#i finally gave up and said fine it'll be blue

[murkyhazed-is-archiving]

LIKED : AI generated dialogue / @unfaes

feat. aragorn and tristan thorn.

               ❝   i   believe   there   are   eyes   upon   us,   and   ears   tuned   to   us.   ❞

[kikixreverie]

It's called: freefall

Bucky x Female reader

Summary - Things get heated between you and your closest friend Bucky, when you're made to play a married couple on an important mission. Neither of you can help yourselves when you end up stuck in a hotel room together, with sexual tension you could cut with a knife.

Word count - 10k

Warnings - (18+) smut, fingering, p in v, friends to lovers, fake marriage, gross misogynistic man (not Bucko), borderline sexual harassment (not too intense, just gross words, and also not Bucky ofc), fluff, kinda angst, more misogyny.

A/N - Hi, this took me weeks to edit for some reason, sorry, and apologies if it's too long/wordy, i got carried away again. I'm not a big fan of the first half ngl, maybe that's because it's bad, or maybe it's because I've read it about a hundred times. The smut is good though, and that's what really matters.

________________________

"It's just a quick job, I promise. It'll be easy."

Steve gave you a smile of encouragement, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him, before politely averting his gaze to the floor when you lifted your dress slightly to slide your usual dagger into the holster on your thigh.

"Then what's with the getup?" You asked, lifting your head to catch sight of yourself in the mirror opposite you, looking at the dress you had been made to wear.

It was a pretty dress, beautiful actually, the colour beautiful against your skin-tone, perfectly fitted in all the right places, and it flowed down to the floor, a slit travelling up the length of your left leg, ending at your upper thigh.

You felt confident in it, and it was certainly a boost to your ego when Natasha wolf-whistled at the sight of you and Steve turned an impressive shade of red, but it wasn't something you were used to, having spent the past few years of your life dodging and refusing Tony's party invites, sticking to the comfiest clothes you owned when walking about the compound. It was a beautiful dress, but you couldn't help but feel like an imposter wearing it.

Natasha strode over to you and slightly adjusted the placement of your knife, ensuring it wasn't visible through the dress. "Daniel Kozlov. He's been on Shield's hit list for years now, fucker keeps catching and killing our agents on the inside."

You scoffed amusedly and shook your head, "What, so you send me in to get killed too?"

"Don't underestimate yourself, I've seen you take down four armed men with a screwdriver; you'll be fine, plus, you'll have Bucky and he knows how to stay undetected." Steve reassured you and you smiled at him, nodding to his words.

You heard footsteps behind you only moments before another voice spoke up, and you turned to the door, your breath catching in your throat as you did.

"That I do," Bucky nodded to Steve as he entered the room, eyes focused on his hands, adjusting his cuff links with a furrowed brow, before he finally tilted his gaze up, meeting your wide eyes with his own.

You barely noticed him looking you up and down, as you were too busy doing the exact same thing to him, no doubt probably being incredibly obvious as you stared with your lips parted. He looked like pure fucking sin.

Unadulterated and unfiltered sin.

His suit was all black and his pale, blue eyes contrasted against the colour, somehow making them stand out even more than usual. His already incredibly muscular arms and legs were accentuated, the expensive fabric tight against his skin, without it looking strange and uncomfortable, it only drew your attention to how broad his shoulders were compared to his narrow waist, or how thick his thighs looked in the black dress pants.

Multiple silver rings graced his fingers, matching with the silver, designer watch on his left wrist and you did a double-take when you noticed that his watch was wrapped around skin, not vibranium.

"Your arm." You said, sounding more like a statement than a question and Bucky forced himself to tear his gaze from your exposed thigh and tried to hide his pink dusted cheeks and breathless intake of air as his eyes followed yours to his metal arm, now concealed by what looked to be skin.

"Yeah." His voice came out as a sigh. He didn't know why, most amputees like him he was sure would be over the moon with the impressive technology, but it just made him uncomfortable, seeing his arm how he did 70 years ago. I felt inherently wrong. "Tony."

You nodded, looking away from his hand. A part of you was annoyed Tony had given it to him, knowing that it took Bucky years to accept that part of himself, and this seemed like it would be a setback in that department, though you still understood why it was necessary, Bucky was the best for the job, and chances are a criminal as 'highbrow' as Kozlov, would recognise the arm.

You wanted to change the subject, and you could tell Bucky did too, so you huffed a laugh and met his eyes, jokingly poking his chest with your finger, "You look like a mobster."

He nodded and chuckled, "Thanks, I guess. You look like a mobster's wife."

"Wife huh? Is that what we're doing?" You ask, turning your head to look down at Nat questioningly as she finished with your dress.

"Did they not tell you?" Bucky asked and you shook your head.

"I missed the briefing but Steve here thought he'd sign me up anyway." You gave the blonde a jokey, reprimanding look and he sighed, picking up two folders from the table and handing them to you.

"Blue one is about Kozlov, and the black is about who you and Bucky are going to be playing."

You take the folders from Steve, handing the blue one to Natasha as you open the black one, "James and Lucille Walter. Hey, how come he gets to keep his name and I get Lucille?"

"That's just a coincidence and I'm sure Bucky isn't too happy about it either. You're pretending to be a real couple, James Walter is one of Kozlov's newest buyers, he doesn't know him very well though, that's why you two shouldn't be caught out by anyone."

Nodding to Steve's words, you quickly skim over the rest of the folder, memorising as much as you can, before swapping with Nat and reading the other one, "And where are the real James and Lucille Walter?"

"Dead."

You stop your reading and turn to Natasha at the sound of her voice, giving her a look when she tried to hide her smirk.

"Ah, yes. Courtesy of Natasha Romanoff herself, Mr and Mrs Walter are in fact, dead" Steve spoke dramatically, causing you to scoff and wink at the redhead beside you.

"We should leave now. I'll explain further in the car and give you a rundown of the plan. Should be an easy job." Bucky takes the folders from you and tucks them under his arm, signalling for you to walk out the door and you give Steve and Natasha a smirk before you leave.

"Wish me luck guys."

_______________________________________

You were picked up from the compound by one of Stark's trusted drivers and Bucky described the plan in detail to you on the way there, but as you arrived closer and closer to your destination, you felt the nerves come on.

Usually, you were behind a computer screen on missions, hacking security cameras and breaking into encrypted files, you had no doubt of your fighting skills, you've been training almost your whole life, and the few missions you've done where you've had to fight were smooth sailing, but you had never done undercover before.

You started nibbling on your lower lip as soon as the car pulled up, doubting yourself again despite the amount of times Natasha has given you a whole speech about why you had no reason to ever do that.

The door on Bucky's side opened and when he offered you his arm to help you out of the car, meeting your eyes and giving you a gentle smile, you felt the nerves calm slightly.

You and Bucky were close in a way that no one had expected, considering he had the tendency to keep himself away from people and stay quiet when he was forced to socialise. You were slow-paced and gentle with him, a huge contrast to the way Sam would constantly be on Bucky about his lack of social skills, or Tony dragging him to parties he had no interest in. Sam always has the best intentions, but sometimes can be a little too enthusiastic for Bucky, and Tony, well sometimes Tony's just a dick with full knowledge of the fact that he's being one, and not a single care in the world about it.

You and Bucky both had an understanding, you had confided in him about your fears, your anxiety, and he had managed to do the same.

You just couldn't help but develop a teeny tiny crush on him over the past few months.

"Don't work yourself up, stay in character, stay alert, and remember the plan."

Nodding to him, you took a deep breath and put yourself into character, reminding yourself of yours and Bucky's new names, keeping your head up as you entered the party, an expensive diamond wrapped around your left ring finger with a similar pattern to the silver band Bucky had on his.

The hall was beautiful, gold detailing adorned the large doors and walls, reaching up to the ceiling to create beautiful patterns against the pristine white of the building. The party-goers were even more beautiful, hundreds of gowns and suits worth more than your life, probably bought and worn for a single night, before they're discarded and forgotten in the back of their walk-in closets.

You felt like you didn't fit in at all, but you watched as party guests eyed the two of you, and they seemed to be approving.

It didn't take you and Bucky long to get situated, stood in the corner of the extravagant hall with a glass of champagne now in your hand as you surveyed the exits and bodyguards, and Bucky looked for the target.

The mission was just a small lead in a huge investigation. You and Bucky were just here to buy something from Kozlov and then get out.

"Got him, 4 o-clock. He's surrounded but he should be expecting us so it shouldn't be an issue." Bucky had leant down to whisper in your ear, his breath tickling against your neck and causing a shiver to rake over your shoulders.

Fuck, he smelled like sin too.

It made you want to take a deeper breath, made you want to pull him even closer, close enough to close that small gap between your lips and kiss him till you run out of breath, and as much as that would be inconspicuous and normal for James and Lucille Walter, it would be completely inappropriate for Bucky and Y/n.

"We shouldn't go over yet. Let's just mingle a bit, get more of a feel of this place and blend into the background as much as we can." You add, and Bucky nods, surveying the room again before meeting your eyes.

"Good idea, but when we do go over, don't make eye contact with him and don't say anything," said Bucky. You couldn't help but roll your eyes, giving him a slightly annoyed, but understanding smile, and he smiled back apologetically, "I know, it's stupid, but that's what these guys are like. If he so much as thinks that you're either, on the table or threatening his masculinity, we're in trouble. Okay?"

You understood what Bucky was saying, men like Kozlov, they see women as property, or in some cases, currency. It's best to stay off their radar as best you can, which includes not threatening his masculinity by daring to look him in the eyes.

Women were to keep their heads down.

Which was bullshit.

"Okay."

He gives you a final nod and you think he's finally about to pull away and have mercy on your heart, but before he does, he pauses and presses his soft, warm lips to your cheek in a gentle kiss.

Air gets caught in your throat as it happens, but you try not to make an audible noise, quickly pulling yourself together and reminding yourself that you and Bucky are pretending to be a couple and he's just trying to sell it better. It makes sense.

It's just pretend.

You spend the whole evening with your hand wrapped around Bucky's bicep, neither of you breaking apart for anything as random people come up to you and try to start conversations. Usually, one of you will take one for the team and has to stand there talking about money and beach houses for five minutes, plus the occasional question about kids, which seemed to make Bucky blush every time, as the other keeps an eye on Kozlov.

"So how long have you two been married?" A seemingly kind lady asks, her red dress matching her lips as they stretch into an awkward smile.

"A year in June," You respond, well-rehearsed at this point as you smile up at your pretend husband, "Can't believe how quickly it's going."

Bucky is quick thinking with the act, and he smiles down at you, his arm wrapping gently around your waist and squeezing you to his side. Your heart probably stopped beating for a moment, and you wondered how he got so good at this, before brushing the thought away and looking back to the woman in the red dress, smiling warmly at her too.

"Ah, bet you two are still in the honeymoon phase. You look completely smitten with each other, it's adorable." She scrunched her nose up on the word 'adorable', her gaze flicking between the two of you before she glanced at her own husband, standing a few feet away as he laughed with a larger group of men, a big glass of whiskey in his hand. She sighed.

You tried to keep your face neutral, smiling and nodding along, but something about what she had said had caught in your chest, and you wished you could see just for a moment from someone else's eyes, just how 'smitten' you both look.

You felt bad for the woman, who stood in the middle of the huge ballroom completely alone and abandoned by her husband, but there wasn't anything you could do for her, and Bucky was subtly hinting to you that you were to go speak with Kozlov soon, so you kissed her cheek and bid her goodbye.

You spared Bucky a quick glance and he was focused on Kozlov, his face stoic as he glanced in his direction discreetly, scanning the exits too, checking for close-by security cameras and windows again, just in case.

"I think it's time, doll." He murmured.

You quickly lift your head to meet his eyes, the pet-name he usually only used when you were tipsy and would brush it off casually, slipping off his tongue, though it had the same effect sober or not, you blushed and nodded.

He smiled at you, almost looking fond, though you were pretty sure he was just offering you a break from the stoic, mission orientated Bucky, before he took a deep breath and reached for your hand on his bicep to hold it with his own, gently squeezing before guiding you towards the target.

As you walked Kozlov's way, who was surrounded by burly, most definitely armed bodyguards, you noticed the women surrounding him too, some with their husbands and all of them looking beyond uncomfortable, staring out at the party with bored, or even nervous expressions.

"James Walter," Bucky nodded to one of the bodyguards, who had stopped you both from passing, and the bodyguard shared a look with another, before nodding and letting you walk on.

Daniel Kozlov was sat comfortably in a velvet armchair as he swirled a glass of whiskey in his hand, seemingly stuck in a boring conversation as he stared at the wall before him, completely uninterested in what the man talking to him had to say.

"Mr Kozlov, I'm James Walter, It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

Kozlov perked up at the sound of a new voice and a wide, Cheshire cat grin formed on his lips as he regarded you and Bucky, though you kept your eyes to the floor, or seemingly 'admiring' the expensive decorations as the men spoke.

"Ah, my new friend! I was hoping you'd show up, had a few men flake out on me recently," The man spoke dramatically, his thick European accent prevalent and images of his file flashed in your head, remembering that Shield had been taking down his buyers one by one, either arresting them on other charges or putting a bullet between their eyes as Natasha had done with the real Mr and Mrs Walter.

They weren't particularly very nice people, so you didn't hold much guilt for their deaths, or stealing their identity after the fact.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, sir. Heard you've got something I have my interests set on." Bucky's voice was smooth and charismatic, matching Kozlov's energy as best he could, and you couldn't lie, it made your blood run warmer, heat spreading to certain parts of your body you were ashamed to admit were reacting to the confidence he exuded tonight.

"Hm... I suppose I do. Do you always allow your wife to be a part of your deals?" Your looked up slightly at his mention of you, and Kozlov smirked wickedly at the expression on your face, "Women can be god-awful gossips sometimes."

This fucking guy-

Bucky squeezed your hand tightly, forcing the words from his tongue, "I assure you, sir. She is nothing to worry about."

He was just as pissed as you were.

"I don't know, she doesn't really seem like the quiet type, I reckon she's a loud-mouth once she's on her back, although I'm sure having her on her knees will shut her up nice and quiet." He chuckled darkly and Bucky's hand was holding yours so tight, his jaw clenching and unclenching, measured breaths exhaled through his nose, he still managed to keep his face blank though, as did you, quietly seething as you put on the frightened baby deer look that men seemed to love, staring down at the floor.

He needed to think you were in the same position as the other poor, frightened women here, that he'd get bored with you all the same.

You swallowed your tongue though, wanting nothing more than to speak up and put the bastard in his place, right before beating the absolute shit out of him, though you knew that would come in due time, for now all you could do was finish this fucking mission.

"She won't be a problem."

Kozlov laughed, knowing he was getting under James' skin. He stood from the armchair and nodded towards Bucky, the smile sinking, trying to look intimidating, despite the fact that he was practically less than half the size of Bucky, "Make your payment."

Bucky pulled a phone from his pocket, sending a single word in a text and waiting for the confirmation only seconds later, before tucking it away again, "Payment made."

Daniel looked over at a man sat in the corner with a laptop and when he nodded, he turned back to look at Bucky, his hand sneaking into his own pocket and pulling out a hard drive, handing it to Bucky before taking a step back and looking you up and down.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

You swallowed your irritation, narrowly avoiding the urge to roll your eyes at the way he was eyeing you like a piece of meat, Bucky opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by a glare.

"I asked the wife, not you. Name?" He spoke through gritted teeth, obviously quick to anger, and you fought back the urge to fucking bitch slap him, take the dagger from your thigh and press it to his neck, but you were sticking to the deer in headlights act.

"Lucille."

A smirk overtook his face, a healed scar on his cheek stretching as he did so, "Pretty name for a pretty thing."

At this point, Bucky was squeezing your hand so hard again, your fingers were starting to go numb, the rings he was wearing digging uncomfortably into your skin, but you didn't pull away, instead, you returned the tight grip to try to reassure him.

Taking a step closer to you, Daniel Kozlov lifted his hand to your cheek, making you flinch slightly and you clenched your jaw when the back of his hand caressed your cheek, his skin ice-cold against yours.

"I happen to collect pretty things."

Bucky felt sick to his stomach, knowing that he couldn't do anything besides stand there and watch, stepping out of line in any way would end in a fight, and he knew he couldn't risk lives, or the mission.

A part of you was expecting him to backhand you, but he never did Instead, he touched your cheek for a while longer, glancing over at Bucky with a smile before he took a step away from you and laughed at the murderous look Bucky was trying to hide, he knew that Bucky was in a position where there wasn't much he could do to stop him, and he openly mocked him for it, "I could take her off your hands for the night for you, teach her some manners. Maybe she'll learn to answer her superiors quickly, when they ask her a question."

"Not necessary." Bucky's voice was scarily even, but his jaw was aching from how hard he was grinding his teeth together and he started pulling you closer to him, shooting Kozlov a dangerous glare, "I think it's time we leave."

"Of course, of course. No doubt you need to get her to bed."

Bucky ignored his words and turned, pushing his way past the bodyguards and pulling you along by your hand, making you stumble in your heels.

"James." You called out as you tried to catch up with him. His grip on your hand was starting to hurt again but he kept walking with intent, pulling you out of the grand doors at the entrance to the hall and towards the expensive car you had arrived in.

He handed the driver a wad of cash and told him to leave, giving him a silent glare which obviously meant 'fuck off' when the guy hesitated.

As Bucky pulled open the passenger seat door and helped you into the car, you glared at him, though when he ducked his head into the car and leant over you to put your seatbelt on for you, the intensity behind the glare faded and you were left just staring wide eyed at him, and instead of yelling at him and telling him that you were perfectly capable of doing your own seatbelt, you were lost for words with how close his body was to yours, his breath fanning against your bare shoulder.

You could only breathe when he pulled away and slammed the door shut, rounding the car to get into the driver's seat, not sparing you another glance as he turned on the engine and put the car into gear, speeding off into the city.

his frustration and anger filled the space with tension.

"Bucky, you need to calm down," You tried but he continued to ignore you, one hand on the gear stick and the other gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles turned white. You sighed, his frustration and anger filled the space with tension, and you concluded that he was a grown man who could calm himself down.

You dropped your head against the seat as you focused on the view outside your window, the lights of the city burning bright against the night sky.

You glanced at the side-view mirror, and rolled your eyes when you realised it was the same car that was behind you when you left the party, "We're being followed."

Bucky's hearing was obviously working. When he heard what you said, his eyes lifted to the rear-view mirror and he sighed heavily, "Fuck."

"Where are we gonna go? None of the safehouses are fancy enough for Mr and Mrs Walter."

"We'll have to go to a hotel, they shouldn't give us any trouble unless we seem suspicious. There's no way Kozlov would have us killed immediately after a sale, too risky," You nod at his words, knowing that Bucky was an expert at things like this due to his past with Hydra, he knew how men like Kozlov worked, how their brains ticked, and you trusted him completely. "Okay, I know where to go." He said as you kept an eye on the car, taking note of the plate number and trying to get a view of the person driving it, "Text Nat with the burner in my pocket, tell her we'll be at The Pierre, tell her to bring backup just in case but keep them minimally armed, it's just a precaution."

You sigh again, looking away from the car behind you and back to Bucky, "Which pocket?"

"Inside pocket, left side."

You nibbled on your lower lip as you reached over to him, and he tilted his body to you slightly in assistance. Bucky gulped, and you blushed as your hands brushed against his shirt when you reached into his suit jacket, searching for the pocket.

His body was incredibly warm and it only made you want to draw out the situation even longer as Bucky fought to keep his concentration on the road and the car behind, but eventually, your fingers brushed against the phone and you hesitantly pulled it out and sat back in your seat, a long exhale coming from him as you did so and he readjusted his grip on the steering wheel, shooting you a quick glance, his gaze falling to how exposed your thigh had become with the movement, though he tore his eyes away quickly.

You slipped the phone back into Bucky's pocket once you had received Natasha's quick response, and Bucky pulled up to the hotel. You watched in quiet amusement as the man following parked not-so-discreetly, a bit further down the street.

"Remember who your playing." Bucky shot you a final glance as he turned off the ignition and got out of the car, straightening out his suit jacket as he walked to the passenger side and pulled open the door, offering his arm to you and helping you out of the car.

You hated how real it all felt, him doting on you when you were trying desperately hard to convince yourself it was an act, but you still wrapped both your hands around his arm, draping yourself against his side as you walked towards the entrance, telling yourself that you did it only for the upkeep of the ruse.

The tension between you was undeniable as Bucky looked down at you, his expression serious, but not stern, only intense.

"James? Are we going in?" You asked, using his fake yet real name and it seemed to wake him from his daze, nodding as he reminded himself of his surroundings and the man now wandering closer to them, his phone to his ear, though he didn't speak into it.

"Course, doll. Just admiring my wife's beauty in the city lights."

Your mouth fell open slightly at his words but he didn't give you much time to react before he was walking you into the hotel, and you were thankful that he wasn't dragging you this time.

Bucky didn't waste any time, quickly moving to one of the people running the front desk and glaring down at him.

"Name?"

"James Walter," He spoke and the man nodded, typing something out on his computer before handing Bucky a black key-card, giving him a fearful smile.

Stepping away from the front desk, Bucky moved to your left as he discreetly put his hand into his pocket and slipped the burner phone into your hand, and you switched the phone into your right hand once you realised his plan, tossing the phone into the garbage bag on the back of a janitors cart before walking into the elevator.

You sighed heavily as you both finally entered the hotel room, trudging to the bed in the middle of the giant room and collapsing on it as Bucky started scoping out the room, quickly checking the bathroom and shutting all the curtains.

"We're going to have to stay here all night, aren't we? That guy isn't gonna go anywhere." You sighed, closing your eyes as you sunk into the mattress.

"One bed." Bucky said, and you peaked your eyes open one at a time, moving your gaze to the man now slouched in the armchair tucked into the corner of the large room, still looking beyond annoyed.

"Huh?"

His jaw ticked in annoyance as his head fell back against the chair, "There's only one bed."

Oh.

"Oh," You sat up on the bed, looking around the room awkwardly.

You didn't really want to think about what that could mean, it either formed butterflies in your stomach, or disappointment.

He didn't have to act so upset about it.

"Is it that bad?" You scoffed, half joking, half serious, and Bucky lifted his head, his eyes widening, lips parted.

"No, that's not what I-" He cut himself off, sighing and furrowing his eyebrows, looking guilty, "Sorry. I'm just so fucking annoyed."

You smiled and nodded, "I know, me too. We're one step closer to getting this guy though, Buck."

He nodded too, eyes closing again, his jaw unclenching, finding some kind of relief in your words.

"We don't have to share if you don't want, but I'm okay with it if you are. I trust you. Plus, we've fallen asleep on the couch together before, can't be that much different." You shrugged, acting nonchalant, although you felt extremely not, as you stood up, sick of the feeling of your knife's handle digging uncomfortably in your skin.

You pulled your skirt up to expose your other thigh, lifting your right foot to rest on the bed, while making sure not to flash Bucky in the process as you pull the dagger out, throwing it back on the bed, leaving the garter on for now.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight, watching as your dagger glided against the skin of your thigh as you removed it from yourself, tossing it onto the white bed sheets before dropping your foot back to the floor.

"No it's... I don't- uh." He trailed off, losing his train of thought, obviously distracted.

You looked at him, eyes dropping to follow the movement of his tongue wetting his lips, and you knew you'd never get the sight of him right now out of your mind. His legs were spread, sitting comfortably in the chair, one of his arms draped over the arm of the chair, while he rested his elbow with the other one, holding his head up with his thumb and index finger on the side of his tilted head.

He regarded you silently, his eyes dazed, and you wondered if it could possibly be because he was feeling the same exact way as you right now.

Bucky was struggling to think straight, scrunching his face up in frustration when he finally snapped out of his daze, the frustration completely different to what he was feeling before, now he just couldn't get the image of your thighs out of his mind, or the black thigh garter you still wore under your dress.

God, you drive him fucking crazy.

You chewed the inside of your cheek when he sighed again, "Buck, you need to chill out. I know Kozlov is a fucking asshole, but we expected that. We got the mission done with no big issues."

He stared up at the ceiling, feeling so guilty that he was looking at you that way, thinking about you in that way, especially after the reminder of Kozlov and how undoubtedly uncomfortable he must've made you feel.

"I know, I just hate feeling powerless. That prick was touching you and saying horrible shit and I just stood there-"

"Bucky."

He huffed a breath and opened his eyes, only to be met with the beautiful sight of you stood before him, only a few feet away, your dress clinging to all the right places and your eyes locked to his and he felt a familiar heat stirring up inside him again. He stared up at you as if you were a heaven-sent angel.

The tension in the room was so thick, and you both knew why, though neither of you had the guts to admit, nor say anything about it.

Your intentions were pure at first, and for some reason, on the way towards where he was sitting, you never thought about the very un-pure version of your actions until you were stood in front of him, barely thinking about it when you sunk to your knees before him, your hands resting just above his knees on his spread legs.

At first, you told yourself it was because you wanted to talk to him properly, make sure he was okay, and that included you being on his level physically, but now you realised it was mostly because you so desperately wanted to see him like this, his gaze heated, looking down at you between his thighs with parted lips.

It didn't matter that you were the one on your knees, you'd never felt more powerful.

His gaze was unwavering, the intense, lustful look in his eyes alone had you clenching your thighs together as you thought about your next move, and Bucky lifted one of his hands towards your face, brushing the back of his fingers down your cheek, just as Kozlov had done earlier, though this touch was completely different, and your eyes fluttered shut, a sigh escaping you as his fingers caressed your cheek, ridding the memory of Kozlov's cold skin against yours with his soft, warm touch, and you pulled your eyes open to meet his again, lifting your hand to take hold of his.

You looked down at the rings he was wearing, one on almost each finger, apparently it was a common style choice from James Walter, and it wasn't the first time tonight that you'd silently thanked the dead mobster for that fact.

They'd been catching your eye all night, and you lifted his knuckles to your lips, placing a kiss against the smooth metal of the first one on his index finger, and then the next one, and the next.

Bucky watched you kiss his rings, his eyes darkening with every touch of your soft lips to his knuckles, so entranced by you, slowly sinking further into the seat, melting with each touch.

He couldn't think of any repercussions right now, couldn't think of a single reason to stop you, all he could think about was what you were doing to him right now, and where these actions could lead you, and his pants were getting tighter by the second.

You met his eyes with your lips still on his knuckles, and you both immediately knew what this was, where this could be going, and that the thick tension between you, was sexual tension like no other.

Bucky's heart must've stopped when you opened his fist and slipped his index and middle finger past your lips, enveloping them in the hot, wetness of your mouth, your soft tongue circling over his digits, sucking on them, He couldn't help but groan, leaning his head back, though still keeping his half-lidded eyes on you.

"Fuck, doll. So fuckin' gorgeous."

You weren't thinking straight, you must not've been, because why the hell would you be doing this, why was it something you didn't even have to question, why did it feel so natural, and so fucking right.

The words that slipped past his lips were doing things to you, and the way that his fingers pressed down on your tongue slightly, but weren't nearly as heavy against it as something else you wanted on your tongue would be, you were a goner, and your underwear was already soaked.

You pulled his fingers from your mouth but kept hold of them as you crawled onto his lap, his arm immediately wrapped around your waist, holding you to him, his lips so close to yours you were sharing breath.

Slowly, you guided his fingers down, sliding them under the slit in your dress to bring them to your covered core, watching his facial expression intently, watching for any sign of discomfort.

There was none, and his breath caught in his throat when his fingers made contact, the heat of you radiating against his hand, he could already feel how wet you are.

"Fuck." He breathed, eyebrows furrowing, forehead resting on yours, "You sure about this sweetheart? You want me to touch you?"

You nodded immediately, biting your lower lip, pressing his hand against you harder, "Yes. Are you sure?"

He nodded back, "Never been more sure about anything in my fuckin' life."

You moaned when he finally started moving his fingers, circling your clit gently over your underwear, though with enough pressure to give some sort of relief, but it was when he pulled your panties aside, and dipped his fingers into your wetness, spreading your folds and gathering your slick, before pressing his fingers against your clit and rubbing you in tighter circles, that you were a mess in his lap.

"Bucky-" You whimpered, rolling your hips slightly, and he licked his lips again, nudging his nose against yours, wanting so desperately to kiss you, but also not wanting to miss a single expression you made, he wanted to watch you fall apart under his touch, again, and again, and again.

"You know something, sweetheart?" He asked, waiting for confirmation that you were paying attention to him before continuing.

You rolled your hips again, staring into his eyes, moaning out in pleasure, "What?"

"You drove me fucking crazy tonight, every time you touched me, every time you looked at me- God, whenever you said my name- I'd never heard you call me that before, my first name, fuck I don't ever want to stop hearin' you callin' me that."

His words made you dizzy, the confirmation that he'd felt the same as you all night, the confession that he loved it when you called him 'James' just as much as you loved calling him it, you were sinking deeper and deeper into this feeling, that this moment couldn't be more right, more necessary, like you'd both been needing this for months now.

By the time he had finished talking, he had slowed his touch to a complete stop, and dipped his fingers lower, pushing them inside you.

You gasped, he groaned, and when he curled them, finding that sweet spot inside you and pushing against it perfectly, you cried out, dropping your forehead to his shoulder and tucking your face in his neck.

He didn't let up with his gentle thrusting, and the insistent rubbing against that spongy spot inside of your cunt. He used his free hand to move your head from his shoulder, leaning himself forward slightly, holding you closer, and finally kissing you.

You whimpered and moaned against his lips, though returned the kiss passionately, both of your hands in his hair, your tongue gliding against his own.

This was unlike any experience you'd ever had, every touch dialled up to 100.

He used his thumb to rub your clit, still curling and rubbing his fingers against your walls, and when you started to clench down on him, he pulled back from the kiss.

"C'mon, kitten, cum on my fingers like a good girl." He purred, and your head tilted back, moaning as you came, your orgasm only spurred on quicker by his words.

"James-" You whimpered, his touch not letting up as he pleasured you through your orgasm, though when you were through most of it, you crashed your lips to his.

You kissed until you ran out of breath, doing exactly what you had wanted to do earlier, what you had wanted to do for months. Bucky gently eased his fingers out of you, and when you tucked your face in his neck again, catching your breath, you could tell he was sucking them clean, moaning at the taste of you.

It was quiet for a moment between you, only the gentle sound of your slightly laboured breath filling the space, Bucky held you close to him, his fingers gently tracing up and down your spine through the fabric of your dress, you gave a pleased hum and kissed his neck, just above his collar.

It didn't matter that you'd just barely come down from an orgasm, you needed more, you needed him.

"James." You whispered against his neck, just below his ear and he just about melted into the chair beneath you, humming to let you know he was listening, though you didn't say anything else, a part of you just wanted to say his name again, and to feel his pleased reaction to it.

His body was so warm under yours, but there were far too many layers of fabric between you and him and you desperately wanted to fix that, 'adjusting' yourself on his lap just so you could provide some friction between you, biting your lip and sighing into his ear when you felt how hard he was beneath you, he groaned and gripped your hips tightly.

"I wanna feel you inside me, James." Your voice was as sweet as sugar, breath warm against his skin, and your heated core was seated just above where his hard cock was pressing tightly against his pants, throbbing with every small movement you made.

"Fuck, sweetheart." He husked, no doubt sounding like a broken record, though he didn't care much about that, not when you were pressing yourself against him like that, slowly rocking in his lap, not when he could still faintly taste you in his mouth from where he had sucked his fingers clean, not with your mouth on his neck, whispering dirty things.

You kissed the hinge of his jaw, then ghosted your lips lower, pressing a kiss just below his ear, before making your way to the other side, leaving sweet kisses as you went.

You met his eye as you traced your hand up his black shirt, watching his expression as you slowly loosened his tie, and popped the top button open, and then the next, giving yourself better access to the skin there, kissing below his Adam's apple.

"C'mon, Buck. You wanna fuck me?" You asked, looking up at him through your lashes this time, teasing him with a smirk.

He bit his lip, holding your cheek in his palm, thumb swiping across your cheekbone, his eyes darting across your face, taking in every detail he could while he was so close to you.

So pretty.

"I do, of course I do, doll." He said back, his eyes following the movement of his thumb against soft skin. You could sense the 'but' coming, "But... I don't think we should-"

"Bucky." You interrupted, stopping what you know would've become this huge, self-doubting, self-sabotaging speech, and he met your eyes again, sighing slightly, his head tilted, "If we both want this, then why can't we have it?"

He didn't know what to say, he couldn't imagine a world were someone would really want him, as he was, much less a smart, loving and kind, beautiful girl like yourself. He believed you when you said you wanted this, but was still unsure if you would really want him, want him beyond this moment.

"If we go further, I'll never be able to get enough of you." He spoke quietly, this moment between you was so intimate, which was something he'd not experienced in decades. It was terrifying, but so perfect, so right. 

"You have all of me, Bucky. I want you, not just tonight. I've wanted you for months, honey, and if you want me too then what have we got to lose? You can have me whenever you need me, whenever you want me, I'm yours, yours now, yours tomorrow. If you need a hug," You wrapped your arms around his neck as you spoke and held him tighter, "If you need a kiss," You pressed your lips to his, "If you need a release; I'll be there, because you have me, always have."

By the time you were just halfway into your speech, Bucky was a puddle, his brain short-circuiting, his heart beating much faster than it should be with him just sitting, and his whole world view collapsing.

You were his.

You wanted to be his.

He was yours completely.

He surged forward to press his lips to yours, and kissed you for a long moment, using his tongue to memorise the feel of your mouth, the heat of your own tongue against his, and he stood as he kissed you, holding you in his arms as you wrapped your legs around his waist.

He carried you with such ease and sat down on the edge of the huge bed, not once breaking the kiss, or putting an ounce space between your bodies.

You helped him to shrug off his suit jacket, tossing it to the floor as if it didn't probably cost hundreds of dollars, and deft fingers quickly reached to undo his tie.

The tie was silky and smooth, and your imagination was bright with ideas, the image of Bucky fucking you, with your hands tied above your head, or maybe tying Bucky up just the same, kissing his cock teasingly, without letting him touch you.

You tabled the ideas for now, tossing the tie aside.

You could experiment with him in due time, for now you just wanted to be able to touch him as much as possible.

You were both still enraptured in the kiss when Bucky stood again, this time turning around, and laying you down on the mattress, pressing himself against you as he placed one last kiss on your lips, and pulled back to admire the sight of you, blushing with kiss-bitten lips as you lay beneath him.

He traced his hands down your body and stood at the end of the bed, his shirt almost halfway undone.

His fingers glided down your legs, and ended at your ankles as he eyed the strappy heals you wore, admiring how beautiful you looked in them. He imagined keeping them on you, stripping you down and bending you over the closest surface, whilst still wearing the heels, maybe keeping on the thigh-garter too, but he wanted you comfortable, and he wanted you naked.

Gently, he undid the strap on one of your heels, and slowly pulled it off, before doing the same to the other one.

He kept glancing up at you as he did so, watching you so intently, he didn't dare miss a single moment, a single change in your expression.

His hands traced back up your legs, this time, he kissed his way up too, kissing you ankle, your shin, just below the garter.

He stopped himself though, and looked you in the eyes, that serious look returning, "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes. Please, James."

He smirked, he couldn't not, and his hand drifted to your hip, squeezing there, before using both his hands to flip you over, leaning over you and pressing his hand against your back.

You gasped in surprise, and then felt his fingers against the zip of the dress, his breath against the nape of your neck.

"Should we take this off?" He asked sweetly, and you nodded silently, your voice trapped in your throat, that cocky, dominant persona you had taken on earlier apparently about to be fucked out of you. You couldn't wait.

He flipped you back over to help ease the dress off, leaving you only in a lacy pair of underwear, your chest exposed to him, and once the dress was on the floor, and Bucky allowed himself the chance to finally look at you, he groaned roughly, draping his body over yours and reaching up to caress your breasts, watching as his thumb traced over the hardened peaks of your nipples, "So fucking gorgeous."

Your hands were in his hair, back arching into his touch when he took your nipple into his mouth, paying attention to the other one with his fingers, and as much as you were enjoying it, he was still wearing way too much, and you put your fingers under his chin, pulling his mouth away from you.

He kissed you as you unbuttoned the rest of his shirt and pulled it off, quickly followed by his pants and soon you were both left in your underwear.

You pushed at his shoulder, and he eventually got the memo, and rolled aside, letting you sit on top of him, carefully moving the dagger you had left on the bed onto the bedside table.

When you pulled back from the kiss, he continued to kiss down your chest, but your eyes drifted to the hand he had on your waist, the left one, that still looked like skin even though it wasn't.

You had almost completely forgotten about it, it felt just like skin, was warm like skin, and looked unbelievably life-like, but there was something about it that you really didn't like, it wasn't him, it might've been once, but as Bucky has told you before, he's not been the man he was back in the 40s in over seventy years, and he probably wouldn't ever be him again, which you reminded him was okay, that he didn't owe Steve the version of himself that Bucky thought he would need.

You knew about the struggles Bucky has had with his metal arm, the history that there is behind it, and the hatred he had for it when he was first rehabilitated. You didn't want this impressive Stark invention to become something he used to hide this part of himself, against the needs of his own healing.

You started at his left shoulder, and traced your fingers down the arm, stopping at the silver watch on his wrist, and Bucky stopped kissing you, watching you, waiting.

"Is it the watch?" You asked, and he hesitated, before nodding.

"You don't have to take it off."

You paused, looking down at him, he looked slightly uncomfortable, and you needed to change that.

"I'd like to take it off. Do you want to leave it on?"

He was quiet for a moment, thinking about your question. It made him uncomfortable, seeing the uncanny, flesh arm in place of the metal one he knew was there, and to see a human arm, yet not be able to really feel the touch of your skin against it, only pressure and heat. He didn't like it.

He shook his head, and you smiled, kissing him again as you carefully undid the watch with your mouth still on his, pulling back to see his metal arm visible again, and you intertwined your fingers with his, metal against skin.

You did the same with his other hand, intertwining your fingers, before lifting them both above his head, pressing them into the mattress. You knew he could very easily break out of your grasp, but that didn't make the sight any less pleasing.

You rocked your hips against his, just as you did before, and he groaned, lifting his own hips, seeking more friction.

Reluctantly, you released his hands, and quickly took off your underwear, leaving you naked above him, before you took his off too.

You couldn't possibly be any wetter, your inner thighs a mess of slick as you watched his cock slap against his stomach, painfully hard and leaking at the tip.

"Fuck, James. D'you know how beautiful you are?" You asked, slowly touching the underside of his cock, tracing an enticing vein, before gripping him in your hand and squeezing him.

A moan slipped past his lips, hips lifting from the bed again.

He shook his head in response to you, smiling, "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

He flipped you both over again, his hands tracing your body, lingering in certain areas, squeezing your breasts, caressing your stomach, lifting your thigh to rest on his hip, dipping between your legs to press down on your clit, "You're fuckin' breathtaking, doll, and so fucking wet."

He gathered some of your wetness on his fingers, and dipped them back into his mouth again for a taste, moaning around them.

"I wanna eat you so bad, kitten." He lowered himself to you, resting on his elbows on either side of your head, kissing your neck.

"Later. I need you inside me, James." You pressed your core against him, and he nodded, reaching between the two of you to line himself up, slowly easing inside.

You both moaned as he slid inside you, Bucky's eyes fluttering shut, savouring the sensation whilst trying desperately hard not to give in to the urge to immediately bury himself at the hilt, and fuck you without a moments hesitation.

His hips twitched, cock throbbing inside of you, both of you were so desperate for this, and when he finally pulled his hips back, and rolled them back to yours, it was relief like no other.

His first few thrusts were slower, so enraptured by how you felt around him, hot and wet, and fucking perfect. Eventually, he started to speed up, but favoured fucking you harder, rather than faster. He didn't want this to end too quickly.

You were sprawled beneath him, biting your lower lip and moaning with every stroke of his cock against your walls, his body completely draped over yours so with every roll of his hips, his pelvis stimulated your clit. When he started to fuck you harder, repeatedly hitting a spot deep inside you that made you see stars, you were crying out in pleasure, already feeling close to another orgasm.

"Fuck, sweetheart, you feel so good, y'know that? I'm never gonna get enough of this, gonna want to fuck you all the time, 'm never gonna think of anything else." His forehead was resting on your shoulder, one of his hands on your stomach as his other held him up on the bed, "I want you to be mine. Mine to fuck, mine to kiss, mine every minute of the day. God, I want everyone to know, sweetheart, want them to know you're James' girl."

You were moaning with every word, nodding along, whining when his hand drifted lower, his thumb hovering over your clit, but staying completely still, teasing you.

Your heart was so full, just like your cunt, and you hoped to god he'd follow through on his promises, you needed to be his, just as much as you needed him to be yours.

"James, please." You begged, arching your back into him, and he lifted his head from your shoulder to look at you, smiling with a shake of his head.

"You beg real pretty, doll, but you can do better than that. Tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you."

Your eyes practically rolled back, fuck, you loved hearing him talk like this, "I want to cum, please."

He nodded, leaning in close to you, "You want to cum? I'll let you cum, princess."

He began to rub your clit in steady circles, keeping up a steady rhythm that dragged you so close to release.

"C'mon, come for me, sweetheart."

Your eyes fluttered shut as your orgasm rushed over you, and you gripped Bucky's hair tighter, your cunt clenching around him sending him head first into his own orgasm, his hips stuttering against yours as he came inside you, filling you up with his seed.

His forehead was pressed to yours, both of you slowly coming down from your high, and Bucky waited till you'd caught your breath to lean down and kiss you, slower this time, savouring the taste of you as best he could.

You kissed him back eagerly, aftershocks of your orgasm washing over you and making you clench down on him, still inside of you. Bucky groaned into your mouth, before he hesitantly broke the kiss, and leaned back to slide out of you.

"Fuck, sweetheart, such a fucking mess we made." He breathed roughly, glancing down between your legs, watching his cum seep out of you, so turned on by the filthy sight, before looking up at you again, tracing his eyes up your body, completely bared to him. He took in every detail, and smiled at your flushed cheeks, "You're so fucking beautiful."

You smiled back at him, shaking your head as you wrapped your legs around him and reached out, pulling him back down to you to nudge your nose against his, watching the way his nose scrunched up when he smiled, "So are you."

He huffed a laugh and kissed you, before burying his face into the crook of your neck, wrapping his arms around you and holding you as close to him as possible, practically laying completely on top of you, though he held most of his own weight. As much as you would completely, happily welcome the weight of him on top of you, you also know that breathing is kind of a necessary thing to survive... sadly.

"We need to shower." He murmured against your skin, rubbing his stubbly jaw against your shoulder.

You hummed and nodded, raking your nails across the surface of his back.

"We should probably talk too." He followed, keeping his face hidden from your sight.

"We should, but I don't think there's much to talk about that we haven't already. We both want each other, and not just physically."

He lifted his head and gazed down at you, his expression vulnerable, more vulnerable than you'd ever seen him, even with him naked above you, "So... like lovers?"

You smiled at the old-fashioned term, much preferring it to boyfriend and girlfriend, and you nodded, gently brushing hair from his face, "I'd love that, Buck, if you want that too?"

"Yes, I want that, so much."

"Good, let's make it official then."

He nodded smiling down at you, before he stood from the bed, and he picked you up, wrapping your legs around his waist and carrying you to the hotel en-suite like he had carried you to the bed earlier.

"You're my girl now, sweetheart." He whispered to your ear, loving the way it sounded on his lips.

"And you're my guy." You replied, kissing his nose.

"Sure am." He smiled proudly, setting you down on the bathroom sink as he turned the shower on, before he turned back to you, leaning on his hands, which rested either side of you, "I will be taking you out on a date when we get back, just so you know."

"I can't wait, baby."

[special-agent-sass]

Elevator Passions

Warnings

Smut

Y/N sauntered into the bullpen, leather jacket squeaking as she walked. She headed straight for her desk, not making eye contact with anyone. The rest of the team watched her warily. Ever since her blow up with Gibbs last week, she'd been quiet and closed off.

Tony sidled up next to her desk. "So, Y/N/N, you coming out with us tonight?" He gave her his most charming smile.

She didn't even glance at him. "Not really in the mood, DiNozzo."

McGee piped up from his desk. "Come on, Y/N. It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, we haven't seen you outside of work in weeks," Tony wheedled.

Y/N finally looked up, pinning them both with an icy stare. "I said no. Now drop it."

Tony and McGee exchanged a look but didn't press the issue. Ever since Y/N had joined the team a little over a year ago, she'd been like a little sister to them. Former Marine, tough as nails, and beautiful to boot. But lately, something had changed.

Gibbs strolled in then, coffee in hand. "Gear up. Dead petty officer in Anacostia."

The team scrambled to collect their things. As they headed to the elevator, Gibbs grabbed Y/N's arm.

"You good for this?" His steely blue eyes searched hers.

Y/N yanked her arm away. "I'm fine."

Gibbs studied her a moment longer before giving a curt nod. They joined the others in the elevator, tension thick between them.

At the crime scene, Y/N immediately got to work photographing evidence while McGee bagged and tagged. Tony interviewed witnesses while Gibbs examined the body.

"Single gunshot wound to the back," Ducky pronounced. "No exit wound, so the bullet likely fragmented inside the body. I'll know more once I get him home."

Gibbs grunted in acknowledgment. He glanced over at Y/N, crouched low as she took photos. The sight of her ripped jeans stretched tight over her curves made his mouth go dry. Shaking himself, he turned back to Ducky. "Time of death?"

"Based on liver temp, I'd say between midnight and 2am."

Gibbs nodded, then went to check on his agents' progress. McGee had finished collecting evidence, Tony was wrapping up his interviews, and Y/N was scribbling notes about the scene.

Back at the navy yard, the team dug into the victim's background. Petty Officer James Rourke, 25, was a communications technician stationed out of Norfolk. No wife or kids, parents both deceased.

"Looks like Rourke had a bit of a gambling problem," McGee announced. "Some large cash withdrawals over the past few months that far exceed his salary."

"Owed money to the wrong people, maybe?" Tony speculated.

Gibbs turned to Y/N. "Bring up his financials, see if you can trace where the money was going."

Y/N's eyes flashed with anger. "You don't need to tell me how to do my job."

"When you're acting like a probationary agent, then yeah, I do," Gibbs shot back.

Y/N shot to her feet. "Just because I won't kiss your ass like Tony doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing."

"Hey!" Tony protested.

"You make one more outburst like that, you'll be riding a desk till you retire," Gibbs threatened. "You got that?"

Y/N stepped close until they were nearly nose to nose. Gibbs could feel her breath on his face, see the fire in her eyes.

"I could ride you instead" she taunted. "Clearly that's what you'd prefer."

Tony's jaw dropped. McGee's eyes bugged out. The bullpen went deadly silent.

Gibbs clenched his jaw, hands fisting at his sides. "With me. Now." He stormed off towards the elevator.

Y/N followed, chin held high. The doors slid shut behind them. Gibbs flipped the emergency stop switch, halting the car between floors.

He turned to Y/N, eyes blazing. "You ever speak to me like that again—"

"You'll what?" Y/N cut him off. "Spank me?" She stepped closer, breasts brushing his chest. "We both know you've wanted to bend me over your desk since I got here."

Gibbs swallowed hard. "It's against protocol." But even as he said it, his hands grasped her hips, pulling her against him.

"Screw protocol," Y/N hissed before crushing her lips to his.

Gibbs groaned into the kiss, backing her against the elevator wall. Their mouths clashed hungrily as his hands slid under her shirt, finding smooth, warm skin. Y/N nipped his bottom lip as she frantically unbuckled his belt.

Breaking the kiss, Gibbs rasped into her ear, "We shouldn't..." But his protest died as she wrapped her fingers around him. He shuddered, head falling back.

"I need this, Jethro," Y/N pleaded breathlessly. "Make me forget everything else."

Surrendering, Gibbs hoisted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Their clothes disappeared in a frenzy of tearing fabric and grasping hands. Then he was inside her, swallowing her cries with his mouth as he took her hard against the elevator wall.

After, collapsed in a sweaty, panting heap on the floor, Gibbs pressed a kiss to her hair. "I've wanted this...wanted you...for a long time," he admitted gruffly.

Y/N nuzzled his cheek. "Me too. Rules be damned."

Gibbs smiled and pulled her close. Protocol could wait. Right now, he had everything he needed.

[lazyalani]

| Itoshi Rin × [GN!Reader]

| What are you so scared of?

| Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Secret Relationship Trope, Rin breaks down, Not Proofread

| Summary: Rin thinks keeping your relationship a secret is the best for both you, however, he didn't think the consequences of it over, but it'll be fine.

| Blue Lock Masterlist

| Main Masterlist

In highschool, you always dreamed about moving in together with your partner when you get older. You thought everything through, from thinking about the sweet things, sleeping in, cuddling, movie nights, home greetings, and how to deal with aftermath of arguements.

At 25 years old, you finally decided to ask your boyfriend of 4 years, Itoshi Rin, if you could move in together, in which he declined as less harsh as his moody mouth can.

You had no objections really, although you were a bit disappointed, but you never really dwelled on it because what was important is you have your relationship.

Is what you wanted to think.

Rin has always been intent on keeping your relationship a secret. You had agreed upon it ofcourse, thinking you'd be able to endure until he decides to reveal it. You thought that it'd be fine, that you'd be able to handle the thirsty and wild comments other people gave him knowing he's all yours at the end of the day. You thought you'd be able to handle the scandals he had with models, actresses, other athletes. It turns out you couldn't.

In the 4 years of your relationship, never once have you both go on a date outside. No coffee shop dates, no shopping dates, no cinema dates, no arcade dates, nothing. It was always indoors, in your apartment, and never his. It was safer, he said. Or was he just scared? You thought it didn't matter if all you could do was have couch movie dates, all that mattered was you both could have each other like that. That you could have him in your arms, falling asleep in the middle of the movie, tired from practice.

It wasn't enough, afterall.

It hurt. It hurt to walk by him getting interviewed publicly, surrounded by fans, pretending not to know each other. It hurt to cheer for him during games, knowing no one knows you were his partner, knowing you couldn't announce your presence, the presence of his lover. It hurt to see him at the end of the day, finally being together after not seeing each other for days, weeks, months, just falling asleep because you're both tired. It hurt to see your conversation with him, so plain, like you're just aquaintances. It hurt to open your social media, your feed being continously flooded by news of him, be it interviews, modeling for brands, with his teammates, and scandals. It hurt to hear him saying he isn't in a relationship.

It hurts you that you're tired.

You didn't know what actually sparked you to ask him the question.

Both of you were sitting on your couch, in the middle of your 'date', your mind elsewhere, thinking about everything.

Was it because your patience had finally snapped? Was it because you were tired from work? Was it because of your headache fueled by the constant loud sounds from the movie? Or was it because you knew while you were so worked up about your relationship, Rin didn't care at all?

"Hey, Rin."

He paused the movie, "Hungry?"

You shooked your head. "No, actually.."

He raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Aren't you tired?"

"I am, practice---"

"No, I meant from this." You gestured to everything around you.

"I don't understand, [Name], be more clear." He frowned.

"Of this kind of relationship, Rin." You finally said.

It was silent.

And then he sighed and looked away.

"You said you were okay with this." He replied.

"I was," He took note of the past tense used. "until I wasn't anymore."

He frowned harder and looked away, sighing. "What do want me to do? I can't--"

"That's exactly it, Rin! You can. You just don't want to." You raised your voice a little higher.

"I'm an athlete, [Name]."

"So what?"

"I can't just say I have a partner all of a sudden." He exclaimed, getting frustrated. Everything in his sight was starting to get red.

"Why not? They're not your owner, you're not a dog, Rin." All of his answers didn't make sense to you, but deep inside, you knew exactly the reason why he doesn't want you exposed.

"Ofcourse I know that. It's just that.."

"What? It's just that what, Rin? What are you so scared of?" You shooked your head, your chest starting to hurt.

Silence fell over the two of you, only the small, low background noises of the long forgotten movie being heard.

Rin couldn't bring himself to answer. He'd asked himself the same question a thousand times before too, choosing to ignore because you said it was okay, afterall. You were okay. He never pondered on it too long because he thought he didn't need to as long as you were okay with it. He didn't dwell on it too much because he thought the answer would just come to him one day and all that mattered was that you said it was okay. He chose to be ignorant because he thought he'd be able to tell everyone about you soon and the only thing he cares about is that you were okay.

But everytime he thought he was ready, he couldn't do it.

Now infront of you, as you ask the same question, he asks himself again.

"What am I so scared of?"

Was it of your safety from his fans?

"What am I so scared of?"

Was it yours and his privacy?

"What am I so scared of?"

Was it his brother's opinion of him?

"What am I so scared of?"

Or was it his reputation?

Everything clicked. Sae. Reputation. Fans. Media. Privacy. Soccer.

He was afraid of losing everything.

He was afraid of losing everything he worked so hard for. He was afriad of ruining the career he worked hard for since he was a kid. The career he worked day and night, head to toe, blood and sweat, physical to mental. He was afraid of what everyone would think of the hardworking, serious, amazing, egoist Itoshi Rin.

The praise and recognition he has long wanted has finally come and he was afraid of losing it. The acknowledgement he wanted from his brother, he got from the world, and he didn't want to lose it. And because of his selfishness, you, the only person who knows who he is inside, is hurting. He was greedy. Too afraid of letting go of the fame, and too afraid of losing the only one who truly understands him.

Greedy. Selfish.

Yet, as he stares at your teary eyed self right now, leaning on the hand rest of the couch, why does everything seem so simple? Why is everything suddenly so clear?

Rin does not understand what's happening. So he decides to do what he thinks of first.

He stares at you and asks himself. What am I so afraid of?

His arm encases around your trembling form, wrapping around you like a warm blanket.

Your eyes teared up more. You thought he finally had enough. You thought he thinks you were being too pushy and clingy that he decided to break it off. So why is he letting out gentle, comforting words and caressing your hair so softly. So tender.

"Losing you. There is nothing I'm more afraid of than losing you." He says, breathless. Seeing your breaking form infront of him like that, it made him realize, why was he so caught up in a sport where his obssession came out, born out of spite and love for his brother, to the point that he was prioritizing it over you.

You, who understood him. You, who never turned your back on him. You, who stayed with him through his bad times. You, who was always there for him. You, who he didn't need to ask for attention because it was always on him. You, who he never had to prove anything because you tell him how amazing he is. You, who always recognizes him. You, who loves him despite everything he is. You, who loves him despite everything he is not.

"They, and my career, will never matter as much as you do." He sighs, heavily, but relieved. His eyes sting. "I - I'm sorry."

Your tears finally fall down. You didn't know if it was in joy, in sadness, or in relief.

He kisses the top of your head as you hold on to his arms that were surrounding you. "I'm sorry for being an asshole. I'm sorry for not seeing that you weren't okay anymore. I'm so for being ignorant. I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner."

You shooked your head repeatedly. "I - It's okay. It's okay now, love. I forgive you." You sniffed.

He shooked his head too. "I'm sorry for being a bad boyfriend. And Thank you. For everything."

You smiled, still teary eyed, against his chest.

"I'll - I'll tell everyone about us -- hell I'll tell the whole world about us. I'll, I'll never let you feel that again. Nothing will matter as long as you're here. I'm sorry for being selfish and greedy. I'm sorry for not taking note of your feelings before. I'm sorry for--" He rambled on, his breath hitching.

You break free from his hug and kneel on the couch, now taller than him who was sitting, you brought his face on your hands and kissed his forehead, his hands holding onto the ones on his cheeks. He closed his eyes, feeling your warm hands comforting his panic and you kissed the tears falling down his eyes.

"Shhh.... Everything is alright now, love. I forgive you, and I love you."

"I love you, [Name]. Thank you, thank you, for being with me. Please - please don't leave I-"

"Shhh... We'll be fine, hm? We can fix this. It's alright, Rin. We'll be fine." You continue to hold him, not minding your own tears falling from your face.

Rin felt relieved and happy. He didn't care if you were both wet with tears right now. What matters is that you're okay. You're both okay. Everything's okay. And this time, he'd make sure it lasts. All that matters is you're still here with him. He'll be fine as long as you're with him.

All that matters is you.

[postersofleon]

christmas office party

it doesn't matter if you or you don't celebrate christmas, leon would bring you to office parties at RPD. he would wear his office sweater underneath his jacket because the cold was harsh. "it'll be friendly." leon said while brushing his hair one last time before heading out. "but how will it be?" you asked, confused as you fixed his jacket's edges. his sweater was amazingly cute, a firm RPD letters on his chest with trees decorated underneath. leon always wore coats or jackets so this was nice difference.

"i don't know. hopefully, they won't have an awkward santa." leon's blue eyes met yours, "or surprise gift giving." you laugh softly and pat his cheek, "you are still traumatized by the surprise party?" when leon came to work for RPD, they were giving him small gifts for his gun from the local gun shop. they gave him cute gifts of food, games, and the surprise party. leon was temporarily overwhelmed by the job's love, but it was still fun in his mind.

"yes and no. i just feel like i still need to impress them."

you couldn't believe sometimes how liked your boyfriend had to feel. "c'mon, kennedy. they love you. they treat you like a baby. aren't some still helping you navigate the building when it's gets too full." leon shook his head, he looked a bit embarrassed that he still gets lost in the building. "it's more than that."

you nod. "fine. let's show off that you aren't a rookie anymore."

when you two drove leon parked in the garage, he wasn't during his shift, so he looked uneasy, but he immediately shook off his mind. "want a refresher?" leon asked. you shook your head, "not much. the new people will introduce themselves, and the people i have already met will say, hi. i'm fine."

you and leon walked past the other officers who were still working. they waved a polite hi to him. leon held your hand as you walked up the stairs and led you to an office. "you choose the longest path." you teased him.

"it's fine." leon whispered.

finally, you were in the main office were the party was. leon forced an awkward smile. "ah, rookie, you wore the sweater!" one of them said. leon nodded his head, "yup."

"is the rookie wearing the sweater?" another said.

little by little, leon and you realized that no one but leon was wearing the sweater. they took pictures of leon and you with his sweater. leon groaned softly when he saw a pin board of all the other officers wearing a sweater. they clearly loved and respected the rookies, and no matter how leon tried to defend his honor. you knew he liked it.

[kusakiguzen]

Yandere Knight Akaashi Kenji x Isekai!MaidReader

(Credits to the owner i just yoinked it from pintrest)

English is not my first language

A/N: Hiiii I'm finally done. Its vauge but i promise it'll make sense in part 2. Hope you enjoy reading as much as i loved writing it. One more thing. DO YOU WANT AN OPEN OR CLOSED ENDING??

THIS IS MY STORY DO NOT REPOST (REBLOG IS FINE). DO NOT COPY OR STEAL. CREDIT TO THE ARTIST FOR THE IMAGE.

(orange=You, blue= Akaashi, purple=Head maid, green= extra, pink=Saintess)

Y/N L/N, was a 25 year old collage student who was persuing her dream of getting a medical degree and become a successful doctor/surgeon. With great knowledge in Medicines and great interest in Herbology, studied really hard to be at her top of her class.

But she had great love for anime and otome games, her personal favorite anime was 'Haikyuu' a sports anime. She was obsessed with it, and when she found out that there was going to be an Otome game releasing featuring the main cast of the Haikyuu, She was sold.

The first otome game, that she played about Haikyuu was feturing the story line with MC being an extra manager of karasuno 'VLB CLUB', and then many other otome games started to gain popularity.

One day she decided to scoure the Internet to find a unique Haikyuu tome game that didn't make the MC a manager of any team.

She found it. It was called " Lovers Call For Help". It featured the ain haikyuu cast in a historical era. It also had side stories and everything.

She decided to read the side stories first. After reading them. she started the game. The MC was an isekai/reincarnated Saintess, who was there to heal and get rid of the demonic monsters.

Typical cliche. she completed it in one sitting but also became sleep deprived. After the game ended it asked for her name again, Y/N wrote down hwer OC name again, but it said incorrect. And then asked her for her REAL NAME.

This caused Y/N to be confused but she remembered about the policy terms so she typed her real name 'Y/N L/N'. Then the screen showed 'THE END' and said "THANK YOU FOR PLAYING Y/N L/N". which she found creepy but also she was too sleepy to think straight.

She soon fell asleep with her phone, when the screen suddenly turned ON and on the screen displayed

'YOU ARE IT'

Y/N woke up to he name being called.

Miss Y/N are you listening? Said the head maid

HUh?.... What? said Y/N in confusion displayed on her face

You must sign th--- Are you feeling okay Miss Y/N? You suddenly look pale... The head maid asked with concern.

I-- i where- ? At this point there were millions of thoughts going through her head. Where was she? How did this old women know her name? Why does she look so mch like the character from the game she played? Is she dead? is this women someone who will measure her good and bad deeds? All these thoughts were interupted by the same voice again laced with concern.

It is alright if you would like to continue this tomorrow..

Yes that would be much appreciated.. Thank you Miss uhm

Beatrice, Beatrice Graves

Ah yes Thank You Miss Graves. I will be contacting you soon.

With that Y/N gave her a bow and ran out the door holding her mouth to prevent herself from puking.

On her sprint towards the bathroom she colided with what felt like a wall. She looked up to see him Akaashi Kenji

No no no no no NO NO NO. Why why why why why WHY WHY WHY!! WHY IS HE HERE????

Excuse me I must hurry. She ran towards the bathroom without looking back leaving a confused Akashi behind.

Y/N ran for her life to get somewhere she could breathe without hyperventilating.

Unable to find a bathroom, she finally found a lake and finally vomitted near a tree, after she was done, she covered it with some dirt because it was unhygenic to leave it that way.

She went to clean her mouth in the Lake but noticed her appearance. She looked prettier, her dark circles were gone, her skin was glowing and overall She looked healthy. Apart from that she also noticed she looked slightly animated.

'is this really me ' She thought while touching her face . suddenly she got a headache a really painful one & memories started pouring in, memories that were not her's.They were the memories of the owner of the body.

Y/N L/N daughter of a fallen Noble, The downfall was caused by her father's and brother-in-law's gambling addiction which her mother and sister refused to do anything about. when it came time to pay the piling debts, they couldn't and begged Y/N for help.

Being a pushover She agreed and decided to get a job as a maid.she worked for a Count namely Count Octavious , but after a lot of pestering from her family about her "Not giving them enough money" She decided to work at the palace. She passed all the tests to work in the palace All she had to do was write & sign a contract. which is when she (Y/N) Got reincarnated.

WOW ! What Shitty family i'll have to support ' She though while clutching her head while groaning in pain and using another tree as support.

She finally noticed the small bag near her which looked suspiciously similar to her own bag in her Real world. She reached out with shaky hands and realised, it was her bag, It had her Journals, Tablet and her basic necessities, Basically everything she carries to her collage.

Damn there is no way! She erupted in a phsycotic laughter realising this was not dream. You might ask what made her come to this conclusion? Its because there was a card.... A card that said "Welcome To Lover's Call For Help, We the authors Hope you will enjoy this, Please play as you please. Thank you"

After she read it it disappeared into some glowing particles.....

With that she decided to survive, not submissively like the manhwa and shit she read.. by faking herself .... No she'll live and make sure to enjoy every second of it.

Akaashi Kenji, The Captain of the Royal Guard, The Emperor's Right Hand Man and most of all The Heir Of the Akaashi Dukedom. He was a clam and collected man with a pinch of humor and sassiness, complete opposite of the Emperor Bokuto Koutaro, who was a Hyper and simple minded man. Bokuto was always kept in check by Akaashi due to his habit of making impulse decision.

Today he was tasked (more like forced) to meet the qualified applicants of people who are going to be maids in the palace. Now you might be wondering 'why there are tests to become a maid?' There aren't if you want to become a normal maid but for a higher position, you need higher qualifications. Especially in the Royal Palace.

Just as he was on his way to the Head Maid's Office, He bumped into a girl who looked extremly pale. She looked at him and looked absolutely terrified as if he wasn't supposed to be there. She Excused herself leaving Akaashi confused. He shrugged and continued his way to the Office.

He reached the office and knocked and heard a soft "Come in'

Ahh Sir Akaashi, Right on time. Said Beatrice

Madame Graves,... is the list ready? Asked Akaashi

Yes! We have some promising people this year, one of them in particular, but she felt sick so she will sign the contract tomorrow. told Beatrice.

I see.. That is great news.

Yes it is indeed.

I will see you later then Madame. I hope you have a pleasant evening. He said with a small smile

I hope for your day to be magnificent as well Sir Akaashi. She said with a bow

Y/N did go back to sign the contract but she did add her own conditions since it was allowed. Her conditions were

The abilty to refuse: If a noble takes interest in the employee but the employee is uncomfortable with the advances, she is allowed to refuse such advances without conseqences.

Protection guaranteed: The employee will not take any orders that may endanger the employee's life without conseqences.

Guaranteed vacation days: Employee must be given atleast 4-6 days of paid vacation. it can be saved and used in bulks.

Direct handing over the payment: The employee will be given the payment directly no matter. If Anyone claim to collect it for the employee, it is false unless the employee themself confirm with the Employer (In this case Madame Beatrice Graves).

If any of the above condition are to be broken the contract will be terminated immediatly with fine of 25 gold.

Are these terms satisfying for you Madame? said Y/N

Yes, You are quite clever. No one has ever used the blank space given for the employee's conditions. Said the Beatrice amused.

Well it is for our use isn't it Madame?. Said Y/N with a chuckle.

It is. You will be starting tomorrow then Ms L/N.

Please call me Y/n Madame, and yes.

I hope you have a pleasant afternoon. And you may get comfortable in the dormatories.

I hope your afternoon is pleasant as well. And I will. Y/N said excusing herself with a bow.

Two Years later. ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

It had been two years since Y/N got reincarnated and started working as a maid. A lot of things happened, the main thing was Y/N cutting of her family. Her family did take her to court on the 'oral Contract' of her promising to pay off all their debts. That's where she decided to fight back, which was surprising for her family. She used their own words against them by telling the judge "I only promised to pay the debts and i have paid them enough money to pay it off, your honor". she showed the proof as well. Her family tried to justify that they have to eat and drink as well but it was shut down. She also showed the law that stated that she was not obligated to support their reckless activity. No matter what her family tried, they were unable to win.

The second was that, She Got Promoted!!! Why u might ask? due to her knowledge from her original world, of being a doctor and kind of an herbologist. Which meant more money!! She Already planned to leave once she had enough money to retire from being a maid and opening a small clinic in the village near her house. With the promotion, she brought a small cottage in a desolated area on the mountains near the woods. It did cost her a year worth of her salary but... its worth it.

The Game would begin in about a month, so all she had to do was live.... SURVIVE the war of love... Orrrr she could just quit today. I mean she has enough money to live modestly sooo. Naahhhhh, who lives modestly when they can live lavishly. So she decided to stay. Just till the story starts.

A secrete between you and me... She liked Akaashi. Not like, she Loved him. In the game Akaashi was the epitome of a green flag and the softest yandere. She really hoped that Akaashi got his ending, A Happy Ending and not the cliche ending of " PrOtEcTiNg ThE FeMaLe LeAd FrOm ThE ShAdOw". She pitied the poor man, but wasn't interested in risking her life for some character, even if she loved him . She started to stalk him during her free time, not full on yandere creepy stalker, but the little stalking everyone does to their crush. Since she knew how to draw, Y/N had a journal dedicated to him, which was quite expensive, since paper and ink are expensive in this time/game. also one of the reason she doesn't have enough money to leave but that's not important . In her defense she needs a souvenir. But she won't pursue him because she wants to escape Tacitly. But she didn't Notice her little hobby had already caught someone's attention.

Akaashi Kenji was used to Girls even women, following him around and giggling at his sight but it never fazed him. He Ignored them, Why? simply because he was not interested and he was too busy to give them time. But he was never rude to them, asking them to leave with a pleasant smile, he has a reputation to maintain.

He never noticed anyone special, well... not until he saw Y/N. She was average looking, does her job well, is educated which is verry uncommon. That never interested him, She was very average compared to the women whom he has seen in the Balls, hell even the maids working with her. But something........ something drew him to her. One day, during his regular petrol, he saw Y/N. But after she spoted him, She gave him a bow and left. A paper fell from her book, so he followed her to give it back. But he got curious and opened the page..... it was HIM.. Full of his drawing, very nicely drawn too.

This spiked his curiousity. He left the page under her rooms door and left. He asked the shadow knights to find out everything about her. He was surprised to find out that she worked there for years. Slowly this simple curiosity turned into a spiral of obsession.

A month passed and the Saintess arrived. Just as the prophecy stated, She fell from the sky. But something was off from Akaashi's point of view. She was already acting as if she was a higher status than any and everyone. Or is it just in his head,... Nevermind then, he was already busy with his duties. Coincidently he had to visit Beatrice (Head maid) for something, Also to catch a glimpse of Y/N but that's irrelevent.

Sir Akaashi, What brings you here?

The list Lady Graves... You forgot to send the list new recruits to my office...

Ahh my apologise, One of our maid is quiting hence it has been hectic.

Someone is quiting? That is a surprise.

Yes... that to a capable maid.

May i inquire who?

Y/N, Y/N L/N, She says she wants to open a small shop and live her life.

Y/N's Leaving....?

yes, and here you go

Thank y--

As Akaashi was about to thank Beatrice, he was interupted by a soft knock.

Who is it?

Its me Head Maid, Y/N. May i come in?

Her sweet voice. The voice that was melody to his ears. He signaled the head maid to invite her in.

May I help you Y/N?

Yes- oh Sir Akaashi... Good afternoon.

Good afternoon to you as well Y/N

Anyways, I'd like the conformation of my resignation?

Yes, it was approved, you may leave after 2 weeks.

I see Thank you. With a quick curtsy to both the head maid and Akaashi she left.

"HOW COULD YOU!! No HOW DARE YOU LEAVE? WHY ARE YOU LEAVING.....Please stay. Should I trap her? Break her legs? NO No no. I shouldn't think like this." these were the thoughts going through Akaashi's head while he made his way back to his office.

"That's right I could just ask her? Can't I? I do realise we aren't close but i assume it isn't a secrete. I'll ask her the coming week" He thought satisfied with a low hmm.

It hadn't even been 3 days after Akaashi found out that his love Y/N was leaving. He made his way to the maid's quarters, He noticed a commotion.

I saw her steal Your Holiness Please beleive me!! A maid was kneeling while pointing at Y/N who stood tall.

Now, Why would I need jewelry when I have enough money to afford about 20 of them? Y/N stated with an innocent look on her face (which got Akaashi Hard immediately)

Because you are jealous of Her Holiness, You said it your self!!.

'Bruh what a Headache' My dear I've already quit so what good will this cheapass Jewelry do for me? Bitch.

See Your Holiness, Even her mouth is foul.

Halt, Please Y/N where were you 3 days ago when the neckless went missing?

I was---

She was with me Your Holiness. Akaashi intervened speaking from the crowed

She was?

Yes I had bumped into her at the Head Maid's office. She was there to get her resignation.

I see this proves Miss Y/N Innocent

Thank you Your Holiness.

No problem, If i were you I'd be careful with my tongue.

Thank you for the advice, Y/N said with a smile

After that encounter, Akaashi went to Y/N to check up on her. If she was alright. then knowing she was fine, he asked her to walk with him. They shared pleasantries and, Akaashi finally asked why she was quiting. Her replay was the same but she also added " others were jealous and trying to sabotage me. Plus i hate getting involved in drama like the one today. I an see it happening again".

If I got rid of it will she stay? I should get rid of that damn maid. Akaashi thought. With that they said their good byes and parted ways

The Next day, body of the maid who had was found. She had committed suicide, it also had a note of confession saying how she plotted to frame Y/N because of how much everyone loved her.

A few days passed

And Akaashi was summoned to be a witness for what the Saintess was saying

The saintess claimed it was Y/N's fault she must be punished accordingly. Akaashi intervened asking what was Y/N's fault? The fact that she defended herself? her dignity? her life ahead? WHAT WAS THAT SHE DID WRONG??

The Saintess's claim was shut down after what Akaashi said, Since He was the most trusted.

Then came the day of Y/N's departure. No one except Akaashi was their to bid her farewell. But what he did surprised her. He leaned down to kiss her on the lips not a peck, But full make out session. Y/N started to feel dizzy and then suddenly lost conciousness.

She woke up in a lavish room. Decorated with golds and gems but no silver. She was told by Akaahi that she suddenly got fever between the kiss and he apologised for what he did. Y/N dismissed it and asked if she could leave. He told her that her fever was down but not gone, So she should stay till she recovers.

They started dating after Akaashi's heartfelt confession. And after that he just couldn't keep it in his pants.

But she only got progressively worse, her fever would come back anytime. She got weaker and paler ( paler as in weak as fuck not the skin color). But there came a point her health stopped deteriorating. This caused her to get suspicious. Why? Because Akaashi had proposed to her claiming to love her and she accepted.

Was Akaashi trying to kill her because she stood against the Saintess?

Soon she was able to fool one of the maids serving her to get her a silver jewelry and to her fear....... She was correct. The Silver turned black. How could she be So STUPID. He protected the FL from the shadows meaning killing without hesitation or remorse.

So she escaped... in the dead of night that very day. It was hard but she was able to reach the shore and catch the last ship and she finally escaped death..... or she thought.

On the other side, Akaashi was losing his mind... HOW DARE YOU!! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!! HOW COULD YOU. HE TREATED YOU SOO WELL AND THIS IS WHAT HE GETS???!!

He finally saw the letter you left.

Dear Kenji, I do love you very much, but i know you love Aurelia (the saintess). Hence the reason for you poisoning me... I would have loved to spend my life with you but I'm afraid i won't be able to. I'll leave forever so that you won't have to worry about me hurting Aurelia. I hope You Will Be Happy

Your Lover Truly

Y/N L/N

What? What are you talking about? loving that bitch? who he was planning to kill? Did someone decive you? That's right someone must have lied to you..... You Still love him! You said it yourself....

Don't worry he'll find you an clear this misunderstanding.

I'm coming my dear....

A/N: FUCKING FINALLY.!!! I'm done!! I'll make a part two with the dark stuff and smut cuz i wanted to build a base for this story. Probably more than part 2.. Soo STAY TUNED

Hope You Enjoy!!

Masterlist

STAY SAFE, HEALTHY AND HYDRATED ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

[daryl-dixon-daydreams]

"How is that going anyway?" you asked Daryl. "The training?"

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "S'waste of my time, but ain't no way 'round it. It'll be fine. Just feels weird havin' to worry 'bout money again. And the apartment is a shithole," he drawled.

You gave him a sympathetic look. "Worse than mine?" you asked with a dry laugh. As a waitress in The Commonwealth you weren't exactly rolling in cash either.

"Worse," he said. "I wouldn't mind, s'just the kids, y'know," he said thoughtfully. A silence fell suddenly and stretched for a long time. You felt something building up within you and finally couldn't hold it back anymore.

"I miss you," you said softly. Daryl's blue eyes snapped over to your face for a moment before he ducked his head.

"'M right here? We're sittin' on the same couch," he said plainly.

"That's not what I mean and you know it."

He gulped nervously and fiddled with a patch on his pants. "Yeah..." he said softly, nodding almost imperceptibly. '"I know." He gathered himself a moment before looking up to meet your eyes again. He lowered his voice to a whisper to match yours "I miss ya too. S'just—if they're watchin' us—our group... I dun want them to ever have leverage if—"

"I know," you cut him off, your voice almost a whisper. "It just... sucks."

He nodded. The way your hair was falling, the slight glassiness in your eyes, the pout on your lips—God, how tempting it was to kiss you right then. Fuck The Commonwealth. He wanted to see you every day, hold you, kiss you, touch you, crash into you every night, and wake up to the sight of your bare shoulder tucked under the sheets next to him, your head nuzzled against his chest or tucked into the crook of his neck. But until he knew for certain that this place was safe, he couldn't risk it. Still he wondered if it was the right call. If you two were apart, he also wouldn't be there to protect you if things went sideways. The anxiety of it was almost paralyzing sometimes.

You sighed now, seeing the revolving of his mind, and you put your brave face back on. "It isn't forever," you said.

Daryl gave you a small smile. "Only feels like it..."

Prompt: "I miss you." / "I'm right here? We're sitting on the same couch." / "That's not what I mean and you know it."

[buffyfan145]

The s2 "Rings of Power" finale was great!!! 😀 A lot happened that I expected, and actually was leaked again, but still had some surprises too. Overall, I really enjoyed the season and what we got, including for Haladriel. All the spoilery things behind a cut, but also we're getting great interviews with the cast/writers now too with more insight, especially from Charlie, and about s3 and I'm so excited for that even if we likely have to wait 2 years again. LOL But so much to talk about.

Have to start with Haladriel and honestly I'm totally fine with what we got. I know wanted more but again I had low expectations for the season and we got so much more than I expected. This finale did confirm to me that Sauron does love her, but it's now twisted like a lot of other enemies to lovers ships. They had him tell her back in Halbrand form that again he didn't lie about everything and that what he felt and they had was real. He also again told her about how they do have things in common and she felt it too. Then about how he was going to have her as queen and that he was going to serve her had she said yes. Also being happy to see Nenya and how beautiful it was, even though like an angry ex-fiance/husband he wanted it back. LOL Seems to confirm that in the show he and Celebrimbor designed it for her. Then even though he stabbed her with the crown it was in the shoulder and he even told her he didn't want to kill her. I'm also certain he helped slow her fall (which was part of a now true leak a few days ago about Galadriel jumping and Gil Galad & Elrond healing her) as he was shocked she jumped off the cliff and a fall from that height would've killed her instantly. They showed mostly her falling and didn't show him after he first reached for her, so that seems intentional.

Plus, I agree with others that she likely isn't fully healed from Morgoth's crown stab wound either and that it'll connect her further to Sauron. I noticed she kept touching it and was still weak and recovering. And we got to see Sauron talking with her telepathically now too. Charlie also in interviews this morning brought up how there will be more with Sauron and Galadriel too and that he never wanted her dead. We all knows this fits with the books too and he never stops trying to contact her and see her till the One Ring is destroyed by Frodo, so we're going to get more and show that this is one of the big dynamics of shows.

Also loved seeing Morfydd and Charlie hug and laugh in that bts video after the episode aired too. Those scenes had to have been hard to film, and with Charles Edwards too.

Still so sad about Celebrimbor even though I knew it was coming from the books. Loved though that he foresaw about Frodo too and the One Ring being Sauron's downfall, including that he would never go to Valinor again and being a prisoner in Middle Earth as that is exactly what happened as he's supposedly still stuck as a formless spirit to this day for those that think Middle Earth turned into our world. Really hope at least both the Charlies get Emmy awards as they deserve it.

Very happy they finally confirmed that The Stranger is Gandalf!!! 😀 I figured he was this whole time and now it's finally out there. Curious what will happen for him next and for Nori, as I saw the writers say she'll be on her own journey in s3 too. They writers also confirmed now The Dark Wizard is not Saruman, so he's likely the first Blue Wizard that went evil. So likely Saruman, Radagast, and the 2nd Blue will show up too.

Then happy Arondir is still alive, Elrond realized the rings are good, and the elves founded Imladris/Rivendell and are starting the war on Sauron. Also loved Isildur and Estrid kissed, and that was the most passionate kiss I've ever seen on the show so far. Was hoping Elendil and Miriel would kiss too but loved she gave him Narsil, and he's on his way to find his other son Anarion, who I still wonder if Tom Taylor is playing as his agency is still tagging him on posts and maybe the show cut his scenes till s3. Adar's death was so well done too and I'm glad Nenya healed him too and he was able to reconcile with Galadriel before that. Loved Durin III realized the rings were bad too and went after the balrog to save the others. Now Durin IV is king and his brother is coming to dispute it, which might be another reason they hired a writer from "The Crown" for s3.

I can't wait for s3 and already have seen Charlie teasing that him giving out the 9 is the main storyline for him. I still think he'll switch back to Halbrand or a more regal form of him to recruit the 9 men to his side. He also teased about making the One Ring but isn't sure yet when that happens and if it happens before Sauron goes to Numenor or after. And we know Numenor will be a huge part now that Isildur is going back and Elendil & Anarion will lead the Faithful. Hoping too Galadriel gets more screentime too and Morfydd's schedule is clear so her other projects don't interfere like this time, and since there is a gap in her storyline in the books that the show could add to. And I've got some fics ideas and I'm sure we'll get a lot of fan content till it's finally back.

[heluvschibi]

Just like the stars

Idol!Felix x female reader.

[edited 5/23]

Des:A camping trip. A camping trip with an idol, well friends ofc. When Felix asked you on a camping trip (date) you obviously had to say yes you haven't seen him in a long time! But when the tranquility of the night hit Felix like a truck carrying "confession" well...

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

Y/N's POV

Wasn't I just in bed, watching Marvel superheroes save the day? But now, here I am in a car, singing with Felix. What song? "Perfect Night" by LE SSERAFIM.

"I got all I need, you know nothing else can beat,The way that I feel when I'm dancing with my girls,Perfect energy, yeah, we're flawless, yeah, we're free,There's no better feeling in the whole wide world."

We sang together, him outshining me, no surprise, given I've never had vocal training.

"Felix, I'm really excited," I smiled at him, watching as he navigated the empty road, LE SSERAFIM still playing in the background.

He chuckled. "Well, I've been wanting to go camping, and I finally got some break time."

"Why didn't you invite any of the other members? Doesn't Lee Know enjoy camping? Or your Aussie brother?" I asked, my gaze drifting to the captivating ocean blue outside my window.

"Lee Know hyung said he wanted to spend time with his real cats… and Bang Chan hyung—I didn't ask," he shrugged, his hand briefly touching my thigh. I turned to look at him, met by his soft smile. "And I missed you the most…"

My cheeks warmed at his touch, his hand slowly leaving my leg as I continued to stare in shock.

"Take a picture; it'll last longer," he teased. I playfully hit his shoulder and let out a giggle.

"Go flirt with STAYs!" I rolled my eyes. He burst out laughing. I huffed and turned to the window, mumbling to myself.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

We arrived at the campsite, and I was insisting about helping to pitch the tent, but Felix kept playfully dismissing my offers.

As night descended, the stars began to dot the sky like Felix's freckles, and we lit a fire, settling around its warm glow.

"S'mores!" Felix exclaimed, emerging from the tent with a bag of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. "S'mores will be the highlight of this trip!"

He sat beside me, tearing open the bag and playfully thrusting a marshmallow towards me, which I eagerly accepted. "Thanks, Lix," I said, my words muffled by the sweet treat. He handed me a metal rod, skewered with a marshmallow, and I held it over the fire, watching it toast to perfection.

The gentle crackling of the flames and the distant chirps of crickets only added to the ambiance. Once my marshmallow was perfectly golden, I assembled my s'more. "Yum! Felix, we should definitely make camping a regular thing," I said, turning to him with a contented smile.

His laughter filled the air. "What?" I asked, a playful pout forming on my lips.

"C'mere…" He beckoned, and as I leaned in, he tenderly wiped a smudge of marshmallow from my lip, then tasted it off his thumb. "Tasty indeed!"

My face flushed with warmth, much like earlier in the car, and he caught my flustered expression, chuckling. "Ooh, you're blushing," Felix teased. I frowned and gave his shoulder a light punch. "You're so cute!" he exclaimed, then pinched my cheeks affectionately. It reminded me of a grandma, so I obviously teased him back...serves him right.

"I should start calling you Halmeoni," I retorted with a smirk.

His hands retracted as he feigned offense, turning away and crossing his arms with an exaggerated huff.

"Oh, come on, Lixie… I'm sorry," I pleaded, placing a hand on his arm. He remained turned away, prompting me to whine. "Fine, I won't call you Halmeoni anymore!" "Promise?" he asked, his voice softening as he peeked back at me. I extended my pinkie. "I pinkie promise." His smile returned, and he faced me fully, our pinkies intertwining in a silent vow.

･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆･˳ . ⋆ .˳⁺⁎˚ ⋆

Felix's POV

After we finished with the s'mores, I tidied up. Stepping out of the tent, I found her sitting serenely in a chair, eyes closed, lost in the moment. I chuckled softly and took my place beside her, letting the gentle lapping of the lake's waves and the soothing crackle of the fire envelop us.

I love you…

"What?" Her voice was a whisper, her eyes meeting mine with a tender curiosity. "Did you say that, or am I imagining things?" The tranquility shattered, replaced by a sudden, icy dread. Had my thoughts slipped out loud?

"Hehe… what? 'I love you'?" I tried to deflect with a raised eyebrow, suggesting she was hearing things.

She giggled, a soft tap on my shoulder. "Felix, I know you said it." My laughter joined hers, a bit too forcefully, as I rubbed my hands together for warmth.

"N-no, why would I ever say that… t-to you especially! That's just crazy…" The words tumbled out, unbidden, and her expression morphed into one of confusion and hurt.

"Oh…" She bit her lip, turning away. "Yeah, why would you ever say that to me… it's just crazy." her voice breaking a little.

A frown creased my brow. I reached out, but she stood abruptly, stretching. "It's getting late… I'm going to sleep—" "Wait!"

She didn't face me, a classic move to hide her emotions. "Y/n, I didn't mean it like that," I said, standing to close the distance between us. I turned her gently to face me, her eyes downcast, arms wrapped protectively around herself. "I was the one who said 'I love you.'" My thumbs caressed her cheeks, lifting her gaze to meet mine. A single tear traced her cheek, and I caught it, my heart aching. "Please, don't cry," I whispered, pulling her into an embrace, one hand cradling her head, the other securing her close. "I love you, Y/n." As we parted, I searched her eyes for permission. "May I?" At her subtle nod, I leaned in, and our lips met in a tender, lingering kiss...

-A heart from Lixie

have a good day/afternoon/night!!!-Chibi

[mingkismain]

Wrong Ingredient - wooyoung x reader

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an; hi guys! i think i started writing this months ago and i finally had the inspiration to finish it! this was supposed to be a halloween fic if that tells you anything abt how long my creative drought was D: but xoxo hope you freaks enjoy <333

wooyoung x fem!reader

genre; smut

word count; 3,380

warnings/tags; pwp, piv, unprotected sex [don't do that], switch!wooyoung and switch!reader [muahaha], slight overstim for reader [and woo tbh], hair pulling, little bit of aftercare

MDNI

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Becoming a potion brewer wasn't your end goal once you had left school, but it helped put a roof over your head and pay for your other hobbies. Plus, your abilities had only improved with time which helped your clientele spread out past the town you lived in. Which was how you met Wooyoung, a wizard a little older than you from a few towns over. He was one of your only clients that would make a house visit to pick up an order, you usually just delivered right to the other towns a few times during the week.

Today, Wooyoung had decided to stop in and order instead of writing to you beforehand, which led to him hanging around your place while you worked on his order. He was no different from a house cat, walking around and exploring, getting too close to what you were working on and nearly ruining it.

"Woo for the love of gods please stay to that side of my cauldron! I don't want you knocking any of my ingredients off the shelves! I don't refund if you fuck up your own order!" You huffed, readjusting your hair and getting back to your brewing.

"Alright! Sorry, just nosey, you know I have no idea how any of this works! That's like, the main reason I come see you," he wandered back over to the other side of your brewing room, reading the spines of all your potion creating books.

"It's fine to be curious but too much curiosity and you can end up with a horrible result," you stopped stirring and looked up to face him, "this has to sit and simmer for a little longer. I'm going to run outside and check my request letters. Do not touch what's brewing or you'll be so sorry." He nodded his head repeatedly.

"Yes ma'am, I'll stay over here and read your books." He gave you a half salute as you walked up your stairs.

Oh, but of course, he was lying to you.

As soon as he saw you were out of eyesight, he crept over to your cauldron, peering in to see what you had made him. He inhaled and immediately went into a coughing fit.

"Gods this reeks! I can't have this shit sitting in my house, it'll drive all my company away!" He fanned his hand in front of his nose to rid the smell as he scanned your shelves for some aromatic he could sneak in. "Yeah, this'll do," he reached for a bottle you had labeled 'red ginseng' and carefully plucked it from your shelf. He had no idea how much to add, but surely a handful of this stuff would rid his potion of that awful smell. Wooyoung poured a handful [and whatever spilled out of his hand] into the mixture and watched it to make sure he didn't blow your house up.

Thankfully he didn't, but he changed the color of the potion by mistake, what was once a bright blue, now made a dull brownish hue. Wooyoung frantically scanned your shelves for something to fix his stupid mistake, surely you had something that could reverse something as simple as a color change??

There was something that caught his eye, on your bottom shelf, tucked away in the back was a bottle with the label peeling off, but from what he could read, it seemed promising.

"Hmm.. 'use in only your most dire of situations' or, something like that." He shrugged, surely that's what the barely there label said. He didn't have much time to think about it as he heard your front door close. He ran back to the cauldron, dumping the rest of the contents of the bottle into it and quickly stirring with the spoon you'd left out. He tucked the bottle into his inner pocket and ran back to your bookshelf just as your footsteps were heard on the stairs.

You squinted at him as you reached the bottom of the staircase, "I really didn't think you'd listen, I thought for sure you would blow my house up."

He chuckled weakly as he flipped randomly through one of your books, "yeah of course I would listen to you! Wouldn't want my order to get messed up like you said," he kept his eyes down at the book as you walked over to your cauldron.

"This should be done now, I'm gonna give it a quick taste test," you took your cauldron off the heat, grabbing your spoon and bringing some of the finished product to your lips, slowly sipping as it was still so hot. Right away something seemed off to you, "strange," Wooyoung moved his eyes to watch you, "Woo, you ordered just a food enhancing potion right?" He nodded. "Can you come taste this? It tastes different from the other batches I've made for you."

He cautiously got up, coming right next to you as you lifted your spoon to his mouth. Taking as much as you did, he spoke after a moment, "yeah it's sort of off, I guess."

You squinted your eyes for a second before realizing and whacking him on the arm with your spoon, "you idiot! I knew you did something to this! What did you add?!"

He backed up, attempting to run from your swings, "nothing bad! Just something to make it smell better! Ow!"

"Woo!" *thwack!* "That's what I was going to do after it was done simmering!" *thwack!* "Show me exactly what you put in here!" *thwack!*

He walked around you as you stood with your spoon still in hand and pointed to the jar of red ginseng.

"And how much did you put in?"

He shrugged, "about a handful? Give or take."

You walked over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him a little, "dude, when I say to not fuck with my stuff I mean it! Red ginseng is an aphrodisiac! Now we have to wait for this shit to run its course!" As you continued to shake him, something fell out of his robe and rolled onto the floor. You stopped and bent down to pick it up, you eyes nearly falling out of your head when you saw what it was.

You took a few deep breaths, "Wooyoung, I swear on all my mothers, did this come from my shelf too?"

He tried to take a few steps away but you grabbed his arm, tightly. "It might have....."

If you knew any of the spells to instantly kill someone surely your first victim would be Wooyoung.

You took another deep breath in, "Woo, did it ever occur to you that maybe this bottle was in the way back of my shelf for a reason? That maybe it's a little stronger than most of my ingredients?"

He shook his head no.

"Woo. Maybe if you had taken the time to try and read the barely there label, you would've seen that it says 'use in only your most desirable situations'. This is a very strong aphrodisiac! So not only did you add one aphrodisiac, you added another, ridiculously strong aphrodisiac to that! So now we are actually going to have to suffer while waiting for this to wear off!"

He went over to the chaise lounge chair you had by your bookcase and sprawled out on it, "alright look, we just have to wait it out. How bad could that be?"

----

Turns out it was really, really bad.

You began to count the stones on the floor to distract yourself from the worsening symptoms. Nothing was working. Every time you got to five or six your brain would reroute to all of the nasty things Wooyoung could do to you. You had to keep shaking your head to reset your thoughts but things kept getting worse and worse. As time went on and you tried to wait it out, you kept moving your eyes from the floor to Wooyoung’s hands, to the seam where his pants met, mind drifting to wondering how big his cock might be, if he knew how to use it, what he sounds like. You could feel your skin growing hotter, face starting to flush, more dirty thoughts were starting to crowd your brain. Your vision was about to go when Wooyoung called your name,

"How long can this go on?"

You met his eyes, "I'm really not sure, I've never had this happen before."

He began to crawl forward on the lounge, "well, what if we did something to help get rid of the symptoms?"

Your head was already starting to get foggy, without thinking you started to crawl towards him, "and what should we do?"

You met him at the edge of the lounge chair, nose to nose, lips just barely touching. He turned his head so he could whisper in your ear, “I think we should fuck each others' brains out, on this chair, until the symptoms wear off. And maybe even after they wear off I'll continue to make you feel good, yeah?"

Your breathing hitched and you swore he could hear your heartbeat, he turned back to meet your eyes and you leaned in to grab him in a deep kiss, crawling up to lean back on the chair with him under you.

"Aw, pretty girl wants me to make her feel good? That what you want?"

You whimpered and nodded your head quickly. The aphrodisiacs were putting your body into overdrive, rendering you unable to think about anything other than getting this man inside of you. You were grabbing at anything you could reach, shrugging his robe off his shoulders, followed by yours hitting the ground; soon it was a frenzy of fabrics flying around the room until you were both naked. In the mess of taking clothes off, you two had switched positions on the couch, you were now lying under Wooyoung, which gave him perfect access to your entire body. His lips began kissing and sucking and biting all over your neck, leaving small hickies that would surely darken as he continued. His hands wandered all over, unable to find a spot to rest. From groping your ass, to moving up and grabbing your tits, flicking and tweaking your nipples as he moved. His lower half wouldn’t stay still either, his cock constantly grinding against your bare pussy, making you leak onto the lounge and only aiding in making you feel like your skin was on fire. His lips continued biting and licking at your neck, moving up to your ear and lightly biting it, letting go to whisper, “what do you need babe? tell me what you want.”

You sighed and moaned, trying to hold on to the last bit of sanity you had, “fuck me Woo please, please I need you so badly right now I’ll do whatever you want just please get inside of me.”

He moved his head so he could see your face, dropping one of his hands down low so he could line up with your entrance, watching your face change as he guided the tip of his cock up and down your slit, hitting your clit each time, making you moan and groan as frustration started to build up. He grinned, “what’s the matter baby? can’t wait? that desperate to have me?”

You sighed as he bumped your clit again, “yes I don’t know how you aren’t! Please just get inside of me—” he finally pushed into you, cutting off your train of thought as he bottomed out inside of you. You hadn’t gotten the chanced to really look at how big he was, but from the stretch you could tell he was decently big, enough to make you drop your jaw and let your legs fall to either side of him. He locked eyes with you and flashed a wicked grin as he continued to push into you. You turned your head to the side, unable to hold the very intimate eye contact with him. Just as you felt him fully sheathe himself inside of you, he groaned and whispered into your ear, “if I had known you felt this good, I would have fucked with my order much sooner."

You had no idea how his brain wasn't as foggy as yours right now, the aphrodisiacs rendering you nothing more than a mumbling, moaning mess underneath him. Your hands against his back, dragging your nails down the expanse of it was your last ditch effort to try and stay on Earth.

He started to pound into you, strong arms caging you in on either side of your head. Eventually, one of his hands found its way down your body and to your clit, lightly rubbing it in time with his thrusts.

You moaned loudly at the added stimulation, not too far away from climax, Wooyoung picked up on that and kept the same pace, but leaned down towards your ear to continue whispering absolute filth to you.

"Come on pretty girl, I know it's right there just come for me."

"You're taking me so well, such a good girl."

Your orgasm hit you so quickly you didn't have time to register it even happening at first, hitting you so hard your back arched off the lounge, Wooyoung sealing your lips in a kiss as he continued to fuck you through it. After you came down, he pulled out,

"I'm not done with you, think you have the energy to get on top?"

You shook your head yes, and he flipped you two over, you now sitting right above his achingly hard cock, lining it up with your entrance and sinking down with a hiss. Wooyoung moaned loudly at the new position. You began to bounce your hips up and down, the lounge slightly creaking under you two. You sat up a bit so you could look at the man under you, an idea popping into your head immediately. You snaked your hand up to the column of his throat and gave a light squeeze at the sides, earning a gasp and another moan from Wooyoung.

You flashed a wicked grin at him now, "aw does that feel good? I had a feeling you would like that." You added a little more pressure to his neck and bounced with more vigor on his cock.

He looked up at you and whimpered, "yes, yes I fucking love it please don't stop." He gripped your hips tightly, likely bruising them in the process, encouraging you to keep at the pace you had set.

All that could be heard throughout your house were the sounds of creaking from the lounge you two were on, and combined moans from the both of you. You could tell that he was getting close from the way his whimpers got higher.

You released your hand from his neck, opting to pull at his hair lightly as you bent down to whisper in his ear, "come on pretty boy, I want you to come for me, give it to me."

He started to buck his hips up into you, rapidly chasing his high. Your second orgasm wasn't too far behind, you took your hand out of his hair and reached back down to rub your clit, trying to finish nearly at the same time as him. His moans grew so rapid and desperate, you knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

Your second climax came with a blurring vision and ringing in your ears, moaning so loudly as you came around him for the second time. Shivering and shaking as he pulled out of you and finished on your chest and stomach, moaning and groaning as he rode out his high.

You both sat there for a moment catching your breath, trying to register if the aphrodisiacs had finally worn off yet. You still had this buzzing feeling on your skin, groaning with frustration.

Wooyoung sat up on his elbows and looked up at you, "do you still feel it too?"

You huffed, "yes. I thought that would have fixed it."

He laughed as he flipped you two back over, "let me see if this will help."

He lifted your legs onto his shoulders as he got down onto his knees, face right in line with your still throbbing clit. He licked a long, painfully slow stripe up your slit, causing you to loll your head back and let out a low groan, already feeling close again.

Your hands found purchase in his hair, lightly tugging at it to encourage him to continue. He groaned at the sensation, sending vibrations through your body, giving you chills down your spine.

He continued to lick and suck at your clit, adding his fingers, curling them into you. You gripped tighter onto his hair, feeling like you could tip over the edge at any second.

Before you could get there, he stopped and sat up, earning a whine from you.

He took your legs off his shoulders, "get on your hands and knees, I want to be inside of you again."

You happily complied and flipped over, wiggling your ass a little at him, earning a slap on your cheeks. You let you another loud moan as he lined up and entered you with ease, beginning to fuck you into the lounge again.

The sound of skin slapping on skin could be heard throughout your house as he pounded into you, his hands gripping onto your hips to keep you from sliding down. Your orgasm from before already creeping up on you, Wooyoung decided to snake one of his hands up your back and into your hair, pulling you so your back was flush with his chest.

From this angle you could feel every inch of him, hitting that spot inside of you that was about to send you over the edge, he brought you closer by your hair and started to kiss and bite your neck, making you moan loudly. He chuckled as he let up on you, admiring his work of purples, blues, and a little bit of red that now adorned your neck. He moved up a little more to bite your ear, and that, combined with his thrusts and his grip on your hair, was enough to send you toppling over the edge again, making you nearly scream at the sensation. He left kisses along your cheek, jawline, and neck as you continued to ride your high.

"Think you can hang in there a little more? I'm so close baby." He loosened his grip on your hair, letting you fall forward onto your elbows.

"Yeah give it to me, come for me again, Woo." He moaned and picked his pace back up again, focusing on his orgasm as you laid there and took it.

He gave you a couple more hard thrusts before he was pulling out again, finishing on your back this time. You let your hips fall as he stood up, both of you taking in deep breaths.

You weakly stood up, now very aware of how sticky you felt. You huffed, "I think that finally did the fucking trick, I'm exhausted but I absolutely need a shower before I lay in my bed."

He laughed at the state of you, "yeah. Definitely. Sorry about that, let me help you." He guided you up your stairs and to your bathroom, keeping a hand on your waist as he turned your shower on, making sure the temperature was alright. He pulled back the shower curtain and allowed you to step in, following in behind you.

Once you both were cleaned off he turned the faucet off and guided you to your bedroom, helping you get dressed as you offered him something to wear.

You looked up at him as you crawled into bed, "you coming?"

He stared at you, "are you sure?"

You laughed, "of course I am! I'm not just going to let you go home after all of that!" He smiled as he crawled into bed, snuggling up behind you.

"Of course, I also want to make sure that the effects really, truly wore off, you know?''

You heard him chuckle behind you, "Oh yeah, of course."

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an; hehehe hope you guys like this one :D lmk what else you wanna see from me! also this was cross-posted onto my AO3 account

[maritessa]

Divination Deception

Jun gets tarot cards from Tatsuya and it somehow causes chaos in Sumaru City.

“Come on, Jun-senpai…. Cheer up, won't ya?” Shougo handed Jun a pizza slice. Ken and Takeshi followed behind their friend and looked at Jun with worried eyes. 

Jun smiled weakly at the gang and thanked them for the food. He sighed softly and sank back into the couch. It's been a few days since Jun hogged the couch in Sumaru Prison. Gas Chamber is always excited to see him but not when he's sighing every 10 seconds and dragging his feet. 

“I'm sure Tatsuya will come around sooner or later,” Ken said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Shougo and Takeshi elbowed Ken at his mention of a certain taboo subject. They couldn't believe Ken stepped on such an obvious landmine.

“Tatsuya…” Jun uttered weakly. He looked at the wrapped box Tatsuya gave him on their last date and gently caressed the carefully decorated exterior. His fingers fiddle with the uncharacteristically frilly blue ribbon that sat on top of the present. 

“I'm still not talking to him first though,” Jun huffed, dropping the present on his lap. 

Jun and Tatsuya were out on a date at Honmaru Park in Rengedai. The pair hadn't seen each other in 2 weeks due to finals season. Graduation was peeking at the corner for the two senior students so their parents (and Katsuya) made them promise to have no dates until they've taken their tests and passed them. 

The two sat on a bench near the fountain, enjoying the peacefulness of hearing the water along with the distant noise of children playing in the background. Tatsuya kept glancing at Jun, checking if Jun’s opened the gift he's brought him. 

Unbeknownst to Tatsuya, Jun felt guilty about how he didn't have a gift for their reunion. There was a weight in the box that didn't seem to go away and Jun suspected it would disappear if he was able to return the favor. 

Clang.

Clang.

Clang. 

“Pork buns! Get your pork buns here!” It was from the other side of the fence but everyone in the park could clearly hear the vendor. 

Tatsuya’s stomach growled at the sound of the nostalgic bell. It was faint but not faint enough to hide from Jun’s attentive ears. 

Jun immediately stood up and stood up on the bench. “I'll get you some of the pork buns, Tatsuya! Just wait right here!” 

As Jun was about to lift his foot up on one of the fence’s railings, Tatsuya lifted him up from his waist and sat him back on the bench. 

“Jun, it's dangerous to climb fences! If the guard caught you, you'll get sent to the police booth.” Tatsuya reprimanded his boyfriend.

“It'll be fine! I'll be quick.” Jun scratched the back of his head and tapped his right foot at a quick pace. Tatsuya noticed how impatient Jun was getting but he firmly kept Jun in place by applying force on his shoulders. 

“Do you want some pork buns? We can just get out of the park through the gates and buy them together,” Tatsuya suggested.

“But I want you to stay here and wait for me!”

“There's no need for that. I'm fine with walking.”

“It's not about you walking, it's about me getting them for you.”

“Then we can just walk together and you pay for them.”

“Then it's pointless if you walk with me!”

“How is it pointless? We're on a date so I want to stay with you–”

“Ahem.”

The couple’s bickering was interrupted by a cough from the other side of the fence. The two looked up and noticed a pork bun over it.

“I can just hand the pork bun from here. No need for you lads to fight, eh?” The vendor from the other side chuckled awkwardly.

Tatsuya was about to grab the pork bun but Jun started walking away. Jun just couldn't stand how Tatsuya had something for him and he came unprepared! And when he finally thought of something to do, Tatsuya just HAD to act super cool and handsome and ruin his plans! He wanted to do something for Tatsuya too but Tatsuya just had to be a considerate gentleman! 

Ugh, can you believe that guy? 

And that was the last time the couple talked in the past week. 

“I don't even know what he got me.” Jun carefully unwrapped the gift wrapping. He made sure to keep it as intact as possible so he could add it in his scrapbook later. 

Upon completely unboxing it, the gift turned out to be astrology-themed tarot cards. Jun almost let out a sigh of affection but stopped himself before it was audible. That jerk Tatsuya just had to get something that's perfectly in line with his interests, huh? The cards made the wound fresh again (not like it's healed).

“Are those playing cards?” Shougo asked.

“It clearly says ‘tarot’, dumbass.” Ken snarked.

“What the fuck is a ‘tarot’?” Takeshi blurted out. 

Jun carefully unfolded the instructions and read the description out loud. 

“Tarot cards can help tap into deep, unconscious inner knowledge and offer valuable insights into one’s life, or they can portray hidden motives, opportunities, and potential to the querent–”

“Hey, I got the date for our next performance. I was thinking of discussing the schedule– what's going on here?” Eikichi walked in the room, unknowingly interrupting Jun. 

“Look at this, Boss! Jun-senpai can read our fortunes!” Takeshi said excitedly.

“Hey, I literally just opened these! I don't know how to use them!” Jun said defensively.

“There's a manual right here.” Ken flipped through the pages. “The meanings are all right here.”

Jun grabbed the pamphlet from Ken and quickly scanned through its contents. He already felt overwhelmed by the whole process but he was intrigued nonetheless.

“Oh, it's those card thingies.” Eikichi casually pulled a card from the middle of the deck. “What does mine say?”

In the photo there was a man carrying swords and he seemed to be sneaking away. It was the 7 of Swords of the minor arcana. Jun scrambled to find the Swords section in the pamphlet and answer Eikichi’s expecting gaze.

“It says here that the 7 of Swords stands for deception, trickery, and stealth. Someone might be lying to you….” Jun gulped. 

The Kasugayama students looked at the Boss, waiting for him to think of anyone who could be deceiving him. They all jumped in their seats when Eikichi suddenly punched the table. 

“Son of a bitch!” Eikichi yelled.

“What is it?!” Shougo asked frantically. Everyone was leaning in to hear what Eikichi had to say.

“I knew Tacchan hadn't given up on being the most handsome man in Sumaru!” Eikichi grumbled. “Why can't he just accept defeat? He's up against the Michel!” 

“Yeah! Who does Tatsuya think he is anyway?” Shougo cheered.

“That's right! Our boss is the best in the whole nation!” Ken exclaimed. 

“Uh, you are cool, Michel, but I don't think that's it.” Jun said plainly. 

Jun knew Tatsuya didn't really think about being the most handsome man in Sumaru. In fact, Tatsuya only agreed to this whole contest just to get a reaction out of Eikichi. It did not help that Jun was fanning the flames by bringing it up around Eikichi at every given chance. 

“I see that the cards are influencing you, Jun.” Eikichi laughed and shook his head. “I'll confront Tatsuya right now! This is a fight between men!!”

With that Eikichi ran outside of Sumaru prison with Takeshi, Shougo, and Ken following behind him. 

Jun's brain hadn't registered whatever the hell just happened but the words ‘confront Tatsuya’ and ‘fight between men’ aren't exactly the most pleasant to hear. Especially coming from Kasugayama’s head boss and double especially when it's directed at his boyfriend!

Jun ran out of the livehouse and looked around to find a glimpse of Eikichi and the gang but, as you'd expect from them, they were instantly gone. Jun jogged around aimlessly to catch any clues as to where they could be but instead caught sight of someone else he knew.

“Maya-neesan!” Jun ran to his admired elder sister. He bowed down to greet Katsuya as well. “What are you doing here in Hirasaka?” 

“Jun-kun, it's been a while!” Maya giggled heartily. She raised her right hand and revealed her hand intertwined with Katsuya’s. “We’re out on a date.”

Katsuya looked away, his face flushed red, and nodded. Jun smiled at the two but he couldn't help but feel a lingering emptiness. He talked big but he couldn't help but miss Tatsuya. Katsuya noticed the shift in Jun's demeanor and patted him on the shoulder. He wasn't quite sure exactly what happened but he certainly noticed Tatsuya blasting Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby” on repeat in his room.

“Sorry for interrupting your date then,” Jun bowed slightly and Maya shook her head. 

“It's been a while and I'm glad to see you so don't be! ” Maya playfully hit Jun on the back. “What do you have in your hands there? Playing cards?” 

“Ah, they're Tarot cards Tatsuya gave me….” replied Jun. 

Katsuya squeezed Maya's hand and gave her a look that Maya somehow understood as “Tatsuya and Jun-kun are having a rough patch right now so bringing up Tatsuya is probably rubbing salt in the wound.” Maya caught this and frantically yelled, “Wow! Can you give me a reading?” without a second thought.

Jun snapped out of his daze and nodded with great energy. He quickly shuffled the deck and asked Maya to pull the card on top of the newly arranged cards. Upon the reveal, there sat a woman with a small wand on her hand. She had a crown and sat on a cushion throne. Maya had gotten the Empress. 

“Ooh, Empress. She looks pretty!” Maya smiled cheerily. “I hope it's a good card.”

Once again, Jun opened the pamphlet and looked for the Empress interpretation while Maya gushed about her expectations of good results to Katsuya. 

“It says here that the Empress means… mother, nurturing, and…. Pregnancy?!” Jun couldn't help but raise his voice at the last part.

Maya stood there in shock. Katsuya didn't really believe in the cards but that didn't stop him from holding his breath. 

“Uhm. I'm very new to this so maybe I interpreted it wrong!” Jun frantically explained. “Don't worry about it too much!”

Maya stood there silently and rubbed her stomach. She clutched onto Katsuya’s coat and said seriously, “Katsuya-san, it's impossible for you to be the father but would you be willing to take responsibility for this child?” 

Jun unconsciously grabbed Katsuya’s sleeve. 

“Huh?” was all that left Katsuya’s mouth. 

“I know you're waiting for marriage and all… I'm just a dirty cheater!” Maya faked sobbed. From how exaggerated everything was, Jun understood it was a joke. 

Katsuya didn't seem impressed by this whole situation though. He blankly stared at Maya and breathed slowly. 

“Maya-neesan, I think that's going a bit too far.” Jun pulled on Maya’s arm to try and get her to stop. 

“Come on! It's just a joke, Jun-kun! I'm sure Katsuya-san understands–”

By the look of Katsuya’s face, it didn't seem like he understood. His already naturally furrowed eyebrows? They went down deeper. His breathing was uneven and his right hand squeezed the nook of the coat's elbow. He was clearly holding something back.

“Kat-Katsuya-san… you don't really think I cheated, do you?” Maya stuttered. 

“No but I still don't find this whole thing pleasant.”

“I'm sorry! It was just a joke, I promise!” Maya laughed awkwardly. “I'll go to a Tadashi Satomi to get a test right now! There's no need to worry!”

Maya pulled Katsuya by the hand and dragged him to the direction of the nearest Satomi Tadashi. Katsuya tried to stop her since he didn't really believe in divination but Maya was determined to clear her name of the implied allegations against her (she caused them). Jun didn't really know what to do after that whole fiasco, so he just followed behind them. 

While Maya was admiring the different designs and types of pregnancy tests and Katsuya was as red as his polo shirt, Jun spotted Lisa from the corner of his eye. 

“Lisa! It's been a while!” Jun greeted his close friend.

“Jun!!!!!” Lisa beamed and jumped into Jun’s arms. “It's been way too long!”

“What are you doing here?” Jun asked. 

“I'm just checking out the new make-up stock. Nothing much.” Lisa shrugged. 

“What are those? Playing cards?” She pointed at the cards in Jun’s hand. 

Jun explained how Tarot cards worked to Lisa and the latter's eyes sparkled. Fortunes?! That's all she needed to hear! Lisa snatched the deck from Jun’s grasp, messily shuffled them, and pulled the card on top. It depicted a man and a woman, holding a cup each, and they attended their wedding ceremony. It was the Two of Cups.

It was already obvious but Jun still read the interpretation as written in the pamphlet. “Two of Cups stands for attraction, connection, proposals, and marriage….”

Lisa’s face turned red and she covered her face with her hands. “B-but the only person I'm interested in is Chinyan.”

Jun patted Lisa's back. He was unsure of how to act whenever Lisa was openly affectionate towards his boyfriend. He knew Lisa wouldn't do anything to Tatsuya but he felt guilty that he couldn't ease her pain.

“But Jun, you're with Chinyan! I won't let him cheat on you!” Lisa huffed angrily and stormed off. 

“Wait– Lisa!” Jun ran after and tried to reason out but everyone who knew Lisa knew that when she’s upset, there’s no stopping her. Jun silently asked the cards about how Tatsuya was doing. Would he really cheat in the 7 days they were apart?! And with Lisa of all people?! 

After grabbing the card that resonated with him the most, it revealed a heart being stabbed with three swords under rain clouds. It didn't require a genius to interpret this card but Jun checked just in case he was wrong. 

“3 of Swords… Heartbreak, sorrow, and infidelity….” Jun swallowed the lump in his throat. 

He held Lisa’s hand and looked down at his feet. Logically speaking, he knew that Tatsuya would never do that to him. He would never betray Jun! But with Lisa’s reading and his lining up with each other, he couldn't help but feel anxious about this whole situation. 

Lisa glanced at Jun and saw how mopey he looked. She squeezed his hand and pulled him closer, hugging his arm and offering her warmth for comfort. 

While all that was happening, Tatsuya and Miyabi sat in the corner of the local Peace Diner and shared a tray of fries. Everyone in the establishment looked at the sullen and mysterious expression of the handsome Seven Sister's student but Tatsuya did not feel handsome at all. In fact, he didn't even care that he was being stared at. All he felt was pain and agony from not seeing Jun for another week!

“What am I supposed to do, Hanakouji? I didn't see Jun for two weeks because of exams and now I haven't seen him for another!” Tatsuya groaned. “I'm suffering from Jun withdrawal, I can feel myself actually going insane.” 

Miyabi wasn't familiar with this side of Tatsuya. He's usually reserved so maybe, Tatsuya going insane wasn't a figure of speech. Miyabi considered calling the authorities to check on him.

“Have you tried contacting him?” Miyabi chewed on a fry.

“I mean… I went to his house and he wasn't home….” Tatsuya murmured. 

Miyabi thought that a text would suffice but she didn't mention it. It was usually Eikichi or Jun being openly emotional so it felt refreshing to see Tatsuya a mess, as bad as it sounded. 

Bam!

Everyone glanced at the door to check the source of the noise and there stood Eikichi. He marched towards Tatsuya and pulled him by the collar.

“You!!!” Eikichi growled. “You weren't satisfied with trying to take the title of most  handsome man from me so you also target my girl?!”

“Huh?” Tatsuya broke himself free of Eikichi’s grip.

“Eikichi-kun, it's not what it looks like!” Miyabi cried.

Eikichi pulled Miyabi to his side and grabbed her by the waist. He bitterly pointed at Tatsuya and snarled. 

“What?! So you weren't cheating with me but with Koazy?!” Lisa and Jun interrupted the scene. The rest of the customers weren't even eating anymore, they were way too invested in the drama that was unfolding before them.

Tatsuya didn't notice. Tatsuya didn't even hear whatever the hell Lisa just said. He saw Jun with a fierce look on his face, his arms intertwined with Lisa's.

“Jun… Can we talk?” Tatsuya whimpered as he ran towards Jun. He looked so adorable being out-of-character that the audience almost shed a tear at his cuteness. 

Lisa stepped in between the two boyfriends and hid Jun behind her back. “What are you going to talk about? Are you finally going to tell him about how you're cheating?”

“Cheating?” Tatsuya scratched his head. “I cheated on my blood pressure test in the clinic if that's what you mean.” 

“Hah, so the lies the cards told me is this, huh?” Eikichi laughed to hide his annoyance. “You're the traitor, huh, Suou?” 

“I'm seriously lost right now, can someone fill me in?” Tatsuya pleaded. The rest of the diner prayed they would answer his plea because they were also lost in the plot.

“You know the cards you gave me?” Jun started explaining. “We used them to read fortunes and it said something about someone lying and betraying Michel.”

Miyabi, who had been silent this whole time, pulled Eikichi’s sleeve and asked him to listen to her. Eikichi loosened his stiff shoulders and leaned down to hear Miyabi’s words.

“Actually… I was the one who called Suou-san here.” Miyabi said bashfully. “Because, I felt so guilty about spilling ink on the lace handkerchief you gave me for my birthday. When you said you wanted me to use it on our date, I didn't know how to tell you….” 

Tatsuya nodded his head and agreed with everything Miyabi revealed. “We were seriously just venting out our feelings.” 

Eikichi backed down and started comforting Miyabi about the handkerchief incident. While the two hugged and reconciled, Lisa wasn't convinced. 

“Okay, so why exactly did Jun get a card about heartbreak and infidelity?” Lisa badgered. She squeezed Jun’s hand in anticipation of Tatsuya's response.

“I don't know about infidelity but… it's been rough not being able to talk to you, Jun.” Tatsuya sniveled. “I swear I never cheated. If you consider me venting to Hanakouji about my feelings as cheating then I won't do that too ....” 

Tatsuya dropped down on his knees and looked down on the ground. Jun kind of felt guilty for causing this, especially considering this started because Tatsuya was being an A+ boyfriend unlike him. He crouched down to Tatsuya's level and ruffled his hair. 

“Geez, why are you the one looking so pitiful? You're not even at fault.” Jun chuckled sheepishly. “You're only allowed to show this pathetic side of you to me, okay? So stand up and don't let the whole diner have a show.” 

Jun assisted Tatsuya up and laughed at the mess his boyfriend was. He's always perfect which Jun loved about him even though it was annoying but Jun loved his pathetic side just as much.

Before Tatsuya could respond, his phone buzzed. Both he and Jun checked the message and it was from Tatsuya’s mother.

“I asked your brother to invite his lover to dinner. Ask Jun-kun if he'd like to join.” 

Tatsuya looked at Jun with longing eyes which Jun responded to with a hearty chuckle. He snuggled into Tatsuya's shoulders and walked out of the diner. 

“Wait what? So Eikichi, Jun, and Chinyan can get their happy endings but I don't know who my partner is?!” Lisa complained out loud. 

Lisa heard a laugh from behind her. When she turned around, it was none other than Chikarin who witnessed the whole event. 

“You were so cool, Lisa-san! Chikarin is sure your fortune will also come true!” Chikarin smiled widely at Lisa. 

“Thanks, Chikarin. I hope so.” Lisa sighed. “Coaches truly don't play, huh? Can't believe I just fixed my crush’s love life.” 

Chikarin patted Lisa’s back and pushed her to the cashier. 

“Yes, yes, you did great. Let Chikarin treat you to some burgers as a reward.” Chikarin cooed. 

“Yay! You're the best, Chikarin!” Lisa hugged Chikarin tightly as they picked out which combo would get them the best deal. 

[sketchedboba]

The Night in Bowser City

Part 2

The two were enjoying the personal ship ride to the city, a territory off the coast of the Darklands Bowser often avoided. He was well aware of the organized crime in it and had sent troops to try and crack down on the boss rings running the inner city. However he had already spent too much time on it when there were more important matters to attend to.

One of them sitting right beside him:

His little husband.

He had taken months planning this especially since Luigi had constantly asked him about the city. On top of that, he wanted the trip to be two days where they could take their minds off of finalizing the peace treaty. Their union hadn't suppressed the tensions, but Daisy insisted they begin easing it through talk of a treaty. He was still unsure of it, but was trying to trust her judgement for his husband's sake.

Luigi turned to his stiff partner and patted his arm, "Everything ok? If you're worried about my brother, I think he'll balance Daisy out... maybe."

Bowser shook his head, remembering that this wasn't the time to worry about those things. "Yeah, right. If those two get each other riled up then it'll be easy to do so with the kids... Hopefully the walls are still intact by the time we go back."

"Hopefully- A-Anyways, we should focus on tonight. Of all the land you own, Kamek rarely mentioned the city.", he pondered.

"That's because I've ignored it entirely.", Bowser muttered feeling a little slap on his arm. "Hey!"

"Why?! They're your citizens!"

"It's complicated."

And he always got, "It's nothing, I'll take care of it."

He hated when he said that, despite spending years with him and finally getting him to speak his mind freely, Luigi picked up that Bowser never discussed too much of his political stances.

He always had to follow up with, "What does that mean?"

Luigi sighed and turned his attention to the window to clear his head. The blue accents electrify the city, the dark storm clouds accompanied the atmosphere, and the karts were as small as ants yet glowed so brightly. He smiled watching them as he tried to get his mind off of the awkward air filling the room.

Bowser watched him then lowered his head and gave his little husband a kiss on the head.

"I just want to know a bit more.."

"I know, but let's discuss this later, ok?", Bowser purred.

Luigi scratched under the large lizard's chin with a grin, he knew he was weak to his purring and agreed to leave the conversation at that. Bowser smiled as his tail swished slightly from the scratches.

"Your highnesses, we're descending to the port. I'll check with the posts here of any further reports about-". Kamek got cut off with Bowser's tail covering his mouth. His gleeful Express turned sour as he glared at the magikoopa.

"Bowser?"

"Everything's fine, right?", he growled as his tail lowered.

Kamek gulped, "Yes sire... Everything is fine, w-we'll have some paratroopa escort you to-to the hotel.."

Luigi looked up at him, pissed. "Bowser..", he said irritated.

Immediately he knew he'd have an earful about how he handled this, but it was worth not letting Luigi worry too much about their trip. The last thing he wanted was to spend more than a night here especially with knowing his husband's attempts to fix everything.

A goomba painted in black ooze and glowing purple eyes scurried down a neon blue laced hallway, "Boss! Boss!!"

The guards slithered in front of them just before they got to the door, "What's your business?"

"I have an urgent report for the boss!"

The two looked towards each other then back at the goomba, "Wait here."

One slithered inside while the other waited patiently for his partner to return, a few minutes went by and the large tech doors holographically glitched away.

"Go ahead", said the other guard.

The goomba nodded and scurried along into the heavily wired corridor, "Boss! The King! He's here in the city!"

"Oh? He's finally reared his head again in MY domain! What a treat~"

"It also seems that he has brought someone with him this time, a human."

A long slip of silence let itself in, what followed was the scrape of metallic shelling on the desk before him. "A human... It's been a long long time since I've had the pleasure of eating one... How long ago were they spotted?"

"About an hour ago, boss"

"Have they landed yet?"

"They should be, on the west side of the city, boss. Should we raid the port?"

"No, We know too well Trixie owns that port. Look, find out what hotel they're at. I won't let this one slip like the princess did.."

"Y-Yes boss!", the goomba grinned. "We won't let you down!"

She scoffed and waved her tail away signalling them to leave her. The goomba nodded and ran out as fast as it could.

"Humans.... How I've missed the taste."

[what-is-it-to-be-pk-esque]

Welp I did it y'all, I met half of the main BG3 cast! Everyone was super kind of course, very chill too. Lines weren't bad at all, probably because it was an anime con? Which is great planning on my part haha. The longest line for me was Neil's (ofc), at only 1 hr and a few minutes to wait

Here's what I got signed:

I have to admit I was hella nervous and wasn't planning to see them on Day 1 when I was jetlagged and not super made up, but we finally mustered up the courage to talk to them starting with Lae'zel's VA Devora Wilde. Dev loved my partner's nails and recognized the leather underwear lol, she was like ":O is that her thingy--!?". She also gave us very British compliments when we first walked up (which I can't remember what it was now ofc), and I was like "you too! You look amazing!" And she really did, from what I can tell she always is very gorg and glam <3 She was like 🥺 when she saw our prints. She looked at them for a bit, admiring the prints, and asked if this was the scene at the end where she leaves on the dragon and I said "yeah, this was the scene where your acting as Lae'zel made me cry in my game!" which I think she was flattered by, and my partner mentioned that in their game their character was a githyanki who went with Lae'zel, and I think Dev realized that was the "bad ending" and made a jokingly horrified face haha. Anyway she seemed very touched by our interaction and called us "true Lae'zel fans" 💞 I think it went really well and she probably doesn't get many people who are really into Lae'zel coming up to chat, so it was probably a nice change of pace

Next we saw Theo, who was telling a story to the guy in front of me so I heard it too, which was about how he already knew the VA for Mizora, Tammy, so one day he was going to the studio to record, said hi to her, asked her who she was playing and she pointed to Mizora behind Wyll on the poster so he was like "wait, no. You're my enemy!?" Anyway he was super chill, we chatted about the con a bit. Theo was also very impressed and told me I had "the best hair" at the con when he saw me haha. He said it'll be jam packed tomorrow (Saturday), but I think since the venue was so large it wasn't too bad by then. When I showed him my print from my game he was like "Spoiler! I haven't gotten here yet!" and I was like "oops!" and we joked about spoiling it for him, but he wasn't being serious, and said he can't wait to get there, noting how Karlach and Wyll make a cute couple. I was like "you record lines out of order, yeah?" and he confirmed, talking about how sometimes he'll hear a line Wyll says and he doesn't remember saying it, but I mean, clearly he did haha. Anyway he was super relatable and easy to talk to, really enjoyed chatting with him and I look forward to popping into his streams.

Jennifer and Aliona were very sweet, Jen of course commented on my hair too, and I think Aliona walked away for a min to grab a snack cause Jen grabbed a quick bite of something and apologized to me right after, sheepishly noting that they don't get breaks 😭 but it was totally fine and I was patient & understood. I was only having Jennifer sign because it was getting expensive 😬 so it was also no biggie that Aliona used that opportunity to take a break. I complimented Jen's nails, which were a super cute blue and pink with sparkles pattern, and apparently it was an Arcane reference? She asked me if I'd seen it, I told her "no, it's on my list," but she was like "oh, it's really good you've got to see it!" then as we said our goodbyes she was like "promise me you'll watch it - Shadowheart demands you watch it!" lol so I guess I'll watch sooner rather than later haha.

I chatted a bit with someone before I got to Neil, I believe it was Blue from his streams/discord? Which I have been hesitant to watch or participate in to avoid ruining my BG3 immersion, but I will now since honestly they all seem like normal people and are nothing like their characters imo. It'd be weird to hear the "character voice" saying too much OOC haha. Anyway Blue was very nice, asking about my Tav while we waited and impressed by the handmade Darkmoons earrings I was wearing which were the same as my Tav's 💖

Neil was very sweet; I walked up and he was like "wow, your hair," and I complimented him on his nails, which were like a pretty black/silver/blue? color, and he seemed genuinely flattered (idk anymore, all of it was a blur - I imagine most dudes don't get nail compliments so I like to give em out when I see it). He saw my print and was like "oh I see it's true love then" lol and I was like "yeahhhh" and mentioned that Astarion was my favorite. He asked what we were writing and I said "it's time to try living again" to which he responded "that's a good one." I also told him that I've played for 1400 hours and he was shocked, he was like "1400?" And I elaborated saying since Feb I've played it in like all of my free time when not working and he was still very shocked, like "since feburary!?" I was like "I know, I'm crazy" lol. But I told him thank you for all his hard work and that I use freecam to zoom out and see all his mocap, which was so well done, and he was very appreciative of that. He seemed pretty tired and jetlagged himself, stretching before the pic, and very sincerely respectfully asked me if it was okay to put his arm around me for it, which of course it was. We did a selfie and it's probs obvious I was nervous but I tried to relax and look natural for the pic (the attendant takes it so.. not really a selfie but whatevs). I saw him giving hugs before it was my turn, so as he was about to say bye I asked him for one and he agreed. I said afterwards to him "you're so nice!" And he did his usual peace/bow before turning to the next person in line. Also, I was still so short next to him even in my 4in heels, he literally had to bend down to hug me 😭

Orin's VA was there and I considered meeting Maggie too, but I didn't realize she'd be there until the last min before my trip and I felt weird about going up to say hi without buying anything 😭 I could have gotten an art print I suppose? But as I said, it was getting expensive, and I wasn't familiar with Lady Dimitrescu outside of memes

I did have a strong temptation to go back and chitchat if their lines were empty, but I felt weird about doing that without paying for something cause like, it's probably a bit of a faux pax right? Just seemed like it might be awkward even though it would be fun to discuss what their process was or what it was like to record and do mocap etc etc

Anyway on Saturday I wore my Tav eye makeup and we saw the BG3 panel, which was mostly silly and not very informative, but I guess after a year of doing these they've gotten a bit more chaotic haha

There was also a Baldur's Gate 3 themed photoshoot area that we took pics in front of, and Sungwon Cho, ProZD was also there, so we went up to say hi and let him know that we love his comedy and quote several of his skits almost daily. He was like "I'm honored" and asked us if we wanted a pic, which of course we did. I felt a little bad that I didn't know his actual VA work that well since I'm guessing he'd prefer that, but what do I know 😅

Anyway all in all a good time! Not bad for the first con in 15 years, maybe I'll go to another one if the cast comes to the SF bay area or if Gale and Karlach's or any of the extended cast come to Norcal

[fizhingtrawl]

uhhh. TW for stuff like blood, implied murder, possibly puke

You grasp the edge of the sink, sweaty hands slipping off of marble as you try to compose yourself. Your blonde, Curly hair had draped over your face as you heaved over the sink. You felt sick to your stomach, so, so sick. the hand of one of your friends rubbed your back, the two of them talking to eachother. you couldn't focus on what they were saying, you just felt so sick. bits of blood and skin in your teeth, the taste of iron on your tongue- it was all too much. Ringing. You heard ringing in your ears. God, Why wouldn't it stop? You had sworn this was all a bad dream. just a bad dream. but as you sat in the shower, the steam burning your skin, the red running down the drain- it became all too real. An Hour. It's been an hour since it happened. You still don't know what to do. you still feel sick. you feel like you're being eaten from the inside out. you feel like you're filled with worms. worms that whisper to you about what you've done. Your friends are still talking, You can't tell what about. maybe they're discussing what a monster you've become. No, they don't think that, Do they? No, they're your bestfriends, Come on... But.. You are a monster, aren't you? You grasp your golden locks in your hands and sob, the cold water of the shower you'd been sitting in hit your skin harshly, and it only made you sob harder. They help you out of the tub, the one in blue clothing gives you a towel. it feels so rough against your skin. the shorter one walks to your room and grabs some clothes for you, handing them to you. they wait outside of the bathroom. Once you're done, they come back in. you sit in the corner, holding a trashcan against your chest as you sob. you keep dry heaving. you want to throw up, you want to but you can't- all you can do is cry. Finally, you can somewhat understand what the one in orange was saying. "It's gonna be okay, Robert- You didn't mean to! It'll- We're gonna make sure it's okay. No one needs to know, Okay, man?" You try to respond. all that comes out is a sob.

"C'mon, Robbie.. I Promise." You still can't make out the words you wanted to say. And Finally, you throw up into the trashcan. You heave and sob, you could still feel the skin that had brushed against your teeth, the way your hair was pulled. the way you felt yourself fall back. What was your brother going to think of you? Your uncle? Oh god- Your little sister. she looked up to you, and now you were a monster. you didn't deserve your families love anymore, did you? you were horrible. Knocking. Knocking on the bathroom door. You nearly screamed, and the one in orange covered your mouth. "Shhh, Robbie- Robbie, It's fine, dude! I'll handle it!" you sniffle. after a moment of staring with red, puffy eyes, you nod and decide it would be best if he talked to them. you wouldn't be able to face whoever it was anymore. it didn't matter. He got up and cracked the door. You could see the familiar glasses- the red and blue. It was your older brother, Radford. You shied away from the door and hid your face beneath your golden hair. "Is He okay?" "Uh.. Yeah, Dude. don't even worry about it, we're helping him-" "With what? You said he was okay, Roy. Robert? Robert, hey, are you okay?-" "UH- HERE, YOU COME BACK LATER--" The one in orange slammed the door shut, and the knocking happened for another few seconds before your brother gave up and walked away. He sighed, sliding down into a sitting position against the door. "Wow, That was close, wasn't it robbie?.." You nod silently. What would Radford think if he knew?

[ramshacklestar]

@mostrohost sent || 💋 for a kiss on the lips

NEW YEARS EVE KISSES || Accepting

The new year hadn't ever been any sort of big thing to Yuu, just another day much like Christmas day, but since arriving in Twisted Wonderland that had changed significantly. The holidays were such a delight to look forward to, even if it was one of the one's where only a few students were still at the school. Winter break wasn't too much longer though so that was fine and frankly Yuu could appreciate the slightly more relaxed atmosphere. A threat of being pummeled never completely gone, but lessened some so long as a certain eel didn't end up getting bored and decide to take his boredom out on her.

At least Grim was there to sort of distract him, though not at all thrilled about the idea initially it had seemed that Floyd and Jade were able to keep him occupied enough that he didn't even have time to glower at Yuu and berate her for being a bad hench human. Letting the tweels mess up his fur and tease him like they were would certainly be all he raved about for the next few days though.

"Hope it isn't rude of me to just crash into your dorms festivities like this." Yuu spoke standing nearby Azul, as she watched on to see what others from the dorm were doing all the while checking in on the current time so she wouldn't miss the celebration. "Shame I couldn't bring the sparklers though, Jade said you mentioned absolutely no fireworks." Returning her gaze to him she continued. "Wasn't like they were all that big but I guess I get it." Yuu could always light them off the next day anyway, ideally out in the snow in case Grim got a little carried away.

Suppressing a yawn Yuu glanced at her cell phone again, counting down the seconds now. "30 seconds left and it'll be a whole new year. What a ride, and to think if Crowley had found me a way home early on I wouldn't have met you or any of the others." Yuu laughed at the irony of how she had so desperately wanted to return home at the beginning of this place, and how terrified she was of everyone in it, but now here she was actually happy and casually hanging around one of the most shady groups of, well, mer people someone could ever meet.

A distant call of 10 seconds was hollered out, who it was exactly Yuu wasn't sure, but even still she stared at her cell phone. Watching those seconds tick away, the countdown from the other students gradually getting louder with each number until finally, a loud shout of Happy New Year rang out all around her, a cascade of cheers and some laughs ringing out. A whole year...

Bringing her face up to look at Azul once more, she opened her mouth ready to wish him a happy new year, but those words were immediately taken from her as slightly chilled lips came into contact with her own warmer one's. The surprise had stunned Yuu for a moment, it wasn't like this was their first ever kiss but it was natural to be surprised when you weren't expecting it right? Much less on the New Year where the first kiss was considered a fresh start in love and relationship. Maybe Azul just didn't know, or maybe he did and he was trying to say something using his lips.

Regardless the shock slowly gave way, Yuu leaning into Azul a little more to return his affectionate gesture before pulling the two apart a slight while after. The breath in her lungs completely extinguished as in that moment she didn't care who saw, or what they might say. She'd definitely hear about this later, but at this current moment all she could do was stare up into Azul's captivating blue eyes, a sea she wouldn't mind drowning in at that moment honestly.

"Happy New Year." Finally came out, though breathy, as she smiled up at Azul. Before reaching her arms up to tie around his neck pulling him down just enough. "I really ought to return to favor right?" She spoke pressing her lips back against his again.

[unpredictable-probabilities]

"I Do": The Long-Term Deal || Chapter 3: An Abrupt Engagement

Summary:

After a photo of Jamil and Azul's kiss started circulating online, Jade proposes the absurd solution of forming a fake relationship for the public eye.

Azul vehemently rejects the idea and it seems to fall to the wayside... but when the dinner launch party presents unprecedented challenges, Jamil steps in and takes his boldest leap yet.

Word Count: 16,753

Author's Note:

Finally updated this fic after 9 months!!

Thank you so much to @patchyegg87 for helping me write this chapter~

This fic is gonna be a collab between us from now on <3

We hope you enjoy this chapter! ^_^

——

Jamil's jaw dropped open in shock. At the very least he had expected Jade to suggest that he and Azul pretend to date, but marrying him?

"Jade," Azul's voice had a dangerous edge to it as he glared at Jade. "We are not forcing Jamil into such an arrangement."

"I am not forcing either of you, Azul," Jade maintained his calm demeanor. "I am merely pointing out that an engagement announcement would keep both your suitors and the board of directors at bay for a long while."

"Could just be a fake engagement," Floyd added. "You don't actually have to marry each other for real."

"Indeed," Jade nodded. "And Jamil could maintain his life of travel without worrying whether people would recognize him as the person in the picture and pester him with questions. A clear association with you--and by extension Floyd and I--would prevent anyone from harassing him."

"You two could live here together," Floyd said. "And you're already doing that anyway. Just make a few public appearances every month and it'll be fine."

"The board would never contradict you," Jade pointed out.

It was all going too fast for Jamil's mind to keep up. He turned to Azul, hoping that at least he would say something that made sense, but Azul had gone quiet, his chest rising and falling as he seemed to be trying to control his breathing.

Azul strode toward the couch to retrieve the remote where Floyd had dropped it, then turned off the TV before facing the twins.

"It's not the only option," he said firmly. "We are not trapping Jamil in this, is that clear?"

There was a crunching sound, and Jamil couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from until the two halves of the remote fell from Azul's grip and clattered onto the floor.

"Azul," Floyd said carefully in a placating tone that Jamil had never heard him use before. "Your eyes."

Jamil turned to Azul; his eyes had become a startling bright blue, the pupils elongated into horizontal slits.

Octopus eyes, Jamil realized.

Azul's face went slack with surprise for a second, then he blinked rapidly and backed away.

He turned away from them and placed his hands on his hips, head bowed while he took deep breaths.

Jamil looked at the twins in concern; he had never seen Azul’s eyes turn into what he assumed were their original form, and it seemed to happen out of Azul’s control. What did that mean?

Jade gave him a reassuring nod, and Floyd kept his eyes on Azul.

"Let's not decide on anything for now," Azul said quietly, and when he faced them again his eyes were back to normal. "The event will be starting soon. Let's discuss this again after that. I'll contact Idia and have him get a handle on that MagiCam post."

Jade nodded. "You and Jamil should arrive at the party separately just in case anyone there had seen the photo and would be keeping an eye out for you two. You and I can take your car, and Floyd and Jamil can take Floyd's."

"Yeah. I live nearby, anyway," Floyd said. "We'll get my car. And Sea Snake, change your hairstyle for tonight, okay? You can keep the ponytail but get rid of the braids, they're too recognizable."

"You don't have to go to the event at all," Azul looked at him for the first time since they got in the house. "We've dragged you enough into this."

"No," Jamil shook his head. "I started this. If I hadn't done that when we ran into each other, we wouldn't even have this problem. I'm not just hiding here."

Azul looked like he wanted to protest, but he nodded. "I'll get you a suit you can wear. Jade, Floyd, how about you two?”

“My suit is still at the cleaner’s,” Jade said. “We can stop by there first, and they have a changing room that I can use.”

“I’ll get my suit at my house when Sea Snake and I get the car,” Floyd replied.

Twenty minutes later, Jamil was in the passenger seat of Floyd’s ride, dressed in a borrowed suit with his hair in a simple ponytail and no braids.

“What’s the matter, Sea Snake?” Floyd asked as he drove steadily down the highway. “You’ve been quiet as a clam ever since we left Azul’s place.”

“Is he okay?” Jamil asked. “Why did his eyes become like that? And that thing with the TV remote…”

Azul was never one to show violence; he prided himself in his intellectual capacities rather than the physical. Even when he intimidated schoolmates at NRC, he was never known to break anything as a show of strength.

Floyd took a while to answer, and Jamil had the sense that he was choosing his words carefully, which was something he never would have expected of Floyd.

“About two years ago,” He began. “The three of us ran into some trouble. And Azul was the one who stepped up and got us out of it by the scales of our fins. It messed us all up pretty good, and what you saw earlier was the effect that that experience had left on Azul. Sometimes when he gets super stressed or overwhelmed, his eyes revert to their merform, and his octo-strength comes out.”

Jamil furrowed his eyebrows. Floyd obviously didn’t want to share specific details, but he was still curious. “What kind of trouble?”

“Hmmmm… Well it wasn’t like an Overblot or anything,” Floyd laughed. “Had enough of those back at school, eh? It was just a… scuffle. Of some kind. Don’t worry about it.”

A ‘scuffle’ that traumatized all three of them–some of the most feared people back at NRC during their time–definitely sounded like something to be worried about, but Floyd didn’t seem inclined on sharing any more information on it.

“What if he gets stressed at work?” Jamil asked instead. “Do his eyes turn like that?”

Floyd shook his head. “As far as I know, he’s never been like that at work. No one else even knows that he has those moments except for you and me and Jade. And that’s why Azul just leaves the office whenever he gets super stressed. Can’t risk anyone else seeing him lose control like that.”

“But he lost control of his eyes and strength just minutes ago, is he really in shape to attend that event?” Jamil asked in concern.

“He won’t let us stop him, you know that,” Floyd said in resignation. “Best we can do is watch over him and make sure nobody irritating is around him for a long time. It’s a lot more challenging than you’d think, considering his colleagues and those suitors.”

“Suitors?” Jamil frowned. “There’s gonna be suitors there?”

“Those idiots are everywhere, man,” Floyd said with irritation. “At every work event, in the office… if the board of directors has anything to do with a place, there’s bound to be at least one suitor there. And a party like later? I’m betting at least five.”

Jamil pursed his lips and stared out the window. He reminded himself that he had no intention of being in a romantic relationship with Azul, so he shouldn’t be affected even if the man would be surrounded by flirty celebrities tonight.

He was there to observe the members of the board and find out their weaknesses. That was it. At most, he’d help Jade and Floyd make sure that Azul would stay as calm as possible the entire night, and even then he couldn’t get too close and risk being recognized.

Azul himself said that he could fix that whole MagiCam fiasco without Jamil getting involved. So after tonight, Jamil’s work would be done and he’d never have to get involved with Azul ever again.

——

“How dare you suggest such a thing?” Azul immediately rounded on Jade as soon as his phone call with Idia ended. “You know the history of my feelings for Jamil and yet you propose that he be my accomplice for such a stupid charade?”

“I was just suggesting one possible solution, a convenient and accessible one,” Jade calmly explained from behind the steering wheel, not taking his eyes off the road. “Besides, you had taken Jamil into your home for an indefinite amount of time. I assumed that whatever romantic feelings you had for him are now non-existent and therefore it would not be a problem to make such a deal with him.”

“They are non-existent,” Azul hoped that his infuriated tone would convince Jade of the lie. “But that doesn’t mean that I appreciate you taking inspiration from the board members when it comes to your ideas.”

“I apologize,” Jade said sincerely. “I did not realize how such an idea would come across. What did Idia say?”

“He was able to trace the path of the post, and it’s unlikely that any of the guests tonight would have seen that picture already. He said he could stop it from circulating any further for another week, but after that, the only way to prevent it spreading would be to take down the post itself, which could be seen as suspicious by people who have already seen it.” Azul pinched the bridge of his nose and reminded himself to stay calm. He couldn’t afford for his eyes to change again in the middle of the event.

After Jade had suggested that he marry Jamil—regardless of whether it would be a fake marriage—it was like he was back at NRC, being mocked and laughed at by fellow students for chasing after the man. Business strategy or not, his days of shamelessly convincing Jamil to work with him were over.

“For tonight, just worry about getting through the entire event while remaining calm,” Jade told him. “We’ll worry about the MagiCam post tomorrow; Idia has bought us enough time.”

“Right,” Azul nodded, taking a breath. “Just get through tonight.”

——

A while later, Floyd and Jamil walked into the venue, the latter immediately taking a moment to look around the area and its high-end arrangements. The colors of the floor were a glossy black, blue and white, as if they were walking along a path of stars. Floating baubles of soft golden light illuminated the space, with dark blue draperies and roses completing the set-up. People from high society—politicians, businessmen, celebrities—are flitting around, talking to each other over wine and dinner.

And speaking of dinner, a wide array of gourmet dishes were being passed around and served. It was to be expected for the launching of a restaurant, Jamil thought. He hadn't seen any other restaurant launch that was this fancy, though.

He found Azul among the crowd, but he kept his distance, instead looking out to see if anyone would recognize and approach him.

"Hey," He whispered to Floyd, who'd been eyeing the bar to the side with ominous interest. "Who here are the board members?"

The eel quickly responded. "That there's Janara," he pointed to a woman with a hood obscuring most of her features standing in the corner. "Very private. Keeps to herself a lot. When she does speak, she whispers all creepy-like."

He then nodded to two individuals: a stocky fellow with braided dark-brown hair as well as the edge of a glowing tattoo peeking through his collar, and a beautiful individual with long silver hair, a fancy gown of royal yellows and blues and stark-white pupils.

"Tattoo-man is Root and the one with the freaky eyes is Aali. They're both super into these kinds of fancy shindigs. Root's level-headed but he's got a temper, and Aali's got a tongue as silver and sharp as their hair. The two of them are the ones who pester Azul the most, so they're pretty annoying…” Floyd wrinkled his nose.

Then he pointed to a short but striking beastwoman surrounded by colleagues and sipping disinterestedly at her drink. She had cropped hair, dark make-up, raven wings and dark-violet clothes. "Hammery. She's cold and stubborn, but if you manage to get on her good side, you get on the whole board's good side. She's pretty scary. She reminds me of Ma sometimes… Ah, and then there's Ol' Gura."

A wizened-looking man with a solid shell on his back was sampling some of the food with a pleasant smile on his face, donning white cream-colored robes and a dark brown hat.

"He's a turtle beastman. He kinda comes off as sweet and old, but he's got powerful connections to all kinds'a companies and organizations for a reason—do not piss him off… Those are all the members who're attending today. The others are too busy doin' somethin' somewhere else. You gonna talk to any of them?" Floyd asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably not a good idea considering the precarious scandal hovering over my head…" Jamil muttered. "Thanks for giving me a heads-up, though. For a second, I thought you were gonna give me their sea-based nicknames."

"Oh, I have ‘em. You wanna hear 'em?" Floyd grinned.

"No," Jamil frowned. "What about suitors? See any you recognize?"

There was a moment's pause before Floyd shook his head, his mood souring at the very prospect. "None... so far."

"Ah, Mister Ashengrotto, you've finally arrived!" Gura greeted the young businessman from behind, voice thin and frail as he merrily held up a plate of confectionaries. "Such a lovely little party we have here. I reckon it takes you back to your first official launching—Oh! Here, have some pudding. It's raspberry!" He held out a spoonful of food to him.

"Mister Gura," Azul smiled amiably. "Thank you, but I just arrived and I don't want to skip right to dessert.”

"Ah, regardless, it is good to see you here! You have been away from the office for quite some time!" Gura said in a playfully scolding tone.

"You don't need me there much these days, Mister Gura," Azul replied just as playfully. "I heard that the company is doing quite well under the board's management."

While Azul and Gura were talking, Jamil's attention turned to the person who just walked through the door.

A lady with silky brown hair and an elegant red dress that complimented her frame.

Scarlet Coldfire had arrived.

Jamil tensed up, recalling all the rumors he learned about her and Azul.

"Psst, Floyd. Is that..?" He was about to ask, but then he turned and saw that the merman had gone over to sit by the bar, talking to a dark-skinned female bartender with yellow-and-black-colored hair (similar to a bumblebee), who was staring at him with suspicion.

Seeing that he was alone, Jamil looked back to see that Scarlet had spotted Azul, eyes lighting up in delight.

"Well, well! I didn't expect to run into you here!" the lady said in greeting. "I had figured you'd be too busy for these sorts of social stunts."

"Oh, he's hardly busy nowadays, unless you count him running away from us as part of his work," Gura teased. He extended out a hand to kiss Scarlet's knuckles in respect. "Miss Coldfire. A pleasure to see you in this lovely evening–Oh! Pudding?"

"My, don't mind if I do, Mister Gura." Scarlet hummed, taking a bite as she daintily tucked locks of her hair behind her ear. Jamil couldn’t help but dislike how alluring it made her look. "Mm! Raspberry chia! Lovely. Azul, have you eaten yet?"

They were on a first-name basis? Even more concerning!

Azul shook his head. "No, I had a late lunch so I'm not hungry yet."

Scarlet clicked her tongue. "I see you're back to your usual excuses. Mister Gura, you don't mind if I steal Azul for a while, do you?"

Gura chuckled. "Go ahead, dear. I don't think he would mind either.”

Scarlet laughed brightly and touched Azul's arm. "Well then, shall we? There are plenty of vacant tables. You got us dinner last time, right? Let me get this one."

"You do know the food is free here tonight? It doesn't count," Azul raised an eyebrow.

"Then I can treat you to dinner again tomorrow night," Scarlet said smoothly.

There was a second of them just staring at each other, then they both laughed.

Azul turned to Gura. "If you'll excuse us, Mister Gura. The lady wants dinner."

"Of course," Gura stepped aside and gracefully gestured to the tables.

Azul and Scarlet walked away still chuckling like they were sharing an inside joke.

Jamil felt a pang of jealousy shoot into his veins. He wondered what was so funny that it had them laughing so much. What did she do that was able to brighten his mood at the drop of a hat?

Unsure what else to do, he moved to the side so no one would notice that he'd just been standing listlessly for the past several minutes. He got handed a beverage by a passing waiter, and he took it but didn't drink. He knew he should be focusing on what he came here to do, but he couldn’t help but keep looking at Azul and Scarlet's way…

"You're new." Someone whispered.

He jumped and glanced over to see the quiet one, Janara, staring at him from the darkness of her hood. It really looked like there's nothing in there but the void.

"Er... Excuse me?" He asked.

"I know everyone who walks through these halls. You are a stranger amidst allies and adversaries. Why are you here?" she hissed.

"...I'm new to the business world," Jamil attempted, trying to look pretentious enough to belong. "I was given a personal invite by Mister Ashengrotto and the Leech brothers to attend and familiarize myself with a crowd of potential connections. Could you be one of them?"

The woman didn't respond for a while. Then she croaked, "What do you dabble in?"

"Nothing of the culinary sort, mind you. It's sort of why I feel out of place right now." Jamil said.

"...I don't like parties, either."

"Hm?"

"Conducting business in a gathering meant for pleasure... It's a gross combination. I wish to return to the cold perches of my office..."

"Oh. I'm... sorry to hear that. I'm Jamil Viper, by the way. I hope I'm not making this event any more uncomfortable for you."

"You and I… the same first two letters."

"What?"

"J and A… I am Janara. We both share the same first two letters in our name." She rasped, holding her own drink, which seemed completely untouched. "Very interesting."

"I… Right." Jamil decided to take a swig of his drink, feeling that this was going to be a long night. At least he's interacting with a board member now.

Meanwhile, Scarlet was sitting across Azul at a table, her gaze fond. "How have you been, darling? I've barely heard from you lately. A text or two surely wouldn't have killed you, would it?"

“I don’t seem to remember you sending any texts either,” Azul playfully replied.

“Touché,” Scarlet laughed, an pleasant sound that Jamil was beginning to dislike. “So have you been inviting anyone else to dinners while I was away?”

For a moment, Azul’s easygoing expression broke, showing hesitance. Then he blinked and his playful smile was back.

"Maybe," he answered vaguely. "You've been away a long time."

Scarlet rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement. Then she leaned closer to Azul and said something too quietly for Jamil to hear, but it looked like she had asked a question.

Surprise flickered in Azul's face for a moment, then his smile became a little more relaxed, more genuine.

He leaned closer to Scarlet as well.

"... I'll let you know," was all Jamil could hear.

Jamil bristled at the entire interaction, and he excused himself from Janara's presence. "Sorry, I gotta go to the bathroom."

Janara simply nodded, sending him off with a "I’ll be watching you. I do that with everyone… Always…"

Upon entering the restroom, which was just as fancy as the rest of the building, Jamil lingered by the sinks to sort out his priorities. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

What do you think you're doing, Jamil? Stop getting distracted.

Knowing that he'd just end up staring at Azul and Scarlet the whole night if he was in the same room, he decided to head for the outdoor patio, where he found Jade talking with Hammery.

"Golden Silk's not a cheap resource, but they make a hell of a boost for abjuration concoctions. It prolly won't do much remedy-ing in the middle of an emergency, but when you're about to enter into a situation you can't trust? It'll do you right," Hammery muttered, her voice low for her short stature.

"Is it even more potent than Spider Dewdrops?" Jade asked pleasantly.

Jamil seemed to understand that they're talking less about business and more about alchemical ingredients like a couple of potionology students.

Jade noticed him then, and smiled. "Ah, it looks like we have company. Miss Talonfoot, this young man is Jamil Viper, a... special associate of Azul's."

"A special associate?" Hammery raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Then why have I never seen you before, Mister Viper, if you're so special to Azul?"

"I hadn't been around the area for some time." Jamil answered semi-honestly, looking at Jade and wondering what sort of narrative he wants to spin here.

"He had been traveling around, getting some worldly experience in—you know how it goes,” the eel-man explained, as calm as ever. "And Azul likes to keep associates as special as Jamil close to his chest, but since he's here, we figured it would be good for him to familiarize himself with the corporate world. And you have my word–he is legitimate."

"Introducing him into the business, hm? Up-and-coming entrepreneur?"

"It is up to him." Jade responded. "He is no entrepreneur yet. If he wants to be, he can. We just wish to familiarize him with these things because, well…" He gave Hammery a smile. "We figured it would be nice for him to know this side of Azul's life."

Hammery squinted and directed her gaze to Jamil, studying him much more closely. "I see..."

Jamil tensed up, beginning to realize that Jade's putting him closer to the position that he had suggested before they went to the party.

"Where is Mister Azul?" Hammery asked, looking around. "We haven't seen him in a long while. Did you come here together?"

"He's inside," Jamil lamely gestured, at a loss for words. "He's…er… talking with the other guests."

"Do you have any concerns, Miss Talonfoot? If so, you know you can always discuss it with me." Jade asked.

"My business is not so urgent that I would want to interrupt his 'peaceful' night, but I want to get to know this chap," Hammery gestured at Jamil, taking another sip of her drink. "Anyone who Azul gets directly involved with gets directly involved with us as a result, so you're either an additional new asset or a stain on our foundation. Let's find out which one you are."

She passed her empty glass to Jade and clasped her hands together. "Fetch me another drink, Mister Leech. Thank you."

"Very well." Jade bowed and made his way back inside, giving Jamil a quiet look of reassurance. "Enjoy yourselves, you two."

When the door closed, things were quiet for a moment before Hammery began to take a walk, gesturing for Jamil to follow. Wordlessly, he complied, worried about what grave he could be digging himself into.

Hammery led him to one of the vacant outdoor tables, gesturing for him to sit.

"So, Mister Viper, which side of Azul's life do you know?" she asked. "You see, most of us here are only familiar with the President Azul Ashengrotto; we know very little about the other aspects of his life. So forgive me if I'm intrigued to meet someone outside of his business."

"Well… I first met him when we were both students in Night Raven College," Jamil began. He couldn’t help but feel that this is an interrogation somehow. "We often got paired up for school assignments and event-planning, and... we just became close that way."

Close in what way? he asked himself. As friends? As something more? He still wasn’t sure what angle to go for, so he attempted to be as vague as possible.

"Oh, a former classmate of his?" Hammery said in interest. "Judging by Azul's age, you two would have graduated about… five, six years ago? Did you remain close throughout that time? Or did you simply reappear in his life recently?" she asked with more than a little suspicion in her tone.

Jamil did his best to navigate the situation. If she found out that anything fishy's afoot, then his presence in the party was gonna be called into question.

"We... didn't keep in touch right away," he slowly stated. "But I happened to run into him during one of my travels a few years back and we've been spending more and more time since then."

"I see," she nodded slowly. "Then are you the one who's been keeping him away from us these past weeks?" she said in amusement. "We'd been wondering where he spends his time in if not at work."

"Ah," Jamil pretends to look shy, which wasn't hard because he felt embarrassed knowing that that's more or less true. "It wasn't my intention, but Azul insisted and we both know that the man can get pretty stubborn and persuasive once he gets his mind set on something."

Hammery chuckled. "That's quite true. You must be rather close, then, if he would take so much time away to spend it with you."

Jamil heard the unspoken question in her tone. Before he could think much of it, he saw Azul and Scarlet walking in the distance somewhere behind Hammery. They had gone to the patio as well and it looked like they were about to start a conversation, but Aali appeared and greeted them.

The silver-haired newcomer smiled with half-lidded eyes at Azul, and Jamil noticed Scarlet subtly put a possessive hand on Azul's arm as she exchanged pleasantries with the board member.

Just like her, Aali placed their own hand along Azul's shoulder, smiling and chatting with the couple about something before momentarily moving to pull the merman away.

Scarlet held on fast, her demeanor pleasant, but firm. Aali arched an eyebrow at her.

Tensions would have risen then, when from the interior, another fellow walked out of the building to meet the group, flanked by a crowd of socialites and journalists. Based on the way he was the center of attention, dressed in a fancy suit that shimmered in a luminous blue and jewelries made from bone, he was clearly the center of the party—the man celebrating the launching of his restaurant.

He greeted Azul, oblivious to the growing tension between the other two. He seemed excited to see the merman, like he was meeting a celebrity he idolized and admired. As a result, the crowd that followed him turned their attention to Azul, filled with bright curious smiles and loud chatter.

"What's happening?" Jamil asked, growing alert.

"Hm?" Hammery glanced at the ruckus and shrugged. "Annoying party people being annoying party people. Why?"

Jamil stood up and started to head over since he couldn't help but feel concerned. "Excuse me."

Hammery didn’t stop him, watching how it would all go down with quiet intrigue.

"Mister Ashengrotto!" one enthusiastic journalist stepped forward. "Is Miss Coldfire your date tonight?"

"Ah, not exactly," Azul smiled pleasantly, but Jamil could see from his tense shoulders that he felt caught off-guard by the group. "She and I are just catching up."

"Do you have a date tonight, then?" another journalist piped up, and a camera flash came from somewhere, lighting up Azul's surprised face for a moment.

"Is Aali your date?" the crowd began to press around them.

Aali laughed pretentiously and waved a hand in false modesty. "Oh, stop it, you. If I were Azul's date, it would be very obvious and would leave no room for questions."

"There are rumors that Nikolai Pennington is vying for your hand. Is it true you'll be making an appearance in his next movie?"

Multiple camera flashes went off.

"Um, no," Azul spoke evenly despite looking momentarily blinded. "I have not heard of any movie—"

"But is he courting you?"

"Is he here tonight?"

Camera flash.

"Ah, he's not here," the owner of the restaurant said. "But he certainly is welcome anytime!" he laughed heartily and clapped Azul on the back.

"What are your thoughts on all of these, Miss Coldfire?"

"I think we should all go back to the party," Scarlet said sweetly.

"Mister Ashengrotto, would you be having a date at your birthday gala?"

"Is Miss Coldfire invited?"

Before Azul could answer, there was yet another camera flash that reflected off his glasses, and then a dramatic gasp from one of the journalists in the back of the group.

"Is this you, Mister Ashengrotto?" one reporter asked wide-eyed, holding up his phone and projecting a hologram in the air to show his MagiCam news feed.

It was the picture of Azul and Jamil kissing.

The group erupted in surprised gasps and overlapping chatter.

Surprise was unmistakable on Azul's face as the questions bombarded him while Aali demanded an explanation.

Scarlet gave him a concerned look and held his arm comfortingly.

Camera flashes came from everywhere.

"Who is this person?"

"Are you two dating?"

"Are they here?"

"How long has this been going on?"

They were cornering Azul against the wall, and the merman's face was becoming paler.

"Miss Coldfire, did you know about this?"

"Aren't you afraid of being seen as his mistress?"

"I beg your pardon?" Scarlet was evidently trying hard to remain polite.

"You're overstepping, sir," Azul said in a dangerously calm voice.

"How many people are you dating right now, Mister Ashengrotto?"

The camera flashes weren't stopping, and Azul held up a hand to shield his face, turning to the side. He seemed to be controlling his breathing, his shoulders noticeably rising and falling.

From where he stood, Jamil could just glimpse Azul's eyes from behind his glasses.

Horizontal pupils on piercing blue irises.

Jamil stepped in before he could second-guess himself.

"That's enough," he announced, voice ringing out into the still courtyard. The people stopped and stared for a moment, surprised, as he stepped in front to shield Azul. "He's under no obligations to answer any of your questions tonight."

"Ah, you're the guy in the photo... I think!" One of them piped up, looking over at their device.

This caused another surge of murmurs of shock and curiosity.

"And what if I am?" he said out loud, his face getting warm. "Isn't it normal to greet one's lover in an embrace?"

"What?!" Aali exclaimed.

"What?!" the crowd gasped.

Scarlet stared in wide-eyed surprise.

He's really in for it now.

"Now if you'll excuse us, Azul needs a bit of space to himself," he hurriedly stated, tugging onto the merman's arm to lead him away. This time, neither Scarlet nor Aali did anything to stop him.

But as they were walking, the crowd burst into an uproar and were about to surround them with a slew of new questions when two tall men blocked their path.

"I'm sorry, did you not hear what the gentleman said?" Jade grinned, a hand placed on his chest.

"Buzz off, lil' guppies, or we're gonna have to do this the fun way!" Floyd smiled, baring his sharp teeth.

The crowd effectively clammed up and backed away. Jamil heaved a sigh of relief and continued to tug Azul into the nearest empty area, which were the hedge gardens near the patio. He spotted Hammery as they left, but the woman merely stared back, sipped from her newly-delivered drink, and said nothing.

Once he was sure they weren't getting followed, he turned to Azul and held him securely by his shoulders. "Hey. Are... Are you okay?"

Azul was staring at him in bewilderment, his eyes back to their human form. "W-What— am I…" he stammered. "Jamil! Why would you do that?! You've made yourself a target!"

"I didn't know what to do, it was the first thing I could think of!" he hissed. "They found the photo—it was the only way to get you out of that mob of predators!"

"But now they'll be coming for you, too!" Azul hissed back, glancing around to make sure no one had followed them. He started to pace around. "Perhaps we can still take it back, you can say that you just said that to help me, and Jade can accompany you back to my house. Floyd and I will deal with them here. We can deny that you're the one in the photo."

"The damage has already been done." Jamil reasoned, watching him walk back and forth. "If we retract it now, they're only going to question it and get even wilder with their rumors. Plus, I've already talked with two of your board members and I think they're suspecting the same thing. Choosing to back out will only make them more suspicious…" He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I said things without confiding in you beforehand, and now you're stuck with me and this problem. I can just leave, say I'm some kinda fling that got presumptuous and brash, and I can take responsibility for the  whole claim."

"What?" Azul stopped walking in front of Jamil and looked at him. "No, don't— No," he shook his head, walking closer. "Don't say those things about yourself. I'm just…" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This is a messy, ridiculous world, Jamil. I don't want you to be trapped in it, especially not for my sake."

"You're not trapping anyone," Jamil replied. "I was the one who started this when I kissed you in that parking lot. This is just the consequences of my actions coming full circle and I'm…"

He searched inside himself, trying to detect any notion of despair or fear, but he felt strangely calm.

"... honestly okay with facing it. Besides, it's like Jade said, this might be your best excuse to finally put that stressful bachelor thing behind you… Unless this arrangement is just stressing you out even more."

Azul looked surprised. "Jamil… Are you sure?" his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. "If we do this, it would be very difficult for you to back out. Even your travels might be affected if people recognize you in public. And I know how much you love to travel. I don't… I don't want to hold you back from that."

"You're right that it's a big decision to make on the fly," he admitted, thinking about the good and bad possibilities. "Traveling around might get… different, but I don't believe it'd be anything I can't handle. Even if they manage to wrangle me for an interview, it's not like I've got anything valuable to give them. Besides…"

He gave Azul a small smile. "I was already in pretty big trouble with the whole pin theft even before you came along. If I ever run into anything I can't face on my own… I now know I got someone I can lean on, right? The point is, at least for tonight, we'd benefit more by keeping up with the charade. We're gonna get pestered, but certainly not like how you were hounded mere moments ago."

Azul just stared at Jamil for a few seconds, then his gaze softened. "Thank you, Jamil. That couldn't have been easy for you to do in front of all those people and cameras. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know."

It seemed like Azul still had the same mindset when it came to favors.

Jamil huffed but stayed silent. He knew that if he tried to argue on that front, they'd be standing here all night.

"Sure… By the way, before the paparazzi came in, were those two bothering you? They seemed like they were going to start an argument earlier."

"Hm? Oh, Scarlet and Aali? It did get a little tense between them, but I don't think they would have caused a scene. Scarlet especially wouldn't start a fight; she's always been composed and level-headed."

Jamil noticed that Azul seemed to smile at that remark.

"... It looks like you and Miss Scarlet are pretty close." Could that be why Azul didn't want this pretend arrangement to begin with? But he shot down having a fake relationship with her, too, when Jade first brought her up. "Do you think… she'd have a problem about us being 'together'?"

Azul shook his head. "No, Scarlet doesn't like me in that way, and her own businesses are successful enough that she doesn't need to marry into another company. I would still have to talk to her, but she won't get in the way." He looked at Jamil with worry. "Are you sure you don't have a problem with this? There will be interviews. We'd have to face cameras and talk about… us."

"Then... we might as well get our answers prepared so I won't just look like I'm making things up on the spot."

Azul opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of footsteps approached, and they saw two people with notebooks and a camera looking around.

Azul grabbed Jamil's arm and pulled him behind the tall hedge, pressing him against it.

"Shh," Azul whispered, his face mere inches from Jamil's. He was looking to the side to peek at where the reporters were heading, his hand still holding Jamil's arm.

Jamil stayed still, staring at the other and taking this moment to really think about how he feels regarding their current situation.

To be perfectly honest, a part of him felt smug at having asserted his connection to Azul in front of Scarlet and Aali, even if he's still not wholly sure how they both feel about him.

But more importantly, he's nervous about getting this right and following through. He could admit that these were messy circumstances... yet he really didn't regret it as much as he thought he should.

He knew within himself that Azul... definitely wasn't the worst person to get stuck in a fake relationship with.

"Are they gone?" he mouthed to the other, noting their close proximity.

Azul took a moment to double check, then he nodded.

"Yes, they—" he turned to face Jamil and seemed to realize for the first time how close they were, their noses almost touching.

Azul flushed and quickly stepped back, letting go of Jamil's arm.

He cleared his throat and looked away. "Yes, they're gone now."

"Cool..." Jamil mumbled, straightening up and brushing off any of the leaves and branches on him. "About the cover story, Hammery knows we met as NRC students and that we saw each other again after graduation when I ran into you by coincidence. All true things, save for the fact that I made it sound like the run-in happened a few years ago and that we've been keeping touch since then, hence why they've only known about my existence tonight."

Azul nodded. "They would certainly ask how long we had been together already. Fortunately neither of us had been in any relationships, so we can choose how far back or how recently we supposedly started dating. What time-frame would be comfortable for you?"

"Will we only be posing as boyfriends or as something with more commitment?" Jamil asked. "The time-frame can shift depending on that answer. Will they bother us more if we're just dating or if we're engaged?"

"There would be plenty of questions either way," Azul said, clearly displeased with the thought. "The board and any suitors would most likely stop pestering me about dating, though, if we say we're engaged. But would you really be okay with that?" he frowned in concern.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Jamil replied. He placed a hand on his chin. "So it's been six years since we've graduated... Should we say we've reunited four years ago, got together around the following year then got engaged within the past few weeks?"

"So we've been together for three years and got engaged… let's say… two weeks ago?" Azul asked. "And you'd been traveling around and just got back on the day that photo was taken. How does that sound?"

Jamil nodded. "We can make that work... Anything else I should know about before we inevitably get back in there? For the time being, they're not expecting me to be business-savvy. Jade and I established with Hammery and Janara that I'm new to the whole thing."

"I think that's it for now." Azul took a breath and ran a hand through his hair, evidently still a little rattled. "If you want to leave at any point for whatever reason, just say you have a headache and I'll have Floyd drive you to my house. Here's a spare," Azul took a keychain from his pocket and removed one key, handing it to Jamil.

As he received it, the raven-haired man made an awkward grin. "A key to your house? Now it really does look like we're engaged... Do you not have the same luxury? It doesn't look like you were enjoying yourself at the party even before this happened."

Unless you count the time when he started hanging out with Scarlet…

"I'm sure Floyd and Jade would be happy to make sure you leave safe and unbothered," Jamil added.

"I just got here, I should stay for about an hour more, at least," Azul said. "It's important that the investors see my presence, especially since I didn't exactly gracefully handle the situation earlier," he sighed. "You don't need to wait for me."

"Nah. I'll stick around. I still have to meet the other board members, anyway. And people would think something's fishy if I were to leave on my own. Would you prefer it if we both kept our distance throughout our stay? It's alright if being together's just gonna bring us more unwanted attention."

"I think we will be met with questions as soon as we return. And while Jade and Floyd will be there to prevent us from being swarmed, they can't stop the reporters entirely without causing trouble for the company. It might be better if we answer the questions together to make sure that we tell the same story, in case they ask anything that we didn't anticipate. Is that alright?"

Azul's usually composed appearance still seemed uncertain. He hid it well, but Jamil knew him enough to see how nervous he was.

Jamil took a moment to think before nodding. "Okay. That sounds fine to me. Maybe this might not mean much from the guy who landed you here in the first place, but... We'll get through it somehow, even if it's just for this party."

He walked over, wondering if it was possible to comfort someone knowing that he was pretty much responsible for their worry. Should he hold out a hand..?

He did. "For the ruse," he said as an excuse. "We'll head back when you're ready."

Azul looked at Jamil’s hand for a moment, then took it. He managed a smile. "I think I'm ready now. And Jamil? Just so you know, I don't blame you at all for any of this. And I don't regret helping you that day."

"Oh," Jamil blinked, feeling a part of him exhale in relief. "I'm glad. I'm not mad or blaming you for any of this, either. So…" He gestured to the party. "Let's go show those fellows what a great couple we make."

Azul chuckled and led Jamil back inside.

There was a noticeable hush when they returned, though Azul was right and they didn’t get swarmed this time. Jamil couldn't see the twins, but he's sure that they're just watching.

Reporters and guests alike followed them with gazes as they approached the tables.

"They'll ask us questions as soon as we sit down," Azul whispered to him. "Get ready."

Jamil took in a breath, glancing at each and every one of the people eyeing them with great anticipation. Then he nodded, squeezing Azul’s hand. "Let's do this."

They took their seats at a table, and a moment later a reporter approached them. Jamil recognized him as the one who saw the photo on MagiCam.

"Mister Ashengrotto," he tried for a smile, standing behind one of the chairs. "May I ask for an interview with um… the both of you?" he glanced around nervously. Whatever the twins told them earlier, it seemed effective.

"Of course, have a seat," Azul gestured to a chair.

The reporter looked quite bright—literally. His hair, styled upwards, glowed warmly, bathing his dark skin like he's some sort of fire spirit. He cleared his throat and turned to Jamil. "Edwar Marks of the Whispers Tribune. I, and many others here, wish to know about why you chose to reveal such shocking information midway through the party."

"Well, we hadn't been planning on announcing it just yet, but I'm afraid that candid photo you found sort of left us with no choice." Jamil replied, stoic and composed, just like how he was when he got Azul out of the throng of guests earlier.

"So you were hiding it?" the fiery fellow remarked, eyes of molten gold blinking in surprise. "Is that why you both arrived in separate vehicles earlier? And why you chose to stay separate until this very moment? Whatever for?"

"You and I know how stressful it is to be in this industry," Azul said evenly. "I didn't want Jamil to deal with all of that by being associated with me in the public's eye."

"Oh how sweet!" Edwar's hair flickered excitedly. "That explains why none of your suitors ever swayed you, Mister A! Your heart was already taken by Mister Jamiiiil…?"

Edwar looked at him questioningly, pen poised on paper as he waited for Jamil's last name.

Would it be foolish to give them his real last name?

No, even if he gave a fake pseudonym, news of their engagement would spread, and their friends and families would catch wind of it and question its legitimacy.

"Viper," he smiled.

Edwar promptly nodded and jotted it down before perking back up again. "Right, then! So what sort of relationship are we looking at here?"

"Ah. We're engaged."

"ENGAGED!?" The rest of the room followed suit in gasping. "Such a passionate bond has been taking place underneath our noses this whole time!? But then..." he gestured at their hands. "No rings? Not even stealthy ones?"

"Er-- Of course not. We'd be found out right away," Jamil hastily replied. Then he gestured at his hair tie, which was adorned with a scarlet gem. "We gave each other a different sort of engagement token. Something more subtle. Azul gifted me with this one." He glanced at the other, falling silent to signal him to continue.

"And Jamil gave me this," Azul pointed to a purple gemstone pinned to his collar. "As he said, rings would be too obvious, but we still wanted to give each other something.”

"Aww," Edwar cooed. "And how long have you two been this way? Quite clever of you to hide it from all of us!"

"We just got engaged two weeks ago, when we went on a trip outside the city," Azul calmly said.

Edwar gasped. “Oh, is that why you said you were on vacation at the time? We were surprised when it was Mister Jade Leech who was running Mostro Lounge.”

"Ah, you still remember that?" Azul smiled amiably, and Jamil knew that he had deliberately been counting on the reporter remembering that detail to give more credibility to the story.

"Why, of course!" Edwar said proudly. "I interviewed you the day you returned, didn't I? And you know I never forget our talks," he touched a hand to his chest dramatically. "So," he leaned forward conspiratorially. "Who popped the question?"

Jamil felt Azul tense up beside him. They hadn't prepared for this.

"Er... I did," Jamil offered, looking awkward. "It wasn't anything fancy, though. I could never compete with Azul's grand lifestyle. I'm not all that rich or acclaimed for much, so... I try to make up for it however I can."

"It was more than what I could have asked for," Azul said fondly, smiling at Edwar like he's telling a friend a story. "I had been planning on proposing myself, so you could imagine my surprise when Jamil did it first."

"I think we were all surprised, Mister Ashengrotto!" Edwar let out a merry laugh. Then he turned to Jamil, readying his notebook again. "So, how did this proposal go, Mister Viper? Tell us everything!”

"Actually, Edwar," Azul cut in. "If you don't mind, I had actually been planning to take Jamil on a date tonight. We just stopped by here for the launch, but it's almost time for our dinner reservation," He looked at his watch. "I do apologize for cutting this short. If the Tribune would like, you can contact Jade and set up a proper interview," he smiled apologetically and stood up, then turned to Jamil. "Shall we, darling?"

Jamil internally huffed in relief, his head calming down from trying to scramble up a story. He nodded, keeping his eyes on Azul and following him out. The press expressed cries of disappointment, having formed into a line after Edwar, but they couldn't do much else.

"Dinner reservation?" Jamil inquired.

"We're going back to my house," Azul said, pulling out his phone and making a call. "Meet back home. Now."

He put his device back in his pocket and glanced around, noticing that the guests outside were eyeing them.

He turned to Jamil and smiled, then took his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Let's go."

Jamil blushed as if they hadn't just held hands moments earlier. Something about Azul initiating it had his heart start to race.

"Did I mess up or something?" he asked as they made their way to the parking lot, pretty certain that they hadn't been at the party for a whole hour yet.

"What?" Azul turned to him in surprise. "No, no," he squeezed Jamil's hand reassuringly. "I just…" he sighed. "I realized how unprepared we were. That was just one reporter, and already we were scrambling with the questions. It would especially be a problem if we forgot the details and gave a different answer to another reporter. We need to build a solid story first."

There was no one else around anymore... and yet their hands were still linked.

…

Jamil didn't let go until they got in Azul’s car.

"So you're not gonna get in trouble for having to leave early?" He asked. "Although I suppose that that means that we stopped taking the attention away from the launch celebrant. He might sport a grudge on you and me for making his special day about us instead.”

"Yes, it's fine," Azul said as he started the car, a subtle crease on his forehead. The frown remained as he drove, looking into the distance and not saying anything.

Meanwhile, Jamil's phone was buzzing with notifications.

Jamil, unsure what to do with the ensuing silence, picked up his phone and took a look at what all the fuss was about.

The most recent text was from Ruggie.

ure engaged to azul?!? we'd been working together for 2 months and u never told me?!! is this fr???

Ruggie had sent another text after that, a link to an article by the Whispers Tribune with the headline, "The Viper Who Caught The Bachelor's Heart".

Another text was from Najma.

YOU AND AZUL!!!! I KNEW IT! WHY DIDNT U TELL MEEE 😭😭

She had sent an article, too, this one accompanied with the MagiCam photo. The headline was "The Viper's Kiss".

Kalim had sent a text as well.

JAMIL!! CONGNATLATIONS!!! WHENS THE WEDDING? : D

All the other texts had come from the old NRC groupchat that Cater had brought back to life by sending the MagiCam photo and the link to the article.

Cater: OMG!!!!!! CONGRATS U GUYS! 😍😍😍  Epel: 😲😲😲  Ace: WTF  Vil: Well, it's about time.  Leona: yea, whyre u all surprised  Riddle: Oh, they're engaged! How wonderful. My congratulations to you both, @Azul Ashengrotto and @Jamil Viper.

"Oh, Sevens... The others back at home and NRC are beginning to find out," Jamil frowned, eyes flitting through each of their posts. Why were there so many apparently expecting this? "Are we gonna have to act in front of all of them, too? I think at least a few of them, like Ruggie, can be trusted with the truth."

Azul nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "Yes, I believe we can tell Ruggie, especially since he would be able to help us with the ruse. What about your sister? Do you think we can tell her?"

"I can't say for sure yet," Jamil ruminated. "She's normally trustworthy, but there's a chance she could blab by accident and be overheard by my folks back home…"

Oh man, his parents. Well, they're in for quite a shock. "Is there a chance your family's gonna hear about this?"

"Perhaps not right away," Azul's thoughtful frown became a little more noticeable. "Though my mother would surely want the full story once she finds out…"

The car slowed down to a stop at a traffic light.

"… Are you holding up alright? You seem worried about something."

Azul blinked the frown away and nodded, releasing a slow breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his forehead.

"I'm fine. It's just… a lot. There would be many questions from the board, and we'd have to be careful every time either of us goes outside." Azul paused, then looked at Jamil. "You saw my eyes change, didn't you? That's why you intervened."

"... Yeah, I did. That's never happened before back when we were classmates. Floyd told me it started a few years ago. Do you feel… anything dangerous when it happens?" Jamil leaned back in his seat. "Also you don't have to tell me what happened. From what I could tell, it's a pretty distressing time for all three of you, and that's saying something."

Azul stared at him, searching his expression. "You're not scared? Even when you saw me like that twice today already?"

"No..." he shook his head. "Should I be?"

If he was being perfectly honest, he's more worried about Azul and how it affected him.

"No," Azul reassured him. "But… I get scared, sometimes," his voice faded out. He looked down momentarily before speaking again. "I'm still in control of my thoughts whenever it happens, but you saw how I broke the TV remote earlier without even realizing it. Sometimes I worry that I might hurt someone…"

Azul had a distant look in his eyes that Jamil was all too familiar with. He saw it whenever he had the courage to face the mirror in the days following his Overblot.

"You won't." Jamil stated. Though he has no basis for this statement, he was confident and clear in saying it. "You've got better control than most mages, even those who are way older than you. And whether the people around you can get hurt is not what matters—you're the one who's feeling hurt and scared in the first place."

Azul seemed surprised at his remark. He looked like he was about to say something, but the traffic light changed to green and he faced the road again to continue driving.

“Thank you… for what you did back there,” Azul said quietly. “My eyes had never changed in public before. They could have noticed it if you hadn’t stepped in. I know it wasn’t an easy decision to make, and I want you to know that you can back out of this at any point. The twins and I will handle things.” His expression was guarded and his voice remained level.

Jamil stared at Azul's tense posture. "... When do you think I'll back out?"

Azul frowned in confusion and glanced at him for a second. “I’m… not sure. I don’t mean to say that I don’t trust you to keep up the ruse, I’m just letting you know that you don’t have to work with me if it ever feels too troublesome. This isn’t like Flight Class where Coach forced you to help me—” he cut himself off and took a breath. “You’re not stuck in this, that’s all,” he continued quietly.

"... I know." Jamil muttered, keeping his eyes on the road.

He's not sure what he's going to do for his future travels now that he has this to keep up. Would it be more suspicious if he stopped all his trips entirely? It's not as if they're an urgent need.

He would still want to have that option available, though. He doesn't mind traveling around with the mantle of an engaged man—it most likely wouldn't change much of anything on his end. But what about Azul?

He's certain Azul would let him.

... But he wishes he could have Azul travel with him. Alas, the man's got many responsibilities he couldn't afford to ignore.

"I wasn't ‘stuck’ during Flight Classes, either… Just wanted to let you know. Point is . . . I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Azul was silent for a few moments. Then he spoke softly. “Alright.”

They reached the merman’s house shortly, and before Azul could close the gate behind them, Floyd’s car pulled up.

“Heyyy~!” he greeted cheerfully, rolling down his window and parking next to Azul’s vehicle. Jade was sitting beside him in the passenger seat. “Congratulations to the new couple!”

Azul closed the gate using a remote control and went into the living room, entirely ignoring Floyd.

"Guess he's not in the best of moods now that he's 'engaged' to me," Jamil joked to the twins, watching Azul disappear into the house. "So how was the situation at the party after we left? Any violent reactions?"

“The reporters complained and wanted to set up interviews, but Jade told them to just email their requests. Scarlet asked us how Azul’s doing. That’s about it,” Floyd said as he and Jade got out of the car. “There was a scheduled presscon about the restaurant’s launch, anyway, so we slipped out when that happened.”

“And I wouldn’t worry too much about Azul’s bad mood,” Jade added with his usual pleasant smile. “I’m certain you aren’t the cause of it. Shall we head inside?”

Jamil nodded and followed them through the front door, falling quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you two... think I made a bad decision? Leaping into the fray without thinking like that?"

“Hell no!” Floyd said immediately, grinning. “Did’ja see everyone’s faces when you called yourself Azul’s lover?” he laughed heartily then sighed in content. “That was the best.”

Jade chuckled. “I also don’t think it was a bad decision. It’s admirable that you took quick action when you saw the situation. Besides, I had already suggested the strategy of your engagement with Azul earlier today, so what you did wasn’t entirely unplanned.”

“What Jade is trying to say…” Floyd draped an arm around Jamil. “... Is we’re real happy to have you as a brother-in-law, Sea Snake!”

Jamil spluttered in surprise. "Brother-in-law?! Wait, what does that... Were you guys related to Azul this whole time?"

“No, but he’s still our brother!” Floyd said, then leaned down to get his face close to Jamil’s, dropping his voice dangerously low. “So don’tcha dare break his heart, ‘kay?” He stared at Jamil with the same heterochromatic eyes that terrified their schoolmates back at NRC.

The raven-haired man tensed up at the threat. Floyd makes it sound like they're together for real... "I'll take care not to... Honestly, I'm glad that he's got you guys looking out for him. I suppose let's all do what we can to make sure this engagement farce goes off without a hitch."

“Yeah!” Floyd said cheerfully and straightened up, no trace of the ominous air that he displayed mere moments ago.

Jade just chuckled at their exchange and led the way to the living room.

They found Azul sitting in one of the couches, scrolling through his phone.

"I've gotten multiple emails from each of the board members," he told them without looking up. "Some congratulatory, others upset, all of them immensely curious. They're demanding a meeting sometime this week."

"That's hardly a problem, we can finish building your story tonight," Jade said confidently as he sat down on the couch across Azul. Floyd plopped down beside him, putting his feet up on the coffee table; at least he had the decency to take off his shoes first.

Jamil slowly made his way over to sit beside Azul, wondering whether or not to be close. Tentatively, he filled the twins in on what the public, including the board members, knew about them so far. "What sort of details are we still missing?"

"We need to figure out how the proposal went, since that's certainly a question they would be asking, as evidenced by Edwar earlier," Jade said, turning on his tablet. "Specific details aren't highly necessary, you can always say that you prefer to keep it private."

"What kinda questions did they ask you about Scarlet back then, Azul?" Floyd tilted his head.

"It was mostly just how we met and whether we were dating, which Jamil had already answered about us earlier," Azul said. "So their next questions wouldn't be about those things anymore."

"Who courted whom?" Jade asked, ready to type on his tablet. "Who initiated the romance?"

"It might be more believable if we say I did," Azul said slowly, frowning thoughtfully. "If they interview some of our old schoolmates—like Vil, for example—they can attest that I was the one who often sought out Jamil back then."

"Right, but it's not like anyone would say it was romantic or anything," Jamil commented, trying to think back on it. It certainly didn't feel like Azul was flirting... or had he been viewing it wrong somehow? "Still, that sounds like a good balance, you initiating the dating phase and me proposing. It really paints a picture of a lovey-dovey couple. How would you say the initial confession was like—the very moment we would have started dating?"

Azul thought about it. "Where were you three years ago? If we say that we were together on a particular day, we have to be sure that no one could disprove it. We should pick a time where I wasn't at the office, and you weren't with anyone else. We could say that I confessed to you three years ago in whichever country you were in."

"But did y'all get together immediately after you confessed?" Floyd asked. Then he turned to Jamil. "Didja give yer heart to Azul right away or did the courting last for a while?" he smirked, clearly enjoying building the story.

"Three years ago..? I was at the City of Flowers in the Shaftlands." Jamil replied.

"Ah, of course. The city of romance!" Jade beamed.

"I bumped into a familiar face there, but . . . I don't think he pried close enough to know that I had been traveling by myself at the time," the raven-haired man admitted, recalling his brief and accidental reunion with one Rollo Flamme, who's a teacher now at Noble Bell College.

As far as he could tell, he's still about as stern as ever—capable of giving even Trein a run for his money despite his younger age.

But more importantly…

"I probably would've said yes right away," he quietly replied, fiddling with his coat. "I would assume we've already been spending some time together at this point, right? I see no reason for me to let him court me any further."

He's already lost his chance once. At least this imaginary Jamil achieved something he wished he’d done.

"Alright, let's see…" Azul fidgeted with his cuff. "I was on leave from work for the first two weeks of February three years ago. They wanted me to host a birthday gala, and I wanted some time to myself before it. We can say that I went to you in the City of Flowers." He cleared his throat. "I confessed my feelings to you in the square by the bakeshop. We all spent some time there way back when we attended the masquerade and our old schoolmates can confirm that in case they're interviewed. I confessed there because it's special to us; we ate there with our friends after we danced. How's that?" he adjusted his glasses.

Jamil perked up at the memory. "Oh yeah... Sounds good. Although I recall that you didn't eat that much compared to our other schoolmates... Do you remember or liked any of the pastries they served there?"

"I liked the croissants," Azul recalled. "And the chocolate éclairs."

"That reminds me," Floyd sat up straighter. "Did you have dinner yet?"

"... No," Azul replied. "There wasn't time earlier."

"I'll see if there's anything to microwave." Floyd got up and walked to the kitchen.

"How about you, Jamil?" Jade asked him. "Did you manage to eat at the party?"

"Not at all. I can help cook… even if it means having to work with Floyd in the kitchen." he offered, beginning to get up from the couch.

"No please, you're our guest," Jade held up a hand to stop him. "I can help Floyd."

But before Jade could stand up, there was a ding in the kitchen, and Floyd returned carrying a tray with a plate of what looked like some type of bread.

"Pizza rolls!" he happily announced, placing the tray down on the table.

"I didn't have pizza rolls," Azul narrowed his eyes.

"But you had pizza. I rolled them." Floyd twirled his Magic Pen in his fingers and sat back down next to Jade.

"Ah, dinner is served," Jade chuckled then turned back to Jamil. "Now, what made you propose to Azul? How did you decide it?"

Jamil hummed in thought as he took a pizza roll. "What made me propose... Perhaps, after traveling around and coming back here, I decided that as much as I enjoyed it, nothing makes me happier than being by his side... Or is that too cheesy?"

"It's perfect," Jade smiled pleasantly and took note of it on the tablet. "And what made you say yes?" he asked Azul.

Azul took a moment to think about it. "I realized that through all the years of meeting people and making connections, I feel most comfortable with Jamil. And I liked the idea of coming home to him every night."

"How touching," Jade typed in Azul's answer.

"Ya better phrase it better than that in the actual interview, Azul," Floyd said. "That didn't sound romantic enough."

Azul just rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Jamil's picturing the image of welcoming Azul home, or maybe even vice versa. The thought of coming to a warm meal, a hug, maybe even a...

He blinked himself out of his stupor, clearing his throat as he looked at Floyd. "How would you know what did or didn't sound romantic? Have you dated anybody before?"

Floyd made a face. "No, but I know Azul can do better than that! What happened to yer fancy words?" he demanded Azul. "Ya always talk fancy in interviews, right?"

"We're just practicing the questions," Azul reminded him. "The flowery sentiments can come later."

"Here's a question for ya, Sea Snake," Floyd said. "How do you deal with your fiancé when he's too stubborn to eat?"

"Floyd," Azul said in annoyance.

"Don't gimme that face!" Floyd said, pointing at Azul with a pizza roll. "You fainted that one time because you weren't eatin'!"

"You will not say that in any interview," Azul glared at him.

"You fainted?" Jamil whipped around towards Azul. "Why weren't you eating?"

He glanced at their meal and offered one for him to take. "Surely you don't have to worry about keeping up appearances so much that you'd turn down a warm pizza roll now, would you?"

Azul hesitantly looked at the rolls, then looked at Jamil. He sighed and took one.

"I had a photoshoot for a magazine coming up in a week, and I got too stressed about not gaining weight," he said quietly, nibbling on the roll.

"But you had started eating normally again three days before the photoshoot, right?" Jade gently reminded him. "And it turned out fine."

"I suppose it did," Azul mumbled.

"Super fine, according to Nikolai Pennington," Floyd snickered. "He asked you out when that magazine issue was released, right?"

"He just wanted arm candy for the red carpet of his new TV series," Azul waved a hand dismissively.

"Who's Nikolai Pennington?" Jamil asked, feeling the familiar wave of jealousy prickling his skin. He has half a mind to bring his phone out to search him up. "Is he some kind of actor?"

"Yep, and model," Floyd said through a mouthful of pizza roll. "Kinda like Vil."

"He's actually worked with Vil in a movie once," Jade said. "The action-romance story gained quite the acclaim at the box office."

"He's a hot villain, not gonna lie," Floyd added.

"He certainly is quite talented," Jade said, amused at his brother's remark. "And he has shown up in every one of Azul's birthday galas."

"Because the board keeps inviting him," Azul scowled.

"He's an influential person," Jade shrugged.

"He's an insufferable prick," Azul countered.

Jade chuckled, taking a pizza roll for himself. "Regardless, he's busy filming his new movie nowadays. Perhaps he won't even be at your birthday gala this year."

"And even if he is, ya got Sea Snake now," Floyd pointed out. "So he can't keep flirtin' with ya anymore."

"Hopefully the engagement's a strong enough buffer to keep him at bay, then..." Jamil muttered. "Yanno, with all these people pawing for your attention, I'm surprised that you are still single, Azul. Only ever married to your business for the rest of your life or something?"

"I simply don't like any of them," Azul gave a half shrug.

Floyd snickered but said nothing.

"How about you, Jamil?" Jade asked in interest. "Any former paramours that might have objections with your engagement announcement?"

He shook his head. "My travels were pretty much focused on some badly-needed 'me time', so there wasn't much leeway to include anyone else. I made friends, but I'd hardly call them 'paramour material'. And you? Found someone to share your love for mushrooms with?"

"Ah, no," Jade smiled. "I still manage my greenhouse all by myself."

"And a good thing, too. I don't need a second person to cook me mushrooms all the time," Floyd made a face.

"I think I'm heading to bed now," Azul sighed as he rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "Set the interview for this coming Saturday," he told Jade.

"You haven't finished your food, Azul," Jade gently pointed out.

Azul looked down at the pizza roll in his hand like he had forgotten about it. He had eaten less than half.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled, putting the roll back on the plate.

"Why not?" Jamil asked, looking at Azul in concern. "A good rest involves adequate sleep and food. Is it the fact that it's a pizza roll? I can go and cook something else for you if it can help. Or maybe it's indigestion... I can brew you tea. Do you want tea?"

Azul pursed his lips, hesitating as he was about to stand up.

"We'll be taking our leave now so you two can rest," Jade said. "Just message us if you need anything."

"And get some food in that guy," Floyd told Jamil as he and Jade stood up.

"Thank you for tonight, you two," Azul said quietly.

"Anytime," Floyd made finger guns and clicked his tongue.

Jade put a hand to his chest and tipped his head kindly. "We'll show ourselves out."

And then it was just Azul and Jamil.

"You don't have to cook anything for me," Azul said, taking his pizza roll. "I'll just finish this. But… some tea would be nice," he managed a smile.

Okay, that's something, at least. He nodded and made his way to the kitchen counter, putting up the kettle and boiling the water. "Do you have a preference?" he called out to Azul.

"Not really," Azul said, following him into the kitchen and bringing the plate of rolls over to the counter. "And feel free to cook anything you like if you're still hungry."

"Nah. Wouldn't feel right to use a guy's cooking equipment and just feed myself. The rolls are enough," Jamil replied, turning to the shelves to see what sort of teabags they've got. As his eyes roamed the interior, a thought crossed his mind. "... What was it like? Buying and sleeping in this fancy house for the first time? Were the Leech twins still rooming with you then?"

"Yes, we all lived together," Azul said. "It wasn't that much different from rooming with them in Octavinelle, except I didn't have a responsibility over them as Prefect so I felt more relaxed. I correctly anticipated Floyd's chaotic bathroom habits, so I had chosen the bedroom with its own bathroom. Jade didn't mind sharing a bathroom with Floyd as long as he got to have the garden for himself.

We had chosen a house with a pool for whenever we had to shift back into our merforms, though of course Floyd used it and swam whenever he liked. We used to have fights over who had to clean the pool. I said he should since he used it the most, and his counterargument was simply that he didn't want to," he said in amusement.

Jamil smiled at the very thought. "Classic Floyd... What made them move out, then? Did it get… a little lonely when you first woke up to an empty house?"

"Jade wanted to live closer to a university for his alchemy research as he still has a fondness for foraging for ingredients and making potions. Meanwhile, Floyd said he wanted to see what it's like to live by himself," Azul replied. "It was a little lonely at first, since I've spent the previous years seeing them every day since NRC. But I still saw them at work, with Jade being head of the PR department, and Floyd being head of security. Plus we made time to hang out."

Azul looked at him curiously. "How about you? Did it ever feel lonely, traveling by yourself?"

Jamil hummed in thought, recalling the mornings and the evenings where he'd be somewhere new, sometimes with strangers sharing the same living accommodations, sometimes on his own.

"It was strange for a while, not hearing the bustle of the Asims' staff or waking up to someone telling me to attend to something, but don't get me wrong, I saw that as a good thing. I don't miss my old life, but traveling alone definitely gave me room to appreciate the times where I do get to hang out with friends. How did your mom feel when she learned that you weren't coming back to the sea after you graduated?"

"I went home for several months after graduation to spend time with her, and she was alright with me pursuing my business plans here as long as I visit her every month for a few days…" Azul looked down and idly twirled the pizza roll in his hand. He had a worried frown on his forehead.

Jamil caught the minute change of his expression. "... And when was the last time you visited her?"

Azul blinked and looked at him, as if coming out of his thoughts. "About a month ago. Which means… I have to visit her again soon. And I want to. I love her and I do enjoy spending time with her. It's just… She would want to know about… our arrangement." He took a breath before speaking again. "News from land travels even under the sea, and my mother actively keeps up with any news about me. If she hears of my engagement from someone else, she might think I didn't care enough to tell her myself."

He idly tore the roll into smaller pieces and finished eating it, though he didn't look like he was tasting the flavors at all.

"Then let's go and visit her when it's time," Jamil offered. "We can tell her that we hadn't told her because… erm … we wanted wedding preparations organized before we told our family and friends. We were trying to keep it on the downlow as a private event but, well, the paparazzi just got to us."

Azul looked surprised by his response, then he recovered and nodded. "What about your parents? Do we tell them the same thing?"

Jamil sucked air through his teeth. "Now that... is an interesting thought. Things between us aren't the absolute best since Kalim's dismissed me and my family from a lineage of servitude, but... I suppose they'd still like to know if I ever have someone special in my life, so yeah."

Azul nodded and stood up, gesturing at the pizza rolls. "Do you still want these or should I put them in the fridge?"

"... Wait," Jamil takes one more roll. "Okay, now you can take them away."

As he finished his food, he got Azul's tea ready—a peppermint brew—and placed the teacup on a saucer. "I don't think I can make it as good as Jade does, but... I hope this suffices."

Azul transferred the rolls in a covered container and put them in the fridge.

Then he returned to take the cup that Jamil had prepared. He blew on it to cool it down and gingerly took a sip.

"It's good," Azul gave him a small smile, but now that they were facing each other with only the counter between them, Jamil could see the hint of sadness in his eyes.

Azul put down the cup on the saucer. "Since the actual thieves at the restaurant have been caught, it's safe for you to go back to your apartment whenever you wish."

"... Oh," Jamil realized. "Right…"

Silence hung in the air for a solid moment. Jamil had completely forgotten about that initial arrangement.

He supposed he should go; he didn't want to impose on Azul any further.

And yet…

"Would it be wise for us to sleep in separate buildings? On the off-chance that I get caught again by more paparazzi, people might get suspicious that I'm sleeping somewhere else given my background. However, if you need some time to yourself right now, then I understand. Just give me a text when you need me."

With that, he started to clean up, preparing to leave.

Azul was silent for a moment, tapping his fingers on his teacup.

"I'd been thinking the same thing, actually," he said as Jamil washed the kettle and put it away. "You travel a lot and we're supposedly newly engaged. They would expect us to want to spend as much time with each other as possible. Would you be alright with staying here for longer, though? I know how much your solitude means to you."

Jamil gave Azul a reassuring smile. "You don't have to worry. I kickstarted this plan, so it's only right that I follow through. Besides, it would be hard for me to fulfill Jade and Floyd's wishes of making you eat if I'm somewhere else. I'll certainly have to inform my landlord that I might be moving out, though... Thankfully, I don't have much to pack. Will we be busy tomorrow? I can take that time to transfer all of my belongings here."

"We're not busy tomorrow, no," Azul said. "And don't mind what Jade and Floyd said, you don't have to worry over my meals," he returned Jamil's smile and took another sip of tea.

Jamil shook his head. "But the thing is, I'm worried with them. Even if they hadn't said anything, I'd still want you to eat, too."

Azul hummed thoughtfully. "How about we take turns cooking dinner? I'd be more comfortable if I can make sure you eat, too."

"Sounds more than fine to me… However, I thought you're a busy man, busy enough that you don't have much time or energy to cook on your own." Jamil leaned against the counter, amused. "And yet you're offering it for lil' ol' me? How touching."

Azul raised an eyebrow and leaned forward as well, a playful smile curving his lips. "Of course, you're my fiancé, aren't you?" he said, mere inches from Jamil's face.

Jamil’s heart began to flutter, a portion wishing that what Azul said was actually true. He hastily brushed that aside in favor of him raising an eyebrow as well. "Oh? Be careful, Mister Ashengrotto. If you keep saying stuff like that, I might actually start to believe you."

"Maybe I want you to, Mister Viper," Azul said, dropping his voice to a low purr.

His borderline flirtatious smirk reminded Jamil of Alchemy classes and late-night library studies, where he and Azul bickered and flustered each other much to the annoyance of their classmates.

Jamil found himself chuckling fondly.

"Same old Azul," he muttered, shaking his head to recompose himself and clear away whatever feelings the other’s voice stirred within him. He straightened up again. "If that's how you talk to people privately, no wonder you've got all of them vying for your hand… Anyway, I'll be moving my stuff tomorrow. When I come back, we can start making… 'wedding' plans in case interviews and our families want to touch up on that."

Azul nodded and finished his tea. "Right. Also, I don't talk to anyone else like that," He made a face at the very idea. "Like I said, those who were 'vying for my hand' are really after the company, not me." He took his cup and saucer and went to the sink to wash them.

"... Do you ever want to actually find that special someone someday?" Jamil wondered aloud.

Azul's hands froze for a moment while washing the cup. "I don't know. I'm often busy with work, and I don't want to ask anyone to put up with that." He kept his back turned to Jamil, putting the cup on the drying rack and proceeding to wash the saucer. "How about you? Any future plans to actually get married?"

Jamil just shrugged. "It'd be nice if it were to happen, but it's not really a priority of mine. Plus I don't think I'm gonna get any prospective dates now that people think I'm engaged… but I'm not complaining. You make for good company, pretend or otherwise."

He then gestured to the stairs. "Anyway, guess it's time we call it a night, huh? I'll see you tomorrow, Azul."

Azul nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

——

Now that he was alone, Jamil found himself staring at the ceiling from his bed, letting the last few days play out in his head.

From their chance reunion with his reckless stunt to living with Azul, rekindling some long-forgotten feelings... to being "engaged", thanks to another reckless ploy.

It felt right in the moment, but now he wondered if he's dabbling in something dangerous here.

A selfish part of him was undeniably pleased with these turn of events. However… Azul seemed upset throughout the entire night. Something had been on his mind and Jamil hadn't been successful in discerning it.

Could he have been trying to meet and court with someone at that party? It's hard to tell what's a lie and what's true from Azul's lips, but there was no denying that he had been acting off ever since Jade proposed the engagement con.

But then the things he said back in the kitchen when their faces were so close to each other... Did he actually mean those or..?

With all the questions roiling in his head, he sighed and sat up. He couldn't sleep at this rate, so he decided to go down and get himself a drink.

When he got back from the kitchen, he thought that he could perhaps lounge for a bit until he felt tired, so he sat on a couch and turned the TV on, making sure that it's as quiet as possible.

——

Azul laid on his bed with his pillow pressed over his face.

How could he so shamelessly flirt with Jamil after everything that had happened?

As if it wasn't bad enough that his feelings for him had resurfaced after all these years, now they had to act like an engaged couple in public.

It was a good thing that Jamil had no plans to get into a real relationship anytime soon; at least he hadn't ruined that part of his life.

He didn't even want to imagine how their conversation with his mother would go.

He removed the pillow from his face and put it under his head, slowly calming down. He would just have to distance himself from Jamil outside of their arrangement. That would be best for both of them.

His bedroom suddenly felt claustrophobic, a strange and alien concept to the version of him that wanted to hide in small pots when he was younger. He sighed and sat up, getting the book from his nightstand. Perhaps reading a few chapters in the spacious living room would help him relax enough to sleep.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he noticed light coming from the TV, softly illuminating Jamil on the couch, who must have heard his footsteps because he turned to look at him.

“Ah, I didn't realize you were here," Azul said, suddenly feeling conscious in his dark gray sweatpants and deep purple hoodie. He’s pretty sure that Jamil’s never seen him dressed this casually before. He glanced back up the stairs before looking at Jamil again with a polite smile. "I shall leave you to your privacy."

He turned to leave.

Jamil sat up straighter. "Whoa, whoa, this is your house. I should be the one to go and leave you to it. I just... couldn't really sleep."

Azul shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Jamil. This is your house now, too." He paused, considering whether or not to go back to his room. Then he faced Jamil again. "Why couldn't you sleep? Are you alright?"

"Ah. Yeah, yeah, I'm okay... It's just a lot of thoughts. You know how it is." He gestured to the spot next to him. "If you want, you can... um…. sit here, too. I think we can both be in the same room for a little longer without either of us losing it."

Azul tightened his grip on his book.

More than half a decade later and it seemed like he still couldn't resist an invitation from Jamil.

Fine. I'll distance myself from him…

… Starting tomorrow.

"Alright," he relented, walking over. “I see you’ve found the spare remote,” he said lightly.

Jamil chuckled. “Yeah, seems to be working perfectly.”

"What are you watching?" Azul asked as he sat down beside Jamil.

"Not sure yet. I'm channel-surfing. Are there any shows here that you'd recommend?"

Azul hummed thoughtfully. "What are you in the mood for? Music, movies, animated shows?"

"Hm... Maybe a lifestyle channel or a documentary would suffice for now. Nothing too investing, but something a tad more fun than just the news."

He eventually landed upon a show detailing the history of different landmarks throughout the world. He placed the remote down, glancing at the book in Azul's hands. "What's that you got there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ah, it's just a collection of different myths and fairytales," Azul held up the book to show the illustrated cover. "Jade gave me this as a birthday gift last year, but I never found much time to read it; I'm only halfway through. Are you familiar with any of these?" He showed Jamil the titles.

Jamil peered over and scanned the table of contents. "Some, not all. A lot of these came from their respective region of origin... Do you see any stories here that originated from the Coral Sea?"

"Yes, including the one I just finished reading," Azul began turning the pages. "The one where a mermaid princess made a deal with the Sea Witch to have legs so she can be with the human prince she fell in love with. But according to that deal, she would turn into sea foam within a month if the prince didn't love her back, which is precisely what happened." He turned a page and showed Jamil an illustration of foam dissolving into the sea.

"Not exactly an uplifting tale," Azul said lightly. "And if the purpose of the author was to discourage merfolk from coming to the surface, it certainly didn't work."

"Well, that wasn't what got her, right? It was the unrequited love." Jamil pointed out before quirking an amused smile. "So as long as you guys don't go around falling for people here and there, then you're all good with the sea foam aspect."

"Or we could charm the people we fall for so they'd fall for us in return," Azul said playfully. "By the way, it doesn't make the news as much, but there's also a line for Jade and Floyd's hands, did you know? There have been events where it was me who had to get them out of suitor situations."

"Really..!? Huh... Then it sounds to me like they all should be learning those charm spells, 'cause it seems like they haven't been making any dents at the bubble you three made between yourselves," Jamil joked, then he had a realization. "Oh, but you said you actually used to like someone, right? Have you made any serious effort to pursue him when that was still a thing?"

Azul felt caught off-guard, and he carefully crafted a neutral expression on his face. "Oh, um… I didn't see the point, I suppose. He never liked me, even as a friend. I'd just be humiliating myself if I proclaimed any romantic feelings.”

"Huh. Sounds like a jerk. What made you like him, then, if he wasn't even giving you the time of the day?"

Azul smiled in amusement. "Not liking me doesn't make a person a ‘jerk’, Jamil. He was just… determined. He had goals and dreams, and all his focus was on working towards them. There was simply no room for me or anyone else. Still, I was drawn to him because I admired his tenacity and his ability to know what to do and when to do it. We were similar in our intelligence and cunning; everyone else thought so, too, but he would never admit it," he chuckled, remembering all the times Jamil rolled his eyes at the very idea of them being alike in any way. "I offered on multiple occasions to help him achieve his goals, but… he didn't trust me. I don't really blame him, though. I didn't exactly have a trustworthy reputation even back at NRC, right?"

"Oh... That is a shame. I guess that was true… but it's too bad he never saw past that side of you.”

Azul glanced down at the sea foam illustration and said nothing.

Jamil turned to look at the TV again, fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie. "If he ever were to show up again... and expressed feelings towards you after all this time, how do you think that'd go?"

"I don't want to think about it at all," Azul said in an even tone. He had made considerable efforts to try to forget the feeling of having Jamil’s hand in his. "Besides, that's highly unlikely to happen. How about you, then?" he redirected the conversation. "What about that chap you liked? Do you have any plans of pursuing him someday?"

Jamil sighed. "Like I said, it's not a priority, but..." his voice turned wistful, an expression flickering on his face that disappeared too quickly for Azul to decipher. "I think it'd be nice to have another shot someday, but I'll already consider myself lucky if we can at least stay on good terms."

"Lucky? Why? Weren't you always on good terms?" Azul asked.

"Hard to say, honestly. I can never tell how well I can read that guy. I hope we're on good terms, but who knows what he's thinking?" He leaned back against the couch's headrest. "Anyway, we prolly shouldn't linger on topics of lost love considering our current situation, huh? Sorry if I made things awkward throughout that."

Azul chuckled, leaning back against the headrest himself. "You didn't, don't worry. And… lost love, huh? So you loved him? What did he do that caught the heart of our resident viper?" he said playfully, wistful yet genuinely curious.

"Okay, maybe 'lost love' is a little extreme," Jamil blurted out, his face reddening. "And even then, it's not exactly as romantic as how the movies do it. I just... got used to him being around, and then I realized later on when it was already too late that I wanted him to stick around. It's a selfish and unfair thing to ask, though, especially when I've never shown much reciprocation to many of his approaches, so..." He shrugged. "I can only hope and wish him all the best."

Azul fell silent for a few moments. He wondered who this mystery man was that had Jamil so enamored, but he decided that it didn’t matter. Whoever he was, he had a better chance at a future with Jamil than Azul could ever hope for himself.

"You can always go to him after our arrangement is done,” he told Jamil sincerely. “The whole engagement facade would most likely only have to last for a few months. You can even tell him that our relationship was just a ruse, if that would help your chances."

A smile appeared on Jamil’s lips. "Noted... So is that your favorite story in that collection so far?" he gestured at Azul’s book.

"Hm? This seafoam disaster? Not at all," Azul wrinkled his nose. "I don't know if I have a favorite, but it's certainly not this one. The princess should never have agreed to such a deal. And that's coming from me. Even my most questionable deals never ended in death.”

He closed the book and placed it on the table, then leaned back against the couch.

"So. You like documentaries, then?" Azul asked.

"They're informative," Jamil nodded at the screen. "Before I traveled around, I'd watch trip-oriented ones, just to picture what it would be like to visit that place. Now that I can just do that—to an extent—shows about history have grown pretty interesting, too. But I also enjoy the occasional wildlife feature… and admittedly, Reality TV. It’s entirely unproductive, but a definite guilty pleasure."

Azul smiled. "What's your favorite place so far, among all those you've visited?"

Jamil's eyes twinkled. "At the Shaftlands, I happened to run into Jack, and he and his family took me to a nearby ski resort. From there, we viewed the aurora borealis at night. Even though I was practically freezing to death, it was breathtaking. I'd love for you to see it— Ah. I mean..! N-Not that you need me to take you there! Just… whenever you three plan on taking a vacation someday, you should try going. You'd be right at home with the colder weather."

Azul nodded. "I've seen pictures of the aurora borealis there, and it does look lovely. I can only imagine how much better it would look in person." He stifled a yawn and leaned back a little more on the couch. "I don't know when I'll be able to take a vacation abroad, though. I mainly just consider my visits to my mother as my vacation."

"Ah. Well... You don't know. Sometimes a perfect opportunity might unexpectedly come from just around the corner," Jamil shrugged.

"Perhaps," Azul said, though he didn't really believe it. "Where did you plan on going next, after here?"

"The Kingdom of Heroes, particularly around the bay area. Ortho told me to inform him when that happens, since I guess he's got something over there that he wants to show me," Jamil replied. "Can you believe that kid actually looks older now? I think he's been upgrading himself through every passing year."

"I actually haven't seen him in a while," Azul mused. "I should visit Idia soon, and Ortho is always there for board game nights. Let me know whenever you wanna go to the Kingdom of Heroes. We can plan it so that no paparazzi would bother you on your way there."

Jamil turned to him, curiosity in his eyes. "... Will you be going with me if I do?"

Azul returned Jamil’s gaze, unsure about what he meant. "... I mean… We don't have to go together. The public will know that you travel alone a lot even when we're supposedly in a relationship. They won't find it suspicious even if I don't go with you. Our arrangement will not be imposing on your travels."

"Oh, I know that, don't worry…” Jamil shifted in his seat. “But can you go if I say I want you to come with me?"

"You… want me to go with you?" Azul blinked.

"I think it'd help you, to get away from it all for a little bit,” Jamil replied. “And... yeah, since I've gotten us engaged, getting you to relax somewhere is the least I can do. Plus, you said it yourself: you want to visit the Shrouds again, so let's do it."

Azul thought about it for a moment. It certainly didn’t sound like a bad idea to travel with Jamil. He nodded and gave a small smile. "Sure. Do you have any particular date in mind?"

"Perhaps around early March? How does that sound?" Jamil asked, an excited twinkle in his eye. "Any date is fine, really, as long as it's not gonna interfere with your work."

"Alright, I'll make the necessary arrangements," Azul smiled back. "How did you manage to convince me to take a vacation in less than five minutes? You're dangerous, Viper," he said playfully.

"I think it's all those years of being Kalim's negotiator," Jamil sincerely answered. "Glad to see that I haven't lost my touch just yet."

Azul chuckled and turned to watch the TV. They fell into a comfortable silence, watching different historical places be described and explained by a narrator's voice.

——

During the Elephant Legacy segment, Jamil felt something gently bump against him.

He looked over to see that Azul had fallen asleep on his shoulder. The merman's hand had dropped to the couch in his sleep, the back of his hand touching the back of Jamil's.

Even with the documentary prattling on, Jamil's eyes lingered on Azul's open palm, something devious within him whispering that he can take advantage of this moment while the other is none the wiser.

He shook his head. Even if it's something as light as hand-holding, such thoughts could snowball into more dangerous territory, so it's best to curb the desire as soon as possible. Besides, he would not know how to defend himself should Azul end up waking in the middle of it.

More importantly, though, it seemed the universe still wished to toy with him, having Azul be so close like this yet feel so far all at once.

He took in a deep breath and sighed, hesitantly leaning his cheek on top of Azul's head.

They really must look like a couple right now, don't they..?

Jamil’s heart fluttered once more, and he closed his eyes, reaping the moment for what it's worth.

Though things could only get as far as this, he couldn't help but be happy that—even if it's all a ruse—they have each other now, dozing together on a sleek couch in the middle of a quiet night.

——

<- Chapter 2

(Masterlist)