#i have way too much work to do to pull off tuition

[interpolationz]

stickers update

the 16 gravity falls designs are complete except the stanford one who has only half his lineart due to my fear of drawing that many fingers

also the printer seems to also zoom everything in just like five percent which is just enough that it completely ruins the borders needed for the stickers- however- barring disaster upon testing the cutting machine looks like it should work brilliantly

[dog-bimbo]

minors and ageless blogs do not interact ! fem!reader ☆ shiu is an absolute prick in this one just the way i like it :')

sugar daddy!shiu kong makes it clear on the get go that the relationship is purely transactional. he covers your tuition and whatever expenses that you need. in return, you gotta sit still and look pretty during his client meetings. and there were a lot of those meetings going on in his life... he doesn't want a companion to share his woes with, he needs a sweet little thing who'd make him look better in front of the clients. having a doll like you just makes it so much easier to deal with those guys. he really isn't like your traditional daddy that you see in movies. he doesn't mindlessly shower you with gifts and money and take you out on dates just to see you smile, he makes you earn each and every bit of the financial support he's been providing you with. it might seem a bit crude, but again, it's a transactional relationship after all.

you're his arm candy, all young and pretty in the outfits he chooses for you—none of them reach the knees. he likes it casual during the daytime—he doesn't care much for the tops low cut, turtle neck, buttoned collars, whatevers fines as long as it's paired with the tiniest of skirts. he likes ass and tits but most importantly, he likes thighs. sunny afternoons at lavish private properties or client offices don't go by easily by just discussing brokering services and pretending to care about the client's problems. you're either by his side or on his lap and he cannot go on without kneading the soft flesh of your thighs. one thing about him is that he makes the most out of the space he sits in. he's charming, even with that shit eating grin or a muted smirk that he flashes at you whenever you pluck the cigarette from his lips for him to exhale the smoke or ash it for him since he's too comfortable leaned back.

during the night however, the tiny little dresses he makes you wear seem like they're barely there. dainty jewellery, freshly manicured nails, his favourite shades of lipstick on your extremely kissable lips... he rubs his thumb on your bottom lip, tilting your chin up and looking down at you with his piercing gaze like he's evaluating you—"you've gotten the hang of it by now, i don't expect anything less from you. you'll be good for the clients n' extra good f'me, hm?" he lets go of your chin after you answer and gets out of the car, circling around it to open the passengers door for you.

it's like he's making you put on a show for the clients by the way he instructs you to charm them with your demeanour. his clients are total pervs too since he's not letting you leave much for imagination with your clothes. this is a business and sex sells—everyone knows it. "it's a big bad world honey, i don't have to tell y'bout how it works, yeah?" he murmurs if the clients are just oogling at you. but if it gets to you a bit too much, and trust me, he catches onto things faster than most people, he has his ways of dealing with it.

after the meetings is when you truly get to the good bit. he covers your semester fees on time even without you having to remind him along with the additional college charges. he's cunning but he's trustworthy and diligent. but for that extra cash to splurge, you gotta let him blow his steam off. he latches his lips onto your neck and gradually your tits after freeing them like he's starved, like he's been waiting for it. "the bastard chewed my damn ears off, can't stand 'em..." he grunts as he sucks on your nipples, his other hand groping your tits with a grip borderlining on a harsh one. "but you..." he bites on one with his teeth and tugs on the other with his index and thumb, "you're a fucking doll, so good f'me..." and by the time you're done with fogging up the tinted windows of his car, your poor cunt is left oozing out a bit of his cum as it trickles down your inner thighs.

he pulls out a thick wad of cash, fanning through it. "open up, sweetheart," he murmurs, thumbing through a few crisp bills. you bite down, the stack hard against your teeth. it's humiliating to the core but business is business, and you’ve got to earn your keep.

[leaderwonim]

𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐘 — fourteen: because you tolerated me

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. lee heeseung x fem!reader, park sunghoon x fem!reader

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲. Y/N always knew that her high school was dominated by wealth and privilege. Upon having a one night stand with popular athlete Lee Heeseung, she uncovers that Heeseung's friend group controls not only social dynamics but also school policies and local affairs, revealing a hidden world of power and manipulation behind their so called perfectly polished exteriors

author’s note: wrote this at 11pm and just finished at 12:25am 😭 my roommate told me to head to bed but i haaaaad to update for you guys so!!! enjoy the lore, hopefully it’s not too confusing ??

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Hanni isn’t so sure what to do. On one hand, she thinks she hates your guts, but on the other, she knows that she really doesn’t.

In fact, Pham Hanni had lived across from you at the ripe age of three, your moms having shared the same apartment complex. Hanni hated everything about that place, it was poorly managed, and quite frankly, cheap.

“Nini!” Little you yelled, your chubby baby hands reaching out for the girl in front of you. “Nini!”

You never knew her actual name because you were so young, referring to her only as Nini.

Hanni loved playing with you, she would beg her mom to bring over some spoiled bread they had in the pantry to pretend to play tea party and eat.

By the time Hanni turned six, her father took custody of her. Her father worked under a man named Park Hyunwook, and that was where she met Park Seojun.

He was a fairly skinny boy, but he made himself look charming nonetheless. Seojun took Hanni under his wing whenever her dad was busy in his father’s company, and soon enough, the two of them became best friends.

They became close to the point where that he made sure his father secured a spot in Decelis for Hanni.

“I’ll quit football if you don’t do it,” he threatened, which earned him a painful slam into the door by his own father.

It worked, though.

Hanni met Jungwon in her sophomore year of high school. He was a cute, rather calm composed boy who reminded her so much of a cat. She swore she fell inlove in an instant.

They talked for quite a while, and eventually, Jungwon did ask Hanni to be his girlfriend.

He stumbled upon Seojun and her hugging after class, and even though Hanni swore to her heart that it was platonic, the younger boy wasn’t having any of it.

So she spilled it out. She told him why they were hugging—of course she did—she loved Jungwon, how could she let her relationship just go down the drain like that?

“My dad’s threatening to pull me out of Decelis if I don’t tell my mom to stop contacting him.” She explained, and Jungwon didn’t understand what Seojun had to do with it.

Turns out, Seojun’s father was the one paying the tuition. If she was pulled out of Decelis, she would never see any of her friends ever again.

“Well, I don’t care if you’re rich or not Han, I love you.”

Despite Yang Jungwon promising his love to her, all Seojun could think about was how scandalous it could be if word ever got out that his father was paying for Hanni’s spot when millions of scholarship kids were still waiting.

So he killed him. Pushed him off a cliff. Seojun wasn’t a monster—maybe he was an awful person—but that didn’t mean he hated Jungwon. He just couldn’t risk it. His reputation was far way more important than some guy his friend was dating.

Besides, Hanni was a pretty girl. She’d find loads of boyfriends by the time Jungwon was gone.

“Are you listening to me? Hello?”

Heeseung waves a hand in front of your face, a playful smile comes to his face when he sees you snap out of your daze.

“Sorry,” you say. “I was just…”

He looked over at your direction, sighing when he sees Sunghoon and Hanni all close to each other. “Looking at the newly inlove couple? Yeah, I know.”

“Inlove is a reach.”

Heeseung shrugs. “I just want class to end so I can take you out for dinner.”

You practically choke at his confident tone. “We made up literally a few days ago.”

“So? I mean it when I say you’re important to me, Y/N.”

Any girl in your spot would’ve dropped dead at Lee Heeseung practically melting in a puddle in your presence.

“You should smile more,” Sunghoon says from the table across yours, his hands coming under Hanni’s chin to smush her two cheeks together.

She slaps his arm away, annoyed. “You’re lucky Seojun didn’t kill you.”

Sunghoon grows tense at that, his eyebrows furrowed. “What did you say to me?”

“Nothing.”

Danielle grows uncomfortable in her seat, her eyes dashing around the room. “How’s home life Hanni?”

Hanni shrugs, stabbing her fork into the mushy mashed potatoes the school had served. “Nothing better than before.”

She wanted to cry so badly in her seat. But if anyone had caught onto the tears that were forming at the edge of her eyes, she would lose the reputation she so desperately worked hard to maintain.

“Excuse me.” She hurriedly rushed off. Sunghoon stands up after her, but Danielle places a hand in front of him.

“Just let her be Hoon.”

And who was Sunghoon to argue with Danielle?

She practically grows limp as she reaches the end of the empty corridor, far away from the cafeteria. Her mascara is probably smudged like crazy, and she doesn’t even want to think about how insane she might look to a passerby.

“Are you okay?” You don’t register the crying girl as Hanni at first. You had just bid goodbye to Heeseung and dropped him off at his business management class, so you were in a rush to get to your class before your teacher gave you detention.

“Just leave me alone.”

Your eyes widened. “Hanni?”

Hanni never felt more embarrassed in her entire life. She didn’t even know why she was crying so hard.

Sunghoon, despite always being around her, was never truly there for her.

Sure, he was there when she broke down in tears complaining about her dad, but he only used that as collateral against her when Seojun had threatened him after he too found out about how Seojun’s dad had been paying for Hanni’s tuition.

Hanni had opened up to him more than she knows she should’ve. She told him how much she hated her dad, how everytime she went home from Decelis, she couldn’t wait to go back because she couldn’t stand an day in that house, let alone an hour.

And what did Sunghoon do with that information? He used it against her.

Sunghoon wasn’t like Yang Jungwon. Seojun couldn’t just kill him off, he was an important asset to the Park Administration for the local politics, the same ones that Seojun’s father was running for.

Killing Sunghoon was too much of a big risk for everybody involved.

Sunghoon knew he had that power over Seojun. He knew Park Seojun couldn’t cry to his daddy about him and he knew that he could destroy Hanni’s whole life with a snap of his fingers.

But he didn’t. It wasn’t fun that way. Plus, like Seojun said, Hanni was a pretty girl. Much prettier than other girls at Decelis. Sunghoon actually liked her.

Heeseung just had to get in his way. The boy knew Hanni first, but Sunghoon managed to squeeze his way to the top within months of joining the friend group. He knew Lee Heeseung had too much of a weak stomach to keep secrets like this. Lee Heeseung was a coward, and would always be in Sunghoon’s eyes.

“Drop him.”

“What?”

“Are you deaf? I said drop him.”

Hanni didn’t want drop Heeseung. She just wanted to feel loved. Heeseung made her feel loved. Sure, she didn’t like him enough to actually pursue him—but she loved the attention and adoration he had for her despite seeing through all her faults. Lee Heeseung cared for her, she just didn’t have the energy to care for him back.

So she let herself reject Heeseung’s confession on the night of Seojun’s gala, she let Sunghoon humiliate him in front of their whole friend group, she agreed to become Sunghoon’s girlfriend.

Why? Because Pham Hanni’s reputation was too big for her to let a man destroy it.

“You can tell me what’s wrong, you know, I won’t judge.”

“God, I hate you.” She whispers, hands harshly rubbing away the tears.

“Why Hanni? What did I ever do to you?”

“Because you tolerated me.” She cries even more. “Because you never once called me out on my behavior, because despite me being a total bitch, you were always nice to me.”

You had no idea what to say, so you didn’t say anything. You just rubbed Hanni’s back, wondering why the hell you were actually feeling bad for the girl who made your life a living hell for weeks.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Learn the Hard Way 1

Warnings: non/dubcon, power dynamic, age gap, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Lloyd Hansen, Nick Fowler (Professor AU)

Summary: you return to campus is less than glorious.

Part of the Bad Professors AU

Note: Please leave some feedback and reblog <3 As always, I love to chat with you all. 

“It’s a nice place,” you say as you keep a grip on your duffel bag. 

You took a big chance trusting in the online posting. Furnished and a decent price. Your innate cynicism told you it couldn’t be true and yet your dire financial straits convinced you to take the risk. Even if it turned out to be a mattress in a dingy basement, you would make it work. 

Yet, your pessimism makes the reality even more of a relief. The apartment is just like it was listed in the virtual walk through. And it’s all yours at such a good rate. 

“Got everything you need,” the man explains as he pulls out a tube of lip balm. “And if it doesn’t, you have my number.” 

“Sure, uh, I don’t think I should,” you shrug. 

You peek over at him again. He seems every measure the slimy landlord, mustache included. Designer polo, loafers without socks, tight pants, thought his jacket does give a slightly refined touch to the whole aesthetic. 

“Rules. No parties. You can have some girlfriends over for a little pillow fight now and again but I don’t want a rager. This shit’s too nice for that,” he warns. 

“Right,” you agree, ignoring his strange comment. “I don’t think I’ll be throwing any parties.” 

“Good,” he tuts. “Well, I got shit to do. Class in an hour.” 

He checks his watch and you give him a curious look, “you’re a student too?” 

“Fuck off,” he chirps as he tweaks a brow. “Professor.” 

“Professor. Wait, so isn’t this like a shit, what’s it called, ah, conflict of interest?” 

“What are you? A law student?” He snaps. 

“Photography, actually.” 

“Oh, so you like to throw your money away. That’s good to hear,” he chortles. You frown at the insult. “And now it’s not a goddamn conflict. It’s off campus and you just happen to be a poor student. It’s fucking fine or do you wanna go find something else? Half your monthly to break the lease.” 

“Shit, no, I mean, no. No, it’s cool. I was just... as long as it doesn’t affect me, that’s fine. It’s smart. I mean, if I had money, I’d do some investing too.”  

His eyes dart towards you sharply, “whatever, stop wasting my time.” 

“Sorry, uh, well, thanks, Lloyd.” 

He winces and tilts his head, “I think I prefer professor.” 

“But you’re not mine--” 

“Look, I don’t like you uppity girls gettin’ fun with me. You think I don’t got tail wiggling at me for a higher GPA every goddamn day.” He clucks and straightens his coat, spinning on his heel, “tell your boys not to flush their rubbers.” 

He struts through the door and it snaps shut behind him. You look down at the keys in your hand and cringe. It’s not exactly the best start but you won’t bother him again. This place is perfect. 

You bring your bag into the living room and drop it on the couch. A couch! A chair, dining table, a separate bedroom, and a nice kitchen... you even have a stacked laundry set-up. Shit, feels like you’re robbing the guy. It’s almost too good to be true. 

You pace around for a while before you start to unpack. You didn’t bring much. You’re a person of very little means. You worked two catering jobs in the summer just to get tuition and the whole housing spike on campus had you worried it was all for not. 

Hey, it all turned out. You’ll never trust fate, but fuck dammit, it can be kind when it wants to. 

You head out shortly after, restless, and find the bus stop. Tuition includes a bus pass but you need to go to the Student Support Center to get your card reactivated for the term. You spend the change and weave your way around campus. 

The wait for the simple swipe of your card and a few keys tapped, is far too long. But now you have your transit pass and your meal plan. You’ll hit the cafeteria and hope that they have hiked the cost of a tuna sandwich with the rent. 

The prices may not have gone up but you’re not sure the quality is what it was. You examine the thin prepackaged sandwiches. You’re suddenly not as hungry. You can get a noodle plate and split it between today and tomorrow. A coffee is always cheap too. 

You get your container of pad thai and stop to peruse the self-serve karafes of coffee. Irish Cream, blech. You opt for the caramel sundae flavour. You get maybe two drops and it bottoms out. What the hell? 

“Piss,” you mutter. 

Whatever, you’ll just have some medium roast. You move over to press your cup to the lever and hit someone else’s hand. You recoil, “fuck, shit, sorry.” 

The man grunts and fills his cup. He’s older. Likely a professor judging by the blazer. He watches the slow drip and you do too. You just want a coffee. You wait and as he finishes, you step up to claim your cup. The karafe runs out at the half line of the cup. 

“What the shit?” You huff. “I swear to fuck--” 

“Eloquent,” he remarks as he takes a lid from the stack. 

“Huh?” You look over at him. “Oh, you can hear me? I thought that was my inside voice.” 

He narrows his eyes and shakes his head. He snaps the lid on his cup and takes it. You get no response but the roiling judgment rising off of his rigid posture. 

You top off your cup with the dark roast. Maybe you should let the staff know the coffee is almost out. You go to join the line for the cashier and find yourself facing the back of the man’s blazer. 

He pays and you move up to tap your student card. You thank the cashier and head off, the smell of the noodles stoking your hunger. Mmm, you can’t wait to dig-- 

You collide with something and your coffee bursts and pours over your hand. You look up to find the splatter of mixed brews across dark blue fabric. You squeak as the liquid scalds your hand. 

“Fuck, I’m so fucking sorry, dude,” you say as the same man snarls and turns stiffly on his heel. 

He looks down at you with his icy eyes. You tremble as they’re harsh enough to cool the heat of the spill dripping from your hand. You give a sheepish smile. 

“Hi again,” you murmur. 

He shakes his head and reaches to feel the back of his jacket. He takes a deep breath, a tick in his jaw. “I can clean this, can you clean up that gutter you call a mouth?” 

He doesn’t wait for your answer. You suppose it’s rhetorical and well-earned. You did just dump coffee down his back. 

[ally1uvsu]

The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury | Choi Su-bong (Thanos) x Nam-gyu

⨉⠀⠀─⠀⠀Series .⠀›⠀Trans Namgyu Week 2025⠀‎ꪆৎ day 6; Body Worship/Overstimulated sex — Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

·⠀warnings info⠀· NSFW — . wc; 11.6k (yeah..)

Summary; Nam-gyu was broke, and that was no secret. But what would happen if he went into a party with See-mi who was accompanying her rich girlfriend? Maybe it was a bad idea, but maybe not so much more of one after meeting a certain purple haired man.

Tags; Alternate Universe - Sugar Daddy, Sugar daddy thanos, Except they meet in a party and it only becomes a title after they bang, Trans Namgyu (Squid Game), Thanos is referred as choi su-bong, Namgyu-centric (Squid Game), Tbh I swap their povs a lot, Bottom Namgyu (Squid Game), Namgyu Wears Glasses (Squid Game), Pathetic Namgyu (Squid Game), Top Choi Subong I Thanos, Namgyu is a law student, He's also really broke, Semi and Namgyu are best friends, House Party, Business Party, Car Sex, Kind Of, Cunnilingus, Multiple Orgasms, Unsafe Sex, Penis In Vagina Sex, Boypussy, Drinking, Smoking, Safe Sane and Consensual, Riding, Missionary Position, Doggy Style, they go multiple rounds, Creampie, Squirting and Vaginal Ejaculation, Body Worship, Se-mi and Mi-na are gfs, Dirty Talk Namgyu is referred by his name properly, Orgasm Edging, Accidental, well kind of, Sexual Overstimulation, Overstimulated Sex, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Religious analogies (unsure how else to put this lol), DID SOMEBODY SAYYYYYYY SERVICE TOP THANOS? 😻, Crying, Dacryphilia, They're so fucking gay I hate them, Thanos is just a little mean, he's also whipped, Love at first sight ahh type of shit, Soft Choi Subong | Thanos, Aftercare, Butt Slapping, this is so foul im sorry, Downright DIRTY too, Possessive Choi Subong I Thanos, Idk if it's is a kink or if he genuinely likes to see his cum drip out, THIS SOUNDED WEIRD SORRY, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author Regrets Everything, Slut Shaming, There are a lot of mood swings, Rough Sex, But Also Gentle Sex, Hair-pulling, Kinky, Praise Kink

Notes; OH MY FUCK IM FINALLY DONE I’VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR HOURSSSSSS 😭😭🙏 enjoy guys… This might cover for the whole week altho I have a day left.. sighs! Also me and my 75 tags against the world smh!

Nam-gyu was burnt out, it was the easiest way to put this. He had to study and work, and his life basically revolved around that. He would spend countless hours studying for his exams and doing assignments everywhere and anywhere— which is how he ended up in this situation.

"Nam-gyu, I get it. You're in college, but you have to pay attention to work." His manager said frustrated, hell, what was the problem with that? He couldn't even use this phone and the store was practically empty all the damn time. He only worked here because when he saved up it covered his college tuitions.. ignoring how he was nearly getting evicted from his apartment.

"This is the tenth time, Nam-gyu. Not the second or third, tenth. You've been warned before." Nam-gyu gritted his teeth, hands clasped behind his back as he bowed along with a murmured apology, not that he was sorry. His manager and this store could all go to hell in his honest opinion.

"You know I don't have any time to do my school work or study— plus, the store is always empty." Nam-gyu said with a frustrated sigh, tucking his hair that was already greasy behind his ears. He heard the older and grumpy man in front of him take a deep breath, and this was where he knew he would be jobless. "Alright, you have to pick between that or your job. You surely must have more time to study and do your.. homework."

Was it dumb to quit his job when it was his only source of money? More than definitely. But Nam-gyu couldn't care less anymore, taking off the vest he was given to be identified as an employee and tossing it on the floor, Nam-gyu stared at him in the eyes. It was no wonder nobody ever wanted to work here, no wonder this place was constantly fucking short staffed. "Yeah? Well, fuck you too." Nam-gyu spat as he snatched his bag and pushed the door of the shop open.

It was terribly stupid to be upset over something like this, and he knew it was. But life wasn't doing him anything good, he was far more than broke, he was nearly getting in debt. Sure, his job covered his college tuitions but it didn't change the fact that he still had bills to cover for his apartment.

Nam-gyu loved to study, always had. He was the smart kid back in his high school years and below, but now getting burnt out was inevitable. He couldn't find the motivation to study, all of the times he studied at work and at home was him forcing himself to make his money worth.

He watched the sun beginning to set in the horizon, creating an otherwise peaceful atmosphere. The breeze felt soft as it brushed against his hair, he stared through the leaves of the trees as the dimming gaps of sunlight reached his face. Was this all really worth it?

Staring ahead of him, he saw someone's face stamped on the billboard. Something about this guy being a billionaire and hosting some party for the rich. Screw them, screw all of the rich who care about no one but themselves. Screw that fucking purple haired man on that billboard who had that damn smile on his face.

They were all just privileged little shits in the end, either they lived off of a family fortune or because of that fortune they smoothly went through college and graduated, it wasn't fair.

But maybe life never would be fair on him, and that's okay, too. He could just find another job and keep studying, become a lawyer.. or something. He crossed the street, his feet feeling heavier than they normally felt. His brain was seconds from blowing up, and he knew damn well those bills would be there to haunt him the second he went back to his apartment.

People all around were laughing and giggling, kids, adults, couples.. he wished he had a shred of what they had.

Truly, Nam-gyu always had to fend for himself. His mom was never around and his dad died when he was eight, leaving him all by himself. He had no siblings, which he was mostly grateful for because he could barely care for himself. But then there was his mom— when he came out as trans, it just got worse. If she wasn't present in his life previously, a day after she had vanished.

He had to pick himself up financially, learn how to get his shit together, and carry on.

Gripping his bag tighter, he turned the corner to his apartment complex. Getting through the gatekeeper that stood there mostly doing nothing, Nam-gyu began going up the long stairs to the fifth floor since the already rusty elevator broke.

The routine was tiring, but Nam-gyu didn't have a choice. Even if he was in the bottom of the pit, he had to work something out.

He reached for his keys, hearing the comforting jingle as he reached for the door '631', sliding it in the lock and turning. The door creaked open in a loud noise, but it felt otherwise grounding. Once that was done, he slid it back out and tucked them safely in his pocket, stepping in and letting out another heavy sigh as he stared at the pile of letters on the entrance floor.

Tossing his bag aside with what probably was frustration, maybe anger.. he kicked his shoes off, sliding down the door and leaning his head in his hands. It was as if the universe was testing him, maybe life was just insistent on dragging him down.

Maybe Nam-gyu all along was meant to be nothing in the end, forced to go with the flow.

A few minutes passed, they felt like an eternity in his mind. The air was suffocating, his responsibilities were. Yet even then, albeit the nagging headache and the soreness in his muscles, Nam-gyu reached for the stupid pile of letters before he ended up falling asleep in that position.

He teared the letters open one by one, some were just newspapers, some were just bills, bills, and more fucking bills. They were all just tossed aside, uncaring about how he was drowning in them. 

Nam-gyu should have felt relieved that he reached the last letter, but he felt upset even further as he checked the contents on that last one. A fucking eviction letter— what fault did he have if he couldn't cover college and a place to live? Shit, somedays he would have to eat half of a fucking ramen and leave the other for later or tomorrow.

It was all infuriating. 

It pissed him off how people who didn't have a proper condition had to be squashed like bugs by filthy rich people or people who had some kind of sustenance. It wasn't fair how people who were perfectly fine looked down upon people like Nam-gyu, none of it was fair.

He ripped the letter in his hands, standing up as he tossed it aside. Maybe he could smoke a cigarette? Those normally always worked whenever he was stressed. But then again, he needed to go out to the supermarket and buy some more.

He checked his savings box, it was barely enough to pay his tuition.. shit. It all bubbled up in his damn veins, and before he could even realize he was being driven by his own rage again, he was tossing a glass cup against the wall.

The sound of it shattering brought him back to reality, watching the shards fly everywhere. Maybe he just needed some air, yeah.. maybe that's what he needed. 

Reaching for the pair of glasses he kept above his nightstand, slamming the door of his apartment shut and not even bothering to lock it as he ran down the flight of stairs.

He was supposed to have a meeting with the landlord roughly around now, but it didn't mention anything about it being fucking mandatory. This wouldn't cover his tuition, he would need another paycheck. So, with a few money he grabbed from that stupid piggy bank, Nam-gyu began making his way towards a convenience store. 

Getting himself some cigarettes would probably make it better, along with some food since his stomach was rumbling and growling. He pushed past some people, unsure as of why he was running. He took in a heavy breath as he finally reached the crosswalk, only then realizing his legs burnt and his breath was uneven.

The light flicked red finally, and he began crossing. Only jumping back when a car sped through without a bother, making him audibly gasp as his money fell on a puddle of water. "Shit! You asshole! Watch where the fuck you're driving towards!" He called out towards the car that had already left, grabbing his money with a bunch of 'No's spilling from his lips.

Inside the car, Su-bong's head snapped towards the window with a furrow of his brow, was someone.. shouting at his driver? "What was that?" He asked as he looked away from the window, fingers pausing at the keyboard on his laptop.

"Nothing, sir. It was just merely a pedestrian who tried to cross in the wrong timing." The man replied, unbothered. Currently, Su-bong was on the way to that little business party he was hosting to discuss a few.. matters. It wasn't the best thing in the world, matter of fact, it was boring as fuck. But whatever kept the money going, he guessed.

"How long until we get there? We have to get there before our guests." Su-bong said with the same calm tone of voice, matching it to how the man driving had been speaking. "Around ten minutes, Mr.Choi. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get there before your awaited guests."

Su-bong hummed in response and in approval, focusing once again on the stocks open on his laptop. At least there would be drinks there, and likely a bunch of gossip, maybe this night wouldn't be entirely boring. (Even if he knew this expectation would likely lead him towards deception.)

Across the street already, Nam-gyu was trying to figure out ways to dry the money in his hands. None of these cheap stores had fucking dryers in the bathroom, normally, Nam-gyu wouldn't mind. But he needed that now more than ever.

His eyes lit up as he caught sight of a fancy store not too far away from him, he had his fingers crossed that they had a bathroom. And just to his luck, they did!

He stood there for some time, ignoring the bubbling heat in his hands as the air did some favor into drying the won bills. Some people passed by and looked at him weirdly, but they didn't matter as much as his money.

While standing there, Nam-gyu got some time to think. Maybe he should quit college for once and for all? Law was something he liked to study, but then, if he didn't graduate.. he could only get so far.

His gaze was far away, focused on a point in the wall while waiting for the money to dry at least a little bit. For some time, the pain and the heat became unbearable eventually. But lucky for him, they had dried well.

A breath of relief was punched out of Nam-gyu's lungs as he tucked the money inside his pocket, he really didn't feel like facing his landlord who was likely inside his apartment waiting for him right this moment.

Now, all he had to do was go to the convenience store. Maybe he would quit college in the end, use whatever was in his savings for the tuition to pay rent and find himself another job.

Now that he had that done, he could finally stop getting those weird stares. Feeling a little bit more lighter, Nam-gyu got out of the bathroom. Hopefully, they would accept the money back at the store. Maybe he could meet up with Se-mi later today and have a few drinks like they normally did on days like this.

Pulling his phone out, he dialed the all too familiar numbers and brought it up to his ear, walking while looking at his own feet. A small smile sprouted on his lips as he heard Se-mi's voice, it sounded.. faint, she was probably previously sleeping. "Shit.. what the hell do you want?" What a ray of sunshine, Se-mi really was an amazing friend.

"I'm about to drop around the convenience store, you down for tonight?" Nam-gyu asked, feeling weirdly hopeful. Maybe these were the small joys of his life, moments like this where he could just drink away his worries and get high. 

"..I was kind of going out today, shit— the time, fuck!" Nam-gyu furrowed his brows as he eyed the time, did she have a date or something? "You got a date or something?"

He chuckled as he heard the rustling sounds across the phone, and the loud clatter of the girl's phone against what Nam-gyu assumed was her nightstand. "Yeah, something like that!.." 

Well, looks like everyone was getting someone for this valentine's day. Even Se-mi, and she was younger than him. Maybe Nam-gyu would die alone at this point. "Who's the unlucky girl?"

"Shit, didn't I tell you? Crap, I must have forgotten.." Se-mi trailed off, yanking her closet open as she began going through her clothes. "I began dating this one girl, Mi-na. I don't know how the hell I bagged her but she's one of those rich ass people, y'know?"

What.

"Wait, what? Say that shit again?" Now this was just Nam-gyu being utterly unlucky, Se-mi wasn't even in debt and got a rich girlfriend! Sure, he's gay and all that jazz but he really needed that money.

"Yeah, I know, right? I found out two days ago when she asked me to go out with her to this party today." He heard the younger girl scoff, and Nam-gyu was completely dumbfounded. "You really took getting a sugar mommy seriously." Nam-gyu said with a chuckle, hearing a few muffled curses spill from Se-mi's mouth.

"You wanna come?" Se-mi asked suddenly, and Nam-gyu actually froze on spot this time. It wasn't the best idea.. Nam-gyu didn't have clothes or whatever, he would feel completely out of place there. "Uh.. I- shit, why would I? I'd be completely out of place there."

"Well, I feel bad now, of course." Nam-gyu rolled his eyes, he'd think it was because she'd feel lonely, but of course not. "Damn, you hurt my feelings like this."

"Come on, Nam! If you'd feel out of place, imagine me. Plus, we can shit talk together, enjoy fancy shit, and I don't know— live a little. Plus, maybe you can find yourself a rich man over there." Nam-gyu let out a nervous chuckle, shit. This was a bad idea, but it wasn't like he could go back to his house today, anyway.

"I don't even have proper clothing." Nam-gyu stated anyways, which was true. And even if he did— again, he couldn't go home. "You can borrow some suit of mines." Se-mi retorted back, and he could practically see her standing there with a hand on her hip.

"I'm nowhere near your house, and even then your girlfriend probably would be bothered." 

"We can pick you up, and she told me I could invite someone over if I wanted to."

"You'll both be late if you wait for me to get ready."

"She can wait, the party doesn't have a timing to end."

"But—" Maybe Se-mi was a little bit too good at these kind of arguments, whenever he threw in an excuse, she'd have a perfect solution for it. Which sometimes just would make him say no.

"All I'm hearing is excuses, excuses, and more excuses, Nam. Just get your ass over here already before I give up on you already, jeez." Se-mi complained with a tinge of annoyance, and Nam-gyu did go.

—

"Se-mi, I really don't think this is a good idea." Maybe he shouldn't have come here, after all. His head was tilted back as Se-mi applied some sort of.. whatever is it that she was doing in his eye. The clothes, even if they fit him, were a tad uncomfortable. But at least his hair wasn't greasy anymore, he felt overly fancy when he shouldn't even be here. It was a weird kind of feeling.

"Shh, stay quiet, I'm nearly done. Mi-na will be here soon." Se-mi scolded, running the tip of her brush with black eyeshadow along Nam-gyu's upper eyelash line. It wasn't really makeup, just something more to enhance Nam-gyu's eyes. Naturally, he already had eyes that kind of resembled a cat's, all Se-mi really had to do was make them pop off just a bit more.

 "I really shouldn't be going, tho—" Nam-gyu said with an impatient whine as Se-mi finally pulled away, and Nam-gyu managed to pull his neck forward. Rubbing the back of his already sore neck, he stared at Se-mi who was standing there, proud of her work. "You. Look. Stunning!" She said with a grin, and Nam-gyu stood up to stare at himself in the mirror, technically, she wasn't wrong.

Maybe Nam-gyu could let himself enjoy this evening and let go of his troubles and worries for a bit.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess." Nam-gyu said with an amused smile, and Se-mi already began putting her stuff away. "See? It will be fun! We'll go, drink, get high, and have fun together while drinking rich people shit, what else could be better than that?"

"Yeah.. you know what? You're not wrong." Nam-gyu said along with a hum of approval, fixing his tie for the tenth time. "My question is why the hell do you have two suits?"

Se-mi wasn't wearing a dress, she was wearing a suit just like his, save for the fact it was black and his was navy blue. According to her, dresses were too much of a fuss and you can move freely in a suit. Nam-gyu couldn't necessarily disagree with her. "Dunno, I like both colors. I have both just so I could have an option of colors."

Nam-gyu nodded after a long dragged and low 'ahh..', they would have been silent if it wasn't for the soft buzzing of Se-mi's phone. While the other finished whatever she was doing, Nam-gyu reached for her phone to see the name of contact tagged as 'Princess'. It made him cringe internally but.. the girl Se-mi's dating is indeed pretty, that he couldn't deny.

"Here, your little girlfriend is calling you." Nam-gyu said with a face feigning disgust, and Se-mi simply rolled her eyes as she snatched her phone back the same second she shut her bathroom cabinet. "Hey, you here already?"

Nam-gyu didn't bother picking up on the details, instead, he focused on fixing his tie for the tenth time already in front of the mirror. Fidgeting with his rings and pushing his glasses back from the tip of his nose. 

"Alright, let's get going. She's outside." Se-mi called out as she slid her shoes on by the entrance, turning the doorknob open. Nam-gyu was quick to ease his shoes on, being somewhat glad that he and Se-mi wore the same size of shoes. Their clothes were close enough, he assumed.

Trailing closely after Se-mi who was still busy on her phone, he took the chance to look out the window to try and spot any car out there that could be waiting for them. Maybe she wasn't here yet and just really close?

Stepping outside, Nam-gyu was met with the fresh breeze for the third time of the day. This time, though, the sun was far gone. The stars danced across the sky and the lampposts reflected a warm light on the sidewalks, creating a cozy atmosphere.

Not even two minutes of standing later, Nam-gyu caught side of a fucking Bugatti turning the corner. Shit, even if Nam-gyu saved up all of his money altogether, he could barely reach the bottom of what that Se-mi's girlfriend likely spent on this.

"Bring up your jaw, we'll both be seeing more than this, Nam." Se-mi said with a laugh, opening the passenger door and sliding in. It took Nam-gyu a few seconds to recompose himself, but then he also got inside the car.

It smelled like luxury, not that Nam-gyu was used to it. But it was a nice smell as overwhelming as it was. To the side, he could see Se-mi greeting the girl he had seen on the phone a few seconds ago, presumably her girlfriend. "Ew, I'm here too, y'know." Nam-gyu huffed as the car began to move.

"Right, right. Sorry." Se-mi grumbled as she reluctantly pulled away, and Mi-na's face finally came into full view. She eyed him up and down before smiling, nudging Se-mi's arm and whispering something inaudible to her, to which Se-mi nodded.

"You must be Nam-gyu, right?" Mi-na said when she pulled back, extending her hand for Nam-gyu to shake, and he did. She was.. nice, that's what he could tell right off the bat. Maybe a little mean and sassy, but otherwise nice.

He wouldn't have thought she was much fun, but in matter of seconds, the trio was laughing as the car nearly reached their destination. Nam-gyu covered his mouth with his hand as another laugh bubbled up in his chest, and Se-mi looked happy that they were well.. getting along well.

"You know, Nam-gyu. With that face of yours and your sense of humor, you might end up finding someone to fund you out there." Mi-na suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes, it made Nam-gyu suspect that she was probably making up a plan in the back of her mind.

"Nah, I wouldn't think so. All of these fancy ass people in there and someone would like a broke college student? Pfft, no way." Mi-na immediately gasped at that, smacking his hand away as she observed his face. "Nonsense! I mean, you do have a very beautiful face. I don't think money counts when you can sway the heart of anyone there." 

"Can't say I disagree with that, Nam." Se-mi butted in, hand resting lightly on her girlfriend's waist as she pulled the other down to her sit. "Just saying, if you end up on someone's bed tonight, don't call me. I'll leave you to be because your broke ass does need some money ASAP."

"What an amazing friend.." Nam-gyu uttered under his breath as he changed his gaze from the two girls towards the window, right timing. He caught a glimpse of a huge fucking building outside, and if it wasn't fancy Nam-gyu didn't fucking exist.

"Okay, now I'm 100% we'll feel out of place here." Nam-gyu said as he snapped his head towards Se-mi, and Mi-na simply waved her hand as she crossed her arms. "Relax, normally business parties like this rarely involves business unless you bring it up. It's just a bunch of rich people gathering and shit talking while getting drunk."

Not that it made anything any easier.. but Nam-gyu swallowed the lump in his throat as he nodded. The car eventually halted in front of the gate as the driver handed a neatly made paper roll to which the gatekeeper opened, checking it, and then finally allowing their entrance.

Stepping out of the car, Nam-gyu adjusted his clothes at least for the tenth time only in an hour. Se-mi and Mi-na intertwined their arms together, and Nam-gyu just kind of tagged along by Se-mi's side.

The people here smelled expensive, they acted expensive as if it clung to them like a second skin. Every step they gave while passing by them, Nam-gyu couldn't help but feel smaller and smaller. His fingers fidgeted with one of his rings, he was unsure how the other girl seemed so at ease.

The laughter was filling the air, rich sounding laughter to which Nam-gyu nearly cringed to. All of this people were probably filthy rich, a kind of luxury Nam-gyu likely would never experience once in his life. But his thoughts were snapped away as he sat down on some couch nearby the pool as his two companions sat down.

"Jeez, this feels overwhelming." Nam-gyu complained with a huff, tucking his hair back behind his ears. Mi-na simply laughed, head leaned on Se-mi's shoulder as she grabbed a glass of wine from some waitress that was moving around. "You'll get used to it, just have a couple of drinks and you'll be just fine. People here aren't that bad, some may be snobby but in the end.. they're just other people, too."

Well, that made Nam-gyu feel more at ease. His fingers wrapped lightly around the bottom of the glass, bringing the cup towards his lips as he took a sip. The taste was bitter, it made Nam-gyu initially grimace, but then he was slowly drinking it. Getting used to the taste which after all, wasn't that bad.

"I'll be back, m'kay?" Mi-na said with a giggle as she kissed Se-mi's cheek before darting off somewhere. Nam-gyu took this opportunity to slide closer to the girl, sighing as he tilted his head back. "I was supposed to have a meeting with my landlord today, I mean, I got an eviction letter."

Se-mi paused, raising her brow. "Is it because of the rent you barely ever pay?" Nam-gyu hummed as he nodded, taking another sip of the bitter wine coating his tongue. "Might quit college because of it."

"You know you can stay by my place as much time as you need, right?" Nam-gyu nodded once again, but either way, he wouldn't have enough to pay the tuition anyways. "It's fine, I won't be able to pay the tuition anyways." He shrugged, pausing as his eyes flickered to the people loudly speaking with a small grin. "Ay, you see that woman over there? Look at where her hand's going.."

Se-mi smacked his arm playfully, as if playing to scold him but either way she let out a quiet chuckle. "We shouldn't be talking about people so openly like this.. but shit, yeah. In public is crazy."

Nam-gyu laughed, covering his mouth with his hand as laughter bubbled up from his chest. He loved these moments with Se-mi, sometimes the worse of situations just went away with simple little moments they have together.

Not very far from them, Mi-na looked for someone in specific, a bright smile appearing on her lips as she caught sight of three men standing nearby the garden. Rushing forwards as much as she could in the heels she was wearing, she tapped someone's shoulder, someone who was all too familiar.

"Su-bong! It's been so long!" She said as the face of the familiar man came into view, and Su-bong returned her smile. "Señorita! It has been a long time." He replied with a side hug, a grin plastered in his face. "How have things been? Still trying to find someone?"

"No.. not really, I found a girlfriend." Mi-na said cheekily, watching as Su-bong's face fell for a second. "Jeez, who's the lucky lady? She here today?" Mi-na nodded, pointing towards the couch that was obscured by a few standing people. "She's sitting there with her friend, wanna come meet them?"

Su-bong thought for a second, setting down his glass as he waved bye to the men he was previously talked to. "Of course."

With that, Su-bong followed Mi-na's lead. Greeting some people here and there on the way until they finally reached the couch where the two Mi-na mentioned would be. But to his surprise, only who Su-bong assumed was Mi-na's girlfriend was there.

"Heyy, I'm back!" Mi-na announced as she plopped down next to Se-mi, finally realizing Nam-gyu wasn't there. "Where's Nam-gyu?"

"He went inside the house.. probably on the balcony he saw for a smoke." Se-mi said as she casually threw her arm over the older girl's shoulders, looking at Su-bong. "And who might that be?"

"Oh, he's my childhood best friend! His name is Su-bong, Su-bong, this is Se-mi." Mi-na introduced them cheerfully, watching the pair shake hands and give each other a polite smile.. well, for Se-mi's part. Because Su-bong was already pulling the whole señorita shit.

Before it could even get any further, Mi-na chimed in, an idea popping up in her mind as she squeezed Se-mi's hand, whom she hoped would get the idea. "Ay, Su-bong. Since you know the house, why don't you go call Nam-gyu for us?"

Su-bong furrowed his brows, crossing his arms. "Why don't you go? He's your friend." Well.. that was a good one, sure. But now, Mi-na kind of felt like playing matchmaker. "One, you're the host. Two, you know the building better, andd three, I'm kind of busy with my girlfriend here."

Su-bong rolled his eyes, a heavy huff of protest leaving his lips as he mumbled a flow of 'whatever's' as he turned around and left. The second Su-bong was gone, though, Mi-na looked at her girlfriend with a wicked grin. "A hundred bucks they'll hook up."

"Mm, bet." Se-mi replied with a chuckle, shaking her head. Mi-na had weird way of trying to match people together.

Above on the balcony Nam-gyu reached inside the house, the strong smell of cigarettes filled the air. One was already crushed by his side, a faint mark of something burnt in the wood of the railing he was leaning against. 

The breeze caressed his face and hair softly, doing nothing to shake away his thoughts of what he would even do with his future.

He inhaled the comforting smoke, eyes prying shut with relief as he pulled the stick back, holding it in for a minute before slowly exhaling it. Cigarettes and drinks were comforting to him, maybe it was because they had its own way to numb down his brain.

The faintest sounds of footsteps in distance reached his ears, even then, he didn't turn. The soft padding of feet mingling with the whooshing wind, and it just grew closer.. until it stopped. Right behind him.

Nam-gyu made no move to turn around, uninterested. It wasn't Se-mi, likely not Mi-na either. They'd probably be calling out for his name all around. "Smoking alone out here?" He heard a deep voice say, it was an unfamiliar one, mayhaps belonging to a very much older man.

"No, the corpse of my dead father is next to me." He replied dryly, and he heard the rustling and padding of feet again as they finally leaned into the railing right next to him, their eyes meeting.

Nam-gyu turned his head reluctantly, a tad annoyed that someone ruined his moment that he had been using to calm down his mind and think, but these eyes were mesmerizing.

Nam-gyu then remembered, this was the same man he had seen earlier on the billboard. But up close, with the dim lighting of the moon glinting softly above them, maybe he wasn't that bad. Purple hair, yet not the entirety of his hair was purple. He had a sharp jaw, defined cheekbones and.. blue eyes. 

It momentarily snapped him out of the moment again, but the deep rumble of a chuckle brought him back to reality. "You have another one of those?"

Nam-gyu nodded, reaching inside his pocket for another stick and his lighter. Su-bong reached for it, bringing it up to his lips as his fingers created the friction against the lighter, watching the flame be lit and burn into the cigarette.

Handing the other the lighter back, Su-bong stared off into the view Nam-gyu had previously been admiring. And then, he turned to Nam-gyu's face. He normally didn't remember anyone he invited, he just knew they came. But Nam-gyu.. he was sure he never met anyone that intrigued him so much as Nam-gyu did.

His eyes were a beautiful shade of black, almost cat like, too. Despite the lack of warmth in them, the fact they were devoid of anything, they were gorgeous. His skin was pale, tinted with barely visible freckles. Maybe coming here to call after Mi-na's friend wasn't so much of a bother anymore.

"You work with anything in particular?" Su-bong asked after a few seconds of awkward silence that seemed to stretch into eternity. Nam-gyu initially shook his head, not saying anything. Su-bong would have thought that Nam-gyu just wanted to be left alone in the end, but before he really could put his mind into it, Nam-gyu was speaking.

"No. I go to college, though." Interesting, well, maybe Nam-gyu really just came around because he was invited. "What major?" Su-bong really was unsure why was he dragging this on, maybe it was because Nam-gyu had a certain allure to him, or maybe it was just because the raven haired man managed to pick his interest.

"Law, but I'm probably going to quit." Nam-gyu said nonchalantly despite the tug on his heart he felt as he said those words, inhaling more smoke to drown the feeling. "Mm, how come? Got tired of it?" Su-bong said, genuinely curious as his fingers tapped against the wood of the railing. Now more focused on Nam-gyu than the cigarette, the view, or the laughter downstairs.

Nam-gyu let out a heavy sigh, normally, he wasn't one to go around and spill his guts to the world. But then again, he was talking to one of those rich and privileged people, it was likely he'd never see Su-bong again. "My job covers most of my tuition but.. I don't have enough to pay my damn rent. And either way, the job I work at is mostly empty all the time, even then I can't study. So I would just work for nothing and fail."

Su-bong pursed his lips, averting his gaze once again thoughtfully. "Sounds pretty tough," he began off. 

Nam-gyu was definitely one of the people who were financially struggling, and him being here was just mere luck because his friend is dating Mi-na. Su-bong normally didn't pay attention to these kinds of people, most of them just wanted money or something— anything, to drag them out of the situation they're in. But Nam-gyu seems decided, maybe a but too much. He looked unbothered or at least tried to convince himself he didn't care about this.

"It's not a tough decision, college can make you go towards the path of success, but if you slowly give yourself up in the end.. none of it is worth it. Even though I like studying, it's the truth." Nam-gyu murmured as he pushed his glasses back to the ridge of his nose, observing below them the glinting lights and the people socializing.

"I didn't catch your name yet." Su-bong suddenly mentioned, maybe he was just trying to change the uncomfortable subject.. whatever. Nam-gyu nodded, leaning his upper body forward as he enjoyed the soft and warm summer breeze. "Nam-gyu, Roh Nam-gyu."

Pretty name for a beautiful face.

That was Su-bong's first thought as he finally got his name, a smile appearing on his lips only to be brushed away. "My name's Choi Su-bong, it's nice to meet you, Nam-gyu."

Nam-gyu nodded, and he would have thought the conversation might as well have ended there. Yet, countless minutes later, to which he didn't even bother counting, he was still here. Still here sitting down on the floor as he laughed away with Su-bong as if he had known him his whole life, all while he held an already out cigarette.

"For someone so rich.. I wouldn't have thought you're funny, y'know? In my opinion, rich people can be so snobby.. it pisses me off." Nam-gyu said with another laugh coming right after as Su-bong snorted, waving him off. "Hey, now you know we're not snobby.. at least not all of us are, anyway."

They both stopped talking again, but this time, for some reason it felt weirdly different. The atmosphere was carefree and yet draping over them like a blanket, it was just enough to make Nam-gyu's heart begin thudding with excitement for reasons he couldn't even place.

"Do I piss you off?" Su-bong asked in a low murmur, hand moving from his own thigh to just tilt Nam-gyu's chin up. Sure.. Nam-gyu initially cursed him off but in the end, Su-bong wasn't bad. "No, not at all." Nam-gyu replied nearly breathlessly.

It was a tense moment charged with unspoken desires and unsaid words, Nam-gyu felt as if he had known this intriguing but weirdly attractive man since forever. He didn't know why he felt like this.. or what kind of spell Su-bong had on him (if he even had any), for him to feel the way he was feeling. He wasn't one for impulsive actions, but for some reason, his mind was screaming at him to give in.

And then, after a moment of hesitation and pondering, their eyes locked again. No words were exchanged at all, but it was as if they could read into each other's minds as their lips locked together.

It felt right, way too right. The alcohol clouded his mind and the smell of cigarettes clinging to Su-bong.. or maybe it was him, which in the end was both, was slowly getting to his brain. A groan spilled from Nam-gyu's lips as he reciprocated the kiss eagerly, eyelids fluttering shut against his will.

The way they melted together felt as if they were meant to do this, call Nam-gyu cheesy but he couldn't deny how good it felt. 

Su-bong was practically devouring him whole, hands wandering all around him as if trying to memorize his body through the barrier of their clothing pieces. Naturally, Nam-gyu didn't believe in God. But the second he pulled away, heavy and panting, and met Su-bong's eyes, the first thought occurring to his mind was that this man was his savior.

Nam-gyu let out a chuckle, tilting his head down as to hide his smile. He didn't know many things, but he knew he wanted Su-bong. Not because of the money, not because of where he is placed in society, but because of who he is.

"Wanna get out of here?" Su-bong asked just as equally breathless with a different gleam in his eyes, it was as if he felt it, too. "You're just.. leaving your guests here?" Nam-gyu asked, was he really getting to the point he was leaving his own party for him?

"Don't worry, I can't manage a party all by myself. I have assistants here that know how to take care of things without me." Su-bong said as he stood up, pulling Nam-gyu along as they sped walked out of the house.

It was as if Su-bong's assistants all knew his own rhythm and how he was, it surprised him, honestly. Especially when the man he assumed was the driver began making their way towards some limousine— maybe Su-bong really had it all thought out.

Following suit after the older man, he got inside the back seat. Of course the limousine had a damn partition, and Su-bong had never been so glad he came here with it.

The door behind Su-bong clicked shut as he rolled up the window, completely obscuring the driver from their view. And in an instant, their lips were on each other again.

Nam-gyu grabbed Su-bong's hair, feeling the silky and surprisingly strands beneath his fingers as they eagerly made out. Nam-gyu pressed against the seat, and Su-bong on top of him. The kiss broke with a wet 'pop', Nam-gyu was panting, but Su-bong didn't seem to mind catching his breath at all. His kisses descended all the way towards Nam-gyu's jaw to his neck, kissing and biting softly around the skin.

Su-bong began undoing the tie Nam-gyu wore, easing off the blazer all while he paid extra attention to the milky skin beneath his lips. But he didn't take off his shirt, thinking it'd be too much of a waste of time to put it back on once they reached the penthouse Su-bong stayed at.

And yet, he still was inpatient to just stick to kissing. His hands fumbled with Nam-gyu's belt as he heard the other pant and let out noises, the way his chest heaved and fell was nothing short of addictive.

Nam-gyu's heart stopped as he was brought to reality when he felt cold air hit his legs, realizing that Su-bong wasn't on top anymore, but kneeled down between his legs. Nam-gyu wasn't one to sleep around mainly because of this reason, most people in Korea were far too judgmental.

And yet, as Su-bong pulled down his boxers, he didn't say a word. He looked back up at Nam-gyu with a look he swore could suffocate him. Nam-gyu would have sworn he could feel his blood rushing just by how Su-bong was staring at him. With those eyes of him so hazy and practically begging, it made him think and know that right this instant, Su-bong didn't want only his body.

Nam-gyu nodded, and that was all the permission Su-bong ever needed. Firm hands gripped the back of Nam-gyu's thighs as they were thrown over his broad shoulders, it was as if Su-bong needed this— needed him like the air he breathed.

If he was unfocused before, all of his focus was brought back to reality. The reality where Su-bong buried his face between his legs, an expert tongue flat against his folds before it licked a stripe up his slit. A moan elicited from Nam-gyu's lips, a hand immediately burying itself on the purple hair since he couldn't really grasp onto anything.

Su-bong could have sworn he would lose his mind just from how good Nam-gyu tasted, shit, he if Nam-gyu accepted getting paid just for Su-bong to have him. His nose buried against the other's clit as he slid his tongue in with a groan, hearing the pleasurable sounds spilling from Nam-gyu's lips, maybe Su-bong was indeed in heaven.

Alternating between licks and thrusts of his tongue, Su-bong finally latched on the other's clit, one of his fingers pressing against his entrance to slowly sink in up to his knuckles.

Nam-gyu clenched around his fingers, as if he was desperate to keep them in. A hand flew over Nam-gyu's mouth as to muffle the series of noises he was letting out. Su-bong definitely did this before, he was doing this so confidently and so easily that it was making Nam-gyu's mind fog up. For a moment, he felt bad for the driver in the other compartment of the car, but now?.. maybe not so much. Despite his efforts to stay quiet, the feeling was too fucking good to ignore.

His gaze was dazed and distant, looking at everywhere but Su-bong's eyes. His biggest mistake was to look at them anyways, because the sight was genuinely breathtaking. The man had a determined face and even then, had this wild look in his eyes. It was enough to feel a familiar tightness in his core, making Nam-gyu throw his head back as the hand that was on Su-bong's hair forced him closer, if that even was possible.

The only sounds heard in the car was either Nam-gyu moaning or the obscene squelching sounds, Nam-gyu began grinding his hips against Su-bong's face, eyes rolling back from the sheer pleasure of it all. His thighs were restless, especially when Su-bong sunk a second finger just as equally deep as the first one. Nam-gyu didn't know if he wanted to press closer or squirm away from just how intense this all was. But either way he couldn't move, all due to one of Su-bong's arms pressed around one of his thighs, holding him down.

It was fucking pathetic how Nam-gyu was whimpering and moaning like a bitch in heat, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Everything was muffled as if he was underwater, he felt too good to bother. He locked his eyes with Su-bong again, who let out a groan against his cunt. Nam-gyu shuddered, shit, he was so close—

And then the car came into a halt, making Su-bong pull back. Nam-gyu whined in protest as he lost the feeling of Su-bong's fingers and mouth on him, but he was quickly shut with a heated kiss as Su-bong pulled up his pants. Nam-gyu was so fucking horny it physically hurt. The throb in his pussy was insistent, strong, shit had he really gone that long without sex?

"Why'd you stop?" Nam-gyu said with a frown and even annoyance in his voice, and Su-bong gave him a stupid grin full of teeth before kissing his jaw, close to his ear. "Maybe because the car stopped.. we're here. But then again, maybe you were too fucked out on my tongue to notice. Especially when you moaned like you were in heat."

Nam-gyu's face earned a bright tint of red at Su-bong's words, smacking the other's arms as he opened his mouth to clearly argue back against the statement, albeit knowing it was nothing but the truth. But their lips met again in another kiss, and this time, Nam-gyu could properly and definitely taste himself on Su-bong's tongue. A knock on the window was heard before they even got too heated, the driver announcing they had arrived, and Su-bong pulled back.. still with that damn cheeky grin. This time, he leaned in directly in his ear, enough to make him shudder, and whispered;

"I have enough money to pay you to have you staying on display in my bedroom allll day, and I most definitely could pay you to let me eat your sweet cunt for hours, mm? Would you like that?" Su-bong said in a breathy voice, it was deep and a bit raspy, making Nam-gyu feel a tingle down his spine. "I'd be between your legs so much that instead of complaining, you'll be crying for me to stop. But then again, you'll probably like it." And with that, Su-bong pulled away. Taking Nam-gyu's hand into his as he led the other out of the car.

Disheveled, flushing, and panting, Nam-gyu met the driver's eyes. Thankfully, his face was devoid of any emotion, even if Nam-gyu knew he was moaning loudly enough for the older man to hear. A man could certainly hope, right?

The sight in front of him momentarily had him dazed, making him forget about a lot of things in the moment. The building was definitely fancy, it shone bright and was well decorated. It had beautiful details, details that Nam-gyu was sure that even a single piece standing outside for decoration was worth more than he was. Su-bong chuckled, but didn't mention it further as he hastily dragged Nam-gyu inside. He greeted a few people along the way to the elevator, some staff doing the same as they politely bowed towards each other. Normally, Nam-gyu would feel extremely awkward and out of place, but he really just wanted Su-bong's hands roaming everywhere around him once again— so he really couldn't bring himself to care at this point.

The ride inside the elevator felt excruciatingly slow, his grip tight on Su-bong's hand. He was definitely just as eager as Nam-gyu was, considering how he would impatiently squeeze Nam-gyu's hand back from time to time. 

The door to the elevator dinged open just in time, to his relief. By now, Su-bong was just rapidly dragging Nam-gyu through the halls until they stopped by a particular door.

Su-bong's hands stubbornly shook as he slid the key inside the keyhole and twisted it. Hastily opening the door, he tossed the keys aside and shut the door with an unintentional slam when Nam-gyu walked in. The poor man didn't have a chance to admire how fancy the whole place was before he was swooped up in the other's arms, maybe Su-bong was even more horny than he was, after all.

In matter of seconds, he was thrown against the bed with an oddly gentle care. The blankets and mattress felt comfortable against his hands, it was definitely some kind of velvet. The rustling of clothes called Nam-gyu back to reality, only to see Su-bong standing there shirtless. He definitely went to gym, having a toned and defined upper body. Su-bong not only had a great personality but he was fucking hot. These same hands were back on him, undoing the buttons of his pants and carelessly throwing them aside along with his underwear, despite having previously been naked seconds earlier— he still couldn't help feeling a bit exposed.

Air felt a bit scarce as Su-bong slid off his shirt, Nam-gyu couldn't help feeling overly conscious over the two scars shaped in crescents there. But it was way better than when he still had his boobs, dysphoria wasn't as bad anymore. His shirt was also thrown on the floor somewhere with his clothes, leaving him bare for the air to caress his skin.

Su-bong stared at the man beneath him, all of the weight in the world seemed to be in those beautiful black eyes and Su-bong felt like he was swept off his feet. Nam-gyu was still somewhat panting, his once neat hair was sticking everywhere but most importantly, around his head like some sort of halo. His chest heaving and falling, hands slightly gripping the sheets in anticipation, and Su-bong decided right there that Nam-gyu wasn't too far below the gods. Matter of fact, he likely was one. "Shit," Su-bong mumbled as he pressed his face against Nam-gyu's neck, kissing the skin there as both of his hands held his waist firmly.

"You're fucking divine, you know that?" Nam-gyu gaped his lips, his heart stuttering in place as he processed the words. He got called a lot of things throughout the course of his life, hot, pretty, gorgeous— but being called something such as this in such a raw unbridled way, a way that sounded so genuine, tugged at his heart.

"Su-bong— please." Nam-gyu whined back, those words were all sent straight to his core. He wasn't aware he had a thing for getting praised and worshipped like this, but he wasn't complaining. Those warm and open mouthed kisses became bites, etching and craving themselves on his skin with a pleasurable sting of pain.

Su-bong was everywhere, his mouth marking the pale skin of his neck, his shoulders, his collarbones— and then he finally pulled back, panting slightly with a satisfied smirk on his face. "You're fucking gorgeous, you sure you're not a god in disguise?" Su-bong genuinely asked, fingers tracing the marks under his chest with an utter tenderness Nam-gyu swore he would cry.. not only from his eyes, of course.

"Su-bong, shit— please, just fuck me." Nam-gyu said with a frown, it really wasn't his fault when his cunt was throbbing too fucking hard just from how turned on he was. "Needy." Su-bong mumbled in reply as he latched on one of his nipples, a moan tearing from Nam-gyu's throat. Initially low, but when Su-bong slid in two fingers inside of him again with no warning, it essentially grew higher in pitch.

His thighs shook as Su-bong shoved his fingers deep enough to reach that spongy spot inside of him, crooking and scissoring in an almost teasing manner. He could feel his erection pressing directly on the thigh he was hovering over, and Nam-gyu really just wanted to be fucked dumb over and over again by this man.

Su-bong pulled back, smirking at Nam-gyu who was by now grinding his hips down as much as he could against his fingers, a hand coming up to caress his cheek in an almost mocking way. "You gonna cum, baby?" With those words, he sped up his movements. The palm of his hand slapping against Nam-gyu's already tortured clit with each thrust.

Nam-gyu nodded, gripping the sheets as moans tore from his throat. The knot in his core slowly unraveling, "Come on, cum around my fingers, you earned it." And he did, hard. Nam-gyu's eyes nearly rolled back (they probably did, but he was too out of it to even tell.) As his thighs tried to clamp shut out of pure instinct, gushing around Su-bong's fingers.

Su-bong worked Nam-gyu through his orgasm, watching Nam-gyu squirt and pulse around his fingers with genuine awe. Peppering his face in kisses, down to his jaw, neck, and stopping at his shoulders. A grin plastered on his face as Nam-gyu finally came down from his intense high. He eased his fingers out, earning whines of what looked like overstimulation and bringing his fingers to his mouth as he sucked them clean. "You taste real good, y'know?" Su-bong murmured against Nam-gyu's shoulder before pulling back to look at him in the eyes. Nam-gyu looked a little out of it, maybe it was that good in the end. "You with me?"

Nam-gyu slowly snapped back to it, the initial haze of his orgasm fading as he was met with Su-bong's grounding eyes. He nodded, although he was barely catching into the words. He propped himself up on his elbows, chasing after Su-bong's lips as they met with a kiss. It wasn't soft, nor tender. But it wasn't feral either, instead, it exhaled the feelings unspoken; passion, may-haps. And definitely lust.

With a surprising ease, as Su-bong allowed it, Nam-gyu slowly swapped their positions so he was properly sat on his lap. A hand burying itself into the mix of purple and black hair while the other deftly unbuckled Su-bong's belt and unzipped the zipper of his pants, and with a minimum help from the older man, he shoved them down along with his boxers, whom Su-bong kicked somewhere in the room.

Breaking the kiss apart and yet without breaking eye contact, Nam-gyu grabbed the other's already red cock— the poor thing already leaking. And Nam-gyu couldn't even judge him, he was fucking sopping wet. Pumping it once or twice in his hand as Su-bong let out quiet groans, he pressed it slowly against his entrance before he began sinking down.

Moans and grunts from both of them were heard in the room and yet they still stared at each other. Su-bong held Nam-gyu's hips firmly, thinking he had never looked so divine. He felt like gummy around him— and shit, he was tight. He would have guessed it had been a little while, and the thought almost made him smile. Almost.

"Shit— you're s'big" Nam-gyu groaned into Su-bong's neck, he felt so fucking stuffed and full and yet Su-bong was only halfway in. "Relax, just take a breath, 'kay?" Su-bong said as he as gently as possible, eased Nam-gyu down into his dick. Rubbing circles on his hips with his thumbs, after what felt like an eternity, Su-bong bottomed out. Pulling Nam-gyu in for another kiss to help him distract himself.

The pain was stinging, it definitely had been more than months since Nam-gyu had sex with someone. But it was good, that was something he couldn't deny. But it slowly eased away as they kissed, forcing himself to focus more on the feeling of Su-bong's lips on his than the slightly uncomfortable feeling. "Sh- shit.." Su-bong said with a breathless moan, eyes darting to see Nam-gyu perfectly adjusted on his lap. 

"You feel good, fuck," Nam-gyu moaned, lifting his hips a tad shakily before dropping down. Su-bong's hands aided him on the movement, although he did let Nam-gyu work it in his own pace. "Fucking christ, you're a dream." Su-bong said with a groan, head hitting back against the headboard and fingers tightening around the other's hip when he let out a sound equal to a whimper.

The initial pace was slow, a measured drop and rise of hips that had them both moaning and allowing them to savor the feeling. But then again, it only took a few moments for that pace to change into a much faster one. In question of seconds, Nam-gyu was going faster and faster until he was practically bouncing on Su-bong's lap. Mewling and moaning helplessly, it was a hell of a fucking sight.

Su-bong took a little while to appreciate Nam-gyu's appearance before anything else, the way Nam-gyu had his arms thrown over his shoulders, the way his eyes were glazed and unfocused, sometimes rolling back.. the way his lips, already swollen and red from kissing parted to let out the most sinful moans Su-bong has ever heard.. he swore Nam-gyu could make a pornstar feel ashamed. And the way he was nearly drooling, fucking himself dumb on Su-bong's cock as if it was his life purpose.

Tugging at Nam-gyu's hair for a split second, he watched the latter whine at the feeling before being pulled into a messy and sloppy kiss. It was as if they were trying to swallow each other, maybe that's how both of them wanted it to be. Su-bong dug his nails into Nam-gyu's skin, hoping that it was strong enough to leave a mark— any mark he could leave on this being that Su-bong so dearly believed was a god. And maybe the altar was Nam-gyu's hips, where Su-bong worshipped him.

Nam-gyu moaned breathlessly against the kiss, his movements all jerky and uncoordinated as he got closer and closer. And as their lips parted, Nam-gyu was coming for the second time— and fucking hard. To the point his vision was all blurry and Su-bong became just a flash of purple hair.

Su-bong groaned as he felt Nam-gyu squeeze the life out of him, his cunt gripping his dick so tight he would have guessed Nam-gyu never wanted to let him go. He bit down on the other's shoulder, thrusting up as their bodies moved in sync. And then he finally released, pushing himself as deep as he could go before flooding the other's insides. It was an addictive kind of feeling, one that Su-bong definitely wanted to get used to. "Good job— shit, good boy"

Nam-gyu whimpered at the name, their bodies altogether slowly halting to a stop. For a few moments, both of them stayed still, starstruck. Nam-gyu was the first to move, whimpers and moans he tried so hard to suppress falling from his lips desperately until the other's cock limply slid out of his cunt, biting his lip at the mere sight of it.

Su-bong observed it just as well as Nam-gyu did, his tongue kissing his teeth as he watched his cum slowly slide out of Nam-gyu's gaping and spasming hole. "For someone who was dying to get fucked, you're really wasteful, y'know?" Su-bong murmured as he pushed two of his fingers in, earning an overstimulated moan from Nam-gyu who smacked his shoulder. "Asshole.. I'm still fucking sensitive."

But really, Su-bong couldn't care less. Tapping Nam-gyu's clit with his thumb, "Get on your knees and hands." It was an authoritative kind of voice, demanding, too. But not forcing, if Nam-gyu wanted to stop there, Su-bong would stop. But a wicked grin spread on his lips as Nam-gyu did just exactly as he was told to, maybe he might as well keep Nam-gyu all to himself in his bed.

"Tsk, maybe you really would like being in my bedroom, wouldn't you? Fucking slut." Su-bong murmured, not even giving the other a warning before he pushed himself straight in with a groan. His hand, heavy and willing, slapping against the skin of his ass. 

Nam-gyu let out a surprised yelp at that, he shouldn't have enjoyed it but.. he weirdly did, the sting of pain slowly fading away only to be etched again. "F-fuck!— Su-bong!" A broken moan tore from his throat, and this time, Su-bong wasn't letting him take his time.

The thrusts were relentless, nearly wild if not more than that. The combined feeling of his insides being ravaged and the sharp smacks against his ass were too much. His upper body slumped forward, leaving his ass perked up as he gripped the sheets below him. His thighs shook, Nam-gyu for a split second believed he would pass out and slump forward completely if it wasn't for the firm grip of one of Su-bong's hands so tight on his hip. "F-fuck, Su-bong— it's too muc- ahn!.. shit, slow down!-" 

And yet the older man made no move to slow down, he didn't had intentions to, after all. Another demanding hand smacked against Nam-gyu's ass, tearing moans from the back of the other's throat. Su-bong watched with satisfaction as the once pale skin became a blooming red, deciding to give the poor boy a break and moving his hand to press Nam-gyu's head against the mattress. "You take what I give you, hear me? You asked for this."

A shiver ran down Nam-gyu's spine at how deep and rough Su-bong's voice was, his eyes prickling with tears as he moaned uselessly like some cheap slut against the blankets. The grip he had there was enough to make his knuckles whiten. His mouth opened and didn't even close again as a series of 'ah, ah, ah's' left his lips. His mind was blank, the only thing etched into it was Su-bong deep inside of him, Su-bong pressing his face down, Su-bong who was now pressing kisses down his spine. Su-bong, Su-bong, Su-bong. Everything was him, he was everywhere.

Pulling Nam-gyu's head back by the hair, Su-bong kissed his shoulder as he watched him practically drool, pathetically sobbing as he clenched hard against Su-bong's dick. The sight was nearly enough to make Su-bong cum right there and then, but he held it in. "Come on, touch yourself f'me." Su-bong instructed as calmly as he could despite how restrained his voice sounded.

Nam-gyu nodded, or at least tried to. And even as he felt highly overstimulated and out of it, two of his fingers pressed against his clit, jerky and deft as he rubbed himself. Nam-gyu swore his soul got sucked out seconds later when he came once again, nearly passing out as he kept gushing around the other. Su-bong moaned and grunted as he fucked Nam-gyu through his orgasm, all it took for him to cum too was a few more thrusts before he buried himself to the hilt, cumming to the feeling of Nam-gyu's gummy walls gripping him as if he was going to disappear if it let go.

Despite the haze of his orgasm, Su-bong kissed the side of Nam-gyu's neck as he slumped forward, murmuring sweet words as he heard Nam-gyu genuinely sob of pleasurable overstimulation.

"Think you can do one f'me, baby? Just one more?" Su-bong asked as he stilled his movements, letting Nam-gyu come back to reality. The raven haired man shook his head, overstimulation slowly drenching up his brain. Sobs left him as he completely ignored the drool leaving his parted lips.

Su-bong eased himself out of the other, flipping him on his back only to be met with the most fucking erotic and yet still infuriatingly beautiful sight. A sight that knocked air out of his lungs.

Nam-gyu's eyelashes were wet, his eyes were shining with tears and they were slightly bloodshot. They had an alluring shine to them, and Su-bong found that Nam-gyu was fucking gorgeous when he cried. There was drool etched on his cheek from the previous moment, his chest heaved and fell in a rapid pace. His lips red and swollen, sweat on his forehead and hair sticking to his face. And Nam-gyu still was the most beautiful man Su-bong had ever laid eyes on. "Come on, baby, just one more and I'll let you rest."

Nam-gyu whined in protest, shaking his head as he sniffled. But with just a little bit more of convincing— a few sweet words here and there, he was agreeing. "Just one more.. i'm fucking tired." Nam-gyu murmured with a furrow of his brows.

Su-bong nodded, kissing his cheek and wiping his tears tenderly with the back of his hand. This time, maybe it wasn't because Su-bong wanted to fuck Nam-gyu, he wanted to downright worship the god that somehow ended up in his bed. Nam-gyu's eyes fluttered shut with a throaty moan as Su-bong slid himself back in for what felt like the tenth time only tonight, and he cursed himself mentally for agreeing with this at first, but Su-bong didn't move at first, catching Nam-gyu off guard.

Instead, the purple haired man began descending kisses down Nam-gyu's neck, slowly and throughly. So gentle that Nam-gyu thought that for a second, Su-bong was treating him like a piece of frail art. "You're so gorgeous, shit." Su-bong murmured against Nam-gyu's heated skin, determined to leave his lips in every single inch there was. "If I knew you were friends with Mi-na's girlfriend, I'd have taken you for myself a long time ago." Su-bong said as he kissed the scars Nam-gyu was so insecure of, gentle, and willing. As if he was trying to make Nam-gyu carve into his brain that he was perfect, even with the small crescent scars beneath his chest.

And Nam-gyu thought he might begin sobbing all over again, especially when Su-bong finally began moving as slowly and tenderly as he could, and yet deep— in a way Nam-gyu actually could feel just how deep inside he was, and just how big Su-bong felt— stuffing his poor cunt full. "I'm not religious or anything, but fuck— I think I want to worship you everyday of my life." Su-bong said as he placed one of Nam-gyu's legs over his shoulder, his gaze holding so much care, something so undeniably sweet, that Nam-gyu's heart couldn't take it. Nor the way his chest felt like it would burst.

"Would you like that? Fuck— staying with me? Let me worship like the god you are? Honestly, you're not too below that." Su-bong said with a shaky laugh, mixed with a moan as he moved himself quicker. His free hand caressed Nam-gyu's body, tracing every scar, every stretch mark in view, every little detail. And committing them to memory.

"Su-bong— yes, shit! Yes, yes, yes— please!" Nam-gyu chanted over and over again, careless about the tears spilling down his cheeks as he felt Su-bong's thumb firmly press against his clit, circling it slowly in soothing motions. The feeling of it all was genuinely overwhelming, in a good way. Dragging another orgasm out of him as he chanted Su-bong's name over and over again as he came for the fourth time only tonight.

Su-bong's breath hitched, gripping Nam-gyu's leg firmly as he tossed his hair back, overstimulating himself with a few more thrusts before he buried himself to the hilt once again, in a way that felt right, and came. Slowly fucking his cum inside the other with gentle and little thrusts until he stopped fully.

Dropping Nam-gyu's leg down, none of them moved for what felt like an eternity, instead.. they just stared at each other's eyes in a moment of unspoken emotions. "Good job, you did so well f'me" Su-bong was the first to speak, already peppering kisses all over Nam-gyu's face as he slid out of his pussy who spasmed and clenched around air, leaking out his cum. Nam-gyu was out of it, too out of it, to be honest. He felt half unconscious and half conscious, just barely catching onto Su-bong's words.

"Stay here, I'll run you a bath." Su-bong said with a smile even though Nam-gyu could barely move a muscle. Showering was just as tender, his hair was washed throughly like every part of his body. All with the utmost care. His hair was dried with a blow dryer and he was changed into some clothes that were a little bit too big on him, and finally, he caught up with the moment when he was in bed.. laying next to Su-bong. Face pressed into the other's collarbone.

Su-bong was absentmindedly tracing circles on Nam-gyu's arm as he hummed quietly, inhaling the shampoo scent emanating from his freshly washed hair. "Do you still want to go to college?" He asked abruptly, making Nam-gyu pull back to look at Su-bong in the eyes. "If I had the money, I'd keep going." He said a little bit resentful, knowing he'd have to quit.

"I'll pay for your tuitions, and you can also.. stay with me, if you want. I meant it when I said I wanted you for me." Su-bong said sheepishly, fully expecting a 'no' or 'we only slept once, get lost.' From Nam-gyu. But in reality, Nam-gyu gave him the most beautiful smile he could muster up along with a chuckle and nodded. "If you wanted to date me, you could have just said so. Going to college is just part of the package."

Su-bong smiled back, shaking his head before burying his face into Nam-gyu's hair. "Alright, guess I'll be living with a future lawyer, then."

Nam-gyu was the first to fall asleep, lulled by the good feelings and how light his heart felt. And Su-bong slept right after, observing Nam-gyu's face until slept caught him too.

And if the poor driver ever heard them previously? That was for him to keep it to himself. (With a little bribery of an extra payment.)

-

BONUS!!!

Nam-gyu groaned as he sat up straight, rubbing his eyes as he felt arms draped over his waist. He sighed as he looked at Su-bong, reaching for his glasses and phone left on the nightstand. Clicking on his phone, he was startled to see the amount of messages and missed calls from Se-mi, shit.

Calling the other girl back immediately, he barely had the chance to say hi as Se-mi asked; "Did you guys hook up?"

In the back, he could hear Mi-na giggling. So all along.. they had been planning this. Ever since the car ride where Mi-na whispered something to Se-mi, tsk. Clever little bitches. But he still couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. "Se-mi!" He scolded, a huff leaving his lips.

But Nam-gyu didn't mind it, not at all. Especially when he got a caring boyfriend along the way.

[turquoizxe]

𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮

Hobart “Hobie” Brown x Spider!Fem!Reader

Author’s Note: I just want to sincerely apologize for the delay in this post, as I have been traveling out of my hometown the past few days. However, my favorite punk is still my current brain rot lmao. The second installation is already in progress, and hopefully as I have planned, it will be out by the date I posted below( after the conclusion of the first chapter). Thank you all for for love you showed on the series announcement! As I have stated in my earlier post, I haven’t written a fan fiction in over two years, dealing with school and other things in life. Please express your thoughts throughout the series and comment! I was a little nervous because I’ve never written anyone from the UK, especially with such a thick accent. Please, share your thoughts. Thank you for your understanding, and you may begin reading.

With Love,

— Turquoizxe.

Installation (1/5) : ‘Dodgy’ 

Rating ― Mature (17+)

➝ Hobie has been distancing himself quite a bit lately. You feel froggy enough to follow him and enter the world, to what is known to be the Spiderverse. He seems to enjoy your brave gesture, but he quickly realizes why you weren’t invited to join the club.

𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 ―fluff, heavily plot based, meeting existing ATSV Characters…

𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 ― ATSV SPOILERS! Minor use of language and swearing, romantic tension, minor acts of violence, Hobie’s teasing, Miguel being himself, Beef w/ Jessica Drew…

𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩 ― 3.6k

Dodgy;  can be a synonym for dangerous, bad or untrustworthy

As much as you kept to yourself, it was hard to imagine that you would make any friends outside of your suite mates. Your eyes were always harassing a piece of literature, involved in extracurricular activities, and keeping track of random facts no one would need in their everyday lives. Nothing short of the perfect student.

"[Name], this is the fifth time you’ve been in my office in two weeks-”

“Okay, four if you don’t count the rant about my psychology professor.”

You were always an academic achiever, graduating with honors and holding the title of salutatorian in your class. Being accepted into your dream school, earning enough scholarships to cover most of your tuition.

Yet, here you were, looking for ways to save your grades with finals around the corner. Had it been a year ago, you wouldn’t have to worry. That was until you were bit by a radioactive spider the one time you decided to skip studying and attend the most underwhelming frat party that your suite was raving about.

“You’re on the verge of losing your scholarships. $25,000 a year on the line, and you tell me all the time about how hard to your parents are working to cover the rest of your tuition.”

And you knew you couldn’t afford to stay if you didn’t work your ass off to pull through. You didn’t think being spider-woman could be so stressful. Patrols have gotten more hectic, and the late nights have been affecting your attention span in class, and even less energy to do your work. It felt so easy in the beginning, and everything was good until it wasn’t.

You felt a sting on your cheek, your tears sliding past your injury from patrol, and you felt yourself become small as you placed your face in your hands, wondering how something you’ve worked so hard for is a letter grade away from being lost.

Your counselor heaves a heavy sigh, sliding tissues across their desk to you. In just a few weeks you went from acquaintances to friends.

“Look, you’re a great kid, we didn’t have this issue your freshmen year. I know it only gets tougher from here, but you can’t fight this on your own. It’s never too late to accept help.” They started typing on their computer, ringing up your transcript and current grades for the semester. A sudden swish of wind flows through the office, following the trills of birds off in the distance your counselor scoffs at the noise and walks over to close the window. They return back to their seat, muttering intelligible, the only word you could pick up, ‘spiderwoman’.

“What about spiderwoman?”

“Oh! I just kinda thought how weird it was for another spiderman to show up when we already have a hero. Funny, I didn’t know there could be multip-”

“There’s a spider-man?”

You stammered. You felt a heat in your body, another superhero here that you weren’t even sure about.

“As much as you know about everything, I thought you would hear about the spotting of a spider-man in the city. They seem to stick close to campus.”

“Any proof?”

“No. Just words, but if there’s one spider-person, why not two?”

You could feel your blood course through your veins from the new information. It was just you, unless your old mentor, Peter, came to visit. You were knocked out of your thoughts when your name was called.

“As of now, you have a 2.0,″ your counselor stated. “Your classes seem more work oriented, and out of your five classes, you only have two finals.”

You slowly looked up from your lap.

“I’ve read the syllabus, taken notes of what to study for and what to work on. It’s just-”, you stammer, not able to give them the honest truth.

“See? You already took the steps to better yourself, don’t stress, and pace yourself, you have a month left kid.”

You let out a small chuckle. More than 20 missing assignments shouldn’t be too bad to juggle, right?

You were lying to yourself, you were going to suffer, but for a positive outcome, you didn’t mind. You got yourself together, sniffling softly as you packed your things.

“I don’t wanna kick you out, but I do have to meet with the Dean-”

“You mean your lov-”

You were cut short by a small stuffed animal flying towards you, your reflexes doing you justice before the soft material made contact with your face, slamming the door, gaining a small audience as eyes turned to you.

“Sorry everyone.”

Now, for the real fun to begin, you can at least spend some time with a special someone before your academic weapon tendencies are in full force.

The night you met him, it felt like one of those nightmares that would be impossible to wake from. To you, it was a dream.

His aura, and appearance on that stage. You were enamored with his attitude. His thick accent, strumming his guitar as his eyes bored into yours. This was one of the few times you didn’t mind that you skipped class for.

After the concert, you went to refill your water bottle before your walk back to your apartment in the damning heat. You saw him, drenched in sweat, guitar on his back, hunched over, and visibly upset that the water fountain was not doing it’s job. He looks in your direction, his expression making you anxious. Yet, you were still willing to help. You essentially escorted him to your dorm, where the water system was in a decent condition. He had pretty strong opinions about the education system and society in general, though you did appreciate his intellect.

“It’s a load of tosh for ya’ to pay so much for a piece of rubbish.” 

The ways he seemed so sure of himself more often than not made you intrigued, and he was more than happy to indulge you, being nearly distracted from the fact that Satan decided to sit his bare ass cheeks on the Earth that day. He gave you his number, and from then on, he would come see you whenever you both had the time, which was rough, considering the current mess that was your life. He was the only person you felt cared enough to step you out of your comfort zone. 

The night walks on campus, your medusa piercing that he compliments all the time.

“It accentuates your features. Peng ting you are, yeah?”

Your eyebrows furrowed, a deep chuckle erupting from his throat

“Means you’re hot.”

He gets it. He gets you. And sometimes, you thought that maybe what you were feeling would never go away when you’re with him. Your hangouts were more often casual, leading to more intimate moments, mentioning him to your family, and him teaching you how to play his guitar. You began to feel it linger, when you knew you both didn’t want to say goodnight.

The immediate thought of it also breaks you.

You’ve felt that he’s been dodging you and your attempts to reach out as of late. It’s been weeks since you’ve last seen Hobie, and this time, he initiates to meet. It’s late in the night, and he’s late. You couldn’t remember the last time you were this mad at him, or if you ever got upset with him at all. You didn’t like how he started to drift away with no explanation, and instead of anger, you were filled with worry, wondering if the time you were spending together was beginning to put a strain on him. You paced around your living room, muttering words and contemplating sending an annoyingly long paragraph of a text that would make it seem like you were dumping him.

“S’mitten for me, are you love?”

You looked up at your window, the tall brit leaning on the emergency stairs, making himself at home as you pulled away.

“In your dreams, Brown.”

He walks up to you, his lanky frame hovering over you so expectantly. You looked down at your feet, almost embarrassed of your newfound feelings, and you feel even more giddy when he stands close to you. He knew that you liked him, but teasing you was his second favorite pastime besides hanging out with you. You walked away to your kitchen, grabbing an energy drink for the both of you. Silence did not exist when you were together, and the awkwardness of it all was not helping. He bit his lip, his teeth caught in his piercing. He knew he was in trouble.

“I know you’re upset.”

“Hobs, you were supposed to be here 2 hours ago, I understand being busy but I thought you were seriously hurt or something”, you exclaimed, turning away from him. Showing up late was a recurring issue with him, and you’ve had just about enough.

“Oh don’t get cheeky now. You’ve been neglectin’ your studies. A bit daft if you ask me.”

You’re eye twitched at his use of his slang, sometimes you didn’t always need him to explain to know that what he was saying had negative connotations.

“That’s none of your concern, it’s you I’m worried about.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he smirks. There wouldn’t be a point in arguing with him about this, handing him his drink, turning on your television, starting the episode of your favorite series where you had both left off.

You sat farther away from him than usual, occasionally glancing in his direction, and unfortunately, he was staring right back at you, even more intense.

“I don’t bite, unless ya’ ask,” he teases, softly patting a seat closer to him, and you oblige. It wasn’t like you weren’t happy to see him, and he chuckles at your annoyed compliance. It was becoming an awkward staring contest, and you quickly lost track of the media playing on your screen. You open your mouth, just out of curiosity.

“So, how’s life treating you?”

“Fighting fascists, new piercings, performin’, ” he looks over to you, taking another sip of his drink, awaiting for a life update on your part. You bit your lip, anxiety getting the best of you. Despite the closer proximity, you still felt to far away from him. He sighs, using his leg to move your body to face him. You quiver, tears threatening to spill from your face once again, but you still looked up.

He looked at you, seeming nonchalant, but you still felt the worry in his aura.

“I know you want me to squash it, but it’s obvious s’omething bigger is bothering you,” he softly speaks, his thumb circling into your knee. “You act as if you’re scared of somethin’— of someone.”

Hobie scoots closer to you, using guiding your chin to make you look at him directly for the first time tonight.

“Talk t’me.”

You shake away from him, that feeling in the pit of your stomach only becoming more intense.

“I can’t tell you everything, Hobs.”

“But you can tell me anythin’, yeah?”

You look up, his face was close to you now, not realizing that you were nothing leaning into each other the more you spoke. His hand, slowly sliding to your hips, slowly stroking your stretch marks that your shirt wasn’t covering. You looked into his eyes, a small smile showing.

“There she is,” he exaggerates, giving you a soft squeeze, and you let out a giggle. The moment was yet again, cut short by that annoying ass beep from his wristwatch, that has interrupted your meaningful conversations countless times. Hobie curses from under his breath, backing away from you, the light illuminating his flawless features. And just like that, the moment has passed. His eyes look up to you, disproval in your expression, and you knew what was coming next, so you did it for him.

“Just go.”

Hobie let out a deep sigh before apologizing for what felt like the thousandth time, knowing he would do this the next time you make an attempt to make time for each other.

But this time, you were going to figure out why.

—

As soon as he had left, your senses went off. And this was the last time you were going to ignore them.

You had quickly went off into your room after he left, frantically throwing around your belongings to find your suit before Hobie got too far from you. You had followed him, all the way to an one of the abandoned buildings on campus that was currently under renovation. You stood behind a slab of concrete, peeking from the side, watching as he walked through a portal as if it were just another day.

But you saw, and now you knew. Your suspicions proved you right once again.

You flicked your wrist, webbing into the portal before it closed in on you.

And now, there you were, caught by Hobie after catching your ankle so you wouldn’t plunge to certain death after following him through his portal, seeking nothing but a dark abyss before you, seeming bottomless.

You turned towards him, a smirk plastered across his face.

“I fuckin’ knew it.”

You webbed free from his grip, finding ground. You looked at his appearance, and now you knew why he wore such familiar colors. Your suit hugged your body, adorned in your favorite colors, riddled with black accents. Hobie looked you up and down, whistling in admiration, while you took in your surroundings. HQ did not look like this at all when you first arrived.

“Place look familiar?”

You had brushed yourself off, taking in the countless people that had suits similar to yours. The unique design of the interior, and many, many, familiar faces.

“The Spiderverse.”

“Hey I call it the same thing!”

You turned in the direction of the speaker, a young boy standing in front of you. He had a black suit, red accents riddled across, two other spider men following behind you, staring at you in admiration.

“I’m Miles!”

You were still floored by all that had occurred in just a few moments. Slowly, you raised your hand, waving to the kid, smiling at him.

“Hi Miles, I’m [Name].”

“Oh, Hobie! Did we get a new recruit?”

A spider woman in a white suit walked up behind him, her pink hair flowing, and eyes that could manipulate a way to your heart.

“I’m Gwen, and this one here Is Pavitr!” Both greet themselves which such joy to see you. You almost felt as if you were back home, introducing yourself to who seemed to be Hobie’s colleagues. You expected him to be upset with you for following him, or keeping your identity as spiderwoman a secret, or vice versa. Yet, he’s seeing you in a new light, a personality that didn’t exist in your world. You would only ever smile like this if it was truly something or someone you cared about. You both would know that.

“Alright kids, follow me!”

The voice felt all too familiar, the oozing confidence in her demands making you cringe instantly, and you turn to see no other than Jessica Drew herself. You stared blankly, a sigh of irritation, your bubbly personality disappearing almost instantly.

“Jessica..”

She started at you, her face turning into a small scowl before turning back around, motioning the group of teens to follow her, but not before throwing a day pass in your direction. It was hard for them to pay attention when they were too focused on your sudden change of demeanor. Hobie walked beside you, brushing against your hand to catch your attention.

“What’s the tea with you two, ey?”

Your side eye is critical when you look towards him, signaling that you didn’t want to talk about it. He grunts before shrugging it off, still walking close to you. You watched Miles as he introduced himself to everyone, completely enamored with his surroundings. All that you could conclude from this, is that he was new. But while he was looking at everyone else, they were all looking at you. You heard the mutters and whispers amongst them as the HQ went into a deafening silence. You could feel Hobie’s gaze on you, sliding his arm around your waist for comfort.

“Piss off. Go back to what you were doin’.”

Quickly, they did what they were told, but you could still hear the voices of some conversing about you. And Hobie could hear it too.

“I didn’t think they’d let her come back.”

“Maybe they caught her sneaking in, they did say she never gave her watch back.”

He looks to your side, still silent as he watches your body tense up from their words. Maybe he wasn’t the only one acting dodgy.

You look ahead, looking at the lair that belongs to the man you used to call your boss. You felt Hobie release his grip from you to catch up with Miles, watching closely as he walked around him, fidgeting with materials and grabbing small objects. The young teen seemed stressed about something, making you just as anxious. You heard him expressing his frustrations about not having a watch, Hobie suggesting to Miles that he make his own.

You had forgotten how big this room was, and you wished it was longer by the time you got to the main event. He descended from his pad, multiple screens could be seen, one of which you could see showed your last conversation with Hobie at your apartment. Miles and Gwen walked up to him, Miles eager to introduce himself, holding a small box of food. Hobie held you back, watching you stare at the sight before you in amazement.

The moment quickly dissipated once you saw the Miguel everyone knew, his violence showing its face rather quickly, throwing an item in Miles direction. With quick reaction, your web caught onto the object, throwing it to a forgotten corner, showing yourself to him. He chuckled, his expression gleamed with frustrations and anger.

“I knew you would be here.”

“Your favorite disappointment could never miss out on a good time.”

Glaring at one another, everyone could feel the tension, so thick it was possible to cut it with a knife. Hobie watched from afar, reading for whatever should come next. That is until you felt the joyous cries of a child, turning to see a grown man in a pink robe. Instantly, you felt a wave of tears washing over you, Peter calling your name as soon as you ran into his arms.

“I missed you kid.”

Miles shared the excitement, walking up to Peter, also capturing him in an embrace. Miles looked at you in awe once more, wondering how you knew him.

“He was my mentor.”

“That’s crazy, me too!”

You heard Miguel groan, echoing throughout the room, Peter ignoring him, and telling you and Miles to do the same. You once again here the coos of a child, looking in the direction, a baby crawling across the wall. You excitedly exclaim with Miles, “You had a baby!”

Peter laughs sheepishly, yelling for his daughter, telling her to make sure she kept her day pass on, clearly in her own world.

Once again, the atmosphere changed dramatically, Miguel stepping down from his pad, Miles following, both engaging in a rather lengthy conversation about canon events. That’s when you started to shake, Gwen and Hobie looking at you with worry. Still, you held your ground, listening to Miguel explain the Spiderverse to Miles, the timelines, and the unfortunate events that occurs to just about every Spider-person. You saw the young teen grow anxious, beginning to mention his dad, and how he becomes captain in just a few days. Miles grows impatient and restless, and arguing that he shouldn’t sit here and let his father die. Miles looked to his colleagues, searching for confirmation. They all looked away, proving the timeline to be correct. Miguel turns toward you, motioning Miles to look in your direction.

“Your friend here believed the same thing.”

You felt everyone’s eyes on you, feeling as small as Miguel once made you feel. You looked at Miles, ready to hang onto every word you as you began to open your mouth to speak, but you looked away.

“Go on, tell him, [Name].”

You sucked up your sniffles, having to relive that memory constantly felt dehumanizing.

“I….I had a friend, who believed the same thing you did. She wanted to be able to save her parents, to be able to do both, and live the perfect life.”

You felt your chest tighten, yet urged yourself to continue.

“I ended up getting her killed, and destroyed her Universe.”

You heard Miles let out a gasp, you looked to Hobie, his eyes wide, and you couldn’t decipher his emotion. Miles turned back to Miguel, demanding that he be returned home. He refused, locking him in. They had all began to walk away, apologizing that it had to end like this. Well, not on your watch, but it seems that Hobie beat you to it.

A flash of light, knocking everything and everyone on their ass, you chuckled at the gesture. Miles was still in shock, quickly recovering, running off into the headquarters. Miguel runs after the kid, everyone following behind. You felt a arm wrap around your waist, a portal opening. Before pulling you both through, Hobie declaring his standing with the league.

“And for the record, I quit.”

—

You were back in the comfort of your own home, dressed in your lounge clothes, while your suit in the washer. Hobie had flew you home, as there was no reason to hide it anymore. Now, it was an uncomfortable silence, the two of you haven’t spoke since you left the headquarters. Hobie was getting ready to head out, his back turned to you, but not until you made yourself clear.

“We can’t come back from this.”

You looked up, his eyes staring back at you as he turned to you. The moon illuminated his smile, responding casually.

“Maybe that’s a good thing.”

And then he was gone, and you didn’t know when he would be back.

Or if he ever would be.

Installation (2/5) : ‘Piss Off’ — Released!

‘Just For You’ Masterlist for previous/future installations

-

ᴛᴀɢꜱ!

@darkphantommagazine

@von-studios

@vickyzangels​

@roseluxxx​

@cupcakekiss

[gabessquishytum]

Chef Hob is the new cook for the boarding school that Orpheus attends (Robyn attends as well with the steep tuition discount Hob gets as staff,,,,,,,one of the reasons Hob took the job). Orpheus has never tasted food the way that Mr. Hob makes it before. Everything tastes so good and interesting (the cooks at home are sooooo boring).

So when he goes home for breaks he keeps asking his dad and the cooks at home to make things taste like Mr. Hob does! Since neither Dream nor his team of live-in cooks know how to translate young teenager descriptions into food flavors, they and Orpheus are at a loss.

Dream decides to be somewhat proactive -- there is only so long he can stare at Orpheus's sad, woeful, face - next time he goes to pick Orpheus up, he asks him to introduce him to this amazing chef, Mr. Hob.

👨🏼‍🍳❤️👨🏼‍🍳🩷👨🏼‍🍳

It's the beginning of break and Hob is in the kitchen, with Robyn, working in menus for the meals for the small number of kids who stay on campus during the break (Hob hates how some of these rich parents treat their kids, leaving them alone over a holiday period at a mostly empty school. It's horrible.) Hob tries to make the foods especially fun for the left behind kids,,,,even planning some meals where the kids can cook with him. There's a reason all the kids think Mr. Hob is cool.

Any way, Hob and Robyn are in the school kitchen together (Hob is forever grateful that his boy still likes to hang with his old man.) when the most beautiful man walks into the kitchen. He's being pulled along by a kid Hob recognizes, Orpheus.

Orpheus shyly introduces his father to Hob (who happens to be staring at Hob as much as Hob is staring at him). Dream didn’t think school "lunch ladies" were allowed to be as attractive as Mr. Hob.

Alsksjdhsbav such a great au concept!!! I love it!!!!

Hob ends up showing Orpheus's dad around the kitchen, plus showing him the menus he's been planning out. Dream is suddenly acting like food is the most interesting thing in the world to him - Orpheus is very confused, because his dad would totally live off pizza rolls if he didn't have cooks making his meals. But he shrugs it off and goes to join Robyn making brownies. Orpheus enjoys baking - when he's not busy with his music, he does his best to attend the fun baking club that Mr Hob runs for the students at weekends.

Meanwhile, Hob is rambling on about the nutritious foods he likes to make for the kids, how he's really passionate about fostering a healthy relationship with food while they're young... Dream is hanging off his every word as Hob talks about the different dietary restrictions he caters for, how he got really into vegan food because of the kids, how he'd like to do more in the community but he doesn't have time to do much except occasionally run a charity bakesale. Dream thinks he is the most beautiful and interesting man in the entire world.

Eventually Hob gives Dream a copy of his recipe folder to take home, and he must see the way Dream looks a little bit helpless, because he laughs and offers to give a quick 'cooking 101' demonstration. Dream does not mention that they have chefs at home who could handle the recipes. He's too busy watching Hob dismantle an onion. Dream has never wanted to be a vegetable so much in his entire life.

Orpheus glances over, and even with his limited worldly experience, he can see that his dad is totally whipped for Mr Hob. Orpheus thinks that this is a good thing. For a start, maybe his dad will start eating better. And even better, if they start dating, Mr Hob will come over to their house and Orpheus will get to eat his cooking! He needs to encourage this relationship as much as possible. (And hey. It would be cool to see Robyn more, too. He makes GREAT brownies.)

[chrisevansonly]

Block Out the Noise

pairing: harry styles x female reader

summary: sometimes you just need to listen to your song and love on your boyfriend to make the negative thoughts go away

warnings: mention of past abuse, talks of depression and suicidal thoughts, potentially triggering(?!) very soft and caring harry&lt;3

a/n: i wanted to write something about matilda because it’s a song that I hold so close to my heart. from growing up in an abusive home and needing to take care of my brother from age 6 and up, when i heard matilda i knew it would be a song i’d cherish forever. this is a fic i hold close to my heart because i was that scared and small little girl who didn’t understand why i got anger taken out on me and why i had bruises when other kids didn’t. you’re not alone, you’ve got me in your corner and your stronger than you know, i hope my inner child knows that too<3

No one asks to be born into a world of chaos and fear, especially not when you’re a child. Wondering why your parents fought, the screaming matches, the subtle bruises you somehow ended up with because you ‘stood in the way.’ As a child you never knew what went wrong or what you did to be treated this way but you still tried your hardest regardless of the war zone you once called home.

you were riding your bike to the sound of its no big deal, and you’re trying to lift off the ground on those old two wheels..

You taught yourself to read, to cook, to take care of yourself and your siblings. Going as far as to teach yourself to ride a bike and even drive, you raised yourself in a world where you wished you hadn’t needed to do that. When you got to high school the insults from your father got worse, the insecurity creeped in and you struggled with self worth and self harm.

nothing about the way that you were treated ever seemed especially alarming til now..

Then came college where you worked three jobs to pay your tuition and fought tooth and nail to get the best grades and work your absolute hardest to get your degree which you did all on your own. Mental illness and recovery was never linear and you battled some of your darkest days throughout college and even towards graduation when you met Harry.

so you tie up your hair and you smile like it’s no big deal

Harry was your world, he was the calm through the storm, the light that helped guide you through the tough times, he truly was your best friend. You’d been together now going on 5 years with no plans of ever separating from one another. He always told you that you provided just as much safety and comfort to him as he could to you.

you can let it go, you can throw a party full of everyone you know and not invite your family, cause they never showed you love, you don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up

-

Now you were 26 and worked at your dream job, your life was filled with so much love and so much joy sometimes you found yourself needing to take a step back and just breathe, reminding yourself your life was real. Of course you had your rough days, and after the meeting and scolding you’d gotten today, all you wanted was to get home and see Harry.

matilda, you talk of the pain like it's all alright, but I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead inside

When Harry had started working on the album, he’d told you he was writing one very special song he couldn’t wait to share with you. So on the day that he sat you down and let you listen to Matilda, by the second line you were looking over at him with tears in your eyes, bottom lip wobbling ever so slightly and he was quick to pull you into his chest.

You showed me a power that is strong enough to bring sun to the darkest days

When you arrived home you dropped your work things by the front closet, kicking your heels off and dropping your shoulders in exhaustion. Harry wasn’t home yet so you allowed yourself a few minutes to get some water, your headphones and settle on the couch with a fluffy blanket.

it’s none of my business but it’s just been on my mind

On natural instinct almost, you allowed the soft melody of matilda to play through your headphones, eyes closing as you sunk into the cushions. It wasn’t as if you were trying to cower from the overwhelming feelings you had in this moment, but more or less trying to let them flow and escape from your mind

you can let it go, you can throw a party full of everyone you know and not invite your family, cause they never showed you love, you don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up

You hadn’t even noticed the tears steadily falling down your cheeks, your breathing picking up slightly as you pulled the blanket up further, attempting to wrap yourself in more warmth. It wasn’t until you felt gentle fingertips dancing across your face that you opened your eyes, Harry looking at you in concern. Pausing the song you pulled your headphones off and sent him a soft smile

“Hey m’love…”

“Hi”

Lifting the blanket up you let him cuddle in next to you, the instant comfort you felt just from being wrapped up in his arms was enough to blow the stress and pain from the day away

“You okay y/n?”

Nodding you leaned further into him

“Just had a really bad day…got yelled at and it just made me think of old stuff and I don’t know…f-felt a bit sad”

Harry placed a soft kiss against your temple

“I’m sorry today was so tough, I know it was probably hard to remember what it was like growing up too..can’t blame you for feeling upset”

His hands ran up and down your arm softly, the constant touch helping to keep you grounded and in the present moment.

“You know what I think?”

Looking up at him you furrowed your brows

“What?”

Placing a kiss on your lips he smiled

“I think you are the most beautiful soul, inside and out. Despite everything you’re still here, fighting and working hard day in and day out. You don’t ever have to feel sorry or feel bad about doing everything you’ve done on your own, and allowing yourself to love and experience love despite it all”

“H…”

He was quick to swipe a tear from your cheek before continuing

“I love you so much, you’re my now and my future. Seeing you grow and flourish into the woman you are today has been a privilege to witness and support you through. I admire you so much m’baby, you’ve never let anyone dim your light and m’so lucky to get to love you”

Anything you would have said to him in this moment was caught in your throat, so wrapping your arms around him and holding him tight was enough for him in the moment. Harry was the moon and the stars to you, he was your whole universe and he’d been helping you heal since you’d been together. You’d done the hardest work on this journey, he had just been there to support and love you through it so he says.

“I love you so much H, thank you for letting me start a new family”

“I’ll always be your family, you’re safe with me my darling, always”

Matilda was a song that would forever have its hold on you, and it was even more special knowing Harry had wrote it thinking of you, including you in his album and one of his projects he really loved. The love he’d shown you and continues to show you had only helped you come out of your shell and finally feel as if you’d found your place and purpose in this world.

Harry was your home, just as you were his.

a/n if you or someone you know is struggling with abuse please reach out to someone you know, whether it be a friend, family member or adult you trust. I’d only wished i’d done so earlier, i’m here to help and support you guys in anyway I can. You are loved, you are cherished and you are worth it.

[butch-corvid]

Thinking about being the amenity at a very high end women’s country club, their filthy pet dyke they can sate all their deviant urges on before going back to their homophobic husbands. Serving them drinks in nothing but an apron and maybe a leather collar, licking their heels clean whenever they command it and working the leather until it shines, getting ordered around with finger snaps and whistles like I’m just a dumb little bitch that’s not deserving of full verbal orders. staying edged for them so I’m always eager to service them, to bend over for their straps. Every time I try to say no to one of their requests another woman can shove her fingers inside me and show everyone how wet my fuckhole is as proof that I must like it.

Holding my leash and making me crawl to service them orally while they talk about politics, about their latest campaign fundraiser, about how they’ll be attending a charity dinner to raise funds for the campaigns of bigoted politicians. Pulling me off their cunts and making me agree with everything they say while I’m too much of a pathetic slut to articulate an argument. laughing at how stupid I am, working against my own self interest, while i barely react to their taunts, too focused on getting my tongue as far into the pussy in front of me to feel ashamed.

Staying tied up and gagged with nipple clamps and a vibrator on me, so that the more I squirm and thrash, the more it hurts. being their centerpiece as they do something else, so that they can mess with the settings on the vibrator, teasing me with the lowest setting or making me scream out when they send it all the way up. maybe it’s at a fancy dinner or something, and the waitstaff is just completely ignoring me, trying to beg for mercy through the gag. Once my pussy is all edged and sensitive and dripping, they can see how much they can fit inside me, working me open with the cocks I usually wear to service them and laughing as I cum over and over

Having me fuck a girl in front of them for entertainment while they degrade us for being stupid lesbian whores that’d do anything to get off for their betters. bonus points if she’s a trans girl so all the women can coo about how it’s just “so tragic” that all of these trans women are invading lesbian spaces while getting off to the sight of me breeding the girl until we’re too fucked out to even move after and she’s dripping with my cum. Maybe they’ll have her fuck them so I can eat her cum out of their pussies afterwards, desperately wishing I could be bred too

Pouring me expensive liquor until I’m nothing but an easy, pliant, half passed out puddle in their arms. dressing me up in expensive clothes just to rip them off me. giving me expensive things just to show they can, just to see me glare at them with hatred and jealousy. in exchange for sexual favors, of course. maybe they make bets with me. the longer I can cockwarm a woman’s strap all the way down without pulling off, the more money they’ll give me. but if I pull off before a certain time (i don’t know it, of course), they’ll get to record me as porn for them to get off to later. maybe seeing how many spanks I can take. if I can make it to 100 without crying, they’ll tip me extra. If I cry, they’ll tie me down and let some of the club staff take out all their frustrations on my helpless body.

Dressing me up in girl clothes and making fun of me for not passing as a girl, then tying me down and taking turns riding my cock until my mascara runs from overstimulation and my makeup is ruined. saying I look so much better like this, so that I’m just enough of a boy to be allowed to fuck them but enough of a dyke to be humiliated for it.

And, of course, I keep coming back. I say it’s for the money (college tuition, rent in this economy, gifts for my girlfriends), but really I just enjoy being a degenerate bootlicking dyke for women who repulse me

[pleasantlycrazyworld]

The reader is in college and is clearly struggling. The Munsons can't just watch that happen.

The Munsons are a huge support system for you. Eddie has been your best friend for nearly your entire lives, the two of you were best friends and always helped each other out none stop. When Eddie was trying to graduate but kept failing the one class over and over again you were there to make sure he never gave up. And now he's repaying the favor.

You made your way to college right after high school. Wayne was over the moon at the news and to help you afford tuition he allowed you to live with them at the trailer so you didn't have to pay for any housing. You were going through the motions of life lately but it's been getting harder and the days have become longer. The boys took notice of this immediately.

It started with you missing meals, then it started with you forgetting to drink anything that wasn't coffee, and they started to notice that your self-care Sundays had stopped completely. However, the final straw was when Wayne saw you weren't taking medications and vitamins you take every day no matter what. "We need to step in" he declared one night when it was just the two Munson men in the trailer. "We need a plan." Eddie said while nodding in agreement. And a plan is what they came up with that night.

Lately, the boys have been extra...loving? That might be the word for it. Every day before you leave for class Wayne makes sure you take the lunch and breakfast he had prepared for you prior to you waking up. Even on his days off he woke up early to make you food, he knew you would eat.

Eddie lately has been staying up and making flashcards from the notes you've taken in almost every subject you have. He acted as if he didn't know what you were talking about but when it's nearly three am and you wake up to go to the bathroom you see the light that comes from his tiny bedside lamp on.

The final straw was when Wayne got rid of the coffee machine and filled your cup with water before you left for your tests. You hadn't noticed this change until you went to take a drink of what you expected to be the coffee you so desperately needed but instead were met with ice-cold water. That's it! I need to talk to them tonight.

When you came home after your classes, you were happy to see that both boys were already home. You walked up to the trailer angrily but as you step in the anger melted away. Inside you were greeted with a banner that said in big bold letters We are so proud of you! Tears immediately start to come to the surface as you see those goofy grins grace their face. "What is all of this?!" You ask in complete shock.

"This is all for you!" Eddie exclaims full of excitement, "We can tell things have been getting hard for you, and god kid, neither of us can handle watching you just struggle" Wayne says calmly. You look around and take a better look at everything they set up for you. Tears start to fall down your cheeks as you see everything, there is your favorite food on the stove, some sweets on the counter, and on the table there is a row of self-care supplies you ran out of weeks ago.

Seeing you eyeing the supplies, Wayne speaks up, "That was Ed's idea actually. I suggested making you a good meal but he reminded me that you haven't been properly taking care of yourself for weeks so I hope we got the right face masks and such." You rush over to Wayne and pull him into a tight hug, "This...this is too much for me. I'll never forget about this." You say crying into his chest. Eddie walks over and rubs your back trying to comfort you, "This is not too much, this is what you deserve. You've been working your ass off and it shows, we are SO proud of you but we need you to take care of yourself and if you can't do it well we can. We are always here for you."

You pull away from Wayne's chest and hug Eddie whispering a soft thank you to him. Eddie mutters how it is no problem at all and holds you close. The two of you hold onto one another for what feels like a lifetime until Wayne comments "The food is gonna get cold you two! Let's eat and rest tonight."

And that's what you did, ever since you met the Munsons you have never felt so loved, so cared about, so protected and you know that they will always be here to support you.

He is your cheerleader^^^

Taglist: @zestychili @ghosttownwherenoonegoes @b-ritney @tiannasfanfic @eiightysixbaby

[red-the-dragon-writes]

Fishing Habits

Summary:

“I know what you’re doing,” Dan said without preamble. “Huh?” Jay said. “Oh, right. I know you work for the school, but I didn’t think you’d be that much of a hardass.” “What?” Dan said. Jay paused, looking Dan over for a moment. “Actually, what are you talking about? I don’t think we’re on the same page.” “With the fish,” Dan clarified. Jay raised the odd ridges of flesh over his eyes that functioned as eyebrows. “I’m mer, you asshole. I can talk to them. They told me what fucked-up shit you’ve been pulling. What’s your problem?” “Sometimes I get hungry,” Jay said. “Can I see your notes now?”

Dan is an ordinary merman-pretending-to-be-a-human. Jay is... something else entirely. He seems like a really pleasant guy, except for how freaked out all the fish are. And Dan's college has just opened a new aquarium...

On Ao3 here.

There was an understanding, which had been in place as long as Dan could remember, that meant that one must not reveal the existence of The Supernatural to human society, and if one did the people they made the reveal to needed to be dealt with in some way—sworn to secrecy, brought into the fold of the Oceanic, or even, at absolutely worst, killed. Dan didn’t want to deal with it. There was a lot of paperwork involved in fucking up the order of things, and it was a huge hassle, and also there was a lot of risk involved. It wasn’t like Dan had any real need to reveal he’d grown up under the Pacific rather than in it, anyway. And his parents were living off the coast of Oregon now anyway, so he didn’t even have to do that much lying about it. It was easy and he kept it well under wraps.

He did five years of field work before they told him they were going to require him to come back to the university and teach at a handful of classes before he’d be allowed back out into the field or he’d lose his position, which also meant losing most of his source of funding and the grant he was working with. They offered to let him teach it remotely, of course—the department chair apologizing profusely the entire time—but Dan was doing altogether too much of the work from six hundred feet below the surface of the Atlantic and that just wouldn’t work out. No way to maintain The Secret. Instead he resigned himself to another few years living on land and away from the fishes, rented an apartment, and returned to Spokane to teach two sessions of classes about saltwater ecology in the Pacific to incoming students and one class on field work to older biology majors. Oh well. At least he could visit home on the weekends.

Since his own research was put on pause and the college did promise to pay for his tuition, Dan opted to take a handful of classes, too. What else was he going to do? He was still in touch with the rest of the field crew, and when they finally started writing, sure, he’d refocus onto that, but at the moment he wasn’t going to be of any help. And in one of the classes was a gray man.

You weren’t allowed to do that, but he was doing it. Dan was perfectly certain that there were laws against being out in the open with visibly-discolored flesh across all the major out-of-sight jurisdictions, and he was also pretty sure the Sideways Court was still offering free glamours for anyone who desperately needed into human society and also could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they couldn’t just change their colors themselves, though Dan had also heard that the paperwork to prove either was a nightmare and the Sideways Court sounded just kind of awful to boot.  The Oceanic North-Pacific Authority was a lot better in a lot of ways. God knew applying for his visa was a nightmare of bureaucracy. But the point was: the gray man was openly flouting the rules. And worse than just being gray alone, he also had horns. His fingernails were blue, his teeth were sharp and needle-shaped, and his eyes had no pupils, just scleras and black centers that looked like hollow glass marbles. He had ripples crisscrossing his skin like vines growing just beneath the surface, and though Dan couldn’t be sure, he thought his body was a weird consistency, too, that he bent further than Dan expected when he bumped into things or wore a heavy bag over his shoulders. There was no way his appearance was legal. Dan felt for him, because it had to be difficult doing all that, but it wasn’t allowed. He’d probably get in trouble for just being around it, if someone came and found out and reported the guy and Dan hadn’t said anything.

Still. Dan had to respect it. And it was interesting to see how fast the other students got used to Jay and his gray skin and his horns and his eerie pupil-less eyes. Honestly, Dan was kind of disappointed in himself. His initial anxiety was unfair, wasn’t it? It was the laws that were unfair. Human society clearly wasn’t the problem it was cracked up to be.

Eventually Dan worked up the courage to tell Jay that he was mer. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting. Jay had just nodded, shrugged, and said, “Cool.” That was it. And, honestly, as far as Dan was concerned, that was plenty. He didn’t need to be friends with a twenty-something nonconformist—or however old Jay was; he hadn’t asked, really—and just because they were both in the same class didn’t mean anything, really. They knew each other’s names, and Jay occasionally asked Dan for notes. That was plenty.

-

Dan wasn’t much of a partier and he wasn’t much of a night owl, and he didn’t’ spend a lot of time out of the house. What he did was usually at a river somewhere. Spokane was gorgeous and full of lively fish, and by virtue of his heritage Dan could chat. Fish didn’t usually have a lot to talk about, but something had them in a tizzy when Dan finally made it out to his favorite spot, and they were particularly anxious to tip him off.

At first, he couldn’t make heads or tails of why it mattered to him that someone had developed new lures (aside from how his job was kind of to keep an eye on what people were doing with his rivers and all). But it came together eventually. Jay had something weird about him. He’d started coming to the water just like Dan had—here and elsewhere—and chatting, just like Dan had. And Dan had lured them into a sense of security. They should’ve been secure, talking! Even when Dan was hungry he didn’t eat the fish he talked to! But to talk to Jay was dangerous. Fish that talked to Jay too long vanished. And he had strange lures, luminescent sweet blue worms that made fish dizzy and sick if they bit them off and which moved even when torn apart until they were eaten. The fish insisted, almost en masse, that this strange gray man who chatted up their waters was bad news, and on the whole they badly wanted Dan to find him and make him cut it out.

Dan didn’t even know what to make of it at first. He asked question after question, trying to understand what they meant first and then after to try to ensure they weren’t actually talking about his classmate. The fish were convinced he was unfathomably ancient, even though he was taking first-year classes. But it became too clear that they were the same person after not long at all. A handful even had his name to relay, and even though they pronounced it a little differently, there was no question that he was the same person with the same name. Brazen.

The fish generally knew what predation was and it—well, it bothered them, sure, but it was an understood way of life, and they knew Dan himself ate fish and was part of human society where fishing was done. They’d never come to ask him to put an end to regular fishing before. The first and last time any of them had banded together like this, it was six fish, and they wanted him to handle a chemical mess that he’d been almost completely useless about. The fact that he had nearly forty fish across a whole host of species asking him to put a stop to Jay’s hunting meant that something about that guy was very, very off.

At least, when it came to the fish.

Still, Dan didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Maybe he was just a weirdo. But he had access to most of the college labs, and there were fishtanks in several buildings, and so—nervously and feeling like he certainly looked a bit out of his mind—he went around, talking to the fish there. He didn’t like what he found. All the fish knew Jay. There was no doubt he could and did talk to them, often at odd hours when the fish said that they were typically bored, which meant he was on campus late at night and early in the morning sneaking in to talk with them. Several tanks were apparently head-over-heels charmed. Others, these fewer and further between and, Dan noted after a short while poking around, more likely to have deaths in the fish population waved off than more carefully-managed tanks, told Dan nervously that Jay wasn’t what he seemed. That he had been charming and pleasant and had these magnificent worm lures that they’d never seen before, and then without warning he’d coaxed one of them into his hands and ate them, just like that.

These were domestic fishes, indoor fish. Pets, practically. It was alien to them that a person would do that, and it scared them. But it didn’t seem Jay would willingly strike too many times in the same place, rotating tanks out at random. And what for? Sometimes, they said, he’d come back, and chat like nothing had happened even though they all saw him kill one of their number without a thought. There was something wrong with him. Dan, if Dan knew him, should be cautious.

These fish didn’t seem to understand that there was a world of difference between eating a human (or a mer, really) and eating a goldfish, but Dan promised to take the warning under advisement anyway.  

-

Upon the day that Dan decided to confront Jay about his weird, creepy fish-eating behavior, several interesting things happened.

The first was simple. A colleague from the Environmental Sciences branch had invited him to downtown Spokane for no clear reason just before when Dan typically took his lunch. Alicia had been a close friend when Dan was doing his dissertation and she was currently working on her own postdoc research a little ways outside Spokane, just far enough from where Dan lived that they only got together so often. She told him that it was a surprise, and ot to look anything up about the location, so he obligingly didn’t.

It turned out to be an aquarium. More than that, it was an aquarium owned and run jointly by the college and a handful of others, and while it was still in the final stages before opening, Dan—by virtue of his employment with the school and his own degree focus in fish care and fish wellness—was welcome back whenever, provided he told them what he was doing and didn’t meddle unexpectedly. They wanted him to give his thoughts on a couple of tanks. And the tanks were fascinating. For some reason, whoever had done the design of the building had had a vision and they’d executed it; the tanks looked like classrooms-turned-reefs, replicas of desks and tables cast in plaster and then given coral to grow over them, furnished with lighting that looked like fluorescent strip lights in classrooms and even sometimes sporting false windows out to the street. And all the while, inside, sharks and huge groupers and small brightly-colored reef fish and schooling fish and others besides serenely went about their business. It was inspired, it really was. His parents would’ve gotten such a kick out of it.

Alicia had shown him around, and then they’d gotten food.  It was a very nice afternoon, all things told.

The second was less pleasant. Just as he and Alicia were going their separate ways, Dan got an email from the school about a missing student, a request for more information if anyone had any. They had last been seen about a week before, and their car had just turned up abandoned at Lake Wenatchee, a state park a little ways outside Spokane. Dan hadn’t seen that happen before. Unfortunate, but not anyone he knew. He filed it away mentally and had pretty much stopped thinking about it by the time he got back to his apartment.

The third, and most objectively inconsequential, was that his first afternoon class had been canceled. His professor had come down with the flu.  

And, finally, though they didn’t have class together today, Jay had called Dan and asked to meet with him. Evidently Jay had missed a lecture, or maybe several, and wanted to see Dan’s notes. The timing was just right.

“I know what you’re doing,” Dan said without preamble.

“Huh?” Jay said.  “Oh, right. I know you work for the school, but I didn’t think you’d be that much of a hardass.”

“What?” Dan said.

Jay paused, looking Dan over for a moment. “Actually, what are you talking about? I don’t think we’re on the same page.”

“With the fish,” Dan clarified. Jay raised the odd ridges of flesh over his eyes that functioned as eyebrows. “I’m mer, you asshole. I can talk to them. They told me what fucked-up shit you’ve been pulling. What’s your problem?”

“Sometimes I get hungry,” Jay said. “Can I see your notes now?”

“Sometimes you get hungry?” Dan echoed. It took him a moment to remember how to form sentences properly. “Go to the—fucking—there are vending machines all over campus, there’s a cafeteria, you’re an underclassmen, don’t you have a meal plan—you get hungry? Hungry?”

Jay looked at Dan as though he were completely unimpressed and completely unmoved. “Okay. Can I see your notes now?”

Dan took a deep breath. “Jay, I’m here on behalf of the fish to ask you to cut the shit.”

“Huh,” Jay said. “Are you, like, going to let me see your notes, or was this just, you know, pretext to yell at me?”

Dan sighed, pulling his knapsack around to see if he could find his notebook. “No. As much as I think the way that you’ve started going after these fish is creepy as all fuck, I don’t really want your grades to suffer. Stop eating the fish.”

Jay shrugged. “I guess I can go out of campus and—”

“No,” Dan said, cutting him off. “Not the campus fish, all the local fish. I first heard about this from the fish in the Spokane. Everyone at Riverside Park is sick of your shit. It’s creepy, Jay. What’s the point of getting all buddy-buddy with fish you’re planning on eating?”

Jay’s eyes narrowed. “What, should I kill without a thought, then? What if I catch a fish with obligations?”

“That’s not why you’re doing it.”

“You’re right,” Jay said. “It’s not. But it is a consideration, among many. I don’t think it’s as bad as you think. And, no, I won’t be stopping any time soon.”

Dan shook his head and threw the notebook at the table. “Give it back to me when we have class again. And after that, I don’t want to hear from you.”

“What’s the big problem?” Jay said, suddenly sounding much more concerned. “Acanthis, they’re just fish.”

“They’re not just fish to me,” Dan snapped. “I’m mer, you asshole. It’s not the same. And—the way you do it is creepy. I don’t like it. Just because I know fish aren’t people to you doesn’t mean they don’t matter to me.”

“Oh,” Jay said. “The issue is that I eat fish?”

“I eat fish!” Dan said. “Are you being—are you being willfully stupid now? The problem is that you’re making friends with the fish you eat!”

“Ah,” Jay said. “Yeah, no, sorry, there’s nothing you can do about that. It’s been good knowing you, Acanthis. Thanks for the notes.”

“Fuck yourself,” Dan said, rather charitably, as far as he was concerned, and stormed back out of the library.

-

Jay did not stop preying on the fish. He did stop asking Dan for notes. He did also return Dan’s notebook, in about the same condition as he’d taken it, but there was an odd blue stain on one page.

 And life continued as it normally did. The class continued. Dan got familiar with the professor, a lovely older woman called Dr. Bernadotte Maragou, who was very sweet and worked in the Health Sciences department but was still nonetheless teaching an ecology course because the school was lacking a professor to teach it and she had the necessary bioinformatics background. Unfortunately, Jay did, too. He was—to everyone else, at least—charming, or at least something like it. To hear Bernie speak, he was sweet and helpful and wouldn’t hurt a fly.  But if she could hear the fish, she’d think he was the devil. All everyone else’s adoration served to do was make Dan like him even less.

Still, the end of the semester approached apace, and Dan kept his focus on himself and his friends as much as he was able. Most of the fish that Dan was familiar with knew better than to trust Jay by now, and he heard that Jay was venturing further and causing trouble in different places instead, but he left it alone. Realistically, what was he going to do? It was the only reasonable thing. He stopped by the aquarium on occasion, which was a delight in and of itself, and he got his work done, and he kept in touch with his colleagues in the Atlantic and they kept him posted on what they were seeing with the shark populations they were monitoring. There were some instances of bad news—the missing student never showed up, and another one or two, Dan wasn’t sure, joined them in vanishing off the face of the earth, but it was a city and these things happened and it didn’t happen to anyone Dan knew. At the end of the day, all was as well as it could really be.

Until it wasn’t.  

One week before the end of classes, Bernadotte announced to the class as a whole that the university was going to launch the aquarium publicly, explaining briefly what it was and much more rapidly turning to something worse: that, as a pre-opening event, the Environmental Sciences college was hosting an event and anyone enrolled in an CoES class was welcome, for free and everything. Dan watched Jay perk up, visibly interested. Absolutely not.

It was one thing to be eating goldfish from the tank and wild fish out of the river. It was something else entirely to start eating out of an aquarium. Dan couldn’t help but feel protective over a project he’d helped with, too, even if it hadn’t been that much help. He knew a lot of those fish. He was absolutely not letting this rule-flaunting, skeevy asshole fuck it all up.

He accosted Jay outside class. “You are not going to that aquarium.”

“The one with the art installations?” Jay said. “Yes I am. Do you want something, Acanthis?”

“Would you quit calling me by my last name? Stay out of those fucking fish tanks.”

“No,” Jay said. “I have another class to be at, Acanthis, would you get out of my face?”

“The second anything goes wrong at that aquarium, I’m pointing the finger at you,” Dan said. “Don’t even fucking think about it. I’ll know if even a single fish is fucking hurt. If you even speak to them.”

“Acanthis. I have places to be,” Jay said. “Move, or I’m pushing you.”

“This is the only warning I’m fucking giving you,” Dan growled. “Take it. Stay out of the fucking aquarium.”

Jay scoffed and shouldered past Dan. Dan made no effort not to be pushed out of the way, but called after Jay, “I mean it!”

Jay shook his head, like he was rolling his eyes where Dan couldn’t see them, and kept walking.  So the aquarium was screwed, basically.

-

Dan knew he was being a little unreasonable. He wasn’t going to let that stop him, though.

Asking around turned up that Jay likely didn’t have a car, so Dan figured that he was going to try to catch a ride with someone else to the aquarium. It was hardly walking distance, from campus to the center of downtown Spokane. Trying to stop Jay from getting a carpool was going to be hard, but not impossible, of course. He’d figure something out. If he could even figure out who was bringing Jay…

…which turned out to be easier than Dan had expected. Two days after the announcement in class, Bernie had announced that she’d gotten some students who were struggling to make it to the aquarium location, and she would be organizing carpools. That just meant that Dan needed to see who got Jay’s name and somehow convince them not to bring Jay. These were students. He could probably bribe them, or ply them with cookies and alcohol, or something. Wouldn’t be too hard.

It wasn’t to be. Bernie ended up with three kids on overflow, and Jay was one of them. Bernie was a really lovely lady, and sweet as they came. And there was absolutely no way Dan was going to be able to tell her what the issue was without having to answer difficult questions about himself, and besides, she’d probably insist that he was being too hard on Jay and there was a good reason to eat goldfish after telling them you thought they were the best individual fish on the planet or something. So just telling Jay’s transportation to leave him behind unexpectedly was out of the plan.

Eventually, in a fit of desperation, Dan asked Bernie if he could catch a ride with her along with the other three students. She said that he could, and that it’d be a little cramped but there would still be room for everyone.

The night before the event, Dan started asking around again, trying to find Jay to warn him off a second time. This time he didn’t succeed. Everyone knew who he was, of course, but no one could quite find him. One girl even asked Dan if he thought Jay was ”next”—baffling Dan, and when he asked what she meant, she started carrying on about mysterious disappearances and serial killers like she thought they were living in a movie of some sort. No one else Dan spoke to was any more helpful. Jay had to be off-campus somewhere, or maybe he’d vanished into thin air. Dan wasn’t optimistic enough to trust in the latter, but he crossed his fingers anyway. That would be one disappearance Dan wouldn’t mind, that was for sure.

The inexorable march of time went on, as it always did. Tomorrow rolled around. Dan woke up on the morning of the aquarium event and knew that this was it. He was out of time. He just had to find some way to make it happen.

This time, he succeeded in waylaying Jay. It was by chance, even—he caught sight of Jay’s stupid gray horns just barely peeking out over the sea of faces at the front doors to the library and zeroed in on Jay as fast as he could. He grabbed Jay by the arm and couldn’t suppress a second of distaste at the texture of Jay’s flesh—strangely squishy and stiff all at once, like a very full water balloon instead of flesh with bones in it—and then Jay whirled around. “Acanthis?”

Dan opted not to call him on the name thing this time. “This is the last time I’m going to say it. Stay away from the aquarium.”

“Didn’t you say last time was going to be the only warning?” Jay said.

“I am so serious,” Dan said. “You do not want to test me on this. Stay away from the aquarium! Do I make myself clear?”

“Uh-huh. Enjoy the rest of your day, Acanthis.” Jay started to pull away from Dan, and Dan grabbed his arm tighter. His odd glassy eyes narrowed. “You’re going to want to let go of me right now.”

“Tell me you’ll stay away from the aquarium.”

Jay wrenched his arm away from Dan’s grip, much harder than Dan expected. His knuckles ached at the sudden force; he could swear he heard one of his joints crack. “I told you to let go of me, didn’t I? I don’t know how to say this politely, Acanthis—stop telling me to stay away from the aquarium. I’m allowed to be curious about it just like everyone else is. Just because you have a problem with me doesn’t make it my concern. I’m tolerating this, because you work here and I’m probably leaving after another semester. But if you push me, I’m going to start pushing back. Do I make myself clear?”

“I don’t have a problem with you, I have a problem with you eating—” Dan realized abruptly that they were in public and lowered his voice. “Eating the fucking fish! I think that should be fucking understandable.”

“No, you also have a problem with me,” Jay said flatly. “You are not the only one, and I do not care very much. But you will never be able to dictate what I do and don’t do. You had better get that through your head right the fuck now.”

Dan, disbelieving, shook his head. “I can’t fucking believe you.”

“Great,” Jay said, shoving past Dan. He hit Dan in the chest with his shoulder, clearly intentionally. “See you at the aquarium, Acanthis.”

“No you fucking won’t!” Dan called after him, but he vanished seamlessly into the crowd before he was even done speaking.

Fucker.

-

Finally, out of ideas, Dan called up a local friend who did some contract work with the Sideways Court and asked them to temporarily hex Bernie’s car. He felt bad about it, but it wouldn’t be any real harm done, and it’d just keep the car from starting for a while. It would stop the other two students from getting to the aquarium either, but Dan was willing to call that an acceptable loss. He turned up at the parking lot next to the cafeteria at the appointed meeting-time even though he knew it wasn’t going to get him anywhere; it seemed only fair to miss it, and besides, that let him keep an eye on Jay.

Jay gave Dan a very dubious look when he arrived. “You’d better not be waiting here for me, Acanthis.”

“Nope,” Dan said. “Carpooling.”

Jay gave him a long, hard look, and then shrugged and pulled out his phone. “I assume you’ll be dogging my steps all night?”

“You’d best believe it.”

“I don’t mean to insult you, Acanthis,” Jay said, “but this strikes me as a phenomenally stupid plan.”

“I keep telling you, my name is Dan,” Dam said. “And my plan is fine.”

“I’m sure it is,” Jay said, not looking up from his phone. “Look, for all anyone knows, you’re the concern here. Everyone at the library saw you getting handsy and aggressive with me. You have fuck-all in the way of evidence. And I’m—”

A car pulled up along the cement, and Jay cut off, picking his head up. “Ah, there’s Doctor Maragou,” he said, in exactly the same casual tone.

That was weird, and eerie. “Hey, Bernie,” Dan called, trying to keep any sort of distrust out of his tone of voice. “How’s your day been?”

“Oh, hi, Dan,” Bernie said. “Hi Jay! It’s great to see you both. Have you seen Sophia and Luke?”

“Not yet, but there’s still plenty of time,” Jay said, smiling warmly. “Dan, I know you’re closest with Doctor Maragou. Do you want to sit up front?”

“Generous of you,” Dan said, “yeah. Bernie, should we get in now?”

“Yeah, why not?” Bernie asked. “I think I see Sophia coming over now, anyway. It shouldn’t be too long.”

True enough, Sophia was cresting the small hill between the walking path and the parking lot. As Dan watched, Luke, the fourth student, walked over as well. So that was the whole crowd.

Dan didn’t need to jostle around, not in the front seat, but in the back Sophia, Luke, and Jay had to work out seating arrangements; Jay had volunteered to sit in the middle, but there was a little bit of difficulty with the seatbelts, and it took a few minutes of shuffling about before Luke finally announced to Bernie that they  could start driving. Bernie nodded, smiling, and made to pull out of the parking lot. And then her car made a terrible backfiring noise.

“What the hell was that?” Luke blurted. “I mean, um, sorry Professor.”

“What the hell was that?” Bernie muttered, stepping on the gas again. Nothing happened.

“That’s… weird,” Sophia said. “Professor M., has that ever happened before?”

“Nope,” Bernie said. “I’ve never had any car do that before.”

“I can take a look at it,” Sophia said, already opening the door. “I’m good with cars.”

“Hang on a minute,” Bernie said, turning her key in the ignition. Nothing happened. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Yup,” Sophia said.

“How sure?” said Bernie, pressing on the gas again.

“Very sure,” Sophia said. “I like cars. Pressing on the gas isn’t going to do anything good if it‘s not igniting, so maybe stop doing that.”

Bernie stopped pressing on the gas very quickly. “Okay. You can look under the hood, if you want. Let me come out and look at it with you.”

The two of them stood outside the car looking at the hood for a good ten or eleven minutes. Jay made dubious eye contact with Dan through the rearview mirror. Dan pretended not to notice.

“Um,” Luke, the other classmate, said awkwardly after about two minutes of sustained silence. “So, uh, you’re Professor Acanthis, right?”

“You can call me Dan,” Dan said.

“Yeah, but you teach the fieldwork for nonmajors class, right?”

“Yeah,” Dan said. “Why?”

“Is it particularly hard?” Luke asked. “I mean, work-intensive. I’m setting up my schedule for next semester.”

Dan paused, trying to think about that. “I just started teaching it this semester. I think it’s pretty light, but you’re better off asking one of my students.”

“He means it’s very easy,” Jay said tonelessly. “Acanthis, tell him your late work policy.”

“It’s Dan,” Dan said. “As long as it’s in before the end of the semester, I don’t take points off late work.”

“They meet once a week, there’s a lab report due but you can work on it in the class, and it’s for nonmajors,” Jay added. “Very easy class. If you want an easy A you should take it.”

“Huh,” Luke said. “Thanks… Jaaaaaames?”

“Jay,” Jay said, but now that Dan was listening he pronounced it a little oddly, sort of more like ‘Joy’ than ‘Jay’. “Luke, right?”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “Are you planning on taking it next semester? I thought you and Professor Acanthis had… um.”

“Drama?” Jay asked, and laughed under his breath. “No, it’s nothing serious, but I’m on the pre-med track. Have to take macrobio field instead. I’m only in class with Doc Maragou because it qualified as an elective.”

“What’s the deal, actually?” Luke said. “Like, if you don’t mind me asking, because I heard you guys were really, uh… but you seem chill now.”

“Like I said,” Jay said, “it’s nothing serious. Me and Acanthis have a couple disagreements over… I don’t know, I don’t want to get into it. And a friend of a friend was talking shit about me that he believed, but I think we’re over that. Mostly it’s personality clash.”

“It’s not personality clash,” Dan said. “He’s fucked over a few friends of mine and won’t stop doing it.”

Jay raised his eyebrows at Luke, who smiled rather tightly back. “It is really not that serious. He doesn’t like that I don’t do what he tells me. I get it. I don’t like to be told what to do. It’s a personality clash. We’re working it out. This time next year, I imagine you won’t even hear that me and Acanthis were arguing.”

“Huh,” Luke said. “Right.”

Dan willed himself not to argue, even though that was blatantly untrue. He didn’t need to hash the whole thing out in front of a human audience. Fortunately, about that point Bernie came back around. “We can’t figure the problem out,” she said through the driver’s-side door, “so you three might as well come out. I’m not sure what we’re going to do here.”

“Damn,” Luke said.

“It’s a bit of a walk,” Jay said, “and it’ll get us there a little late, but we could take the Six over to Riverside.”

Dan turned to look at him, uncomprehending. He could see the other three do the same.

“The bus,” Jay said. “Don’t any of you go anywhere?”

“I only take the campus shuttle,” Luke said. “Sorry.”

“Huh,” Jay said. “Anyway, if that’s the plan, we should probably get moving. If we miss the bus we’re going to be waiting for a good hour for the next one.”

“I think the event ends at eight,” Bernie said.

“And it’s, what, six now?” Jay said. “So we’ll basically miss it. I don’t particularly want to do that,” he said, making eye contact with Dan with a weird little sedate smile on his face, “so unless anyone has objections, let’s get moving.”

“How far of a walk is it?” Bernie asked.

Jay shrugged. “Maybe a few miles? It’s at the transit center. Do you know where I mean?”

“Oh!” Bernie said. “Okay, I think I can do that.”

“Fan-ta-stic,” Jay said. “Luke, Sophia, you two on board?”

“Yeah, sure,” Sophia said.

“You didn’t ask Dan,” Luke said.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Jay said. “He’s going to follow me no matter what I ask him.”

“Oo-kay,” Luke said. “Yeah, I’ll come.”

Jay smiled, waving a hand and starting to walk rather briskly. “Alright. We have half an hour. Let’s move.”

Dan had never walked between the campus and the transit center like this before. This part of Spokane—of Washington, really—was gorgeous. Jay kept them hurrying along the side of the road, but Dan and Sophia kept slowing down to look at the trees or the rock faces or the rivers and falling behind. Dan wished he could say it was intentional, but it really was just that beautiful. And because they kept stopping at the same things, he and Sophia had started talking, aimlessly commenting on the trees and the water.

Then the road they were walking along turned into a bridge, high over a wide waterfall. All of them stopped, even Jay.

“This reminds me of where I grew up,” Sophia said to Dan. “I was walking distance from Wairere as a kid.”

Jay turned as though that had caught his attention. “Wairere Falls?”

“You’ve been there?” Sophia asked, looking a bit surprised. “Yeah.”

“They were more impressive than this, I think,” Jay said. “I don’t know, the last time I was in New Zealand was nearly thirty years ago.”

“Aotearoa,” Sophia said.

“Couldn’t have been,” Luke said, at about the same time. “How old are you?”

Jay laughed. “You think someone with a face as plastic as mine looks my age? I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’m pushing forty.”

Was that his cover? That he’d just undergone a bunch of surgeries?

“Oh, wow,” Bernie said. “What did you do before you decided to go into medicine?”

Jay glanced sidelong at Dan. “Professional fishing. Do you still need a moment to ogle?”

“Not hassling us to get moving again already?” Dan asked.

“We’ve got a little time,” Jay said.

“You were on us the whole way here,” Sophia said, still staring at the falls.

“Yeah, because I knew you were all going to stare here. It’s a nice waterfall. Take your time. I’ll tell you when we really have to get a move on.”

Dan turned that one over in his head for a moment. Was Jay expecting him to have delayed more intensely? Was that what that actually was? Or was this actually a moment of… what, generosity in disguise? Jay was such a strange person.

It was a nice waterfall, though, and the water below it looked deep and clear. Dan walked to the part of the railing Jay was leaning on, trying to look subtle, and leaned over. “Between the two of us, we’re the only ones who can breathe under water.”

“I can’t, actually,” Jay said. “I don’t breathe at all.”

Dan stopped, looking at him properly. Jay shrugged. “No lungs. Don’t breathe.”

“But you can  live under water, right?” Dan did his best to clarify.

“Yeah, that I can,” Jay said. “What about it?”

“Have you ever gone over a waterfall like that? If you’re here, and you were in New Zealand around waterfalls.”

Now it was Jay’s turn to look at Dan oddly. “I have, actually. Not often, but I have. Are you about to ask me for advice?”

“I just… wonder, I guess,” Dan said. “Does this one look like it’d be good to jump off of?”

Jay was quiet for a moment, studying the water. “Well, depends what you mean by good. You’ll probably get spun really hard. Impacting the water will probably hurt, but you don’t want to dive or anything here, or you’ll risk hitting the bottom, I think, it doesn’t look that deep to me.”

“You could’ve just said no,” Dan said.

“Those are the only problems. If you don’t like being disoriented, that’s on you,” Jay said. “The water is clean and clear and there’s no rocky outcroppings to hit yourself into. It’s pretty damn good, as far as these things go.”

“Sounds kind of unpleasant.”

“It’s  one of those things,” Jay said, turning toward the other three. “If you liked it, you’d probably already know that by now, and if you don’t, you’ve never thought about it. I’m not sure what kind of thrill-seeking mer adolescents get up to, though.”

“Me either, really. I lived most of my life on land after I turned twelve.”

“Huh,” Jay said. “That’s why you’re like this.”

“Like what?” Dan started, but Jay was already walking toward the other three. “Jay!”

“We’re going to get moving again, guys,” Jay said, waving. Bernie, Luke and Sophia reluctantly fell into step behind Jay again. Dan, for his part, hurried up to stand next to him so he could ask what the fuck Jay was talking about.

“What do you mean, that’s why I’m ‘like that?’”

“Do you want them hearing? I thought your being here meant you had to be super hush-hush.”

“Honestly, I’ve been wondering this whole time. Why don’t you?”

Jay gave him a disbelieving look. “Obviously I’m supposed to.”

“Well—you’re not, and no one’s tried to arrest you yet.”

“You’d be surprised at how low-profile I can be. Plastic surgery,” he said, tapping the ridges of flesh around his eyes, “tattoos, nail polish, and sometimes I can pass the horns off as a headband. Sometimes, if I’m really worried,” he glanced back at the other three, “they’re not looking. Watch this.”

Dan turned toward him, not sure what he was about to do, and was completely unprepared for his horns to just—sink back into the top of his forehead seemingly of their own volition. “What—?”

“It’s uncomfortable, though,” Jay said, replacing them with a gesture that looked more like spitting something out than horns protruding through his face. They were now streaked with some sort of bluish, viscous fluid, like dish soap. Jay ran his hands over them, and then rubbed his hands together, and when he went back to talking neither the horns nor his hands were wet.

“Neat trick,” Dan said, totally astonished.

“Handy, yeah,” Jay said. “Look, not that I’m not appreciating the conversation not suddenly being you yelling in my face and all, but can I ask what prompted the change of heart?”

“No hearts have been changed. I don’t want you to eat my fish,” Dan said. “But I can’t see a way to stop you getting to the aquarium, so I guess I’ll just have to tag around all night like you said I was going to. Might as well make it a little fun, right?”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Jay said slowly, not looking as though he understood at all.

-

The bus was miserable, but the aquarium was fantastic, so it balanced out. Dan did tail Jay the whole time, though Jay obligingly let Dan pick over the remnants of the sushi bar before they went around to the exhibits instead of trying to lose Dan so he could go start snatching schooling fish or something. Dan asked him if he wanted anything, concerned as he was for the live fish in the exhibits; Jay demurred. Something about a food allergy, or something; Dan wasn’t sure exactly what he meant but he sure made it sound like there wasn’t anything at the table that wouldn’t somehow make him sick.

Jay was fascinated by the first-floor exhibits that looked like classrooms. Eventually they made it to the second floor, after Jay had done a long loop around the expansive ground level and spent a lot of time in the touch-tank mumbling to a nervous epaulette shark until he could coax it up toward him. Dan didn’t like it then, but it hadn’t been sinister after all, and he was trying to relax. But just after they made it to the second floor, Jay slipped off into the shadows, and Dan just barely caught up to him before Jay—with Dan’s keys—slipped behind the Employees Only door and beckoned for Dan to follow.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing,” Dan hissed, as soon as he was inside. “They’ll kick you out if you’re back here.”

“Not if I’m with you,” Jay said, which wasn’t true.

“Yes, they will. And they’ll revoke my clearance.”

“Come on. I want to talk to the nursery sharks.”

“Absofuckinglutely not,” Dan said. “I’ll tell on both of us.”

“What the fuck is the big idea?” Jay said. “Look, you can hear both sides of the conversation. And they’re nursery sharks, and I’m not even hungry. I’m curious about living in those drowned fake rooms. Do you know which tank we should be looking for?”

“We’re not doing this,” Dan said.

“Alright, I’ll find out without you,” Jay shrugged, and started walking. Dan reached out to grab Jay’s arm, and—

Well. Dan didn’t actually know what happened, only that his hand closed on solid-ish flesh, and then it was suddenly not solid under his hand at all, and Jay had sort of just pulled away around his fingers. Weird.

“You can come with me or you can stay there, but you’re not grabbing me in private,” Jay said. “I’m not interested in being yanked around, I don’t give a damn how worried you are about the fish. I’m not even going to put my face near the water.”

With deep misgivings, Dan hurried up and followed behind Jay. “It’s, um, door seven. The exhibit you want.”

“Thank you,” Jay said, sounding legitimately a little bit surprised. “Appreciate it.”

“Don’t expect a repeat,” Dan said. “And I will be warning them about you later.”

Jay hummed, pushing through the door slowly. Beyond, they could hear the pump and the water splashing.

Jay bent down by the side of the tank, reaching out with one hand. “This is going to look strange.”

“Everything you do looks strange,” Dan started, but he was right—it did look real fucking strange. The palm of his hand… uncoiled? Rippled and widened? And from the inside came slightly luminescent blue tendrils, about a half-inch wide each and visibly very soft, and slick with some sort of fluid with the consistency of honey, or maybe laundry detergent. He stuck these into the water without a worry, and then said, not too loudly, “Hey. Up here.”

Abruptly Dan remembered the lures. “You have those inside you? You feed them to the fish!”

“Sometimes they’re hungry,” Jay said.

“What are they, worms?” Dan asked. “Some sort of… fungus?”

Jay looked up from the water to squint at him. “Are you trying to fuck with me? Like, is that a joke?”

“What?”

Jay reached over with his normal hand and grabbed one tendril firmly, and then pulled. Hard, actually, hard enough that Dan thought it looked like it had to hurt, and then with a quiet squelching sound a small octagonal segment of his gray skin pulled free from the side of his hand and so did the tendril, still moving freely. “It’s me. I feel like that should be obvious, if the fish were reporting on me to you. That one bass got a good mouthful of my leg a few months ago.”

“What are those?” someone else said, and Jay and Dan both jumped and turned to see that there was a small nursery shark staring up at the both of them. Dan wasn’t terribly familiar with her, but he thought her name started with an s sound, or maybe an m. “Can I eat them?”

“Sure,” Jay said.

“They make fish sick,” Dan said quickly. “Better not.”

“They make fish sick?” Jay repeated. “They shouldn’t. Just drowsy, maybe.”

“Dizzy and sick, is what they told me.”

Jay looked down at his own hand curiously. “So, I’m Jay.” He said it oddly again. Maybe Dan was mispronouncing it. “My friend here is Dan.”

“Danistei,” Dan said, because he gave his real name to the fishes, thank you, and then registered that Jay had said his actual name.

“What’s your name?” Jay continued, as though nothing had happened.

“Svisa,” said the nursery shark.

“Nice to meet you, Svisa,” Dan started.

“We’re delighted you’ll speak to us,” Jay continued, coming very close to cutting Dan off. “I have a couple questions about the environment.”

“Oh, like he’s always asking,” Svisa said.

“Probably,” Jay said. “Do you know what your environment is a replica of?”

“It’s a replica?” Svisa said.

“It’s a replica of a human classroom,” Jay said, rapid-fire. “Thank you, Svisa. What do you think of the lighting on the side of the wall?”

“Oh, he really is always asking that one. It’s fine.”

“You come here from anywhere interesting?”

“Not really,” Svisa said.

“Captive-bred,” Dan cut in. “Svisa, are you bored?”

“A little bit,” Svisa said. “Nothing left in here to catch, and I know all the hiding places. When it’s light out, I can watch the other tank, but they’re dimming everything now.”

“They’re dimming everything,” Jay repeated. “Okay, Dan, up, let’s get out of here before we get caught.”

“Caught,” Svisa repeated.

“We’re not technically supposed to be back here right now,” Dan explained hastily, getting up. “Thank you so much for chatting, Svsia. Jay, was that what you wanted to know?”

“One last question,” Jay said. “How dark are the hiding places?”

“Dark enough,” Svisa said, delicately closing her jaws on a big chunk of Jay’s exposed tendrils. They sheared off cleanly, and started to leak thinner, less viscous blue fluid into the water; Jay rapidly curled them back up without even a hiss. “You’re leaving, I’ll see you some other time.”

“Me, maybe,” Dan muttered. “Jay, if she gets sick, I’m holding you to account for it.”

“She should be fine. It’s like weed,” Jay said. “Bye, Svisa, thanks for talking. Might see you again, might not. I’m curious about the way it feels down there. Dan, hitting the road?”

Dan sighed and followed behind Jay, and the two of them stepped out of the tank room and then into the Employees Only hall and then back into the rest of the museum. It was dim. “What time is it?”

“You have a phone, don’t you?” Jay said, but he was pulling his own out as he said it. “Eight ten.”

“They closed up fast,” Dan noted, a little surprised. “I wasn’t expecting them to kick everyone out and turn the lights off ten minutes after the event ended.”

Jay shrugged. “Maybe they’re just efficient. Let’s make sure they didn’t lock us in.”

They hadn’t, so the two of them walked out the doors and tried not to look suspicious. Or at least Dan tried; Jay looked casual as anything, sauntering out confidently.

“Stop looking over your shoulder,” Jay murmured out of the corner of his mouth, and Dan straightened up. “No, that’s worse, you look even more like you’re sneaking into the pantry to steal cookies or something. Do you just not do this sort of thing?”

“No, I don’t,” Dan said.

Jay paused. “Why were you messing with me so much, then? Starting out strong for your first few bits of mischief?”

“I,” Dan said, trying to wrap his head around that. “It was about the fish. It has always been about the fish.”

“But you had to know I wasn’t going to go after the fish in a new aquarium,” Jay said, sounding almost stupefied. “Right?”

What? “What? No.”

“If I’m going to an aquarium, there’s going to be close monitoring, people around,” Jay said. “And it’s not like they’re filling, anyway. Obviously I’d just go pick someone off in an alley beforehand, if it was that big a deal.”

“I told you, I don’t like you eating the wild fish either,” Dan said. “But I guess—”

“Fish?” Jay repeated. “No, I mean—” And then he stopped, and turned to gesture Dan toward an alley. “Come take a detour with me.”

“What do you mean, not fish?” Dan said, following easily.

Jay looked Dan up and down, still walking. The alley was longer than Dan expected. “I know you said something, at some point, about the ‘patterns,’” and here he made air-quotes with his fingers, “of the way that I ate the fish being ‘creepy.’”

“Yeah, because they are,” Dan said. “I mean, I might’ve been judging you wrong, but it still seems real fucking creepy to me. I don’t really get—”

Jay raised a hand and cut Dan off. “And I read into that, I think. I thought you meant the patterns I ate everything with were creepy.”

“I mean,” Dan started. “I don’t know.”

Jay smiled oddly, waving for Dan to walk a little faster. “And I thought to myself that that was fair, because you were right. And I didn’t know how much you’d told anyone, or how much trouble I’d be in if you had.”

“Jay. What are you getting at.”

“Fish are very unsatisfying, you know.” Jay sighed. “They don’t have much to talk about. Their secrets are inconsequential and not very interesting. And, now, I have a problem, the kind you’re not likely to have heard of. “

“Where are you leading me?”

“You’ll see,” Jay said. The alleyway had gotten so dark that it was difficult to make out anything except for the points of light reflecting off his eyes from the distant billboards on the street. “I need a secret—given freely—before I can eat my fill. Makes it had to order off the dinner menu. Told myself, hey, hospice care, that’s got to be the gig for me. But it doesn’t leave me a lot of time to hunt. So I’ve been scavenging the fishtanks. But do you know what one of the first things you told me was?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dan stopped walking.

“This explains why threatening you didn’t seem to do anything,” Jay said. “Did you even know I was threatening you?”

“When the hell were you threatening me?”

“That’s what I mean,” Jay said. “I’m full, now, I’m not eating anything. Or anyone. But you know what I’m getting at, don’t you?”

Dan shook his head. “You eat fish, and you’re implying you’ll eat me.”

“About the gist of it, yeah,” Jay said. “Keep walking, we’re going to get to the bus stop a few blocks early. I didn’t want to take you through here if you already knew I was likely to maybe eat you. Didn’t need that kind of thing getting me in trouble, you understand. You cannot do anything about me, but if you decided to start running and screaming it would’ve made my life inconvenient.”

“Are you,” Dan said, trying to find the polite term for it. “Are you a… person with a vamparasitic affliction?”

“Am I a what?” Jay said. “Vamparasitic affliction? Can you not say vampire now?”

“I think it’s offensive,” Dan said.

“If I were a vampire I wouldn’t be offended,” Jay said. “But no. I’m an obligate carnivore under a curse, but it’s a different one. You’ve seen me walk in the sunlight.”

“Can you eat garlic?”

“I can’t eat any plants.”

Dan could start to see the lights at the end of the walkway now. “Why do you eat people, if you can just eat fish?”

Jay looked at Dan for a moment, and despite the low light Dan thought he could see Jay’s needle-sharp teeth glinting in a very sharp smile. “Why does anyone prefer to eat anything? Just tastes better.”

[annab-nana]

Gentle wipe of your spilled tears after heavy arguments, a simple gesture that shows you how sorry they are for making you shed sad tears instead of happy ones. with Jonathan when the reader and him are both upset about getting fired from the Hawkins Post and he blames her like he did with Nancy in the show

ahh you got it bestie

warnings: not proofread, mentions of schizophrenia, inequality in the workplace, one use of y/n, use of pet names (sweetheart), basically nancy and jonathan's fight in season three but tweaked a bit, it's a little long for a blurb

❀ masterlist ❀

you had already felt immensely shitty like you did every day you left work, but today was different. in your attempts to make the men at your job realize you were more than a servant who could only get coffee and lunches, you made the only guy in your life that you loved upset.

you knew you shouldn’t have pursued the story any further after tom had asked you not to, but with the way all those men taunted you constantly, you wanted nothing more than to prove them wrong. no, you needed to prove them wrong.

even after you and jonathan got fired, you still couldn't drop it.

"it's bullshit. so, according to tom, driscoll's just a schizophrenic? and that rat is just a rat?" you couldn't believe it all. every ounce of anger you'd felt the whole time working at the hawkins post was flowing out. "and it's all, what? some big coincidence? you know what i think? i think tom was on drugs."

"what?" jonathan inquired incredulously from the driver's seat, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead. he seemed shocked, but tom's odd behavior to you was quite evident.

"did you see him? he was sweating like crazy and his palms were clammy. he looked awful."

the way jonathan shook his head and scoffed at you didn't make you feel any better. in fact, it made that pit of fury in your stomach burn more.

"is this funny to you?" you asked him. you'd never been so serious about something in your life other than surviving and protecting your friends each time the upside down tried to enter your realm.

"no. no, it's just kind of incredible," he persisted on, not sparing you a glance as he drove.

"incredible?"

"yeah, incredible how you just continue to convince yourself."

your brows pulled together when you looked at him and you couldn't help the sting of tears that kissed your eyes. yet another man was tossing your thoughts to the side, not taking them into consideration or believing them for a second. you just never thought jonathan would be the one to do that. he had always had your back, even with your crazier ideas.

he continued before you could respond, not that you would've. you were too stunned at what he was saying. "i told you over and over to drop this story, that it was a bad idea, but you refused and now, i'm screwed."

your heart dropped at how he placed the blame on you. "it was just a summer job and i'm sure you will find another one, jon. it's not like your life is over."

"i don't know if you realized this or not, but i don't live in some grand house. my dad doesn't earn six figures. hell, he isn't even around." you shifted your focus to the window when you figured he wasn't about to stop with his rant any time soon. "mortgage, college tuition. you know, they're real things, y/n. things that you don't care about only because you don't have to."

everything was your fault, at least in his eyes. "i didn't realize i lived in a bubble."

"well, you do!" he exclaimed like he was happy to get this off his chest. you couldn't help it your dad made a good bit of money, but like his, yours wasn't around much. his wasn't because he was an asshole, but yours had to be gone to make as much money as he did. but, at least jonathan had a mom. he had someone there for him when he came home.

you didn't have that luxury. jonathan was that person for you. he was the one you wanted to come home to and tell everything to. he was the one you trusted. he was the one you felt safe with. he was your person, but maybe he needed a break. maybe you were too much for him.

you tuned back into his words when you felt the first tear fall down your cheek. "you want everything handed to you on a silver platter. i mean, we were interns! what did you expect, that you would make star reporter in a month? crack the big case?"

"you sound just like them. you realize that, right? just like bruce and those assholes-"

he cut you off, making you turn back to face him. "yeah, yeah, those assholes gave us jobs."

"is that was that was? that was humiliating." another tear fell when you stressed your last word. you turned back toward the window, desperate to make sure he didn't see how much he was getting to you.

he let out a sigh. "yeah, the real world sucks." two more tears fell. "deal with it like the rest of us."

you hated the thought of having to deal with it, of letting those men belittle you every chance they got for a laugh. you hated being a joke to them, of them making you feel like you were incompetent. jonathan didn't even see the majority of it since he was cooped up in the darkroom. you knew that he would hate it if the roles were reversed. he wouldn't endure it. he may have put up with it longer than you had, but he wouldn't be able to deal with it all the time.

if the roles were reversed, he would've been doing more than just fetching coffee and lunch. he wouldn't be demeaned every single day from the moment he got there to the moment he left. he wouldn't feel so shitty that he cried multiple times a week about how much he hated being there.

if he were to do what you did, the guys would've listened to him at least. they probably would've given him pointers on how to pursue the case and taken him under their wing. and if he were to get in trouble for it like you had, he wouldn't have been fired over it. it would've been some slap on the wrist and everyone would go on about their days like nothing happened.

it would've been so different if it was him.

you did not want to break down, not until you were safe in your home which wasn't too far away at this point. you sucked in a deep breath to steady yourself before muttering, "you don't know what it's like."

"neither do you."

"well, then i guess we just don't understand each other anymore." you don't know why you said it. you could've just left it where it was, but his agreement is what finally tore your heart in two.

"yeah, i guess not."

it was silent for the next few minutes until jonathan pulled into your driveway. you didn't dare look over at him because you knew the dam would break and you were fighting for your life for it to remain intact until you got inside.

without a word, you walked quickly from the car to your door, fumbling with the key—it was hard to see through your tear-blurred vision—and unlocking the door. dropping your purse on the ground by your feet, you took a few steps to the bottom of the stairs and sat down, letting your head fall in your hands and your tears flow.

you didn't know how long you had been there, but it had to have been a while for your dad to be home already. but when you looked up, you realized that it wasn't your dad's hand on your shoulder. it was jonathan's.

that only made you cry harder.

"i'm sorry i got you fired," you spoke with a sob. you just felt so bad. the guys are the hawkins post made you feel bad, getting jonathan fired made you feel bad, jonathan's words made you feel bad.

jonathan's hand came up to wipe your tears away while he shook his head. "i'm sorry. i shouldn't have said any of that. i was wrong."

"no, you weren't," you disagreed. "i was. you are nothing like those guys. you are so much better than them. i was just angry."

"no, the way i was acting was like them. you weren't wrong. i was. completely, utterly, mortifyingly wrong," he stated honestly, letting out a light chuckle ti lighten the mood a touch while his thumb pushed away the fresh batch of tears you'd produced. "and i hate that i made you this upset."

"it's okay."

jonathan smiled at you and spoke softly, "stop staying stuff to make me feel better, sweetheart." he brought his hands down from your face to hold your hands in his. "do you want me to stay with you or would you rather be left alone right now? whichever you chose, i'll be okay, but-"

"stay," you cut him off. you would never not want jonathan around. "stay with me, please."

a wide grin crept onto his lips and he found himself nodding his head. "okay, i'm here."

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[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Hope the end of your school year went well! From the new alphabet prompt, what about Going on a road trip and being so regular about it.

Hey, love. It was tough, and I crashed in more ways than one afterwards, but I'm doing better now. Thanks for the prompt! Have some in between high school and college Everlark shenanigans on me.

~~

When the beat up blue car pulls around the corner, I rise and grab my bag that’s been serving as a bench.

I’m actually surprised he’s this early. It must not have taken long to pick up the rest of our group. But I wanted to be out here and not risk anyone having to ring our bell and realize it doesn’t work. Or risk them stepping on the third step, which is basically splinters pretending to be a step. Or see the wreck of our living room after my mom worked double shifts for a week to get the last bit of tuition I couldn’t cover with scholarships, while I worked double shifts to save up for this trip.

I’ve been both dreading and anticipating it, and watching my ride slowly drive down the street, as though the driver is unfamiliar with the neighborhood, I catch myself biting my thumb nail and quickly wipe it on my jeans. 

The car stops smoothly, no squealing of brakes, and I blink as I notice that it’s only the driver in the car. Guess he picked me up first.

“Hey,” Peeta Mellark says as he gets out of the car his brothers have all shared for the past eight years as they worked their way successively through high school. He greets me like we’re old friends instead of virtual strangers who sometimes got paired in our math classes.

“Guess I get shotgun,” I say as I stagger towards the trunk with my bag.

“Perks of being first pick up,” he says and takes my bag from me. He places it gently in the trunk, like it weighs nothing, right next to his. “So Madge is next, then Seamus.”

I try not to gag at the reminder. Madge is fine. I like Madge, but Seamus is a jackass and a half. At least Peeta is picking him up last, so I don’t have to spend as much time in the car with that dickhead.

“Great,” I say and open the car door before sliding in. The interior smells fresh. Clean. The floorboards are spotless, as is the upholstery. I’m actually shocked at how clean the car is, given that the car has a reputation as a Shaggin’ Wagon, along with his older brothers’ reputations as total horn dogs.

I blush as I consider how that reputation has extended to Peeta since he started driving the car last year with both his older brothers finally off at college. The whispers from girls about how it’s always a good time driving with Peeta.

I squirm in the seat and hope he shampooed the upholstery too. The last thing I want to think about is what’s gone down in this seat. I glance behind me as Peeta pulls away from the curb and decide the bench back seat isn’t a better option.

“So, Katniss,” he says and I scoff at the clear attempt at either small talk or a pick up.

“Brakes don’t squeal anymore,” I say and Peeta shifts gears, then runs a hand through his hair.

“Uh yeah. Neither of my brothers were really good about the routine maintenance on the car. I’ve been fixing things here and there, changed out the belts and filters, flushed a few of the fluids and gave her fresh ones, new wiper blades, that sort of thing. But the tires and brakes were expensive so that was a more recent thing.”

“Oh. Extra shifts at the bakery since graduation covered it?” 

“Yeah, barely,” he says and taps his fingers on the wheel before he shifts to third and starts the winding road up to Madge’s home.

“How about you? Been working extra summer shifts too?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh. Well it’s just usually you bring your sister into the bakery during summer. Haven’t seen you guys yet. That’s all. Figured you must be busy.”

“Gotta make gas and grocery money somehow,” I mutter.

Peeta doesn’t answer though, because we’ve reached Madge’s house. She too is waiting outside, with two suitcases standing side by side, gleaming in the sun. Her father waits with her. I fiddle with the vents and climate control as Peeta gets out of the car. Notice a cooler and a snack bag on the floorboard in the back as I halfway listen to Peeta talk to Mr. Undersee and load Madge’s bags.

Madge slides in and rolls down her window. “Bye Daddy!”

“Call me when you get to Aunt Maysilee’s tonight.”

“I know I know,” Madge cuts him off. “And when we hit the road in the morning. And anytime we stop for more than thirty minutes, and when we get to Panem U tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be with Katniss and Peeta the whole time, Daddy. He’s a super safe driver and you know she’ll take care of us.”

Mr. Undersee talks to Peeta for a few more minutes, and it’s clear that he’s asking Peeta about the maintenance on the car, the planned route we’ll be taking.

I take the chance to turn around and hiss at Madge. “You didn’t tell me he’d be picking me up first.”

“I didn’t?” she asks a little too innocently.

“Whatever,” I say and turn back around to find a decent radio station. I’m a little miffed that Madge didn’t warn me. She knows I don’t have a smartphone and couldn’t be on the group thread Peeta started for our road trip. I’ve had to talk to the group and Peeta through Madge to get ready for this trip.

“Figured you’d enjoy a few minutes alone with him,” Madge says right in my ear, making me gasp. “I mean, you do like him, don’t you?”

“Everybody likes him,” I say and give up on the radio. 

“Yeah, but you really like him,” Madge hints. I’m grateful when Peeta opens his door. Final farewells are said and Peeta gets back in, Madge sits back and buckles her belt.

“Alright, Seamus and then we’re on our way,” Peeta says. Madge groans and then leans forward towards Peeta.

“Do we have to?” I’m a little surprised. Madge is usually so quiet and nice, but Peeta actually laughs.

“Unfortunately, yes. Our mothers are in the same book club and I’ll never hear the end of it I don’t. He’s signed up for the same orientation slot as us.”

“More good news,” Madge says and flips back in her seat.

We’re friends, Madge and I, at least the kind of friends who sit together at lunch and assemblies and in any shared classes. We stick together in P.E. And when we found out we’d be going to Panem U together, we signed up as roommates for the dorm, and for the same early June orientation. But I’ve never seen her as chatty as she is for the ten minutes it takes to drive through the ritzy part of town to Seamus Henderson’s house. She and Peeta seem to know each other. At least they seem to know each other better than I realized…

If possible, Seamus’s place is even bigger than Madge’s. More ostentatious too. If the Undersee house is classy, this place screams Too Much Money.

Peeta tells us he’ll be right back and leaves the car running while he walks up to the door to ring the bell.

“Why’d you think I like him?” I ask and Madge snorts.

“Because you get all blushy and flustered around him.”

“I do not,” I protest.

“Well, blushy and flustered for you. And anytime I relayed a question he had about time or plans or even what kind of snacks you might like to have, you answered with ‘Whatever is easiest for Peeta,’” she says and I scowl at her.

“Well he is doing us a huge favor by driving us,” I say. “Gas money is expensive.”

“Hm so you just wanna make it easy on him and conveniently, you’re riding shotgun, where you’ll be the most likely conversation partner and be responsible for his comfort the whole drive,” Madge says and grins at me, then something outside the window catches her eye. “Ugh. Jerk incoming.”

I turn around and sit fairly still as Peeta and Seamus load Seamus’s bags in the trunk, plotting Madge’s demise for manipulating me into this situation. 

I almost stop plotting when Seamus drops in the car and asks if Peeta packed any beer as he rummages in the cooler.

“Uh no. Sorry,” Peeta says. I catch Madge rolling her eyes and scooting closer to the window.

“Sup, Undersee. Lookin’ good today.”

“Hi Seamus,” she says.

For a few seconds, I feel bad for Madge in the backseat and grateful that I’m sitting next to Peeta instead. But then Peeta shifts his car into reverse to back down out of Seamus’s driveway and his knuckles brush up against my knee.

I jerk my knee away from his touch.

“Sorry,” he says and turns to look behind him as he backs up and I stare at the side view mirror on my side, watching us roll down the hill towards the street.

“Here,” Peeta says as we’re stopped at a red light. He pulls his phone from a small cubby and holds his thumb on it to wake it, then hands it to me. “Why don’t you pick some music for us?”

“Um,” I stare at the tidy pattern of icons on top of a background of a stunning sunset over the mountains. And I blank. Some of them appear to be folders, labeled by category. Art. Food. School Stuff. Sports. Random Sh**. Music.

I smile slightly at the Random S** and tap on the one for music. And stare at five different apps. “Which one?” I ask helplessly.

“Here,” Madge says, leaning over and pointing to the one called Pandora. I open it but have no idea what I’m looking at.

“You look a little lost there Everdeen. Never seen an iPhone before?”

“Shoot. I forgot,” Peeta says and extends his hand to me. I burn with humiliation as Seamus laughs. The reminder that I have a cheap flip phone still and I’m lucky Mom managed that much for us.

“It’s fine,” Madge says and reaches around me to tap a few things. Music starts playing on the car speakers. One of my favorite bands, actually, and I tuck Peeta’s phone back in its cubby. “I’ll show you on mine when we stop,” Madge says and I nod, biting my lip and scrambling for something I can do.

“You hungry, Peeta?” Madge speaks up and I grab hold of it, turning in my seat to check through the bag I saw there earlier as soon as Peeta says he could eat.

“Wow,” I say after a cursory glance at the food packed in it. “You’ve got a feast in here. What are you in the mood for?”

“Uh, some of the licorice,” he says.

“Good choice,” I say as I grab the package. I turn around, but not before I catch Seamus’s look of disgust.

“Ugh. You eat that garbage, Mellark?”

“It’s way better than the cheap, waxy cherry stuff some people seem to like,” I say as I tear open the package. I peel off a few of the gleaming black, swizzled sticks. And when I look up to hand them to Peeta, he’s smiling at me. Sort of. Just his lips curled up and an odd look in eyes. “Here.”

“Thanks,” he says and takes them from me. Eyes back on the road, he quietly says. “You can have some, too. If you like them. I’ve got two packages in there.”

“Oh. Thanks,” I say and pull one out for myself. Seamus goes back to his game, and Madge is reading a book. Every few minutes, Peeta will shift his hand over towards me and I’ll set a few sticks of licorice in his palm as he asks me a question. Simple stuff, like my major, what classes I’m hoping to register for during our orientation, if I’ve got a dorm room or am living off campus.

At one point, Seaums snores Madge giggles. I turn around and cover my mouth as I snort in laughter when I see she’s decorated him with Pixie Sticks. Shoved them up his nose, in his collar like spikes, even poking out of his hair.

“I’m sorry, is this wrong?” she asks and Peeta chuckles softly. 

“Just make sure you get a picture,” he tells her and Madge hands me her phone. This I actually do know how to do, having spent a fair enough amount of time around Madge. I snap a picture of her and Seamus, then one of just him before handing the phone back to her.

Peeta’s grinning at me, and I relax back into my seat. Maybe this road trip won’t be so bad.

[gaym0m]

Okay so l'm really sad cause this girl I have been kinda seeing (and like a lot) is moving states today so imma write that but as Ellie and Beth :) no maggot mommy sorry guys 😭

I'll probably do fluff later.

Warnings: angst, cuss words. Kissing? Gonna do 2nd person cause head hurts. R knows guitar in Beth's part. And just owns some in Ellie’s part.

Beth

Knowing Beth since before she started to learn about music and guitars was a joyful ride.

It was even better when you knew how to play the guitar.

Living just a few blocks from eachother's apartment buildings, meant the two of you would meet almost very day

Ellie wasn’t too sure about this at first but you grew on her (and kept her sister out of trouble while she worked which was really good for her)

But it really wasn’t meant to last

Cause if it was I tagged this wrong (I didn’t im sorry)

As soon as Beth was 18 and Ellie had enough money saved, they planned to move. Not only had Ellie found an amazing husband (this is actually a Jay haters group. But I guessss I have to say he’s nice at first), she had her tattoo business up and running.

Ellie had to go to LA for a bigger market

And Beth had to follow, already applying to multiple music schools and being accepted into most of not all

You? Even if you wanted to follow them (god you wanted to follow them so much it make you physically ill) you simply couldn’t.

You loved Beth so so much, how could you not? Her humor, her taste in literally everything, her voice. . . Truly the list goes on.

But you had been accepted to a school across country, full ride (this means tuition and living paid for those not in America 😔✊) and far from home

It was supposed to be a good thing.

You were all achieving your dreams

So why did it feel like you couldn’t breath?

Why did your chest ache and long for something you’d long since given up?

Because love sucks. (Which is why we all obsess over fictional characters)

The day came so much sooner than you were ready.

All three of you shared a teary good bye, but once Ellie had entered the car, Beth’s arms wrapped tightly around you.

Her face sinking into your neck (as it had a thousand times before after a fight with her mom or her mom vs her sister)

It was a quiet plead for comfort.

Comfort that after that day you wouldn’t be able to provide her.

Her tears soaked your shirt and your tears in hers.

No words were spoken, it wasn’t really necessary when you two knew each-other so well.

Too soon, you had to pull away. Tear stained cheeks flushed red, and green eyes looked dull while locking with yours.

Without much of a second thought, you both leaned in.

Finally Sharing the kiss you both (unknowingly) had been longing for.

It wasn’t how you wanted it, and it wasn’t Beth’s happy ending either

But it was a last hurrah, as your two stories broke off into different paths.

It was as comforting as it was painful, with ideas of what could have been.

Ellie

Ellie had always been a sweetheart, despite her mother’s neglect and her forced motherhood towards Beth.

That was something you admired about her from the moment you meet.

Being the same age as her and with little to no real responsibility except to school, you leant her a hand with Beth.

You parents weren’t rich, but they were certainly workaholics and comfortable.

Which meant while you couldn’t just move them into your house, you could certainly drive them around in your car.

Or buy them groceries when Ellie was running low on money.

It still made you laugh at the memory of her swearing up and down that she would pay you back or return the favor while Beth stood behind her quietly mocking her and sending you a playful wink (one which you’d always return with a smirk)

Ellie adored how well you got along with her sister, and just how much you were willing to go out of your way for them.

Even gifting Beth one of your older guitars for her birthday (you can’t remember who was smiling the widest, little Beth with her guitar feeling like a rockstar or Ellie, watching her sister with the warmest blue eyes you’ve ever seen in your life)

Looking back, that’s when you first fell hard for her. Very eyes so warm and welcoming yet so full of love, pain and everything else.

Like two vacuums dragging you in until you couldn’t breath.

In a good way

One of your favorite memories was convincing Ellie to give you a tattoo after watching her practice on fake skin.

She wouldn’t stop saying no until you compromised, if it looked awful when it healed, she owed you a cover up.

Spoiler alert, it definitely wasn’t great.

She did give you that cover up though

And it looked amazing

Almost matching with her beautiful vine design.

But maybe you waited to long

Or you read it all wrong

Because it was a random Tuesday when she dropped the bomb

She meet a guy. . . And she really liked him.

At first it felt like nothing, a stupid fling at best in your mind.

But one date turned to two then three then weeks of dating followed by months.

Yet your stupidly held on to hope.

Years passed, Jay was still in the picture and while you tried to stay sane you could feel yourself quickly deteriorating.

Beth was quick to notice, always offering a sorry smile when you two locked eyes while Ellie and Jay shared a loving moment.

Yet another year passed, one you spent overworked in order to push the tattoo artist out of your head.

A year which Jay spent pulling Ellie deeper and deeper.

The day you found out about their engagement sent you in a quiet spiral.

Just minutes from home, in a bar with shots lined up waiting for you to finish the last four.

Beth found you first, helping you up and home.

She knew she shouldn’t have told you, after all you clearly were struggling.

But she figured now was better than later.

“Ellie and Jay are moving to LA, and I was hired as a guitar technician with a bad going on tour in a month. .”

Talk about two birds one stone.

Your heart shattered further

Tears forming into your eyes and spilling down your cheeks until you had no more tears to give.

You knew better than to even imagine having a chance now.

Beth tried her best to be there for you, but she was also busy with packing and coming to terms with separating from her sister (and mother figure)

Meanwhile you distracted yourself. Pulling even more shifts at work, packing and shipping all your stuff out to NYC.

With no real tears left to cry, teary eyes and long tight hugs were exchanged between you and Ellie.

Her lips pressed to your cheek before she promised to keep in touch.

Then just like that she was gone

And suddenly you had more tears to cry

You had more pain

But you also had acceptance

And a new road ahead, and away from those you loved for so long.

Ahh sorry for the angst, I am depresso buttt i promise fluff tonight or tomorrow. For now send me ask if you’d like lol.

[thesevenwondersofawitch]

I'm watching ep1 of The Brothers Sun

I love how the dude is baking cakes and watching Great British Bake off 😂 (killers have hobbies too)

Love how the Triad people are wearing sequins

Oh noooo the old guy is dead!

Oh no he isn't he's just in a coma

Ohhhh and he's the main dude's dad

Oooooooooooo his mom's the key to power?! Fuck yeah! Michelle Yeoh is amazing

Fast and furious energy with that fast car( is it the the main guy's brother?)

What a mood that he's actually an Uber driver😂

I hope those girls gave him a good tip since they got sick in his car

I have the same alarm tone😂😂

MICHELLE! (I wonder if the footage on the TV is of Michelle's panda that she adopted)

Wait

Is she a nurse? 😂

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww she's so proud of her baby🥺

My mom also makes me text her when I get to school 😂

Love how she's just like 'go get smart'🥺

Bruce is painfully relatable with his awkward thumbs up flirting

Bruce: *pulls crumbled up dollars from his pocket and pushes it towards the lady* How much education would this buy me?

Lady: 'there's 7 dollars here.'

Poor Bruce, he spent his tuition money on improv classes 😂

'Dude, I am not a criminal!' nah but your family is😂

The way he's trying to justify selling drugs is so funny yet relatable in how college is so freaking expensive

Love that the main guy is happily getting some pastries 😂

Oh no he's just led the bad guy's to his Mama's house 🥺

Is no one even home?😂 He looks like he's been preparing himself the whole flight over😂 Awkward

Awww, he's seeing all the pictures of his mom having fun with his brother 🥺

Oop now he's fighting

DUDE HAVE YOU NO RESPECT THAT'S HIS MAMA'S HOUSE?!

Me: *makes notes* get ✍️ electric ✍️ fly✍️swatter - Oooooooooooo ✍️and a pineapple ✍️

The way that he's pausing to smoke and give the guy a cigarette 😂

Ooof, that was yucky🫣👀( the dude literally pulled his hard through the knife)

I'd make a joke about how pepper spray is not really that effective when your house is broken into and there's a lot of violence that have taken place, but it's Michelle yo so she makes it an insanely deadly weapon

Michelle: 'Bruce' wrong son, don't worry Bruce is fine selling some drugs

Love that her first words to her eldest kid is 'who's this?'

He brought pastries, he's a good son😂

She insulted his beard 😂 and is making him clean up

Dude used the good knife to fight? Disrespectful 😂

Love how they're just cooking while a dead dude is there😂

'not soft, sensitive'😂

Michelle: 'he thinks his father is a gambler and you're an Antarctica working with penguins'

Brother: 'fuck'

DUDE YOUR MAMA MADE YOU FOOD YOU SHOULD EAT IT

Wait, I feel like the club is the same one Bruce is at😂

Bruce, you should've logged into the guy's network just for giggles 😂

Bruce is such a mood

Bruce, in a room of sketchy people who are probably killers: "Hello sir nice to meet you, I'm Bruce."

Oh May is totally a killer

And I kinda love her

Oooooo it is the same club!!!

Bruce: "WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY SOME DRUGS?! I'M NOT A COP!" Relatable

Ooooooooo Bruce is trying to sell his brother snow/pearl/nose candy/disco biscuit 😂

Oof, Charles got tasered

Poor Bruce is so confused 😂

Love that their grandmother carries a taser 😂

"I could prove it by killing all of you. Or you could just check my ID."😂

May is fangirling😂

Love that she's like: 'sometimes family's are fucked up'

Bruce: 'wait, dad's rich? And I'm driving for Lyft?!' what a mood

Poor Bruce is so scared 😂

Charles: "Bruce, do me a favor, don't tell Mom." :)

Bruce: 'WhAt?' :(

Boom shockaloca

Bruce: "We can't come in here looking like this! Mom's gonna freak!"

Charles, barely able to stand and covered in blood: "I found Bruce, he's safe"

Meanwhile, their mom is in the kitchen in an apron, shower cap and getting ready to cut up a body: "Charles go get changed. We gotta get rid of the body. Bruce, go to bed. You got a test tomorrow." She's got her priorities straight, that's for sure

The way the brothers looked at each other as their mom starts drilling into the bad guy😂

This show is a comedy truly

[casspurrjoybell-26]

Too Old For This - Chapter 21 - Part 2

*Warning Adult Content*

"Why are you so fucking smart?" 

The older man frowned a little for a bit before he realized Leroy was complimenting him before laughing.

"I studied writing... then focused on copywriting. That's my job... well, sometimes it is."

"Well, fuck, someone needs to hire you clearly since a whole department carried along with this for a month and didn't notice and you did," Leroy said, looking back at his screen.

"I guess I can structure the project proposal around the brand image and projection and how it's affecting consumer reach?"

"Go for it..." Zachary trailed, still riding the high from Leroy's compliment.

The younger man worked for the next hour before closing his laptop and sighing.

"Dinner's in ten minutes. We should probably head down," Leroy said, checking his watch before sliding his laptop under the bed.

"Remember, if you don't want it you don't have to eat it."

"I'm pretty sure I'll be fine," Zachary said as Leroy got up and straightened his sweatpants.

The two made their way downstairs and sure enough, Leroy's mum was setting the table, as Emilia typed away on her cell-phone.

"Oh, you're here. I was about to go up and get you guys," Emily said as the two men sat down.

Zachary sat beside Emily and Leroy sat on the other end of Zachary.

"I hope you guys like it," Leroy's mum said, sitting across from all three of them.

They served themselves and ate in mostly silence until Leroy's mother spoke up.

"Zachary, what do you do for work?"  

The older man blinked.

"Err..." he trailed then stopped, starting to feel the world spin as the embarrassment started to set in.

How would he explain he didn't work without coming off as a bum?

He didn't want Leroy's mother to look at him like before... the skeptical, confused look was always enough to send him into a spiral.

"He freelances sometimes but he can't do it too much because of medical issues," Leroy said, pulling Zachary out of his panic.

"He's a writer and fucking good at it. Pretty much copy-edited my whole proposal upstairs."

"Oh, so a writer? Did you go to school for that?" Emily asked.

"Was it worth it? I want to go to art school but I'm having a hard time justifying the tuition. Leroy has a fuck ton of student debt, holy moly..." Emily trailed and Zachary rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. Some of us are talentless and need to go to college."

Leroy's mother chuckled and the whole table went silent.

It seemed that even siblings weren't used to that.. well, not anymore.

The awkward silence that followed after, settled for a bit before Zachary chipped in.

"I did go to school for writing but most of it was online and for a cheaper college. Honestly, most arts-related degrees and certificates are about your portfolio..." Emily nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that's true."

Soon the table was chatty again, with most of the conversation coming from Emily's lips.

Leroy's mother chipped in a few times, mentioning her time in the air force and asking Zachary if the chicken was okay.

The initial shock from her laughing had worn off, so the conversation carried on as normal when she did it a few more times.

When dinner was over, Leroy helped Emily with the dishes and Zachary just sat with Leroy's mother.

The two didn't say anything to each other but Zachary could swear he heard her say 'Thank you for coming' just as he got up to head upstairs with Leroy when he was done with the dishes.

He didn't dwell on it too much and instead focused on the man in front of him that seemed to be speed walking all the way upstairs.

When the two got upstairs, Leroy started the PlayStation and handed Zachary a controller when they climbed into bed.

"Err, what's going on?"

"We're going to play a game," Leroy said, getting on the bed with Zachary.

"Cuphead, not sure if you've heard of it."

"I have but I think we're kind of ignoring something," Zachary said, gesturing to himself.

"I don't know how to use a PlayStation controller. I've never had one."

Leroy stared at the older man and the older man stared at him.

"Really?"

"Yes. really."      

"I guess, change of plans, then. You're learning today," Leroy said, scooting closer to Zachary.

"I'll help you."

"Okay," Zachary's voice was low, more because most of his attention was on hyper-focusing on Zachary's hands.

After playing for what seemed like hours, the two abandoned the game, laughing at Zachary's painful attempts of at navigating the game camera while getting killed on the spot.

"It wasn't that funny," Zachary said, chuckling as Leroy brought up one of his fails for the hundredth time as they lay in bed together.

He didn't even believe his own words.  

"Sure, it wasn't," Leroy chuckled, catching the time on the clock on the wall.

He noticed it was getting late.

Zachary might start asking to leave but the younger man didn't want him to yet.

He started wondering what he could do to have Zachary stay longer.

"Should we order Vietnamese take-away?"      

Zachary chuckled, looking at Leroy from the side of his eyes.

"I had two chicken breasts."

"And now you can have 'Pho on the side'," Leroy offered.  

Zachary shook his head.

"Maybe we can have 'Pho on the side' tomorrow after the movie."  

The room was silent for a bit until the older man spoke up.

"Leroy."

"Hmm?" the younger man mumbled, unable to get over how comfortable to be tangled with Zachary on his bed.

"I think I'm going to stay over tonight," the older man whispered, brushing hair away from Leroy's eyes as he stared at him.

"I don't think I can leave now... your bed's super comfy."

Well, it was that and just being in the presence of Leroy gave him a comfort he couldn't quite express.

The thought of heading back to his bedroom, where he was alone in the darkness, didn't sit well in his chest.

He'd enjoyed today... loved today.

He wanted to sleep next to Leroy and wake up to the man's big brown eyes staring at him in the morning.    

"You sure it's just my bed?"

Zachary felt his stomach twist up with nerves at Leroy's sentence.

Just his bed?

Of course, it wasn't but Leroy wasn't going to make him say that out loud, was he?

"No. Not just that," Zachary mumbled, just high enough for Leroy to pick up.

"I don't want to leave. I'd miss you."

Leroy rolled on his stomach and reached out to pull the hem of Zachary's shirt.

"You look really good in this. Green's your color."  

Zachary swallowed back a breath.

He could feel his heart in his throat and a feeling of lightness in his head. Really?

Leroy touching his shirt was making him feral.

He was so whipped.

"Your bedhead is the cutest thing I've ever seen..." Zachary rattled off as Leroy snuck a hand under his shirt.

The younger man placed his open palm over his lover's stomach, letting his icy fingers send tingles through Zachary's body and concentrate on his groin.

"I've wanted to kiss you all day."

Leroy smiled, edging up just enough that their faces were right beside each other's Zachary could feel Leroy's breath on his cheek and when he turned the younger man quickly pressed their lips together, igniting the most toe-curling sigh from them both.

Soon, the two were tangled together, making out in the watching distance of their enthusiastic audience of figurines.