasm, the dual stimulations of your pussy and ass both being filled had you trembling with need.

 “Are you going to cum for me?” his voice was hoarse and dry, an edge of desperation to it too; “I’m close, gonna shoot my load in you soon. You’d better cum before I do ‘cos once I’m done I’m pulling out and will leave you dripping with my seed and on edge…”

 The threat of being left on the precipice was enough to push your body over the edge, cumming hard as your body held him so tight he thought he wouldn’t be able to pull out. The vice like grip had him throwing his head back as your body milked him, his own orgasm ripping through his body that he came with a roar and a string of expletives. 

 -

 August wasn’t sure if he had ever cum that hard before, but the way your body gripped him so tight he was in no doubt that your pussy was the best he’d ever had - and he’d had a lot - and he knew without a doubt that he was not going to let anyone else ever come near it again.

 As he slowed his thrusts and let you work through the aftershocks of your intense orgasm, he mentally checked off all the things he’d been checking up on; from the details of your financials, your family and education, your social media. He had seen all of them. He had your phone tapped and knew that he was going to be installing spy cameras in your apartment… that was until you agreed to be his. 

 Looking down at your ass he pulled his thumb out of your now loosened asshole, making sure to catch the way it winked as he recorded on his phone, having pulled that out of his pocket soon after he’d started and had recorded himself defiling your body. Giving your ass a smack he relished how the camera picked up the jiggle as the force rippled through you, before grasping a large handful of ass as he pulled out and watched his cum pool at your entrance, before pushing it back in with two thick fingers. Tugging your underwear up your legs from where they had settled around your knees, he made sure the flimsy red mesh covered your hole, quickly getting soaked with his seed as he pushed the fabric against the mess to fully coat it. 

 Finally he shut his phone off and reached towards the headboard, giving it a tug and feeling it lift, watching as you silently pulled your hand free before collapsing on the bed. He carefully unbuckled your wristwatch before rubbing at the sore skin, easing away the chafed skin. He set your hand down carefully and quickly left the room, returning a moment later with a glass of water and holding it to your lips as he helped you sit up. 

 Setting the empty glass on the side, he rubbed your back before attempting to fix your torn collar, finally giving up. He swiped a thumb across your cheek, wiping away the mascara tear stains;

 “Next week you’ll need to be in your underwear and heels. Make sure the plug is well lubricated. I’ll have everything delivered to your address”

 You went to object, to question how he would even know, but then realised… CIA… of course he knew. You pushed yourself to the edge of the bed, finding your shoes and slipping your feet in, standing on wobbly legs as he spoke again.

 “Do as I ask and I’ll let you stay the night so I can fuck your other two holes as well”

 Turning you nodded;

 “Yes Mr Walker”

 “Oh, you can call me Sir now” he turned to leave the room before waving his finger at the pile of fresh linen still folded at the end of the bed; “Remember to finish up before you leave”

 He left the room without another word. You went to object, but just as you did you felt the phone in your pocket vibrate. Quickly checking it your eyebrows practically shot off the top of your head, seeing the tip transfer come through for $2000. Biting your lip, your thumb hovered over the accept/decline buttons, the moral dilemma tearing your mind in two.

 -

 In the hallway August watched his phone. He could see that you’d received the notification of the tip. When he saw your action on the app he smiled and slid the phone back into his pocket, already planning your next visit.

Part 2 >>>

[lyallblacklupin]

My other half.

Sirius is very upset because his other half, James Potter, has been taken away from him. The James who used to hold Sirius after a nightmare has Lily Evans in his arms one particular night, which angers Sirius a lot. He thinks that he has lost his friend. Little does he know, there is a certain perfect Marauder who understands him more than he understands himself.

“And then what I got to see was Evans! You just don’t care about your best friend anymore because of her!”

“Sirius, I can’t take care of you all the time! And I want you to be supportive here, be my best frien—“

“Whoa, whoa, what do you mean by ‘I can’t take care of you all the time’?” Sirius almost yelled at James, his chest heaving violently. James sighed and rubbed his temples.

“Pads, how many times I have to tell that Lily is now my girlfriend—“

“And what about me!?” Sirius knew that this was an unhealthy act of friendship and that was: Possessiveness. But he wanted to get this unsettling agitation off his chest that had been clinging him since the last night he had found Lily Evans buried in James’ embrace. Sirius had never felt so furious, and betrayed in his life. He wanted to lash out on his best friend, who was just like a brother to him. A non-biological brother who’d always been there for Sirius when his blood family sent him a shitty letters, and reassured him that he was not alone because the Potters were his family now, the same brother who’d been there to hold him when he had nightmares so he’d tuck him in his embrace and he could sleep a dreamless slumber till dawn, and then he’d go to his own bed. However, last night had been an exception, because the two brothers had an intervention after almost six years of inseparability, in the name of Lily Evans who had just started coming and going in their dorm, and Sirius felt like his privacy was assaulted.

“Sirius, don’t make this hard, please…” James flopped down on his bed, holding his head in his hands. Sirius hated that look because it reflected the exhaustion he was feeling, and it felt like a verification for Sirius that James was done taking care of him. Sirius knew that James had been taking extra care of him since they were eleven that even Remus and Peter had been annoyed and hated him for favoring Sirius more than he needed. Sirius didn’t want to feel like a child when he was a hopeless sixteen who didn’t have a girlfriend or anyone of his roommates to take constant of care of him. He knew that he was unfair with James. He knew that how much James wanted to date Lily Evans, and he also knew that he was being a pathetic friend and a mean brother to him for ruining his happiness by fighting him.

“Sirius?” James asked softly when Sirius was gazing hard on the floor, his mind in the trance of endless thoughts, and they just spiked up the guilt inside him.

But there was just this unnamed emotion of bitterness sitting at the top of his chest that denied him from acknowledging all of those facts about James Potter.

“It was the first nightmare I had without having you with me.” He blurted out, not looking at James at all. He believed that there was no one in the dorm except the two of them because if there were, he’d have been hearing gagging or huffing noises from the rest of the two marauders.

“Pads, I know. But what do you want me to do?” James’ voice sounded helpless.

“Nothing…absolutely nothing.” And with that, Sirius turned around to walk out of the dorm. He was reaching for the doorknob when his eyes side-caught Remus Lupin sitting on his bed, who had witnessed the entire conversation between them. Sirius thought his heart had stopped beating for a second. He fought back the embarrassment and scurried out of the room in a flash, hoping Remus hadn’t seen his flushed face.

Sirius spent his whole day with the rest of the Marauders, because James and Lily had gone to lake, hand in hand, together. He knew that James was giving him space. Peter was serving detention, so technically, Sirius got to hang out with the only Marauder and that was Remus Lupin.

Both of them were sitting under the tree. It had been an hour since they had been relishing the double free periods, and none of them had spoken a single word. Remus had a reason to stay quiet because he was reading a book of poetry, while Sirius was playing with the thorns of the grass, plucking and brushing them. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a reason to stay silent but because it was a ridiculous one that his best friend had finally gone out with the girl of his dreams, and he is being an absolute prat about it. Yeah, great one, Sirius! He internally mocks himself.

“Padfoot?”

Sirius praised himself that he didn’t yelp because he had almost believed that he was alone until Remus called him out.

“Moony?”

“You okay?” Remus’ amber eyes bored into him. Sirius had to look away for a bit. Remus Lupin was another story in his already chaotic life. In short, he was a mystery, even after he had revealed himself as a werewolf, who had a dying mother, and was miserably poor. Yet still, he was like a treasure residing in the depths of an island, and it never failed to tempt Sirius.

“Yeah, why?” He cleared his throat, but Remus was still gazing him.

“You are sulking.” Sirius could feel the smirk on his face without having to look.

“No, I am not.”

“I can tell.” He sighed, and Sirius thought he was done asking, and must have gone back to his book but he continued, “Your head is dangling low, your eyes are blinking a little too much, and your hands…well they don’t take a break from causing a wreckage like you are doing right now…”

Sirius looked down and saw that a palm-sized patch was created on the ground because of the plucking of grass. He looked back at Remus whose eyes were smiling more than his mouth.

“Congratulations, you just won the house cup for studying Sirius Black’ sulking postures.” Sirius said with a deadpanned face, and Remus laughed amusingly, putting away his book. It was a precious thing he did, because Remus rarely put his book away for anyone. Maybe Sirius was not just anyone for him.

They spent the afternoon talking and laughing, and Sirius felt warm and blissful to realize how much he enjoyed Remus’ company. He really underestimated him, and it made him feel all blue. He was gone back to sulking when James and Lily arrived for the dinner, while Remus was gone back to sit with Peter as usual.

The midnight was emerged upon Sirius as he had woken up from another nightmare. His vision was blurry, and he sat up on his bed. He was shivering and the covers were not helping him because he could feel the perspiration on his back and arms. James was sleeping alone because his curtains were not drawn shut, and Sirius was craving the human warmth but he wasn’t feeling right to go to him after their argument. He gathered his knees and pulled them close to his chest. He felt like crying because now he was recognizing that agonizing emotion inside him, and that was: Loneliness.

The reason he never had a proper relationship with a girl was because he never wanted to have a girl in his life. He had thought that his roommates were his only family, and they were the only ones he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He loved them so much. He let his tears fall, and slipped into his cover again anyway, curled up in a ball. He knew that sleep was nowhere near him.

Just when he thought he could change into Padfoot, he heard the rustling sound of curtains. He felt alerted and, in all honesty, scared. He knew that his mind was deceiving him. They were just the aftershocks of the nightmares, but then he felt footsteps approaching. He squeezed his night shut. And then—

“Sirius?” It was not James.

“Moony?” Sirius turned around to find Remus standing in his pajamas. His hair were sticking out in every directions.

“Can I sleep with you?” His voice was hoarse, and he looked uncomfortable.

“Of course, you can. Hey, you okay?” Sirius scooted to make some space for him.

“Nightmares.” He replied, and it instantly broke Sirius’ heart.

They both laid together with a respectful distance, facing each other. Sirius could hear Remus’ teeth chattering. The half-moon’s light was landing on Remus, and Sirius could see his knuckles turning white as he fisted the blanket close to his chest. His eyes were screwed shut. Sirius was able feel every move of his body. He placed a hand on Remus’ cheek, and those amber eyes snapped open. Sirius decided that it was definitely the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Remus smiled weakly at him. He was reaching to hold Sirius’ wrist of that same hand before Sirius grabbed his shoulders, and shoved him in his embrace.

He thought Remus would protest. Instead, he melted. He buried his face in the crook of his neck, wrapping his own hands around Sirius’ waist, pulling him impossibly closer, while Sirius did the same by enveloping his torso by his own arms.

“I’m here for you, Pads.” Remus whispered in his skin, and it made Sirius smile.

“I’m here for you, too, Moony.”

Both of them fitted perfectly into each other’s bodies. After when they were relaxed in their positions, Sirius looked down to see the Remus sound asleep, a contenting smile tugging his lips, and suddenly that emotion of loneliness inside Sirius dissipated like it never existed.

[bunnyhoney111]

adore you

pairing- chris halliwell x plus size!reader

warnings- insecurity, mentions of weight and low self image

word count- 1.1k

request- @lilacprincessofrecovery

a/n- sorry it's short! and i took a few creative liberties in writing this. i hope you love it!

“watcha doin?” chris queried, stepping into the attic. you were sat cross-legged on the floor, the book of shadows in your lap as you flipped through the paiges aimlessly. “nothing.” you managed to mutter out as you nibbled on your thumb nail. you were searching for a weight loss spell, a potion, a charm- anything to make you more desirable.

“well clearly that's not true,” he rolled his eyes and waltzed over to kneel where you were sitting on the floor. “what are you looking for? a demon? girl after my own heart.” he laughed placing a hand on his chest sarcastically. “a spell.”

ruffling your fingers through your hair you let out a huff in disdain, you knew it was in here. “what kind of spell?” he asked, his brows knitting together at your eagerness. suddenly aware of your close proximity you began pulling at your shirt so it didn't hug your tummy so tightly and became ultra aware of how big your thighs were in your short pajama shorts.

“just a spell. it’s none of your business.” you quipped harshly causing chris to frown. “i'm sorry if i overstepped, angel. not my intentions.” you screwed your eyes shut tightly and tilted your head to the ground, tendrils of hair falling across your face.

you huffed defeatedly, deciding you wouldn't find it tonight. chris softly grabbed your chin and pressed a kiss to your soft lips. you found it hard not to melt into him but your thoughts of low self worth were constant, wondering why someone so wonderful as chris was could possibly want you.

he slowly pulled away from your lips, his eyes opening groggily and a sweet smile struck his face as an idea popped into his head. he grabbed the book from your lap and laid it on the ground before pressing another kiss to your lips.

you struggled to kiss back, the thoughts pressing deeper into your mind. his hands softly ran through your hair, one beginning to trail it's way down your back making you sit up straighter to conceal any back rolls.

he unknowingly took this as a sign to pull you closer into him by the small of your back, his lips leaving yours to trail down your neck and you felt your breath hitch as he reached your jaw, hoping he wouldn't notice the extra padding that made your face looks so soft and squishy.

you were keeping your thoughts at bay relatively well until the hand on your back slid to trail along your waist and immediately you pulled away from his touches. chris nearly falling at the abruptness of your movements.

“sorry, just not in the mood.” you'd said hurriedly as you stood and grabbed the book, rushing from the room. chris was left dumbfounded, deciding not to push it and orbing from the room presumably to p3 for the night.

*

*

*

it had been a few days, chris nowhere to be found, and you still flitting through the endless pages. “come on, just give me a win, one win…” you sighed, falling back onto your bed from your sitting position. your clothes felt too tight, the neckline and armholes feeling suffocating.

“why, god, why'd i have to look like this?” tears welled in your eyes, your fists coming up to rub them away. wallowing in self pity would get you nowhere so you sat up and began turning the pages once again.

it'd felt like hours but it was merely minutes before you finally came across the spell, running your eyes over the words excitedly and clapping your hands with joy your eyes fell upon the last line on the page.

‘to avoid personal gain consequences, the witch casting this spell must retain her whitelighters blessing.’ you scoffed, what a rule. you knew chris wouldn't allow you to go through with it, and took the liberty to begin calling for leo, though due to his elder duties he wouldn't respond.

chris orbed into the room instead, causing you to swiftly hold the book to your chest so he wouldn't see what you'd been looking for. “he can't come down y/n, and you of all people should know that.” he rolled his eyes. his gaze fell upon the book held tightly to your chest.

“you find what you were looking for?” he began walking towards your bed, plopping himself at the end of it, facing you. “what is it?” he reached for the book but you pulled away, tugging your bottom lip in between your teeth and looking anywhere but him.

“oh yeah?” you nodded. “doubtful. book.” he stated holding out his hands in anticipation. when the book landed in his hands he stared at the page you were on. “w-why? what's this for?” he asked looking up at you and you were just slumped against your headboard feeling defeated.

“this is why you were calling for leo?” he said, his voice breaking slightly and you couldn't even bring yourself to respond, knowing your voice was weak, as your eyes flooded with somber tears.

“you don't need this shit, you can't do that to yourself. i won't do it. i'm your whitelighter, not leo, and i'm telling you right now you're crazy if you expected me to-” he began choking on his words as tears welled in his emerald green eyes. “why? why would you want to change yourself?”

“for you, chris! i wanted to do it so you- so you would see me as beautiful.”

“you are beautiful! every morning i wake up i remember i am here for not just my future, but ours, y/n.” he pushed himself to the head of the bed, pulling your sobbing body to his chest, hushing your tears.

“but look at me, look at my thighs, and-and my stomach-”

“all parts of you that i find absolutely perfect, i love your thighs. i love the way they move when you walk or dance, or when you jump up and down in excitement about something.” he rubbed your tears away with his thumb.

bringing his hands over your thighs and stroking them softly before moving to your tummy that protruded in a fashion you hated, but god he loved it. he loved every inch of your body, no exceptions.

“and this, this beautiful tummy? the tummy that will one day hold my future kids? how could i not admire it, i kiss the ground you walk on y/n.” he kisses your forehead and squeezes you even tighter. “i am on my knees for you, you will forever be a goddess in my eyes. i wouldn't change a single aspect of you if it saved the world.”

“chris, i-” you were interrupted by a sob, you were so in love with this boy, and so lucky to have him in your life. “god i love you.” you gasped out, wrapping your arms around him as you pecked kisses to his chest tenderly.

“i adore you, y/n, you're my soulmate.”

[sukumen]

CONGRATS ON 2.5k!!!!!! so so deserved!! also i don’t think i ever told u this but you were my first ever mutual on here and i just 💞💕💞💕 if it’s still open can i request bakugou + exes to lovers?

HOORAY FOR 2.5K --- AU/TROPE FICLETS: bakugou x exes to lovers.

notes: things we already knew about me: i overwrite. WOW! this got so long, but i had so much freaking fun with it, i can’t even tell you. it’s my first time writing bakugou and i hope i did him justice, especially with this trope that i love. thank you so so much for the support and love victoria - it’s an honor to have been your first mutual!!!! i hope you enjoy this~

summary: it was an odd match from the start, you and katsuki --- at least that’s what you tell him when you walk away after a year and a half. as you leave, you remind yourself of the probability your quirk had read the night of your first date - 73% chance of breaking up. not certain, sure, but high enough to help you through missing him: this was always going to happen. you tell yourself the same thing a year later when he becomes your protection detail at a support item expo that’s received a major threat: being in the same industry, you were always going to cross paths.

but, over the course of your week together, you start to realize that not everything has a rational explanation, a logical way in or out. not Katsuki, and certainly not the way he makes you feel.

quirk details: reader has a quirk that grants insight into the probability of an outcome occurring. ultimately, she can analyze a situation and determine within seconds how likely a specific outcome is if she was to move forward with all variables unchanged. she uses it primarily to design her support items, but can also use it in personal situations too. notably, she used it to work out how likely it was that she and bakugou were going to break up in a misguided attempt to deal with her feelings.

key limitations: scenarios have to be simple for her quirk to work - she can only determine if something will or won’t happen, not what will happen. the information she has will impact the accuracy of her prediction; this means that using it for personal situations - which often rely on the complicated emotions of other people - can be tricky. but, being emotional too, she doesn’t always remember that….

Snippet (2.7k, slight nsfw at the end):

Your flight ends too quickly for your liking, the walk to the arrivals gate even more so. Katsuki is waiting for you under a Starbucks sign as planned with arms folded over his chest while a second hero - a newcomer to the rankings - makes small talk beside him. 

As you move in their direction, time follows in slow motion, each step rigid as you’re reminded of the day you’d walked the other way and out of his life. You’d been strong willed then and hadn’t turned once to see the look in his eyes as you went. But now, you can’t look anywhere but him, not even when the other hero notices you and waves for your attention.

He hasn’t changed much in the year apart. There’s a littering of scars that you’d noticed on the news and are seeing for the first time in person; but otherwise, Katsuki is the same man you’d always known, imposing but in a way that’s nearly comforting after his years in the public eye.

He seems to be watching you right back, but where your gaze is full of scrutiny, his is practically empty. Looking right through you as you draw near, which doesn’t change even when you still in front of them.

“Hi,” you squeak out, giving an awkward half-bow that you hope neither of them read too much into. The person beside Katsuki - hero name Phantom - introduces themselves right back, their bow deeper before they return to their rambling. They’re too caught up to note the way you and Katsuki don’t share names with each other and, with the moment lost, have gone to avoiding each other’s eyes altogether.  

The tension lasts until the other support item maker - a man you recognize from the flight - emerges from baggage claim. The sight of him shifts the tides and you all start to gather your things for the hotel. Katsuki still hasn’t said a word to you, though if the others have noticed, it doesn’t show. You, of course, have and even as you trail behind him and Phantom to make small talk with the other designer, your eyes linger over his broad back.

Somehow, you’d expected more...anger when he saw you next. 

Of course, this calm is pleasant, especially when you’re in public. But, there’s something about it that’s disappointing as well. Leaves you with an emptiness in your gut that you push past with animated conversation with your new companion.

[ … ] 

“Who was she?” Your eyes screw shut before the words even make it out. How embarrassing --- all that talk to yourself about letting it go and you fold not even three steps into your shared suite. It’s none of your business who she is -- it’s none of your business what he does. But, your heart twists every time you think about the two of them in the back of the welcoming party. You’ve never seen him like that - at least not from an outsider’s lens - leaning into another person so closely and the curiosity comes tumbling out of you before you can stop it.

Katsuki is silent for a long while; long enough that you almost think he hadn’t heard you. But, the stiffness in his shoulders tells you aren’t so lucky and after a moment of you watching him untie his shoes, he finally turns to look at you. The glance is brief, but poignant, before his focus returns to himself --- this time, his tie. “I don’t think you’re in any place to be asking me that,” he grunts, tugging at the fabric until it loosens.

Embarrassment sears your throat, a sting you feel behind the eyes as you turn them towards the floor. It’s bad enough that you’d given into the urge to ask, but Katsuki being so straightforward is mortifying. He’s right, of course, but what makes it worse is that he’s not even trying to belittle you with that answer. He means it as simply and plainly as he’s said it: you’re in no position to ask him to tell you something like that.

Self-indulgence from you is rare and you find it’s for this very reason. When you step out of the safety of your logic, your equations, your reasoning, you always manage to trip yourself up. Even now, you want to push, misplaced jealousy gnashing its teeth at the back of your mind. But, his response has sobered you  and you lock it and your curiosity up tight with a stiff apology and a goodnight.

Katsuki doesn’t look up again until your door closes behind you.

[ … ] 

When the chaos has gone, and dust settled, a gang of thirty-something villains is in handcuffs and you’re banged up; ankle throbbing, but very much alive. You haven’t seen Katsuki since he’d stashed you away with the others with a promise to come back, but you’ve heard enough steady explosions to think he must be okay. 

Still, you want proof. When the panic room door opens with a creak, his face isn’t the first you see, but it’s all you’re thinking about. Him, and getting back to him. You want to say it’s the last of your adrenaline, but even you know better. Know adrenaline from longing well, even with your limited experience and you let yourself admit something you’ve hidden for twelve months.

You miss him. 

And even with the lengthy process that usually follows a villain attack, this will likely be the last full day you’ll have with him for the rest of your life.

The realization makes the panic room shrink to a quarter of the size, pain punching air out of your lungs so fast your vision swims. You need to go, you tell yourself, Katsuki’s promise lost in the static of your upset -- you can’t be here right now.

Your ankle smarts when you start putting real pressure on it, but the pain isn’t enough to stop you from pushing to the front of the line to leave.  With each step past someone else, you hear sneers and you think you apologize, but when you’re so cotton-mouthed, you can’t really be sure.

Either way, it doesn’t slow you. The madness makes it easy to peel away from the crowd and though it takes you some time, you don’t stop until you’ve made it outside where you can breathe. For everything that’s happened in the last forty-five minutes, the island’s relatively unaffected, air as cool and breezy as every other night that week. The only real sign of the attack where you are are sirens and voices rising from the other side of the expo center - where you imagine Katsuki to be. 

The thought - that he’s so close - should be comforting, but your despair does good work to keep it bittersweet; to remind you that it won’t be for much longer. It has to be selfish to be so upset when this had all been your choice to begin with; but for the first time since the breakup, you don’t try to explain away what you’re feeling. To dissect and rationalize so you can avoid it altogether. 

For the first time since the breakup, you let it all in.

[ … ]

It takes Katsuki fifteen minutes to find you. Each one finds him more agitated than the last as he works himself up, searching every space by the now empty panic room to figure out where you’d gone. 

At first, he’d assumed the best - that you’d been ushered with the rest of the group to the lobby waiting with police and paramedics. But, a quick skim of the crowd came up empty for your familiar face and panic set in not long after. 

An admittedly tense conversation with the officer that had unsealed the room revealed that one civilian - a woman with a noticeable limp - had broken away from the group just as the doors opened. It’d done well to calm him, knowing someone had seen you after the fighting was over, but he’s hardly settled, if the way he stomps through the floor is anything to go by. “She never fucking listens,” he growls to no one in particular, eyes narrowed in razor sharp focus. 

He’s worked up, above all, by his worry. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t vaguely wounded by the fact you hadn’t let him come back like promised. It draws him back, despite his best efforts, to the day you left --- the day you told him in no uncertain terms that you’d always expected one of you to leave, what with that know-it-all quirk of yours.

He’d felt then as he does now: utterly untrusted. Like he’s behind without even knowing there’s a race --- like he’s lost without any hope to catch up. He doesn’t like it, feeling that way again, and it gets him so unnerved that he starts to revert to old habits. Shoulders bowed, hands stuffed into his pockets, and, notably, taking a foot to every door that could stand between him and wherever the hell you’ve disappeared to. 

When he finds you, finally, behind the fourth, it’s with a kick so firm it turns your sob into a strangled squeak. 

[ ... ] 

“I thought I told you to stay put---” There’s venom in Katsuki’s voice, but a sort you know well. Worried more than enraged, even if his expressive face doesn’t show it. You move to answer, but he steps in before you can, eyes locked eerily on your face. “...Why the hell are you crying?” You reach up for your wet cheeks, cursing internally; you’d hoped to be well through this before you faced him again so the question catches you off guard. Long enough that Katsuki can close the distance and kneel at your feet, pulling your fingers away from your face so he can inspect it. “You gonna say something or what? Did someone hurt you?” 

You can tell he’s biting his tongue, tempering his rage until he’s sure there’s something to rage about. But even that muted anger can be dangerous and you’re quick to shake your head, hands coming up again to wipe your face. “No! No, it’s...just my ankle. From before, when we were running.”

Relief spreads in Katsuki’s face hearing that, like he’s grateful that that’s all it is. But, his frown stays put, deepening some when he reaches down for your ankle and watches your expression sour from the touch. “Hm. Doesn’t seem broken or anything.” He turns thoughtfully towards the building behind him, stilling at the sounds rising from the busy lobby. You try to glean purpose from his face, but have to wait until he speaks up again to work out what he’s doing. “‘S gonna take ages for them to see you right now. I can wrap your ankle up at the hotel and take you in for a check up before tomorrow’s flight.” 

You nod wordlessly, grateful for the chance to avoid anyone else for the night.

[ … ]

The quiet in your suite as Katsuki carries you in is a blessing.

You hadn’t realized how badly overwhelmed you were until you’d been alone on the balcony, so even just a few minutes going through the expo center was too much. Katsuki had picked up on it and hesitated very little in hoisting you up so you could move quickly through the crowd and rubble.

You’d insisted he didn’t need to do it at all, let alone again in the hotel; but just one glance at you down the slope of his nose had silenced you.

The first thing he does when the door shuts behind you is set you down on the couch, warning you to stay still with a look alone. When you’re settled, he disappears into his room before emerging with an impressively stocked first aid kit. And for the second time that night, he’s on his knees for you, taking your swollen ankle in hand to inspect it more closely. 

With so much happening earlier, his touch on the balcony was easy to drown out. Now, there’s nowhere to focus but him and the press from his palm as it cups your bare skin. He runs a thumb over scratches you hadn’t noticed, the way he traces the lines almost pensive, before his attention turns to the kit beside him. 

You, all the while, are stock still, frozen from the heat of his touch. It’s nothing compared to his mouth or the weight of his full body, but after so many months apart, it bowls you over all the same.

You don’t notice you’re crying again until he says something.

“You’re not crying over the ankle,” he says simply, though his touch softens just in case as he brings it into his lap with some bandage wrap.

You don’t know what it is, but something in the way he asks compels your honesty and you nod, feeling pathetic as you sniffle and look down at your hands.

“You gonna tell me what’s really going on then?”

You swallow thickly, words already threatening to bubble up like they had the night of the welcoming party. “I...I don’t think I can.” Or should, rather - you don’t need to use your quirk to know that nothing good could come out of this.

But, Katsuki is firm, shaking his head as he starts to wind the first layer of bandage carefully around your ankle. “Well, I’m sayin’ you can. So, don’t go crying by yourself for some dumb reason like that. If you don’t want to, you don’t want to. But if you do, you can.” 

He says it like it’s simple. Like it’s a given. And beside your better judgment, you lean into that open assuredness. You’d always loved it about him, after all --- the way he so firmly believes that nothing could stop him - or anyone - if he didn’t let it. For some people, it was self-importance, but nights holding him after good and bad days had taught you otherwise -- it was bravery.

Bakugou Katsuki was the bravest man you’d ever known. A blaze that shone so bright on its own that you felt out of place beside him -- like you couldn’t give him what he needed --  and decided for you both that that meant you didn’t have a chance. 

But, in the quiet of your suite, with Katsuki sitting comfortably at your feet, you decide that maybe he’s rubbed off on you some. That maybe, in your time alone, you’ve become a lot braver than you realized.

So, you suck in a deep breath, look him square in the eye, and tell him the truth.

“I miss you, Katsuki.”

[ … ]

He holds your hands to the mattress so tight they hurt, but the ache is welcome. You know him well, even now, and can read between the lines of your intertwined fingers. 

He’d missed you too.

All these days of looking through you, past you had been intentional to protect himself, but here, now, he’s completely laid bare. Mouth kiss swollen and eyes lined with tears he’ll wave off later, Katsuki is spilling out every ounce of love he’d held back the day you told him you’d always planned to leave.

You meet him halfway with an arch off the bed to chase his kisses and tell him that you love him --- and you’re sorry --- between each one.

The weight of his body is as precious as you remember and the heat of your tangled limbs lulls you into a daze that pulls your eyes shut.

Katsuki doesn’t notice at first as he’s dragging his mouth over your bare neck, but when he does, he’s quickly displeased. “Look at me,” he hisses, fingers tightening between yours. Your eyes open heavily and it takes you a moment to find his gaze in the darkness. But, once you’re back, he presses his forehead to yours and slowly, carefully presses forward until his cock’s stretched you to the hilt.

The fill feels like coming home. 

[static-fanatic-1]

Chrollo +PT Part 2 is finally out! I also figured it a name for the son, Akura. Enjoy! 7.7k words and it almost didn’t fit in the post RIP.

| Part 1 | 

~~~

"Eat lead Uvo."

"Already checked off the bucket list (y/n/n)."

God, you hated that nickname. "Don't test me." You growled, glaring back at your little boy with a silent message; 'You're in such deep shit once this is over'. You could see him physically gulp, and it only cemented the fact that despite being a pissy teenager, he was still the same, scared little boy you had taken in after the massacre. You almost teared up.

"Kurapika! Watch the road!" The woman yelped.

The blond swerved off the road, almost knocking you off and onto the dusty path beneath the car. "Kurapika," you began, "watch the road, I'll take care of anyone following us."

You could tell Uvogin wanted to say something, so you quickly dipped out of the passenger window and climbed onto the top of the car. The people in the second car stared at you through the windshield with pure fear in their eyes. You laughed to yourself, they must think you are a Phantom Troupe member. If only they knew.

You stood tall on top of the car roof, spine straight, shoulders back, chin up, you were ready for them to attack. You were ready to fight your old friends. You launched yourself off the roof and onto the second car, landing with your heavy boots and denting the car just as you did before, a little less damage though.

They were chasing you, you could see their forms driving a car with a new found vigor they lacked before. Machi was in front, her pink hair you used to love seemingly a bit darker, like it was drenched in so much blood it stained it darker. You locked eyes with her, and you could see the micro expression of her face. Brows lifting, eyes widening, she couldn't believe it was you. But it was, and you were preparing to take them down.

You flexed your fingers and soaked in the feeling of your terracotta gauntlets, preparing to tear down the entire canyon, but you stopped. A large blanket wrapping around the car they were packed in, though it did little to stop them. You saw them leave before it covered them, it seemed Nobunaga didn't make it in time. You chuckled at that.

Owl, the beast who worked for Jason's father, stood snuggly in front of the Troupe. He and the rest were as good as dead, this you knew, so you took the opportunity and shot out the lion heads on your gauntlets. They snapped as they flew through the crisp night sky and latched onto the sides of the canyon walls. With strength many didn't posses, you pulled harshly onto the chains and pulled down the stone walls. Stone, pieces larger than the car you stood on top of, came crumbling down to the floor, dust flying in the air. Your path was blocked, and hopefully the beasts would distract them long enough for Kurapika and his gang to gain enough distance.

You took a moment to look up, the beautiful night sky full of stars and constellations you couldn't find in the city. The shinning stars reminded you of a time where sitting around a trash fire with the pre-Troupe was normal. It used to be kind, open, and free. Nothing but a blanket of stars above you to lull you to sleep.

And your village, oh how you missed being able to see the night sky as clear as day, untainted by ash and blazing fires. The children playing in the fields and catching fireflies as they tripped on rocks they failed to see. Laughter, warmth, and a sense of homeliness you haven't had in years. You missed it, you craved it, you wanted nothing more than to go back and change something that could have prevented the Kurta massacre.

Your (e/c) orbs soaked in the light of the stars while your hair whipped against your face. As much as you wanted to sit down and cry, letting all the pent up frustration and hatred out, you couldn't show weakness. Not even to the all seeing stars above, or the gentle wind, and especially not to the enemies that will tear you apart.

A ringing knocked you out of your memories, taking you back into a cruel reality you didn't want to partake in. "Yes?" You answered, phone close to your ear as you took one last look at the shinning stars.

It was Jason, his sweet voice filled with worry. "We sent Owl and the rest of the Beasts. What happened?"

You hummed in thought. "A few men caught one of the Troupe members, the most physically powerful. We are on our way back to York New, I would prepare a safe place to store him, if the poison from his body is taken, we are screwed."

"Is he one of the ones you could take down?"

"No, we got lucky. We have to be cautious about this one." You turned back to York New, the shinning city moving closer and closer. "About the Beasts... they are probably all dead by now. The man we are bringing in killed four of them I think, the rest are slowing down about five other members, they don't stand a chance."

"Shit," he breathed through the phone, distant mumbling being heard but nothing being deciphered, "what do you think will happen now?"

"I'm not sure, but the Troupe won't let one of their own be taken like this. They'll be back I'm sure."

"Okay, I trust your judgement. Take care." Jason hung up before you could say anything more.

You hoped nothing bad would happen to him. He was a nice guy.

Soon enough you finally decided to sit down on the roof of the car, the city skyscrapers finally looming above and warning you of the upcoming confrontation you will have to partake in. Uvogin would be a difficult one to deal with, he tended to boast with his headstrong attitude and you were worried about him escaping. And Kurapika... what were you going to do with the boy?

You sighed, the car quickly coming to a stop. Finally, the people under your butt, rushed from inside the car and stared you down. "Who-Who are you?!" Questioned one panicked man, his skin a sun kissed brown and eyes as rich as chocolate.

"A friend." You hopped off the car and in front of the small group. "I am a friend of Kurapika, don't worry, I'm not a Troupe member."

They all seemed to relax a bit, but stayed wary of your strength. Being next to you they could tell you were way beyond their league.

Kurapika emerged from the car and readied himself to contain the one-man-army. One man, with gray hair and markings along his cheeks, scurried over and held the blond back. "Wait, we need to get a room."

"A friend of mine already has one for us, you are to contact your boss and inform him of the situation at hand." You mentioned. "This, surprisingly enough, is the place."

"How can we trust you?" He exclaimed, turning and leaning forward in your face. "You could be one of them! Waiting to kill us!"

"Everybody, please calm down-" began the woman standing beside Kurapika.

"My employer is the son of one of the Ten Dons, Jason Nargal. I contacted him about the situation and I've been staying in touch. Frankly I'm not in the mood to argue with someone of the likes of you, so please, shut your damn mouth before I loose what's left of my temper." You snapped, moving closer to size the man in front of you.

He shrunk back, eyes wide with a fear he has never felt before. "Very well." He turned his attention to Kurapika and the other girl with heavy breathing. "Let's hurry."

~~~

You sat down, your eyes staring at the wall as your mind drifted off. You were worried, pissed, scared, and so much more. Footsteps brought you back to reality, your (e/c) eyes taking in the grey haired man from before. He glanced back before quickly looking away. "You aren't going to interrogate the Troupe member?" He asked.

"No, I have no reason to talk to him, at least not in front of any of you."

He hummed and moved to the desk, taking the phone into his hand and making a call. Time passed before Kurapika and the others emerged from the vaulted room, and your fury returned.

Kurapika could feel it.

"Kurapika, I would like to talk to you. Privately."

He glared at you, his dark eyes gleaming slightly under his contacts, like charcoal in a slow-roasting flame. Was he challenging you? Silently threatening you to let him finish the war he began?

Maybe, but that didn't matter to you. All you wanted was to talk to him about the situation. And the newfound plan you guys would have to make.

Maybe he sensed the lack of hostility you bore. It must have been as he nodded slowly and followed you out into the white hallways. "(Y/n)," he began with caution, "I won't stop. I'm going to finish what I started and you can't do anything about it."

You bit your lip and whipped around, smacking him across his face. "I know that! But warn me next time! I had to leave Akura all alone in a hotel room because you were the only person I could trust! You were reckless when engaging close to so many Troupe members! You could have died if they caught you!" You paused for some breath. "You could have killed everyone!"

Tears began streaming down your cheeks, you hands rubbing your face to help relieve the stress. It didn't help as much as you would have liked it to. "You left Akura alone." You repeated with defeat in your voice. "If they find out where he is... they'll take him from me. I-I can't let-let them take both of you from me."

Finally all the pent up feelings burst through your eyes, fat tears streaming silently down your cheeks. "I ju-just can't. I wouldn't be able-able to live with myself if...."

Kurapika stood frozen, all this new information hitting him at the same time as your cries for help made it all the more confusing. "(Y/n)... it'll be okay." He held you up by your shoulders, leaning down to stare into your tears eyes. "Akura will be okay, you'll be okay, I'll be okay. You and I will take down the Phantom Troupe and we won't have to worry about them anymore."

He stopped for a moment to think about your words. They seemed exact, different than just someone hunting for their eyes. What did you mean by your son would be taken away from you if they knew where he was? Wait, how did you know the name of the Troupe member? And how did he know an old nickname you used to have? "(Y/n). What are you not telling me?"

There was a deafening silence between the two bodies, but enough was said. "Kurapika-"

"Don't lie to me. You know something I don't." A pregnant pause was apparent. "Answer me (y/n), I don't have time to watch you cry."

You looked up, staring into violent eyes gleaming a beautiful blood red. "I'm sorry." You wailed, pulling yourself back into the wall with your hands covering your face. "I'm sorry I never wanted this to happen. I wanted you to run away from this, to have a family, to be happy! I never wanted you to fight my mistakes. I never meant for this to happen.

"I promised myself I would take care of them, I promised myself I would give you the best life you could hope for. I-I promised myself... and-and I failed." You shook your head with your hands hiding your shame, your voice cracking with messy sobs. "I'm sorry for bringing you into this, Kurapika. This wasn't meant to happen...."

He took a step back, you were crying—no—sobbing. Hiccups and sniffles wracked from your hidden face. This has never happened before. You never cried, not even once. He only saw one tear and that was when you found him at the burnt down village.

You were not sad, you were beyond devastated.

"(Y-y/n)... d-don't cry. Just tell me what you know. How did you know his name? How did he know you?"

"I knew them, I met them when I left the village. I would visit. I-I taught them nen because they were struggling out there. I didn't mean for them to attack us, but they did and I tried to stop them, but I was pregnant and-and I killed one. I ran because there was too many. I was selfish, I-I should have fought. I was scared and...." Your strained voice trailed off into a distant whimper.

Kurapika stared at your shriveled form, a look of betrayal etched onto his brows. "You won't stop me. I'm going to kill every single one of them for what they've done and you are going to watch." He stopped his retreat, turning his head to give you one last glance. "I'll take care of everything."

"Kurapika, it's not worth it. Please just leave this to me, let me fix my mistakes! Take Akura and go somewhere safe! Please!"

"Why should I?! You've kept so much from me! You knew them?! You trained them!?! Why should I listen to you— do what you want me to?!"

"They want me! They'll take Akura and kill you! If you're in their way you'll die! I don't want that to happen! Please! Take Akura and get out of here! Let me take care of this so you guys can be safe and happy!

"Let me fix my mistakes... please!"

Kurapika whipped around. "Why would they be after you? Akura?"

You dropped your head in shame, but straightened your back. It was time to regain your lost composure, you couldn't let anyone else see you like this. "The spider is flexible. They-they have a head and legs. Each one can be easily replaced, that is how they work. Their current leader, the spider's head, is-is Akura's father. We-we got along, and-and one thing lead to another and... well, Akura was brought into the world. I tried to hide him, but with him being alone it wouldn't be difficult for them to find him. God, I don't know what I would do if they got their hands on him."

You pathetically gave an airy laugh at your memories. When you gave birth it was loud, like static in your ears, painful, though you barely remember it. Then you heard the beautiful sound of a babies cries. You were beyond happy when you heard his first cries, and it seemed as if all of your problems drifted away for a moment.

But like everything in your life it was short lived, and when you stared up at Kurapika you forced yourself to gather the remaining pieces of your strength and move forward. That is what you had to do, again and again.

"I'm sorry Kurapika, I've failed everyone."

The blond stared at you with bloody eyes, it was your fault? Everything that happened was your fault?! You were supposed to be a guardian, someone to protect the clan, yet you killed everyone?!

"Yeah, you did." He spat, his back now facing you.

"Wait! Kurapika! I-I don't care what happens me! Just please—please take care of Akura!" Your voice was demanding, the first time it had been since you broke down. "He doesn't deserve the life he has, neither do you, please, if anything happens to me, take care of him."

He didn't answer, instead he turned away and marched back to Uvogin's cell.

You prepared yourself for being in front of the wolves, but a ringing from your phone stopped you. "Hello?"

"(Y/n), father wants you to come back, be a body guard since the beasts—are you okay? You seem to be breathing heavily?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a bit frustrated." You have a long sigh and straightened your back. "Everything seems to be on lockdown over here, they have men coming over in a few minutes. Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Is the Blue Sapphire Hotel good? I can have someone pick you up?"

"No, no, that's not necessary. I'll be there soon."

"Alright, I'll wait in the lobby for you. See you soon."

He hung up and left you to your own devices. You finished fixing yourself up and sauntered over to the last person here, the man with markings under his eyes. "I'm leaving," you started, "my employer wants me to guard them now that the beasts are dead. You'll be fine here right?"

He looked up and nodded. "I'm waiting for another call."

"Alright, call me when they take him and what they look like... just in case." You made sure he understood with another nod before you made your way out of the hotel.

Your dress was slightly dirty, and your feet still bare. You probably looked strange, a woman with disheveled hair, missing shoes, and a dirty formal dress. You received many stares, some because of your intimidating stature, or your exposed cleavage, and some because of your appearance. So you ignored them and kept your head high.

But if you didn't ignore the stares you would have noticed the small group staring at you longer than most. Their suits and wigs might have hidden them from most people, but you would have noticed them right away. Phinks and Nobunaga turned to confront you, but Machi held them back. "Now's not the time, we'll get her after Uvo."

"Tch, fine. Isn't Shal looking into her employer?"

"Mhm." Machi hummed, continuing to their mission at hand; saving Uvogin's reckless ass.

~~~

Uvogin waited for what seemed like a god awful amount of time. Sooner or later they would get him out of this stupid prison. Hopefully sooner rather than later, his ass was beginning to hurt.

As if on que he heard movement, blood splatter, and the creaking of the heavy metal door. "Took you long enough, I'd thought you'd never make it."

Phinks entered with a grin. "Yeah, yeah, had to stop by the vending machine on our way up here."

Uvogin's grin stretched across his face as the rest of them entered and tossed away their disguises. "You wouldn't believe who I met." He chuckled.

Shizuku, with her doe like eyes wondered over to his wound, summoning her Blinky and preparing to take out the venom from his veins. But it was Nobu who spoke up. "(Y/n)." He exclaimed immediately, almost excitedly.

Uvo's grin turned into a playful pout. "Way to ruin it Nobu." 

She simply shrugged and began to remove the poison, as Nubonaga laughed.

Machi 'tsk'ed and moved over to the table's side. "You should hurry up and get out of those cuffs. We're going back to the chapel to figure out a new plan."

Uvo huffed and tore his hands from their bindings. "Fiiiiiine." He groaned, pausing when realizing her words. "A new plan?"

"Yup, Feitan tortured that Owl guy so we already have some of the treasure. Besides, (y/n) could be a problem." Phinks chimed in with a mischievous grin. "You now she's much stronger than before right? You can tell just by passing her."

"Maybe she made a new condition with her nen gauntlets?" Nobunaga chimed in. "Do you think she would do that?"

Phinks hummed. "She never liked the thought of making conditions. She probably just trained to get more powerful, that's more her style."

"Anyway, we should hurry and head out, Chrollo is waiting."

~~~

You marched into the lobby, the crystal chandelier above drenching your body in a warm, ethereal glow. The pearl earrings you wore gleamed like small balls of Fire against the light, it complemented your (h/c) hair.

Jason saw your confident form, his thin lips stretching across his face into a gentle smile. "(Y/n)! I'm glad to see you're alright!" His long legs helped him scale the lobby floor to face you. "We are on the top floor, follow me."

"Who is up there?"

"Everyone from the dinner, they have a lot of questions for you, so be prepared." He lightly chuckled, though it seemed a bit strained.

The both of you entered an elevator with a large mirror on one of the walls. You took out your phone and frowned, still nothing from that grey haired man from earlier, were the people really late? Your mind drifted back to Kurapika, your brows furrowing at his resolution about killing the Troupe.

"You look distracted." Jason commented, his voice heavy with concern.

"Sorry, I just have to make a few calls."

"Oh, with who?"

You glanced over at him with a sly grin. He blushed at it, realizing how nosy he must sound. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"It's fine, I just need to check up on a few people. My son for sure, I need to make sure he's okay."

"Y-you have a son?" His words were confused and surprised. "I-uh-I didn't know you-you had a son. Um, how old is he?" His smile was lopsided, and nervous. He hoped you didn't think he judged you off of your past relationships.

"He's six, going seven later this month. The twenty-third."

"He sounds like a nice kid, huh?"

You lightly chuckled at the thought of his intellectual nature. "Yeah, he really is a sweet kid. He's so smart too, loves puzzles more than anything. Words searches, sudoko, picture puzzles, he loves any and all of them. Loves reading too, his favorite is Father and I...."

"The father?" Jason inquired.

"Oh, he's out of the picture. He's—he wasn't a nice man."

Jason turned back to the mirror, his eyes tracing over your relaxed features. "I'm sorry to hear that. How is, uh, your son fairing?"

"Akura's his name. He never knew his father, it's just been me and a friend I see as a little brother." The elevator stopped, and it's shiny doors opened to a brightly lit hallway. "I guess we're here."

"Yup, there's plenty of rooms to make a call, but you should probably answer some of my dad's questions first. You might not believe it, but he can be quite impatient." His tone shifted to something brighter, a reflection of the whites of his eyes.

You entered the warm hallway and to the door. Before you could even touch the door knob, it swung open to reveal a cheeky grin from a familiar green eyed man. "Hey there sexy," His cheshire grin shifted to one of disgust when he glanced at his brother. "Jason."

"Jackson! Leave them alone." Exclaimed someone from behind the door. If the deep voice was an indicator, it was defiantly the dad.

"Sure thing." Jackson groaned and ran off into the giant hotel room. Well, more like a house, the place was huge!

"(Y/n), sweetheart, come in!"

Sweetheart? Did Jason's dad just call you sweetheart? You peeked behind the door and yes, it must've been the father as his smile was barely covered by his beard. He was sitting next to Manchile, in which looked extremely entertained with your expression.

"Well, come on in." The broad man giggled as he threw his arms over the back of the couch.

You glanced over to Jason, a deep blush spread across his tanned cheeks. "Sorry about that." He whispered and further apologized through his hazel eyes. "He might be going crazy."

"Well, (y/n), we have a few questions to ask if you don't mind." Manchile began. "Like what the hell happened out there?"

You fully entered the room and sat on one of the plush chairs off to the side. "There isn't much to say, by the time I got there most of the men deployed her already dead."

"How many Troupe members? You said seven right? Or was it five?"

You crossed your legs as Jason sat across from you, his green eyes shinning with curiosity. You paused and counted, there was Franklin, Uvo, Machi, Shizuku, Nobu, Phinks, and Feitan. "There were seven, one was caught, and five chased after us. After that the group I was with got away because of the beasts... and now we are here."

"Did the Troupe member say anything?"

"No, he was admit on keeping his mouth shut." You glanced down at your hands, the phone you bought earlier this week blank. Where was that call? "May I make a call?" You blurted. "It has to do with the captured Troupe member."

Jason's dad shrugged and waved his hand. "Go ahead, put it on speaker so we can listen in." You nodded and made the call. It rang. And rang. And rang. And stopped.

You looked at the number you typed, it was correct so why didn't he answer? The entire room was dead silent, so you tried again.And again. And again.

Each missed call brought a disgusting taste to your tongue. Everyone must have been able to taste it, there was a collective shaky breath between everyone in the room.

"So, what do you think happened?" Jared, Jason's younger brother, asked. "Why aren't they calling?"

You stayed silent for a moment, doing your damndest to make up an excuse, but that wouldn't do any good. "He-He's probably dead. They probably found Uvogin and saved him."

"Uvogin?"

"The Phantom Troupe member we caught." You quickly said.

Manchile sighed and fiddled with his shiny watch. "All the beasts are dead, the treasure was taken, and we lost one of our leads. This night has truly gone to shit."

The father hummed and leaned back in his chair. "We can't leave, it would make us look like cowards."

You glanced over at the two and closed your eyes for a moment to breathe. "I need to make some other calls, is there a room I can step into?"

Jason stood up this time with a nod, and motioned to a room off to the right.

"Thank you." You stepped in, shut the door, and locked it. You let out a shaky sigh, your mind running a mile a minute at the thought of Uvogin being saved. "Akura first, I need to check up of him."

The phone rang a deathly chime, but it was picked up unlike before. "Momma?"

"Hey sweetheart, how are you?"

There was a displeased hum on the other side. "I was asleep, it's almost two a.m Momma. You should be asleep too!" Your little boy seemed too excited to have been sleeping, but knowing him he followed your rules.

"I know, I know. I've just been busy with work that's all...."

Jackson listened through the white door, his head pressed firmly against the wood so he could get a good angle. He chuckled to himself, his youngest brother, Jared, leaning in with a scowl. "We shouldn't be doing this."

Jason scoffed. "We have nothing else better to do, besides we are just helping Jason get his lady. Nothing too bad."

They listened harder through the door, and through the muffled speech they could clearly hear the word sweetheart again. Jared glanced up at his older brother whose face was confronted into a suppressed laugh. Quietly they moved away, and back to the seats before Jason came back with bottles of champagnes and wines.

He almost knew by the look on their faces that his younger brothers were up to something. "What are you doing?" He whisper yelled to them, eyes sharp with suspicion.

"Your girl has a boyfriend." He said, point to the door with an evil grin. "You have never had a chance."

Jason glared at his brothers, glanced at his father, and back to his brothers. "It's rude to listen in on other people's calls!" He snapped again, pouting his lips.

"Just saying."

"It was Jason's idea." Jared quickly commented.

"Hey! You didn't stop me, you're at fault here!"

"No!"

"Boys." The dad stated, bringing them to a stop. "Calm down, it was just useless fun."

"Why am I the only responsible one here?" Jason exclaimed, grabbing a small glass and pouring himself some red wine. "I remember when you used to control these rats, dad, now you've become one of them."

"Dirty old rat to you, squirt." He snapped, petting his beard with his free hand. "Dirty old rat king is more accurate, though."

"King?" Jackson yelped. "Yeah right, you're more like a squabbling peasant, dad."

"And you're a filthy stable worker, shoveling manure and getting the shit kicked out of you by my horses!" The father straightened his back, earning an eye roll from his eldest son. "And I'm no peasant! I'm a king!"

"Then at the very least I'm a knight." Chimed Jason, finally loosing up and getting into the skit. "Fighting the mighty dragon and saving the princess."

Jackson snickered. "But the princess is already betrothed off to another it seems."

Jason stopped and glared at his brother's antics. "She doesn't-she never said she had a boyfriend. She's just talking to her son probably." He huffed and pouted, sitting on one of the love seats and crossing his right leg over the other. "She said she had a friend too, but she thinks of him as a little brother."

"She has a son?" Manchile asked, he was listening in on the conversation the entire time for shits and giggles, if he was a rat he would defiantly be an emperor, he thought.

Jason nodded and took a small sip of his blood red wine. "Yup, sounds sweet too. She really care about him. I think his name is Akura if I'm not mistaken."

"That's a cute name." Butted in the Dad, pouring himself some sparkling champagne. "Sounds almost Kurtish, don't you think Manchile?"

He hummed. "Almost? Not quiet sure, there's a lot of strange names out there."

"Guess so."

All eyes stared at the opening door, your figure drenched in the warm lighting of the room and your sleek black dress hugging your curves like a glove. You still haven't gotten your shoes back on, and instead wondered around without any protection. Maybe you just forgot about it? Maybe you simply didn't care, either way when you walked into the room it quieted down.

"Welcome back." Jackson teased. "You have a son huh? Who's the lucky guy?"

You visibly stiffened and eyed the men in the room. Did they know? No, they couldn't know. There's no way they know, right? "There-"

"Behave yourself Jackson, prying into other people's lives is rude." The father scolded. "Don't pay any mind to him, sweetheart, he never knows when to shut his trap."

"No, it's-its fine. There is no lucky guy, he's long gone by now."

The dad gave a gentle smile. "My wife died a long time ago, I know how it feels." He lightly laughed, though a deep sorrow hung heavy in the air. "I had to take care of these brats on my own for what? Fifteen years maybe?"

"I'm sorry for your loss." You empathized with him, a single parent taking care of their kids is something you knew all too well. Loosing someone you loved, was also something you understood. The difference is you hated the person you loved, and you wanted to move on after you served judgement. You doubted he wanted the same thing. "It's hard taking care of a kid on your own, but three? And one of them being Jackson, I'd go insane."

He laughed, Jackson giving a playful glare. "Damn straight. He's the worst."

Jackson moved closer with a hurt expression. "Seriously? Throwing me under the bus in front of a pretty girl?"

"You're not her type!" Argued Manchile with a booming laugh. "There's no way!"

"Oh come on, I'm everyone's type!" He shuffled to your side and threw his arm over your shoulders. "More so than lover boy over there, eh?"

You couldn't help but smile, oddly enough this group of mafia men felt like family. This was always your problem, you always wanted to trust and care for people, but it always ended poorly. If you started to care for these people, you would loos them just like your past family.

But you couldn't help your nature, so you gave a small chuckle and shook your head. "No way. Defiantly not my type."

He whined and put his weight on you, surprised when you held him up like the child he was acting like. "Come on! I'm lonely and I need a girlfriend!"

Jared scoffed. "You're the one who sleeps with so many women you could be the next Genghis Kahn!"

Jackson blushed and let you go. "That sounds horrible."

"Yeah, it is." Jared finalized, sitting down and propping his gin up with his hand. "Besides, I think Jason called dibs."

Jason's face flushed a deep red when you glanced at him and his eyes flashed with embarrassment. He opened his mouth and quickly shut it.

His family laughed at him. "He's embarrassed! Poor boy has fallen hard if he can't admit it!" Cackled the father. "Interested?"

You rolled your eyes with a sly grin. "That wouldn't be wise, I have a lot of enemies you wouldn't want to deal with."

"Enemies? We're part of the mafia, the top of the mafia at that! We can make sure no one will touch you or your son." The dad mentioned, seems he's taken a real liking to you, and when you glanced at Jason, you could see a glint in his eyes. "Seriously, nothing could hurt you."

"You'd be surprised, money and guns are useless against some people."

Manchile decided to speak up. "Like that Uvogin guy? I sent out a lot of my men to take him down, and even more guns, but now they are dead. Are your enemies like him?"

The dad cocked his head to the side, his smile sinking into a slight frown. "Is the Troupe your enemies?"

You tended up, and their eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry?"

"You mentioned before that our best is nothing compared to them, and every time you talk about them there seems to be familiarity in your voice." He leaned forward on his chair, discarding his now empty glass to the side table. "You said you were hunting them down, and your son's name, sounds Kurtish to me. By any chance, are you a Kurta?"

You stayed silent, there was no way you gave him that many hints... right? Did you get so comfortable that they figured it out? Will they kill you? Use you as bait? Your son? "That doesn't matter."

"It does, it means you are probably being hunted. It means you are extremely valuable, your son too if he has your genetics. Besides, if you have information about the Troupe that no one else knows about, your value just increased immensely." He stood up and straightened his open suit jacket. "It's a hobby of mine to research and figure out the value of things, an appraiser if you will. Kurta eyes are an interesting story no doubt, gouged out by the Troupe and resold around the world." He sauntered closer, his bulky form and commanding tone making you feel so small. "What do you want me to with this information?"

"Leave it six feet under where it belongs." You gritted your teeth and took in a deep breath.

"I can arrange that for a price." He paused and you nodded for him to continue. "I want you to tell me what happened, I'm more curious than I am greedy."

You gave a small laugh and crossed your arms against your chest. Your focus shifted to another as you recounted things you wished to forget. "You wouldn't want to hear it."

The dad stared down at you and placed a heavy hand on your shoulder. When you looked into his eyes you saw a stern, yet sympathetic expression. His beard shifted, and his lips curled into a small smile. "Humor me."

You shouldn't trust them as much as you do, but you missed having friends. You missed people... so you spoke forbidden memories. "The Kurta lived on an island away from others, we are usually feared because of our eyes, so we isolated ourselves." You sat down beside Jason and leaned onto your knees. "My father was the leader of the village, and when I took my exam I passed with flying colors."

"Exam?" Jared interrupted.

"Yes, it's something us Kurta's do to get ready for the outside world. I mentioned how people fear our eyes, so the exam is a written test about other places, and a physical type exam. We would leave the village and do a simple task, if we feel strong emotions our eyes would turn red, if it happened once you would fail and have to take it again. It is for safety."

You watched him nod and continued. "I was always good at keeping myself together so when I took the position of guardian, it seemed appropriate that I could leave the village and explore the world. I trained and learned from many people before finding the Troupe... I took pity on them."

You leaned back and sighed. "I taught them nen and befriended them. Years and years of jumping around from my village and the outside world and I found myself falling for one of them."

"Wait," Manchile stopped you. "are you implying your son, Akura, is one of theirs?"

"Their leader... we got close." You let the new information sink in. "They didn't know, I was barely seven weeks pregnant at the time of the attack. My village, my family, slaughtered like lambs. I killed one and ran away. I was terrified and didn't know what else to do.

"I don't know why they did it, but it happened and I've been on the run since. Akura doesn't know, I'm lucky he's never questioned it, but I'm running out of time. If I don't start taking them down I'm worried Akura won't be safe anymore."

"Are they searching for him?" Manchile asked.

"They don't know he exists, but they are crafty."

"Where is he?" The Dad now asked, his brows furrowed in thought.

"A friend was supposed to watch him, he's one of the only people I can trust... but he left to fight the Troupe. Akura is alone in a hotel room not too far from here."

"What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know, whatever you do be careful. I'm not going to stop now either. I'm not quiet sure if you can, but assassins might be your only bet."

Jason worriedly glanced at you, looking for your gaze to share a thought. "Are you okay?" He whispered, you nodded without looking at him.

The dad stepped closer. "What kind of assassins?"

You hummed, Meteor City assassins might be the best. They have similar upbringings so maybe they can garner sympathy? Probably not, but maybe they'll stand a chance. "Assassins from Meteor City are probably your best bet but.... you might need the best of the best if you can afford it."

"You don't mean—?"

You interrupted him with a nod. "They might be strong enough to take some of them out."

Jared yelped and stood up. "Might?! They're the fucking Zoldycks! They can kill anyone!"

"Just to be safe, I genuinely think they are the only ones who stands a chance."

Jason turned back to you with a questioning look. "And you? You can't go out there and fight them! You have a son to take care of!"

Now it was your time to stand, back straight, gaze stern, a look you've dressed yourself in on the regular. "More reason for me to go. I'll meet up with my friend and join you for the next auction. I suggest you stay away from the other mafia dons, if you hire the Zoldycks you can never be too careful."

"Are you sure?"

You nodded with conviction. "Yes... and I'm joining the hunt."

~~~

Chrollo sat down on a large pile of rubble in a broken down church. The moonlight sleeping through the crumbled down ceiling illuminated his pale features and framed his coal black eyes. In his calloused and used hands laid a book that stole his undivided attention, and to his side a small candle with a flickering light.

His ears picked up distant voices, though he didn't care enough to look up. Instead he listened in as the voices neared the building.

"Uvo!" Chimed Shalnark, waving as he covered his playing cards. "How was prison?"

The large man grumbled under his breath and placed his hands on his hips, the few beer cans he had falling to the floor. "Shut it, besides I need you help finding someone."

The blond hummed in question. "Sure."

Pakunoda stopped messing with her nails and stood up. "What happened?" She asked, glancing at the group.

Phinks spoke up before the others could. "(Y/n)'s here. She must be working alongside the mafia."

Shizuku sighed loudly and sat down on a rock. "Who is (y/n) anyway?"

Nobunaga clicked his tongue with a defeated sigh. "We told you on the way here!"

"No you didn't."

"Yes, we did!"

"No you didn't!"

Franklin butted in. "It's not worth it."

Feitan explained. "(Y/n) is Chrollo's old girlfriend."

"Huh?" Exclaimed Shizuku, her doe like eyes gleaming. "You have a girlfriend Boss?"

Chrollo finally decided it was time to look up from the word filled pages of his book. He gave her a smile. "I had one, she ran after the Kurta massacre."

Phinks returned to the conversation. "If she's working with the mafia, she might be a hunter. Shal, you are a hunter right?"

"Yup!" He happily chirped, pulling out his phone and typing away. Uvogin moved over to him and mumbled a few words. Some time passed before Shal exclaimed loudly.

Chrollo glanced at his expectingly, and everyone seemed to hold their breath. "Oh! She's a hunter, and her employer is one of the sons of a don. I was curious so I decided to look into her call history, you know for science, and you wouldn't believe what I found." He paused for dramatic effect. "She made a call to someone in a hotel, not an employer, but a kid!"

"A kid?" Nobu wondered, scathing his mustache with his index finger. He paused, finally realizing what a kid would be doing with a hunter. "Boss, did you and (y/n) ever... uh... you know?"

Chrollo smiled at the thought of you, and he finally closed his book and stood from the rubble. He sauntered over to the entrance of the church, the moonlight bathing him in an ethereal glow. A few minutes passed as he stared at the moon, waiting for Shalnark to give him the location. His other plans could wait, he wanted to meet the kid on the other side of the phone. If that kid is your own, which it seemed likely, he could use it to get you back and keep you with his permanently.

"Found it! Somewhere in the Marina Hotel... the call was sent to room 443 on the fifth floor, west wing."

"Shal, Machi, Paku, I want you to come with me. We are going to collect what is mine." His dark eyes held conviction, and nothing would stop him from getting what is his.

[missinghan]

caged in this lullaby ⤖ lee felix

❖ genre : assassin au; cop au; action; fluff; angst

❖ word count : 7,2k.

❖ warning : explicit language, mentions of blood, arson & violence 

❖ summary : felix ultimately lets go of all and allows himself to drown in the ashes of bitter tragedy to see what stays. the last thing he’d expect is a stranger with his greatest secret. 

❖ dedicated to @blueprint-han​ : a continuation of aria of an assassin. song used — the lullaby by sophism, all credits to the owner. 

prologue.

Fire cares not for the time it vanishes, only that it gives the world heat and light.

The entire building burns deeply in red, orange, and yellow. The cries of the neighborhood echoes into the night with sirens blaring in the background. Your frozen figure can only watch in terror as glowing embers dance and twirl, searing through the ground, ripping through the roof in despair. Tendrils of smoke are reaching into the sky desperately as if attempting to escape the blazing inferno below.

“Kid, I wanna have Chinese for dinner today.”

“Okay, and I should care because…?”

“Because I’m housing your ungrateful ass.”

No. No!

You drop the plastic bags in your hand, your muscles move before your mind can register what’s happening. The next thing you know, you’re racing to the heart of danger, utterly unfazed about the fact that fire is the most beautiful weapon of them all. Powerful. Destructive. Heartless. In mere moments, everything you love can be reduced into nothing but sheer ashes.

“But we always have Chinese!”

“Who’s paying again? Was it you? No, I don’t think so.”

Tears blur your vision and you elect to ignore every white noise buzzing at the back of your head. Each step you take is rather a negotiation than an order. Your limbs move like they never belonged to you. This agony has an unpleasant warmth to it, eating at your stomach and searing inside your rib cage. Your body concedes to the torment, unable to bring a single thought into consideration. The entirety of your existence yearns to curl into something fetal, something primeval, and all while the pain burns and radiates.

“Officer! Stop her! She’s running into the fire!”

“Child! What are you doing?! It’s dangerous!”

But what you’re going through is nothing compared to his torment. He’s in there. Writhing and suffering alone. It must be so painful, so cold despite the enraged flames around him. 

When a strong pair of arms slip around your body and every motion comes to a stop, there is a scream of the mouth and lungs, the sound of his name lingers on the tip of your tongue. Because a response is impossible, there comes a scream of the eyes and soul, the kind that bypasses the ears and speaks right to the heart. 

You forget how to scream from that day on because you are either left with dead silence or punished with cruelty. 

Because you couldn’t save him.

one.

The housekeeper wakes with a tight knot in her stomach. Her body topples the sheets over to reach for her nightstand, flickering on some source of light. Only silence accompanies the hard throbbing inside her chest until a loud thud comes from the hallway. Her body jolts up instantly, a hand over her chest as a soft string of melody saunters into the emptiness of the night.

“When the night is falling, and you have lost your way.”

Her quivering figure quickly exits her room with a flashlight. Her right hand clutches at her other one as an attempt to stop the shaking as adrenaline sears through her vessels. With dreaded steps, the housekeeper manages to reach the staircase, approaches the end of it, and proceeds toward the living room.

“When the rain is storming, and your world’s turned to gray.” 

The voice smoothly slips through the chilling nightfall like an allure yet there’s nothing musical about it. The lullaby sometimes goes off-tune or comes out in broken waves as though whoever’s singing genuinely doesn’t care. They sound more dead than angry, more tired than irate, making her innards shift uneasily. 

“When the wolves await outside, and you feel like you’ve nowhere to hide.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, just remember. Remember when I said.”

And they stop. The housekeeper musters up every bit of courage left. A breath in. A breath out. 

In the darkroom, even the ticking clock has a relaxed feeling, as if it’s merely a heart-beat at rest. She feels as though the air moves like cool water and the aroma of the house owner’s scented candles infuse her far more deeply than it did in the light of day. The hollow space is etched with charcoal, the fabrics are muted hues as if they too await dawn to ignite their colors for all to see. The moment she heaves a sigh of relief, her eyes make the mistake of averting to the ceiling, unveiling a scene of unimaginable terror.

Fear floods her system, it pumps and beats like it’s trying to escape. Her heart might as well explode right now because even her jaw is shaking non-stop. Her body urges her to either run fast, away from the horror laid out flat in front of her eyes, or to stay quiet and do the right thing, calling the police. But instead, she remains where she’s standing. 

There is Mr. Yuuki, the house owner she’s been working for over three years, hung upon the crystal chandelier. His limp body lets its limbs stick out awkwardly, white eyes rolled to the back of his head as blood drips to the floor, forming a dark pool. The flashlight drops to the floor, and so does her trembling gaze. She gasps sharply when a thick smear of crimson is splattered across the wooden tiles, sinking into the cracks like poison. 

Her adrenaline surges so fast she almost vomits, she can taste saliva thickening in her throat and beads of sweat trickling down on her forehead. At some point, she’ll have to move and risk the chance of getting herself killed.

Just then, a shadow comes into view and her legs go weak, letting her body collapse to the ground like a crooked puppet. Incoherent pleas pour from her lips as she screws her eyes shut, bracing herself for whatever comes next. “Please! I’ll do anything! I won’t call the police! Just don’t kill me, please! Please!”

Footsteps are advancing toward her, getting louder by the tick of the clock. They echo listlessly until the sound slowly fades away, only a soft response comes afterward.

“Greetings to his boss for me.”

two.

The mansion has been his home for decade upon decade, embraced by nature on the outskirts of the city, away from all the noises, the buzzing flow of time people have signed their souls up for. It is all concrete and tall glass windows that give overlooking views of the clear horizon, a chance to relax and take in the changing of the seasons from the comfort of an easy chair.

Yet coming from the hollow building is a strange sound, a melodic voice of pain and sorrow, of heartache and loss. The tune is soft, like grass on a summer day, or the tenderness in the air in which only spring possesses. It can fill one with warmth while weaving a sad tale of indescribable, rather forgotten memories.

“Darling, close your weary eyes. Everything will be fine.”

“Let the breeze wipe away your tears. There is no need to cry.” 

He’s seated at the edge with his back straight, he no longer feels dwarfed by the grand piano as he used to as a kid. His fingers are limber as they glide on ivory first and ebony after, his neck slightly bent down, tousling his hair to the front while his eyes flutter shut in serene. 

“You can lay down. No one will hurt you.”

The music stand lies empty, has been so for years. He only ever reads the notes within his mind because he goes as far as playing the instrument to this day for this peculiar lullaby. Slowly, the music seems to fill the room to the brim, then spills out through doors and windows and the cracks in the walls, while at the source trembling fingers dance sweetly on.

He knows that he needs to calm down. 

“Let your fears be carried by the streams. The twilight gleam watches over you.”

In his head, he reads through the music scrupulously as though he’s practicing during the old, innocent days, beat by beat, bar by bar, note by note. His fingers know precisely where to go and how each key reacts when he applies the same, adequate amount of pressure. It’s as though he can make the hammer hit each string in a way to resonate with the most beautiful of sounds. 

The thought of playing as a kid eases the spike in his heartbeat and clears his mind. He can still vividly remember the first time he got lifted onto the bench on his sixth birthday, his tiny legs dangled over the edge and his figure completely overwhelmed by the mammoth-sized instrument. His arms could barely span the length of the keyboard, his feet could only do so much as graze the pedal below.

“And when the morning arises…”

He recalls the mounts of sheets cluttering his father’s old bookshelves in such ways that he himself can’t remember their initial color. He recalls the tall figure seating beside him each time, guiding his hands across the keys, ones that were unfamiliar to music and the swell it can bring to one’s chest. He recalls those starry eyes staring down at him, the outburst of laughter, and the cat-like smile that brings love and harmony to his fragile soul. 

“I shall be by your side…”

Yet he never recalls a proper goodbye, only tears.

“Minho.”

The melody pauses sharply, his body stiffens at the name. Minho isn’t here.

“Minho, is that you?” Minho isn’t here, a voice inside him snaps.

A deep breath. He elects to ignore the strings that are bound to break inside his chest before pushing himself off the wooden bench. With a swift turn, he sees Mrs. Lee standing by the door with her hair in her face, her soulless eyes lighting up once they graze the sight of him. “Minho, my sweet child. You’ve come home. You’ve finally come home!” Her voice echoes in joy, a hand clamped over her mouth as her eyes brim with tears.

Minho isn’t here! His heart yells aloud, yet his mind can’t comply.

He doesn’t know what’s urging him to approach her, to let her lean on him. Perhaps, it’s guilt. Or the yearning for the warmth of a mother who abandoned him long ago. “Yes, mother, I’m home,” he sighs softly when she clutches at his shirt. “I’m never going to leave you again.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be here.”

Hurried footsteps flood the hallway rapidly until the housekeeper barges through the door, simply breaking the agonizing silence. “Good gracious, Mrs. Lee! Goodness, she must have forgotten about her sleeping pills again.” She then hastily rushes to his side, supporting Mrs. Lee by her waist while bowing continuously. “Young Master, please, allow me.”

“It’s alright, you’ve done enough,” he waves his hands with a small smile. “I’ll tuck her back to bed, today is my day off anyway. You may go home and rest now.”

He can’t forget how much lighter Mrs. Lee has gotten, how paler her face has been. He’s afraid that one wrong movement and he might send her frail body flying to the floor. Only when she’s fully covered by her blanket, the stars come out to play and the evening takes on the aroma of a breezy night. He likes this, the softness, the quietness of the sense of resting. Moonlight is streaming through the windows yet his mind, clouded with grey, throbs uncontrollably when he realizes the sudden pang inside his chest. 

It’s been fifteen years…

His phone rings. “Sergeant Lee Felix, Seoul P.D,” he keeps his voice from shaking. Suddenly, his eyes grow wide. “I’ll be there.”

And I still couldn’t do anything for you.

three.

Light fog seeps into the depthless night when Felix exits his car, throwing on his blazer in a hurry as he staggers toward a water fountain. There’s barely any vehicles operating at this hour, leaving the streets chilling and empty. He quickly checks his watch one last time. One AM on the dot. Another sleepless night.

“Lix! Over here!”

His blank expression breaks into a grin when two familiar faces come into view. “Changbin? Hyunjin? You both got called in too?”

“Yeah, can’t believe the Chief had the audacity to interrupt my beauty sleep for a simple homicide,” the taller officer, Hyunjin, has his face contorted in faint annoyance, brushing through his long locks of hair with his gloved hand.

“The night duty squad is handling another case on the other side of the city. We know the neighborhood like the back of our hands,” Changbin gives him a hard smack on the chest, only to wince quietly later to himself. Ugh, I’m so out of shape. “If anything, we have the best chance to catch up to the culprit.”

Hyunjin protests with a forced smile, “Shut up, Lieutenant, I know that.”

“Alright, let’s review,” Felix hops into the conversation, clasping his hands together in feigned excitement. “Someone dialed 911 with a murder case on the line. The culprit, escaped or not, we’re still uncertain of. But they did leave behind a witness.”

His coworkers nod simultaneously as he recaps what Seungmin told him on the phone earlier and the three of them find themselves standing right before the provided address.  The house seems oddly quiet for someone getting murdered. “Right, chances are they’re still in there. We’d better-”

The front door comes flying open. A woman dressed in her nightgown collapses to the ground instantly, fear echoing through the rumble of her voice. “Help! P-Please! Mr. Yuuki! He-He’s dying! Please, I beg you! Save him!” With her face buried in her hands, a wave of laughter bubbles up her windpipe, shaking her core tremendously. “They did it again! They’ve claimed another victim!”

Changbin is the first one to step up, helping the housekeeper to her feet. “Miss, please try your best to stay calm. Everything is alright now, we’re here because you did the right thing of calling us. You’re safe with us,” he gently supports her by the shoulders, his voice soft but serious. “If it’s okay for me to ask, what exactly happened to Mr. Yuuki? Is there anyone else inside?”

The housekeeper seems to still be shaken. Tears are threatening to fall but she bites them back, shaking her head to answer the second question first. “N-No, Mr. Yuuki has a son but he’s currently studying in Europe so I’m the only one other than…” 

Her voice trails off, the pools of tears in her eyes are clouded with those moments of horror she wishes she could erase forever. “It was horrible! I-I was having trouble sleeping before a strange sound woke me up completely. Someone was singing. Th-The culprit was singing. And there was s-so much blood. Mr. Yuuki was hung upon the chandelier when I went downstairs! So-So much blood. I didn’t know how- or why- I- I don’t know! I don’t know! I don’t know!”

“Miss, please try to stay calm. I won’t ask you any more questions, I am not here to interrogate you,” Changbin exhales deeply, looking over at his underlings. “Hyunjin, go check up on Mr. Yuuki. Felix, look for the culprit. I’ll call Seungmin for more back-ups.”

The two officers comply, “Roger that.”

Entering the house, Felix is bathed in a whirlwind of chilling silence and utter darkness. The smell of blood makes something inside him twitch, prompting him to look over at his friend. “I’ll go upstairs, you stay down here and handle the body until Jisung or Seungmin comes.” 

The Sergeant advances up the long flight of stairs with his gun clutched between his hands. Almost immediately, he takes notice in the stream of moonlight illuminating the end of the hallway and rushes toward the wide-opened door. His figure barges into the room with caution and is met with the night breeze kissing his face and white curtains fluttering gently. 

Just then, a loud bang is heard in the distance. 

Felix feels himself tense up, eyes darting from one place to another in hopes of finding- there! On the rooftop from across the streets. 

In a heartbeat, he picks up his transceiver and speaks, “I have eyes on the suspect. Pursuing on foot.” With his feet on the window frame and his arms on the tiles of the roof, he manages to lift himself while his muscles contract in pain. Facing forward, Felix begins to sprint. 

The wind screams into his ears, his feet flying over steel and leaves. His shoes pound heavily across the hard surface, causing what’s remaining of the downpour this morning to slash up his legs. From one rooftop to another, his calves burn tremendously yet he keeps darting past houses, buildings, and trees with his eyes glued onto the shadow before his eyes. 

Adrenaline courses throughout his system; he can feel his whole body working, his leg muscles running warm, a thin layer of sweat covers his nape. The cold air keeps biting at his blood and lungs but he keeps his breaths as steady as he can, pushing harder and going faster. For a split moment, his foot slips when his mind is frantic with cloudy thoughts. How is it possible for one to move this fast?

The hooded figure a few feet ahead of him speaks volumes in the silence; they’re running. They’re running like the devil himself is in pursuit. Only it’s worse because the felon is flesh and blood and means to send people straight to hell just the same way. His breathing quickens at the thought process, trying to appease his need for oxygen. 

Several thuds of footfalls later, he finally decreases the proximity although fresh air now shocks his lungs, making him want to spurt and pass out in exhaustion. His body trembles from the consistent pace he’s forced himself into, yet his hands lift the firearm swiftly, his gaze shaking with the pounding inside his chest. 

It only takes so much strength to pull the trigger. He shouldn’t be hesitating like this. Felix stops himself completely, regains his composure, and raises his gun once again. He elects to ignore the blood roaring in his ears, the throbbing of his anxious heart, and squeezes the trigger. 

The bullet cuts through air and comes flying toward the wanted figure, missing them by a strand of hair. His face contorts in anger as he mumbles out a curse word. He missed. He shouldn’t have. He can’t miss. Missing isn’t an option. 

Felix pumps his legs, gaining momentum with each push. But it feels gut-wrenching all of a sudden after a few thrusts forward—his body is giving in. He watches the culprit quicken their pace until their steps turn into leaps. Just a few more feet and they’ll jump the other side of the neighborhood. 

He won’t make it in time. 

Three. Two. One. The figure gathers enough strength and takes one final leap into the night. His heart immediately drops to the pit of his stomach, every movement comes to a full stop like the sudden stretch of silence within his rib cage. 

“Shit!” He perks up at the scream and glass shattering. “Ow! Ah! Ouch! Ugh…” And...dogs barking?

“Oh come on!”

four.

His feet slip outwards on the wet autumn leaves as he rounds the corner, his breaths coming out in spurts, hot and nervous as he inhales deeper, faster. With each footfall, a jarring pain shoots ankle to knee, ankle to knee. Perhaps jumping off someone’s rooftop in a time crunch wasn’t the smartest decision. 

“Give me a break. Do you have any idea how much time it took me to outrun those dogs?”

“I won’t let you slip away. It’s best for either party if you cooperate. Don’t do anything foolish and mercy might be an option,” Felix clicks a bullet into the chamber, gaze falling onto the hooded figure.

In the dim light that oozes through a narrow gap lies the alleyway. It's the underworld of any town: gloomy and unpleasant. Darkness is lurking in every corner inside the labyrinth of narrow passages and dead ends. Litter is dumped on the street and birds nest amongst the sprawling rot. Moonlight lights up the pathway for him, making it easier to back the felon up into the corner. 

“One more step, officer, I dare you.” A warning like poison pours into his ears.

Although something seems different this time. They sound more frantic. Is there something that’s bothering them? “You just committed murder, you filthy scumbag. One more step, I dare you.”

“Oh, you’re so unoriginal,” they clutch their right arm and chuckle lightly. Felix squints his eyes with the limited source of light; inevitably, they go wide upon seeing crimson dripping to the ground. But as the second ticks by, less and less blood pour from the wound as though the muscles and skin are simultaneously closing up the seams. 

What the hell am I looking at?

A smirk. “Don’t mind if I do.”

What are they... Wait, shit-

At the kind of speed he never thought humans could acquire, the hooded figure approaches him in what seems like seconds. The sudden whiplash blows the hood back and allows them to bathe in the moonlight raw.

 “Say, what are you going to do with a filthy scumbag like me again?” Something sharp and shiny comes into contact with the warmth of his flesh but he can’t bring himself to register or counter it.

Your features flash before his eyes, glowing from within, leaving him in complete awe. Although you’re talking nothing but venom, pain is evident in the crease of your lovely brows and the way your lips are pressed into a straight line. Your eyes are deep pools of restless gold, an ocean of hopeless grief. There’s something so damn familiar about you. Felix almost finds himself resonating within your agony. He almost gasps.

In this growing light, your dark silhouette becomes full colors. 

But why aren’t you moving? He’s completely open like this.

“You!” Your voice suddenly trembles and so do your pupils. “You-You’re-”

Snapping back to his senses, Felix leaves no time for you to finish your sentence and grabs your armed limb with one hand while striking a harsh blow at your stomach with the other. You let out a hushed wince at the impact, falling to the cement ground along with the blade in your palm. He swiftly flips you over, cuffs your hands, and puts his gun at the back of your head. 

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.”

“Oh, spare me, Robin,” you involuntarily snort. “I’ll be gone before you can finish reading my rights.”

He nearly sneers, “Move an inch and I’ll put a bullet through your head. Your hands are cuffed, don’t you try to make your face worse than it already is.”

“I’m an Ace, darling. It’d be insulting if a pair of handcuffs and your scrawny little ass could stop me.”

His grip on the gun grows a fraction tighter, his heart starts beating faster at the name. “You work for the House of Cards?” The name rolls off his tongue bitterly, leaving a lick of fury consuming the rational side of his brain.

House of Cards—thieves, terrorists, assassins, dealers—the largest criminal organization that has been the dread of the country for decades. Just like the playing cards, the organization consists of four main groups: Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts, and Spades. The Kings and Queens lead these groups for they’re either new or incompetent for the higher ranks. The Jacks come second in commanding and are often advisors while the Jokers remain anonymous to all as messengers. The four Aces are the most trusted by the chairman and only take orders from him themselves.

“I do,” you reply flatly, a sigh going unnoticed. “Shouldn’t you be fleeing by now upon receiving this information?”

“A murder. A gunshot right across the street. A living witness,” he grits with a timid smile. “All that and you call yourself an Ace? We’ve encountered worse than amateurs like you. You’ll be rotting behind the bars before you know it.”

“I like your optimism, officer. Genuinely, it's a blessing for you to bring us light in this time of darkness,” you turn sideways, smirk, and make sure that he sees it. “Ignorance is truly bliss sometimes.”

Something inside him snaps, water overflows the cup and he instantly grabs you by your head, burying it further into dust and cement. “I don’t know who you think you are. But you clearly don’t know what I’m capable of and the fact that I will stop at nothing to bring your boss down. I will make him face justice as you’re hearing it from the news in prison. I’ve promised. I’ve sworn.”

“Oh?” You dare to glance at him again. “I never knew cops detested my boss so much. Or is it just you? Is your hatred personal? You’ve broken a protocol from the get-go, haven’t you? Is it the reason why you even became an officer in the first place?”

Shit, Felix curses inwardly as your words stab him in the chest, twisting the tip of the blade deeper and deeper as though you’re not allowing him to breathe properly. His hands start shaking; the vibration against your nape makes you exhale, drawing yet another grin on your lips. “Tell me, who did they kill?”

To hell would he ever tell you.

“A family member?” Focus. 

“Your loved one?” Cover your ears. 

“Or a close friend, perhaps?” One wrong move. 

His shaking freezes midway, his voice comes out monotonous. “Shut up.” And you’ll die. 

“Bingo,” you feign excitement before clearing your throat. “Also, I wouldn’t pull the trigger if I were you. Because I am your best asset to get to my boss. You and I aren’t so different, trust me. After all, we both want his head.”

He yelps in surprise when you twist your back slightly, swinging your arm and elbowing his jaw while disarming him simultaneously. With a swing of your leg, he loses his balance on the knees and lands harshly on his back. 

With your knife pointed at his neck, your orbs bore onto his like you’re about to set him on fire. He gulps nervously, “What? How did you?”

“Listen up, I have a deal for you.” 

You were injured, how could you risk tearing your wound up like that? His chest rises then falls inconsistently, eyes darting to your forearm. It’s no longer bleeding. There’s no way! 

“...what are you?”

“Call me what you want. Murderer. Killer. An assassin. A monster.”

Felix squirms under your grip, spatting in aggression, “If so, you’re daydreaming if you have the audacity to believe that I will get my hands bloodied with you.”

“I’m not telling you to pick a side, officer. I’m just trying to say that I know something you don’t and you know something I don’t. If we pool our information we might actually have a good shot at capturing the bastard. If you brought me back to headquarters now, I’d escape either way and you’d get nothing from me. But if you pretend like our encounter never happens, you’ve got yourself a new partner.”

“What feud do you have with your boss so bad that you’re willing to work with a police officer like me?”

“I never considered him as my boss. I never considered the organization as a place that I belonged to. No one knows who the leader is. I’ve been tracking him down for years already.”

“...what? That’s-“

“They killed someone very important to me, too.”

five.

Chan murmurs tiredly at the knock on his door, “Who’s there?”

“Sergeant Lee’s present to report on the assassin from last night, Chief.”

“Come in.”

Chan fixes his collar as Felix closes the door shut, strides straight into his office, and collapses on the nearest armchair. Usually, he’d be complaining about the lack of sunlight in the Chief’s working space. Because like any other civil office, there are enough windows for one not to choke to death but Chan has made a habit of keeping them close. Now, he decides to open the blinds and lets the light in completely, prompting Felix to throw an arm over his eyes dramatically. 

“Shut it. The lights are killing me,” he groans aloud, forehead creasing in frustration. Focus. 

Chan says pointedly, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms, “But you look like shit.”

“Of course I look like shit. You should try chasing down an Ace yourself some time. Really, it’s been a pleasant distraction from my unfinished paperwork and impotent stress,” the junior officer mumbles, dropping his arm and staring blankly at the space ahead. 

“Yeah, I’ve heard,” Chan sighs, sitting back. “It just makes sense, you know. Yuuki and his neighbor were moles the Yakuza planted in that filthy organization. No wonder their leader had to send one of the four Aces to finish him off.”

Felix closes his eyes for a moment, resting his arms on his knees, the muscles are still aching from last night’s incident. His fingers unconsciously reach for his bare neck, tracing the shallow cut as goosebumps bubble upon his skin. Focus. “Enough being mopey,” Chan grins and slaps something cold against his cheek, causing his friend to jolt up in surprise. “Aren’t you here to report?”

He flashes Felix a cheeky smile when the younger clenches the cold towel on his face in annoyance. Nonetheless, there’s a twinge of faint nostalgia and affection lighting up inside his stomach—the kind that comes from long-time friends. “Alright, I gotta come back to my desk before Changbin goes off about my productivity anyway.”

“Good, elaborate,” Chan whips out a pen with his crusty notebook, eyes narrowing and turning serious. 

“The Ace escaped,” Felix starts, “After checking in with Yuuki’s housekeeper, Hyunjin and I went inside the house. He handled the body while I was heading upstairs. I pursued them as soon as I heard the gunshot from across the streets. I only managed to wound them from afar, but it’s not enough to slow them down. They were too fast so I was outpaced at the end.”

The Chief raises a dark brow, eyeing the cut on his throat, “I can see that you’re injured, too. Did they shoot you? Seungmin only found a semi-auto pistol next to the second victim.”

“No… I did this to myself during the chase,” Felix touches his wound again, gulping, “They only carried a knife, of all the things.” Don’t be obvious. You can’t risk getting them to suspect you. 

“You couldn’t get close enough to see if we’re dealing with a man or a woman, right?” Chan then casts a meaningful look at the mountain of unfiled paperwork upon his desk, feigning interest in the light reading that awaits him for the rest of the day. 

“Unfortunately, no. They have a good physique, clearly well-trained and more skilled than the little fries we’d managed to throw behind the bars,” Felix shakes his head, eventually pushing himself off the black armchair. “What about the housekeeper? According to what I’m able to recall, she did, in fact, see the Ace.”

Chan wants to scream at the mention, fingers massaging his temples. “That woman is far too traumatized to even speak a word right now. She’s been giving Seungmin headaches all morning.”

“Yeah, about that...sorry, I couldn’t be more helpful,” Felix bites his lips as he can feel his own lies suffocating the space around him, filling his lungs with water and squeezing at his windpipe. He needs to get the fuck out of here. 

The Chief chuckles lightly and waves his hands, “No, no, we’re all kinda impressed, actually. No one has ever been able to propose a mere chase with them before. It’s already a miracle that you came back alive.”

His heart instantly sinks, his fists curl up unconsciously. Felix could have died. He should have died last night. But you hesitated. Why? Why would you spare him? And why were you looking at him like that? “Hey.” A hand on his shoulder snaps him out of it. “Don’t worry about it. You should take a day off today. You look unwell.”

“But-”

A figure lands soundlessly on Chan’s balcony, swiftly turning around to face Felix.

His brain stutters for a moment and his eyes take in more light than they should, still, they widen when shock riddles his senses. Every part of his body tries to catch up and his thoughts go on a dreadfully long pause. It’s you. Standing in broad daylight without anything to cover up. Distanced a few feet from his grasp. 

One shout and you’ll be cuffed in mere moments. It’d be insulting if a pair of handcuffs and your scrawny little ass could stop me. His precinct has been desperate, ramming into one dead-end after another for a single lead to House of Cards. 

Felix can turn you in right here. Right now. If you brought me back to headquarters now, I’d escape either way and you’d get nothing from me.

“That is an order, Sergeant,” Chan grins, not noticing how pale his friend has gotten in such mere moments. “You’ll collapse the moment you head out for patrol, trust me.”

“No, Chan! You don’t understand, I-”

“Do it,” you mouth, sealing his lips instantly. 

“I just didn’t get enough sleep last night. I’ll take a nap in the infirmary.” You slap on a devilish smile at his words, wiggling your phone high enough for him to see.

As soon as Felix closes the door behind him, the spike in his heartbeat finally falls with the stiff smile on his face, his breaths short and uneven. The urge to punch something is cut short when his phone vibrates timely. A message from an unknown number: “Ten PM. The waterfall in Yellow Woods. You’ve got one chance.”

six.

Felix has underestimated the cold since nightfall. His muscles ache and shiver all at the same time, momentarily yelling at him to turn around to head back to the comfort of his family’s mansion. Yet the dark Yellow Woods seems to silence time and space, only leaving him with the urge to march forward. 

He lied to Chan about your encounter, lied to Changbin so he wouldn’t have to go on his night shift, lied to Hyunjin that he’d go home and rest like his friend always told him to. Humans have been taught not to lie but deception still exists and one cannot escape its grasp. Even Felix never knew there would be a day where he’d become this desperate. Just thinking about it makes him want to vomit, utterly disgusted. 

Clutching his gun tightly, he begins walking faster into the light fog. 

“My my, look who it is.” His frantic steps come to a halt, his head snapping back immediately. “Someone was so hellbent on giving me a headshot the last time we met. What changed?”

Felix raises a brow in confusion. “What the- Didn’t you ask me to meet up at the waterfall?”

“The waterfall is the other way, you fool,” you jerk your head back, clearly unimpressed. 

“Cut me some slack, my phone was dead! Wait, how did you- were you stalking me?!”

You can’t help but stifle a chuckle; his face is priceless. “Tracking sounds more appropriate, don’t you think?”

“You-”

“You’d better pick up the pace if you want to survive this little partnership of ours, officer.”

Eventually, he complies and stumbles through the woods with you, his feet feeling like they’re being dragged across cement. During the day, Yellow Woods is alight with the serenity one yearns for at their lowest, birds chirping and leaves rustling to one united song of Mother Nature. In contrast, it is now hollow, colorless, almost empty to a sense with all this darkness around him. 

“I never said that we had a deal,” Felix says while trailing after you, cautious not to trip over any branches. 

You turn around for a meager moment, giving him that sly grin of yours. “Suppose that you do, we need a contract. Some simple protocols between comrades. What do you expect from me? Keep it simple. Excessive details bore the shit out of me.”

“First, no with-holding information. If you know something, I need to know it and vice versa. Second, no personal questions. I don’t want you in my life nor do I want me getting my hands dirty with you.”

You hum in response, “Hmm, short and sweet. But I have my own as well.”

He gulps, “Go on.”

“I don’t work with dogs. I don’t care if it’s licensed as emotional support. I won’t hesitate to shoot if you even let one do so much as breathe in the same room as me.”

“...that makes way too much sense.” So that explains why-

“What about you? Afraid of the dark?”

“I wasn’t born this morning.”

To the East lies the waterfall you’ve mentioned this morning, which you lead him down a dirt road and right behind it, straight into a small cave. There are two paths diverged that catch him by surprise but there’s nothing he can do other than taking the left side, hastily following the source of light from your phone. Your final destination unveils before his eyes as a small, underground lair.

Felix suddenly feels cold for no reason. “How do you even sleep?” He scrunches his nose while rubbing his hands together. 

“I don’t,” you say without looking at him, exhaling and shrugging off your coat. “Make yourself at home. I’ll go heat up some tea before you freeze to death.”

Not knowing what to do with himself, his eyes roll around the seemingly confined but commodious space in curiosity. Your working desk is as big as the one in the conference back at headquarters, mounted with an overwhelming amount of files. To the right, the wall is lined with weapons, target boards, and rag dolls; you seem to prefer blades over firearms. The whole place is lighted up with candles all around, giving it that eerie feeling like something straight out of an old movie. 

Still, not bad.

His careless feet drag him across the concrete, subconsciously reaching out for the files on your desk. He can’t fight the urge, he can’t resist it. Before his mind can register and his conscience can yell at him, the plastic binder is already yanked open. Experiment #180108–Y/N, it reads. “What the hell… Enhanced strength and agility… Instant self-healing… Metamorphosis? Is this what they’ve been doing under our noses all this time?”

“No, only my parents.” Your voice snaps him out of it, prompting him to drop the files. “Your office was giving me anxiety, by the way. Thank god for home sweet home.”

“What the hell were you doing in my-“ A dagger flies past his head, missing him by a strand of hair and ending up embedding itself on the bull’s eye of a nearby target. “Daughter of a bastard,” he breathes out in disbelief, eyes boring holes on you. “What kind of tea was that?!”

“Lee Felix. Only son of the Prime Minister. Ranked Sergeant at the eighth precinct, Seoul P.D. The precious heir to one of the five great families.” Words leave you. You only stare into those bright, brown eyes burning with anger, his heart almost falling silent. “Gosh, you’ve got quite the profile. Shouldn’t you be worried about the image of your family instead of shaking hands with the devil like this?”

Felix clenches his jaw, everything is slow and warbled as he looks down, shaking violently. “And yet you still thought I’d be crazy enough to make a deal with an Ace?”

“You’re not crazy,” you sigh, grinning internally. “Just extremely desperate-“

“I am not desperate!” A lie spats out, leaving him with a bitter aftertaste. “I have no reason to be.” Focus.

A mocking shrug. “Right, you’re not desperate. You just followed me all the way here without taking out your gun or rambling on with your boring death threats. Like a little, perfect pet. Exactly what I needed.” 

“Death threats don’t work on monsters,” he croaks, fists balled and eyes wide. Even so, the way you gaze darken still goes unnoticed. “I’ve seen your kind kill anyone without hesitation. Getting blood on your hands without even blinking. You, all of you, aren’t humans anymore. You’re all a complete write-off of a species.”

Felix lifts his head, pupils trembling at the sight in front of him. For a moment there, you look sad and broken. Raw, naked, and vulnerable like the rest of humanity. It makes him ponder, how can humans be so weak yet so cruel at the same time?

“...why? Why are you doing this?” he inquires shakily, head racing with a thousand thoughts. “I don’t understand. Actually, there’s a lot that I don’t understand about you.” No! Focus, you idiot!

“You don’t have to.” Finally, you speak after the long dread of silence, combing a hand through your hair tiredly. “You know. It’s funny how the same thing happened to us. And now look at where we ended up individually.”

His brain pauses and chokes up. “What are you saying?” Cover your ears. Do not be misled!

You look away, simply knowing that you won’t be able to hold it in if you’re making eye contact. “I know you’re not the rightful heir of the Lees. You weren’t part of the bloodline in the first place. You’re simply a replacement. A second option. Nothing but an afterthought-“ 

“No! Shut up! Just shut u-“ Cover your ears. Do not trust anyone!

“—the real heir supposedly went missing during the Eiji Station tragedy where my organization ordered a bombing fifteen years ago. It’s been over a decade and they’ve already concluded his death even though a body was never found. Am I right, officer?”

Choose the wrong path. 

Felix buries his face into the palms of his hands as streaks of silvery tears burn his cheek. His exhausted shoulders shake in each rake of emotion through his frame, the fire of anger and despair boils past the seams he can no longer hold together. With his knees weak, he can only sob and drops down on his knees, screaming with all his might. 

And you’ll die. 

But even you, the devil itself, can’t save the man who’s drowning himself in his own tears of hell. 

“Welcome to the team. The name is Y/N,” you offer him a hand, blankly eyeing his quivering figure. He finally picks himself up with difficulties, eyes glowing with tears and fury. After a split moment of hesitation, his hand reaches for yours, firmly clasped and sealing your deal. 

Because he’s falling down the same bottomless abyss with you. 

Because you both couldn’t save him. You couldn’t save Minho. 

epilogue.

__ fifteen years ago

“Hey, Minho, you’re really good at playing the piano. Are you gonna be a musician?”

“Hmm, I do like music. But I’d rather become a police officer. 

“Why? Didn’t you say that you like music?”

“I’ll become anything for my mother.” 

“Then, I’ll be a doctor when I grow up! And we can save people together.”

“Okay. It’s a promise, Lix.” 

[omgitsroshi]

Blood Kink

cw: blood, blood play, period play

Tendou had a blood kink. Unbeknownst to you, he always struggled with himself whenever your time of the month came around. He wanted to see the thin red liquid coated evenly across his shaft, getting into his pubes and watch as you squirm uncomfortably under him. He didn't want you to think he was weirder than he already was so he kept this a secret -- until one fateful night.

"Tendou baby is that you?" You called upon hearing the front door open. You walked into the hallway in one of your over-sized shirts and watched as the redhead greeted you with the sweet smile he gave you and only you.

"Hi my love," He stooped down to scoop you up into a hug. "How are you today?" 

"I'm a lot better." You smiled up at him, pulling him down for a kiss. "Thank you for taking care of me yesterday baby."

He turned you swiftly with ease and began to walk closely behind you, forcing you to move forward with him so that he could close the front door.

"What's a boyfriend for?" He smiled back and kissed your forehead, but you could sense something was a little off. He stalked off into your shared bedroom and began to change.

"Is something wrong Tori?" You asked, following him. You watched intently as he pulled his shirt over his head, back muscles flexing and showcasing the faint scars you left on his back from your fingernails. 

"Just a tough day at work. It's nothing to worry about, love." He sighed a little and started at his belt buckle. You noticed the bulge in his boxers before he swiftly turned away, almost as if he were hiding it.

"Ten.." You leaned against the door frame, hormones swirling and making your brain foggy. "I know I'm.. incapable of pleasing you right now in the way you might want but.. I can still please you in other ways." 

He glanced over his shoulder at you, making you quickly divert your gaze to the dresser beside you. A smug smile swept across his face but it was gone as quick as it came. He made his way over to where you were standing and placed his forearm on the door frame, inches above your head and towering over you. You shifted under his gaze and glanced at your feet.

"..But what if what I want," He began, in a sultry tone, placing a finger under your chin and making you look at him. "What if what I want isn't  your mouth or hands.. or even.. the backdoor." 

He whispered the last part near your ear, making you shiver. If it wasn't any of these things then what did he want? What else could there be except-

"Oh no." You backed out of Tendou's grasp, out of breath. "No, no, no Tori! Do you know how gross that is?" 

You felt your face get hot when he crossed the floor towards you, closing the distance again.

"It's all I ever think about.." He smirks, draping his arms around you. They landed at your lower back where he started tracing circles with those trained, slender athlete's fingers. You closed your eyes and began feeling the effects of his fingers dancing over the spot, turning you on even more.

"But," You paused for a second, stilling his actions momentarily with that simple word. "won't it hurt Tori?"

You looked up at him with those big, round, innocent eyes that made him want to take your virginity the first time. His heart fluttered and he began moving his fingers on your lower back again, watching your eyes flutter and falter before placing your head back on his chest.

"I always take care of my bunny, don't I?" He inquired, bringing one hand up to caress the nape of your neck. You whimpered and nodded and that was all he needed to know. He began to walk back to the bedroom with you in his arms but you paused for a second. He looked down at you again, curiosity and amusement coating his face.

"Okay.. but a few ground rules." You spoke semi-sternly but altered your voice when he looked at you with a raised eyebrow. "A towel must be placed on the bed before laying me down.. No putting your nose, mouth, or any part of your face near it.. And no touching it with your bare hands.."

He nodded, assessing every one of the individual rules in his head. Once he came to term with them, he went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel before laying it smoothly in the center of the bed.

"The throne awaits the princess." He spoke boldly with a grand sweep of his hand. You looked between him and the bed skeptically before sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, pulling your shorts and underwear down to your ankles. You kicked them off and crawled to the center of the bed, knees pulled to your chest

Tendou watched your every movement but it didn't make you feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, it made you feel safer. He also climbed on the bed and positioned himself between your knees.

He attached his lips to yours and you got flashbacks of the night he deflowered you. The nostalgia had you aching for more and you wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him closer. He lowered himself onto you a bit more and the sensation of his boner poking your inner thigh made you gasp.

"Tori.. your clothes.." You said, out of breath as he kissed your neck, his other hand on the other side of your neck, holding you in place. 

"Shh.." He mumbled into your neck. He used his other hand to grab your thigh and rub circles on it with his thumb. You moaned softly, causing him to sit up momentarily.

His pants were off in a split second and he knelt in front of you in his boxers, a raging hard-on being contained by only a piece of thin fabric. You sat up on your elbows and followed his gaze.

His eyes were focused on the string of the tampon sitting just outside of your pretty cunt. He glanced at you with a question dancing about his face, which was covered in a hazy blush. 

You nodded hesitantly and he wasted no time in taking one of his fingers and wrapping it around the string. He pulled slowly and watched as the puffy item fell out, coated in a layer of red liquid and slick.

He bit his lip as he took a napkin from the nightstand and wrapped it delicately. His eyes met yours and you were already looking away, ashamed to make eye contact with him. He leaned in to kiss your cheek as a form of reassurance.

"My bunny.." He whispered in your ear. "My beautiful bunny.." 

The words resonated throughout your body and along with his hands, touching feverishly up and down your torso, you could feel the arousal building in your gut, no matter how hard you tried to fight it.

"Satori.." You moaned softly, making him look at you. "Please.. fuck me.."

You rarely, if ever, used his full first name. That's how he knew you were serious. You spread your legs a bit more and allowed him to fit between them. He pulled his boxers down slowly, making his dick spring up and hit his stomach. You'd rarely see him this hard if you weren't doing something special for him or wearing his clothes unknowingly.

A bead of pre-cum was dancing atop the head of his dick which was angrily red, almost the same shade of his hair. He intertwined fingers with you and rolled his head along your slit. You gasped a little when he slipped inside, pain coursing through your body as it went in with relative ease.

As soon as he bottomed out, he let out a groan and dropped his head on your shoulder. It took him a moment to compose himself. It was wetter and warmer and the smell intrigued him, enticed him to go further..

He sat up, back into his kneeling position and pulled out until only the tip was still inside of you. The complete coating of his dick in your blood and juices made him feel feral. 

He bent down and kissed your forehead which was covered in a light sheen. 

"You okay baby?" He asked attentively. You looked up at him with a look he didn't expect you to have. It was of pure determination.

"Stop screwing around and fuck me already Tori!" Your voice, meant to be stern came off as more of a plea but it carried the same effect for Tendou. 

He placed his hands under your knees and pulled them up so that he could get a better view. He began to pump in and out at a steady pace. Every movement he made was deeply felt in your hole.

It wasn't long before he was pounding into you and having you pleading for mercy.

"Oh-oh god!" You moaned. "Don't stop!"

Tendou was getting closer with every passing moment but the doe-eyed look you were giving him made him want to fill you up to the brim and never stop. He picked up his pace with a growl and pressed you into a mating press with your legs on his shoulders.

He pressed his lips to yours, groaning lowly into your mouth and mixing with your whimpers and gasps. Your whimpers got softer and closer together which was a telltale sign that you were close. The skin on skin contact became more and more frequent until you gripped his bicep and the knot in your stomach finally burst, releasing all of the tension onto your lover's Adonis belt and lower torso. 

As soon as you felt Tendou's thrusts become sloppier and his breath become labored, you decided to egg him on a bit. 

"Cum inside me.." You moaned, watching as he reveled in that statement, rolling his head back almost as if he were considering it. "Don't think about it baby.. I want you to fill me up with all of you. Make me big and round with your seed Ten-"

You were cut off by his abnormally loud groan as he released all of his load into you in stringy hot ropes. 

"So fucking hot.. so fucking hot.." He muttered over and over as he pulled out and watched as a pool of blood and semen flowed out soon after.

He attached his lips to yours once more and rolled to your side. You were both out of breath and so hot that all you could manage was a holding of each other's pinkies.

"So.." You spoke after a while. He looked over at you with weary but excited eyes, full of love and admiration for you. He's super love drunk right now, you smiled to yourself. "How was it?"

"Same time, next month?" is all he said before trapping you in a tight hold and falling asleep in your arms despite all of your struggles.

"Who knew you had so many hidden kinks, you goof.." You laughed quietly to yourself, watching him sleep peacefully as if what happened not even 5 minutes ago didn't happen. "You find new ways to make me love you every day Tori.."

You kissed his nose and released yourself from his death grip, taking the towel and going to the bathroom to take a well-deserved shower.

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Lost Boys: Take-Out Intrigue Part 1

Part One | Part Two

Marko x Reader

Word Count: 2,400

Warnings: racial slurs, some gore 

Summary: You catch Marko’s eye while he’s waiting on an order. (Since my blatant favoritism towards Dwayne was called out, I’m trying something new!) 

“Nin hao ma,” Marko called out as he entered the small restaurant.

The familiar scents of garlic, rice vinegar, and sesame oil wafted out from the kitchen in the back. Marko personally preferred the take-out joint down the block but it was David’s night to choose so he didn’t complain. Much.

The older woman at the counter bowed her head slightly with a smile. He wasn’t a regular but he was there enough that she recognized him. “Hao, hao.”

Mandarin was fluent but these owners spoke Cantonese which he wasn’t as familiar with. He supposed he could take time to learn but he’d been occupied with spray painting and the birds for the past few years. That didn’t leave much time, or desire, to pick up something else. Pleasantries out of the way, he switched back to English. His

“Let me get three orders of the sweet and sour pork, one sweet and sour shrimp, four chow mein, one lo mein, and one fried rice.” After a second of thought he added, “Oh, and some egg rolls.”

The owner wrote it all down quickly and waved the paper slip in between her fingers. “Wait here.”

She disappeared to the kitchen, leaving Marko by himself to admire the scrolls of art that hung on the wall.

In the back, she calmly walked over to where you were hunched over an open textbook, frantically taking notes. It was noisy in the kitchen so you didn’t notice her until she cuffed you on the back of the head.

“Oww!”

“Time to work. Keep an eye on the customer out front,” she nagged in Cantonese.

“Fine, fine. I’m going.” You held your hands up in surrender. But you snagged you stuff when she wasn’t looking and hoofed it to the register before she could chastise you again.

You stood at the register and it was impossible to miss the customer. He had a riotous mass of blonde curls pulled back into a ponytail and wore a patched-up jacket that was simultaneously too busy to look at and too interesting to look away from. He must have felt your gaze because he suddenly shifted his focus from the calligraphy on the walls and stared you straight in the eye.

You held your breath and after a few seconds, his face relaxed and he smiled at you. The smile only added to his attractiveness but you instinctively knew that he wasn’t as sweet as it would lead you to believe.

“You’re new,” he commented.

“Y-yeah. I mean, no,” you sputtered. That was embarrassing. You’d never struggled to speak with a customer before. The fact that he stared without blinking made it worse.

He merely hid his smile behind the fingerless gloves and stuck a thumb in his mouth. A possible oral fixation—? You stopped that thought dead in it’s tracks. It was highly inappropriate to think of a paying customer that way. His actions were none of your business.

You cleared your throat in an attempt to start over. “Actually, my family has known the owners forever. But yes, I’ve only been working here for a few months.”  

“I don’t remember seeing you,” he said crowding you despite the fact that there was a register between the two of you. “What’s your name?”

You weren’t sure why, but you felt the need to defend yourself to him. Which was ridiculous. You talked with chatty customers all the time, no problem.

“My name is Y/N. I always take the busy shifts since my English is better. This is the first time I’ve stayed later than the dinner rush.”

That answer must’ve settled something for him because he took at thumb out of his mouth and gave you the first genuine smile you’d seen thus far. In turn, you smiled back and the mood in the room calmed.

His attention went back to the calligraphy and you opened your textbook to the spot you left off at. Everything was quiet. “So…you like calligraphy?” he questioned.

The next fifteen minutes passed quickly as he got you talking about the restaurant’s décor. He was especially absorbed by the painting of a fiery-scaled eastern dragon, which you also liked. But your favorite was the Chinese phoenix on the opposite wall.

“Did you know the fenghuang is a lucky omen? They’re the bird of all birds in traditional mythology.”

That seemed to intrigue him. “The bird of all birds, huh?”

You latched on to the tone in his voice. “Do you like birds?”

He toed the tip of his worn boot into the linoleum floor. Laughed a little. “Yeah. You could say that.”

He opened his mouth to say more but at that moment you were called to bag up his order. A little reluctant, you excused yourself and went to kitchen. The food was already portioned into their respective white cartons, the top flaps folded in neatly.

Opening up the plastic bag, you quickly arranged the cartons inside and tied a with a small, snug knot at the top. Stapling the receipt to the bag, you drew a smiley face on it with a blue-ink pen. The smile came out a little lopsided but you left it alone, afraid it might turn out worse if you tried to fix it.

You lingered near the door, twisting the plastic in your hands. For some reason, you would be disappointed to see him leave. Which was crazy as you’d only talked for a few brief minutes. Judging by the size of the order, the poor guy probably needed to leave so he could bring other people their dinner too.

Resigned, and uncomfortable with that feeling, you went back out to the register. You made sure to use your most polite voice as you rang him up. The exchange happened normally and he dug a wad of dollars bills from his back pocket. It made you cringe to see the money so wrinkled and spotted with an unknown stain, but you kept your reaction to yourself.  

“Have a nice night,” you wished him as you tried to hand him his change.

He waved it off with a shake of his head that sent his curls bouncing. “Nah, keep it.”

And that was it. He turned to leave, swinging the plastic bag at his side with every step. There was no hesitation on his part and you sighed. Clearly, your interest was one-sided.

Logically, you knew shouldn’t take it personal, but emotionally, you couldn’t shake the feeling of rejection. Remembering that you were in the middle of reading, you went to open your notes again. You flipped through the pages slowly, your heart not in it.

Outside of the small restaurant, the red neon open sign casted hazy lighting on the cracked cement sidewalk. Marko hovered just far enough from the door that you couldn’t see him. He snickered.

Your disappointed sighs had followed him as soon as he turned his back on you to leave and he had to be honest—it delighted him. Good to know that you were attracted to him. He certainly liked you.

Santa Carla was full of interesting people, alive, undead, or otherwise, so it was hard to catch his attention. But as soon as you started spouting off about mythical Chinese phoenixes, he was hooked. Yes, he was into birds, screw you, but he’d never heard that story before.

He supposed you could’ve been talking out of your ass but he didn’t get that vibe from what he had seen. Your eyes lit up when you talked about the image so he bet that you truly did admire it. Your voice was steady for the first time in the encounter, meaning that you were comfortable saying those things, had probably told them to other ears dozens of times.

So, yes, you could be making it up. If you were, he’d be the first to admire your skills. But you seemed too straight and narrow for that. After all, you were actually studying at work. What kind of person did that?

The tantalizing combination of authenticity and passion for your Eastern mythology made him want to talk to you again. That way he could pick your brains more and maybe, if he was lucky, make you stutter again. Still, he wasn’t going to walk back in there like a sap. Not after he just left.  

“Hey!”

His ears twitched and he finally got a look at the guy he’d been watching stagger down the sidewalk the entire time he’d been outside. He chose not to saying anything figuring the human would keep talking anyway, which he did.

“You get that food from here?” The human pointed to the restaurant with his thumb.

Marko nodded, biting on his thumb.

“These chinks, or japs, or whatever any good?”

Marko’s eyes that had been taking in the guy’s appearance the entire time paused in the bird pin he had on his cap. It was yellow orange. Similar shade to the fenghuang’s wings. He took his thumb out of his mouth, his slick fangs descending to bite into his bottom lip.  

The ass hadn’t even noticed, still talking and seemingly some kind of inebriated. Fine by Marko. He liked surprising people.

His clawed hand shot out faster than the human eye could track and plunged into the guy’s chest. A hole was torn clean through. The blood and heart organ felt warm and wet as it stuck to his fingers. “I don’t think you need to worry about that you prick.”

The hole was much more pronounced and blood began spilling out. In the light of the moon, the blood looked black instead of red. The about-to-be-dead offender’s jacket absorbed some of the liquid but the rate at which it poured out was too much for the fabric to soak it all up.  It wouldn’t be long until he was officially dead.

The shock registered late and by the time the human looked down, Marko had already pulled his hand out and was sucking at the blood. He laughed at the other’s confused expression. The last thing the guy saw was Marko giggling and playfully waving his fingers.

The corpse sagged to the ground and Marko wrenched it up by one of the arms. He must’ve used too much force because he heard the shoulder pop off out of its socket.

He shrugged, not really bothered. No one else was out on the streets at this time. Especially not during a weekday. Getting rid of the body would be easy. Strengthening his hold, he flew into the night sky to dump the body where it would never be found.

When he came back, the white bag of Chinese take-out was sitting exactly where he left it. Excellent. Bending down to rip off the receipt, he pinned his new yellow orange bird pin to it. There was a small speck of blood on the glossed paint near the small bird’s wing that he licked clean.

He didn’t mind scarring you, but he didn’t want you so freaked out that you went to the cops. That would make things a little messy and make David pissy.

Following his nose, he wandered over the car that smelled of you. A quick glance through the driver’s window showed a stack of other notebooks and…a ridiculously bedazzled charm dangling from the rear-view mirror. It made him raise his brow, but he decided he liked it.

Mythological creatures, bedazzled charms…he couldn’t wait to find out more about you.

He arranged the paper backed pin under the windshield wiper to keep it from falling or blowing away. Marko prided himself on giving gifts and he wished he could be there to see you find it, but he’d been gone long enough. The boys were already going to give him hell for it. And he was getting hungry, too.

Besides, he knew where you worked. He’d find you again when he had more time.

Revving the bike, he raced down the road, the plastic bag quivering where it hung from his handle bars.

---XXX---

“See you later, Auntie,” you called out. A bell jingled as you pushed the front door open. You weren’t used to working this late and were long past due for sleep.

“Bye bye, drive home safe,” she said in Cantonese, the gruffness failing to mask her fondness for you.

Being in the restaurant all night, the crisp air outside was a nice reprieve. You loved the food, you really did, but oil could be headache inducing after a while. There was a slight breeze, too, that refreshed you with its invisible caress.

Most of the other businesses in this area were closed by now, leaving the streets dim and vacant. Luckily, there was a streetlight by your car so you didn’t have to walk in the dark. There was no such thing as being too safe in Santa Carla.

You shifted your things so you could get the keys and stopped in your tracks when you noticed a small piece of paper on the windshield. You looked around, not seeing anything else out of the ordinary. Still, you couldn’t shake the wariness.

Was it a ticket? A threat? A piece of trash that just blew into the window?

Creeping forward, you recognized the smiley face you had drawn earlier. What the—? When you were close enough to snatch it, you realized there was something weighing down the corner of the flimsy paper. A pin.

You angled it toward the streetlight, unsure what it was. An orange, no, golden orange bird gleamed in the light. Its wings spread wide and were smooth under the pads of your fingers.

Warmth spread through your chest. There wasn’t a message on the receipt, but the smiley face gave it away. This could only have been from that customer with the curls and jacket. Had he been wearing it inside? You couldn’t remember.

Clutching the pin, you sat in the driver’s seat. The car ran idle for a bit and you fiddled with the back of the pin. There was plenty of space on your bare jacket to place it wherever you wished. With the delicate gift attached securely to the jacket, you backed out of the parking spot, a smile on your face the entire way home.

Hopefully, he stopped by again soon.

_______________

My first time writing for Marko! Thumbs up or thumbs down? 

Regardless, East Asian (and any) racism isn’t cool peeps. Let’s do better :)