#i don't think i've drawn her with her hair down! she looks so pretty with it

[rad-roche]

tough as nails, but water-soluble

[13lov]

tethered. | jjk

Love notes were slipped into your locker on a daily basis. Variations of messy, boyish handwriting on yellow sticky notes stacked upon themselves by the end of each school day. Every Friday night you were invited out with the promise of "You'll have fun, just give it a chance."

You could have any guy you wanted, no doubt about it. Yet somehow, the only one you do want is the tattooed, gothic one that lives a few doors down from your best friend.

✰ pairing. — emo!jk x reader

✰ genre. — early 2000s au, best friend's older brother, childhood friends to lovers, smut, light angst.

✰ word count. — 7k+

✰ warnings. — swearing, family issues, partying, mentions of drinking/drugs, friendship betrayel (?), smut [virginity loss, teasing, fingering, soft dom!jk, "i've waited so long for this" type shit], reader and jk are both 18+, minors dni.

✰ a/n. really love this pairings and would love to have drabbles with them in the future, so pls lmk if u guys would be interested in that! thanks for all the love on the teaser, hope u enjoy! <3

✰ taglist. @ahgasegotarmy116 @hellbornsworld @kissyfacekoo @littlestarstinyseven @skzthinker

Two monumental events had been etched into your brain for eternity, the first being sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet up with your friends at the community pool. The second is fifteen minutes upon arriving at the pool, seeing your best friend's older brother emerge from the chlorine-scented water as if he were Poseidon and realizing you were utterly infatuated by him. 

Jeon Somi isn't blind to this, immediately pulling you away from the crowd to question the longing gaze on your face. "Out of every fucking guy here with us, you're making eyes at my brother? You do know that Jungkook is completely gross, right?" She was so furious, you're surprised no steam was blowing from her ears.

Deny it all you want (and you certainly did within that fifteen-minute interrogation); Jungkook very clearly had a hold on you that lasted many years following that fateful night. He wasn't even your usual type; he wouldn't be caught dead around the guys you're typically drawn to. He had a rebellious side; maybe that's why getting him out of your head was nearly impossible. 

Of course, the eternal guilt of falling for your best friend's older, dumbass brother is also difficult to get out of your head.

It can't be helped, really. Anytime you'd visit their home, your eyes would automatically wander through the crack of his doorway as you'd pass by. Whether he was messily cutting his dark hair while blasting Pierce the Veil from his speakers or giving himself a new Stick-and-Poke tattoo as he waited for a CD to finish burning, you long to break away from Somi for a moment to speak to him. Ask him about his day or if his band had any upcoming gigs. You'd even talk to him about paint drying if it meant you'd get to be in the same space as him. 

So it's safe to say you were completely heartbroken when he left for college. Somi, however, is over the moon. Or so you think.

"… He's your brother, though. You don't think you're gonna miss him at all?" You ask, watching Somi delicately paint your fingernails a pretty shade of purple.

She shrugs, "I mean… it's definitely gonna be weird not seeing him around the house every day, but he'll still visit sometimes. Maybe."

Deep down, Somi knows Jungkook won't visit much. He'd been craving freedom and independence from their parents for ages, and moving away for college gave him the perfect opportunity to live as he pleased. They weren't fond of the clothes he wore or the friends he had, and absolutely couldn't bear the music his band makes. They criticized every little thing about him, and he'd finally be getting a break from them.

As you're about to ask Somi if she's okay, she stands from her bed, screwing the nail polish closed. "I'll be back. I have to let Bam out." Her voice is shaky, and she doesn't look at you as she exits the room.

You take the opportunity to make your way down the hall and to Jungkook's door, which he has conveniently left wide open as he scrolls on his desktop. His knees are pressed against his chest as he's heavily focused on editing his Facebook page. There's a rock song playing lightly from another tab that you can't quite identify; he uses his free hand to gently tap along to the beat of the music.

His room is covered in cardboard boxes, soon to be packed into his parents' minivan and making their way to the University of San Francisco dorms.

Your knuckles tap on his wooden door, your heart fluttering when he turns around, and you realize he's changed the ring on his lip from black to silver.

He nods at you, "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just know you're leaving in the morning, and I wanted to say bye. And wish you good luck, of course." You're not sure why you're so heartbroken. It's not like the two of you were ever a thing. It's not like this would be your last time seeing him. Why were you so upset?

"Cool, thanks." You assume that was his way of indirectly telling you to get out until he reaches into his desk drawer and says, "Catch," before tossing something towards you.

Careful not to mess up your manicure, you easily catch the item, unfolding what appears to be a purple bandanna. "What's this for?" You ask, inspecting the material in your palms.

"To remember me by, duh. Plus, it matches your nails.”

It'd be silly to tell him you genuinely don't need this because there was no way in hell you could ever forget about him. Instead, you clutch the bandana tightly in your fist and make a silent vow to keep it with you at all times; have a piece of him with you at all times.

You thank him and tell him it's nice, but all you can wonder is why he even wants you to remember him in the first place. Maybe you're overthinking. He probably just didn't care for the useless accessory anymore.

When you turn to leave, Jungkook stops you with a gentle call of your name. He turns his head in your direction, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth. "Can I tell you something?"

"Anything." You whisper back, praying you don't sound overly desperate for a more extended interaction with him.

A beat of silence passes, and just as he opens his mouth to respond, Somi is stomping up the stairs and belting out your name. You gaze away from Jungkook to glance behind you, listening as his sister shouts about doing each other's makeup.

"Never mind, actually. It's not important." Jungkook interrupts, and you physically feel your heart sink to the floor.

You're about to be annoying and pry a response out of him until your eyes dart to his floor, and you see it. What slipped out from his drawer when he tossed the bandana at you. 

A condom wrapper. An empty one, at that.

It's embarrassing how quickly your vision becomes glossy, salty tears threatening to release with each passing second. Of course, he's fucking someone. Of course, that person isn't you. Of fucking course.

You shouldn't be surprised; he's probably more into girls with a similar aesthetic. She's probably covered in tattoos and piercings, just like him. She's probably older than you and may even have her own car, unlike you, who still had to catch rides with your parents or older sister. 

It's odd, though. You're not entirely naive; you know Jungkook definitely flirts with you here and there, catching his eye when his gaze lingers on you for a second too long. There's a noticeable tension between the two of you that even your parents have teased about. And this whole time, he's been screwing someone else?

Jungkook hangs out with so many girls it'd be useless to even attempt to uncover who this mystery person is. It's none of your business, anyway. 

So you leave.

You tell Somi you'll get grounded if you're home past curfew, and with tear-stained cheeks, you run home.

The following day isn't any easier.

Somi posted a photo on FaceBook of herself and Jungkook posing together, arms wrapped around each other, with the caption "c u l8r alligator XD". The comments are already flooded with responses wishing Jungkook farewell, some from family members or friends of the siblings.

"Don't 4get abt me!!!!!! >:( "from a girl with red hair catches your eye because it's the only one Jungkook responded to. You can't bring yourself to read his full reply, fingers moving to quickly close the tab after seeing the word 'Never.'

It's probably her, you think to yourself, the one he's sleeping with.

Maybe it's for the best that Jungkook's moving away; it'll give you some time to get over him. 

And you most certainly did.

The only time he ever crosses your mind is when Somi brings him up (which she rarely does) or when you pass by his empty bedroom. Deep down, you know you'll always care for Jungkook on some level, but time away from him was just what you needed. You were too attached to him for no fathomable reason, rejecting any guy interested in you with the premise of being loyal to a guy who didn't even want you. He'd probably been sneaking girls in through his window, with you a few doors down doing magazine quizzes with his sister; blissfully unaware of what was happening down the hall.

You’re better off without him.

That's what you've been telling yourself daily until now. It's the start of summer vacation, and Jungkook's been summoned home to spend it with his family before Somi (and you) transfer to the University of San Francisco. 

Jungkook was hesitant about coming home, as he always is. In constant fear that his parents have some elaborate plan for him to change his major or set him up with someone they deem acceptable, nothing like the girls he hangs around and probably invites back to his dorm.

It took days of convincing until Jungkook finally agreed to come home, under the premise that his parents' intentions were pure and that they simply wanted one last summer together before Somi moved away for college. They also hoped he'd be able to house-sit and watch over Somi for a few days as they took their annual anniversary trip to San Diego. That, however, took some bribing and the promise of gas money on their end.

He's not due to arrive until tomorrow morning, and you've convinced yourself there's no reason for you to see him right away. You'd be fine if the next time you saw him was in a few months as you're moving into your dorm. After years of longing, you've finally moved on from him.

Some of you have debated telling Somi about your past feelings for her brother, but there's no point. It was a one-sided relationship with absolutely zero depth, nothing worth discussing. So when she nudges your side and asks if you're interested in anyone, you reply with a shake of your head.

Somi has no reaction to this; she can't remember the last time you've been into anyone despite having the entire male population at your school practically throwing themselves at you. "Maybe you'll meet someone tonight."

She's referencing the house party you're going to, which she practically had to drag you out of your room to attend. Parties are different from your scene, especially on a day like today when you were hoping to have a girls' night with Somi. She had other plans, however.

"Maybe," you respond, sighing as the house you're attending is finally in your viewpoint. "We're not staying long, right? It looks packed."

Cars are parked throughout the street, one house, in particular, being the center of attention with loud music and drunk people decorating the front yard of a suburban-looking home. Somi looks as ecstatic as ever, looping her arm in yours and picking up her pace. She doesn't respond. It doesn't matter. Her response would've disregarded your concern.

One car catches your eye as you enter the unfamiliar house; it's parked towards the end of the street, and you swear you've been in it before. You're not able to dwell on it for too long, though, because Somi has to practically yank you through the front door.

Your nerves are at an all-time high. The music is entirely too loud, and there isn't a single sober person in sight. You're not sure how Somi even found out about this party, but you really wish she would've left you out of it. You'd go now if it were acceptable, but Somi would've stayed regardless, and you refuse to leave her alone. So, you push your feelings to the side and take her hand as she leads you towards the kitchen. 

"Thirsty?" Somi questions, forcing a red solo cup into your hand.

"Not at all," you respond, sighing as Somi pours something into your cup.

"It's just ginger ale," she reassures you, "I don't think either of us should get drunk here." For once, she's being reasonable.

Somi suggests you do a lap around the house in hopes of running into people you may have gone to school with. And to your surprise, a decent amount of your past classmates have decided to attend. You feel more at ease with them around, a bit more comfortable now that you're around recognizable people. Although you initially hesitated to show up, you're glad you did. 

"Anybody catch your eye yet? Or are you still breaking hearts?" Your old classmate, Yeoreum, questions.

You shake your head, about to explain that you're not interested in dating right now, until she gestures behind you. "That guy is pretty cute."

You shift on the couch, looking around until you spot who Yeoreum had been gesturing towards. You locate him finally, and she's right; he is cute. He just seems so familiar.

That's when it hits you.

"Oh my God," you whisper, eyes locked on him, and you slowly rise from the couch.

It's Jungkook. And the car you recognized was his. He's here. What is he doing here? He isn't due to be back until tomorrow morning.

You almost don't realize it's him until you spot the mole under his lip. He's grown his hair out and stopped dyeing it, the slew of tattoos that decorated his arm (God, did he start working out, too?) nicely connected, now creating a sleeve, and he's given himself an eyebrow piercing. Your feelings for him come rushing back in full force.

Panicked, you reach for Somi's hand, but she's nowhere to be found. Careful not to be seen by her brother, you bow your head slightly, passing through a crowd of sweaty bodies until you finally spot her kitty heels. She's leaned against a wall, swirling around her cup while flirting with some guy you'd seen around school a few times.

Creating some much-needed distance between the two, you tug Somi towards you. "I think I just saw your brother."

"What? No, he won't even be in the city until tomorrow morning." 

Frustrated, you quickly search the crowd until your eyes land on him again. You ignore the fact that he's now speaking to some girl with red hair and tattoos scattered across her arm and point in their direction, "Well, then that guy looks just like him."

Somi squints her eyes in disbelief at the boy in question until the doubt becomes confusion, and the confusion becomes realization. "Oh my God! The fuck is he doing here?" She turns towards you as if you're supposed to have the answer.

"The fuck should I know? You said he wouldn't be here until tomorrow morning!"

"Because that's what he told our parents! How was I supposed to know he was gonna be here? I never would've come if I knew!"

"What are you guys doing here?" A voice you haven't heard in so long interrupts. You don't even want to turn around.

"What are you doing here?" Somi throws back, and the two stare at each other in angry silence for a moment until Jungkook steps to the side. "Upstairs," he says, nodding towards the staircase.

"But—"

"Go."

Somi's clearly aggravated but makes her way towards the stairs. You remain in place with your arms crossed, raising a brow in confusion when Jungkook looks at you. "What?"

"You too."

"I'm not—"

"I'm not asking again," he says simply. You convince yourself that you only take his command because you don't feel like fighting. Definitely not because it's interesting to have him boss you around.

Trudging up the stairs behind Somi, you wait with her in the hallway until Jungkook arrives. "Come on," he says, entering a bathroom and turning the light on. Neither you nor Somi protest; there really isn't any point.

As soon as the door is shut, Somi is yelling at the top of her lungs. "What the fuck are you doing here?! You said you wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning! Mom and Dad had to push their trip back just to give you more time to arrive, and you're already fucking here?! The fuck is the matter with you?!"

"I'm not gonna respond if you're gonna be yelling like this." Jungkook says calmly, leaning against the sink, "Let me get my questions out first, then I'll answer any of yours, deal?"

Somi glances over at you, sitting on the bathtub's edge, and you nod. She returns her attention back to Jungkook, takes a deep breath, then agrees. 

"Now, what are you guys doing here?! How'd you even get invited?! And you're drinking?!" The calm demeanor from earlier slips away in a matter of seconds, clearly a hoax just to get Somi to calm down enough to let him speak.

"It's just ginger ale, and we've barely even had any! We were invited by our friends, okay? We have just as much right to be here as you do."

Jungkook scoffs, clearly unamused. "Right, and I'm assuming Mom and Dad know you're here then, huh?"

Somi nervously tucks a hair behind her ear. You wonder why you even have to be in here with them. It's not like Jungkook is your brother, anyway. 

"We told our parents that we were going to a birthday party at a friend's house." Somi mumbles, barely able to look Jungkook in the eye.

"And what did they say when they dropped you guys off?"

"They didn't drop us off," you interrupt, "we walked here."

"Well, I wasn't gonna tell him that." Somi glares at you, it takes every bone in your body to not to laugh at her.

You're so over this. You didn't want to attend this dumb party in the first place, and seeing Jungkook flirting with some girl who could've been his female counterpart was the icing on the cake. It doesn't matter if your feelings for him were gone before tonight; every little emotion you'd felt for him over the years had returned (as if they ever left).

"And how exactly did you two geniuses plan on getting home?"

"Same way we got here."

"Can you please just let me handle this? Jesus Christ…" Somi shoots another frustrated glare at you, and you can't help but roll your eyes at her. She turns back towards her brother, "Can you answer my questions now?"

Jungkook's eyes anxiously dart around the cramped bathroom, landing on you a few times before he's slowly nodding his head. "Alright, Mom and Dad basically forced me to spend the whole summer here, and I kept asking myself why they were so persistent about it. They finally told me they needed me to watch over you and the house for their stupid trip. I had plans too, you know? That I had to derail for them. My band could've spent this summer touring, making real money, and now we can't. So, they wanna inconvenience me? I'll inconvenience them right back."

"…Inconvenience them by doing what?" Somi asks the exact question you had.

Jungkook shrugs, "By telling them I'm gonna be arriving a day late, duh."

You and Somi exchange an awkward glance at one other before silently agreeing not to tease him about it. If this was his badass way of retaliating, who were you to rain on his parade?

"Are you gonna tell anyone you saw us here?" Somi questions, a noticible tremble in her voice.

"As long as you guys don't tell anyone you saw me."

It's a fair trade, you accept it. You're even more delighted when Jungkook says he's taking the two of you home. Somi, however, isn't too happy about this, claiming there were so many people she didn't get to speak to, and how'd this be the last time she'd get to see them before moving away for school. You're not sure if Somi is really good at getting what she wants, or if Jungkook was tired of hearing her complain, but he finally gives in and grants her ten more minutes to socialize before meeting him at his car.

"If you're not at my car in ten minutes, I swear to God I'm calling mom." Jungkook scolds, holding the bathroom door open as the three of you finally exit.

A loud, drunk voice suddenly shouts, "Woah, Jungkook! Two girls at the same time!? You fucking beast!"

"They're my sisters, you fucking pervert!" He shouts back.

You can't even dwell on how disgusting the original comment was, only being able to focus on the fact that Jungkook just reffered to you as his sister. As conceited as it may sound, you're not used to rejection or guys putting you in the friend-zone. Whatever little game Jungkook had been playing with you over the years was completely new territory. And right when you think things couldn't possibly get any worse, he calls you his sister.

What the actual fuck.

The next ten minutes go by in a blur; Somi has ditched you for a second time that night to talk to the guy from earlier. When it's finally time to leave, you find her Sat on his lap with her arm hung across his shoulder, laughing at an unfunny pickup line he'd used on her.

"It's time, Somi," you interrupt, helping her stand.

"Wait, wait, wait," she persists, directing her attention back to the boy, "tomorrow at five, right?"

"And not a second later." He sends her a disgusting wink that makes your skin crawl.

Somi is so love-struck you're surprised there isn't an arrow lodged in her back. She can barely form a proper sentence, erupting into a fit of giggles every few seconds as you make your way to Jungkook's car. "Wasn't he just gorgeous?"

You shrug, linking arms with her. "He was alright."

Stunned, Somi gasps at you, "Just alright? He was literally like a Greek God."

"I'm not saying he's unattractive; he's just...not really my type."

"And what is your type, Miss. Never-Has-Been-Interested-In-Anyone?"

Now, there's the question of the hour. You have to word your response very carefully; don't be too obvious about the fact that your ideal type is her older sibling. 

"I guess I prefer guys with an edgier look to them, you know? Tattoos, piercings..." Despite your attempt to sound as nonchalant as possible, your heart is beating out of your chest from the mild confession.

Somi snickers, then playfully groans. "It sounds like you're describing my brother."

Now, you really have to test the waters.

"Since you brought him up, would it be so bad if I did like Jungkook? Hypothetically speaking, of course." You're not sure what prompts you to even ask this. It's not like he's even interested in you; he literally just referred to you as his sister.

A beat of silence passes as Somi gathers her thoughts, then she says, "No."

"What?"

You've finally reached Jungkook's car at this point, beating him there. You sit atop the trunk, feet hovering above the ground as the cold, nighttime air swirls around you. Somi shakes her head, "Obviously, it wouldn't be the ideal situation, but I guess I wouldn't mind as long as you talked to me about it first."

"First?" You mimic.

"Like...assuming you'd wanna date him or something. Just so I'm not blindsided, you know?"

This is the last thing you would've expected your impulsive, hotheaded (yet oh-so-loveable) best friend to be reasonable about. Mainly because she lectured you for nearly twenty minutes when she first suspected you had a crush on Jungkook. 

You go to respond, but Jungkook, finally arriving at the car, captivates both of your attention. He finishes off his can of Pepsi before crushing the aluminum and tossing it to the ground. "Ready?" He questions.

There's no point in giving him a speech about littering; you're just ready to go home.

He fishes his keys from his pocket and unlocks the car door; Somi opens the backseat and jumps in before you have the chance, sprawling across the aged leather. "Move over," you nudge her foot with your knee; she pulls away from you.

Jungkook calls your name, "Just sit up front. She's not gonna move."

Now, this is new. You've ridden in the backseat of his car with Somi more times than you can count; he'd never allow either of you to sit shotgun with him; typical annoying older brother bullshit.

Don't make a big deal out of this, you say to yourself, climbing into the passenger seat of his car.

Somi and Jungkook bicker the entire ride to their parent's house, partially out of annoyance with each other, but you also get the feeling that neither of them were genuinely ready to leave the party. You're surprised Jungkook even enjoyed parties; he spent most of high school either working, hanging out at skate parks, or practicing with his band in their garage. College must've really changed him, and you're unsure how to feel about it. 

Jungkook parks a few houses down from their parent's house and unlocks the doors, "Get out," he says into the backseat.

"Where are you gonna spend the night?" Somi questions, stretching her arms outward.

"I checked into a motel this morning. I'll be back here tomorrow around noon. And, hey," Jungkook turns around, pointing a finger at his sister. "Don't tell them you saw me."

Mockingly, Somi points a finger right back at him. "Telling them I saw you would be exposing myself, cock-sucker. Leave me alone." She angrily begins to climb out of the car, annoyed at how little trust Jungkook had in her.

You turn to go, but Jungkook's cold hand on your bicep stops you, "Where you goin'?"

"I'm gonna walk home from here. It's only a few minutes away," you respond.

Jungkook shakes his head, "I'm dropping you off. You haven't moved since I left, right?"

"No, but it's fi—"

"Then your house is on the way to my motel. We're going in the same direction; might as well ride together."

It truly does make more sense to ride together, and rejecting his offer any further surely would raise suspicions. You don't want either of them to believe you'd feel uncomfortable being alone with Jungkook because that couldn't be farther from the truth. You're perplexed about your feelings now, and you don't want to do anything you'd regret just because of the confusion.

"Okay, then." You glance over your shoulder at Somi, "Will you need any help getting ready for your date tomorrow?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Somi shushes you, gesturing that Jungkook is literally right next to you and would prefer that he didn't hear about her dating life. Jungkook genuinely couldn't care less and is instead patiently waiting for his sister to get out.

She does finally, and Jungkook resumes his path to your house. He turns the radio on, switching between stations until he stops on one that's playing a song he's familiar with. You drive silently for a few minutes; the only sounds being heard are the distant noises from the car's motor and Jungkook humming along to the radio.

He breaks the silence by saying, "I was surprised to see you back there. You never really seemed like the type to enjoy parties."

You chuckle, "I could say the same for you; I don't remember you attending any in high school."

"That's 'cause house parties weren't my thing," he explains, "I went to raves or parties that would happen at the skate park. I don't really like being at someone else's house for too long; it feels too intimate."

Now that you think of it, skate park parties and raves seem much more like his scene.

"Well, I only went because Somi was going, and I didn't feel comfortable with her being there alone. Otherwise, I never would've gone." You admit, resting your head against the window.

"Thanks for looking after her, by the way. You're a good friend."

"I'd do anything for her." Your voice is barely a whisper now, getting quieter with every word you say.

Silence passes, and he says, "Did you know your guys' dorm room is gonna be right under ours?"

"Seriously?" You respond, genuinely curious.

"Mmm-hmm. My roommate, Mingyu, and I are gonna be the worst upstairs neighbors ever." He teases as you roll your eyes. Your mind can't decipher whether this banter is playful & platonic or romantic. Everything Jungkook does confuses you.

"If that's the case, I'll be sure to move to an entirely new building."

"What, so you can have your boyfriend protect you?"

Pause. Boyfriend?

You nearly give yourself whiplash from how hard you spun around to look at Jungkook. "Boyfriend?" You ask.

He shrugs nonchalantly, keeping his eyes on the road. "I just assumed you'd have one by now. Do you?"

There he is again with his mind games. What the fuck was he talking about?

After letting out a very frustrated sigh, you mumble, "No, Jungkook, I do not have a boyfriend."

"Good. Focus on school."

Now he's pissing you off. You wish he'd shut up for the rest of the car ride. "It's nice to see you again, by the way."

Holy shit, you feel like jumping out the window.

"Yeah, great seeing you too. Oh, there's my house. I can walk from here." You make quick work of undoing your seatbelt.

"You sure? I can drop you off at the door."

"No, no. It's best if my parents don't see you so they don't accidentally tell your parents that they saw you." You lie, racking your brain for any excuse imaginable.

He nods, deciding it's best to drop you off a little further from your house. "Then, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"What?" You stop dead in your tracks, one hand clutching the door handle.

"Aren't you coming over tomorrow to help Somi get ready for her…thing? I'll be back home by then."

He's right; you'd be back in his house, and he'll be there this time. It's no big deal. You'd only be there for an hour (at most) to help her prepare, and then you could go the whole summer without seeing him again.

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

The following day, Somi is back to her unreasonable self, expecting you to wait at her house for her to return from her date.

"Please? We're just going to get pizza; we won't even be gone that long." She pleads, adding the finishing touches to her makeup.

You'd already spent over an hour helping her prepare, and now she expects you to do nothing but await her return. You know her heart's in the right place; she just wants to be the first to hear all the exhilarating details about her date. Still, a phone call would suffice. 

"What am I supposed to do while I wait for you to come back?" You whine.

"Just hang out here! Watch a movie or something!" She suggests, trying her absolutely hardest to sound enthusiastic. Her phone buzzes in her hand before she has the chance to continue, eyes lighting up as they flicker across the bright screen.

Somi clutches her phone, locks eyes with you, then rushes towards the door. You're faster, though, quickly capturing her wrist before she's barely reached the hallway. "I'm going home."

"No! If you stay here, I'll bring you back pizza, and we can have a girls' night like we were supposed to yesterday! Come on, please?" She begs, pouting her lips.

You go to reply, but the bathroom door swings open, and Jungkook strides out. Just to your luck, he's shirtless; water droplets descend from his hair as he towel-dries it. As he enters his bedroom, he mocks his sister's high-pitched whine, earning a lethal glare and a slew of swears thrown at him.

Perhaps you should stay.

"Fine, but you're lending me your pajamas." You give in, earning an enthusiastic shriek from your best friend. 

Somi wraps you in a brief, yet tight, hug before shouting, "Be back soon!" Then she's rushing down the stairs and out the front door. It's not often that Somi makes you wait for her return, but you absolutely despise it whenever it does occur. She's never back by the time she promises and gets upset when you try to call and check up on her.

And speaking of calling, you're sure your phone is dead by now. You insisted Somi bring her's along just in case, so you're left with one option.

Jungkook's door is wide open (as usual) when you go to knock. He's fully clothed now, pairing his black sweatpants with a matching black t-shirt. His hair appears mostly dry now, chaotic as ever, but dry. You don't think he's ever looked this good before.

He's sat on his bed, flipping through the latest copy of Rolling Stone when you arrive. He glances over at you and lets out a dry chuckle.

"What's so funny?" You ask.

"You're dressed like Bella Swan." He responds casually, eyes raking up and down your body. 

"Who?"

"From Twilight. You know, that new movie that came out?" He seems genuinely surprised that you don't seem to know anything about this movie, not even the name of (who you suspect to be) the main character.

You lean against the doorframe, "Haven't seen it."

"It's a great movie, seriously. Some friends and I are seeing it in a few days if you and Somi wanna come." He suggests, flipping another page in the magazine.

You let him know you'll ask Somi if she's interested before remembering why you came to his room in the first place and ask if you can borrow his phone charger. Jungkook directs you to where it's plugged up by his desk, and you finally have the chance to stroll further into his room. You can't recall the last time you've been in here, but you know it looks much different than before. Many of the band posters that decorated the room were gone, his random trinkets and piles of clothes were gone, and not a single piece of his CD collection was in sight. It felt so lifeless, so unlike him. No wonder he always dreaded returning home; it probably didn't even feel like home to him.

"So," you say, attempting to break the silence, "you're here for the whole summer, huh?"

"Unfortunately." He mumbles, "Gonna try and go by sooner, convince my parents I have to sort out an issue with my dorm or something."

"It's nice to have you back, though." You admit, watching as Jungkook's gaze locks on yours.

"Yeah? It is?" He questions.

You shrug, "Of course. We practically grew up together; it was weird to not see you all the time."

He sits up now, closing the magazine and tossing it on his nightstand. There's something on his mind that he isn't saying; you can tell from the way his brows knit together and how he's anxiously tugging on his lip piercing. "It was weird to be gone," he mumbles and leaves it at that.

"By the way, I'm sorry about last night." He apologizes.

"For what? Calling me your sister?"

He laughs at this, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to do that on purpose, by the way. That guy was just...so weird, I kinda blurted out the first thing that would've made him feel weird for even thinking that."

Oh. That makes sense. You definitely overreacted. 

"I meant," he continues, "I'm sorry if the whole boyfriend assumption thing upset you."

"Oh," you dismissively wave a hand at him, "that was nothing."

Jungkook raises a brow at you, "Are you sure? 'Cause you seemed pretty upset afterward, you were practically running out of my car."

There's no point in lying now, considering you weren't even the slightest bit discrete the previous night.

"If I'm being completely honest, I just felt a little awkward. But that's it, I swear." You assure him, moving to lean against the bedside table.

"Awkward about what?"

God, this was so embarrassing. Is he really going to make you humiliate yourself like this?

"Because I've never actually had a boyfriend before."

Jungkook looks genuinely shocked at your confession, eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he examines yours for any sign of deception. "You don't believe me?"

"I'm not sure. I only assumed you had one just based on how crazy guys were about you in high school. Not to mention you're, like, fucking gorgeous."

What?

"I'm what?" You ask, not entirely sure if you heard him correctly.

He repeats himself again, and you make him do it a few more times until he's too embarrassed to say it again. You somehow manage to get back on the topic of never having a boyfriend before when Jungkook asks you another question. "Have you ever...?"

He doesn't need to finish the sentence. You know what he's asking.

You shake your head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business." He berates himself, and you assure him it's no big deal and that it shouldn't even be a shocker to him.

After a half hour of talking about whatever comes to mind, you wind up sitting opposite Jungkook on his bed, legs perched up underneath your body as you go back and forth, questioning one another. 

"So, when are you gonna admit you had a crush on me?" His voice is barely a whisper.

"I never did." You lie.

"Really? That sucks?"

"Why?"

He shrugs, leaning his back against the headboard. "I just always thought that maybe you and I would've ended up together at some point."

You don't remember who leans in first; it doesn't matter; all that matters is after years of longing, your lips are finally intertwined with his. He must've smoked today; you can taste the nicotine on his breath. But it doesn't matter; you don't make the slightest move to pull away. Neither does he, placing his hands on the small of your back to guide you onto his lap. 

Your body is moving on autopilot, limbs moving to do whatever feels right as you silently pray not to ruin the moment. Jungkook can spot your nervousness from a mile away and stop you, "We don't have to do—"

"I want to," you pant, breathless, "I've wanted this for so long."

"Do you trust me?" He asks.

"More than anything."

He kisses you again before adjusting your current position, slowly twisting yourselves until you're lying flat on your back. He moves his lips down towards your neck, leaving a trail of kisses in his path as he settles between your legs.

You reach up to grab a handful of his hair, nearly jumping out of your skin as his delicate fingertips creep up your inner thigh, inching closer and closer until his ghosting over your clothed pussy. "This okay?" He mumbles.

You nod, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Cute," he replies, "you're already so wet." His fingertips stroke your clit through your damp underwear; you don't think to wonder how he managed to get to it so quickly, all thoughts leaving your brain as he makes small circles using his middle and index finger. 

"Jungkook…" You moan, pleading for him to do more.

"I know." He assures you, using a single finger to pull your panties to the side, making just enough room for him to slide a finger into your aching cunt. "Am I really your first time?"

You nod again out of fear that a moan would slip from your lips if you even tried to speak. His eyes are locked on yours, studying your expression as he coaxes a finger inside you. You're embarrassed at how quickly your wetness coated his finger, but Jungkook doesn't care. He likes it, makes him feel fucking amazing knowing the effect he had on you. 

"Take your shirt off." He says, and you do as told, pulling your top up and off your body and tossing it to the floor; making quick work of undoing your bra before he even has the chance to ask.

His lips are back on your neck instantly, trailing down to your collarbone until he reaches the curve on your breast. He halts his actions momentarily before your pitched nipple is caught between his teeth and your back arching off the bed from how overstimulating everything feels.

You curse under your breath, and Jungkook makes another comment about how cute you are, though you feel far from it. He apologizes by lapping his tongue around your nipple, easing the pain slowly as he inserts a second finger into your cunt.

You can feel his bulge against your thigh, though he doesn't even care about getting himself off. He moves over to your nipple, licking and sucking until it's completely hardened, leaving himself breathless. The two fingers that had been working your cunt had picked up the pace now, and there was an unfamiliar feeling in your gut that you couldn't identify.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…" You groan, legs trembling.

Jungkook is all too familiar with these actions and asks, "You're already close? I've barely done anything to you." He teases, chuckling to himself.

You know he's being lighthearted, but you can't help but feel embarrassed at the tears forming in your eyes from how good everything feels.

Suddenly, he's pulling his fingers out of you, and now you feel like crying for a different reason. You go to protest but stop to watch as he takes his shirt off. If you weren't sure then, it's obvious now he'd started attending the gym. 

He makes quick work of tugging his sweatpants down his legs, tossing them into the abyss before reaching into his bedside table and retrieving a condom. "You're okay?"

You nod.

"Use your words."

“I’m okay, Jungkook.”

"You're still okay with this?"

"Yes."

"You sure?"

Jesus fucking Christ, the saint this man is.

"I'm positive." You assure him.

You move to pull down your skirt and underwear, but Jungkook catches your wrist. "Leave them on," he says. There are so many things going on that you choose not to question.

He pulls off his boxers in the meantime, hardened cock slapping against his abdomen with precum leaking from the tip. Though you had nothing to compare it to, Jungkook was obviously slightly larger than average. You shouldn't be surprised; it's always the guys that you'd least expect.

He tears the condom wrapper with his teeth, retrieving the rubber inside before tossing the remains to his floor. Despite being fully erect, he fists his cock a few times before sliding the condom on.

He crawls over you, left arm at the side of his head, while he uses his dick to nudge your panties to the side. "This still okay?"

"I already told you—fuck!" He cuts you off, the tip of his cock slowly making its way inside you. You feel so stretched out from this alone you don't know how you'd manage to fit all of him into you.

Jungkook must be feeling the same, swearing under his breath and commenting about how tight you feel around him. Second by second, he coaxes himself into your pussy until you feel like you could split right open. "Are you all the way in?"

"No, can't take anymore?" He asks, leaning his head down against your ear.

You're embarrassed to admit he's too big to handle on your first time, but it's the truth. You don't want to overextend yourself just to please him and end up hurting yourself.

"You can move, just…not too much. Please."

Jungkook nods, "Whatever you want, angel."

He pulls his hips back and rocks himself back in, being sure to ask if you're okay with his pace. Once you confirm you feel fine and want him to keep going, he continues his movements; his eager hips snapping against yours and his cock hitting your G-spot with each deep stroke. You feel like you're on cloud nine, hands tangled in his hair as he swallows your moans.

That unfamiliar feeling from earlier returns; you feel it through your entire body this time. A moan of his name escaping your lips lets him know you're close. How he can always sense these things is beyond you; it's not worth overthinking. 

"Close?" He asks, and you nod frantically.

Jungkook picks up his speed slightly, careful not to overwhelm you, but just enough to reach your climax, until finally, the bundle of nerves in your abdomen snaps, and your back is arching off the mattress as you come around his cock.

He's only a few seconds behind with his orgasm, erupting in a loud grunt when he finally reaches it. The two of you lay in silence for a moment before Jungkook finally pulls out of you and slides the condom off, tying it in a knot and tossing it into his trash bin.

"Are you okay?" He asks for what feels like the millionth time.

"I'm fine." You respond, and it isn't a lie. Physically, you feel terrific; mentally, it was an entirely different story. "Are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good."

As much as you would love to lay naked with Jungkook in his bed for the rest of the night, you know Somi will be home anytime soon. "I think I'm gonna go wash up."

He nods, crawling under his covers once you stand from his bed, tugging your skirt to its proper length as you search for your remaining clothing. "Oh, it's um…your shirt, it's over there." Jungkook awkwardly gestures towards a pile of clothing by the end of his bed.

Almost as quickly as you shred yourself of them, you snatch your clothing and bundle them up against your chest. 

"Listen, I know right now isn't really ideal, but I meant what I said about liking you, and really think we should talk." He says nervously, barely even able to look at you.

You almost want to laugh at how cute he is; instead, you agree to talk to him about it soon. You're about to head out into the hallway when Jungkook reminds you about your charging phone over by his desk.

You retrieve it and scan the area again, ensuring you haven't left anything else behind. When everything seems clear, you stand upright, but your eyes fall toward the trash bin near his window with the discarded condom. You're embarrassed to even look at it until you realize something seems off. It looks…empty. 

Now, you're no sex expert, but imagine that if Jungkook had finished, there'd be something to show for it in the condom. Right?

Did he fake his orgasm? Was this another one of his fucked up mind games you'd been subjected to? 

You don't know what to think as you step into the bathroom; your emotions are all over the place, and all you really want to do is go home. But you promised Somi you'd be here when she returns, so you stay.

The next time a Jeon sibling asks if you're okay is twenty minutes later when Somi finally arrives and asks why your eyes are so watery.

"I'm fine." You respond, and you're lying for the first time that night.

[wolfdykeviolet]

Ever since she found this strange book, she has been so intrigued with the secrets contained within it. So many interesting rituals and spells recorded inside.

It's all bogus, naturally. But it's pretty bogus, written in gorgeous fonts and with - honestly? - pretty hot drawings sketched in.

But there's one spell there that she has not been able to get out of her mind... The Body Takeover.

For the past week and a half it's been weighing on her mind constantly. Like she's drawn to it, her mind keeps wandering to that page in the book.

Fuck it. It's bogus anyway, but might as well try, right?

But who to try on, she wonders. She would need a hair of her "hopefully willing subject", as the book so optimistically puts it, so there's only a couple of options really. Definitely not mom and dad, that's for sure. It's gotta be either her girlfriend - no, can't do that, she's too busy and is barely coming over anymore - well it's got to be her then.

When nightfall arrives, she waltzes over to their shared bathroom, scans for her little sister's hairbrush, and plucks a few strands out from it. "This is so awkward" she thinks. But, well, it's bogus, right?

She retreats back to her room and gets to work. She prepares everything as it's shown in the book, she lights the candle in the middle of everything else, and chants the words inscribed on the page. Once she's done, she takes the strands of hair and lays them down in the flame.

That nasty smell of burning hair immediately hits her nose, it causes her to tear up and blink a few times. Once, twice, three blinks, and her room goes dark when she opens her eyes again.

She's in bed now? So was this just a dream? She exclaims "huh?" then her eyes grow wide when the voice coming out of her is not her own, but her little sister's sweet voice. This is her sister's room.

It worked?! She frantically looks around the room, barely lit by the moon peeking through the blinds. By her side, on the bed, lies a book. Is that...? It must be her journal. She shouldn't, she knows she shouldn't, but, she literally is her little sister right now, so why shouldn't she?

She gets up and takes the diary over to the desk, flicking on a little light, and skips to the most recent page. She's in disbelief at what she sees.

"I don't know what to think anymore. She's been looking at me all day again. But even more than she had been the last two weeks. I feel so seen by her. Does she know? Has she figured out my massive crush? Does she think I'm a disgusting freak and now she's always judging me? Not a minute goes by anymore where she isn't on my mind. I touched myself again to the thought of her last night but the thoughts are getting worse, I wish she would just barge in and kiss me and take me and not give a shit about what I think and- fuck, get it together! Of course she wouldn't. I'm the worst. But she still treats me the same as always, so at least she hasn't let on that she thinks I'm such a fuckup. I love you sis..."

The rest of the page is filled with tiny scribbles and the words "I love you big sis" repeated a few times, increasingly more disordered, until it ends.

...

---------

A few days later, she texts her little sister the words "I love you little sis", waits a few minutes, then takes over her body again. The spell has become easier; she does not react so strongly as she did last time to the burning, and smoothly glides over into her sister's body.

This time, she awakes not to her sister calmly resting, but to her touching herself with one hand while the other keeps the phone in hand, with one message highlighted. "I love you little sis".

"Holy shit, she's wetter than I've ever been" goes through her head as she picks up where her little sister left off. Her fingers are a bit clumsier, she doesn't know what spots feel best to this body, but as if this body naturally reacted to the presence inside it, it feels absolutely electrified. Like it senses those fingers aren't truly hers. The love for her big sister has etched itself so deeply into her that even her body instinctively reacts this viscerally to just her big sister's spirit.

It doesn't take long for her to orgasm, and oh what a big one. Her mind and body go into overdrive as she takes this body above its peak. She shakes and whines and whimpers until her body goes limp. Her own body could never feel this good.

She pants, spent from making her little sister cum this hard. She gets one last idea and, with a malicious grin, grabs the phone and snaps pictures of her bare body, trying to keep all the important bits censored. Trying, because her hard nipples are clearly on display in some of them. She sends those pictures over to herself as a reply to the "I love you" message, captioning them "I am thinking about you big sis".

Oh she's going to have so much fun with this.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Wolfsburg

Hardersson x Child!Reader

Part of The Big Adventures Universe

Summary: Wolfsburg vs Bayern

"If we keep our heads down," Magda mutters," We can pretend that she's not with us."

"Magda!"

You're walking ahead of your parents, practically skipping as you wear an old Wolfsburg Harder jersey. It's much too big for you so Pernille had to tuck it into your shorts this morning when you refused to wear anything else.

This match was all you'd been talking about for weeks, ever since you'd seen the fixture schedule for this month.

Even if you loved the Bayern jersey because it had red, it did not supersede your deep love for Wolfsburg.

It was slightly embarrassing and Magda stubbornly kept her head down as she headed out to inspect the pitch.

"Do my eyes deceive me," A voice that you used to be very familiar with says," Or is that the future of Wolfsburg?"

You grin. "Alex!"

Magda watches as Popp picks you up, spinning you around as Pajor appears over Pernille's shoulder.

"She's grown."

"Kids do that," Pernille laughs.

"She still supporting the right German club?"

"Unfortunately," Magda mutters.

"What position are we talking? We need to start training her up young."

"Goalkeeper," Pernille answers," Zećira's been training her for a while now."

Pajor laughs. "Then I'm sure she'll be great when she grows up."

Your hysterical giggle echo around the pitch as Popp turns you upside down and shakes you.

You stick by the Wolfsburg girls all throughout the pitch inspection and Magda has to actually drag you away when it's time to go in to change.

"I'm going to play for Wolfsburg one day," You tell Momma when she walks you out for warmups," Like you did."

Momma gently strokes the hair out of your face. "And I'm sure you will. Now, remember, you may support Wolfsburg but we're still Bayern so you can't celebrate too hard if they score a few goals, alright?"

You huff but agree.

Scottish Sam and Georgia laugh uncontrollably when you join them on the bench, happy in your Wolfsburg green.

"Don't be too sad when Wolfsburg loses," Georgia teases, ruffling your hair.

You shrug. "It's okay if they lose now," You say," Because when I play for them, they won't."

"Wow," Georgia says," Someone's sure of herself."

"I'm going to be really good," You reply earnestly, brows drawn together as if to stress how much you want this," Because Zećira is taking a lot of time to teach me and I don't want to let her down."

Georgia's face softens a fraction. "I think you're going to make her and your mums very proud."

You smile.

Georgia's right. Wolfsburg lose to Bayern but you're still in a good mood because it means Morsa and Momma are happy.

You let them both give you celebratory kisses but escape pretty quickly to see Alex and Ewa.

Ewa picks you up instantly, holding you on her hip as she and Alex speak with one of the Wolfsburg girls that joined after you and Momma left for England.

"I hear," Alex says," That you've started to collect jerseys."

You nod. "I got a Keira Walsh one at the world cup and I've got a Leah Williamson one on my wall."

"Wow," Ewa says," Have you got any more?"

"I do! My Tia Tana sent me ones for everyone on her team! And Daan gave me a Lyon one when I last saw her! Daan used to play for Arsenal before she moved to France, which is how I know her. I like Arsenal almost as much as I like Wolfsburg!"

Ewa laughs. "Good. Keep it that way. Wolfsburg's got to stay on top, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

Alex grins at you. "You know," She says, lowering her voice like she's telling you a secret," Pernille's jersey is kind of old."

You look down at it, tugging on the collar. "It's from when Momma used to play with you."

"I know," Alex says," How about we get you a new one?"

She grins at you and pulls her own shirt up and over her head.

"Really?"

"Come on, take it. I'll see you in it next time we meet, agreed?"

"Agreed!"

[b00kdiary]

Yours | Rhysand

Rhysand X Plus size reader

Y/N meets Rhys in a bar- one month after the worst night of her life. One month after he saved her. But Rhys has no interest in being a hero, and Y/N doesn't want to be a victim. They only want each other.

Warning: Mature themes (18+), swearing, allusions to SA/ r*pe, fluff, angst and smut.

MASTERLIST - 1 and 2

"For Cauldron's sake, Rhys," Cassian laughed, a husky, low sound. It interrupted my hazed thought, dragging me back to this room, with its incandescent lights and booming music. "You've been staring at her like a creep for hours, why don't you just go talk to her?"

I clear my throat, forcing boredom into my face as I roll back the sleeves of my navy shirt. My eyes move to stare at my brothers before me, both of them smirking, a knowing gleam in their dark eyes.

"No idea what you mean, Cass," I drawl, leaning back against the leather seat, my long legs spreading out before me. I curl my fingers around the cold glass on the table, a nonchalant smile tilting my lips as I bring the cup to my mouth and sip.

"No? So, you haven't been staring at the female sitting at the bar all night?" Azriel mused, his brow raised mockingly and the shadows around his shoulders dance with every word, as if amused. "The pretty one with all those lovely curves and the smile that could melt ice?"

My hand clenches around the glass at his words, just for a second, barely even long enough for anyone to notice- but Azriel does, he always does. I shake my head as his eyes twinkle, knowing he was goading me, talking about her to force a reaction from me and like an idiot, I fell for it.

"There are plenty of pretty females here tonight, Az," I counter, lying through my teeth with an easy smile. It takes every ounce of control in me, five hundred years' worth of control, to not look in her direction, to not be drawn back to her lovely form. "Why don't the two of you go bother them and leave me alone?"

Cassian snorts and my eyes narrow at him as he runs a hand over his stubbly jaw, his hazel eyes darkening as he glances at her- sitting at the bar, nursing a glass of wine in one hand while the other moved animatedly as she talked and laughed with her friend.

I felt a smile tug at my lips at the sight, at the bright grin and glowing eyes, that could indeed melt ice.

I can't help but look over her again, taking in her bouncing hair and plump, soft face. I ran my eyes down her body, over the dress that clung and moulded perfectly to every curve and dip and roll of flesh she had been blessed with.

"You're right Rhysand, we should go speak to one of the lovely females here tonight," Cassian nodded and as he began to rise from his seat, his eyes unwavering upon her, Azriel chuckled.

Under any other circumstance, I would have been laughing too, would have been utterly amused by Cassian's teasing, by the banter we always found ourselves in, even five hundred years later. But as he watched her, as that familiar desire lit in his gaze, something in me burned.

"Since you're not going to make a move on her brother, you won't mind if I-"

"Sit down," I breathe, low and sinister, and more than a few eyes turn to me at the vibration of dark power that begins to emanate from me as I glare up at Cassian. He smiles, victorious, and even despite the violence promised in my gaze, he doesn't relent. "Now, Cassian."

I could feel the Fae instinct in me scorching to life, that terrible, violent urge to hurt Cassian- he was my brother, my family, and yet the mere thought of him even looking at her, thinking about her in any way, made me want to tear his throat out.

"Now that we've established, you're a territorial prick and you are interested in her," Cassian beamed, unfazed by the intense and unfathomable power radiating off me, merely sitting back down and cocking his head at me. "Why don't you go talk to her? I've never known you to be shy, Rhys."

"I'm not shy," I bare my teeth at him, tendrils of jealousy and aggression still clawing at my chest. Cass and Az share an amused glance and I grit my teeth, choosing to chug back the remaining alcohol in my glass, before slamming it back onto the table. "I just don't want to make her uncomfortable, she might not want to see me."

"Why would she-" Azriel stops, and as usual, unsurprisingly, he connects the dots faster than anyone else would. Cassian furrows his brow at the contemplative look Azriel gives me. "The female you walked home last month- that's her?"

"The one with the boyfriend Rhys nearly killed?" Cassian scoffed, clearly remembering how furious I had been that night, how it had taken so much restraint and the both of them on guard to stop me from flying out to rip that bastard's head off. "Cauldron, I haven't seen you lose control like that in years."

"He was lucky- if the two of you hadn't stopped me and she hadn't begged me to leave it alone-" I grit my teeth, trying to extinguish the raw, scorching wrath still burning in my chest. My dark eyes turn to look at her, and as I take in her breathtaking smile, my chest tightens with the memory of that night.

The sound of her broken sobs, the way those bright eyes had shattered, filling with endless tears, how she had curled into herself, wilting like a dying flower- all because of him.

"Easy, Rhys, he isn't even here," Cassian cautions and I swallow thickly at the familiar feeling of the beast inside me rearing its head, the kind of violence and danger in me that only arose during the biggest threats, during the worst battles and now, in defence of her. "I've never seen you like this before."

"I know," I sigh, my eyes shut as I pinch the bridge of my nose, the tension in my body almost suffocating as I'm bombarded with the thoughts of that night, with the thoughts of her. "Fuck, I know."

"Go talk to her, Rhys, for your own sake at the very least," Azriel muses softly, and I can hear the unspoken words in his hazel eyes, the kind that told me to be happy, to stop putting everyone first and think of myself. "You never know what could happen, brother."

I inhale deeply, the strength of my brother's stares weighing heavy on me and yet again, my violet gaze drifts over to her and this time I don't ignore the magnetic force that pulls me in.

***

"Another drink, Y/N?" Lin smiles, her slim waist curving as she turns her long legs towards the bar, a sparkle in her eyes as she glances from the bartender back to me. "I know I need another one."

"You don't need to ply me with alcohol, Lin," I muse, cocking my head at her and she shrugs nonchalantly at my knowing smile, an innocent pout gracing her red lips. "I'm having fun, I promise."

"Are you though? It's been a long month and I just-" Lin sighs, her manicured nails coming forward and curling around my hand, settling our hold against one of my plush thighs. I smile at the worry creasing her brow, dimming the radiance in her eyes as she stares at me, "I just want you to be happy, Y/N."

"I am happy, Lin," I scoff, ignoring the ache in my chest, duller than it had been a week ago and yet still an ever-suffocating presence that loomed over me like a dark cloud. "But you know what you could do to make me even happier?"

"Tell me," She leans forward, her lovely face melting into an even lovelier smile, and her hand tightens around mine, an anchor that I'm glad for. "I'll do anything."

"Well, you can go and talk to that ridiculously tall and attractive male who's been ogling you for the last two hours," I drawl sarcastically, taking a pointed sip of my drink as she glances over her shoulder, her blonde hair bouncing as she locks eyes with him. "Don't think I didn't notice the two of you eye fucking from across the room."

She giggles, a purely feminine sound and I smirk at the way the male watches her, his blue eyes darkening into storm clouds, raking down her toned and slender figure like he could see through her clothes and Lin grinned like she knew it.

"But this is meant to be a girl's day, me and you and endless drinking until we're vomiting and regretting it desperately tomorrow," Lin groans and my shoulders sag at the conflict in her eyes- the pity. She didn't want to abandon me, and I hated it.

"I think I've had my fair share of drinks tonight; I'll probably head home soon-" I gnaw on my lip, already seeing the protest in her eyes, but when I raise a brow, glancing at that male again, she sighs, "Go, have wild sex with a hot stranger and then tell me all about it tomorrow."

I can see the anticipation in her body, and I force down the teasing remarks dying to come out as I take a sip of my drink, the burn as it slides down my throat distracting me from my own infinite loneliness.

"Or you could go find a hot male and have some wild sex of your own?" Lin giggles, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at me but I roll my eyes, slapping her hand and trying to usher her from her seat. "Fine, fine, but are you sure-"

Lin pauses, the words dying out on her lips and under the fluorescent lights her tan skin goes pale, her eyes widening in surprise as she glances, not at me, but past me.

"Hey, are you okay?" I laugh, my brows furrowing as Lin's eyes turn back to me and the smile that tugs at her lips is odd- knowing, giddy almost. "Lin, what-"

"I'm fine, incredible even, and you're about to be too, I think," She bites her lip, giggling as she lifts from her stool and onto her platform heels, her eyes shining like stars as she slowly backs away. "Have fun, Y/N."

"Okay, you too," I say slowly, half-laughing, half-confused as Lin saunters away, her hips swaying as she moves toward that expecting male. His eyes meet hers and the tension goes taut between them. "Don't drink anything he gives you!"

I laugh quietly to myself as I turn away from her, tucking my legs under the bar and shaking my head at her bizarre behaviour- it seemed Lin was more of a lightweight than I thought.

"Hello darling," A smooth, deep voice, like melted chocolate, greets me from behind and my body shivers at the easy sound, "Is this seat taken?"

"No, it's available, this one too I'm just about to leave-" The placated smile on my lips turns to a surprised 'o' as I toss my hair over a shoulder, my bright eyes lifting- and meeting with a constellation of violet.

Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court- and the male who had been there when I was at my lowest.

"High- High Lord," I stutter, my eyes widening and it's as if his presence spurs something deep in my chest and it has me shifting to sit straighter, my head angling up to meet his captivating gaze. "These seats are available-"

"Please, it's Rhys," He smiled, and I smelt the sweet aroma of night-blooming Jasmine and ocean breeze as he pulled out the chair beside me, his long, toned body elegantly taking a seat inches from me.

"Right, Rhys," I breathe softly, remembering how he had said the same thing that night. Though his eyes held more softness now, unlike that night no violence or death was gleaming in them.

"Can I get a bourbon on the rocks," I watch his handsome face glance at the bartender, and I can't help but run my gaze over him- the silken raven locks effortlessly tousled, the strong bridge of his nose, the tilt of his lazy smile, how he leaned back against the chair, his powerful form at ease.

"And another of what the lovely lady beside me is having."

My eyes snap back up to his at the words, and my cheeks burn at the sparkle in his eyes. The kind that told me he knew I was looking over every inch of him, and that I, like most females, liked what I saw.

"You'll stick around for one drink, I hope?" He questions, and my heart pounded in my chest as he leaned closer, his legs brushing mine and I felt the electricity of his touch lance through my entire body. "I could do with the company, darling."

Darling. The nickname made my stomach flip, the way it rolled off his tongue made it sound so erotic, sensual like he knew he could pleasure a female with just his words.

"One drink," I nod, swallowing thickly as the bartender places Rhysand's glass of Bourbon and my wine before us with a soft clink. "I suppose it's the least I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, I hope you know that" His voice softens, his eyes do too, and I know he's picturing me as I was that night. Crying. Shaking. A mess. His throat bobs, ringed finger tracing the rim of his untouched glass.

"I know, but I want to," I manage a small smile and the heat of his eyes on me, I feel it over every inch of my skin. Not purely sexual but seeing, like he couldn't take his eyes off me. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for what you did that night, I really am grateful for you helping me-"

"Please don't," Rhysand frowns, and his body is stiff now. All the warmth, all the teasing, has vanished from his eyes. Replaced by one thing- sadness. "Don't make me out to be some kind of hero for that night, Y/N. Anyone would have done the same-"

"And yet you were the only one who intervened," I scoffed, and his face tightened. The violet turned dark like midnight. "So many people passed us, so many people saw him grabbing me, heard how he was speaking to me. They saw me crying, heard me say no-"

My back hit the wall. Arms caged me in.

'You're nothing but a worthless fucking slut.'

'No, no, please, don't,' I felt the side of my dress tear open, the cold wind prickling my skin.

'A fat bitch who never listens,' I could taste metal in my mouth, his hand clamped down on my jaw, pinning me down. 'A fucking tease, wearing this dress and then telling me no when I want to touch what's mine.'

'Please, you're hurting me,' He laughed as I sobbed, groping along my body, the smell of alcohol on his breath making bile rise up my throat.

I heard the sound of a belt unbuckling.

'Someone please help me.'

"Y/N," His voice was hoarse as he spoke my name, pained. And when he laid one of his large, ringed hands against my knee, fingers curling around my flesh, I released a tight, desperate breath.

"You saved me that night, you and no one else," I blinked away the burning tears and locked my gaze with his. Power thrummed from him in waves, and the shadows in his eyes told me he remembered that night as well as I did, that it haunted him too.

"Perhaps you're too humble to think so," I cleared the lump in my throat, throwing Rhysand a teasing smile, or as much of one as I could manage. "But as far as I am concerned you were my hero that night, Rhys."

"I don't think humble is the word my family would use to describe me, darling," Rhys's lip quirked, and I knew he slipped into a mask of charm and playfulness for my sake. It made the ache in my chest ease. "I think the words they would use are more along the lines of arrogant, cocky, smug-"

"Charming, charismatic, flirtatious," I continued with a sly grin, and as I brought my glass to my mouth, Rhysand watched every movement keenly, shadows eclipsing his eyes as my lips parted and I sipped. "Clever, witty, swaggering."

"Careful, darling," His eyes flashed when my tongue flicked out to collect the droplets of wine off my bottom lip and I nearly purred when his fingers curled around my knee tighter. "You're inflating my already massive ego."

"I'm not done," I mutter softly, setting the glass before me again. Rhysand raises a brow, and his chest is rising and falling so harshly now. "Alluring. Gorgeous. Seductive."

His eyes twinkled like a thousand stars bursting to life and I knew he could hear how my heart was thundering in my chest.

"I fear you've got us confused," He breathed, and my entire body felt alight as he swooped his thumb back and forth against my thigh, his touch so consuming it was as if he were touching my bare skin. His lip quirked as if he knew it. "Those are words that describe you, not me."

I scoffed out a laugh, rolling my eyes but I couldn't deny the way his words made me feel. The way he made me feel. Tracing over my bright eyes and beaming smile, down my neck and chest, across my stomach and hips and thighs, his power thrummed as he took me in.

"Did you come here alone tonight?" I angled my head at him, feeling hot under his stare. Again, his thumb didn't stop soothing against me, so soft I was starting to get dizzy.

"I came with Cassian and Azriel," Rhysand nodded over his shoulder, "It was actually them who encouraged me to come speak to you."

"Encouraged you?" I raised a brow, surprised and the chuckle that escaped him ran over my skin. "What happened to arrogant, cocky, smug Rhysand?"

"Apparently as Cassian put it, I became the creep who was staring relentlessly at a beautiful female for hours," Rhys drawled, and a surprised laugh burst from me at his words. He rolled his violet eyes, but I swear under these lights, I could see a tint of red staining his cheeks.

The High Lord of the Night Court.

The most powerful High Lord in existence.

Blushing.

"You're laughing at me?" Rhysand cocked a brow, hand coming to his chest in faux offence, " I've been mocked by my brothers and now by the female, I like. I'm wounded darling, truly."

The female I like.

Cauldron.

"Poor High Lord," I pouted, my delicate hand coming down and resting over his at my knee. I shivered at the feeling of his skin against mine, and his eyes flashed down to where we touched. "It seems you can't catch a break tonight."

"Oh, I wouldn't say it's been a total loss," He mused lowly, his eyes lingered on our hands, on how much smaller mine was compared to his before they lifted to meet my gaze. Shadows and stars. Utterly consuming. "I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"And I'm here with you," I smiled, and it was the most genuine smile I've had in a while. Rhysand's eyes softened as if he knew it too. As if he could feel my content right now as strongly as I could.

But it wasn't just content. As I stared at him, at this beautiful, powerful, captivating male before me, I couldn't deny the ache that spread through my core. Couldn't ignore how just his hand at my knee made my thighs clench.

His eyes fell to where my legs clamped shut and something wholly dark filled his gaze, something that made it impossible to hide my arousal. His throat worked, and I knew he could smell exactly what my body wanted.

"Would Cassian and Azriel mind if I stole you for the night?" I asked, soft, breathless, I couldn't get the words louder than a whisper. Because I was afraid- of rejection, of embarrassment, of saying it aloud.

But he heard me. I knew he did.

I saw the muscles in his thighs tense, his whole body turning hard as stone. Even that hand at my thigh seemed to turn stiff. His eyes met mine, his mouth parting- and then closing. Like he didn't know what to say.

"Oh," I forced out a strained laugh, humiliation burning through me as I sat up, pulling my thigh from Rhysand's hold and frantically looking anywhere but at him. "It seems I've read this whole situation wrong."

He didn't want me.

He was just being kind.

He was just trying to make sure I was okay.

Of course, he didn't want me.

"No, no, don't-" His voice was sure, strong. As I reached to grab my purse, his hand curled around my wrist, gentle but firm, keeping me sat where I was. I clamped my eyes shut, twisting my face so that I did not have to face him. "You did not read this wrong at all, not at all Y/N."

"Rhysand, it's alright," I mumbled, trying to pull my hand free from his hold, but he wouldn't relent. I heard his body shift until his thighs were pressed to mine and I knew he was inched from me. "You don't have to say anything, I understand-"

"No, you don't darling," He snarled softly, and my body shook when his hand came to my chin and turned my face to his. I blinked, barely breathing as I met his burning violet eyes so close to mine. "I can hear those thoughts running through your mind right now. Stop, stop and don't even dare think that for a second again."

His thumb brushed my cheek, and I couldn't breathe with how close he was to me. So close I could smell the bourbon and mint with every breath against my mouth, so close I could count the stars in his eyes.

"I would like nothing more than for you to steal me away tonight, to steal me away every night," He admitted, his voice stern and commanding. "Some very selfish, greedy, dark part of me has been staring at you all night picturing exactly that. Picturing just how we would spend those hours."

Low, sultry words that made my heart race.

"But?" I whispered, my voice shaking. My whole body was shaking now.

"But I do not want you to see me as a hero, to see me as some kind of saviour," His words were unsteady, pained and I hated the frown that tilted his lips. wanted to soothe out the furrow in his brow. "I don't want you to think you owe me this. I want you to want to."

I swallowed and melted into the touch, the callouses of his fingers at my face making me sigh. My hand curled around his wrist, strong and sure, and I met his eyes with certainty.

"I do want to," I said, louder this time, "You do not want to be a hero, fine. But I do not want to be a victim, Rhys. Don't try and make me one."

Surprise flashed in his eyes. And something else. Something akin to fire, like my words lit a blaze in him.

"Cassian and Azriel definitely will not mind you stealing me away tonight," He rasped, voice like gravel and my body shivered at the smirk he gave me. "Let me grab your purse for you, darling."

***

Walking back to my apartment with Rhys, it was hard not to remember that night.

How different it had been.

How I had been shaking and crying, wrapped in a blanket to cover the exposed skin revealed under the tatters of my dress. How Rhysand had been violently still, his eyes so black it was as if a void had sucked away all the stars in them.

And how that awful, pulsing black magic had coiled around his hands. The same black magic that had wrapped around that male's throat, that had ripped him off of me, dropped him to his knees and squeezed the air from his lungs until he turned purple.

I remember seeing Rhysand appear in a cloud of black smoke, looking like death itself.

My head spun with how he had looked at me as he guided me home, walking trembling step after step, and something so pained, so agonised had filled his gaze. I knew it was me and me alone that kept him from killing that male, it was his need to take care of me first that had quelled the unparalleled desire he had to destroy him.

And now, a whole month later, as we walked under the sheet of stars and moonlight above, I couldn't help how my stomach coiled, a mixture of nerves and excitement dancing through me.

"I'm sure it's not the kind of luxury you're used to," I smiled, turning the handle of my front door, and pushing it open to reveal the dark expanse beyond. "But this is it. Home."

The Fae lights in my living room flickered on, dousing the small space. I stepped inside, Rhysand's tall form ducking under my doorway as he entered. I couldn't help but glance to and from his face as I locked the door behind us, watching him take in my home.

It felt intimate somehow. Him being here.

"It's lovely," Rhys smiled, violet eyes bright as he took in the simple leather couch and oak table, the shelves full of books and ornaments. He glanced forward, to the kitchen attacked to the side, drink bottles littering the island.

"I don't really bring people back here, males I mean," I laughed awkwardly, my stilettos clicking against the floor as I led Rhys further into my house. "My roommate, Lin, usually has people, males and females alike over all the time."

"I'm honoured to be here, then," I stopped at the kitchen island, dropping my purse on the table. My eyes met his, saw them darken as a smirk lined his lips "And selfishly, I'm glad that you don't bring males back here."

"Why?" I breathed, my chest rising and falling in waves as he inched closer to me. Stopping close enough that my taut nipples brushed his hard chest. "Feeling possessive? I didn't think High Lord Rhysand was the jealous type."

"Oh darling, I am the jealous type. The possessive type too," He murmured, and my eyes fluttered when his hands fell to my hips, pulling me flush to his chest and kneading the flesh there. "Because when you're mine, you're only mine."

"And am I?" I tilted my head to meet his eyes and the look in my gaze made his fingers tighten at my hips. "Yours?"

"Yes, if you would like to be," His voice turned quiet, sincere. I smiled at it, at the softness in his eyes. "I would like you to be."

"I would like to be too," My hand came up and cupped his strong jaw, loving how he melted into the touch. "Especially tonight. Kiss me Rhys."

He groans like I'm going to be the death of him. And then his head is dipping, and those sweet, pink lips collide with mine.

Cauldron, I knew he could kiss. But this was better than I could have hoped for.

My back hits the island as Rhys claims me, lips moving slow and steady against mine, strong hands keeping me in place. My mind spins as he kisses me, working me through every lap of his tongue teasing mine, one hand moving to tilt my chin, before resting at my throat.

The marble at my back digs painfully, but I don't care, not as Rhys slips his tongue past my lips, wet and hot and exploring. He groans at the taste of wine in my mouth, and my pussy clenches around nothing at the heady sound.

"Rhys," I whimper at the feeling of his long, hard cock straining in his pants, and pulsing against my stomach. He kisses and nips at my jaw, and I can't help but rub against him, loving how he shudders.

"Darling, I suggest you stop doing that," He snarls softly, canines scraping my neck and his hands clamp down, halting my movement. "Unless you want me to bend you over this island and fuck you raw right now."

I moan at his filthy words, back arching when his hands shift down to cup and fondle my ass. He laughs, sinister and low, violet eyes flashing to mine and brightening.

"Dirty girl, you'd like that wouldn't you?" He muses, smirking as he kneads my ass, rings digging into me. "Perhaps another night. Tonight though, I'd prefer to be a gentleman and take you for the first time on a bed."

"I happen to have a great bed," I whisper, my hands on his chest, pushing at the corded muscle. He chuckles again, mocking me, but he does relent, pulling me along with him. "First door on the right."

"First you let me into your home, now your bedroom," Rhysand smirks at me over his shoulder, his large hand interlaced with my small one. My stomach tilts and whirls as he pushes open my door. "It must be my lucky night."

"Arrogant, cocky, and smug indeed," I roll my eyes, seeing his smile brighten when the lights in my room flicker to life. Before I knew it, we were inside, the door closed and locked behind us. Alone.

He must sense my unease because he turns on his heel, his face serene as he glances over my small room. The double-sized bed, the pink cotton sheets, the small dresser and cabinet and more shelves stuffed full of books.

"You like to read?" He muses, walking over to the bookshelves and running a long, slender finger across their spines. My breasts ached at the thought of him touching me with those hands. His eyes peered over a shoulder at me- dark like he had heard that thought.

"Yes," I managed to say, throat dry as I fiddled with my thumbs. "I was big on fairy tales as I kid. Now I like more... adult stuff."

"Adult?" Rhysand's brow rose and every inch of me was molten as he turned around to face me, leaning against my draw with his arms tucked into his slacks and his powerful body at ease. "Adult-like romance or adult-like females being pleasured six ways to Sunday?"

I burst out laughing at that and Rhysand's smile grew, broad and lovely at the sound. He made it so easy to be around him, made it so easy that the anxiety in my chest faded into nothing.

"The second," I said quietly, and the air turned still as I moved toward him, taking step after slow step. "Though I'm yet to experience it myself. Being pleasured six ways to Sunday as you so eloquently put it."

I stop before him. I place one hand on his hard chest, feeling his heart racing under my palms. And then I glance up, fluttering my dark lashes and praying this looks sexy and not creepy.

Again, he laughs.

"Allow me to remedy that for you, darling," He grins and when his hand cups my jaw, I let myself go slack against him. His lips against mine are heaven, I could kiss this male for the rest of my fucking life. He kissed me back like he shared that sentiment.

I stumble back with him, our teeth clashing and lips bruising as we kiss and my hands touch him everywhere- through his dark, silken hair tugging at the roots, scratching down his neck and broad shoulders, feeling his muscles ripple under my fingers as I claw at him.

My legs bump against the bed but instead of pushing me down, his hands move to my dress. To the ties at the back. He pauses, panting as he pulls his lips from mine. I groan at the loss of contact, nibbling on his teeth as he draws away. But he peers at me, and I can see all the questions in his eyes.

For a second, I feel different hands touch me. Vile and degrading and horrible, all over my body. I smell bitter alcohol, invading my senses, and it's almost as if I can feel the wind piercing through the rips in my dress just like it did that night.

But then I blink. And It's Rhys again. With that lovely smile and those kind eyes. With those exploring, gentle hands and those lips that taste like sin. It's Rhys. And he wants me.

"May I?" He mutters, brushing his lips across mine in the barest kiss. I sigh when his fingers rest on the knots at the back. If I gave him the word to stop, he would, no questions asked. That was exactly why I didn't want him to stop.

"Yes," I said, and my voice did not so much as shake. I met his eyes and showed him how I felt, how badly I wanted him and nodded again. "Yes, please."

Rhys smiled and his eyes never left mine as he tugged the strings at the back of my dress, something akin to adoration blazing in his eyes as it all came loose. I braced myself as his gentle hands tugged down the material, letting it fall down my body and to the floor.

I was in nothing but my underwear now.

Rhys didn't look down. His eyes stayed on me. My throat bobbed, but I nodded to him again.

It was palpable, the shift in his eyes the second they lowered from my face. Down, down, down. Over my bare aching breasts, over my perked nipples, across my stomach and hips, over all the fat there, and down my thighs, dipping between them as I clenched them shut.

Desire. I felt it vibrating off him in waves. Like he truly thought I was beautiful.

"I hate the doubt in your eyes right now, in your mind," He said softly, and my body shivered when he trailed one finger across my collarbone, and down my chest. "I hate that you can't see how perfect you are, how fucking perfect your body is."

I shivered as he traced his fingers over my taut nipple, a moan slipping past my lips at the feel of his callouses against me.

“It’s not easy for me to feel like that,” I whispered, my voice shaking as he cupped my breasts, pinching the nipple and letting the weight and feel of them fill his hands. “But it’s easier right now. With you, it’s easier to believe.”

Something shifted in Rhysand’s eyes at my words. It was almost emotional, like what I said meant more to him than I could ever know. I lifted onto my tiptoes and pressed a slow, exploring kiss against his lips. It was the kind that I had read about books, that I had dreamed about, his lips moved against mine and felt right.

His hands are sure as he guides me down to sit on the bed and not for a moment does he break his lips free from mine. Rhysand’s hands explore my body, kneading my flesh as he kisses and suckles down my neck, my moans mixing with the wet sound of his mouth against my skin.

I’m not sure I’m breathing as he runs his hands along my hips and thighs, mouth smearing spit and scraping teeth against my breasts. His fingers hook under my underwear and within seconds it’s tugged down my legs and tossed to the floor.

I flutter open my eyes and something molten spreads through me.

Because Rhysand was on his knees before me. And it’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.

“Do you like me this, darling?” He muses, purely male satisfaction on his face as he drags my supple thighs apart. His eyes drop between my legs, to the swollen wetness there and he moans. “High Lord of the Night Court, bowed before the prettiest cunt he’s ever seen.”

I feel like I might climax just from his words. Just from how fucking feral he looks as he takes in my wetness, his hands at my thighs bruising as he keeps my legs apart.

I rest back on my hands, my arms shaking as Rhysand’s smug face inches closer and closer to the apex of my thighs, the violet in his gaze almost as dark as midnight as my arousal fills the air. I’m burning hot, everywhere and the anticipation is killing me.

But mercifully Rhys is no tease. He doesn’t have the patience for it tonight.

“Rhys,” I moan, my toes curling when his head dips between my thighs and he licked a broad stroke up the length of my cunt. Taking all the wetness from my entrance and smearing it up to my swollen clit. He does it again, growling, and I can hear how wet I am.

“Relax, darling,” Rhys murmurs and I gasp in surprise when his hands hook under my thighs, tugging me to the edge of the bed- and then he goes feral.

“Cauldron, oh my- Rhys,” My body is shaking as Rhys tastes me, his tongue flicking over my bundle of nerves again and again, so hard and fast I can feel the pleasure down to my toes. He groans as he does so, the sound vibrating through my core and making my head spin.

My eyes close, my arms give out and I’m lying on my back, arching against my sheets, Rhys holding my thighs and hips like a boulder. He doesn’t relent even as my cries grow erratic, his tongue slipping down to fuck into my hole, hot and warm and knowing exactly what he’s doing.

One finger slips in. and then another. And another.

Three fingers and I’m clamped around him like a vice, his fingers fucking into me, his tongue suckling at my clit, my moans, his moans- it was dancing through the room like a symphony. It feels like minutes before that pit in me starts to grow and I know I won’t last long; I don’t want to last long.

“Rhys, please-“ I don’t know what I’m begging for. But he does, he knows what I need. Because his lips close around my clit and those long, graceful fingers curl up into a deep, spongey spot inside me, hitting a button that makes me scream.

Searing hot light burns through me and I can feel Rhys grinning against my cunt as my orgasm hits me, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I cry his name again and again, my body on fire as he buries his fingers inside me, still sucking and nibbling on my clit. Dragging out every last inch of my climax.

“Rhys, Rhys-“

He chuckles, like a smug bastard, lips plucking back from my swollen clit and those three fingers slipping out of my pulsing hole. I shudder, sweat coating my skin and when he finally unhooks his arms from my legs, I sag to the bed, panting.

My eyes are closed and all I can do is catch my breath as tendrils of my orgasm coil through me, disappearing inch by inch.

The bed dips around me and I feel the familiar power and warmth as Rhysand ascends over me, two hands braced on either side of my head, my thighs wrapping around his waist. I blink my eyes open, seeing a constellation above, and the sweetest smile.

“Hello, darling,” Rhys smirks and I chuckle as I take in the pleased expression he wore, loving me so strung. He lifts one hand, brushing the damp hair from my face and I croon when he runs the pad of his thumb over my mouth. “Do you want to stop?”

“No,” I say immediately. Something almost terrifying drapes across his face as I take his thumb past my lips and into my mouth, twirling my tongue around the digit and staring into his eyes. He plucks it free, looking like he could devour me. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Alluring. Gorgeous. Seductive.” Rhys muttered, voice like gravel and my entire body purred when he knelt back on my bed and began to undo his shirt. “Definitely the words to describe you, Y/N darling.”

I stay silent as I watch him easily undo one button at a time, the graceful movements of his fingers almost sensual as more and more skin, covered with dark whorls is revealed to me. I’m breathless as he tugs off the material throwing it off the bed, captivated by the lean, hard muscle, and the slender dip of a v-line at his waist.

He grins down at me as my hands come up to his chest, muscles flexing as I claw down his pecs, teasing his nipples, scratching his abs, tracing the faint dusting of hair all the way down to his slacks. His eyes burn into me as I fiddle with the ties, tugging the front of his slacks loose to free his length straining inside.

I undo the last button and my pussy clenches as his cock springs free, slapping back against his stomach. It’s the prettiest cock I’ve ever seen. Long and thick, veined and tan, small beads of pre-cum slipping down the head and dropping onto my thigh.

Not sure I’ve ever had a female tell me my cock is pretty before, darling.

The sound echoes through my mind and I jolt at it, surprised. My eyes meet his, see them twinkling and every atom in me throbs when his hands wrap around his length, and he pumps himself. I whimper, his eyes on mine watching me fall apart at the sight of touching himself.

Fuck me, Rhys.

I send the thought out to him through my mind, not knowing how it works but hoping he would get the message anyway. He did- I could tell just by how hard he fisted himself now, his pre-cum spilling down his hand as he stroked up and down.

You need it, darling? Need me? He teased through my mind, so arrogant it made me scowl at him.

Yes, asshole. I hissed, and he laughed aloud, eyes bright with amusement. I need you, fuck me, please.

He groans and I’m grinning as he leans forward, bracing his palms on either side of me, his powerful body atop of me now. I felt small under him, felt like I was completely at his mercy and that feeling seemed to make me even more wet.

“Wrap your leg around my hip, darling,” Rhys said softly, and I was more than eager when he guided my thigh up, wrapping it around him, fingers splaying over my flesh. “Wanna get as deep as I can into this sweet pussy.”

“Rhys,” I whined, my eyes fluttering as he dragged his tip through my folds, the pressure against my swollen lips and sore clit making me feel like I might explode. “Rhys- please-“

He slips his tip into me. And my eyes roll as he sinks and sinks and sinks into me. Inch after perfect inch. Stretching me so fucking wide that my head starts to spin. He stops when his hips meet mine, maxing out and I swear I feel the shape of him imprinted against my stomach.

“Fuck, you’re wrapped around me so tight,” Rhys curses and his fingers tighten around my flesh. I tilt my neck up when his lips meet mine, desperate and needy for the feel of him, the taste of him, as the pain between my legs slowly eases to mild discomfort.

“Move Rhys,” I claw up his chest and shoulders, burying my fingers in his hair.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” He mutters, groaning as he slowly pulls his length out, my wetness making it so easy for him to move. I moan at the tendrils of pleasure that spark through me as he drags himself out and then in, again and again, barely moving.

“I can handle it, Rhys,” I force his eyes to meet mine and I know he’s holding himself back. For my sake. I roll my hips, and the moan that escapes him as he slips in deeper makes my toes curl. “Move, Rhys.”

Rhys snarls low in his throat. And then he pulls out to the tip before shoving his cock inside me in one full stroke until his hips slam against mine. I cry out and it’s almost euphoric how good it feels.

“That’s it,” He praises, jaw clenched and muscles hard as stone as he rolls his hips into me, hard and fast, tip brushing against my walls in a way that makes me endlessly moan. “Feel how good you fit around me, darling.”

I whine at the filthy words he snarls into my ear, canines nibbling at my earlobe as he fucks in and out of me. He lifts my leg higher up his waist and our moans sync when he sinks into me, so far, I can feel him hitting the back of me.

“Oh Rhys,” I cry his name again and again, his cock inside me feeling so full, every stroke stealing the breath from my lungs.

He ruts his hips up to meet me, the sound of him fucking in and out of me, so wild and demanding, is like music in the room, mixing with our moans, our low curses, and the way our hands wander over each other, unable to get enough.

“Look at me, Y/N,” Rhys commands, and I gasp, eyes fluttering open when his hand clamps around my jaw, tilting my neck to meet him. I see the darkness and depravity and need burning like fire through his eyes. Watching my face twist, my eyes roll as he fucks me, skin slapping skin.

“I’m so close, Rhys-“ I babble, back arching and my hand curls around his wrist still holding my jaw. My insides feel like mush as he hits that button inside me again and again. “I’m so fucking close.”

“Yeah? You gonna come, darling?” He taunts, and I nearly start sobbing when his hand moves from my thigh, between our bodies and starts rubbing erratically at my clit. He laughs, like he fucking loves it, loves seeing me fall apart, “That’s it, come for your High Lord. Wanna feel you milk me dry.”

There’s something so commanding, so burning and domineering in his words, in those star-flecked eyes that when he dives his hips into me again, when his thumb flicks at my clit, my entire body erupts with my orgasm.

“Rhys, Rhys, Rhys-“

I cry out, black dots blurring my vision and my body bucking and writhing against his hard muscles as release ripples over me like a tidal wave. Rhysand grunts as I clench around him, suffocating his cock inside me, the orgasm hitting me and lasting longer than I’ve ever had.

“Just like that,” He pants, and I feel his movements become sloppier, more erratic, more careless, driven to the edge by me coming around him.

My body trembles with the aftermath of my orgasm, edged on by the way Rhys still moved in and out of me, chasing his own high. And when his forehead rests against mine and he groans, guttural and heady and low, I know he’s found it.

My eyes blink open, desperate to watch him fall apart. And it doesn’t disappoint.

I watch, breathless, as Rhysand tips his head back, exposing the strong column of his throat and the sound that escapes him, the guttural moan, as he stills inside me has the walls of my room shaking. Pure, unfiltered power radiates from him and my pussy throbs as he spills inside me, hot and wet and endless.

I can’t tear my eyes off him as his orgasm fades and I’m smiling as he sags against my body, the both of us sweating and panting, melting into the other’s embrace.

He stays seated inside me and wraps his arms around my body, sinking into my warmth and softness and looking more than content. He sighs, pressing a kiss to my lips, once, twice, a smile curling his lips when I giggle.

“Darling,” Rhys whispers, his eyes tender as he lifts onto his elbow to meet my stare, “I meant what I said before. I want you to be mine. And not just tonight.”

There’s an ache behind my eyes as he stares at me, looking at me with so much adoration, so much love that I feel like he’s wrapped a hand around my heart and squeezed.

“I want that too,” I whisper back, cupping his jaw. He presses a kiss to the inside of my palm, grinning.

“As a gentleman, I should ask then,” He teases, inching his face closer to mine and resting his forehead against me. “Will you go out with me?”

I snort, eyes creasing as I laugh and Rhys beams at me, peppering kisses at my jaw and lips as I giggle.

“Yes, Rhys,” I say softly, drowning in those wonderful, tender, violet eyes. “I would love to go out with you.”

__________________________________________________

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Taking requests for all SJM men x plus size reader!

[chimchimsauce]

How the LADS Boys React to You Being Ace

In celebration of International Asexual Day <3

Zayne

As your doctor, it's safe to say that Zayne knows quite a lot of your personal information - maybe more of it than you would like tbh

You never had to actually "come out" to him

Zayne knew you were ace longer than you did

After all, you always answered "no" to that dreaded question that comes up at every checkup

Though, even if you didn't, he would have known anyway

He's always paid special attention to you - he probably knows you better than you know yourself

On top of that, Zayne is on the spectrum himself

He can take sex or leave it, it doesn't matter much to him

Zayne discovered the label when he was studying in college and taking a gender and sexuality course and immediately felt drawn to it

When you finally muster up the courage to confess your feelings to him, mumbling something about aces and cake and other poor analogies, he just smiles at you softly and takes your hand

"All I've ever wanted is to be close to you. Nothing else matters."

He eventually comes out to you one day when you're complaining about not having any asexual friends

"Are we not friends?"

It takes you longer than you'd like to admit to understand what he means.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked."

Rafayel

Honestly, you had never planned on talking about sexuality with Raf

He's just so blase about everything - being in his presence never opened up the opportunity to have any sort of deep discussions

But everything changed after Ebb day.

Rafayel was so sick - so vulnerable - and yet he trusted you with such a huge secret

It's only fair for you to tell him something personal about yourself, right?

The next time you visit him, you blurt it out as soon as he comes into view

"I'M ASEXUAL!"

He's so startled that he drops his paintbrush

"Why are you shouting?" he asks, bending down to pick it up

"I'm asexual," You say again, this time a bit quieter.

Your heart is beating a million times a minute

"I heard you the first time," he says, brushing his hair out of his eyes

"Is that all you have to say?" you ask him

"Congratulations," he says sarcastically

"You're so annoying," you say, rolling your eyes and walking over to see what he's painting

"At least I know you don't want me for my body," he says, "I was beginning to think you were secretly one of my groupies with the way you stare at me so much."

"I do NOT stare at you!"

"Suuuuure you don't."

Later that day, when the sun has melted behind the shore and the stars hang heavily in the sky, you pause at the door, fingers barely brushing the brass doorknob.

"Raf," you say, refusing to turn your head to look at the artist lounging on the couch

"Yes?"

You fall quiet, not sure what you want to say.

"Stop worrying that pretty little head of yours, Miss Bodyguard. I told you I never want you to leave my side. Nothing will change that."

Xavier

It's been a long day

There was a Wanderer attack that took longer than you thought it would to resolve

On top of that, there was a long meeting you couldn't skip

All you wanted to do was go home, take a shower, and sleep for a thousand years

So how did you end up squished in a booth next to Xavier as Tara happily prattles on about the date she went last night

You're happy for her, honestly, and any other time you'd love to sit and gossip with her, but you're just too tired today.

As if reading your mind, Xavier suddenly stands up, startling Tara

"I just remembered I have to get home to feed my dog," he says, offering his hand to you, "We'll see you at work tomorrow."

Without even giving the poor girl a chance to respond, he whisks the two of you out of the restaurant, starting the journey home

"Thanks, Xav. You saved me back there."

"It was nothing," he says quietly.

The sky is dark, but several street lamps illuminate the surroundings. Shadows bounce across his face with every step.

"You know, I'm a little bit jealous of Tara," you say after several minutes in silence

"Why?"

"It must be nice to date like that."

His steady gait slows

"What do you mean?"

"It's just -" your tongue darts out to wet your lips.

You've known Xavier for years at this point. Surely you can tell him, right?

"I'm asexual."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Xavier asks, turning to look at you.

"It just makes dating difficult. It's a dealbreaker for most people it seems."

He cocks his head to the side.

"You don't have problems dating at all," he says.

Now it's your turn to be confused.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been dating for two years."

"Xavier, what are you talking about?" you ask, face reddening at the mere thought of dating your favorite coworker

"We've been partners for two years."

"Hunting partners!" you interject

"Yes," he says, nodding, "And life partners."

You blink at him, dumbfounded.

"We have keys to each others' houses, we eat dinner together almost every day, I hold your hand everywhere we go -"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" You say, embarrassed, "I must be a terrible partner. I probably can't even give you what you want."

"Nonsense. There's only one thing I want from you," he says.

"What's that?"

"The rest of my life with you."

[pressplay-if]

im on my knees begging u for zima's nsfw alphabet🥹🥹🥹🥹(also hope you're having a lovely day! love the IF so far!)

Alright alright haha. I've had a bunch of ppl begging for Zima's version now; don't worry, I hear y'all, I was just busy.

To preface: Zima would act very different with the MC as opposed to any other partner, so all these answers basically only apply to MC. With others, Zima is way less affected. Also, this is the longest of the RO alphabets, because Zima and MC's relationship is by far the most variable out of all of them.

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Depends. If it's a hatefuck, Zima is just gonna zip up, f!Zima maybe lingering for a second to redo her makeup, but won't say a word. They'll be too overwhelmed to talk. They're seething, but they're also really disappointed in themself and just plain scared. So no, there'll be no cuddling, no pillow talk, nothing.

If the hookup happens after a truce has been achieved between Zima and MC, they won't be as angry, but still really overwhelmed and sad. I don't want to go into what Zima would be like in an actual relationship too much bc there's so much that needs to happen in the story for them to get to that point that it'd make this answer highly spoilery.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Zima fluctuates between feeling incredibly sexy and absolutely hating everything about themselves. Sometimes, f!Zima loves her slight abs, other times she's downright scared they make her look like a man. Sometimes, she adores her large ass, other times, she thinks it makes her look fat. M!Zima loves his muscles and towering over people, but it only takes one bad memory to resurface and suddenly, he hates how heavy he is and wishes he was more toned and graceful. It's a constant up and down.

In a partner, Zima likes just about anything. It's always different things that draw them to someone. Fun fact: They actually like bigger stomachs, butts, etc., even though they're deadly afraid of having one themselves. They love smackable parts xD of course, it's not a requirement. Zima always finds sth else to be drawn to. To them, any person can be hot.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

It's a big shrug. Zima thinks cumming is overrated.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

No secret of their own, but here's a plot point that kind of fits and might be cool to know: as the band's rise goes on, Zima turns into a sex symbol. They openly enjoy this.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

They are the most experienced out of all the ROs!! DEFINITELY knows what they're doing.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Anything that has the other person lying down and Zima above them. Zima likes being in control, and watching the other person react to whatever they're doing. This might be different with the MC if it's a hatefuck. Zima might turn MC over to face away from them in that case.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Not humorous whatsoever. They're serious to the point of seeming methodical.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

F!Zima waxes her legs and bikini zone, like, religiously. She prefers this over shaving because the wax makes it so the hairs come back soft and not stubbly, and she has a high threshold for pain.

M!Zima has a lot of soft body hair which he rather likes, but he does shave his chest sometimes, because he sometimes goes onstage shirtless and oiled up to show off his muscles, and the oil makes the chest hair look all weird.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

messyyyy.... so messyyyy. It's too complicated to really describe; you'll have to wait and see how it is in the game.

BUT with a partner that's not the MC, Zima's pretty detached.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

They masturbate a lot, and they love using toys on themself.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

They like being in charge, and they like having the other person beg. Also they love using toys on the other person.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

A bed.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Could be anything! With the MC tho, it's mainly strong emotions. When they harmonize or sing into the same mic, Zima could melt right into a puddle. When they fight and tension is rising, there's a part in the back of Zima's mind that makes them want to tear their own clothes off right then and there.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Pretend like everything's alright and this is healthy.

[Okay guys I accidentally clicked "post" way too soon so Imma post the other letters separately. Sorry ;-;]

[brbsoulnomming]

Tell Me Sweet Little Lies Part 14

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | AO3

-----

Everyone does end up having to go home. Except him, obviously, and Steve, whose house Eddie has learned he's apparently going to be squatting in until they can figure out a way to clear his name.

Is it squatting if he's invited? Eh, whatever.

Nancy and Robin swing by to drop off the prescriptions they'd picked up for Eddie. Both of them linger, long enough that Eddie thinks they might just stay - kind of wants them to stay, torn between wanting to be alone with Steve and not wanting to be alone with Steve.

Robin hugs Steve really tight, and he folds her up in his arms and holds her close, just staying like that for a long, long few minutes, talking so quietly they can't be heard. Nancy takes both their hands and squeezes when they're done, and surprises Eddie by giving his hand a squeeze as well. Robin looks like she kind of wants to launch herself at Eddie and hug him, too, but she settles for ruffling his hair, and then grimacing when her hand comes away grimy.

He laughs at her, and they promise to check in tonight, then they both leave.

Mrs. Sinclair comes to pick up Lucas and Erica and Max, and Eddie stays out of sight with his heart hammering in his throat, but they don't venture beyond the front hallway. Eddie can't quite make out what she says as she picks them up, but her tone is low and worried, and there's an underlying note of a familiarity, a gratitude, as she speaks briefly to Steve.

Eddie wonders, again, how long they've all been doing this. How many times their parents have worried about them, how many times Steve has apparently brought them home safely, looking beat to hell.

Mrs. Henderson is much louder when she comes to collect Dustin, though she doesn't go into the living room either. He can hear her fussing over the bandages around Steve's neck, asking how bad it is, sounding only mildly reassured when he tells her that it wasn't as bad as Starcourt. She asks him to come stay with her and Dustin, and Eddie thinks he can hear something like longing in Steve's voice when he declines, promising to come to dinner next week instead.

Then it's just him and Steve.

Steve collapses on the recliner, tipping his head back. Eddie's eyes are drawn to the long line of his throat, the stretch of tendons and muscle broken up by white gauze.

His mouth goes dry.

"I've got a guest room ready for you upstairs," Steve says.

His throat works as he speaks, and it takes Eddie a moment to process it.

"Fuck," Eddie mumbles. "Stairs, really?"

Steve laughs softly, tipping his head back up. "Yeah. It's got an ensuite and the bed's decent, we can set you up a lot better in there."

Eddie swallows. He wants to ask why Steve's doing this for him, but he's a little bit afraid of the answer, so he just makes an exaggerated whine of complaint.

It works to make Steve chuckle again, at least, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll be glad once you're in an actual bed. Look, I'll get you some food and your next dose of meds first, just hang tight for a bit."

Eddie grumbles unintelligibly, but honestly, Steve's probably right. He must doze off a little, because the next thing he knows, Steve is gently shaking him awake, helping him sit up, and giving him something.

"What's this?" he asks, blinking blearily down at the bowl Steve handed him. It kind of looks like chunky baby food, though it smells pretty good.

"Oh, uh, frozen shepherd's pie," Steve says. "Not a lot to work with right now, we'll have to see about a grocery run soon. But I figure it's probably at least better than snacks and hospital food."

Eddie shrugs. "Not exactly a picky eater over here," he says as he digs in.

It's warm, and tastes a hell of a lot better than it looks. Like meatloaf and mashed potatoes all mixed up together, all hearty and comforting.

"S'good," he mumbles around a full mouth, prompting Steve to make a face at him.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, gross," Steve bitches.

Eddie feels compelled to stick his tongue out at him, still with some mashed potato remnants stuck to it, and Steve rolls his eyes.

"You make this?" Eddie asks, once he's swallowed the rest of the potato.

"Yeah." Steve scratches the back of his neck, just above the bandage. "Sometimes I'll freeze up smaller portions if I make something big, so I have stuff to grab when I'm in a hurry. Or when I've got recuperating metal-heads in my living room."

Eddie huffs a little laugh. "That a common occurrence? And here I thought I was special," he teases.

"You're something," Steve returns, though the grin he gives him is wide and fond as he reaches for the prescription bag Robin'd dropped off, pulling out the pair of bottles within and reading them over. "You're not due for your antibiotics yet, but you can have the pain meds."

He opens the bottle up, then pauses, frowning down into it. "Did they give you the wrong prescription?"

Ah.

"No," Eddie says, feeling exhausted.

"But we have the same meds, and mine is like. Four times this amount, even though your injuries are way worse, infection aside," Steve says, looking back up at him with his brow furrowed.

"They said it's because I left against medical advice."

Steve snorts. "That's a load of crap."

Eddie sighs. "What do you want me to tell you, Steve? You know what my side job is. The whole town does. Every time I go to the ER for something, to them, I'm just drug seeking."

Steve looks stricken, and god, Eddie's not sure he can take any well meaning pity right now. He kind of wants the couch to just swallow him up.

There's just silence, though, and then Steve's jaw sets in determination. He gets up, leaving Eddie floundering a little and staring after him as he walks into the kitchen, returning with a bottle that looks almost identical to the one Eddie was given.

He sits back down, popping them both open, and promptly tips his bottle to start dumping his own pills into Eddie's.

"Whoa, hey, what the fuck!" Eddie struggles to get up without hurting himself or dropping his bowl, gives up, and tries his best to glare at Steve from his position on the couch under the blankets.

"You need them more," Steve says stubbornly. "It's not like I'm going to take them, anyway."

Fuck, that's worse than pity, and Eddie feels his blood boil.

"No, of course not." Eddie sneers. "Is His Majesty above such petty things like pain? Would he rather muscle through on sheer meathead determination than turn to drugs like the lower class?"

Steve goes very still. "Do you really think that?" he asks quietly.

Eddie opens his mouth to snap that he doesn't have to think it, that Steve just showed him it, but - he looks at the expression on Steve's face instead, how it's gone closed off but it isn't hard, isn't angry. It's just blank. Abruptly, Eddie feels wrong-footed, like he'd fallen back on old habits and responded as the guy everyone thinks he is, to the guy he used to think Steve was.

"No," he says, just as quietly. "I don't really think that."

Steve's frozen exterior melts a little, and he shakes a pair of pills out into his hand, holds them out for Eddie to take. Eddie does, swallows them dry, and shovels another spoon of shepherd's pie into his mouth to keep it occupied. Steve looks like he's thinking about something, and Eddie doesn't want to risk saying something to throw him off.

"It's not that I'm trying to muscle through," Steve says, apparently coming to a decision. "I was drugged last time we dealt with Upside Down shit, it was a whole thing." He waves his hand. "I was high as hell for some of what was going down, and it was. Not a great time."

Eddie tries to imagine fighting off the demobats while drugged out of his mind, and goes a little pale. "Fuck."

"Yeah," Steve says. "I can't really do anything stronger than alcohol or the occasional joint now."

"Fuck," Eddie says, softer and with more feeling. "Jesus Christ, I'm such an ass, why do you even like me?"

Steve opens his mouth, and Eddie flails, slapping his hand over Steve's mouth before he can say anything.

"Nope, nuh-uh, this is an apology, not a ploy to get you to say nice things about me," Eddie insists. "Okay?"

Steve's laughing at him, he can tell just by his eyes, but he waits until Steve nods before he pulls his hand away.

"That's not what I think of you," Eddie says again. "I got defensive and lashed out, and it wasn't fair. I'm sorry."

The laughter in Steve's eyes fades, and he looks - caught out, all surprised and vulnerable, and he's staring at Eddie with something like wonder.

It makes Eddie squirm, feeling both like he doesn't know what he did to get that look and like he never wants it to stop.

"Thank you. Apology accepted." Steve's quiet for a moment before adding, "I'm sorry, too. I could tell you were upset but you didn't want sympathy, so I just."

He shrugs, and Eddie's going to press him more about what he just, but first - "You could tell?"

"Yeah. Your face does this thing - you're usually so expressive, but you just kind of shut down, like you're resigned."

Oh. Fuck. He hadn't realized Steve noticed him like that, and he focuses really hard on the other thing he wanted to push about to avoid thinking about it too much. "So you just?"

Steve gives him a crooked little smile. "Jumped to fixing it. Robin says I have this thing, where if someone I care about is upset and I don't know what else to do, I try to fix it. But sometimes how I try to fix it and what they want are different things."

Eddie's mouth opens, and before he knows it he's said, "I'm okay with that."

Steve blinks at him. "Really?"

Eddie'd shrug, but he's not sure his shoulder - or his entire torso - is up for the motion right now, so he just tries to look as casual as possible while half huddled on the couch, in hospital scrubs. "Yeah. People don't try to fix things for me, not unless it's my uncle. Might be kind of nice."

"Oh." Steve's got this look on his face like he doesn't know what to do with that - maybe he hasn't gotten many people who let him try to fix things for them.

Which, fair enough. Under any other circumstances, Eddie'd probably be one of those, just - he doesn't think he's lying, even not touching the fact that Steve hadn't reacted to what he said. "I'm probably going to be a dick about it when I'm not recovering from being half dead, though," he adds, just to be safe.

Steve snorts. "You've met just about all of my friends, man, that's nothing new. Usually I do a decent job at figuring out when they're just being dicks and when I'm actually going too far, but they're good about telling me when I don't get it right. They do it when I'm being too much of a dick, too."

"I can do that," Eddie decides. "Tell you if you're going too far."

He probably shouldn't make decisions right after leaving the hospital against medical advice, but screw it, he's doing it anyway.

"Okay," Steve says after another moment of consideration, then narrows his eyes at him. "I'm still taking a rain check on telling you all the things I like about you. It's getting to be kind of a long list."

Eddie gapes at him. Fuck, he can feel his cheeks burning, and he really hopes he can blame it on the bite wounds or the pain meds.

Hopes Steve won't ask, because he knows that would be a lie.

"Go away," he says, curling over his bowl so he doesn't have to look at Steve. "Let me eat my luxury baby food in peace before I have to drag my ass up all those stairs."

Steve laughs at him again, but it isn't mean, and he does leave, heading upstairs to - Eddie doesn't really know what Steve Harrington does with his free time when he's not ripping apart demobats or complaining about babysitting, actually.

Huh.

He thinks he might like to find out.

He shovels the rest of his shepherd's pie down methodically, then sets the bowl down on the coffee table and eyes the stairs. Despite his earlier words, he's pretty sure there's no way he's going to make it up them on his own. He pulls in a breath and lets it out, then calls, "Hey, Steve?"

Steve emerges almost immediately, a couple of towels tossed over one shoulder and an armful of plastic bottles. "You done?" he asks, tromping down the stairs.

Eddie eyes him. "What's all that?"

"The hospital did a pretty good job at getting most of the Upside Down grime off of us, but I thought you might want to wash it out of your hair," Steve says.

And fuck, yeah, Eddie really, really wants to - it's not just Upside Down grime, honestly, what with the whole being on the run for a week thing, and it just feels gross. Still, Eddie grimaces.

"Not, uh. Not really sure I can stand up long enough," he admits. "Plus I'm not supposed to lift my arms that high yet."

Steve's ears turn just a little bit pink, and Eddie struggles to keep his expression neutral, not to let his eyebrows raise up or to lean in too hungrily.

"I can wash it for you," he offers. "The laundry room's got a pretty deep sink, and I can pull up a chair and have you lean back a little."

He looks so fucking earnest that it makes Eddie flounder a little, once again having to restrain himself from asking why. Why is Steve doing any of this? Is it just because this seems to be what he does, because he thinks of Eddie as part of their Upside Down fighting group now and is focused on taking care of a party member? Were the handful of stolen moments during all of the fuckery and in the hospital real, or is Eddie just fooling himself that this is something he could actually have?

"Yeah," he says before he even realizes he's agreeing, while his thoughts are still a tangled up mess. "Appreciate it, man."

Steve shoots a smile at him. "Gimme a sec, I'll be right back."

He disappears down the hall for a few minutes, then comes back to help Eddie up. It's slow going, with Steve taking most of Eddie's weight, but he knows it's not going to be near as rough as the stairs will be, so he tells himself it's a practice run.

There's a low backed chair pulled up in front of the sink when they get to the laundry room, a folded up towel already pillowed on the edge of it. Steve guides him to sit down and tilt his head back, neck cushioned by the towel and hair spilling into the sink.

And then -

Fuck, Steve is close.

He's been close before, obviously, he let Eddie get all up in his personal space when they were walking through the Upside Down and he leaned over Eddie's shoulder a few times to watch what he was doing, and Eddie's literally been leaning on him to walk since he got here, but - with all of that, there was something else going on, some kind of other purpose or at least a buttload of pain he was trying to ignore.

Sitting like this, Steve leaning over him as he fiddles with the knobs to get the water to a good temperature, he's just close. Eddie can feel the body heat coming off of him, and he can count every freckle and mole on Steve's forearms, where he'd pushed up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He's not trying to look, but he can still see the scrawl of writing that disappears under the sleeve of his left arm, can just make out I don't think. He can hear the heavy beat of his own heart and the way his breath quickens, and he forces himself to breathe slow and even, trying not to draw attention to it.

Then Steve's fingers are in his hair, gently sweeping it all together as he starts rinsing it out.

"Shit, man, this might take awhile," he says apologetically. "The water's coming out as black as it did for mine, and I've got less hair."

Eddie hums noncommittally, afraid if he says anything he'll end up telling Steve that's fine by him, they can stay like this all night if he wants to. There's the sound of a shampoo bottle opening, and on his next breath in he's hit with the scent of something, he has no idea what, like a honeyed summer day, all sunshine and sweet and clean.

And then Steve's hands are on him again, fingertips rubbing small circles over his scalp, blunt nails scratching in just the right way to send shivering goosebumps down his spine.

He's not proud of the way it makes him fucking whimper, but mostly because the sound prompts Steve to freeze.

"That hurt?" Steve asks softly.

"No," Eddie manages to get out. "It, uh. Feels nice."

Nice is an understatement, but not a lie, so it's the best he's got right now. It makes Steve continue, at least, so Eddie's taking the fucking win.

His eyes slide shut, and he thinks he might drift off to sleep right there if it weren't for the fact that he really wants to cling to how fucking good this feels. God, he can't remember the last time he felt a physical sensation that wasn't pain or discomfort, and he tells himself that's the reason that this is making him react so strongly.

No one's ever done anything like this for him before. No one's ever wanted to, even before the murder accusations, and between the exhaustion settling over him and the pain meds kicking in and the euphoria of feeling good - Eddie's dangerously close to begging, here. To saying please, just, please can he keep having this, please can this mean something, can this be because Steve wants to and not because he feels obligated.

"You okay?" Steve asks quietly as he rinses Eddie's hair out, and starts lathering up for a second wash.

Eddie hopes it's just a general are you okay, in light of the whole everything, and not a specific hey you look like you're going through something right now. Doesn't actually matter, he guesses, because he still has to say something, and he doesn't know what to say that isn't a lie or isn't something that's too much.

"Haven't, uh. Haven't had anyone do this before," he admits, because that seems like the safest thing to acknowledge.

He thinks what he means by this was pretty obvious, but apparently not, because Steve gives a thoughtful little hum.

"Take care of you?" he asks, cradling Eddie's skull in his hands so delicately it makes him want to weep.

Or shove him off and run until he can't anymore, but that's not any better.

"Fuck, Steve, not holding back any punches here, huh?" he asks, his voice a little raspy.

"I mean. We almost got eaten by demobats together, and we're in kind of a bathroom. That's prime bonding time, for me."

Eddie'd shake his head, but he doesn't want to do anything to dislodge Steve's hands, so he settles for heaving a pointed sigh. "No, Steve, people haven't been lining up to take care of the freak. It's not like I need it, anyway."

Steve makes this little sound - Eddie's not sure he's even aware that he does it, really, but it's like the verbal equivalent to rolling his eyes. "Everyone needs it, sometimes. It's okay to want that, especially after all of this. This isn't the first time some of us have stayed together in the aftermath."

"Yeah? Who looks after you, then?" Eddie asks.

"Robin, usually, sometimes Dustin. Why, you volunteering?"

He can't see Steve's face, but he thinks that was probably meant to come out as teasing. It doesn't quite land there, though, a little too soft, a little too genuine, and it makes Eddie swallow.

"Maybe," he says, feeling his heart beat in his throat.

"Oh," Steve breathes out, his hands stilling for a moment.

Eddie fights not to open his eyes.

"Yeah, okay," Steve says, a little too carelessly, fingertips scratching back over his scalp again. "I look after you, you look after me."

That's not quite what Eddie meant, but he doesn't know how to say what he meant, so he just says, "You don't have to. Take care of me, I mean. Just because you think it's okay to want to be taken care of, you know, it doesn't have to be you."

He waits for Steve to point out that Eddie'd just said that no one else was lining up for the job, maybe make a joke about how it's him or nothing.

Instead, Steve says, "I know. I want to."

Fuck.

If this is the way Steve always is, Eddie can see why so many girls were into him in high school.

When he's reasonably sure his voice isn't going to shake, he says, "Thanks, man. For - all of this."

He's kind of worried Steve is going to tell him that he's doing it because he wants to again, but fortunately that seems to be enough talking about not quite emotions for both of them, because Steve just hums as he starts rinsing Eddie's hair again.

Eddie lets himself relax, sinking into the soft, floaty feeling that wants to pull him down, and just enjoying the feel of Steve's fingers in his hair, the edge of pain blurred and fuzzy from the meds, and finally, finally feeling like maybe he's safe.

It takes another round of lather and rinse for Steve to be satisfied with how clean his hair is, but Eddie sure as hell isn't protesting. Time kind of slips and wobbles, anyway, as he doesn't doze so much as just fucking melt into the chair and under Steve's hands, like all the tension from the last week plus is oozing out of him. He thinks Steve murmurs something about conditioner, but he honestly doesn't care, as long as he can keep sitting here like this.

Eventually, the water's shut off, and Steve's tilting his head up, draping his hair over a towel and gently scrunching it before wrapping it up.

"You awake?" Steve asks, voice a little sing-song like he's teasing.

"Depends on how you're measuring awake," Eddie mumbles back, not entirely sure he managed to get all those syllables out in the correct order.

Whatever he says, it makes Steve laugh softly. "Come on, Munson, up you go. Let's get you to bed."

Eddie's hindbrain immediately takes over, and the next thing he knows he's saying, "Fuck, yes please, finally."

Fortunately, Steve seems to take his eagerness as an eagerness to be in bed in general, and not in Steve's bed specifically, because he just says, "You gotta stand up for that."

Eddie whines, and Steve's hand on his elbow where he'd been tugging him to get up slips, and Eddie looks up at him, eyes wide.

Steve's staring back at him, and holy shit, Eddie might be high on pain meds and a boneless mess from what was basically a head massage, but he knows what desire looks like, knows Steve's eyes are probably a mirror of his own right now.

Then Steve's eyes are closing, and he visibly shakes himself like a fucking dog, before his hand finds its spot on Eddie's elbow again, nice and firm.

"Steve," Eddie murmurs, even though he knows he's missed his moment to speak, because Steve is already guiding him up and wrapping his arm around him to help him walk.

"Not too far, Eds, I promise," Steve says. "We'll be there before you know it."

"Steve," Eddie says again, and this time Steve pauses, swallowing once before he looks at him.

Steve's arm is still around him, and he's so close they're practically breathing the same air - so close he can see the flecks of hazel in Steve's eyes, see the way his lashes brush against his cheek, and Eddie -

He doesn't want to do it like this. Eddie knows he's pretty far gone right now, a little floaty and a little loopy, and he's honestly not sure what words he can even get out of his mouth, let alone if he's going to remember this tomorrow.

"This is gonna have to be mostly you," he says, not letting himself think about how it could mean more than one thing. "I'm barely standing after that, let alone navigating stairs."

Steve laughs softly, steering him out of the laundry room and towards the stairs. "Long as you keep your feet on one side of the steps, you'll at least have one up on Henderson last time I had to help him up the stairs."

"No promises," Eddie replies, but that does make him look down at his own feet, trying to be careful and deliberate about how he places them as they slowly make their way upstairs.

With the meds, it doesn't hurt as much as it probably should. It mostly just takes so much goddamn effort, feels like walking through jello, and Eddie's not ashamed to admit he's breathing heavily by the time they make it to what must be the Harringtons' guest room.

It's… well. It's boring, honestly, minimally decorated, but the bed looks huge and insanely welcoming at the moment, all the blankets turned down and the pillows carefully arranged to resemble the way he'd found was the most comfortable at the hospital. The lamp on the nightstand is glowing softly, and there's a glass of water and Eddie's bottles of pills next to it.

Clean clothes are laid out on the bed - a pair of black boxers, black track pants with a white stripe down the leg, and a dark blue Henley.

Another lump forms in his throat, and he swallows past it as Steve points out the door to the bathroom.

"I'm just down the hall," Steve tells him.

Eddie manages to mumble out a thanks, and only stares at him a little as he walks out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Honestly, Eddie's too fucking exhausted to sort out anything about anything right now, so he just shuffles his way over to the bed. He strips out of the hospital scrubs, leaves them in a pile right where they fall, and struggles into the clothes Steve's loaned him.

Like the stairs, it doesn't hurt, but he knows that doesn't mean he can risk overdoing it. He's careful, moving gingerly to pull the shirt on and sitting on the bed to step into the boxers and pants. Then he collapses back, tugging the covers over him. His head lolls to the side for a moment as he stares at the lamp.

If he's honest, his decision to leave it on is part that it feels like too much effort to turn it off, and part that he's not sure he wants to be alone in the dark right now.

Maybe in a bit, he thinks, but he's asleep before he can think anything else.

Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added!): @vampireinthesun @koibug @estrellami-1 @mentalcyborg @allbimyself26 @questionablequeeries @the-s-is-silent @whimsicalwitchm @a-gae-af-racoon @tinyplanet95 @n0-1-important @velocitytimes2 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @newtstabber @jcmadgirl @roblingoblin285 @lexyvey @paperbackribs @goodolefashionedloverboi @evix-syne666 @raisedbylibrarians @stxrcrossed186 @nightmareglitter @greekgeek24 @starman-jpg @crazyhatlady86 @imfinereallyy @manda-panda-monium @deleataecount @prideandsensibility @chaoticvictorianspirit @maydillydally @disrespectedgoatman @scarlet-malfoy @i-less-than-three-you @hbyrde36 @hallucinatedjosten @dragonsandgayships @arepaconchocolate @g4ys0n @novelnovella @bisexualdisastersworld @ghostofyourvampiregf @scarletyeager @pettrichore @nerd-and-nervous @hiimlevi @queenie-ofthe-void @cinnamon-mushroomabomination

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Part 15

[lemonjestercoffee]

horses! horses! horses! horses!

i redesigned them! with my own hcs and species design quirks. also woe, height chart be upon ye

some notes for everypony:

Twilight Sparkle- i like gold on her design but not the absurd amounts everyone else gives her for some reason, so i made it an accent color. yes her magic is gold now too because of her eyes. her hair was also inspired by Mikan Tsumiki's cause i thought a more orderly version of her choppy mess would look good on Twilight, i was right. also glasses go brr, i think she looks cute in 'em

Apple Jack- while i love the long fetlocks people give her, i can't see her actually doing that because they'd be a pain to keep clean, so i did the opposite and had her shave her feathering off. i also put her hair up to keep it off her neck so she doesn't overheat while working. her cutiemark is my favorite part cause it's that family symbol where two adults and a kid make a heart, but i made it an apple instead, does a better job at showing her emphasis on family ties. no hat cause i like the idea of her hat being from her dad, and she doesn't want to mess it up wearing it daily so she wears it exclusively to special events

Rainbow Dash- i decided to make her less of a living lightening bolt and leaned more into her lazy side, going for the type of butch lesbian look that makes her feel like she wears tank tops and hangs out in the basement getting drunk and listening to rock. i wanted her to look like the only part of her she actually puts effort into maintaining is her wings

Fluttershy- i take great enjoyment in making Flutters a fucking lumbering giant compared to his friends (yes my Flutters is a guy), taking fluttertree and running with it. no notes aside from tall and green patterns and long hair and ooo pretty bronze jewelry. ig also his cutie mark is like- it was suppose to just be a paw and a butterfly but i accidentally made a parasprite with it, and instead of fixing it i just rolled with it and made it look more intentional

Pinkie Pie- THIS HORSE GAVE ME SO MUCH TROUBLE!! every part of my body was like "give her patterns! add things to her hair! it makes sense for her!!" but everything i did looked wrong and i couldn't get it to work. so i bit the bullet and made her really plain... and it worked. i don't know why but she just.... looks so much better with a really simple design, the hair texture does all the heavy lifting really

Rarity- of everyone, she's the one who'd have the long pretty fetlocks, and i decided to double down on that by not only making them so long you can't see her hooves, but also by making her have the longest and softest coat in general. she has the time and dedication to take care of such a high maintenance coat and she's gonna do it. it's even more impressive when you realize ponyville uses exclusively dirt roads. aside from that i think she deserves nice jewelry, and they use leather straps cause i think leather would be a ponyville fashion staple, she shows her hometown pride in her fashion

Spike- i thought it was weird he was so small the whole run, he should have had a growth spurt at some point imo, so i made him a bit bigger and more proportional to the older teen dragons, this is less of a redesign and more of a "make him actually grow up" thing, he's still small but not toddler small. this is the point where Twilight starts complaining about him sitting on her back cause he's getting too heavy. i also don't like how adult Spike ended up looking, but i haven't made a redesign of him yet

i have made an older alicorn Twilight design that i've been referring to as Ethereal Twilight, but i might hold off on sharing that for a while cause i have some funky hc lore ideas for the alicorns that i wanna refine a little before posting her. maybe i'll have older Spike drawn by then too, who knows

[teapotteringabout]

Stingray Ep 1

It's me again, doing those reviews I promised. Episode 1, lets go:

Recently voted in @tv21pollshowdown / @room-on-broom 's Stingray Episode Tournament to be the absolute best of the bunch. Personally I don't agree, but we'll get to my favourites later. That said, you may have noticed I've popped it into Glorious GLORIOUS because it's definitely one of the best, and serves its First Episode job perfectly.

For starters, the start. Literally. It's the dramatic words "Stand by for action!", a literal explosion and Bob on the Battle Bongos earns his paycheque. The rest of the intro theme is trombone and bongo-heavy, very fast, very stirring, and a masterful weaving of two of the main musical motifs we hear throughout the show. It's Barry Gray, baby! You could argue that every episode has this in their favour but for episode 1, I think the theme hits especially hard.

We're also introduced to our main cast: Troy Tempest, Phones, Commander Shore, Atlanta Shore, Marina, X20, Titan and the Aquaphibians. And Fisher! Even Fisher is in episode 1. Good for him.

I do love the WAY some of these characters are introduced. Troy is an aquanaut who has a fascination with the sea (naturally), so we first see him through an aquarium. Phones is the chill one, so here he is, chilling out.

My favourite introduction is probably X20's, the very first non-human character we meet. The shot of the mysterious island, the eerie warble of the strings, the pan to the shuttered window, then BAM IT'S BRITNEY BITCH:

Then we get the precursor to TOS's Operation Cover-Up, only much fancier, and X-20's charming abode turns into charming evil lair.

(the gifs are fast because they were too chonky so I had to cut some frames haha)

It's during this scene that we're first introduced to Titan. Personally I think it's a shame our first look at him is on a black and white screen. You could argue that we still get the full impact of his majesty later, but I think I'd prefer it if we just heard his voice to start with. When we do meet him, he's a great villain, featuring the booming tones of Ray Barrett who 'curls' his voice just enough to differentiate it from Shore's. We meet him with the camera looking up at him, because he only looks down on people, you see. I love his design, particularly the Hellenistic swirls in his beard.

Speaking of Titan, I love how his throneroom isn't the typical evil lair. It was the first UK show to be filmed in colour, so the art team went all-in with bright colours everywhere (also because they were still learning about cinemtographic colour). Why should evil characters lurk in the dark all the time? Be like Titan. Bust out the glitter carpet and the ginormous pearls!

Finally, Marina's introduction. When I first saw her I was blown away by how beautifully-crafted this puppet was. She stands out. No other lady has such long hair, and every episode it's in an intricate coiffure. Pretty much all the other female puppets have a heart-shaped face, while her's is oval. She is an icon, she is the moment.

In terms of plot, it's simple but effective. We're sort of in media res, straight to the point with the aquaphibians blowing shit up, here are your cast, Stingray is attacked and the crew captured. Then we have the beautifully drawn out Trial by Teufel scene.

If Teufel looks away from Troy within a marine minute (about 1 and a half Terranean minutes it would seem), then Troy is guilty of 'crimes against the underwater nations' and will be executed. The timer is a vial of dripping water, coloured red for the camera, and the sound of the drip like the ticking of the clock, combined with the tense string notes makes for a very gripping marine minute. Of course, Troy almost makes it to the end before Teufel turns his back on him at the last moment, thus declaring him guilty.

Cut to the next scene, and Troy, Phones and Marina work together for the first time as a team to escape. The action is swift and effective, but I won't lie, it leaves me wanting more. The aquaphibians seem overtaken very quickly, I demand more blood! Obviously the puppets are limited in their range of movement, but it would have been cool to have a proper Stingray battle in the first episode. That's something that get's rectified in its 'sequel', but we'll get to that.

Finally, everyone's gathered round the Shore dining table (including Fisher!!) and Atlanta realises she's in a love triangle. Thankfully, it's not one that lasts long, but again, we'll get to that.

There's a couple of things in the plot that I don't really understand. When Stingray goes missing and an aerial search turns up nothing, Shore's next move is to nuke that area of the ocean. It never happens thankfully, but aren't there any other submarines that could investigate? You know, considering Stingray is a submarine and might be on the ocean floor? Now, in fairness, according to Stingray: Adventures in Videcolor (Andrew Pixley 2022), in the original version of the script, Shore had a few extra lines were he detailed that this mysterious underwater enemy (Titan) had sunk 5 ships already, killing hundreds (p244). So in his mind, with their ultimate submarine supposedly lost, an all-out retaliatory attack makes more sense. But that's not in the final episode, and I'd rather judge the series on its face value rather than using supplementary material to inform me. This will crop up again in the next one, believe me.

Now we get the first rendition of 'Aqua Marina' in the end credits, which I'm only talking about in this episode 1 review. It's a beautiful song, but it's perhaps the main reason why Troy has this love rat reputation. Oh, he'll have a few instances of 'love rat' behaviour in the episodes for real. But the slideshow of him hanging out with Marina while Atlanta looks wistfully at his photograph is pretty damning, regardless of the actual content of the episode. As we'll discover, most of the series doesn't actually contain the love triangle, with it mostly ending by episode 10 at the latest, but this end credits sequence alone makes you think it lasts all the way. It makes you wonder if there was more planned for the love triangle arc, but it was ultimately done away with?

Over all though, it's a terrific episode. Writing it out now, I realise how good it is so I can see why it won the poll. It's not my favourite, but it's a solid S tier all the same. Glorious, in fact.

[blueraineshadows]

i've been scrolling through your page and it's just 😫

anyway, could i request a sebastian sallow smut were reader is absolutely stressed out by studying for N.E.W.T.s (earlier than everyone else and also harder - bc she doesn't want to stay behind) and she's just snapping at everyone and spends most of her time studying on her Room of Requirement. after a particularly aggressive (or rude) answer she gave to sebastian earlier, he decides to release her stress by eating her out, leading to more heated things as he wanted to wear her off >:)

if you take this request thank you <3 and if you don't it's okay!! bye <3

Thank you so much for the request! I am so sorry that it has taken me a while to put an answer together for you. I hope that this is okay 💜🙏

Sebastian Sallow x F!MC 🔥❤️‍🔥 NSFW 🔞

The library was quiet and Sebastian was engrossed in the book he was poring over, head bent, his hand poised over his notes parchment, quill in hand. Beside him sat Ominis, his wand held over his book as it translated the words for him. Sebastian lifted his head distractedly at his friend's sigh, thinking perhaps he was struggling with something, ready to assist.

"Everything alright?" He asked.

Ominis twisted his mouth a little, his brow furrowed. "Have you done something to upset MC?"

Sebastian frowned. "No," he replied. He tilted his head, thinking for a moment and put his quill down. "At least, I don't think I have. Why do you ask?"

"She has been in the most terrible mood lately, snapping and being rather rude if I'm being honest," Ominis grumbled. "She was most unsavoury at breakfast this morning."

Sebastian nodded. "Hmm, yes she has been a bit snippy, and hiding out too. I made the mistake of suggesting it was her time of the month and, well, let's just say I was lucky to escape her wrath with my head still attached."

Ominis snickered. "Oh, Sebastian, you should know better than to say such a thing to a young lady, especially one you have a habit of sharing a bed with."

Sebastian smirked and then nudged Ominis with his elbow. "Shh, she's coming," he whispered. He snatched up his quill as MC crossed the library towards them, offering up a smile to her as she dropped her books onto the table in front of them. Her smile flashed across her lips and then disappeared just as quickly.

"Good afternoon, MC," Ominis said carefully.

"Hello," she said. She sighed and pulled out a chair, sitting down and opening her books. "What are you studying?"

Sebastian shifted in his seat, eyeing MC. Had he said or done something to upset her? He took in the haphazard way she had pinned her hair up today, the shadows under eyes and the paleness in her cheeks. He knew her well enough to understand her troubles with sleep, something he struggled with himself. Maybe she was just tired?

"Arithmancy," he said. He grimaced. "Welcome to the party, it's great fun."

She huffed a short laugh through her nose and leaned over to take a look at what he had written on his parchment. "It doesn't matter how long I stare at the numbers, they still seem to mock me. I feel like I am in a constant battle with my brain to keep up with everyone else. Trolls, poachers, even the odd dark wizard, would be more preferable to take on rather than these awful NEWT exams."

"Are you feeling a tad stressed, MC?" Ominis asked with concern. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Her shoulders slumped and soft smile lifted her lips. "That's very sweet of you, Ominis," she said. "It is all a bit overwhelming, isn't it?"

Sebastian watched their exchange, his eyes drawn to the subtle flick of her tongue over her bottom lip, and he felt a stirring in his pants. She had such a pretty mouth, especially when she smiled. His lips twitched into a playful smirk. "I know a few good stress relieving techniques, if you're interested," he murmured suggestively.

Her eyes widened a fraction as they swung towards him, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. A sharp kick was delivered to his shin as Ominis clicked his tongue in irritation beside him. "For goodness sake," Ominis muttered.

Sebastian's smirked widened until he saw the frown on MC's face. Then it faltered.

"Ominis is right!" She huffed. "Here I am, worried about my exams and my future after Hogwarts, and all you can think about is what is going on inside your pants!"

His lips parted in surprise, eyebrows lifting. "I was only messing..."

"Well don't!" She snapped. She stood and slapped her books shut, gathering them up before giving him a glare. "I apologise, Ominis, but I shall see you later. I've decided to study elsewhere this afternoon."

Sebastian watched her retreating back in surprise and a sinking sensation in his stomach. Maybe he really had done something wrong. Or, maybe she was beginning to think that her future didn't feature him in it? That thought made him feel rather cold.

"Wow, you're right, Ominis," he said. He dropped his quill back down and ran his hand through his hair. "She really isn't happy, is she?"

"I'm sure it's just stress," Ominis said. He tilted his head and put a tentative hand on Sebastian's forearm, his fingers seeking him out across the table. "Perhaps less of the smutty talk, and more chat about how you can help her. I know you care deeply for her, Sebastian. Maybe she needs you to show it."

Sebastian sighed and patted Ominis on the hand. "Let's hope she will be willing to let me."

....*....

Feeling rather wretched and sad despite her long bath, MC wandered the corridors of the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower trying to self soothe her nerves. The delicate strains of the enchanted instruments filtered across the space and she felt a pang of sadness. It was a familiar and comforting sound and she was going to miss it.

To think that her time here at Hogwarts was drawing to a close was making the impending exams even more stressful, and she had always felt like she was one step behind everyone else, she had so much more to prove despite all she had achieved so far. To make matters worse, she was snapping and being so awful to the people that she cared so much about.

She winced at the memory of Sebastian's crestfallen face as she had stormed out of the library this afternoon. She had been rather mean to Ominis this morning as well. She adored her two Slytherin boys, couldn't imagine being without either of them, but her heart was Sebastian's. That boy had duelled his way into her life, stole her heart and sanity, and she had been shutting him out.

Feeling regretful, but so tense still, MC found herself outside the Undercroft entrance. Maybe Sebastian would be down there.

As she arrived at the metal gate, she could see him on the far side, scribbling away on a chalkboard by the light of candles balanced on the storage crates nearby. Her lips lifted in a fond smile at the open book in his other hand. He always had a book open around him somewhere. It was one of the things she loved about him.

Sebastian turned at the sound of the gate opening and he immediately closed the book and put down his chalk. He rubbed his hand against his hip and took a few steps towards her, his smile hesitant, his gaze uncertain.

Tears stung her eyes and she held her arms up towards him. Instantly, he was across the room and scooping her up into a warm embrace, her feet leaving the floor as he squeezed her against his chest. "I'm sorry," he mumbled into her hair.

"No, I'm sorry," she said. She leant back to look at his face, her hands cupping his gorgeous freckled cheeks. "I've been terrible, I know I have. I'm just so scared and nervous about exams and what comes next. I shouldn't take it out on those I love."

His eyebrow quirked. "So, you do still love me, then?"

She bent her head and pressed her nose to his. "Forever."

His beautiful brown eyes burned into hers, so close to her own that she felt the heat from his gaze all the way down to her toes, that were still dangling mid air where he held her.

"Don't worry about what comes after Hogwarts," he said softly. "Whatever it is, we are doing it together, alright? Me and you. I love you, even when you are biting my head off."

She grinned and swiped her thumb over his lower lip. "Maybe I just liking keeping you on your toes," she whispered.

He smirked. "That you do."

She pressed a kiss to those soft lips of his, her eyes fluttering closed at the warm response he gave her, his grip on her tightening as he lowered her feet back to the floor. Her lips parted as her head tilted back and he took full advantage, his tongue swirling slowly into her mouth, the caress of it smooth and delicious.

Kissing him was one of her favourite things, along with the way he held her with his hands, one of them sliding wantonly over her waist and hip as he kissed her thoroughly. He always woke the heat inside of her, a heat that lay dozing and ready for his lips and hands to come along and prod it into life.

When they came up for air she smiled against his mouth, pressing little kisses along his damp lips. "Now then, Sallow," she murmured. "What were those stress relieving techniques you mentioned earlier?"

His smirk was devilish. "Suddenly interested are we?"

She bit her lower lip. "I find myself in need of some release," she taunted.

Sebastian had her spread on the study table, robes and hair splayed out across the many parchments and books scattered across it, her skirt up around her waist and his mouth firmly on hers as his fingers delved through her slick folds.

MC moaned, her back arching as he swirled knowingly over her nub, sliding his fingers against her in ways that had her toes curling and his name whispered from her lips. He tugged her school tie free, tossing it over his shoulder as he opened her blouse, his mouth sucking and licking at her skin. She gripped his hair, her hips rolling as she chased the release that she was confident he would give her.

His hands grabbed at her hips, tugging her towards him, a little yelp leaving her as her hips slid to the table edge. Parchment scattered and she heard the thump of a book hitting the floor, but soon forgot about that as his mouth clamped on to the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, sucking forcefully until a glorious red bloom appeared there. His mouth moved higher, his hand gripping underneath her thigh as he spread her open for him.

His eyes blazed with hunger and he licked his lips before he dropped to his knees. MC gasped, pressing herself up into her elbows to look down at the ruffled mop of his brown hair between her thighs. "Sebastian...ooooohhhh!"

Her head fell back as the exclamation left her mouth, the delicious slide of his hot tongue gliding across her most sensitive parts sending fire and delight through her. He savoured her flesh with sinful sounding kisses, his tongue dancing erotically as she arched, her fingers delving into those brown locks and gripping on. As he licked and sucked, the pressure and the tease was sending her upwards in a spinning spiral. Her thighs began to tremble, her moans turning into cries as he worked harder, his fingers sliding into her to add that little bit extra to her pleasure.

It was a conflict of wanting to have him keep making her feel this way, against the complete and utter need to reach her limit. Her hips rocked, and he moaned against her heat, a gasp leaving her lips at the pleasant vibration of it. As the wave crested, MC clenched, her eyes squeezing shut as the tremor took her. Her arm flung out, scattering more of their study materials onto the stone floor of the Undercroft, as a low cry of release left her throat.

Sebastian stood, wiping his mouth and chin with the back of his hand before drawing her up into a sitting position, his arms encircling her tightly. His hands smoothed through her hair as he pressed kisses along her neck and whispered his love into her ears while she trembled. MC clung to him, burying her face against his familiar scent, satisfied and loving him all the more for it.

As her breathing slowed, her fingers toyed with his tie, loosening it a little so that she could press kisses to his throat. "How are your stress levels, then, Seb?" She teased.

He chuckled and grabbed her hand, guiding it down to where there was a rather promising bulge in his trousers. She hummed in approval, her gaze playful as she met his eyes and palmed him teasingly. He groaned, his hips rolling. "I could do with a little release myself as it goes," he said. He kissed her, slow, hungry.

MC responded, her fingers tugging at his fastenings and pushing his clothing aside to free his length, sliding her grip over it. Her leg shifted, hooking around him tighter and pulling him close. "I reckon this table is strong enough to take a decent amount of stress relief," she suggested.

His look was dark and dangerous as he slid the palm of his hand from her knee up her thigh, fingers gripping at her hip as he positioned himself against her. "Let's find out," he breathed. He entered her, stretching her out, their breaths mingling as they both moaned at the intrusion.

MC braced her hands on the table top as Sebastian began to thrust, pushing the table to it's absolute limit as he took her forcefully, chasing his own much needed release. His face was flushed, his hair mussed and his lips parted as he fucked, moans spilling from his mouth. MC could feel her own walls tightening around him, the sight and feel of him combining to build that fire within her again. As release hit her again, Sebastian let himself go too, the deep throb signalling the spill deep within her. She reached for him, holding his head against her chest as he gasped for breath, his face damp with sweat.

As they straightened their clothes, their eyes met with intimate glances and knowing smiles. MC grabbed his hand, her heart feeling full, and her shoulders definitely feeling much more relaxed. She lifted his hand to her mouth, pressing kisses along the back of it to his wrist. "I love you," she said.

He wrapped his arms about her waist and pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you too," he said. He smoothed a hand up her back, cupping her neck and massaging gently. "Feeling better?"

She grinned and nodded. "Much better, thank you," she said. "You know, I think I might need a bit more of this stress relief, what with all these exams looming..."

"You only have to say the word, my love, and I will give you all the stress relief you need," he said. His mouth claimed hers in another delicious kiss that had her pondering the possibility of sneaking into his dorm room later that night.

[call-me-a-simp]

Heal My Wounds

The Call (Part 5)

Rhea Ripley x Reader

Tw: physical and sexual abuse, toxic relationship

Summary: You are in a toxic relationship with an abusive man but manage to run away. A tall, black haired woman picks you up from the streets just in time so your ex doesn't get you. But who is she and why does she seem so familiar to you? As you get to know each other you start to notice weird feelings you never had before whenever she's around.

You both wake up to an incoming call on your phone. It's an unknown number and since you blocked your ex-boyfriend you're scared he just got a new phone to terrorize you with.

"Don't you wanna answer that" Rhea groans, she didn't like being waken so early after being up almost half of the night.

"N-no I can't" you whisper, arms wrapped around your knees drawn to your chest, whipping back and forth.

"I'm scared Rhea, what if it's him?" tears start to form in your eyes. Demi finally turns around and sits up. "Hey it's okay, calm down" she comforts you, rubbing your back.

"Let's answer it together" Rhea says and presses the green button on your phone. "Hello?" she says.

"Who is this, where's y/n?" a dark male voice replies.

"This is Demi, a friend of hers" A friend. You don't know what it is but her words trigger a feeling in you that you can't exactly describe.

"Can I talk to y/n?" he sounds pretty annoyed.

Rhea looks at you and you frantically shake your head no.

"Sorry you can't, what can I do for you?" Rhea says.

"Why not"

"Uh.. She showering right now" Demi lies.

"Then I'll call back when she's done" The man says angrily and hangs up.

It's silent for a moment before Rhea decides to speak again. "Was that him?" you just nod, tears silently running down your cheeks.

Demi notices and pulls you into a hug. "It's ok darling, I won't let him hurt you again" she says, stroking your arm. Darling. Why does she say that, you're not a couple, you think.

"It's my day off, if you want we can stay in bed and cuddle whilst watching a film or something."

"That would be great" you respond.

Rhea lays down on her back and you snuggle up to her, letting your head rest on her chest. She puts an arm around you drawing patterns all over it.

"What movie would you like to see?"

"Do you know (insert favorite movie)?" you ask. "No I don't but it sounds interesting. Let's see... Ah there it is" she hits play and eventually you both fall back to sleep.

Juuust to wake up to an incoming call again. "Oh shut the fuck up! Really?!" you laugh at how pissed Rhea is. She smacks your shoulder in a playful manner and reaches over to grab your phone again.

"Don't worry, we'll do it together" she says reassuringly and grabs your hand.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's Demi again, what can I do for you?"

"She still showering?" he's clearly annoyed.

"No, she's next to me listening. You're on speaker."

He groans "Then why can't she answer herself?!"

As none of you responds he continues "Listen you little brat, you're either coming back to me right now or tell me where the fuck you are and I'll get you!"

You tense up and Rhea releases your hand to put her arm around you.

"She definitely won't do that considering what you've done to her"

"What I've done to her? She was the one who manipulated and took advantage of me, I just defended myself!" he argued.

"Listen. I don't know everything that happened, at least not yet, but from what I know that wasn't just self defense. You beat her up and raped her multiple times. You're lucky I didn't call the police yet!" Rhea snaps back.

"Whatever. Y/n get the fuck away from this psycho, she's not good for you, and come back to me."

"N-no" you dare to say now that you feel safe and protected by Rhea.

"Oh you're gonna regret this you little brat! Wait till I find out where you are and I'm gonna make the rest of your life a living hell!" she shouts.

Before he could say anything else Rhea ends the call and blocks the number. "What an idiot.." she scoffs putting the phone away again.

"Hey, you did great! I'm proud of you for finally standing up against him." A smile tuggs on your lips as she says so. "Come on, let's get breakfast, I'm hungry" Rhea says and gets up.

You walk into the kitchen and help her make some scrumbeled eggs together with bacon and toast.

You sit down to eat together. While Demi is focused on her food you take a second to look at her. How comes you never noticed how good she looks?

Demi notices you're staring at her and looks up. She smiles at you and you blush and quickly look away, making her laugh.

---------------------------------------------------

Part 5 of my series Heal My Wounds as always, leave your suggestions, wishes and so on in the comments :)

Taglist: @thatonepansexual2000

[hanasnx]

Hop hop 🐇 what's the mood today indybug? Because I'm thinking about cheating on Brian with ya. He's got a couple years on me, you know, at least 7, doesn't fucking take me seriously and he's always looking at other girls at the meets. Sometimes, when it's just me and him in a big group of his friends, he'll put his hands all over me but won't even acknowledge me when I speak, it makes me so angry I could scream. It's been happening more and more and you're my friend, I can always go to you to complain when my boyfriend's pissing me off, so I do. I even know what you'd say, you've said it before, "I don't like you with guys like that."

"yeah," I'd say, drawn out like a sigh, like I'm agreeing but it's clear I won't do a damn thing about it. So now here you are; there's a pretty girl on your couch crying about her boyfriend again, in the tiniest skirt you've ever seen, her bra peaking out from the neckline of her shirt, fat tits spilling out. It must be annoying, must be frustrating, this bitch is a tease, stupid too, the way she lets men treat her...

But at least I'm easy though, huh bug? It isn't hard to get me on my stomach, ass out while you fuck me good and hard and ask if this the attention I was looking for when I came over. "Brain just leaks outta those ears with a cock in you huh? Is it good? Yeah that dick got you fucked up, huh dons?"

"indyyyy," my voice is whiney and muffled into the cushion of the couch. "Feels so fucking good, want you deeper— ah!!." You give me a good thrust just to hear the way my sentence stops short with a moan.

"I know baby, don't fall on me, ass up c'mon. Fuck that pussy down on this dick, that's fucking right baby. Brian's not hittin' it right huh? I can tell, look how hungry this pussy is for me." Your thumb finds my pussy, rubbing against it to feel the stretch and movement of your big cock going in and out, and the way I twitch when I cum all over it.

You're sweet enough to let me cuddle up to you when we're done. Straddling your lap, arms wrapped around your neck and pressing kisses against your warm, damp skin. Your hands graze the curves of my body, squeezing the fat of my thighs, my ass my waist, and my tits press against your chest. But when I pull away and ask if I can kiss your lips, the scoff you give betrays your body language, a little mean, a little dismissive, you tell me "nah I don't kiss cheaters." It makes me blush with embarrassed but I laugh along anyway.

"you won't tell him right?" I've got gentle fingers rubbing your jaw, brushing your hair out of your face, laying it on thick and sweet now that I've got my fill of rough dick.

You laugh again and take your face outta my hands and give my ass a hard squeeze. You've got a half smile on your lips, "Yeah, yeah whatever." Knowing you mean it when you say you'll keep it a secret, i grin and kiss you on the cheek.

🐇Hop hop might have gone overboard

-donnieeeeeee

YOU FREAK. you fucking freak donnie.

"I don't like you with guys like that." ive literally told you that irl. "there's a pretty girl on your couch crying about her boyfriend again, in the tiniest skirt you've ever seen, her bra peaking out from the neckline of her shirt, fat tits spilling out" "this bitch is a tease, stupid too, the way she lets men treat her..." can you shut the fuck up. oh mygod. the fat tits bit.. you know just what i like donnie. calling yourself stupid <3 thats my fucking sweet spot. i just hate the way you let men treat you, i can treat you so much worse

im finding myself quoting whole paragraphs like this one: "But at least I'm easy though, huh bug? It isn't hard to get me on my stomach, ass out while you fuck me good and hard and ask if this the attention I was looking for when I came over. "Brain just leaks outta those ears with a cock in you huh? Is it good? Yeah that dick got you fucked up, huh dons?"" because its that good and i cant pick out individual lines. the use of dons especially bcos thats one of my fave nicknames i call you

""I know baby, don't fall on me, ass up c'mon. Fuck that pussy down on this dick, that's fucking right baby. Brian's not hittin' it right huh? I can tell, look how hungry this pussy is for me."" this dialogue piece sounds just fucking like me man we talk way too damn much. this couldve come right out of my own brain

the bit about the kiss, about how i dont kiss cheaters, taking my face outta your hands and grab your ass, "yea yea whatever" oh donnie you killed this

[spinda-draws]

Think you can possibly break down why cyberflash episodes look so worse compared to Nelvana cyberchase episodes? I've been paying attention to the episodes and I think it's the poor rigs, tweaning, and adding too detail to things originally simplied in Nelvana eps (Digit's copter for example). But that's me. What about you?

It's not necessarily bad rigs? Well let me say it this way. The kids in my opinion look absolutely fine 90% of the time. Their designs are way simpler so they're not as impacted by the cost saving measures as... well, anyone else (coughHackercough). I would not be surprised if they basically had the same naked rig copy and pasted with the hair and clothes put on after. That would definitely save time from having three unique rigs.

I will use Hacker as the counter example because I've spent more time looking at him, but the way they translated his model was simply not good. But more than that, I think his design is just much harder to make a good rig out of. He is such a flat design by nature you can't just copy and paste the same quickly made rig for every situation and have it look okay. Nelvana's animators were making tweaks to his design in pretty much every scene just to get it to look good for that pose/ from that angle. You can absolutely make a great rig for Hacker, but its going to take a lot of effort.

If you want to see an example of how a ToonBoom rig can be pretty damn detailed might I promote a buddy of mine? She is doing her own show using ToonBoom right now. There is a lot of flexibility of animators are given enough time and resources to go all out.

What I mean to say is that the rigs are, for the most part doing their job, but their job has been extremely limited due to the new goal of the show's production to make the episodes quickly and cheaply because there's not much money in the bank. There is probably an art direction order for the storyboarders to do bare minimum and that would extent to the animations as they work within the confines of the storyboards.

But alright enough semantics, everyone knows this show has no money for fancy complex rigs, but what does that mean in execution? I think the opening is the best way to compare because it follows the template of the original show.

The scene where the kids intercept Hacker's green bubble attack and the screen cracks. In the original, he is drawn to take up the full screen and there's a marvelous sense of anticipation in how he moves.

This is the first frame of animation for the new and old versions.

In the next unique frame old Hacker bites down and continues to fold in on himself, increasing the sense of anticipation while new Hacker starts to expand out into the shocked pose immediately.

By the time the screen starts to crack, new Hacker has already reached the peak of his move and on his way down while old Hacker is only about halfway there.

The next few frames of new Hacker basically stay the same, the rig has nowhere else to go while old Hacker keeps going and reaches his peak.

In the next few frames old Hacker comes down slightly from the peak and brings his arms up (actually I think this was a bad move on Nelvana's part because the animation started with his moving them down and now he's back up within a second and a half, but that is probably a storyboarding issue) whereas new Hacker still has nowhere else to go. Now scroll back up to the first frame and notice how little new Hacker has changed overall.

Actually it is super weird because if you look at Delete beside him, Delete is actually showing decent anticipation. I really think there was some struggle with Hacker's design and honestly Buzz is probably having it even worse this scene.

But alright. For any kids fans out there. They don't do much expression and body language honestly, even in the old show they didn't "need" that much anticipation, but still had it subtly. Maybe you can remember a scene where the kids would scrunch their face up slightly and close their eyes and then open them again to transition into a new facial expression. Was kind of a running technique in the original show used on basically every character. To my memory, they don't use it anymore.

But okay, there's another example from the opening.

New Inez, drops right down while old Inez flies out head first.

And then she scrunches up all the way. Anticipation!

Then landing. Meanwhile new Inez has not changed. Honestly the old animation was low budget too, if it were me, I think another frame of her knee bending slightly as she lands before standing upright again would fit but maybe that was an intentional production choice I don't know. Old Cyberchase didn't really use any smears either.

And since you mentioned Digit, here is our boid.

A scene like this, in a production with more budget would just be hand drawn. It is ToonBoom, that is more than possible and a very okay technique to supplement some of the more unavoidable shortcomings of ridges.

Old Digit's wings are super off model, way too big for his body and way bigger than how they usually are, but that's alright because in this frame it looks very good. Animation is supposed to have that flexibility.

[signorcerullo]

"As for Cynthia Erivo, I think it's great to cast a non-white actress for Elphaba, but she's not nearly ugly enough, sorry."

What do you mean? I think the casting could have been much better. Someone younger for a start. (Same with Glinda!)

(Little disclaimer here: When I'm talking ugliness I mean what's considered ugly by our society's standards, not my own personal ones. I'm not hating on anyone's looks. I actually don't care about others' appearances on a level that I would personally consider anyone ugly.)

Well, I meant that since Elphaba is literally discriminated against for the color of her skin, it's fitting to cast a non-white actress for this racism allegory, but a very important part of her character is also that she's very ugly, beyond that of her unusual skin color. Sure, Cynthia Erivo doesn't have any euro-centric features, which is less conventionally attractive in of itself, but I don't think that's enough. Hollywood just has a pretty people obsession (especially nowadays), so this was just never gonna happen.

It's so frustratingly ironic that Wicked's entire point is that people equate beauty with goodness so much that they make Elphaba a villain and Glinda a hero solely based on their looks (and other surface level attributes like class etc.) when the opposite is in fact true, and then the only time an actually conventionally unattractive actress has been cast to play Elphaba is in The Wizard of Oz where she was the villain of that story.

I mean, this isn't just about the Margaret Hamilton's looks, it's also the makeup and costuming department working to support a certain aesthetic. The ratty hair, the plain clothing, the unkempt eyebrows, the wart, the prosthetic nose. It's also in her performance. The way she moves her face and pronounces her words and walks with a really hunched back. It's all working together to make her unappealing and creepy, so that the audience won't like her and cheer as she's taken down.

I mean, here's a picture of Margaret Hamilton just as herself:

This is most likely a professional headshot. Her hair is done, she's wearing makeup, earrings and nice clothes. Sure, she's not today's Hollywood Pretty, but you can see what a big difference this sort of thing makes. The most important thing for me, is that both in this headshot and in the movie, Margaret Hamilton looks like a real person, and my biggest issue with Wicked (2024), from what I've seen so far, is that everything looks incredibly fake.

I mean, let's compare this to how Cynthia Erivo is styled in the movie:

Like, fucking look at this! The neat braid, the green contour, the ombre shaded lips, the eyeliner, the mascara, the perfectly drawn eyebrows, the fancy clothes. They did everything in their power to make her look as pretty as possible. And unless they changed the dialogue significantly, which I doubt, they're gonna have characters go on and on about how ugly she is! God, I hate this fucking movie.

[lalarambles]

bound by blood - pt. 1

warnings: arranged marriage, mafia, fluff (?)

pairing: mafia!al pacino x fem!doctor!reader

description: when two powerful mafia families force their progenies into an arranged marriage to strengthen their empire and keep their enemies at bay, the pair battles through the dangers that the mob life brings them.

author’s note: this IS going to be a smutty fan fiction not to worry also i haven’t watched the godfather yet but Al Pacino is so goddamn fine and i really just wanted to write a fan fiction about him and the mafia.

"You know, I've never met anyone quite like you," Al said, his eyes locked on hers as they sat in the quiet study of their newly shared home. The room was dimly lit, with the soft glow of the pendant light above them casting a warm halo around their heads.

"Is that a compliment or a warning?" she quipped, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She was beautiful, with a sharp wit to match, and he found himself drawn to her in ways he hadn't expected. Her dark hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, and her eyes held a spark of defiance that intrigued him.

He chuckled, taking a sip of his whiskey. "A bit of both, I suppose." He set the glass down, leaning back into the leather chair. "Our families, they've known each other for generations. But you and I, we're like two strangers playing a high-stakes game of poker."

Her smile grew wider, her eyes glinting with the same challenge he knew so well from his own reflection. "And what makes you think I don't know how to play?"

Al leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I've seen how you handle yourself at the dinner table, how you navigate the conversations. You're not just a pretty face, you're a force to be reckoned with."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that admiration I detect?"

"Maybe a touch," he admitted, his own smile growing. "But I'm also curious. What's your endgame in this arranged marriage?"

Her gaze didn't waver. "Survival. And perhaps, if I play my cards right, a bit of happiness."

Al nodded, understanding all too well the complexities of their situation. Their union wasn't born from love, but from a merger of two powerful mafia families. It was a strategic move, one that would strengthen their empire and keep their enemies at bay. But as they sat there, the weight of their new reality pressing down on them, he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to be found between them.

He took a deep breath, deciding to lay his cards on the table. "Look, I know this isn't ideal for either of us. But I've seen enough of this life to know that sometimes, you gotta make the best of what you're given. And you," he paused, his eyes searching hers, "you're definitely worth getting to know."

Her expression softened a fraction, and she took a sip of her own drink, the amber liquid shimmering in the low light. "Alright," she said finally. "Let's start with the basics. What's your favorite thing to do when you're not... well, doing 'mafia' stuff?"

Al leaned back, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered her question. "You mean, like a hobby?"

"Yeah," she said, setting her drink aside. "What do you do to unwind? To take your mind off the... business?"

Pacino pondered for a moment, his gaze drifting to the floor. "I used to enjoy cooking," he said, his voice a bit distant. "It's been a while, though."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? That's a surprising hobby for someone in your... line of work."

He chuckled, the sound rich and deep. "My grandmother taught me. Said a man who can't feed his family isn't much of a man. Plus, it's a good way to keep things... simple, you know?"

Her interest was piqued. "I'd love to see you cook sometime."

Al's eyes met hers, a flicker of surprise in them. "You'd like that?"

"More than you know," she said, her voice soft. "It's a way to connect, isn't it? To share something personal, outside of all... this." She gestured to the opulent room, the heavy air of their arranged union hanging between them.

He nodded, a genuine smile playing on his lips. "How about we start with something simple? Maybe tomorrow night, I'll make us dinner."

Her heart fluttered at the prospect of a quiet evening together, away from the prying eyes of their families and the ever-present danger of their lifestyle. "I'd like that," she said, feeling a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to make this marriage work.

-

The following evening, Al found himself in the kitchen, an unfamiliar territory in the grand house. The room was large and gleaming, with state-of-the-art appliances that gleamed under the spotlights. He felt a pang of nostalgia as he rummaged through the cabinets, searching for the ingredients he needed to recreate his grandmother's recipes. His hands, usually clenched around the grip of a gun or the steering wheel of a luxury car, now gently squeezed tomatoes and chopped onions. The aroma of garlic sizzling in olive oil began to fill the air, and he felt a sense of peace he hadn't experienced in years.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and he turned to see her standing in the doorway, dressed in a simple white blouse and bell bottom blue jeans. She had her hair pulled back into a loose bun, and she looked so different from the woman he'd met at their wedding, surrounded by the trappings of their shared legacy. "Need any help?" she asked, her voice tentative.

"You know your way around a kitchen?" Al replied, his eyes teasing.

"I can manage not to burn down the house," she said with a laugh, stepping closer. "What are we making?"

Al handed her a wooden spoon. "We're going to make my Nonna's famous marinara sauce. It's a family secret, so you're officially initiated."

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she took the spoon, standing next to him at the stove. They worked in companionable silence, their movements in sync as they stirred and tasted, seasoned and simmered. The room grew warm with the scent of tomatoes and herbs, mingling with the faint smell of the cigar Al had left smoldering in an ashtray on the counter.

"So, tell me about your family," she said, breaking the quiet. "Your parents, your siblings. What was it like growing up in this... world?"

Al's smile faltered for a moment, his eyes clouding over as he thought back to his childhood. "It was complicated," he finally said. "My father was a man of honor, but he was also a man of his time. He taught me the family business, the code we live by. But he also made sure I knew that there's more to life than power and money."

He added a pinch of salt to the sauce, watching as it bubbled and danced in the pot. "My mother, she was the heart of the family. She kept us all in line, made sure we knew right from wrong. She was the one who taught me that even in darkness, there's room for kindness."

Her hand paused mid-stir, and she looked at him with a newfound respect. "That's a rare trait in our world."

"It is," he agreed, his eyes never leaving hers. "But it's one I've tried to hold onto, even when the path gets... bloody."

She nodded, understanding all too well the duality of their lives. Her own upbringing had been a mix of luxury and lessons in loyalty and fear. The stove clock ticked away the minutes as they worked side by side, the simmering sauce a metaphor for their tentative relationship.

"And what about you?" Al asked, his curiosity genuine. "What's your story?"

She took a deep breath, her grip on the spoon tightening slightly. "My father... he never had any sons. So, I became the one he taught everything to. The business, the family history, the importance of loyalty. I was his right hand, his confidante."

Al nodded, a newfound respect for her strength etched on his face. "That explains the steel in your spine."

"It had to be that way," she said, her voice even. "I had to be twice as tough, twice as smart. To prove I was worthy."

Al watched her, his eyes full of understanding. "And you did," he said. "You're more than worthy."

Her cheeks flushed slightly at the compliment, and she ducked her head to hide her smile. They continued to cook, their conversation flowing as easily as the wine they'd opened to pair with their meal. They talked about their childhoods, their hopes, and their fears, sharing stories that painted a picture of the people they were before their worlds collided.

As the night went on, the kitchen grew messier, but their connection grew stronger. They laughed over small mishaps, like when a splatter of sauce landed on her nose, and she retaliated with a playful flick of pasta that sent him into a fit of laughter. It was a simple, domestic scene, a stark contrast to the violent lives they both led.

Dinner was served at a small, intimate table set for two in the corner of the vast dining room. The sauce bubbled over perfectly al dente spaghetti, the plates steaming in the candlelight. They sat across from each other, the air thick with anticipation. This was more than just a meal; it was a silent agreement to explore the uncharted waters of their relationship.

With the first bite, she closed her eyes, savoring the flavors that danced on her tongue. "Al, this is incredible," she murmured, opening her eyes to find him watching her with a pleased expression.

"It's all in the ingredients," he said with a shrug, though his cheeks colored slightly at her praise. "Fresh basil, garlic, and a hint of oregano. Just like Nonna used to make."

They ate in companionable silence, the clink of silverware on fine china punctuating their conversation. The candles flickered, casting shadows that danced on the walls, creating an intimate bubble around them. The tension of their situation, the weight of their families' expectations, seemed to dissipate with each mouthful of food.

As they shared the meal, Al found himself opening up more than he had in years. He spoke of his dreams of one day leaving the mafia behind, of starting a legitimate business where he could use his skills without fear of retribution. She listened, her eyes never leaving his face, and for the first time, he saw a glimmer of understanding in her gaze.

"You know, I'm a doctor," she said, her voice low and steady. "I run the diagnostics department at the hospital just down the street."

Al's fork paused mid-air, surprise etched on his face. "A doctor?"

"Yes," she said with a nod, a hint of pride in her voice. "I've always had a passion for helping people. After what I saw growing up, I knew I wanted to do something that made a real difference."

Al's eyes widened. "I had no idea," he said, his voice a mix of admiration and bewilderment. "How do you manage that, with everything else going on?"

"It's not easy," she admitted, twirling her spaghetti around the tines of her fork. "But it's who I am. I studied hard, went to medical school, and fought tooth and nail to get where I am. It's my way of... balancing the scales, you know?"

Al nodded thoughtfully, his respect for her deepening with every word. "Yeah, I get it," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "We both have our ways of keeping our souls from turning to stone in this business.

The conversation grew deeper as the night progressed, their shared experiences creating a bond that went beyond their arranged marriage. They talked about their hopes for the future, the lives they wanted to lead beyond the shadows of their families' empires. The candles burned low, casting a warm glow on their faces as they leaned closer, the weight of their newfound connection palpable.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

thank you all for reading! this is going to be a series so stay tuned. comments and reblogs are welcome!!! see you next time (≧◡≦) ♡